Going to Extremes

While Powell battled the wind, Aidan cut off the woman’s wet clothing. Beneath all those soggy layers, her skin was like ice. He rubbed her arms and legs, trying to create enough friction to warm her up.

Rousing, she clung to him for a moment, as if she didn’t yet realize that she was safe.

“You’ll be okay,” he assured her. “We just have to get you warmed up.”

“Don’t let me go,” she whispered.

“I won’t. I promise.”

She was tiny, but surprisingly curvy, and her muscles were rock hard. At the moment, though, Aidan was more interested in the temperature of her body than in its shape.

“F-freezing,” she gasped.

When he had her clothes off, he wrapped her in a blanket, then pulled her into his arms and held her close to his own warm body. She still couldn’t stop shaking.

“Is she going to be okay?” Powell shouted.

She’d better be, Aidan thought grimly as he held her tight. He couldn’t afford to lose another one.

Chapter Three

Thursday, 0900 hours

Kaitlyn came awake with a start. She’d been dreaming that she was falling, and she gasped as she tried to sit up. A firm hand on her shoulder pressed her back down.

“Try to take it easy.”

That voice! Kaitlyn knew it.

She couldn’t place it, but she knew it…

The dream was still so fresh in her mind that she almost expected to feel wind rush past her face as she fell, but instead, she was lying perfectly still in a nice, warm bed.

A hospital bed, to be exact.

Someone had brought her to Ponderosa Memorial, but she only had a vague recollection of being rushed into the E.R. Of bright lights burning into her eyes. Of urgent yet somehow soothing voices speaking to her and above her. She’d been examined and x-rayed…all of which had passed in a blur of pain and confusion.

She was still a little out of it, but not as disoriented as she’d been then. Maybe it was the pain that had snapped her out of the haze. She suddenly felt as if every bone in her body had been crushed. But she knew that wasn’t the case. She was going to be fine. Someone had told her that.

She glanced up at the man whose hand was still her on her shoulder. He had dark eyes and an even darker expression.

“I know you,” she blurted.

Something flickered in those dark eyes. “I hope so. We went to high school together. I’d be very disappointed if you didn’t remember me.”

Frowning, she continued to stare up at him until the lightbulb went on. “Phillip? Phillip Becker?”

His lips tilted slightly, but Kaitlyn had a feeling that for him the gesture was significant. Although she hadn’t seen him in years, the few faint memories she had of Phillip Becker were of a somber, overstudious young man who rarely cracked a smile.

“What are you doing here?” she asked in confusion.

“I’m a doctor. I’ve been on staff here at Memorial for a couple of weeks.”

Why hadn’t she known about that? Word usually traveled fast in such a small town.

“What time is it?” she asked.

“A little after nine.”

She glanced at the window. “But…it’s daylight.”

“Nine in the morning,” he clarified. “You’ve been here all night.”

“I have?”

“You don’t remember being awakened every two hours? The nurses said you were responsive.”

She had a vague recollection, Kaitlyn realized. She frowned as she tried to think back.

Dr. Becker took a light from his lab-coat pocket and bent to check the dilation of her pupils. Next, he held his finger in front of her face and moved it slowly back and forth. “Try to follow my finger,” he instructed. When Kaitlyn did as she was told, he nodded. “Very good.”

Very good. Evidently, she’d passed some kind of test. Yea for her. “How did I get here? I mean, I know how I got here. Someone brought me in, right? But I don’t know…I can’t seem to remember all the details.”

“Two men brought you down the mountain in a chopper,” he said absently as he glanced at her chart.

“A chopper?”

“A helicopter.”

Kaitlyn wasn’t confused by the term. She knew what he meant. But the word had conjured up an image that left her even more confused. A deep voice commanding her to hold on tight. Blue eyes staring deeply into hers as he ran his hands over her body. “We just have to get you warmed up.”

Who was he? she wondered. Where was he?

“I can’t seem to remember a lot of things,” she realized on a note of panic. “What’s wrong with me?”

“Nothing that a little rest won’t take care of,” Dr. Becker assured her. “You have a mild concussion. That explains the disorientation and the memory loss. Short-term amnesia is fairly common with head injuries.”

“What? I have a head injury?” Even more alarmed, Kaitlyn lifted her hand to her head and winced when she felt a bump the size of a goose egg near her right temple.

