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to get on his good side, if he had a good side, she told him,
“You're right. It's simply a name. People remember them all the
time.”
    “Are you making fun of me?” He glared down at
her. “Because if you are, let me inform you I have little tolerance
for humor.”
    “Big surprise.”
    He looked as if he wanted to throttle her.
“You don't get it do you?”
    “Get what?” They were moving upward again at
a precarious angle. Laura tightened her hold on his neck.
    He grasped her closer in response. “I dislike
people and they dislike me. It's quite a congenial
relationship.”
    “From whose point of view?”
    “Now you see,” he jeered, “that’s the ironic
part. If I actually cared—I'd give a damn.”
    Laura winced. “What about your family? You're
mother?”
    His face hardened. “We've gone too far with
this conversation. Consider it dropped.”
    She had found his soft spot. At least now she
knew he had one.
    At last they reached the safety of the road
where Dexter walked briskly toward his car and unceremoniously
dropped her into the passenger seat. For Laura, she was just
grateful to be out of the gorge and back on solid ground. When
Dexter came around to the driver side he turned on the ignition and
cranked the heaters up to full power.
    “You should be able to feel the heat soon.”
He motioned toward her feet which, at present, were curled up under
her buttocks. “I suggest you begin rubbing them to get the
circulation flowing.”
    It was only after he swung his shiny new
Volvo around and started heading back toward the south road, that a
question dawned on Laura.
    “What were you doing on the north road,
anyway? I thought you said only a fool would attempt—”
    “If the shoe fits . . .”
    “I don't think you're a fool. As a
matter-of-fact, I think you are—” She was about to say a hero and
she owed him her life, but he did not allow her to finish.
    “Am I supposed to accept that as a
compliment? From a woman whose own actions were so foolhardy she
not only put her own life into jeopardy, but someone else's as
well. Namely, mine?”
    “I didn't ask you to come down that ravine.”
She automatically defended herself from his cruel barbs.
    “You were screaming at the top of your
lungs.” He reminded her.
    She had an unfamiliar urge to hit him. “What
else was I supposed to do? Besides, with your personality, why
didn't you simply walk away? I'm sure you wouldn't have had any
remorse.”
    “The next time this happens, you can bet
that's exactly what I'll do.”
    Seething with anger and hurt she glared at
his profile until satisfied, this time at least, looks couldn't
wound, she spun around in her seat. Fixing her fiery gaze on the
scenery outside her window, she felt her insides ignite with anger.
Laura prided herself on her ability to be good-natured and
easygoing. People considered her friendly and a peace loving
individual. She rarely got angry. However, this man, a virtual
stranger, had an uncanny talent to draw out her temper.
    He was a hurtful and despicable creature. It
would only give her great pleasure to swipe that mean insufferable
expression from his face. If he so badly wanted to be despised,
then fine, he would have his wish because at that moment Laura
hated him greatly.
    And yet, he said the next time it happened he
would walk away. He hadn't said anything about having to do it all
over again he would walk away.
    Stop it, Laura, she scolded herself. Stop
doing this. The man was intolerable! Everyone disliked him, why the
devil shouldn't she? It was, after all, what he wanted.
    She sighed to herself. Because she knew it
wasn't in her character. She couldn't help but not like a man who
saved, not only her life, but her feet from frostbite as well. Not
to mention from a lonely Christmas Eve.
    No, no matter how rude he was, how despicable
he spoke, or how insensitive he appeared, she couldn’t dislike
him.
    Without a doubt, she knew she would be
forever grateful to him. Not