Page 76 of Hero's Prize

Colton glanced over at Ella as she watched the kids. Marshall wasn’t the only one smitten.

“I think it definitely goes both ways. I saw how Ashley’s eyes lit up when you guys agreed to stay with us rather than go with the more competitive groups.”

He trailed a finger down her arm, unable to stop himself from touching her. “No place either Marshall or I would rather be.”

Her soft smile had to be the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. He tried to figure out a way of telling her that without sounding completely pathetic.

“You’re so damn beautiful, Ella.” Actually, he didn’t care if it sounded pathetic. Because it was the goddamn truth.

“Somebody told you, didn’t they?” The smile fell away from her face. “Somebody overheard or something, and they told you. That’s why you’re telling me I’m pretty.”

He had no idea what she was talking about. “The word I used wasbeautiful, and I used it for a reason. Those larkspurs we were looking at were pretty. You’re so much more than just pretty.”

She shook her head. “You don’t have to say that.”

“Butterscotch, what are you talking about? I know I don’t have to say it. I’m saying it because it’s true, because I?—”

His words were cut off by Ashley’s scream.

Both he and Ella turned just in time to see Ashley fall off the boulder toward the icy water below. Marshall grabbed for her, catching her, her momentum slamming him belly-first onto the boulder as he attempted to hold all her weight with one arm.

Colton sprinted for the kids, Ella right behind him.

“No, Ashley, hang on!” Marshall let out a pained cry as his body slid closer to the edge, trying to hold Ashley’s weight at an awkward angle that put way too much pressure on his shoulder socket.

But still he held on to Ashley.

“Fuck. He’s not going to be able to hold her.” Colton recognized how things were going to go before he was even halfway to Ashley and Marshall. He immediately spun and started running in the opposite direction.

“What?” Ella yelled as he passed back by her.

He didn’t stop running. “They’re both going to fall in.”

Colton hit the shore again and started running downstream. Sure enough, just a couple seconds later, he heard Marshall and Ashley each let out a scream as they plummeted toward the water below.

Colton dove out as far as he could into the river, knowing the kids would soon be flowing right by him. The cold sucked the airout of his lungs, but he ignored it as he moved forward, and he felt something hit him.

Ashley.

He gripped the girl’s arm and dragged her back toward the shore.

“I’ve got her.” Ella grabbed Ashley out of his hands, waist-deep in the river herself. She began dragging the girl the rest of the way to the shore as Colton dove back into the icy water.

He saw Marshall’s head bob up out of the water for a split second, and he pushed himself in a swim toward the boy. The rushing rapids poured over him, and for just a second, panic poured over him also.

In his mind, it wasn’t water closing in around him, it was the snow from the avalanche. There was no air, only cold. No way to escape.

He stopped swimming, his muscles feeling trapped like in the snow.

Colton gritted his teeth and shook off the thoughts. If he gave in to panic now, it was not only going to cost him his life, but Marshall’s too.

No. Not today.

He forced himself to start swimming again, though his arms felt frozen. If he didn’t get Marshall out soon, the rapids would take him downstream and Colton wouldn’t be able to save him.

“Make yourself as big as possible!” he screamed at Marshall. Hopefully that would slow him down a little in the water.

Marshall somehow heard him and threw one arm up in the air, trying to get more vertical. It slowed him enough that Colton was able to reach him after a few moments of pushing for as much speed as he could.

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