“Try not to worry. Your MRI and CT look fine. Other than a little soreness, you should be as good as new in a couple of days.”

Relieved, Kaitlyn stared up at the ceiling. “Will I get my memory back?”

“It’s hard to say. I’ve seen car-crash victims who could remember every single detail leading up to the trauma, including the song that was playing on the radio before impact. But they have no recall of the accident itself. Not even weeks, months, sometimes years later. I wouldn’t worry about it,” he said with a shrug. “There are worse things than forgetting a fifty-foot fall into a canyon.”

She’d fallen fifty feet. Into a canyon. God.

Still exhausted, Kaitlyn closed her eyes. “I suppose you’re right.” It was strange, though, having a gap in one’s recall. She had a feeling those missing moments would nag at her forever.

“Try to concentrate on the positive,” Dr. Becker suggested. “You were trapped on that ledge for nearly twenty-four hours. Any number of things could have happened. I’d say under the circumstances, you’re a very lucky woman. You had a lot of people worried about you.” He nodded toward the door. “One of them is outside right now. She’s already caused quite a stir in the waiting room this morning.”

Kaitlyn looked up in surprise. “She?”

“Eden McClain.” His eyes seemed to darken. “Normally, I’d suggest you try and get a little more rest before you start having visitors, but I have a feeling no one will get any peace around here until she sees for herself that you’re okay.”

That sounded like Eden. The wonder was that she hadn’t been able to finesse or bulldoze her way in before now.

“Shall I let her come in for a few minutes?”

“Yes, of course.” Although how Eden had even known that Kaitlyn was missing, much less hospitalized, was another mystery.

Dr. Becker made a note on her chart. “Don’t let her stay too long. As I said, the best thing I can prescribe for your recovery is plenty of rest.”

“Can I have something for the pain?” Kaitlyn asked meekly.

Becker frowned. “Try to ride it out a little while longer. I’d like to monitor your reflexes for a few more hours, but if the pain doesn’t ease up, I’ll have the nurse give you something mild.” He closed the chart and tucked it under his arm. “Good to see you again, Kaitlyn. Sorry it had to be under these circumstances.”

“You, too…Dr. Becker.”

“Phillip, please,” he said briskly. “After all, we do have something of a past, don’t we?”

He turned then and disappeared through the door, leaving Kaitlyn to wonder just what in the world he’d meant by his parting statement. A past? The two of them?

She didn’t have time to ponder the question for long, however, because a second later, the door burst open and Eden McClain took center stage.

THEY’D KNOWN each other since they were fourteen years old, but Eden’s intensity never failed to impress—and exhaust—Kaitlyn. She was always so focused and so supremely self-confident that Kaitlyn sometimes wondered if her friend had ever experienced even a moment of inadequacy. Somehow Kaitlyn doubted it.

The daughter of a logger and a dressmaker, she’d certainly come a long way since her humble beginnings in Ponderosa. Everyone in the state knew that Eden McClain was the driving force behind Governor Gilbert’s reelection campaign, and Kaitlyn wouldn’t have been at all surprised to learn that her friend harbored political ambitions of her own.

If so, she would be a force to be reckoned with. Feminine and gorgeous on the outside with her power suits and pearls, and hard as nails on the inside.

God help anyone who got in her way, Kaitlyn thought.

Eden walked over to the bed and gave her a quick hug. She always wore the same perfume, something dark and sensuous. She called it her “signature” fragrance, and she guarded the formula as jealously as a lost man might horde water in the desert.

“So how are you feeling?” Ending the embrace quickly, Eden straightened. She’d never been the demonstrative type, and the easy way in which Kaitlyn and her mother had expressed their affection had always made Eden uncomfortable.

“Like I fell off a cliff,” Kaitlyn told her. “But never mind about me. What are you doing in Ponderosa? Shouldn’t you be in Helena wowing Prince Petrov?”

Eden smiled. “Nikolai will just have to wait.”

Kaitlyn’s brows shot skyward. “Nikolai? Well, get you.”

“Yeah, well, the informality is just for your benefit. In public, believe me, it’s His Royal Highness all the way. At any rate, the moment I heard you were missing, I got here as quickly as I could.” Eden gave her a reproachful look. “You had us all scared half to death, especially after the floodwaters receded and the state police found your vehicle. Your father was ready to call in the Marines.”

