Page 40 of Falling For You

My heel caught the edge of the water trough, and for a split second, I thought I could recover. My arms spun like windmills, hands grasping at the air, desperately seeking something solid to grab onto—anything that wasn’t Maza.

Gravity became my enemy.

In what felt like an eternity of slow-motion chaos, I tipped backward, my body bending at an angle that resembled a human pretzel.

My feet left the ground, and I never had a chance. My arms pinwheeled wildly, and with an exaggerated scream, I tumbled straight into the water trough with a spectacular dunk.

The cold, dirty water swallowed me with a splash. The water swirled in my ears as my arms flapped around in the muffled quiet. I heard the faint hum of a llama’s song, and I knew it wasn’t Liddie.

Maza was celebrating.

With my legs sticking straight up in the air and my cheek smooshed against the freezing, wet metal, I started kicking frantically to dislodge myself. Without warning, a giant creature pressed against my legs.

Maza wasn’t helping.

He was literally trying to keep me under.

Waving my hands under the water to push my upper torso away from the bottom, I opened my eyes to see my shoes flailing in a blurred mess before another large shadow entered. The grit from the water forced my lids shut.

Liddie.

My savior.

Two large hands grasped my waist and tightened their grip.

Since when did llamas have fingers?

In an instant, the hands clutched my waist tighter. My body floated up with assistance before being lifted entirely out of the trough as if I were light as a feather.

I attempted to open my eyes, but the dirt and grit burned. “Oh, ow, Liam. Beck?”

“It’s not either of your brothers. It’s Owen. Are you okay?” His voice was riddled with concern, but I didn’t dare lift my lids.

“I opened my eyes under the water and—”

Before I finished, I felt a heavy, soft flannel shirt wrap around me. My teeth started chattering as Owen tugged the oversized shirt on me.

“You’re going to be just fine. Does anything hurt?” His voice was tender but gruff.

I sighed with a chuckle. “Besides my ego?”

“Ah, this type of thing always happens to people.” I could see the grin on his face without having to open my eyes, andmy stomach knotted in delight. “Seriously, though… Anything hurt?”

Shaking my head, I felt his large hands rubbing me up and down before taking away the wet flannel and plastering something else over me.

“Here’s my coat.”

“Are you completely naked at this point or…”

He laughed. “You’ll have to open your eyes to find out.”

“I would if I could. Trust me.”

“I have some purified water. Let’s pour some over your eyes.”

I laughed, still unable to see, and shook my head. “Do you just carry that stuff with you or what?”

“I happened to be walking Mr. Medowski’s property and had stopped to get some bottled water at Kwik Trip before I came over.” The sound of the cap coming off piqued my interest. “Now, try to slowly open your eyes as I pour.”

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