Careful, now. His calm baritone boomed. Step up a little, thats right.
She could feel his strength as he lifted her out of the tipped sleigh. For an instant, she felt weightless as if there was no gravity that could hold her to the ground. As if there were only wind and sky. She breathed in the winter air, the faint scent of soap and leather and wool. Her shoes touched the snow and the impact jarred through her, although hed set her gently to the ground.
Who was this man? The last time shed felt like this, suspended between earth and sky, between safety and the unknown was so long ago, she dared not let her mind dig up those buried dreams.
With a whisper of movement he released her. Stay here while I fetch your mother.
She stood wobbling on her shaky legs, feeling the kick of fear still racing through her veins. Riveted, unable to think of anything else, even her aunts safety, she listened to the crunch of the snow beneath his boots as he moved again. The wind and snow lashed against her nose and eyes like tears. She tucked the muffler more snuggly around her face, shivering not from fear or cold but from something else.
She heard Henriettas sob of fear, she heard the jingle of their rescuers horses bridle and that low reassuring baritone, although the howling wind stole his words.
Never had she so sorely missed her sight. Every fiber of her being longed to be able to see him. Then she heard the squeak of the sleighs runner as it moved against the snow and she realized the rush she heard was the swift-running river and roar of the fallsthe highest waterfall in all of Montana Territory.
A prayer flew to her lips, but before she could give it voice, she heard the crunch of her aunts sturdy gait.
Let me take a look at you. I have to see with my own eyes. This is like an awful nightmare. Henrietta grabbed her and turned her around, like a mother hen checking on one of her chicks.
Love for her aunt filled hershed learned that love made everyone perfect. What were flaws? They hardly mattered when she could have lost Henrietta as she had her parents. Emotion burned in her throat, emotion she dared not speak of, since Henrietta did not approve of outbursts of any kind.
Im fine, she told her aunt to reassure her. But are you all right?
Worse for the ordeal but right enough. I saw you hit the dashboard. Are you bleeding?
Im fine, I told you. Its blizzarding, and
You ladies need to get safely home. He spoke up. The storm is likely to get worse before it gets better.
Young man, you saved our lives.
I was at the right place at the right time is all. He took a step, which made it easier to keep his eye on that high-strung horse. Are you sure youre both all right? A ride like that could shake anyone up.
I have nerves of steel. The womans chin firmed as she tugged at the daughters scarf, which obscured her nearly completely. My niece, however, is quite fragile as shes blind.
Niece? Not daughter. And blind at that. Wasnt that too bad? Thad thought. Sympathy filled him as he watched the aunt fuss.
My dear, let me see. I have to make sure youve not broken anything.
As long as you two ladies are safe enough, Ill just see to the horse then. He stepped back. His mind should be working out how to get that vehicle out of the bushes, but he couldnt concentrate on it.
There was something about the young womanthe niecesomething he couldnt put his finger on. Hed hardly glanced at her when hed hauled her from the family sleigh, but now he took a longer look through the veil of falling snow.
For a moment, her silhouette, the size of her, and the way she moved reminded him of Noelle. How about that; Noelle, his frozen heart reminded him with a painful squeeze, had been his firstand onlylove.
It couldnt be her, he reasoned, since she was married and probably a mother by now. Shed be safe in town, living snug in one of the finest houses in the county instead of riding along the country roads in a storm. Still, curiosity nibbled at him as he plowed through the knee-deep snow. Snow was falling faster now, and yet somehow through the thick downfall his gaze seemed to find her.
She was fragile, a delicate bundle of wool; snow clung to her hood, scarf and cloak like a shroud, making her tough to see. Shed been just a little bit of a thing when hed lifted her from the sleigh, and his only thought at the time had been to get both women out of danger. Now something chewed at his memory. He couldnt quite figure out what, but he could feel it in his gut.
The woman was talking on as she unwound the nieces veil. We were tossed about dreadfully. Youre likely bruised and broken from root to stem. Ive never been so terrified. All I could do was pray over and over and think of you, my dear. Her words warmed with tenderness. What a greater nightmare for you.
Were fine. Alls well that ends well, the niece insisted.