Kaitlyn gasped. “Dad? He’s not here, is he? Please tell me he’s not in Ponderosa.” In her own way, she loved her powerful father very much, but he could be trying under the best of circumstances. She wasn’t proud of the fact that at thirty, she still found him somewhat intimidating, but at least she was honest enough to admit it these days.

“Lucky for you, he’s still halfway around the world,” Eden said. “I talked to your mother, too, just in case the news of your disappearance made it all the way to Texas. She was upset, naturally, but I managed to convince her that you’re in perfectly capable hands here. She’s staying put for the time being because evidently your grandmother has taken a turn for the worse.”

“I know. Poor Nana.” Kaitlyn lay back against the pillows and sighed. “Thanks for handling all that for me. I owe you one.”

“You can repay me by telling me what possessed you to wander off so far,” Eden scolded. “You were miles from the road when they found you. What on earth were you thinking?”

“I was trying to get a cell-phone signal,” Kaitlyn explained. “And if that didn’t work, I was hoping to make it to Eagle Falls before nightfall. I knew no one would miss me until the next day, and I didn’t want to spend the night camped out on the side of road. It may sound crazy now, but I thought it was a good idea at the time.”

“Yes, well, that seems to be your motto,” Eden said dryly. “You’ve always been impulsive.”

Kaitlyn couldn’t deny the charge so she merely shrugged. “Anyway, I started walking and after that, everything…gets a little hazy.”

Eden frowned. “What do you mean, hazy?”

“It seems I have short-term amnesia.”

“Wow.” Eden let out a long breath. “So…you don’t even remember how you ended up on that ledge?”

Kaitlyn shook her head. “Not really, although I’d say it’s pretty apparent that I fell. Phillip says the amnesia may or may not be permanent.”

“Speaking of Phillip…” Eden glanced at the door, then leaned toward Kaitlyn as she lowered her voice. “I just can’t seem to wrap my head around the fact that he’s a doctor. God only knows what his bedside manner is like. He always gave me the creeps back in high school.”

“I think he’s just shy,” Kaitlyn said.

Eden gave her a look. “That’s a kind way of putting it. Do you remember what a crush Jenny used to have on him? She was always such a needy little thing. But I suppose you can’t blame her. An alcoholic mother, an abusive father…she was a walking cliché. She used to latch on to anyone who had a kind word for her.”

“You know, I’d forgotten all about that,” Kaitlyn said in surprise. “She did have a thing for Phillip, didn’t she?”

“Big time. But good ol’ Phil only had eyes for you. Like every other guy in town.”

Kaitlyn could have sworn she heard a tinge of resentment in Eden’s voice, but when she looked up, her friend’s dark eyes were completely guileless. As was her smile. “Not your fault you were so darn irresistible. Besides, men are such suckers for blue-eyed blondes.”

Kaitlyn gave her an exasperated look. “You’re exaggerating, as usual. Besides, I don’t recall you ever having a shortage of admirers. And from what I hear, you pretty much have Peter Gilbert wrapped around your little finger.”

“Just goes to show, you can’t believe everything you hear.” Eden laughed, but there was a flash of bitterness in her eyes. “Forget about Peter. Tell me about that hunk of eye candy that brought you to the hospital yesterday. Aidan Campbell.”

“Aidan who?”

Eden looked flabbergasted. “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten him. Because if you have, I’d say you need to have your head re-examined.”

She hadn’t forgotten him exactly, Kaitlyn realized, as that same image came back to her. The whirring blades, the strong arms, those eyes staring down at her.

“I think he has blue eyes.”

“Blue eyes?” Eden gave a little laugh. “That’s like saying Montana has a lot of trees. Yeah, he has blue eyes. Crystal clear and surrounded by lovely, dark lashes…I could go on, but I won’t. Let’s just say the man has the most gorgeous eyes I’ve ever seen and leave it at that.”

“Wait a minute.” Kaitlyn turned to glare at her. “How do you know what he looks like?”

“Because I met him last night. He came by the hospital to see how you were doing. You were resting so we didn’t want to disturb you, but we had a nice little chat before he left.”

