When I Find You: A Trust No One Novel by Dixie Lee Brown

to her. She eyed him distrustfully and he groaned. What he wouldn’t give for a stiff drink about now.
    “Okay—now that I’ve got your attention, let me tell you about my day.” Walker resumed his pacing. “I’ve been up since four thirty this morning. I’ve saved your neck three times so far today, and for my trouble I’ve been cracked on the skull, threatened by a bear, and nearly drowned. We’re through doing it your way.” He stopped and pinned her with a warning glance. “I realize you’re confused and you’ve got no idea who I am, but there’s only one thing you need to know. I’m taking you out of here with me, and I don’t care if I have to throw you over my shoulder and carry you out. Are we clear?”
    She watched him without saying a word, looking anything but resigned to her fate.
    Walker stared back, daring her to defy him.
    She never even flinched.
    “If you were me, what would you do?” Her strong, clear voice challenged him, while her eyes flashed with fire.
    “If I were you, I’d find someone I could trust and stick with him until this is over.”
    “And that’s you, I suppose? How do I know I can trust you?”
    He made a show of looking around. “You don’t have a lot of options at the moment, but in case you haven’t noticed, I’m the one trying to keep you alive.” He reached for her elbow and pulled her to her feet. The cool breeze through his wet clothes chilled him, and he worried about her. Even with her arms wrapped around her just beneath her breasts, she still shook. No sense putting this off. She wasn’t magically going to start trusting him in the next few minutes and they had to get moving.
    He held up his jacket in front of her and took a deep breath. “Get out of those wet clothes and put this coat on.”
    Her eyes widened in alarm and she stared at him, resting her hands on her hips in a stance that would have made him smile if she hadn’t been so serious. He held her gaze, expecting her to tell him to go to hell. He couldn’t afford to give on this issue so he kept talking. “We’ll head back to higher ground, start a fire, and get our clothes dried out. I have to get you warmed and this is the only way I know to do it. We don’t have time to argue about this.”
    “You can’t seriously expect me to . . . you’re wet and cold too. Wear your own damn coat.” She wrapped her arms around her waist again as though she could stop her trembling.
    The fear in her expression tugged at his conscience and sent him searching for the words to reassure her he wasn’t going to jump her as soon as she undressed. The suspicious glare she fixed him with succeeded in hardening his resolve, and he lowered the coat, raised an eyebrow, and swept his gaze over her. “You can either get out of those clothes yourself, or I can help you.”
    “You wouldn’t dare!”
    “You’ll find there’s not too much I wouldn’t do.”
    Darcy glowered at him a few more seconds, clearly wishing she had a tree branch in her hand. Then she sighed and dropped her gaze, blinking several times in quick succession, obviously determined he wouldn’t see her break down. So, the woman wasn’t as tough as she wanted him to believe. Her vulnerability unleashed a wave of protectiveness that washed over him and left him feeling like an ass.
    He frowned. “I’m not the enemy.” He held the coat higher so it blocked his view of everything but her head and shoulders. “Hurry, we have to get moving.” Trembling visibly, her lips still maintained a bluish tint. She wasn’t out of danger yet.
    She searched his eyes for another moment. Whatever she saw there must have satisfied her, or maybe she’d finally reached the point of giving up. With a tired sigh she turned her back, unbuttoned her shirt, and dropped it on the ground, then fumbled awkwardly with the hooks on her bra. Her left shoulder was noticeably stiff and painful and, in the dim light, he saw the beginnings of a damn good bruise.