Page 112 of Loyally, Luke
But the grin on her face as she began reeling in the catch made his mental instability and the unpredictability of the weather worth every moment.
The kiss probably helped too.
Lord, help him. No wonder men in stories went around kissing princesses!
Ellie stumbled from the effort to reel in the fish, likely from lack of experience paired with the damp ground, becoming a little wetter with each second.
Flurries floated around her, framing in the moment, and he smiled. Maybe he couldn’t be with her, but knowing he’d given her these few memories helped ease a little of the pain in his chest.
A little.
She jerked again, but this time, her smile disappeared. Was she even looking in the direction of the fish? What was she doing? Hefollowed her line of sight with the camera but didn’t see anything, and then he turned back to her when she tripped forward onto the ice.
A sickening sound groaned beneath her feet and she looked up at him, eyes wide. His blood ran cold just before the ice gave way and she went down, the water catching her scream.
Luke shoved the phone in his pocket and rushed forward, sliding to his stomach as he neared the hole where she disappeared. She resurfaced.
“Can you swim?” he called, stretching out for her, but she was just out of reach.
“Not in winter wear,” she shot back, her hat gone. At least her humor was intact. That was a good sign. “I... I can’t get a hold.” She grappled for a grasp on something, only to slip back under.
She reemerged, taking in another breath, reaching for his hands. “I... I lost the fishing rod.”
The fishing rod? Crazy woman! “Fishing rods are a dime a dozen. Princesses aren’t.” He almost caught her fingers, but they slipped through his hold and she went beneath the surface again.
She couldn’t maintain this, not with her soaked clothes weighing her down and the chill of the water slowing her movements. He slid a little farther out, shoulders on the ice but the rest of him on solid ground. Having both of them in the water wouldn’t save anybody, but he wasn’t going to let her drown.
She didn’t emerge as quickly this time and he couldn’t see her. He edged a little closer. “Come on back up to me, Ellie!”
Blonde hair swirled into view just before she broke through the water again, and this time he grabbed a flailing arm. With a strong tug, he drew her close enough to take her other arm. The ice creaked beneath them, so with another heave, he rolled to the side, bringing her with them and landing them both on dry ground.
Her body shivered against him, trembling like a leaf in awindstorm. The snow came thicker and the wind began to gust, bending the trees. What on earth was happening?
“It’s... it’s... a snow feirge.” He helped her to a stand. “Squall? Is th-that the English word?”
“I know whatsquallmeans, but I don’t know whatfeirgemeans.” He pulled off his jean jacket.
“Fury. Appropriate for a sudden and unexpected sno—” Her attention shifted to his fingers as he unbuttoned his flannel shirt. “Wh-what are you doing?”
“You need to get dry.” He kept unbuttoning. “This shirt is dryer than my jacket, so we’re going to start with this until we can get you to the cabin.”
“All right.” She pulled off her drenched jacket and he slipped the flannel around her, followed by his jean jacket.
“Let’s walk to get your body warm from the inside, okay?” He placed an arm around her shoulder and guided her forward, rubbing his hand against her arm as they walked. “We’ll go as slow as you need, but we need to get to the cabin, Ellie.”
She nodded and then whimpered, turning to him. “S-someone was out there, Luke. H-he distracted me and... I... fell.”
He turned her back around, moving a bit faster at the sight of her pale lips. “Somebody? What do you mean?” She hadn’t been in the water long, so delirium from hypothermia shouldn’t have set in yet. And if he could get her out of the cold, she may not have to worry about it at all. His gaze flipped to the cabin on the ridge.
It was a good thirty-minute walk. Snow swirled and the wind picked up as if challenging him.
“A... a reporter. I think. I saw a flash.”
Luke looked across the lake, scanning the area, but the snow blew heavier, and whoever had been there easily could have hidden within the low visibility and forest at this point.
“I’d say whoever it was is going to have a doozy of a time getting any photos out to the world right now.” He rubbed his hands down her arms to add friction.
Her hair fell in damp ringlets around her head, likely only adding to her chill. The knot in his stomach unbraided a little with a good dose of gratitude. It could have been worse. Much worse.
