Page 28 of Lucky in Love
“Not by myself. It won’t bear any weight. But maybe if I use you as a crutch.”
She winced as he helped her to her feet. Their height difference made it hard for her to lean on him. His shoulder was too high, and his waist too low. They struggled to find a rhythmthat didn’t cause pain with every step. After several attempts and hardly any progress, he gave up.
“Ah,” she gasped, as he bent and swooped her into his arms. “Put me down!”
“We’ll drown before we get anywhere trying to walk. This’ll go much faster.”
He could tell she wanted to argue, but was also smart enough to realize she had no choice. She didn’t say another word as he started back toward camp. And after a minute, she relaxed and even snuggled into him, probably an attempt to suck up his warmth.
At first, she felt light and was easy to carry, but after a few minutes, he was singing a different tune.
“Okay,” he finally said. He’d been carrying her bride-over-the-threshold style, but his biceps were about to give out. “You may be tiny, but a hundred pounds is a hundred pounds. We gotta switch positions.”
“You don’t have to carry me,” she said impatiently. “Set me down and I’ll walk.”
“You want a fireman carry or good old-fashioned piggyback?” he asked, ignoring her obviously impossible offer.
She jumped on his back, yelping when he boosted her. It was a better distribution of her weight, but even so, his arms and legs burned by the time they reached his cabin. He’d be damned if he’d complain though, and he for sure knew better than to comment on a woman’s weight.
He climbed the porch steps, crouched, and set her down gently.
“Hey,” she said. “Where’d you get the rocking chair?”
“Oh, uh. The Tool Shed. Looked too comfortable to pass up.”
“Ah. That must be how you met Pops.”
“Huh?” He pushed open the door.
“The man you helped with the deadbolt? He’s my grandpa.”
“Oh, yeah? He said he knew you but didn’t say how.”
“I meant to thank you for that, by the way.”
“It was no problem. You should call him. He’s worried about you.”
“I’ll text him. Did he ask you to look for me?”
“He called Nick, and Nick asked me to find you.”
“Makes sense.”
His muscles revolted at the mere thought of picking her up again. “Wait here.” He grabbed a kitchen chair and carried it to the door. “Sit.”
She did, and he dragged the chair over to the table.
“Good thinking,” she said. “Work smarter, not harder. There should be a first aid kit in the kitchen cabinet. All the cabins are stocked with one.”
“Yeah, I saw it the other day. Just sec.” He retrieved the red plastic container and returned to the table. She was tapping buttons on her phone.
“Did you lie to me about cell coverage here?” he asked. “I haven’t had a problem yet.”
“Lie’s a harsh word,” she said, putting the phone to her ear, basically admitting guilt. “But I suppose it’s the right word. Most of the campdoeshave very iffy coverage, but for some weird reason, this cabin is one of two that actually has a pretty decent signal. I don’t like to advertise that though.”
He didn’t have time to respond before whoever she was calling picked up.
“Can you come get me?” she asked. “What? Oh, great. All right. I will. Thanks.” She hung up. “The main road to town flooded.”
