Page 78 of Wedding Bells in Silverwood

The entire wedding party and their guests gathered on the shore of the lake, incredulous as to what they were witnessing.

Cupid and his siblings slowed, not venturing any farther, but their howls and barks continued.

Before the sound of the crack reached her ears, one of Grayson’s legs disappeared beneath the ice. Holly was sure Grayson shrieked, but it was lost in the assemblage of noise coming from their friends and family.

Nick moved onto the frozen lake, slipping along the surface but holding his balance. “Grayson, hold on!”

“Nick, don’t!” Holly called after him. Her breathing was rushed, and her head swirled.

Grayson slipped some more, the lower half of his body below the lake’s surface.

“I’ve got some rope,” Jonas called out as he doubled back to the building.

Holly’s pulse hammered. Grayson’s eyes were wild with panic as he clung to the ice’s edge. The dogs had stopped howling, instead resorting to pacing near Grayson. They were careful enough to keep a distance from the danger zone.

Holly felt someone grab her arm and turned to see her mother, who mumbled something in Tagalog.

Holly put her arm around her mom. “It’s going to be okay.”

It felt like forever before Jonas had returned with a long, thick rope. All the while, Nick inched forward, trying to find a spot close enough to Grayson without endangering himself.

Jonas ran out to Nick, handing him some of the rope, and the two of them drew closer to the thin ice. Holly fleetingly wondered what the rope’s regular purpose was when it wasn’t being pulled out for a rescue.

Nick yelled something at Jonas that Holly couldn’t quite understand. Then, one end of the rope was hurled through the air toward Grayson, who struggled to catch it while clinging to the ice shelf for dear life.

Nick and Jonas wrapped their arms through the other end of the rope. They tried to pull but kept slipping along the icy surface, unable to get enough grip. A loud whistle hit the air, and the team of Malamutes promptly scooted forward. Each dog lined up and grabbed the rope with their mouths, and together with Nick’s instructions, they yanked the half-submerged Grayson out of the lake. They didn’t stop pulling until Grayson was clear, dragging him on his belly over the slippery surface.

Once Grayson was safe, Nick helped him up and supported his weight, assisting him back toward the building.

“Give them room,” Father William shouted. “We should all go back inside.”

The guests backed up but lingered, stunned by the incident and shivering from the chilly weather.

Grayson, being escorted by Nick, was soaked through and clearly frazzled. His eyes darted around the crowd of wedding guests. His fingers and ears were bright red, and his lips were turning blue.

“You’re going to need to get out of those wet clothes and warm up,” Nick told him. “You don’t want hypothermia to set in. I think we might have something to change into inside.”

“We’ve got some blankets,” Jonas said. “I’ll ask Susan to get them.”

Grayson’s brow furrowed as he stared at Nick. He looked defeated, standing there soaking wet and red in the face. “Wh-why are you helping me? I sabotaged your wedding. I’ve made the last few weeks a nightmare for you.”

Nick sighed and patted him on the back. “It’s the right thing to do. However awful you’ve been, you don’t deserve to die. We can deal with the consequences later.”

“I’ve already called the police,” Jonas added.

“Then I guess we’ll deal with the consequences sooner than we thought.” Nick shrugged and placed an arm around Holly.

Grayson turned to face Holly. He shivered and sniffled, and the corners of his mouth drew downward. “Holly. I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry.”

Holly held on to Nick. She had a feeling Grayson was only sorry he’d been caught. Still, she didn’t want him to have anything more to do with her special day. The police were on their way, and Grayson would be locked up for several charges.

“It stops now,” she said. “It’s over.”

Grayson stared at her for what seemed like forever. And then he nodded, and Holly averted her gaze.

Eddie and Jonas had a grip on each of Grayson’s arms. They escorted him somewhere to be detained until the cops showed up.

“Are you all right?” Holly asked Nick.

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