AN: Howdy readers! I wanted to post this chapter for ya'll ASAP, since I left you on a cliff last chapter.
This chapter will lift your spirits :)
A big thank you to "GeezerWench" for pre-reading and creative consulting. I added a few things after she inspected it, so the mistakes are all mine :)
I want to wish all of you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! May you be safe, happy, and healthy! Happyghost love!
"Jasper?"
An intake of breath. A croaking whisper. It was Bella.
At first Jasper thought he might be dreaming. It was the middle of the night; maybe he had fallen asleep. His eyes squinted to focus on her face, and he found Bella looking back up at him.
All the tension and fear rushed from his body, as he realized that she had come back to him.
He released a great, happy sigh, and grasped her hands tightly over his heart as she came out of her stupor. There were so many things he wanted to say to her, but he had no words. The river hadn't stolen her from him. Bella had awakened, and Jasper was infinitely thankful.
He bent down and kissed her forehead before yelling to his brother and sister-in-law to get up and help him get Bella something to eat or drink.
Bella could hardly speak. Her throat felt raw, and she was also a bit disoriented. She looked down and realized that she was wearing a man's shirt. She didn't understand why Jasper was holding her or why she felt so dizzy. It also bothered her that Jasper was waking up his family in the middle of the night on her account.
She patted his chest in protest. Shaking her head and attempting to speak, but her voice was weak, and Jasper wouldn't be deterred.
When Peter and Charlotte crawled from their tent and saw that Bella had awakened, they were overjoyed.
Charlotte filled a tin cup with water, brought it over to her friend, and held it up to her lips. "Shhhh . . . don't speak. Try to drink this," she urged.
The water didn't seem to sooth Bella's throat, but she drank it anyway.
Jasper noticed the puzzled look on Bella's face. "You almost drowned. Do you remember? We were crossing the river, and you jumped from the wagon."
"Jasper saved you," Peter said.
"I pulled you from the river, but Peter squeezed the water from you," Jasper added, his fingers lightly touching her face.
Bella searched her memory for a brief moment before she remembered. She gasped and then started to cough.
"Do you think you could eat something?" Charlotte asked.
Before Bella could answer, Charlotte had hurried off to warm up some broth. Bella glanced between the brothers and mouthed the words, thank you; realizing that she could have died.
Jasper squeezed Bella so tightly that she thought she might burst. "I thought I had lost you, honey. I couldn't stand the thought of losin' you. I didn't want to keep goin' without you by my side."
Bella buried her face in Jasper's chest, and inhaled his calming scent, not knowing what to say. It humbled her that Jasper cared for her so.
After several minutes, Charlotte returned with the broth. It was good and hot. The liquid coated her vocal cords and she was able to regain her voice, although it still sounded a bit gravely.
She asked for her shoes. Being held in Jasper's arms was wonderful, but she needed to stretch; her limbs felt sore and achy. Everyone glanced around at each other, before they realized that Bella's shoes had been lost to the river.
Jasper insisted on carrying her over to the trees, so she could relieve herself. She wasn't used to having people fuss over her and it made her feel quite awkward.
All of Bella's disagreeable notions had melted away by the time he carried her back to the campfire. She marveled at his strength. He lifted her as though she weighed nothing. She had to restrain herself from her urges to touch his muscles, or brush her hand across the fine stubble of his cheek. He was her savior—her rugged, handsome angel.
Soon enough, they were drinking coffee and watching the sun rise over the horizon. They were blessed with a new day, a new dawn. The travelers weren't going anywhere. They were going to rest for Bella's sake, and they still needed to clean up the mess that the river and rain had caused to the wagon and the supplies.
The Whitlocks insisted that Bella rest and not lift a finger. She did feel weak, so she didn't argue much.
She drifted in and out of sleep all day as everyone else cleaned, sorted, and cooked.
Around midday, Charlotte walked sadly over to Bella, nervously biting her lip. "I've got some real bad news. All the things that were stowed in your hope chest got wet and ruined."
Bella swallowed thickly and nodded, fighting back tears. She was upset about Dr. Cullen's books and her mother's wedding dress, but there was nothing she could do.
