Kissing the Countess by Susan King Read Free Book Online

dare?
    "You can trust me." He inclined his head.
    "I will not—" She stopped awkwardly.
    He sighed. "Your virtue is safe. Either we protect ourselves from the cold, or suffer for the sake of propriety. Which is it?"
    "When you climbed in the Alps, I am sure you did not have to share warmth with your companions, sir."
    "It was easier to keep warm high in the Alps than in this frosty hovel, I assure you. We had tents, hot water bottles, extra clothing, blankets, campfires, and plenty of hot food. A tent gets very warm with two or three occupants. This is no tent, Miss MacConn. Tonight this place will be cold as the devil."
    "Then you had best find a way to keep yourself warm."
    "I am trying," he drawled. "I like a challenge, Miss MacConn, but you seem to think that one night in this wee frozen box will be more risky than a night on the Matterhorn."
    She sent him a sour glance. "We can manage."
    "We need to be resourceful as well as determined. What we must do to stay alive here is obvious. How we reconcile that with society is the problem."
    "Stay... alive?" She stared at him.
    "If the temperature continues to drop, and if we fall asleep unprotected, we could freeze to death. Surely you knew."
    "I—I did not think it was that dangerous."
    "We may be fine. But there is the possibility—" He stopped. "Does being proper count more common sense?"
    "I am not so proper as you think. Oh! That did not come out right," she said hastily. "Of course I have common sense."
    Evan nodded. "I would think you no less the lady if we were to keep each other warm."
    She regarded him warily, realizing he was right. They needed to stay close tonight. His obvious integrity reassured her; he seemed a gentleman to the core. But she could not risk a shocking situation. She thought of her family, and frowned.
    "We will take turns," she decided. "I will stay by the fire while you take the blanket. Then we will change places."
    "A quiet lass—with a formidable nature." He turned and went to the blanket, lowering himself to the floor.
    Sitting beside the fire, she took the poker to stir the crumbling peat bricks, which were beginning to smoke. The brose was thickening in the kettle. She should fetch snow or ice to thin it further, and melt some for drinking water.
    Mackenzie stretched out in the blanket and quickly fell asleep, for she heard the steady rhythm of his breathing. Catriona knew he must feel bruised and achy and should sleep, but she would rouse him later to be sure his head injury did not get the best of him.
    Shivering, amazed at such an icy storm for early November, she tended the fire. Once Mackenzie was snoring lightly, she stood, taking his coat, and went to the door, slipping outside. Using a wooden bowl she found in the hut, she packed it full of snow and brought it inside to think the simmering brose and to let the rest melt. She sipped a little hot brose to ease the ache of hunger in her stomach.
    Tired, she lay beside the fire, the earthen floor a cold slab beneath her chilling her bones, though she curled for warmth. The little peat fire was not radiating much heat.
    Evan Mackenzie lay an arm's length away. Suddenly she very much wanted to slip inside the blanket with him just to feel toasty again. Instead, she lay there shivering.
    * * *
    Waking in the night, Evan saw that the fire had diminished to a few glowing threads of light—and the air was astonishingly cold. The girl lay curled by the low fire, apparently asleep.
    Easing himself out of the blanket, wincing at stiff muscles, he went outside to attend to necessities and noted a sheet of ice nearly everywhere, and sleet pelted the ground and the roof of the hut. Inside, he shut the door as tightly as he could and went back to the fireside. Time for his turn on the floor while the girl took the warmed plaid. He crouched beside her and saw how cold she was even in sleep, arms crossed, legs curled.
    He touched her shoulder. "Miss MacConn."
    She started. "Aye," she whispered,