Sandra Chastain by Firebrand Page B

alongside. Aftera tense moment they heard the plane, coming closer and closer until suddenly it was just above them, coming in at high speed as it drew closer to the ground.
    Doak put the Jeep in reverse and spun around. “She’s going too fast.”
    At that moment they heard the sound of the collision. The plane dipped its right wing into the ground and spun around, crumpling into a corner of the hangar with a crash.
    By the time Cade reached the plane, Rusty was sliding to the ground. She swayed slightly and looked around. Cade covered the distance between the Jeep and Rusty in two steps, lifting her into his arms. As he held her, the snow swirled around, catching in her flame-colored hair like decorations on a Christmas tree. Lightning suddenly split the sky behind the house, followed by a clap of thunder.
    “I made it,” Rusty said dazedly, “So did you.”
    “Are you hurt?” Cade asked, gazing down at the woman he was holding.
    Was she hurt? No. Was she feeling slightly foolish and disoriented? Yes. She blinked as she looked into his frowning eyes.
    “No, I don’t think so. Looks like the plane is a little worse for wear, though.” She felt his arms tighten around her, and a flush of heat rushed to her face. She would have said more, but a knot seemed to be blocking her throat. She’d been afraid he wouldn’t come back, that she’d never see him again. But here he was, holding her as if he’d never let go. She wondered for an instant if she was dreaming.
    “Next time, stay over.” His voice was snappishand worried. The urge to claim those parted lips was winning. She was blushing, and that knowledge gave him a warm feeling.
    Under the intensity of his gaze Rusty shook her head. He was doing it already, giving her orders, and they hadn’t been together ten minutes. “I’ll stay over if I think it’s the thing to do,” she snapped, marshaling her defenses. “Put me down, McCall. I can walk.”
    “If I thought so, I’d have let you.”
    Cade strode back to the Jeep and motioned to Doak, who nodded and started the Jeep to drive it back to the house. Cade continued to hold her in his lap, burying his chin in her hair. She was still, too still. Then she began to shiver. When the Jeep stopped, he strode through Letty’s empty kitchen, up the stairs, and into the family wing.
    “Which room?”
    “First door on the right,” she managed to say.
    She should be struggling, opposing his take-charge attitude. Instead, her arms had found their way around his neck, and her fingertips were playing on the skin beneath the collar of the slicker. She liked the way his hair curled against his collar. She liked the way it felt, the way he smelled. She tried to pull herself together. “Where’s—your daughter?” she managed to ask.
    “My daughter is where you’re about to be—in bed.”
    “Bed? Why?”
    “For a rest. She’s had a long trip.”
    He tightened his grip for a moment, feeling the touch of her breast against his chest, the little warm breaths of air against his neck. Then, reluctantly,he let Rusty down and flicked on the lamp beside her bed. “Take off those wet clothes.”
    Take off her clothes? His words rattled around in her conscious mind until she could focus on the meaning. Rusty shook her head. This time he’d gone too far. Concern for her after she wrecked the plane was understandable, but ordering her to undress? She didn’t want to undress. A moment ago she’d been warm. Now she was cold, cold because he wasn’t holding her any longer. She felt like a television screen, fading from color to black and white, and back to color again.
    Losing contact with his body gave her a respite from the barrage of emotions plummeting her body. She took a deep sensible breath. “Listen, McCall, I won’t be dictated to. This is my room, and these are my clothes. I’ll take them off when I’m ready.”
    “Not this time, Redhead. You’ve had a shock, and you’re wet and cold. This time you take