His lungs seized, suffocating on phantom water, until Lily’s voice cut through.
“Hey, are you okay?” Her hand rested lightly on his sleeve, her diamond engagement ring flashing in the dim interior light.
Rush nodded tightly, forcing his fingers to unclench from the wheel. “We’re fine. Just need to dig us out.” His voice sounded more confident than he felt, but it would have to do.
Lily glanced toward the guardrail and the drop beyond. “Well,” she said shakily, “at least we didn’t go that way.”
Rush grunted, already climbing out into the storm and making his way through drifts to the passenger side. The truck was going nowhere tonight. He yanked her door open.
“We’re not making it farther,” he said grimly. “The cabin’s about one hundred yards up the slope. We’ll have to walk the rest of the way.”
Lily’s eyes went wide. “Can we make it?”
“We don’t have a choice.” He reached around her for hisduffle bag. “Let’s go, Riggs.” The dog bounded down from the truck and took off, sniffing happily.
The wind whipped at Rush, icy flakes stinging his cheeks and soaking him through his flannel to the skin. Lily hunched deeper into his coat. Rush crouched low, using the door as protection against the wind.
“What are you doing?” Lily gasped.
“Tearing off your skirt.” He didn’t give her time to protest, grabbing the thick white mass of satin and tulle. He held it away from her body, the blade of his pocketknife flashing in the dim light as he sliced a clean slit up the middle of her thighs, exposing them to the frigid air when he pulled her toward him and out of the truck.
She wobbled on her flimsy heels, and Rush steadied her with a firm hand on her waist, spinning her around to attack the back of the dress. Another sharp rip and the skirt fell to a choppy hem just above her knees, leaving the garter on her white thighs exposed.
“Sheriff!” she squeaked, spinning around. Her cheeks were pink.
Rush leveled her with a stare, batting away the snow from his face impatiently. “This will give you a fair shot walking through the snow. Give me your foot.”
She hesitated, but he hauled her heel into his lap, wrapping the torn skirt tight around it, then did the same with the other. His hands were already ice-cold and soaked to the bone, his flannel clinging like icy wet cement to his body.
He stood up and patted the sides of her—his—jacket, looking for his gloves and hat while she stared up at him. Her lips were parted, her breathing fast but not breathless, Rush noted. He handed her his heavy gloves and beanie. “Put these on, and make sure you have your inhaler.”
“What about you?” Lily’s face was pale, her green eyes hugein her face. He wanted to reassure her, but they were going to run out of daylight soon. Shit was getting real serious, real fast.
“It’s not that far. Sit tight, and I’ll get the supplies. We’ll walk the rest of the way.”
She nodded silently, looking as grim as he felt. He had to give her credit, though. She was handling this better than he would have expected. He hoped that continued because they had a hell of a walk ahead of them.
Rush tugged the beanie over her head, grabbed her hand, and pulled her into the storm.
“Keep up,” he barked over the howling wind.
Chapter Four
“Almost there! Stay with me.”Sheriff Callahan’s voice was barely audible over the howl of the wind. His grip tightened around her hand, and Lily stumbled after the narrow beam of his flashlight.
She had never been so cold in her life. Her eyelashes were crusted with ice, each blink a scrape of frozen needles. Her breath hitched in uneven puffs, and her legs—numb under the sheriff’s huge jacket—felt like they didn’t belong to her. Every step was a battle, her makeshift boots sinking into the drifts and threatening to keep her there.
She clung to her mantra, then fragments of half-remembered meditations, until finally she resorted to a simple prayer.Please, God, let us make it to the cabin.
Guilt twisted her stomach when she glanced at him. He was hunched over, shoulders caked in white, making a path in the snow for her to follow. Without his coat and only a baseball hat pulled low for protection, she couldn’t imagine how much colder and more miserable he must be.
Everything had happened so fast. He had her out of the truck and following him blindly before she could think, and thesheriff wasn’t exactly the kind of man you disagreed with. But she regretted taking his coat and hat now. They could have at least shared the gloves. She would find a way to make it up to him.
The thought pushed her forward, clinging harder to his hand when she stumbled. Her knees hit the snow with a crunch, and she stayed there, too tired to move. Truthfully, she wasn’t even cold anymore. Maybe she could just take a quick rest, and he could come back for her, she thought sleepily. She sank lower in the snow.
“Goddammit, Lily, get up,” the sheriff shouted.
That was rude. She frowned and listed to the left, feeling his hard hands hauling her upright. He might be insanely sexy, but he wasn’t very nice. He needed an energy cleanse. The thought made her giggle. Suddenly, her feet dangled in the air and her head hung low, directly in front of the sheriff’s tight ass.
