"I mean you no harm," she spoke clearly; she was determined to not show any fear.

"Who are you?"

Out of the shadows came a man she would have recognized anywhere. Only his low and muttering voice had fooled her.

"I'm Cami Johnson," she answered, but she didn't have to. Buck recognized her voice the first time she spoke, but had asked just to make sure. "Who're you? What are you doin' here?" Cami asked back; she couldn't let him know she already knew him.

"Buck Cross, and I'm sleeping," he answered shortly. "What are you doing here?"

He couldn't believe this. He had awoken from the sound of someone moving in the cave, and had stayed in the shadows until that someone approached his horse. If he had known it was Cami, he would never have spoken. He just wanted to forget she ever existed, and now he was trapped talking to her. Most of the time he had wished they would eventually talk, but not now. He was set on starting over, and this only made it so much harder.

"I thought I'd stay the night here, but I see this spot's taken already," Cami answered.

What is he doing here? I thought he left! She thought. Her body trembled with the excitement of talking to him - finally - but still there was that eerie feeling in the air that made her wary of him. She was relieved to see him lower the gun and eventually take it away. That took some of the pressure off her and she allowed herself to relax.

"There's always room for one more," Buck spoke, but he didn't mean it. He didn't want to spend a night beside her; letting her share his fire. That wasn't right, he couldn't do that. It would only feed the wild fire burning in his soul. And all he wanted to do was forget.

"Oh, that's fine," Cami said and looked behind her. "I'll just sleep over here. If that's okay, of course. I didn't mean to steal the cave away from you."

Buck bit his lip. He had to tell her, otherwise she'd be mad when she woke up.

"I think you better sleep over here," he said and Cami frowned.

"Yeah?"

"Otherwise you'll wake up in a lake," Buck said and Cami laughed suddenly. She actually laughed at something he said!

"Really?" she asked and laughed again. All the tension from her side was broken, and she found herself laughing not only at his remark, but also at her own nervousness before.

Buck smiled a small smile and approached her carefully. He walked with her to her things and pointed at the already wet ground inside the cave.

"See? It's safer to sleep in there," he pointed.

Cami smiled and Buck saw it this time. The moonlight fell on her pretty face and he had to turn away; or else he would have kissed her.

"You don't happen to have a fire going, do you?" she asked suddenly.

Buck's stomach churned in a pleasant way, and his body went all warm. Sure I do, he thought, then snapped himself back to the conversation.

"Uh, no. It went out after I fell asleep."

"That's too bad, 'cos I'm really wet," she smiled cautiously and held up her drenched skirts.

"I can get it started again," Buck offered and took her saddlebags with him over to his own spot. There he sat down and poked around in the embers of the former fire.

Cami came with her horse and bedroll. She secured the animal next to Buck's and rubbed him down with a towel until he was almost dry. Then she sat down by the now straining fire and rubbed her hands together.

"Here," Buck said and offered her his blanket.

"Thanks," she smiled carefully and peeled her jacket off her shoulders. Only a small patch around her abdomen was dry; everything else was all dripping wet.

"Perhaps you better..." Buck started and tugged at his shirt.

"Get rid of the dress, yeah..." Cami continued.

"You got anything to change into?" Buck asked concernedly. Since he was anyway talking to her already, he could just as well make sure she was okay.

Cami looked around. "Nope," she answered.

Buck thought for a moment, then started unbuttoning his own shirt; Cami's eyes widened in shock. My God, what is he doing?!!

He handed her the shirt and covered his lean body in his jacket.

"Here, take this. You best not catch pneumonia, it's gonna be a cold winter," Buck spoke and his gentle voice sent chillers down her spine; pleasant chillers.

Cami smiled her thanks and hurried off to the horses a few paces away. She returned clad only in his shirt and her own underskirts. Buck's mind was instantly filled with the sweetest images, and he found himself staring directly at her. She stared back and appeared somewhat amused. Buck closed his eyes and demanded the thoughts to vanish, but still they didn't. A good ten seconds passed before he looked up again, and Cami was now sitting on her bedroll on the other side of the fire, her arms closing over her chest.

The blanket was wrapped around her shoulders. God, he's beautiful! She thought when he turned back to her again, and for a brief, yet important second their eyes met and Buck drank eagerly in the sight of her pretty features. I hope she knows how wonderful she is, he thought and looked down with hot cheeks, poking absently in the fire with a stick.