Cold (31 page)

Jo nodded and stood shakily, pulling her sweatshirt over her head and adding it to the damp pile of Rocky's clothing. Then she quickly kicked off the wellingtons and stripped out of her jeans.

"Sit on that chair," said Joss, pointing to the plump armchair beside the Aga.

Jo did so, and Joss got her hands under Rocky's arms and lifted her into Jo's lap.

Jo gasped as her lover's cold skin made contact with hers, but then Joss was covering her with the now-warm blankets, tucking them around the two women.

"You hold tight; she's going to start shivering soon, as her body starts to warm."

Jo wrapped her arms around the small body, kissing the top of the blonde head. "Always," she said quietly.

Jo thought she must have dozed for a while, for she was woken with a start when the blanket was pulled back slightly.

Joss had a hot water bottle, wrapped in a towel. "Here, hold this against her stomach."

Jo did as she was asked, and watched as Joss knelt at their feet and slipped a pair of soft, warm socks onto Rocky's feet. Then she repeated the process with Jo.

"I'm never going to be able to thank you enough for this," said Jo as the older woman stood, stretching her back as she did so.

"Nonsense, dear. It's been a jolly good piece of excitement for me." She pulled up one of the wooden kitchen chairs and sat near the Aga, pouring hot water into a teapot. "Since Hugh died, it's been a little quiet around here. I keep the farm going, but only have a few head of cattle." She put the lid on the pot and sat back in the chair. "You mentioned an estate?"

Jo smiled. "Collingford," she said quietly.

"Good grief, you're Joanna Holbrook-Sutherland."

"Yeah," said Jo warily - her reputation amongst England's upper class was not good.

"You caused quite a stir a year or so ago." She leaned forward and patted Jo's knee. "Good for you, girl. Those damn pale, skeletal young things down in London need shaking up. Saw that article in the Times; you were making headlines for a while there."

"Yes, I was," said Jo, ducking her head, and pulling the still limp girl closer to her chest.

Jo suddenly remembered why Rocky was now unconscious in her arms. "Joss, the man...."

Joss was pouring tea. "There was a hole in the ice on the lake."

"You think he went through?"

"I could see no sign of him."

Jo looked down at the woman on her lap, who was just beginning to move slightly. "Oh, baby, what happened out there?"

Joss stood. "Right then, Jo. We're going to try to get this tea in her. It's only just warm, not too hot. But it'll help warm her from the inside."

Jo gave the mug in Joss's hand a concerned look. "Won't she choke?"

"Probably, a little. But you'd be surprised what the body does out of instinct." Joss smiled suddenly. "Unless of course you'd like to try another way of getting it into her."

Jo frowned, obviously not completely understanding.

Joss grinned. "From the other end."

"Oh my God," said Jo, smiling for the first time in a while. "She'd kill me."

"That's more like it, girl." She took a couple of steps towards the two women in their cocoon of blankets. "Now, open her mouth."

Joss placed a towel beneath Rocky's chin, and waited while Jo gently prised open her lover's mouth. She poured a small amount of tea into the blonde's mouth, then rubbed her throat, which in turn caused Rocky to swallow.

The second attempt wasn't as successful, however, and Joss found lukewarm tea dripping from her face when it was coughed up forcefully by the unconscious woman.

Jo winced, but the older woman just returned to her task, and after a while the whole mug of tea was inside Rocky, and the weak shivering was becoming more insistent.

"Now you drink yours, dear," she said, handing Jo a mug. "She's going to be shivering so hard soon, you'll have a job holding on."

Jo took the mug, draining it quickly, then handing it back to Joss.

"I'll never be able to thank you enough for this," said Jo, pulling Rocky closer to her body when her shivering threatened to make her slide to the floor.

Joss stood and pushed the hair back from the blonde's forehead, pleased at the slight warmth she now felt. "I should be thanking you two. I was just sitting here in front of the stove, trying to sleep. It's the only warm room in the house. Haven't had this much excitement for years."

Suddenly Jo's head snapped up from its place resting against the blonde head. "Did you see anyone else out there? My God, I forgot...."

