Page 19 of Reign or Shine

And wow, he really had carried a lot. There has to be a couple pounds of mud caked on his boots and jeans. He’d had to negotiate uneven ground and hilly terrain all while physically holding me and my backpack and his backpack. Plus the psychological burdens he held on to as well. The pressure to get us here safely. Fear about my injury.

I couldn’t imagine everything else he was shouldering for others. Surely the fact that he couldn’t get in contact with his team either made him worry about them. He was caring like that.

A thank-you is on the tip of my tongue, ready to burst out along with a few tears. My mouth opens, but no words come out. Sensing my emotions, Henry turns to me and steps into my space. His arms wrap around me, holding me tight against his hard body.

His clothes are wet, we’re both caked in mud and slightly shivering. Yet this hug is warming me from the inside out. The simple gesture of needing me close, needing the reassurance that we’re here and okay.

Tilting his head down so that his face is buried in my damp hair, he inhales. I do something similar, rubbing my nose against the material of his vest.

With one last lingering hold, Henry releases me in small increments until we’re far enough apart that our eyes connect. Pools of dark ocean blue stare back at me, crinkling in the corners and making my heart skip a beat.

The rumble of thunder overhead breaks me out of my trance and brings me back to reality.

“Umm, can you test the door? See if it’s open.”

Henry doesn’t move or say anything for a long moment, continuing to look at me. I take a deep gulp of air when he finally turns around. My God, what was that?

When the knob turns in his grip and the door opens with a long, creepy groan, I tip my head back to the sky and send up a silent thank-you. After all we’d endured today, a B&E wasn’t something I wanted to add to my list of new experiences.

Leaving the door wide open, Henry turns back to me. Before I know what’s happening he’s picking me up and carrying me through the entrance, bridal style.

“Henry!” I cry, surprised. “Let me down. I’m okay to walk.”

“No way, I’m not chancing you hurting yourself further. It’s only a few more steps, no big deal.”

I stop flailing, instead wrapping my arms around his neck. His face is dangerously close to mine, my gaze locking on his full lips. I want to kiss him again. No, I desperately need to, but I couldn’t. I wasn’t sure if his feelings for me had changed thanks to this disastrous turn of events.

I was more trouble than I was worth now probably.

Tearing my eyes away from temptation, I focus on the cabin. The place was a mess.

Dust everywhere. Knickknacks and other random objects are scattered all over the floor and it looks like the back window has a pane of glass missing.

“An animal must have gotten in and trashed the place.” Henry’s voice is lined with amusement.

“Why is that funny?” I ask, honestly curious.

“After the day we’ve had, of course this cabin had an unwanted furry guest.” Gently placing me down and making sure I was steady on my own, Henry rights a fallen chair and indicates for me to sit. “I’m going to do a quick walk-through.”

I scan the small space. The cabin is literally one room.

“Umm, you realize this is it, right? There’s no hidden wings or secret doors that lead to a five-star luxury hotel.”

With a quirk of his lips, he nods. “I thought by now you’d stop thinking of me as a spoiled royal. I do realize this is the entirety of the cabin, thank you. I’ve been in worse.”

“No you haven’t,” I snort in disbelief. My eyes flick up to him when Henry doesn’t make a noise. He has an eyebrow raised. “Wait. Really?”

“Yes really,” he says, turning his back to me and beginning his search around the cabin. “In my youth I joined my country’s military and went through basic training. I vividly remember having to sleep in dirt ditches and waking up so cold I feared I would never be able to wiggle my toes again.”

“You were in the military?”

“For about two years. I had to resign when my great uncle passed and more royal duties fell to my family.”

The cabin goes silent, the only sounds Henry’s steps as he continues to wander the space.

“Do you miss it?”

He stops to contemplate my question, staring out the window. “Yes and no. I miss working with others, being a part of something that was bigger than myself, and the friendships I made. But I know that wasn’t the path for me, even while I was a part of it. I loved it,” he almost whispers, his head turning to me so that the weight of his words hit me right in the solar plexus, “but it didn’t fulfill me.”

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