"We'll buy you a new dress somehow, Bella. I'll sew it myself if I have to," Charlotte swore.
Bella smiled at her friend, it was nice to have someone that cared. "It's really not necessary. I don't need a special dress," Bella said, her words ringing true even though her voice was raspy.
"I guess you don't," Charlotte laughed. "I think Jasper would marry you even if you were stuffed in a gunnysack."
To imagine the sight made Bella laugh, and soon she found herself having a coughing fit.
"What are you hens cacklin' over?" Peter asked. He walked up behind Charlotte and placed his hands on top of her shoulders and smiled, beaming at Bella. It was a wonder she had recovered so much, and in such a short amount of time.
"Nothin', Pete." Charlotte rolled her eyes
Peter pouted. "When are you going to make me somethin' to eat? I'm hungry."
"You're always hungry. Why don't you go see if you can find any leftovers?"
"I already ate all the leftovers, and I've been workin' real hard cleanin' out that wagon. A man's gotta eat, ya know. What are you plannin' on cookin' for dinner?"
The thought hadn't even crossed Charlotte's mind. "I don't know. Why don't you go fishing? See if you can catch something, then I'll cook it."
"I don't have anything to fish with, and that river is cold," Peter complained.
"Well, go see if you can hunt us up some squirrel or rabbit." Charlotte didn't want to worry Bella by letting on how much food they had lost in crossing the river.
Peter pecked a kiss on Charlotte's cheek before running off to hunt.
Bella was feeling much better after resting all day. She appreciated everything that everyone was willing to do for her. But she wasn't the type of person who enjoyed lazing around.
Jasper had gone to collect some more wood for the fire, and Charlotte was washing clothes down by the river, so Bella got up and started poking through the remaining supplies. She was planning on helping cook dinner and was shocked at how little there was to pick through.
"No, no!" Charlotte chastised, as she rushed over and shooed Bella away. "You go sit back down and bundle up. You're gonna catch your death of cold."
"But we lost so much," Bella whispered forlornly.
"Now don't you even worry about that, Bella," Charlotte scolded, wrapping her arm around Bella's chilly shoulders. "We didn't lose you and that's the important thing."
Bella still looked too frail to be up and about. Her hair looked like a bird had built a nest in it and the shirt she was wearing, that belonged to Jasper, swallowed her whole. Her dirty, pale feet peaked out beneath her skirt, and it reminded Charlotte of her meager upbringing.
The sight gave Charlotte a chill. "Aren't your feet cold?" she asked, as she ushered Bella back to her spot beside the fire.
Bella's feet were cold, so she sat back down, tucked her feet underneath her, and let Charlotte wrap the blanket around her.
"I feel like I need to do something," Bella complained. "Why don't you bring me the buffalo coats? I could sit here and finish sewing them. I don't like feeling useless."
"You are not useless! You've done so much to help us, and you could've died! You need to rest." Charlotte fetched the unfinished coats and the sewing kit for Bella to keep her from doing it herself.
They were going to need those heavy coats to survive the winter. The weather in Idaho didn't agree with the southern-born Whitlocks. Being from Texas, they weren't used to or expecting the bitter cold that they found themselves in up North.
While Charlotte was getting the sewing kit, she also picked up her hairbrush. Bella was still too weak to bathe, and her clothes were all still laid out drying, but Charlotte thought that fixing Bella's hair might cheer her up. It was the least she could do.
Bella sewed and Charlotte worked the tangles from her friend's long brown hair. Although Bella's shoes had been lost to the river, her beautiful silver comb had somehow stayed firmly imbedded in her thick locks. The two friends reminisced about the day Jasper had bought it for Bella at the store at Rock Creek, and then laughed over the fun they had shared at the dance.
After Charlotte had tamed Bella's hair, and put a smile on her face, she had to hurry back to her washing, and left Bella to finish the coats.
As Bella worked the needle through the hides, an idea came to her. She remembered the boots that her friend Jacob wore. They were fashioned from skins, and she felt certain that she could make some for herself. If she used the buffalo hide they'd be soft and warm as well.
She retrieved some scraps of hide and a knife from the pile of supplies that sat beside the empty wagon and went to work.