"Jo, sshhh. I saw a hole in the ice. Rocky's legs were drenched if you remember. I've lost livestock in that lake in the winter before now, I know the signs. Something went through the ice. I told you that," she said gently.

Jo looked down at Rocky; the realisation of how close she'd come to losing her, to the ice and to hypothermia, suddenly crushed down on her. But the feel of the small woman shivering against her gave her the knowledge that she was alive, and for now, that was all she needed.

Rocky suddenly gasped, her teeth chattering as her body finally started to do its work. Her arms drew in about her own body, her fists clenching painfully.

Jo held on, smiling down at her lover as the green eyes opened and looked dazedly around the room.

"It's okay," Jo whispered into a nearby ear.

"Sssso cccold." She was almost incoherent, and threatened to slip out of Jo's grasp.

"I know, baby. But you're warming up, that's why you're shivering so much."

Rocky tried to talk again, but it was just too difficult - she didn't seem to have any control over the spasms that rocked her body or the chattering that echoed through her head.

"We just have to wait it out, Sweetheart. You'll feel better soon." Jo jumped when she felt a small, shaking hand brush against her breast beneath the blankets. "You're feeling better already, eh?" She smiled down at her lover, who returned the smile somewhat shakily.

Rocky eased her head against Jo's chest, relaxing into the feeling of warmth and security she found there. She would tell her lover what had happened at the lake later. She remembered everything. From the feeling of the cold water that encased her legs, sucking the feeling and strength from them. To the look on her uncle's face as he tried to pull himself out of the freezing depths.

The shaking continued and she felt Jo's hold around her tighten. The tears came then, not just for herself, but for her family. Now she suspected she was the only one left. She had no family left. She had lost so much, yet she had found so much more. She had found her heart, and a reason to live.

She looked up. Jo had her eyes closed, and looked exhausted. "Jo?" she managed.

Blue eyes opened. "Yeah, Sweetheart?"

"Dddon't leave mme."

A look of shock and then anguish crossed the angular face. "Never, Rocky. Never." She pulled the damp blonde head against her chest again. "Try to sleep," she said, looking across at Joss, whose tears mirrored her own.

Joss watched the two women sharing her favourite chair by the Aga as they slept. The younger one, the blonde, had seemed to recover quickly once she woke. The other, Jo, had held her closely, the exhaustion on her face evident. Jo had waited until Rocky fell asleep though, before giving in to it herself. But even then her face never quite lost the tension Joss had become accustomed to seeing there.

So she watched them. She watched as the smaller woman became restless, and, in her sleep, Jo rubbed a hand up and down the girl's back, soothing her. Rocky would quickly calm, and the two of them would slip back into a carefree slumber.

Joss opened the heavy curtains and bright rays of wintry sunshine slipped across the bare floor. She turned towards the sleeping women and watched green eyes flutter open. She saw the panic in the blonde's face, until she took in where she was and who held her so tightly.

"Good morning," said Joss quietly.

Rocky just smiled. Then a look a discomfort crossed her face.

Joss stood quickly, crossing the room. "What is it?" she asked, feeling the blonde's forehead with a cool hand.

"I need the loo," Rocky husked, her throat scratchy.

"Hardly surprising, dear, after all the tea I made you drink last night." She pulled back the blankets and helped the younger woman to her feet, replacing the covers over Jo carefully and tucking them around her. "We must let her sleep; she was exhausted last night."

She wrapped Rocky up in her coat. "It's freezing in the rest of the house." She led her along the hallway, and pointed to the correct door. "I'll put the kettle on, and then whip up some breakfast."

When she returned to the kitchen she found Jo to be restless, mumbling in her sleep. "Don't be a silly goose. She's just gone for a moment," she said, laying a hand on the dark head. Jo calmed, snuggling down into her warm nest. Joss watched her for a moment, brushing aside ebony hair to better see the edge of the small wound disappearing into the dark hairline. The bruise extended to Jo's temple, and Joss wondered at the strength of the sleeping woman who had gone out into the night in search of her lover with what must have been a mild concussion.

Joss was pouring tea when Rocky returned to the kitchen. The blonde glanced at Jo, before making her way to the table and pulling a chair out.

"There, dear. The Englishman's cure for all that ails you, a nice cup of tea."

