Blaze by Susan Johnson Read Free Book Online

her. Held close to Hazard's bare chest, she felt the strong beat of his heart, the burning of his flesh against hers, his shoulder under her hands hard and reassuring. Glancing up at the chiseled profile only inches away sent an uneasy shiver rippling down her spine.
     
    Hazard felt the tremulous flurry and, gazing down at the enchanting face framed in shining red curls and the tempting body, damned himself for having scruples. He was aroused and, if he hadn't seen so much fear in the wide azure eyes, he would have seriously considered indulging his desire.
     
    Reaching high ground, Hazard set Blaze on her feet.
     
    She offered him the two gold pieces with a timid smile and a second apology. He shook his head and, taking the coins, slipped them back into her pocket. A common enough gesture with uncommon results. When his strong fingers slid down the tight pocket of Blaze's trousers, releasing the coins, the unexpected intimacy seared them both. Hazard snatched back his hand in an almost violent motion and, turning abruptly, walked away. Blaze Brad-dock, shaken by a man's touch for the first time in her life, was left in a state of confusion.
     
    Mingled astonishment and desire confounded her normally rational mind. The feeling was unprecedented, the probable cause—if seriously considered—against all she believed in. Not for her, bewitchment and charming sorcery. Her reality was clear-cut and reasonable. She had never believed in flighty romanticism.
     
    With visible effort she shrugged away the unease, and with a toss of her head set her sights on the crest of the hill ahead of her. Continuing her journey, she consciously set aside any further thoughts of her encounter with the Indian as she strode off to join her father for the rest of the day. Finding him several claims down the valley, Blaze spent the remainder of the day absorbing the complexities of purchase agreements, partnership contracts, and claim staking.
     
    Late that evening when the sun had set and coolness at last drifted down the mountain, Blaze retraced her journey from Diamond City, this time on horseback. When the group of riders passed through the mud that had upset her that morning, Blaze looked off the trail to the tree where the Indian man had been sleeping. The site was deserted, as she expected, but then her dark blue eyes swept up the valley wall. Was she hoping to see him again? Catch a glimpse of that magnificent face and form which had lingered in her thoughts despite ruthless efforts at suppression? Utterly ridiculous. He was an Indian, she reminded herself. A primitive aborigine, her mother would say. Unable to speak more than a few halting words of English, she remembered. But when her gaze fell on a glow of light high up the mountainside, and she realized it was a firelit cabin window, her heart tripped against her rib cage and a sudden warmth stole through her senses.
     
    "Blaze," her father repeated, "didn't you hear me? We'll be back in Virginia City in time for the Territorial Ball at the end of the week. I thought you'd enjoy knowing that."
     
    "Oh, thank you, Daddy," she quickly responded, wrenching her eyes from the dark mountainside and the solitary glimmer of light. "Did you say this week?"
     
    "Saturday night, pet. And a penny for your thoughts. Care to tell your old dad what's absorbed you so these last few miles? You've been in a hell of a fog."
     
    "Oh, nothing, Daddy. I think I was dozing a bit. It's been a long day."
     
    "It'll be our last day out for a while. We're heading down to Virginia City tomorrow. You'll have a chance to rest in the comforts of the hotel the night after next. Damn, a hot bath in a real tub will feel good."
     
    "Amen to that," Blaze said enthusiastically. She felt as though all the dirt of western Montana were stuck to her sweaty skin.
     
    WlTH the help of a lady friend, Hazard had recuperated from the ritual body slashing observed for mourning in his tribe and then had recommitted himself