"Wonderful. Tell them they're going to need torches. The door is jammed."

"Ten-four, Chief."

Reese chuckled. "Good job, Ed."

"Thank you. Is Googan conscious yet?"

"Yeah. I told him you were going to take over his job, you're getting so good with this radio stuff."

"Ten-four."

"How'd you find Ed?" Googan asked.

"He was behind you on the road. He saw it happen." She squeezed his shoulder. "You're d.a.m.n lucky someone saw it go down." She looked up when she saw the emergency lights flas.h.i.+ng across the canyon. "Rescue is here," she said. "Won't be long now."

"Thank you for staying with me."

"Don't thank me, Googan. You'd have done the same for me, right?"

He smiled. "Sure. Do you think you could call my mother?"

"Of course."

"She lives in Gunnison now. Eloise has her number."

"I'll call her. I'll have her meet you at the hospital, how's that?"

"That'd be good," he said, his voice low.

She patted his shoulder as his eyes slipped closed again, but his breathing was even and steady. She looked up to the canyon rim, seeing two dark figures as they began their rappel down.

CHAPTER THIRTY.

Morgan stared into the fire, absently shaking her gla.s.s, hearing the ice tinkling the sides, the shot of scotch long gone.

She hoped Reese wouldn't mind, but she'd found the bottle of scotch, still unopened. And she needed something to calm her nerves.

Not that the alcohol had done much to reduce her anxiety, she noted as she placed the gla.s.s on the mantel. So here she waited, at Reese's cabin, fearing for Googan's life, fearing for Reese's safety.

Even though she told herself it was silly to worry, that it was Reese's job, that she was plenty capable...still, she worried. And that was disturbing in itself. They weren't a couple. They weren't in a relations.h.i.+p. Yet she had ignored common sense and driven up the mountain to make sure it wasn't Reese who had plunged off the side. And here she was, waiting at Reese's place, waiting as if she had a right to wait for her.

"It's just s.e.x. Just s.e.x," she said. Nothing more.

0.

But it was starting to feel like more. Barely a month into this...this arrangement and she was already having a hard time keeping it in the context it was meant to be. No strings, no commitments, no nothing. Just s.e.x.

The slamming of a truck door brought her around and she glanced up just as Reese opened the door. Their eyes met across the room and Reese gave her a half-smile.

"I'm really glad you're here."

Morgan swallowed hard, curbing the impulse to fling herself into Reese's arms. She watched silently as Reese stomped her boots on the mat and shook the snow off her coat before hanging it up. But when Reese stepped into the room, the light showing the stress on her face, Morgan gave in to her instinct and walked across the room, wrapping both arms around Reese. Reese held her tight, burying her face in Morgan's neck.

"He's alive," Reese said. "A miracle, but it looks like his truck flipped once and landed upright."

Morgan pulled away slightly. "How bad?"

"Badly broken leg. Compound fracture in two places. His head was split open on his forehead, but he was conscious."

Reese went to the fire and held her hands out to the warmth. She spotted the empty gla.s.s. "Found my scotch, huh?"

"I hope you don't mind."

"Actually, I'd love some myself."

"Let me get it for you."

"Morgan?"

Morgan turned, meeting her gaze.

"About you coming out there tonight-"

"I'm sorry, Reese. I know I shouldn't have-"

"No, no. It was...it was nice. I'm not used to anyone being worried about me."

"I panicked. I-"

"It felt good, Morgan. I felt like, well, it's been forever since I've felt like I was a part of something, of someone...like I mattered. And when I saw you, saw the fear in your eyes...it meant a lot."

Morgan felt her defenses slip at Reese's words, felt the tiny stirrings of her heart. She moved closer, curling her hand behind Reese's neck and pulling her close, meeting her lips for the very first time. Their kiss was gentle, exploring, and she let Reese pull her into her arms, her mouth opening, her tongue shyly meeting Reese's, moaning as Reese's hands slipped to her hips and brought their bodies flush together.

Forgotten was the scotch, forgotten was her no kissing rule.

They stood there for what seemed like hours, just kissing...

touching. But their pa.s.sion for each other soon demanded to be heard, and Reese lowered her to the rug, the fire burning hotly as her hand slipped inside Morgan's jeans, Reese's mouth never once leaving hers.

Morgan came almost instantly and she clung to Reese, no longer fearing for Reese's safety, but fearing for her own heart instead.

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE.

"Do you know how long it's been since I spent Christmas with someone?" Reese asked as she stole a piece of turkey from the platter where Morgan was still carving the giant bird.

"If you keep nibbling, you won't be hungry for dinner."

"But it's so good. The last time I had turkey with stuffing, my dad was still alive."

"Dressing. Turkey and dressing," Morgan corrected.

"Traditional southern style cornbread dressing."