“You were here last night? How in the world did you find out so quickly?” Kaitlyn asked in astonishment.

Eden merely shrugged. “You forget, my dear, I now have contacts all over the state. That and the fact that when I called the paper yesterday afternoon looking for you, the receptionist told me that you were missing. I came as soon as I could.”

“You really didn’t have to do that. I know how busy you are these days.”

Eden waved a dismissive hand. “You’d do the same for me.” She pulled up a chair and sat down. “Now, where were we? Oh, yes. Gorgeous, blue eyes.”

Kaitlyn was amused by her friend’s rather obvious segue back to the subject of her rescuer. She’d never heard Eden sound quite so effusive. “So tell me about the rest of this guy.”

“Oh, the rest of him isn’t too shabby, either, if you like wide shoulders and sun-bronzed skin. A Mr. December if ever I saw one,” Eden said, referring to the pinup calendar she and Jenny and Kaitlyn had drooled over one year in high school. Mr. December had been by far the hottest month and remained, to this day, the standard by which Eden judged all men. At least in her more shallow moments.

“A Mr. December?” Kaitlyn laughed. “I think you’re exaggerating again.”

“Oh, really? Why don’t you judge for yourself then? He’s in the waiting room even as we speak.”

Kaitlyn glanced up at her in alarm. “He’s been here all night? Why?”

“No, relax. He came in right after I did this morning. He said he wanted to check in and make sure you’re okay.” Eden paused. “Do you want me to go get him?”

Kaitlyn ran her fingers through her hair. “I don’t know. I must look like—“

“A hag? Yes, you’re positively hideous,” Eden agreed dryly. “But as luck would have it, I’ve brought you a care package.” She placed a bag from Ferguson’s drugstore on Kaitlyn’s bed. “Hairbrush, lipstick, mascara. And if you’re good, I’ll go by your apartment and pack a few things for you before I leave today.”

“You wouldn’t mind? Hospital gowns can get a little drafty if you know what I mean.” Kaitlyn rummaged through the bag. “You’re a real lifesaver, Eden.”

“Yes, that’s me,” she said airily as she headed for the door. “But a word to the wise…” She paused and glanced over her shoulder. Mischief glinted in her eyes. “You may have seen Aidan Campbell first, but I’ve already picked out a name for our firstborn.”

EDEN REALLY HADN’T exaggerated, Kaitlyn realized when her rescuer walked into the room.

Aidan Campbell was about as dreamy as a man could get, but his rugged features kept him from being too dreamy.

But, boy, oh boy, did he bring the shivers.

Wide shoulders…sun-kissed hair…bronzed skin. Eden had described him to a T, and his eyes—gorgeous indeed—had the unique ability to appear warm and cold at the same time.

He had the look of a man who could turn a woman inside out, and Kaitlyn’s stomach fluttered with awareness as their gazes met.

A dozen images flitted through her head. His blue eyes staring intently into hers. His deep voice commanding her not to panic. His callused hands moving skillfully over her bare skin to warm her up.

And then she thought, quite inanely, Why, this man has seen me naked. We haven’t even really met yet and already he knows what I look like without my clothes on.

She couldn’t look at him without thinking about it.

“Kaitlyn?”

The sound of her name on his lips sent another shiver up her spine and a sophomoric blush to her cheeks. Kaitlyn wasn’t the type to be swept off her feet by a good-looking man, but for the life of her, she couldn’t seem to remember her own name.

An apologetic frown flickered across his brow. “I’m sorry. I’ve obviously come at a bad time. I can stop by later—”

“No! I mean, uh, that’s fine. This isn’t a bad time. It’s a perfectly fine time. I’m…fine…” And obviously babbling. She stopped and drew a breath. “You must be Mr. Campbell,” she said in a more poised tone.

“Aidan.” He let the door close behind him as he crossed the room to her bed.

Up close, he seemed even taller than she’d first thought. Toned and athletic, he walked with the kind of easy grace that came with confidence and accomplishment. A man who knew how to get what he wanted and almost always did.

Kaitlyn suppressed a shudder as he extended a hand and took hers.

He smiled.

She smiled.

And fireworks exploded all around them.

Oh, wait…that was just inside her head, she realized.

She drew back her hand. “I’m not sure what to say to the man who saved my life. A mere thank-you seems a bit lame.”

