Page 11 of His Forever Princess

What wasn't good? His extremities numb from cold. It was well into spring back home in Texas. He hadn't packed winter gloves or thick wool socks. He hadn't been prepared for a spring mountain snowstorm.

His fault.

His side burned with every step now. Had he overdone it?

He stopped to lean against a long-dead tree. Its lower branches were gone, and some animal had stripped the bark from the trunk. At least it still held his weight as he tried to catch his breath.

He couldn't see the cabin through the snow, falling more thickly now. He’d thought he'd be back by now. Had he gotten turned around?

Was Alessandra still cold in the cabin? Had she packed better than he had? Did she have warm clothes to bundle up in?

His brain was getting sluggish. That was the real danger.

He forced himself to keep moving. If he died out here, who would keep Alessandra alive?

* * *

Something big hit the side of the cabin.

Alessandra jumped, several pages of papers she'd spread across the counter floating to the floor.

What was that?

Heart racing, she stood on trembling legs.

More than an hour had passed since Gideon had gone out. Closer to two.

Then a sound like scratching against the outside of the wall. On the north side. Where there were no windows. The door was on the west wall.

Was it an animal? A bear, able to smell the food she'd cooked earlier? She'd read news stories of bear attacks.

She glanced at the metallic case on the high shelf Gideon had motioned to earlier.

She had some training, but she was nervous to even hold a gun.

What should she—?

A moan, louder than the wind that had been rattling the windowpanes.

She strained her ears to hear over the pulse pounding through her head. More rustling.

"Allie."

That was Gideon. She was sure of it. Sure enough to go to the door and pull it open, though she kept her body hidden behind the wooden panel.

"Gideon?" she called.

If it wasn't her husband, he was going to be angry with her.

"Allie. Help."

That was his voice, for sure.

She'd slipped into her shoes earlier, more because her feet were cold than any notion of going outside. She didn't bother with a coat now, just rushed out into the biting wind. Big, fluffy snowflakes landed on her hair and the exposed skin of her neck and hands.

He was leaning heavily on the house as he rounded the corner, moving slowly toward her.

"Gideon!" She went to him without a second thought, her arm going around his waist to support him.

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