To Catch a Thief (4 page)

D
AKOTA WATCHED A SMALL
shape appear out of the windblown snow. Relief kicked in when he saw Nell wave one hand in a brief thumbs-up gesture.

She looked like hell, he thought. Her hair was flecked with frozen snow. She had mud on her gloves and a welt across one cheek.

“Amanda's stable,” Dakota said, catching the anxious glance Nell sent to the first tent. “The group leader needs hospital care, but he's finally calm, which won't create such an oxygen debt. Go inside. You need to rest.”

Nell looked exhausted as she crawled into the second tent, snow swirling up behind her. She pulled off her climbing gloves and flexed her hands. Her teeth began to chatter. “There's more snow on its way. I can feel the moisture. In icy conditions—”

Without a word Dakota unzipped his parka and pulled it around her shoulders.

She stiffened and tried to push away his hands. “What are you doing? I can't take this. What about
you
?”

“I'll be fine. I've got excellent cold tolerance. You need this more than I do right now.”

She continued to protest, but Dakota cut her off.

“How did it go?” He held out a canteen with water, taken from his pack.

Nell took a drink, then handed back the canteen. “They'll be fine. A doctor was waiting at the inn.” Her voice tightened. “The last trips down were pretty bad. The wind—” She closed her eyes, hunching over to cough sharply.

“Let it go, Nell.” Dakota leaned over and zipped his parka around her trembling body. “You've done all you can. Once the weather clears, a chopper will be dispatched for Amanda and the group leader.”

Nell nodded slowly, but her body remained tense. She didn't seem to notice when Dakota pulled a thermal blanket around her and tucked it into the rope wrapped around her waist.

“How do you let it go?” She shivered, ran a hand across her cheek and stared at a line of dried blood covering her palm. “The last boy, Jess, panicked and he was going to let go of the rope. If he had, I would have lost him. No doubt about it. And it was so
close
.”

Dakota heard the horror that she had tried to hide beneath anger. “Nell, you did everything right. Let it go.”

“I
can't
. Not until everyone is safe.”

He was acutely aware of her scent and the sounds of her breathing as he pulled her slowly toward his chest. He told himself the gesture was entirely impersonal, meant to drive off her panic and uncertainty.

She'd just completed one of the riskiest rescues ever undertaken, but even strong people had limits, and Nell MacInnes was at hers now. Dakota didn't wait for more arguments, didn't try to reason or explain. He pulled her against his chest, sliding her thighs around his waist. His hands moved under her jacket, massaging her back and shoulders for warmth and circulation.

He was keenly aware of her hair, pressed against his cheek. In different circumstances he might have turned his head to taste the smooth line of her throat and test the full curve of her mouth with his lips.

Very bad idea
. Here and now there was no place for emotion or desire. She was his mission.

Their eyes met. She shivered and studied his face as if she'd seen something there that she couldn't understand.

She looked down and seemed to realize how her legs were wrapped around his waist.

With a low gasp, she tried to pull away.

Dakota held her right where she was. “Don't fight me, Nell. We need to stay warm. Now close your eyes and rest. I'll keep an eye on things.”

“Why should I trust you?” she whispered.

“Because right here, right now, I'm all you've got,” Dakota said gruffly. As he wrapped the thermal foil blanket around them, the wind howled out in the darkness.

O
KAY, THE MAN
was tough and he thought on his feet. Calm under pressure, he had a way of moving in and taking charge before you realized what was happening.

But Nell wasn't a skittish child and she didn't take orders from strangers.

She yawned. Even as she struggled to keep her eyes open, she couldn't ignore the hard lines of Dakota Smith's thighs. The man had a great body, and the warm strength of his arms was like a dangerous drug.

She felt the hammer of his heart beneath her cheek, felt the rise and fall of his broad chest. Even his scent teased her, a blend of salty air, sweat and heather.

As he stretched slightly, Nell felt his thighs tighten against her, and his arms shifted to hold her steady. Though they were thigh to thigh, chest to chest, he didn't brush her breasts or make suggestive comments.

Life seemed small and very fragile as they waited out the storm's fury. Idly Nell rubbed her elbow, which had begun to ache. Might as well try to sleep until the storm ended, since they were going nowhere.

She closed her eyes, feeling her hips slide over his thighs. The man had excellent thighs, too.

Maybe sleep wasn't going to be so easy.

“So what do you do when you're not on a climbing vacation?” she muttered. Anything to distract her from the feel of his lean, sculpted muscles.

“My job keeps me busy.”

“Before we went down, Jess told me that you're amazing. I've never seen a kid in such an advanced state of hero worship. This is probably a walk in the park for you, Lieutenant.”

“I never take any threat for granted,” he said roughly. “That includes weather and people.”

Was there an edge in his voice? Nell opened one eye, but in the darkness she couldn't read his expression.

His arm cradled her head. His chest was warm and he seemed calm, but absolutely distant.

Probably she'd been wrong about the edge in his voice.

Quietly, he slid free. “Time to check on Amanda.”

“H
OW IS SHE
?”
Nell was feeling a little blurry when he returned. Actually a
lot
blurry. A wave of dizziness hit her. She had forgotten the adrenaline spikes of rescue work—and the inevitable crash.