He shrugged. “It’ll do just fine, but I don’t think I saved your life. You strike me as pretty resourceful. Not many people could have survived a tumble like that, much less the kind of exposure to the elements you had to face. I have a feeling if we hadn’t come along when we did, you would have clawed your way off that ledge.”

“You think so?” Kaitlyn was foolishly flattered by his praise. “But then…I might have broken a nail or something, so it’s just as well you saved me the trouble.”

He said quite seriously, “Have you checked your nails lately?”

She glanced down at her hands and winced. “You weren’t kidding about the clawing, were you?” She hid them under the cover.

He grinned. “In any case, I’m glad you’re okay.”

We just have to get you warmed up.

Why couldn’t she stop thinking about that? Especially now, when she felt quite toasty. And that smile! Where had this man been all her life?

How was it that their paths had never crossed in a place as small as Ponderosa?

His expression sobered. “You are okay, aren’t you?”

“I will be.” She adjusted the blanket. “No serious injuries, I’m happy to report. The doctor says I’ll probably be getting out of here in a day or two.”

“That’s good news.” He glanced around. “Mind if I sit?”

“Please.” Kaitlyn motioned to the chair Eden had vacated. Now that she’d managed to regain her equilibrium, she was in no hurry for Aidan Campbell to leave. No hurry at all.

He pulled up the chair and sat down at her bedside. “Are you up to answering a few questions?”

“You sound like a cop,” she said in surprise.

He shrugged. “I’m just curious as to what you were doing out in the middle of nowhere alone in a rainstorm.”

“That seems to be the question of the day,” Kaitlyn muttered. “I’m a reporter for the Ponderosa Monitor. I was on my way to Warden Green’s press conference…” She trailed off. “You’ve heard about the prison break, I assume?”

“It’s been all over the news for the past two days.”

She nodded. “Anyway, I was on my way to the press conference when I got caught in the flood. I had to leave my vehicle and head for high ground. I was hoping if I kept walking, I’d be able to get a cell-phone signal. And I knew if I headed north, I’d eventually reach Eagle Falls.”

He scratched the back of his neck. “And then you what?…walked off the edge into that ravine?”

“Well, see, that’s where things get a little screwy,” she admitted. “I can’t seem to remember what happened. I must have stumbled in the dark. Or maybe I got caught in a mudslide.” She lifted her shoulders helplessly. “I don’t remember what happened. I only have a vague recollection of the rescue. I heard the helicopter and then I saw you staring down at me…the next thing I know, I’m in the hospital.” She paused. “If you hadn’t come along when you did, there’s no telling how long I might have been on that ledge. I don’t know who sent you and your friend out to look for me, but I’m grateful to everyone involved.”

“Actually, we were already out there searching when we got the call that a woman was missing. But if you hadn’t had the presence of mind to use your flashlight to send up a signal, we’d never have spotted you.”

“It was the only thing I had in my pocket,” Kaitlyn said. “I must have lost my cell phone when I fell. Anyway, when I heard the helicopter, I started clicking the light on and off and praying that whoever was up there would see it.”

“And we did.”

“And you did.” She eyed him for a moment. “But now I have a question. You said you were already out there searching when you heard about me. Who were you looking for?”

“We were looking for the fugitives.”

Kaitlyn frowned. “But…you said you’re not a cop.” Her tone sounded vaguely accusing.

“I’m not.”

“A fed, then?”

“I’m a bounty hunter.”

“A bounty hunter?” Kaitlyn would never have guessed that. Bounty hunters were oily little men who crept around in dark, sleazy places, weren’t they? Aidan Campbell didn’t fit that image at all. She bit her lip. “Wait a minute. You must work for Cameron Murphy.”

It was Aidan’s turn to seem surprised. “You know Murphy?”

“Only by reputation,” Kaitlyn admitted. “His apprehension of Boone Fowler is practically legendary around here. I’ve been trying to get an interview with him for years. I’d give anything to know what his reaction is to the prison break. Maybe you could put in a good word for me.”

She regretted the request the moment the words were out of her mouth, especially when she saw the shutters drop over Aidan’s blue eyes. His expression, friendly before, became remote and chilly, and he stood abruptly. “I should get out of here and let you rest.”

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