to lift him in his arms and the big man did so, scooping Gideon up with as much effort as it would take to pick up shells along the sandy beach. Instead of taking him out of the cave, they walked toward the back of it.
When they reached what appeared to be an impenetrable rock wall, Throck set him down and moved toward a particularly large boulder resting against it. The young woman settled beside Gideon and eased his head onto her lap while they both watched the giant roll aside the enormous stone. “Once we have him safely settled at home, make sure you return here to roll the boulder back in place. No one can know we’ve been in the cave.”
“Aye,” Throck simply said.
When he was done, he took Gideon back in his arms. The lady led the way up a set of long and winding stairs carved out of the massive rocks. Some sort of ancient tunnel, he surmised. He tried to remain alert to his surroundings, but his head was still spinning and his wound was still bleeding. He thought he would pass out, but somehow managed to keep his eyes open while they climbed.
The air inside this tunnel was damp and stale. He knew immediately once they’d reached its end, for he was suddenly hit with a brace of cool air.
“I have to douse my lantern now,” the woman with the angel’s voice said in a whisper. “We’ll make our way to the manor house by starlight. It isn’t far.”
Gideon could make out nothing in the blackness.
The wind penetrated his wet clothes and cut into his bones like a sharply honed blade. He shivered as it picked up in strength. But the gusting wind also broke up the layers of clouds that hid the moon. He saw the gleam of a silver ball hanging immediately above them. Its light shone down on them, providing just enough illumination to reveal the shadowed outline of a large, stone manor house close by. “Is this your home?”
She placed her hand over his. “Hush. It is dangerous out here. Do not make a sound.”
It wasn’t a problem.
He felt himself begin to lose consciousness and fought to keep awake. But somewhere between the cave opening and the manor house, he blacked out.
Chapter 2
By the time Gideon opened his eyes again, his shirt was off and he was lying in an unexpectedly comfortable bed. Perhaps the pain had merely numbed him. He could have been stretched atop jagged rocks and not felt anything.
He ran a hand along his leg, seeking his boot and the knife he’d tucked back in its sheathe. No boot. No trousers either. Damn. He felt along his body.
The girl had stripped him naked.
Well, he hoped it was she placing her soft hands on his body and not Throck mauling him with his big paws.
He carefully felt along his wound, groping for any sign of torn flesh. What he touched was a tight binding wrapped around his torso. Someone had bandaged him. Since the bandage was dry, it meant his bleeding had stopped.
He supposed he ought to be grateful to the young woman. “Thank you, my angel.”
“You’re welcome,” she said, surprising him as she stirred from a wooden chair in the corner beside the hearth. He hadn’t realized anyone was in the room with him. Someone had lit a fire to chase away the dampness. Its light now danced about the walls, surrounding him and his angel in a golden glow. Perhaps he was still groggy and imagining things, but he thought she had a halo around her.
“You,” he called out, his voice little more than a croak. “Did you do this?”
She closed the book she had been reading and came to his side. “You mean bind your wound? Yes. Fortunately, the shot went cleanly through you. All I had to do was cleanse it, sew a few stitches, and place a bandage on it.”
“All?” He cast her a wry grin. “I’m grateful. You’ve probably saved my life.”
“Let’s hope so.” She smiled back at him. “I hope I didn’t hurt you too badly when I poured the whiskey on it. You howled. No doubt, you must have felt it burn.”
“I must have, but I don’t remember a thing. It doesn’t burn now.”
She seemed to ease. “Good, I did not want to hurt you.”
“My name is Gideon Croft.” Amazing how loose-lipped a man could get when meeting a beautiful woman. But she’d saved his life and that had to