[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

Before she could answer, he unbuttoned her oilskin and slid his hand beneath her sweater and shirt to
the tightening muscles of her stomach. "How long?" he askedtauntly .
"Could be hours, could be minutes," she muttered, her voice tense with the effects of the contraction. "If
there was such a thing as a practice run, maybe I could tell you something different."
"If there was such a thing as a practice run, I'd be damned if I'd let you go through it," he said as he
refastened her buttons."You're already in too much pain."
"How much is too much?"she retorted with a touch of asperity. "I've got a feeling this is only the
beginning."
Cullen's arms came around Rachel, enclosing her. She breathed him in, almost tasting his heady, hot
vitality, feeling some of his strength run through her in the subtle uplifting of her spirits, the rock-solid
certainty that he would keep her and the baby safe no matter what.
His fingers stroked her jaw, tilted her head back until she was once again locked in the clear, metallic
purity of his gaze. "If I could, I would take the pain for you. Always."
Tears sprang to Rachel's eyes. Damn, she was raining from the inside out now. "I know," she said
huskily. And suddenly she knew she couldn't hold back how she felt. If she didn't tell him now, she might
never get another chance. "That's just one of the reasons why I love you."
Cullen went absolutely still. His fingers trembled against her jaw. "Rachel," he said hoarsely.
"Don't," she said, afraid he would express regret and not sure she could bear that. "Don't say anything."
A rough sound tore from his throat; then he pulled her close, wrapping her in so tightly that she could feel
the shudders running through his big body.
Minutes later Cullen slapped Mac on the rump, sending the horse mincing indignantly back the way
they'd come. He lifted Rachel into his arms. "Hold on around my neck, and I'll be able to use one arm to
clear branches when I have to. Tell me when you feel a contraction coming on, and I'll stop."
Rachel settled her head on the curve of his shoulder. As they climbed higher into the steep hill country,
Cullen's breathing deepened but never faltered. She could feel the smooth bunch and shift of his muscles
beneath her hands, the relentless rhythm of his ground-eating stride. He was sweating, and a startling
amount of heat radiated from his body, but he only stopped when she needed to, and he only altered his
pace for her comfort.
"Iam too heavy," Rachel protested when Cullen had to take a particularly long detour around a sheer
rockface .
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
He didn't answer. His breathing was still deep and even, but Rachel didn't know how long he could keep
it up. With a rigorous morning's work behind him and the rain soaking his pack and boots, adding to the
weight he had to carry, even Cullen's strength had to have its limits. But then again, maybe not. His
strength and endurance, his fierce will, awed her. In many of the men Rachel knew, those qualities were
present, but subdued and perhaps seldom tested. In Cullen, they burned with furnace heat, blasting
through normal barriers.
After a period of time, she realised they were going downhill. The wind and rain had dropped
considerably, but the afternoon was darkening toward an early dusk. Finally they walked free of the
bush. Cullen stopped, setting her on her feet while he scanned the area.
He grunted with satisfaction and pointed out a glow in the distance. "Cole's waiting. Twenty minutes and
we'll be on our way to the hospital."
Hospital. She went still as a pain that had nothing to do with the baby poured through her. That was
where she wanted to go, but Rachel was suddenly reminded of exactly what the hospital meant. The end
of her marriage.
Cullen mistook her tension as the beginning of another series of cramps. Rachel didn't disabuse him.
The last few hundred metres seemed to take forever. Cullen cradled her with exquisite care, but the [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]