“I’m sure it’s nothing.” But her tone was tight.
“Let’s take a look at the nothing.” After dropping into a crouch, he moved to roll up her leggings.
She sucked in a sharp breath. “Maybe don’t touch. I’ll get some ice on it back at the hotel.”
“Jesus, you are in pain.” It was clear she had swelling. Now standing, he held out his arms. “I’ll carry you.”
“What? All the way back to the hotel?”
“It’s not far.”
“A mile!”
“Well, how do I put this? You are little. Are you even five feet?”
She drew herself up to her full small height. “I’m bigger than a penguin, Mister.”
He chuckled. “I’m just saying, I think I can manage.”
She shifted her weight, hesitating, and winced. “Normally I would rather crawl than ask for help, but my moose fear is overriding my pride.”
He scooped her up and cradled her against him. A snowflake landed on the tip of her nose and he kissed it off.
“You’ve saved me twice before breakfast.”
“I’m quite aware of this fact.”
“You seem pleased.”
“Very much so.”
“Smug much?” she asked.
“Always.”
They shared a quiet laugh.
“Thank you,” she said quietly. “I’m not used to a guy having my back.”
“I’d like to have you on your back.”
“I’m being serious.”
He dropped the teasing. “I know. Truth. I was scared. More than scared back there.”
“I couldn’t tell.”
“If something had happened to you? I don’t think I’d have forgiven myself.”
“It wasn’t your fault. At all. It wasn’t even the moose’s fault. It probably wanted to catch a quick bite before this snow and we upset its mojo. But... I was scared too. Watching you on that trail. I haven’t felt like that before.”
“I’m hazarding a guess that there’ve been times in our past you’d have paid good money to hire a moose to pay me a little visit.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I’m going to plead the Fifth on that one.”
“All right, confession time. Here’s the deal. I never dislikedyou, Neve. I hated how you made me feel.”
“And how was that?” she murmured.