Although her voice was muffled by the thick snowfall, his step faltered. There was something about her voice, something familiar in the gentle resonance of her alto. Now he could see the top part of her face, due to her loosened scarf. Her eyesthey were a startling shade of flawless emerald green.
Whoa, there. Hed seen that perfect shade of green beforeand long ago. Recognition speared through his midsection, but he already knew she was his Noelle even before the last layer of the scarf fell away from her face.
His Noelle, just as lovely and dear, was now blind and veiled with snow. His first love. The woman hed spent years and thousands of miles trying to forget. Hard to believe that there she was suddenly right in front of him. Hed heard about the engagement announcement a few years back, and hed known in returning to Angel Falls to live that hed have to run into her eventually.
He just didnt figure it would be so soon and like this.
Seeing her again shouldnt make him feel as if hed been hit in the chest with a cannonball. The shock was wearing off, he realized, the same as when you received a hard blow. First off, you were too stunned to feel it. Then the pain began to settle in, just a hint, and then to rush in until it was unbearable. Yep, that was the word to describe what was happening inside his rib cage. A pain worse than a broken bone beat through him.
Best get the sleigh righted, the horse hitched back up and the women home. But it was all he could do to turn his back as he took his mustang by the bridle. The palomino pinto gave him a snort and shook his head, sending the snow on his golden mane flying.
Yep, I know how you feel, Sunny, Thad thought. Judging by the look of things, it would be a long time until they had a chance to get in out of the cold.
Hed do best to ignore the women, especially Noelle, and to get to the work needin to be done. He gave the sleigh a shove, but the vehicle was wedged against the snow-covered brush banking the river. Not that he put a lot of weight on the Lord overmuch these days, but Thad had to admit it was a close call. Almost eerie how hed caught them just in time. It did seem providential. Had they gone only a few feet more, gravity would have done the trick and pulled the sleigh straight into the frigid, fast waters of Angel River and plummeted them directly over the tallest falls in the territory.
Thad squeezed his eyes shut. He couldnt stand to think of Noelle tossed into that river, fighting the powerful current along with the ice chunks. There would have been no way to have pulled her from the river in time. Had he been a few minutes slower in coming after them or if Sunny hadnt been so swift, there would have been no way to save her. To fate, the Lord or to simple chance, he was grateful.
Thad squeezed his eyes shut. He couldnt stand to think of Noelle tossed into that river, fighting the powerful current along with the ice chunks. There would have been no way to have pulled her from the river in time. Had he been a few minutes slower in coming after them or if Sunny hadnt been so swift, there would have been no way to save her. To fate, the Lord or to simple chance, he was grateful.
Some tiny measure of tenderness in his chest, like a fire long banked, sputtered to life. His tenderness for her, still there, after so much time and distance. How about that.
Since the black gelding was a tad calmer now that the sound of the train had faded off into the distance, Thad rehitched him to the sleigh but secured the driving reins to his saddle horn. He used the two horses working together to free the sleigh and get it realigned toward the road.
The older woman looked uncertain about getting back into the vehicle. With the way that black gelding of theirs was twitchy and wild-eyed, he didnt blame her. Dont worry, maam, Ill see you two ladies home.
Th-that would be very good of you, sir. Im rather shaken up. Im of half a mind to walk the entire mile home, except for my dear niece.
Noelle. He wouldnt let his heart react to her. All that mattered was doing right by herand that was one thing that hadnt changed. He came around to help the aunt into the sleigh and after she was safely seated, turned toward Noelle. Her scarf had slid down to reveal the curve of her face, the slope of her nose and the rosebud smile of her mouth.
What had happened to her? How had she lost her sight? Sadness filled him for her blindness and for what could have been between them, once. He thought about saying something to her, so she would know who he was, but what good would that do? The past was done and over. Only the emptiness of it remained.
Thank you so much, sir. She turned toward the sound of his step and smiled in his direction. If she, too, wondered who he was, she gave no real hint of it.
He didnt expect her to. Chances were she hardly remembered him, and if she did, she wouldnt think too well of him. She would never know what good wishes he wanted for her as he took her gloved hand. The layers of wool and leather and sheepskin lining between his hand and hers didnt stop that tiny flame of tenderness for her from growing a notch.
