His Healing Touch

Her heart began beating a tad faster. “What, then?” She prayed he’d say “fox” or “bobcat,” anything but “snake.”

He looked at her out of the corner of one eye. “Maybe I need to revise my statement.”

“Excuse me?”

“Maybe you are the type who’s scared of things that go bump in the night.”

To her knowledge, snakes didn’t “bump.” But then, her encounters with reptiles had been few and far between…deliberately. Still, it was far too early in their relationship to show him what a scaredy-cat she could be. Kasey grabbed the poker from the hearth and struck a fencer’s pose. “Anything that goes bump in my night will leave here wearin’ a bump!”

Wait—had she thought the R word? She’d only met the man a few hours ago! Just because he’d been nice—and she’d appreciated it—didn’t mean they’d started a…a relationship.

Did it?

Adam laughed, and she realized he was just teasing her.

“All right,” he said, “you win. But if you’re going to sleep out here, at least let me get you some clean sheets, another pillow, a comforter, maybe.”

Kasey was still reacting to the delicious sound of his laughter when she said, “You must be kidding. There’s so much wood on that grate, I’ll probably roast during the night.”

“Then, maybe I oughta come back in a couple of hours,” he mumbled around a yawn, “to turn you over and baste you.”

She headed back to the fireplace, to put the poker back into its stand. Looking over her shoulder, she began, “And maybe you oughta—”

Kasey’s right foot came down on the toe of the too-big left sock Adam had loaned her, throwing her off balance. The poker clattered onto the brick hearth as she held out both hands to soften the landing.

Adam, lightning-quick, grabbed her wrist. One well-timed tug kept her from falling face-first into the blazing fire—and put her directly into the protective circle of his arms.

Pressed tightly against his barrel chest was just about the last place Kasey should be, she knew. And yet, it was precisely where she wanted to be, where she’d pictured herself—a time or two, anyway—during the past few hours.

She looked up slowly, past the wide shoulders and the broad chin. She hadn’t noticed before—perhaps because they’d stayed a careful distance apart, perhaps because of the semidarkness—but a shadowy stubble peppered his face. It made him look even more rugged, even more handsome, if that was possible. When had he last shaved, Kasey wondered. Yesterday? The day before? And what might it feel like if that slightly fuzzy upper lip should graze her mouth with a soft, searching kiss…?

She saw a similar question simmering in his dark brown orbs. Her heart thudded, because she sensed that Adam was going to kiss her, and soon. Sensed, too, that she’d like it, that she’d want another, and maybe another after that.

Dear Lord, she prayed, if You’re trying to tell me Adam is ‘the one,’ I’m getting the message loud and clear!

Adam held her close, torn between pushing her away and pulling her nearer still. Relief—that he’d managed to keep her from falling into the fire—mingled with the exhilaration of having her so near.

Looking deep into her eyes, Adam understood for the first time what the poets meant, for he felt as though he were drowning in a sea of bright green.

Long ago, he’d taught himself to mask his emotions, had made it a regular part of every doctor–patient relationship. Obviously, something in his carefully practiced routine had short-circuited. How else could Kasey have known how very much he wanted to kiss her? And he could see that she did know; she had closed her eyes, tilted her head, lifted her chin.

The logical side of his brain ranted, Stop it! You’re getting in over your head! But the emotional side prodded, She’d be good for you! Why not make hay while the sun shines for a change?

He all but laughed at the irony: sunshine, when it was nearly midnight, and during a raging thunderstorm, yet!

Kasey opened her eyes—her magnificent, glittering green eyes—at the exact moment that a rib-racking clap of thunder shook the cabin. Startled, she instinctively squeezed closer; involuntarily, he tightened his protective embrace.

And that’s all it took to melt the last of his resolve.

Adam leaned down as Kasey stood on tiptoe. You’re gonna be sorry, pealed a warning in his head. But it came too late….

The instant their lips touched, a soft sigh bubbled up from somewhere deep inside her and swept over him like a tepid ocean wave. One moment, he’d been an empty, castaway bottle, bobbing in the sudsy surf. The next, her warmth spilled into him, soaking into his soul and filling his hollow heart. How long before he’d sink completely?

