It had been thirty minutes since Rosie had taken off back toward the barn, and I was beginning to feel colder. I pushed back into the bushes that surrounded the group of trees I was sitting near the best I could, but I still wanted to be able to see the trail. I wasn’t worried...well, at least until I looked to the north and saw the clouds moving in closer.
“Wow. I’m going to guess that’s snow,” I mumbled as I pulled the scarf tighter around my face.
I dropped my head down and rested my forehead on my knees. My ankle still throbbed, but not as bad. I was positive it was because I was beginning to feel the effects of being in the cold. The temperature was dropping, and I didn’t have a signal to find out how cold it had gotten. It was probably for the better that I didn’t know the exact temperature—it would only make me panic.
A wave of exhaustion hit me, and I closed my eyes. Was this what hypothermia felt like? No. No, I wasn’t going to think in the negative. “It’s going to be okay,” I mumbled. “Tanner will find me.”
The colder I got, the more I could feel myself drifting off to sleep, and I fought to stay awake. But it was so damn hard to keep my eyes open. I needed to be able to hear or see if someone was coming down the trail.
Slowly I drifted off into a dream. Tanner stood before me, his blue eyes looking down at me. His hands cupped my face, and he gently whispered my name. “Timberlynn?”
“Yes?” I whispered back.
“Are you okay?” his soft, sexy voice asked.
“Hmm…I am now.”
A soft chuckle came from his parted lips.
“Tanner, make love to me.”
He smiled, but his voice sounded surprised. “Um…you’re colder than I thought.”
“I want you. Touch me.”
“Timber, sweetheart, I need you to open your eyes.”
“Your hands feel so warm.”
Then his mouth pressed against mine, and my entire body melted into a puddle on the ground.
“Darlin’, open your eyes for me. We need to get you out of here.”
I smiled. I loved when Tanner called me darlin’.
Another soft kiss. “Wake up, baby.”
I opened my eyes and saw a beautiful sea of pale blue so striking I was lost in it for a moment. I smiled and Tanner returned it with one of his own. It was mind-blowing to me how handsome he was. And that smile of his. The way it made the corners of his eyes crinkle ever so slightly. The blue seemed to light up the longer I looked into them. And words couldn’t describe the way it made me feel inside. All I knew was I felt safe and cared for like never before.
“Hi,” I said softly.
“You were dreaming?” he asked, his eyes drifting to my mouth, then back up.
“I was. About you.”
“I’ll admit, I’m pretty damn happy you said my name, or I was gonna have to kick the ass of whoever you were asking to make love to.”
My cheeks heated, and a rush of embarrassment hit me. Tanner noticed and kissed me softly. “Let’s get you out of the cold, shall we?”
“I think we should. I can’t feel my body anymore.”
He gave me a once-over. “Are you hurt?”
My chest fluttered with a feeling that I was becoming all too familiar with when it came to Tanner Shaw. Was this what falling in love felt like? Because I hadn’t felt this ever before. The way he made me feel like I was his everything. Was it just a silly notion, because for the first time in my life, someone looked at me like I was their everything?
With a slow, deep breath in, I stared at him, suddenly unable to find words. Snow started to softly fall all around us, and for one crazy moment I couldn’t help but think how romantic this was. The wind howling through the trees, the snow falling, and the way Tanner looked at me with such a caring expression. From the moment Tanner had entered my world, it felt like something deep inside me had awakened. I was seeing everything in color instead of dull grays. I hadn’t even known the difference until I experienced it.
“My ankle, I don’t think it’s broken, but to be honest, I haven’t tried walking on it.”
Tanner moved back and looked down at my feet. “Which one?”
“The left one.”
He nodded, then stood. “Here, let’s stand up slowly.”
I reached for his hands and allowed him to help me up. As I put pressure on my ankle, I let out a small yelp. “Ouch! Okay, it hurts.”
Tanner cursed, pulled out a walkie-talkie from his jacket, and talked into it. “I’ve got her. We’re closer to the cabin on the lake than we are the house. Looks like she might have sprained her ankle and has a bit of hypothermia. I need to get her warmed up.”
“Shit,” came Ty’s voice from the other end.
Ty Senior chimed in, “Take her to the log cabin, Tanner. I had Jimmy stock it with some food last week. The Millers were planning on staying at the cabin for the holiday. They canceled when they saw the storm coming in.”
“That’s luck!” Brock added.
“Sounds good.” Tanner pulled my body tighter against him as we stood there. “We’re heading there now. I’ll check in once I get Timberlynn warm and settled.”
“Got it,” his father said.
“Hold this,” Tanner said as he handed me the walkie-talkie, then he bent down and lifted me up. He carried me over to Pogo and put me up on the horse. Then he jumped on and sat behind me. He took the walkie-talkie
