We moved to the second floor and I was surprised that the staircase was in such good shape. We found three empty bedrooms and a bathroom that was missing the toilet, sink, and light fixture.

Mason stood in the hallway, taking in the upstairs one more time. “This seems like a good place for us to stay the night. We can rest and warm up and set out first thing in the morning. Unfortunately, we don’t have any food, but I do have a bottle of water in my bag we can share.”

I nodded. “I guess we could use that broken chair to build a fire in the fireplace. And there might be more wood outside.”

“We can’t build a fire, Rose. Let’s not give Crocker’s men any reason to investigate this place.”

“But they think we went south.”

“They’ll figure out we didn’t soon enough, and then they’ll fan out and look in other directions. Sure, it seems like finding us would be like finding a needle in a haystack, but we left footprints in the snow. We could be leading them straight here.”

My breath caught. “Then we might as well build a fire and get warm, right? If they might find us anyway?” Now that I’d thought of building a fire, I couldn’t give up the chance to get warm. “It’s not like we’re the only people who would build a fire on a cold, snowy night. There are other houses around. We just haven’t found them.”

“True…” He was wavering.

“Will they keep searching for us in the dark?”

He shook his head. “I’m not really sure. It would be difficult, and under normal circumstances, I’d say no. But we both know Daniel Crocker is anything but normal. Still, even if they look, they’ll be more likely to miss our tracks in the dark.”

“So let’s build a fire right after the sun sets and let it die out before we go to sleep. I don’t want to spend the night shivering and starving. We might not be able to take care of the starving part, but at least we can get warm.”

He stared into my eyes.

“I’m frozen, Mason. I’ll have a better chance of moving faster tomorrow if we warm up.”

“You have a point.” He kissed me softly.

I smiled against his lips. “So I get a fire?”

His gaze turned serious. “Do you think I could ever deny you anything?”

My smile faded. “Yes, if you thought it would protect me.”

He wrapped his arms around my back and pulled me close, kissing me so intensely that I had to cling to him to stay upright.

He smiled down at me. “Let’s build you that fire.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

The unheated house was cold, but it was still a shock to go outside into the bitter wind. Mason suggested I stay inside, but I didn’t want to be separated from him.

We found kindling at the edge of the tree line as well as some bigger branches, but we had to search high and low for something to start the fire. Finally we found a kerosene lantern and a book of matches in the barn, along with three wool blankets. They stank to high-heaven, but they were warm. I was sure our noses would adjust.

The kerosene lantern helped as we fumbled with the fireplace. Mason had busted the one kitchen chair into pieces, but it was slow to burn, the damp branches even more so. We sacrificed one of the stinking blankets to use as tinder and finally we had a roaring fire.

I spread the two other wool blankets on the floor and slipped off my soggy shoes and set them in front of the fire. My stiff jeans followed. I doubted they’d be dry by morning, but at least they’d be less damp.

Mason sat on the hearth and turned to watch me undress.

I shrugged. “We’ll warm up faster if we take off our damp clothes.”

He nodded, his eyes burning.

When I dropped my jeans to the floor, he picked them up and laid them on the hearth by my shoes. I’d already shed my jacket, so I lifted my shirt over my head, kneeling on the blanket in only my bra and panties.

Mason quickly removed his clothes too and reached for the blankets we’d taken from my farm. He pulled me into his arms, and we lay on the blankets, our limbs intertwined. I slipped my toes between his calves. “Your feet are freezing,” he teased.

I lifted my eyebrows in mock reprimand. “Someone made me walk in a creek.”

His smile faded. “I’m sorry about that.”

“It worked, right? That’s what counts.” I tucked my hands between his arms and his chest and he jerked backward out of reflex before settling in.

“I was sure Crocker’s guy was going to find us on that bluff. It’s a good thing he was sloppy or we’d be dead.”

I licked my chapped lower lip and Mason’s eyes followed the movement. “We can’t let him catch us.”

“I have no intention of letting him.” His arms tightened around me. “I didn’t just get you to lose you. God wouldn’t be so cruel.”

But God had been cruel to me for most of my life. What would stop Him in this?

I lifted my mouth to Mason’s, kissing him gently until a low sound hummed in his chest. He rolled me to my back, his mouth becoming more insistent. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling the blanket to cover his exposed back.

He tipped his face up and stared into my eyes, the fire casting a warm glow on his face. “I feel like I’m failing you. I can’t help but wonder whether we should have headed for the road.”

“Mason, we both agreed to this plan. And I have no doubt that if we’d gone to the road we’d be dead or worse.”