The question caused reality to rear its ugly head, reminding him of the promise he’d made to himself, not an hour ago. You have no business doing this, he ranted inwardly, no business at all!

He was about to disconnect himself from the exquisite sensations of peace and contentment the simple human contact had awakened, when her hands slid up his chest, came to rest on his shoulders. If her reaction to their kiss was any indicator, Kasey, too, had waited a lifetime for…for whatever this wonderful feeling was called.

He’d known her for a long, long time, in a distant, detached way. He realized now that by staying in the shadows of her life, he’d deprived himself of the pleasure of watching Kasey make that graceful change from bony, freckle-faced girl to curvaceous, charming woman. It was probably better that way, because if he had witnessed the transformation, even from the sidelines, living his life on the fringes of hers would have been impossible.

The documentary he’d been watching on TV when Kasey showed up popped into his head; suddenly, Adam felt great empathy for the scraggly gray wolf who, driven from the pack, died of grief and loneliness. Difficult as it would be, now that he’d crossed the invisible line he’d drawn between them, he intended to step back into the shadows, for his sake as well as hers.

Gently, Adam curled his fingers around Kasey’s upper arms, took a careful step back.

One hand still resting on his shoulder, she blinked, and the disappointment in her eyes made his heart ache. As she touched the fingertips of the free hand to her lips, she sighed. “Thanks, Adam.”

His lips were still tingling from their kisses, his mind a muddle from having had to force himself to come up for air long enough to do the right thing. He had no idea why she was thanking him.

Kasey tidied the collar of his shirt. “Earlier, you said you might come out here during the night, to turn me over and baste me.” She looked him full in the face. “Well, if it hadn’t been for your quick thinking just now, I would’ve been toast, not a roast!”

The smile not only curved her mouth up at the corners, but lit her eyes…and every dark place inside him, too. He’d seen TV movies where people fell head-over-heels in a heartbeat. Adam had always scoffed at the silly, romantic plots, because only buffoons and simpletons believed in love at first sight. Evidently, he was a buffoon. Or a simpleton. Or both. Because he believed in it now, with every beat of his Kasey-filled heart!

“So, thanks for saving my life,” she said again. And fluttering her long, thick lashes, she added in Scarlett O’Hara fashion, “You’re mah hee-roe!”

Hero?

The word echoed, thudded like a hammer in his head, because he was anything but a hero, and he knew it. Luke knew it, and so did Wade and Travis. And Buddy—the man who’d asked Kasey to marry him—he knew it best of all!

“Well,” Adam said, taking another step back, “guess I’ll let you get a little shut-eye. Quite a day you’ve had, what with getting mired in the mud, lost in the woods…” His voice trailed off…meeting up with your father’s killer, he finished silently. “If you need anything, anything at all, just make yourself at home, okay?”

She nodded. “Okay, and—”

Unable to listen to another word of gratitude, he held up a hand; what he’d done for her to date wasn’t half what he owed her. He turned quickly and headed for the bedroom, amazed at how difficult it was to walk away, to put even these few yards of hardwood floor between them.

“G’night. And thanks again, for everything.”

“You’re welcome,” he muttered, closing the door.

Adam rubbed his jaw. He should’ve stoked the fire. Should’ve double-checked the door and window locks. Should’ve made sure she had everything she needed. Should’ve kept your hands to yourself!

The memory of Kasey—so tiny in his arms, so strong and yet strangely vulnerable—sparked in his mind. Adam rubbed his eyes, but the vision seemed tattooed on the insides of his eyelids. “What you don’t know can’t hurt you,” he whispered. The old adage made perfect sense, suddenly, because he’d given in to a weak moment, and more than likely, he’d be sorry in the morning.

In truth, he was sorry now.

Moments ago, he’d held perfection in his arms.

And he’d never again be able to settle for less.

The quiet pop and crackle of logs burning in the grate and the steady thrum of rain on the roof lulled Kasey into a near-sleep state. Drowsily, she glanced around the cabin’s living room, where everything, from the deep green plaid valances above the dark wood-trimmed windows to Adam’s well-worn brown recliner, reflected the flames’ buttery glow. It was a tastefully designed space that made her feel safe and secure. Had he hired a professional to create the cozy atmosphere, or had he chosen the furnishings himself?