alone inside his own skin.
Luce was stunned. She couldn’t believe what had just happened, and didn’t know whether to be embarrassed or ask for more. When she looked up, he was staring down at her with an expression of disbelief.
“What just happened?” she whispered.
Jonah shook his head. “I don’t know…. I’ve never—” He took a deep breath and then turned her loose. “Forgive me. I did not do that on purpose.”
Luce ran shaky hands through her hair and then smoothed them down the front of her shirt. Her breasts ached, and the skin on her body was so sensitive that it was painful to the touch. She shuddered and took a step back.
“Lord,” she muttered, and took yet another step back.
Jonah was rattled. He was never uncertain. He’d always known things and accepted that as part of his persona. But this…
He didn’t like the frightened look on her face and held up his hands in a gesture of submission.
“Please. You have nothing to fear from me. I would never—” He stopped, wiped a shaky hand across his face, then dropped his hands. “I’m sorry. If you have no further need of help, I will go to my room, heartily grateful not to be sleeping outside in the storm.”
He walked away before Luce could stop him. She didn’t know for sure how she felt about what had just happened, but whatever this was between them, it was far stronger than the storm.
Four
J onah went to bed feeling confused and unsettled. He’d never had a reaction to a woman like he had with Luce. For him, it went far beyond the physical. He’d never believed in the concept of soul mates, but now he wasn’t so sure. And, oddly enough, thinking of the future turned his thoughts to the past.
It wasn’t often he let himself think of Snow Valley. Some things were too painful to remember. But tonight, sleep had taken him back to the day the world as he’d known it had come to an end.
If it had been possible to travel back in time, he would never have gotten on the chopper with Harve Dubois and flown in to Wilson Tinglit’s hunting camp. But the message from Wilson had been frantic. One of the men he’d been guiding had been attacked by a grizzly, and the doctor, Adam Lawson, had been two hours away, delivering a baby.
If Jonah could have known the hell that would come to him from saving the mauled hunter’s life, he would never have gotten on the chopper with Harve. If he allowed himself to wallow in the tragedy, he had to admit that, in saving the hunter, he’d caused his father’s death. Still, there had been no way to know what would happen, and Adam would have been the first one to urge him to help. But when he closed his eyes, it was often his fate to relive that terrible time again and again in his dreams.
It always started with the cloud of black flies plastered to the screen on the back door. Then came the blood. The coppery scent of it was thick in the air as he walked into the kitchen. Like a slide show, the image in his mind moved from the flies to his father’s body lying on the floor in a pool of congealing blood. Just beyond Adam Lawson’s outstretched hand was a single word, written in the same blood that had been flowing through his veins.
RUN.
He could feel the absence of life, and he knew without touching him that his father had been dead for some time and was far beyond anything Jonah could do for him. Before he had time to process the horror of what he was seeing, he heard a sound behind him and turned.
Three masked men in black were coming at him from the living room. He didn’t know what had happened, or why they were there, but self-preservation and his father’s last message told him what to do.
He bolted toward the door in an all-out sprint, while his heart was breaking and his world was coming down around his ears. Black flies shattered formation and rose en masse into the air as he hit the screen door with the flat of his hand. He leaped from the porch, with the sounds of the
Luce was stunned. She couldn’t believe what had just happened, and didn’t know whether to be embarrassed or ask for more. When she looked up, he was staring down at her with an expression of disbelief.
“What just happened?” she whispered.
Jonah shook his head. “I don’t know…. I’ve never—” He took a deep breath and then turned her loose. “Forgive me. I did not do that on purpose.”
Luce ran shaky hands through her hair and then smoothed them down the front of her shirt. Her breasts ached, and the skin on her body was so sensitive that it was painful to the touch. She shuddered and took a step back.
“Lord,” she muttered, and took yet another step back.
Jonah was rattled. He was never uncertain. He’d always known things and accepted that as part of his persona. But this…
He didn’t like the frightened look on her face and held up his hands in a gesture of submission.
“Please. You have nothing to fear from me. I would never—” He stopped, wiped a shaky hand across his face, then dropped his hands. “I’m sorry. If you have no further need of help, I will go to my room, heartily grateful not to be sleeping outside in the storm.”
He walked away before Luce could stop him. She didn’t know for sure how she felt about what had just happened, but whatever this was between them, it was far stronger than the storm.
Four
J onah went to bed feeling confused and unsettled. He’d never had a reaction to a woman like he had with Luce. For him, it went far beyond the physical. He’d never believed in the concept of soul mates, but now he wasn’t so sure. And, oddly enough, thinking of the future turned his thoughts to the past.
It wasn’t often he let himself think of Snow Valley. Some things were too painful to remember. But tonight, sleep had taken him back to the day the world as he’d known it had come to an end.
If it had been possible to travel back in time, he would never have gotten on the chopper with Harve Dubois and flown in to Wilson Tinglit’s hunting camp. But the message from Wilson had been frantic. One of the men he’d been guiding had been attacked by a grizzly, and the doctor, Adam Lawson, had been two hours away, delivering a baby.
If Jonah could have known the hell that would come to him from saving the mauled hunter’s life, he would never have gotten on the chopper with Harve. If he allowed himself to wallow in the tragedy, he had to admit that, in saving the hunter, he’d caused his father’s death. Still, there had been no way to know what would happen, and Adam would have been the first one to urge him to help. But when he closed his eyes, it was often his fate to relive that terrible time again and again in his dreams.
It always started with the cloud of black flies plastered to the screen on the back door. Then came the blood. The coppery scent of it was thick in the air as he walked into the kitchen. Like a slide show, the image in his mind moved from the flies to his father’s body lying on the floor in a pool of congealing blood. Just beyond Adam Lawson’s outstretched hand was a single word, written in the same blood that had been flowing through his veins.
RUN.
He could feel the absence of life, and he knew without touching him that his father had been dead for some time and was far beyond anything Jonah could do for him. Before he had time to process the horror of what he was seeing, he heard a sound behind him and turned.
Three masked men in black were coming at him from the living room. He didn’t know what had happened, or why they were there, but self-preservation and his father’s last message told him what to do.
He bolted toward the door in an all-out sprint, while his heart was breaking and his world was coming down around his ears. Black flies shattered formation and rose en masse into the air as he hit the screen door with the flat of his hand. He leaped from the porch, with the sounds of the
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