Two Alone by Sandra Brown Page A

turned even marginally colder.
    L ike hell she would!
    S uddenly she was furious with him for going off and leaving her. She'd show him; she'd show her father. Rusty Carlson was
    not an easily expendable, spineless wimp.
    She threw off th e covers and pulled on her ski jacket. For the t ime being she'd leave off her left boot because the pair of them were still stashed farther down in the pile of furs, too far for her to r each. Besides, if one foot was bare, the other might just as well be , too. And on top of that, putting on her coat had sapped her energy.
    F ood and water.
    T hose essentials were necessary. That's what she had to find fir st. But where? A t best, her surroundings were intimidating. At worst, terrifying. For three hundred and sixty degrees, all she could see was virgin forest. Beyond the nearby trees—some so tall she couldn't even see the tops of them—there stretched end less miles of more just like them.
    Before she could go in search of water, she had to get to her feet . It seemed like an impossible task, but she gritted her teeth with the determination to do it.
    When they discovered her body, it wouldn't be hunkered under the pile of fu rs!
    Reac hing out as far as she could, she closed her hand around stic k of firewood and pulled it toward her. Using it as a prop, she came up on her good knee, keeping the injured one straight out in front of her. Then she paused to catch her breath, which was forming clouds of white vapor in front of her face.
    Repeatedly she tried to stand up, but failed. She was as weak a s a newborn kitten. And light-headed. Damn Cooper Landry!
    No wonder he'd urged her to drink so much brandy. He'd wanted her to pass out so she wouldn't know when he sneaked away like the miserable skunk that he was.
    Making a Herculean final effort, she put ail her weight on her left foot and st ood up on it. T he earth ti lted precariously. Cl osing her eyes, she clasped her supporting stick of firewood and held on for dear life. When she felt it was safe to reopen her eyes, she did—and let out a thin squeak of astonishment. Cooper was standing on the other side of the clearing,
    "Just what the hell do you think you're doing?" he bellowed.
    Dropping what he was carryin g, including his rifle, he bore down on her like a sorely provoked angel. Catching her under her arms, he kicked the stick of wood out from under her and lowered her back into her sickbed. He packed the covers around her shivering body
    "What the hell were you trying to do?"
    "F...find water," she stuttered through chattering teeth.
    His muttered expletive was so vivid it was almost tangible. He laid his open hand on her forehead t o gauge her temperature. "You're so cold, you're b lue. Don' t try another damn stupid stunt like that again, understand? It's my job to find water. Yours is to stay put. Got that?"
    Swearwords continued to pour out of him like the payoff o f a slot machine. He turned toward the fire and began stoking it , angrily throwing firewood onto t h e smoldering coals and f anning them to life. When the fire was blazing, he crossed the Rearing and picked up the limp rabbit carcass he'd dropped on the ground. He was also carrying a thermos, one of the things he'd brought with them from the wreckage. Uncapping it. he poured water into the lid/cup and knelt on one knee beside Rust y .
    H ere. I'm sure your throat is dry and sore. But don't drink t oo much too fast."
    She cupped her hands around his and raised the cup to her pa rch ed lips. The water was so cold it hurt her teeth, but she did n 't mind. She took three deep swallows before Cooper withdrew the cup.
    E asy, I said. There's plenty."
    "You found a source?" She licked drops of wa t er off her lips. Watching that motion closely, Cooper said, "Yeah. A stream u three hundred yards that way." He indicated the direc tion with his head. "Must be a tributary of the Mackenzie." She looked at the lifeless carcass lying next to his boot. "Did you shoot the