CHASING TROUBLE

“Damn it, we’re getting nowhere like this!”

She barely heard Nicholas’ impatient exclamation before it was carried away on the howling wind, so she was totally unprepared when he turned to swing her up into his arms and hold her close against his chest as he walked more determinedly towards the lights of the inn.

Caroline’s arms were thrown about his neck as she burrowed her face against him to shelter from the icy-cold wind. Even the dampness of his coat was more comfortable than the burning in her throat as she tried to breathe through that frosty battering. Incredible to think that, although it had been cold, the sun had actually been trying to shine when they’d left earlier this morning; it was like being in another world.

What would happen to them if Nicholas couldn’t make it as far as the inn? Her arms tightened about his neck as she laced her frozen fingers tightly together. She should have thought to wear gloves. And a hat.

“Almost there!” Nicholas rasped grimly, obviously suffering as much as she was from the wind that was so cold it seemed to rip right through them. “Get the door,” he prompted forcefully seconds later.

Caroline raised her head and saw that they had actually reached the inn;

light shone welcomingly through the small, frosted windows, and what looked like the warm glow of a fire too.

Her fingers were so cold, so numbed, that she had trouble unlacing them. The snow cracked on the sleeve of her coat and then fell away as she moved her arm towards the doorknob, fingers slipping at first before she managed to grasp and turn it. The two of them almost fell through the open doorway straight into what looked like the public bar. Much to the incredulity of the landlord, as he gazed across at them with disbelieving eyes, his mouth having fallen open in surprise at anyone being out at all on an evening like this.

“Shut the door behind us, would you?” Nicholas instructed the other man grimly as he carried Caroline over to where a fire burned warmly in the hearth in the otherwise deserted bar. He sat down, still holding Caroline against him, as she seemed unable to release her clenched fingers from the shoulders of his jacket, her teeth chattering uncontrollably.

“It’s okay, Care,” he murmured reassuringly. “We’re okay,” he added with satisfaction as the warmth of the fire began to thaw his numbed face and hands.

The tingling sensation that ensued was almost as painful, but it was a welcome pain after the worry of the last few minutes. He really hadn’t been sure they were going to make it as far as the inn as the snowstorm had become a blizzard, visibility down to almost nil, each step becoming a triumph of survival. Not that Nicholas intended telling Caroline that. He knew that she was strong, but the way she still clung to him so tightly now showed she had definitely reached the end of her endurance.

Arousingly so, Nicholas realized as he looked down at her with narrowed eyes. She looked so tiny in his arms, vulnerable, even, her hair plastered to her head and across her face in damp tendrils, her eyes huge as she raised her head to look at him. A man could willingly drown in those depths, Nicholas realized with a sharp intake of breath; could lose his own will, his very soul, and not give a damn as long as Caroline continued to look up at him with that warmth in her eyes. He noticed how long her lashes were, thick and dark. Her lips were a deep pink, full and pouting, as if waiting to be kissed.

“Get the other side of this, lad. And your good lady, too.”

Nicholas wrenched his gaze away from Caroline to look at the landlord as he stood beside the armchair holding two glasses of amber liquid. Probably whisky, Nicholas acknowledged ruefully as he gratefully took one of the glasses and held the rim next to Caroline’s lips.

“Drink,” he instructed firmly as she made no effort to do so.

Caroline’s throat moved convulsively as she acknowledged that there was something in Nicholas’ eyes just now as he looked down at her, an awareness that only increased her own wariness about spending these four days alone with him in Texas. She obediently sipped the golden liquid, almost choking on the unaccustomed alcohol as the whisky slid down her throat to burst into a fiery warmth as it reached her stomach, warming her from the inside out. Thawing Caroline enough for her to realize she was sitting on Nicholas’ thighs and still cradled in his arms.

She struggled to sit up, taking the glass of whisky from his hand as she stood up and moved sharply away from him, averting her face to stare into the fire as she sensed his questioning gaze following her movements.

What had happened just now?ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

She had looked up into his face and seen-what? Awareness, certainly. Desire, possibly. Almost as if Nicholas had been looking at her for the first time. And perhaps he had. Caroline certainly bore little resemblance today to the prim no-nonsense PA she chose to present in the office. Her hair fell loosely about her shoulders; her denims and jumper were much more casual than anything she would ever wear to the office. She felt strangely vulnerable without the shield of her tailored business-suits and blouses. Especially if that change had also affected the way Nicholas viewed her.

She suddenly became aware of the conversation taking place between Nicholas and the landlord.

“Get my wife to make up the room,” the landlord murmured before hurrying away and disappearing through a door marked ‘private’.

“Do you want the good news or the bad news?”

There was a frown between Caroline’s brows as she turned to look at Nicholas, her inability to think clearly telling her that she still hadn’t recovered from the freezing cold outside. Or perhaps that was the effect of the whisky. Or, more likely, being held in his arms a few minutes ago…

“The bad news first, I suppose,” she invited through lips that tingled painfully with renewed feeling.

Nicholas nodded. “The bad news is this is just a pub, not a hotel, so the landlord doesn’t normally rent out rooms for the night.”

Caroline blinked. “And the good news…?” she prompted warily.