"Thank you," said Rocky, shivering slightly after her trip to the small bathroom. She wrapped her hands around the warm mug. "What time is it?" she asked.

"It's a little after 11. The phone's still out, I'm afraid."

Rocky nodded, sipping her tea. "I'm sorry we've caused you so much trouble."

"Not a bit of it, dear. No trouble at all."

Rocky turned to look at Jo. "Do you think she'll be alright? She looks very pale."

Joss followed Rocky's gaze. "I'm sure she will be. She stayed awake for a while last night, after you'd dropped off. Her eyes didn't look as glazed." Then her attention was on the blonde. "What about you, how do you feel?"

"I feel... numb."

"Do you want to tell me what happened?"

Rocky closed her eyes and shook her head gently. "I don't think I can."

Joss reached across and patted her hand. "That's alright, dear. If it's too difficult for you...."

"No it's not that," said Rocky quickly. "It's all a bit of a mess. I remember going out there. I remember running through the trees."

"There was someone out there, someone Jo was very afraid you would meet."

Rocky looked over at her lover, thankful that she appeared to be peacefully asleep. "Yes. My uncle." She rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands, then sat back in the chair, her head back, her eyes closed.

Her eyes suddenly snapped open. "My God, he went through the ice."

"Yes he did, dear." Joss watched carefully as the woman in front of her crumbled.

Rocky sobbed into her hands as the memory of the past night returned. "I tried, Joss. I tried so hard. But he was so heavy. I couldn't hold him.... I threw him the jacket, but it slipped from my hands." She cast stricken eyes on the older woman. "I didn't want him dead, I just wanted him to leave me alone. I thought going with him would be for the best. I was afraid for her."

Joss looked up towards the dark-haired woman, and found herself regarded by two very aware blue eyes. Jo shook her head slightly, and Joss turned her attention back to the blonde and waited for her to continue.

"I can't believe I just left her. I thought she'd just put it down to experience. I mean, we've only known each other a few weeks. I thought maybe I was just a passing fancy, a bit of a distraction." She looked up at Joss, smiling through her tears. "But she came for me. She didn't give up on me." She took the tissues that Joss offered, and wiped her face of the tears that were flowing freely. "When he turned up here, I knew he would never give up, never give us peace. I thought I could lead him away. Maybe find another house. Just as long as she was safe, nothing else mattered."

"You mattered." Jo's voice broke on the last word.

Rocky spun in her seat, taking in the tear-stained face of her lover, and with two strides threw herself into the woman's arms.

Joss cleared her throat. "I have to go and feed the chickens," she said, and, calling Jasper, she pulled on her coat and left the two women still locked in their embrace.

The cold of the morning hit Joss. The snow was crisp, the sky blue, and the sun shone brightly. It was a beautiful morning.

She looked across the field towards the tracks her guests had made the night before, and she stood for a moment, trying to imagine the fear Rocky must have felt as she went out to face the man who was her rapist.

With a shake of the head she made her way to the chicken coup, but stopped suddenly when she heard voices. She looked across the field to see two policemen struggling through the snow. She looked back at the house, and then set off across the field to meet them.

It was almost half an hour later when Joss returned to the farmhouse. She found her two guests to be asleep again. Jo's face was showing the strain, even in sleep. She couldn't actually see Rocky, just the top of a tousled blonde head, which peeked from beneath the blankets.

She lay a gentle hand on Jo's shoulder. "Jo," she said quietly, watching as blue eyes opened, taking a few moments to focus on her. "The police are here."

Jo cleared her throat, looking beyond her friend, but seeing no-one else in the kitchen. "They are?"

Joss nodded. "They've just gone back to their car, then they'll be coming here. They're going to want to take you both back to Leicester."

Jo looked down at the blonde, who was waking. "Hey," she said, her lips brushing the soft hair of her lover. "The cops are here."

Two green eyes emerged from behind the blanket, then scanned the room. "Are we in trouble?" she asked, her voice muffled by the covering.

"We've done nothing wrong, Rocky. There's nothing to worry about." Her words were confident, and she attempted to instil some of that confidence in the now-shaking woman in her arms. "We'd better get some clothes on."