The Hopechest Bride by Kasey Michaels

Author:Kasey Michaels
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Contemporary, Fiction, Romance, California, Revenge, General, Love Stories
ISBN: 9780373387151
Publisher: Silhouette
Published: 2001-01-02T07:00:00+00:00

Nine

Emily liked camping out in her cave. She liked being alone, having time to think. When you've been raised in a big, loving but loud family—even as much as you loved them—you needed a place that was your own.

Meredith and Joe had understood that, bless them, and Emily had been given permission to be herself, which is the best thing you can be given—the right to be your own person.

But now her "alone place" had been invaded by Josh Atkins. The cave wasn't hers anymore, because he was there. Her morning wash was hurried, she'd felt horribly conspicuous and almost naked just because she had to brush her teeth while he was there. Her trip outside, made in her slicker and damned uncomfortable in the first place, was an embarrassment to her.

She couldn't do this. She couldn't stay here with him, in this cave, until the storm passed.

And she couldn't leave until the storm passed.

She was stuck, she was here, and neither of them were going anywhere.

"That's quite a look you've got on your face, Emily," Josh said as he reentered the cave, slipping out of his slicker. "Almost as if you've been contemplating saddling Molly and heading out of here. But no, I'm wrong. Only an idiot would consider trying to get back to the ranch right now, considering that it's more than a three-hour ride in fair weather."

Emily glared at him, wishing he didn't look so good, so manly, so competent. Or so smug.

"How nice that you don't think I'm an idiot," she told him, her teeth clenched. "It's about the only rotten thing you've not thought about me."

Josh hung his slicker over the rope once more and approached the cold campfire. "There's not a dry stick of wood out there, although I am going to take your axe and cut some of the drier underbranches, then drag them in here and hope they dry out enough to make at least a small fire tonight. It'll be smoky, but it's all we've got."

Emily nodded her agreement. "I'll help. There are a couple more caves, higher up on the hill, and maybe there's some dry brush or something that's blown into them. But you'll have to check them out, because there are bats in those caves and I won't go inside."

"Bats, huh? I was wondering why there aren't any bats in this cave, to tell you the truth."

"It's because it's just a small cave, Dad said." Emily looked around her once safe haven, a space that was about the size of a two-car garage, and only about fifteen feet high. "There's a cave up higher that has two entrances, one on either side of the hill. The bats like it better there."

There was a full minute of uncomfortable silence before Josh spoke. "Okay, so we've decided that we're not going anywhere. We are going to try to gather some wood. And we know you don't like bats. I don't like bats, either. Now what? See any good movies lately?"

Emily directed a long, dispassionate stare at this infuriating man, who just smiled back at her.

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