Page 26 of Stranded with My Mafia Boss

The damned snow was falling fast and thick. The second storm had moved in sooner than anticipated.

Headlights on, I moved forward slowly. The tracks were clear, though disappearing quickly, and I followed them. She’d made it down the road for a ways, then she tried to turn, and then the tracks went off the road. I stopped the snowmobile and ran to the edge of the road.

I leaned forward, staring down the slope. Katie was pinned under the snowmobile, pushed down deep in the snow,

"Please be okay," I prayed, my breath visible in the frigid air, as I started down into the ditch.

When I reached the machine, she stirred and looked up at me with scared eyes. She was pinned, but mostly because she had no leverage in her position. The snow showed she’d tried to push it up.

"Can you get out if I lift?"

Katie nodded, teeth chattering hard as she shivered. She wore the coat she’d worn when we played in the snow earlier and thin gloves. Worry about hypothermia suddenly leaped up the line of my worry.

She blinked her wide eyes at me. "I’m cold. I’m not a toy."

Her words were slurred. Fear clenched my heart in a fist.

"No, you aren’t a toy." When I lifted the machine, she struggled to move, shivering hard. It took her a few tries, but she managed to crawl free of the damned machine.

Once she was out of the way, I dropped it and pulled the emergency pack out of the cubby. I unwrapped the emergency blanket and wrapped her in it.

She was moving well. That was a good sign. Getting her to warmth was my priority.

"I can’t stay where I’m not valued." Again, her words were barely distinguishable.

"I know, Katie,amore mio. I’m sorry. I handled that so badly."

She staggered as I helped her to her feet. "Stay with me." I settled her helmet over her red-gold hair and pulled the face shield down. The next order of business was getting her into protective gear.

Once she was in the seat, I wrapped her in the emergency blanket and sat behind her. I tried to balance speed getting back to the house with chilling her further in the unrelenting wind and snow.

I parked in the front, right by the door, picked her up, and carried her into the house.

She stirred again, grumbling. "You don’t listen."

"Correct, Katie," I pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I will in the future, I promise." Mostly.

I yanked her wet clothing off and wrapped her in blankets and towels, including her hair, leaving her near the fire as I brewed warm herbal tea.

After settling her on the couch, I disrobed and rewrapped the blankets around us both, giving her my body heat and holding the mug for her so she could sip easily. As her shivering slowly lessened over the cup of tea, I stayed by her side, beyond grateful for her safety and overcome with the intensity of my emotions.

When Katie was warm and had stopped trembling, she slept, her body pressed against mine.

A few moments later, her phone chimed.

The screen displayed an incoming message from her brother's number.

I’m feeling a lot better. Back home now. Will you be home for Christmas?

Katie stirred and then nestled into my embrace. The scent of her shampoo filled my nostrils, and I breathed in deeply, committing it to memory as I tightened my hold on her.

I texted Alex with my instructions about what to do with her brother. As I did so, Katie stirred again in her sleep, her body seeking warmth and comfort from me. I set the phone down and held her tighter, allowing her to absorb every ounce of heat and protection I had to offer.

Watching her chest rise and fall with each breath she took, I marveled at how this woman had managed to burrow her way so deeply into my heart in just a few days, awakening feelings I'd never had to deal with before.

I didn’t mind dealing with them now.

Katie

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