Page 55 of Burning Hearts

She blinked up at him. “Logan.”

“Yeah.” He smiled. “I’m here.”

“You’re here.” She reached up and touched his cheeks, her hands falling to his arms. “Logan.”

He leaned down and kissed her, intending to only offer a brief reassurance, but as soon as his lips touched hers, everything sparked back to life, like a flash of lightning starting a blaze after a long dry summer. The warmth and comfort in the midst of so much dryness…it came rushing in like a wildfire, and with it, a whole lot of promise for the future.

“This guy is unconscious and injured, but he will probably be okay. A lot of this beating was just for show.” Hammer cleared his throat. “Guys?”

Logan pulled back from Jamie. “Huh?”

Tori snorted.

Logan said, “Who would beat a man and make it look worse than it really is?” He looked back at Jamie. “Are you okay?”

She said, “I think I’ll know for sure if I can get up.”

He helped her sit up. “Did they…hurt you?” He wanted to know about as much as he really didn’t. She’d been captive for hours.

She shook her head. “I’m okay, Logan. I didn’t know that was you parachuting down. We hit a patch of ice, I think.”

“We should figure out how to get out of here.” Cadee came over and crouched. She lifted Jamie’s wrist and looked at her watch.

Assessing her heart rate?

The younger woman said, “Any dizziness? Nausea?”

“I’m okay.” Jamie hung on to Logan’s arm, and he helped her stand. She leaned against him.

“I’m glad.” Logan wrapped his arm around her and hugged her to his side. “I just wanna know where the men are who took you.”

She frowned up at him. “They locked me in that room. I don’t know where they are.”

Logan was more than a little worried about the rest of the militia guys. He couldn’t stop thinking about that moment when he’d realized she was being abducted. Hearing Tucker threatening over the radio to fire all of them for taking the plane out again without authorization hadn’t been nearly as bad as Jamie screaming his name.

Logan wasn’t ever going to forget that sound.

The others moved away to see to the male. Logan tugged Jamie around to face him. He slid one arm around her waist and touched her cheek. “I’m glad you’re all right.”

“Ask me again in an hour.” She smiled. “Adrenaline will have worn off by then, and we probably have to walk fifty miles to the nearest road.”

He said, “Saxon—he’s one of our hotshots—found a ranch with a runway three or so miles west of here. Neil is putting down there so we don’t have to walk far to meet them.”

Jamie let out a breath. “That’s good news.”

He smiled, feeling the gentle pull on his lips. “Let’s get you out of here.” He turned and walked with her, keeping her under his arm. Holding her up whether she needed it or not. Thanking God with every step that he’d found her. “Where’s your pack?” He looked around. “The connection on your computer is how Samuel found you.”

Jamie said, “I have no idea. I didn’t get it back. And then the cabin exploded.” She winced. “I hope that guy is okay.”

“What guy?”

They got to the overturned ATV, and Jamie sat on the edge, even though it was the step where the rider put their foot. Jamie said, “The one you hit over the head. He was here. He helped us escape.”

“Are you serious?” He had dropped down in front of the cabin, now a blaze of fiery glory. “Where did he go?”

Hopefully the guy hadn’t perished when the cabin had exploded. Logan wanted to buy the guy a burger at the Midnight Sun Saloon to say thanks for saving Jamie’s life. Assuming all this made any sense at all.

“I have no idea.” She glanced over her shoulder to where Jade and Vince picked their way down the snowy hill. “I really do hope he’s all right.”

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