second.” She gave him her sweetest smile. Now that they were both encumbered with the weight of the equipment they’d need to dig themselves a trench back to the house, the bucket of milk would have to wait for the next trip. In the cold, it would remain fresh. More likely, it would freeze before they returned later that evening.
Indeed, they would be lucky if they didn’t freeze as well. The thought of dying from the cold sent a shiver down her spine. She’d already come so close.
Jared walked to the front of the hayloft and opened the gable door. The wind was still blowing from the northeast, and even though the front of the stable faced the southwest, a tremendous amount of snow had drifted in front of the stable. He shook his head. How the hell would they ever make it back to the house before dark? From his vantage point, he could just make out the faint shadow of the long adobe house. Maybe he ought to leave Talia in the stable where she’d be safe enough for the day or so it would take to clear a trench.
No, with two of them working, it wouldn’t take as long. If they didn’t make the house before nightfall, they could return to the stable through the cleared portion of the path. Damn him for a fool, but the thought of spending another night in her arms wasmighty appealing.
“Hey, vaquero ! I need some help.”
Grinning at her playful tone, he turned and saw Talia peeping over the loft floor. Quickly closing the distance between them, he took the shovel she held and tossed it to the side. “Here you go,” he said. He thrust his hand forward, grabbed her wrist and hauled her into the loft.
“ Muchas gracias .” She smiled up at him, her dark, doe eyes glowing with good humor. Frankly, she made his knees weak and set his heart to hammering faster than it ought. He shook his head. This wasn’t the time… “Best get a move on,” he said with his gruffest tone. “This is going be the hardest work you’ve ever done.”
The lady snorted in a most unladylike manner. “Like you’ve dug yourself out of a blizzard before?”
He glanced over his shoulder toward the gable door. “I have, but not like this one.”
“Hmph. I grew up here. I’ve seen bad snowstorms before.” She strutted confidently over to the loft gable door.
He nodded. “Right.” The denim trousers suited her slender body, showing off the very curves he’d grown familiar with the night before, but then he heard a gasp as she peered out the door.
She turned to him, her eyes wide with alarm. “ Dios ! This is the worst I’ve ever seen.”
“Yeah.” He set to tying one end of the rope bale to an upright support beam. “I’ll go down first and clear the snow from the doorway. Otherwise, we won’t be able to get back in. Unless you want to shinny up the rope twice a day?” He motioned with a hand-over-hand gesture.
“No, but that doesn’t mean I couldn’t.” Hands on hips, she planted her feet wide and jutted her chin.
“Right. But stubbornness will take you only so far.”
“You may scoff, but in spite of my delicate and ladylike appearance, I’m strong. Before my marriage, I worked the hacienda alongside my father’s men.”
“I don’t doubt it, but you lived a pampered existence as Montrose’s wife for eight years.”
Her lips pursed. “Pampered—hardly. More like restricted.”
“My point.” He wanted to kiss her pouty mouth, but that would only delay their digging out. “Come on.” He tugged on the rope, testing the strength. “That should hold.”
His breath hung in the air. A hard shiver passed through his body. Colder than it was last night. Damn, they needed to get back to a substantial shelter. And fast. He walked over to the gable door and tossed the rope bale onto the snow. It sank into the drifts. No time like the present.
With Talia peeking over his shoulder, he said, “Wait until I’m on the ground, then toss me the shovels. You can follow me after that.”
She nodded her