Page 20 of Stuck with My Bossy Protector

“Thanks,” Mia says after a while, her voice soft. “I’m sorry to have slowed us down.”

“Just doing what I can to keep us safe,” I reply. “You didn’t slow us down. We’re moving faster already.”

We are moving faster, but the heavy white clouds rolling in do not bode well for us. We have to get to the shelter. The clouds blot out the sun, dropping the temperature. Nightfall is going to be worse.

“Looks like another storm is coming in. We need to get to the cabin. We can’t be out in the elements.”

She nods, understanding the urgency. We quicken our pace, our breaths coming out in visible puffs as the temperature continues to fall. The wind picks up, turning the soft snow into needles of ice.

“Are we close?” Mia asks, her voice strained.

“I think so,” I say, hoping I’m right. I’ve flown over this area enough times to have a rough idea of the layout, but everything looks different on foot, especially in the snow. The wind is sweeping the snow across the terrain, threatening to throw off my sense of direction.

“This is bad, isn’t it?” Mia asks.

“It’s not great.”

“Noah, I feel like I should apologize.”

“Why?” I ask.

“Because you were flying me out here. I was late. I’m sorry.”

I stop walking and turn to face her, bending my knees to get eye level with her. “This isn’t your fault. I shouldn’t have said that. I should have canceled the flight. I thought I could beat the storm, but I was wrong. I’m sorry.”

I watch her lower lip quiver for a split second before she raises her chin. “Okay. Let’s not have more reason to be sorry. Let’s move.”

I grin. Then, without thinking about what I am doing, I give her a quick kiss on the lips before turning around and continuing our journey.

Chapter nine

Mia

The snow starts with just a few flakes. And then a little more. Then it is like someone unzipped a bag of snowflakes and dumped them on us. We were in a snow globe a child had just violently shaken. The wind howls around us, whipping the snow into a blinding white fury. I can’t see two feet in front of me. Noah takes my hand, his grip firm and reassuring. It’s the only thing keeping me grounded in this storm.

“We have to be close,” he shouts over the wind, his voice barely audible.

I nod, even though I’m not sure if he can see me. We’ve been walking for hours, and the deep snow makes every step a struggle. My legs are heavy, and my body is numb. The fear gnaws at me: what if we’re lost? What if we don’t find the cabin? The danger is all too real, the cold seeping deeper with each passing minute. I try to push the panic down, but it’s there, just beneath the surface, threatening to overwhelm me.

“We’re not going to make it,” I shout.

Noah’s hand tightens around mine. “We’ll be okay,” he insists. There’s a certainty in his voice that cuts through my fear. “If we don’t find the cabin in the next twenty minutes, we’ll build a shelter. We’ll get a fire going.”

The thought of sleeping out here, surrounded by bears and wolves, sends a fresh wave of panic through me. My heart races, and I can feel the tears starting to freeze on my cheeks. “I don’t want to sleep out here,” I say, my voice trembling. “The bears, the wolves...”

Noah stops walking and pulls me close. He hugs me tightly, and despite the freezing temperatures, there’s warmth in his embrace. “I won’t let anything happen to you,” he promises, his breath warm against my ear. “I grew up in this area. I can survive a night in the forest.”

His words and his presence calm me a little. I take a deep breath and nod, feeling a flicker of hope. Maybe we can do this. Maybe we can survive.

“But the wind,” I say as we start walking again. “We can’t huddle under a tree. The wind will blow out any fire we start.”

Noah sags a little as he acknowledges my point. “We’ll just have to find a spot out of the wind. Maybe even dig a hole in the snow. Snow can be a good insulator, you know. Alaskan Natives have survived out here for centuries. We can, too.”

“Are you going to build an igloo?” I quip.

“Yes.”

“No, you’re not,” I sigh.

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