Reese leaned closer and kissed her lightly on the lips.

"Whatever it is, it smells fabulous." Reese grabbed her cell phone from the counter. "I'm going to check in with Carlton, make sure everything's quiet," she said.

Morgan stared at her retreating back, smiling at Reese's concern over the sheriff's office. With Googan out for at least three months, Reese was forced to hire Carlton back on. She'd told him his job was that of traffic cop, nothing more, but she checked up on him constantly.

She went back to her turkey, thinking of the quick kiss Reese had given her. Since the night of Googan's accident, things had changed between them. It was her fault, she knew. If she just hadn't given in to that basic instinct to kiss, maybe things would be as they were. But no. The intensity of their lovemaking went to nearly unbearable heights with the addition of kissing. Yes, it was more intimate. It was more real. The looks they now shared held a deeper tie than just between lovers. Yes, they were lovers.

But they'd also grown to care about each other.

So yes, things had changed between them. They both knew it, yet neither mentioned the s.h.i.+ft in their relations.h.i.+p. Changes, yes. But still the same. Reese was still leaving in November. That had not changed.

Morgan sighed, wondering how she was going to stop herself from falling in love with the woman.

Reese folded her phone, satisfied Carlton was doing nothing more than playing solitaire on Eloise's computer. All was quiet. As it should be on this snowy Christmas Day. She couldn't imagine it being any more complete. Light snow falling, making everything postcard perfect, the smells of Christmas dinner filling the cabin, and a beautiful woman to share it with.

Reese went to the large picture window and stared out, feeling contentment she hadn't felt in her adult life. And it was certainly not something she ever expected to find here in this lonely little town.

Yet lonely was the furthest thing from her mind when dawn woke them this morning. Morgan was snuggled close, her arm wrapped around Reese's waist. And Reese had held her, her fingers moving lazily across her skin, feeling the stirrings of desire from even such a simple act. But it was enough. And when Morgan lifted her head, seeking her lips, Reese was there, rolling them over, touching Morgan everywhere, starving for her as if it were the first time, bringing Morgan to o.r.g.a.s.m as her lips suckled her breast.

She closed her eyes, remembering how Morgan had called her name as she climaxed, remembering how Morgan had reciprocated, had boldly spread her legs and made love to her with her mouth.

January was right around the corner. By April, everyone would be gearing up for summer, and by May, the tourists would start flocking to the area. Morgan would be busy during the summer, working nearly every day. Then fall and hunting season.

And then November would roll around. November was election time. And November meant freedom. A new interim sheriff would be named and she would be free to go, free to leave this tiny little town that she so despised when she first got here.

She sighed. The thought of leaving here just didn't hold the same elation it once had. Leaving here meant leaving Morgan.

So much for her well concocted plan that they could spend the year having s.e.x and remain unattached emotionally. What had she been thinking?

Well, she'd thought that they would get together a few times a month, have s.e.x, then go their separate ways. She never dreamed that she'd want to have Morgan in her bed every night, whether they made love or not. She never dreamed that Morgan would want her company on a daily basis as well. And of course, she never dreamed that the s.e.x would be this great.

"Hey."

She turned, finding Morgan watching her.

"You okay?"

Reese nodded. "Yeah. Just thinking."

She turned back to the window and felt Morgan move closer.

Her eyes closed as Morgan slipped her arms around her from behind, resting her head on Reese's shoulder.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Reese smiled. "I thought you hated the snow."

"Not on Christmas. You can't hate the snow on Christmas."

Reese turned and faced her, pulling Morgan into her arms.

She felt Morgan's lips nuzzle her neck and she waited, feeling Morgan's mouth move across her face, finally to her lips. A slow, tender kiss, lips on lips, just the barest touch of tongue.

"I love kissing you," Reese murmured.

"Mmmm."

And just like that, their kisses grew bolder, more demanding, and the fire was started between them. And as often occurred, they didn't make it to the bedroom, being satisfied with the rug in front of the fireplace. Their clothing slowly disappeared, hands and mouths taking its place against their skin.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO.

"It's April," Morgan said dramatically as she pointed out the window, "and there's a freakin' blizzard blowing in." She stared at Tina. "Can you believe that?"

"Oh, my G.o.d. Like it's the first blizzard we've ever had in April."

Morgan sighed in frustration as she huffed back to her desk.

"I want to see the ground. I want to see a d.a.m.n flower. I want to see some green. Is that too much to ask?"

"I see someone's got spring fever," Tina said. "Isn't it enough to have me back in the office? Must you have suns.h.i.+ne too?" she teased.

"And how exactly did you talk Charlie into hiring you back early?"

"I told him I had cabin fever so bad that I was having dreams of hacking up my family with an ax."

Morgan laughed. "And he bought that? Isn't that what you used last year?"