Taken By Storm Part 10

"What happened after your plunge into the pitchfork?" Storm asked with a teasing smile.

Burke stuck out his chest. "I screamed through every st.i.tch and was comforted by my mother for three days straight."

Storm's smile faded. "I have no time for rest or comfort."

She walked out and Burke followed. He silently admonished himself for his remark. He should have

remembered that Storm had never had the comfort of a loving mother. Her childhood had been harsh and lonely. Even now, he knew she had to feel alone. She was a leader, and her men and people came first.

Of course, there had been her husband, but he had yet to find out about him. He knew her men would offer no information, and though he was curious, he thought it inappropriate to ask her directly about him.

He had a feeling that her penchant for rescuing the helpless might have something to do with her husband and the reason she was now an outlaw. In time, he would discover the truth.

He caught up with her as she was about to grab the rope to descend to the ground.

"I'll get you down." His hand caught the rope at the same time hers did.

She hesitated, but he could see that her common sense took over and she nodded her approval.

They descended much differently than they had ascended. She no longer leaned on him. Her strength had

returned, and she placed a distance between them even though he held her close. It was as if she had erected a s.h.i.+eld to protect herself against being protected.

How he would penetrate that s.h.i.+eld, he wasn't certain. That he would penetrate it, he was certain.

"There is nothing so urgent that you cannot rest," he said when they reached the bottom.

She pushed away from him with a wince.

He reached out, and she stepped out of his grasp.

"There is your brother to see to."

"The men need rest," Burke said. "It will have to wait."

"There may not be time," Storm insisted. "If it is your brother Cullen being held, then he has been there

over a month. He could be close to death by now."

She walked away, and Burke once again followed, annoyed at being reminded of his brother's precarious position. He needed no such reminding. He worried that he would be too late to rescue Cullen

and not only that he would fail to fulfill his father's dying wish, but that he would never get to know his only sibling.

"Glencurry must still be dealt with," Burke heard her say as she approached the campfire where her men

sat.

"We have been considering the matter," William said, his meaty hand reaching out to a.s.sist her to take a seat next to him.

Burke joined them, squeezing in between the lean Philip and Malcolm. That they even considered the

failed rescue so soon after returning from a mission amazed him. He thought Storm would order the men

to rest, and here she ordered that another mission be discussed, and the men did so willingly.

He remained silent, watching the motley crew work. They argued, agreed, and argued some more, and Storm never stopped any one of them from voicing his opinions. She showed them all respect, as they did her.

"What say you?" William asked, turning to Storm.

"We all agree on one thing-that Cullen, if it is him, cannot survive much longer. The rescue attempt mustbe immediate if he is to be found alive."The men nodded their agreement."Which means we cannot waste another minute," Philip said and stood. William rose with him."You need to rest first," Burke said."The few hours they rest could mean your brother's life," Storm said. "Are you willing to risk that?""It's as much a risk sending them on little rest. A couple of hours' sleep should help revive them and then they can be off."

"It also could be enough time for the soldiers to regroup and return," Storm suggested. "So which then is the better choice?"

"Are you leaving the decision to me?" Burke asked, surprised.

"He's your brother."She hadn't considered that when she made the decision to send the men in the first place. She hadn'teven consulted him, so why did she do so now?

"Let the men rest," he said.

Storm nodded and looked to William and Philip. "You leave shortly; get ready."

Burke jumped to his feet, the two men hurried off, and the other men drifted away from the campfire.

"Why give me a choice when you had no intention of honoring it?" That he was annoyed resonated in his

gruff tone and his stoic stance."I wanted to see what you would do."She sounded as if she judged him, and his annoyance grew. "And you don't like what I did?""You thought of the men, not the prisoner.""I thought of both.""There is only one who can be considered," she said sharply. "His life depends on it.""If the men are too tired-""They'll get over it and do what they must.""Like Tanin?" Burke challenged.To his surprise, she smiled."Are you angry because Tanin did what was necessary and you could not?"That fired his defenses. "I would not have slapped you. I would have handled it differently.""And gotten the same immediate results?" She didn't wait for an answer. "I need my men to follow my orders without hesitation. It could mean the safety or loss of a life or lives. Each one of them understands this and does what he is told. You, Mr. Longton, find it impossible to do."

