She’d taken off without thinking. How many times had her father warned her against her impulsive behaviors? In the moment, she’d been hurt. His words had sliced so deep that she’d been blinded by her emotions. And for what? Why should she care what Leo thought? Why should his opinion matter?
Kat wished for the hundredth time that she had an answer to those questions. If she’d been able to brush off Leo’s cutting words, maybe she wouldn’t be in this position.
Loud thrashing sounds came from the direction she’d come, followed by a distinct, angry holler. “Kat! Kat, you hear me?” Then he cursed.
She blinked back the rain on her lashes and straightened slightly. Was she hallucinating? “Leo?” she croaked.
The crunching of leaves and branches halted. “Kat?”
“Leo!” Her voice was stronger this time, though her throat still hurt. Maybe it was the cold. Maybe it was the fact that she’d screamed for him for what felt like hours. Either way, she had a feeling she would be losing her voice by morning.
Her knight in shining armor burst through the trees and for a moment a flicker of relief flooded his eyes. But just as quickly as she’d noticed it, his eyes darkened with fury. He swore as he darted down at her side. “Are you hurt?”
Kat’s whole body shook from the cold and her teeth clacked again. “No, j-just… c-cold.”
His sharp eyes darted to meet hers. She couldn’t read anything but anger and she wanted to shrink away from him. Unfortunately, no amount of scrambling would get her free of him. The tree root had seen to that.
He muttered another expletive. “Your lips are blue. It’s freezing.”
“Y-you th-th-think?” She chattered. She prepared herself for the lecture she knew was coming. Based on the way he was looking at her, she could tell he was just itching to ream into her.
Leo tore his eyes from her, muttering something else she couldn’t hear over the falling rain. Then he whipped out a hunting knife from somewhere and started sawing at the root. A gasp had lodged in her throat when he’d brandished it but she forced herself to swallow it down.
His large hand wrapped around her booted ankle to keep her steady as he worked. She took the moment to really observe him, the rain running off his wavy hair in rivulets. His jaw worked and the muscles in his arms flexed as he focused on his task.
Dang, he was gorgeous.
Suddenly, the pressure fell from her foot and she startled when Leo jumped to his feet. He held out his hand to her. She reached for it and he pulled her to her feet.
Immediately, pain reverberated in her ankle.
It was her turn to mutter a curse. Well, this was just great.
“What?” he demanded, worry lacing his tone. “Is it broken?”
Kat shook her head. “No, b-but it m-might be sp-sprained.” She grimaced as she attempted to put weight on her foot. She refused to meet his stare. This was just one more thing he could judge her for. “I’ll b-be fine,” she chattered.
“No, you won’t,” he snapped. In one swift movement, he scooped her into his arms.
“Leo! W-what are you d-doing? P-put me d-down!”
He didn’t listen to her, and she didn’t have the energy to push him on it. Leo carried her like she weighed nothing more than a rag doll as he stomped back through the thicket in the direction of the cabin.
Heat emanated off Leo, easing the chill that wracked her body. She found herself leaning into him, soaking up what little warmth he could offer. They moved through the trees in silence and the closer they got to the cabin, the angrier Leo seemed to become.
By the time they arrived at the cabin, Leo seemed to have turned into a live bomb, ready to detonate. His body seemed to vibrate with that fury. The rain was now coming down hard enough that there were streams flowing down worn trails. She didn’t know if this place was prone to flooding, but she wouldn’t be surprised.The horses were nowhere in sight and she hoped they’d be okay in this weather.
Leo kicked open the door and it banged against the wall before slamming shut on its own. She half-expected him to drop her unceremoniously onto the floor, but he surprised her by taking her toward the fireplace and lowering her carefully to a seated position.
“Take off your clothes.”
“What?” she gawked. “You c-can’t p-possibly?—”
“You want to catch hypothermia?” he barked. “You were out in near freezing temperature in the rain for nearly two hours.”
Still, she gaped at him. “I’m n-not going t-to?—”
Leo let out an exaggerated groan before stalking through the cabin and returning with some winter clothes. A sweater and some sweatpants. “I’ll start a fire and you get changed.” He paused for a moment then gave her a pointed look. “And don’t worry. I won’t peek.”
