The memory of the way his mouth had felt against hers filled her mind, a waterfall of sensation that swamped her senses and drowned out all other thought. She could deny it all she wanted, but her heart knew there was something real and profound left between them. A connection time or miles or hardship hadn’t severed. She wanted to believe she’d kissed him back because she was exhausted and over-wrought. But she hadn’t been aware of any of those things when his mouth had been fastened to hers and his hands had closed over her breasts.
The memory made her ache with a need she hadn’t experienced for a very long time. She’d dated several men since the divorce, even kissed one or two of them. Friendly, tepid dates that had left her wondering why she bothered. Nothing she’d ever experienced in her life could compare to the intimacies she’d shared with Buzz in the years they’d been married. Even though she was only thirty-one years old, she knew nothing like the relationship she’d shared with him would ever happen again.
The thought filled her with a stark sense of loss, a sadness of knowing some of the best years of her life were behind her. Kelly closed her eyes against the memories she kept locked away in that secret place next to her heart. A place that was warm and sweet and hers. She didn’t like thinking of herself as being vulnerable to him, but deep down inside Kelly knew she was. Today had proven that to her, and she was going to have to be very careful in the coming hours or risk losing a hell of a lot more than her control.
She tried to convince herself that the kiss was nothing more than two people reacting to an intense period of prolonged stress. A man and a woman bound by a child and thrown into a terrible situation. Intellectually, she knew it could never be anything more than that. But her heart had never been quite as logical as her brain, especially when it came to Buzz Malone.
Realizing she was just standing there with her hair dripping water onto her shoulders, she gave herself a quick mental shake and started toward the fire.
Buzz looked up when she approached. Even though he wasn’t a cop anymore, he still had that look about him. Back when they’d first met, those sharp, serious eyes of his hadn’t bothered her. She’d loved him so much it hadn’t mattered that he was too damn brave for his own good. Then he’d been shot, and she’d realized only then that she’d made a terrible mistake by giving him her heart.
“I made coffee,” he said.
She jolted at the sound of his voice. She’d been staring at him again. Staring at him and seeing far too much. Feeling her cheeks warm, she handed him the shower apparatus. “Thanks.”
He collapsed the reservoir, then stuffed it into a compartment of his backpack. “How are you feeling?”
“Better.” Physically, anyway. “The warm water was nice.”
He poured steaming water into a cup then handed her the cup. “You’re shivering. Coffee will help.”
Kelly hadn’t even realized she was cold. Unable to meet his gaze for a moment, she accepted the cup then carried it over to her sleeping bag and sat down cross-legged.
The coffee was hot and strong. She sipped, anticipating the zing of caffeine. “What do we do now?”
“If you’re feeling up to it, we resume our search.”
“Have you heard from RMSAR?” she asked, wondering if he’d called his team while she’d been showering just in case there was bad news.
“Winds are still whipping,” he replied. “Twenty-seven homes have been destroyed by the fire just north of Norrie. A dozen more are expected to go if they don’t get it controlled.”
“Where’s Norrie?”
“Two miles north of here.”
That meant the fire had gained two miles in just a few hours. The coffee turned sour in her stomach, but she took another sip anyway. She was going to need the caffeine in the coming hours.
“You’ve got blood coming through your sock.”
Surprised by his tone, she glanced over at him to realize he’d spotted the blister that had broken open on the inside of her right foot where her hiking boot had rubbed for the better part of the day. It hurt like the dickens, but she hadn’t planned on mentioning it. It didn’t seem right for them to take time to treat something as insignificant as a blister when her little boy was huddled somewhere with nothing more than a stuffed animal to keep him company.
“It’s nothing,” she said.
“It’s a blister. You know as well as I do you don’t let something like that go. That’s Hiking 101 stuff, Kel. Use your head. Blisters get worse if you don’t treat them.”
She should have known Buzz wouldn’t drop it. “Yeah, well, I’ve got more important things to deal with at the moment.”
“You go lame on me and I’ll leave you where you fall.”
Rolling her eyes, she humphed. “Like that’s going to happen.” She reached for her hiking boots and started to slip them on so the blasted blister would be out of his sight.
Buzz stopped her by tugging the boot from her grasp and tossing it none too gently aside. “For God’s sake, Kelly, do you always have to be so damn stubborn?”
“I need to get back on the trail and find my little boy,” she snapped.
“He’s my son, too. You keep forgetting to mention that.” Rising, he stalked over to his backpack, removed the first-aid kit, then tromped back over to her. “Take off your sock.”