"There is a simple answer for that, Storm."

"And what is that?"

"I don't follow; I lead."

Chapter 9.

S torm marched right up to him. "There's room for only one leader in my group, Mr. Longton. If you cannot accept that, then you can leave." She turned and hurried her pace since she felt an overwhelming need to punch the arrogant American.

One minute he was tender and caring and the next minute he was claiming himself a leader. Well, not here was he, nor would he be. She had warned him, and she had the feeling she would continue to warn him about following orders. It was already tiresome, but the money- She halted so quickly that she kicked up a cloud of dirt around her.

She hadn't had time to discuss an exact fee with him, and she suddenly wondered if it was worth keepingthe American around.Storm turned, intending to do just that, and almost collided with Burke."Were you following me?" she accused."We weren't finished," he said"There is no room for discussion. You either-"He cut her off. "I didn't say I wouldn't follow your orders. I also didn't say I wouldn't object now and again. From what I've seen in the short time I've been here, it's obvious that you not only allow your men to voice their opinions but you also consider them. I'm expressing my opinions, maybe a little more forcefully, but it's only natural since I'm accustomed to leading."

"Since you are a leader, you know only one person can lead.""Believe me," he said with a shake of his head. "I'm trying to remember that.""I'll keep reminding you," Storm said with a chuckle."I have no doubt of that, but be aware you may tire of reminding me," he cautioned, his smile spreading slowly.

"A leader must chastise when necessary." Her smile grew as his faded. She knew her words stung his pride, but then they meant to remind.

"Were you returning to speak with me?" he asked.

She was relieved he'd changed the subject. There had been enough debate. Any further discussion

would not change the outcome.

"We never discussed a fee."

"I thought the same myself," he said.

They entered into a brief discussion since the sum Burke offered was more than generous for what he

asked of her in return. The money would sustain them for a year or more if they were careful.

He baffled her, this American who had entered her life so chaotically and continued to cause anarchy.

Yet she could not help but respect him and admire his courage.

She watched him walk off to wait for her beneath the tree. After she told him she would speak with

William and Philip privately before they left, he insisted he'd wait to help her get to her quarters.She hadn't argued with him, perhaps because she felt it more sensible not to irritate her injured arm, orhad she liked the comfort of his arms?

Storm was shocked by her own thoughts and shook the nonsense from her head. Wherever had that idea

come from? She had known the man barely two days and he had annoyed her more than not.

It had to have been the kiss, she reasoned, returning to the campfire. It reminded her of bittersweet memories, memories she thought she kept tucked away. It had been three long years since her husband had last kissed her, held her, made love to her.

She s.h.i.+vered and hugged herself tightly. She missed the warmth of Daniel's arms, his body next to hers atnight. They would cuddle in each other's arms and fall asleep content. She hadn't been able to sleep forweeks after his death. She had felt a constant chill without him beside her.

It had taken time to cope with his death, to make sense of it, accept it.

She shook her head. She really had done neither. His death made no sense and she had never truly accepted his demise, she had simply learned how to live with his absence.

Now this brash American appeared and stirred long-buried emotions that she preferred remain buried.

She didn't want to be reminded and feel the dreadful pain of losing Daniel yet again."You're cold."Storm jumped and glared at Burke as he dropped to his knee and added more wood to the dwindling fire.

"You must stop sneaking up on people," she admonished, holding her hands out to the rekindled flames to warm her hands.

"I wasn't sneaking, and besides, you looked deep in thought and I didn't wish to disturb you." He sat on