Moments later, Jasper returned to camp, carrying another arm-load of wood, and settled in beside Bella.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"Making shoes for myself," she explained while wiggling her toes. "I need something to pierce these hides. I want to layer them thick to build the sole, and I'm having trouble with this needle."
Jasper hopped up, removing his pocket knife. He went over to the wagon, gouged out a nail, and took it over to Bella. "Will this work?" he asked.
She smiled as she took the small piece of iron from his hand. "It's perfect. Thank you."
Jasper sat beside Bella and watched in fascination as she assembled the boots. He had seen similar shoes being worn by the natives, but would have never thought to make them himself.
Peter had come back triumphantly from his hunting trip, carrying two fat squirrels by their tails. When he saw Bella making shoes he wanted some too. He thought they looked comfortable and warm; like they'd be nice to sleep in.
Before long, Bella was cutting more skins to make boots for everyone.
Charlotte cooked squirrel gravy and fried bread for dinner, since her biscuits never turned out right no matter how hard she tried. Everyone was appreciative and able to eat their fill. Even Peter said how good it all tasted. With bellies full of warm food, things seemed to be looking up.
The only argument to be had was over who was going to be sleeping beside Bella in the lone, remaining tent. They'd all fit, but it would be tight. Jasper thought he should be able to sleep beside his fiancé, but Peter wouldn't hear of it.
"Are you sayin' you don't trust your own brother?" Jasper asked incredulously.
"Now, hold on there," Peter said, as he held up his hands in protest. "I trust you, of course, while you're awake, but I'm more concerned about what you might do while you're asleep."
"That's ridiculous," Jasper scoffed. "Who's ever heard of somebody doing something inappropriate in their sleep?"
Charlotte and Peter cast each other a knowing glance. "It's been known to happen," Charlotte nodded.
"Well, that settles it then. I'll definitely be sleeping beside Bella. Someone has to protect her against your sleep letching." Jasper jabbed his finger at Peter, then furrowed his brow and crossed his arms.
Peter knew from the look on Jasper's face that their conversation had ended. "I'll be laying right beside you, brother, and I sleep with one eye open, so don't get any ideas."
Peter's words echoed loudly through Jasper's brain all night, taunting him. He lay beside Bella, watching her back rise and fall with each gentle breath. His head was full of ideas, it seemed, and he couldn't get to sleep. Jasper had bedded his share of women, but he had never slept beside one all night.
She was right there beside him, so sweet and soft and warm. It was pure torture. His body reacted to her nearness, but his mind railed against him. What had he gotten himself into? Peter was right; he had been a fool to think sleeping beside Bella would be a good idea.
As much as he longed to reach over and pull her warm body to his—just feel the life pumping through her—he would keep his hands to himself. Her body had been so cold when he had pulled her from the river; he had feared she was dead. The sound of her soft breaths and the beat of her heart were like music to his ears. He was so grateful she was alive; he wanted to wrap her in his arms and never let her go. His body ached to show her how much he loved her.
Bella wasn't fairing any better. She was only pretending to be asleep. She couldn't be sure if her insomnia was caused from her day spent napping, or from knowing that she was lying beside Jasper Whitlock. He was so close that he was almost touching her. She struggled to keep a gap between their two bodies, but he had a magnetic presence. All she wanted to do was to push closer.
It must be the heat and the warmth, she thought. Jasper radiated heat like the big oven in Esme Cullen's kitchen. Bella had never felt so cozy. There was also a pleasant heat that he stoked inside of her as well. There was a need to be closer to him and touch him; feel his smooth skin. Although she wasn't quite sure what she needed, she was sure that Jasper was the only man who could give it to her.
Lying still and pretending to be asleep was getting uncomfortable for Bella. When she heard Jasper snoring lightly, she figured it would be alright to roll over, so she did. She repositioned herself on her back, and glanced over at Jasper. His mouth was parted slightly, and his eyes were closed. He looked very relaxed. Before Bella knew what was happening, his arm reached out and grabbed her around the waist, simultaneously his leg draped itself across her thighs. She thought he mumbled something, but couldn't make out the words. Instead of struggling to push him away, Bella settled into him and soon began to dream.