“Her pulse is stronger. Right now I'll take small favors. The cardiac patient is holding on, too.” With economical movements, Dakota sat down and drew her against him, covering them both.

She tried to focus, but the growl of the wind was distracting. “So what made you decide to be a hero, Lieutenant?”

“I just happened to be around when you needed me. It's nothing heroic.”

Nell studied his face as he switched on a small penlight. “When did you start your climb? I never saw you before today.” She angled her head, trying to read the expression in his eyes. The man didn't reveal anything, she thought irritably.

“I arrived yesterday. I've been on the move.”

It made sense. As he pulled her closer, the soothing warmth of his body made her relax.

The man would make a fantastic climbing partner, she decided.

The penlight flashed off. Rough fingers opened on her hair. “What are you thinking about?”

“I figure you have great deltoids,” Nell said sleepily. “That's always the first thing I look for in a man.”

“You look for his deltoids?” He sounded amused.

“Absolute first thing.” Nell yawned. “Always look for the deltoids. Best way to judge climbing strength. How long can you hang, hands only, unassisted?”

“Seventy-one minutes.” His breath was warm against her ear. “More or less.”

Even in a growing haze of cold and exhaustion, Nell was impressed. “
No way
. Not for over an hour.” Nobody could do that. At least nobody that
she
knew.

“I could be lying,” he said calmly.

Nell didn't think so. He didn't strike her as the type for casual boasts. In fact,
nothing
about the man seemed casual. “What exactly do you
do
in the navy?”

“This and that. Nothing you'd be interested in.” His hands slid slowly into her hair. Nell felt the strands spill over his fingers.

At every movement, she was stunned to feel little jolts of desire. The heat grew where their bodies were joined.

Crazy. They were camped on the edge of a cliff and he was a complete stranger.

But the heat didn't go away. His hands kept moving, slow and thoughtful, until Nell thought she'd scream.

Or curl up against his chest and sigh in noisy pleasure.

She frowned. She knew better than to relax or trust a stranger even if the gentle motion of his hands
was
hypnotic. “The tents are taking a beating. I need to go check to see if they—”

“Already done. The lines you rigged are solid. Nice work.”

“Two of my best ropes are out there,” she said sleepily. “I've got trail mix and three protein bars in my left pocket,” she added. “Take them if you need to.”

“I'll be fine. Go to sleep, Nell.”

She wasn't used to being taken care of. It had been years since her father—

Don't go there.

The past was a sinkhole filled with bad memories. And this man was still a stranger. She wiggled, trying to find a position that wasn't starkly intimate, with their shoulders touching and their thighs locked together for warmth. Finally she gave up.

It was just one night, after all. She'd never see this man and his powerful body again. There was no chance for mingled laughter or shared secrets.

And that was
exactly
the way Nell wanted it.

She twisted, shoving away his hands as she closed her eyes. “Just don't get any ideas while I'm asleep,” she said huskily. “That cliff wall is only a few feet away. You wouldn't like the drop.”

She thought she heard his quiet laugh before she drifted off with the howl of the wind in her ears.

N
ELL FELT
the wind in her hair.

Hands sweaty, she was chalking up before her last climb of the day. The sun lay hot and heavy on her shoulders in a band of liquid gold. Body straining, muscles in the flow while Yosemite spread out like a Technicolor postcard.

Beautiful
.

Then the sudden hiss of falling rope. A violent jerk as a cam broke free, slamming her into a wall of granite, breaking her nose and cheekbone, blood gushing onto her neck.

The sound of her own scream jerked her upright in the icy darkness.

“Nell, wake up.”

Lines broken. Carabiners blown. Falling, falling…

“Hey, wake up.” Hard hands locked around her shoulders.

She fought blindly, her nails raking warm skin.

Panic. Falling…

“Stop fighting, Nell. It's Dakota. You're just dreaming. Something about Yosemite, but it's over now. Calm down and breathe.”

Breathe
.

Nell forced her muscles to loosen.

Just another dream. Always about falling, somewhere alone in the darkness…

She took a deep breath and shoved a damp clump of hair from her eyes. “Okay, back among the living—more or less. Thanks for the wake-up call. What time is it anyway?”

“Almost five. Should be light soon. You okay now?”

Nell straightened the small light clipped to her belt. “Great,” she said through clenched teeth.

“You keep that light with you all the time?”

“When I'm next to a three-thousand-foot drop, I do. In case you didn't notice, that first step can be really unpleasant.” Nell slanted her small light through the tent. “How is she?”

“No change. Stable and warm.”

“Westlake, our fearless tour leader?”

“Asleep, last time I checked.”

Nell frowned. “What about you? Don't
you
ever rest?”

“I closed my eyes for a few minutes. It's all I need.” His hands smoothed the thermal blanket around her shoulders. “Do you always ask this many questions?”

“Yeah, I do. Call it terminal curiosity.”

Amanda Wilson tossed in her sleep, and Dakota leaned down to check her pulse.

At his touch the teenager twisted, muttering hoarsely. “Mummy, you left the window open again. It's so c-cold…” Then her eyes opened and she coughed, staring blankly up at Dakota. “My arm hurts.” She craned her head anxiously from side to side. “Where are the others?”

“Back at the hotel. We'll get you there shortly.” Dakota raised the tube of her hydration pack. “How about you drink a little water?”