He looked into her eyes, into Noelles eyes, the woman hed loved truly so long ago, knowing she did not recognize him. Could not see him or sense him, even at heart. She smiled at him as if he were the Good Samaritan she thought he was as he helped her settle onto the seat.
Love was an odd thing, he realized as he backed away. Once, their love had been an emotion felt so strong and pure and true that he would have vowed on his very soul that nothing could tarnish nor diminish their bond. But time had done that simply, easily, and they stood now as strangers.
He reached for Sunnys reins, mounted up and led the way into the worsening storm.
Chapter Two
Huddled against the minus temperatures and lashing snow, Noelle clenched her jaw tight to keep her teeth from chattering.
The whir of the frigid wind and the endless whisper of the torrential snowfall drowned out all sound. It deceived her into imagining they were being pulled along in a void, cut off from the outside world, from everyone and everything, including the stranger who had helped them. She knew he was leading the gelding; Aunt Henrietta had assured her of this fact as soon as theyd set out.
It was only concern, she told herself, because shed been behind two runaway horses in her lifetime. She did not wish a third trip. Of course she wanted to make sure they arrived safely home and that the stranger would keep his stalwart promise to lead them there.
The stranger. She couldnt seem to rid him from her mind. Her thoughts kept turning over and over the moment shed first heard his buttery-warm baritone and the strange, vague sense of recognition shed felt when hed lifted her from the sleigh.
You know who he reminds you of. She shivered against the cruel cold and swiped the snow from her lashes. No, it couldnt be her old beau. Thad McKaslin was probably in Texas by now, judging by how fast hed left her years ago. Her heart cracked in small pieces just thinking his name.
No, there was no possibilitynonethat he was the stranger. Their rescuer was a Good Samaritan and a dependable, mature man, not a boy who only saw to his own concerns.
Henrietta? Uncle Roberts bass boomed through the sounds of the storm. Noelle! Thank God youre here safe. I was just about to ride out looking for you. Didnt you see the blizzard cloud, Henrietta? You are both half frozen.
Oh, Rob. Henrietta stumbled off the seat with a thud and clatter.
The storm blocked any other sounds, but Noelle knew her aunt had flung herself into her husbands arms. Though stiff with cold, she waited in the sleigh to give them a private moment.
Do you need help?
She turned toward the sound of his voice, thinking of all the ways his baritone didnt sound like the Thad she remembered. It was deeper, more mature, made of character and depth of experience. Besides, if it was Thad, he would have said something. See, it couldnt be.
Miss?
She ignored the knot of foreboding in her stomach and answered him. I would appreciate the help. Storms with winds like this tend to disorient me. I get a little lost on my own.
Me, too, but I dont need a storm for that. There was a touch of warmth to those words.
She wondered if he were smiling, and what kind of smile he had. Just for curiositys sake, of course. She began to shake the snow from the lap blanket.
Let me get that for you.
He blocked the storm as he towered beside her. She felt the weight of the snow-caked blanket fall away. She breathed in the wintry air, the faint scent of his soap and leather and wool and remembered that boy shed once loved.
His hand cradled her elbow to help her step out of the sleigh. Cold snow sank to the tops of her ankle-high shoes. For a moment, she felt a strange quiver of familiarity and denial seized her like a fist. Thad McKaslin here, in Angel Falls? Could it be?
She took one step, and he moved to her side to block the worst of the wind and snow. And the way he towered beside her made recognition shiver through her.
I dont want it to be him, she thought, her stomach tightening even more. But just because she didnt want it to be Thad, didnt mean it wasnt. She took another step. Should I know you?
Not really, his comforting baritone rumbled.
When a man saves a womans life, well, two womens, she likes to know what name to call her rescuer when she thanks him.
Maybe some things are better left a mystery. Friendly, thats what his voice was and cozy, the way a fire crackling in the hearth was cozy. Careful, now. Theres a deep drift coming up.
His grip tightened on her and he responded so quickly and gallantly, he must have thought she was truly helpless. It was a common misconception. Dont worry, she said, easily correcting her balance. Ive gotten used to tottering around. Im fine.
The snow drifts high here. Lift your steps a little higher, he said with concern.
Concern she didnt need, not from him. She tried to concentrate on feeling her way over the crest of the snowdrift with the toe of her shoe. Her feet were numb from cold, making it only a little more difficult.