Sophia clambers to her feet, the satphone clutched in her hand. My heart races before stopping completely as the warmth in her eyes drains. Sophia sucks in a shuddering breath as she looks between me and the phone, fingers trembling.
A lump forms in my throat as I take a step towards her. “I can ex?—”
“You’ve had this for the wholeweek, Noah,” she whispers, tossing the device onto the bed. “You could have called for help, but you didn’t.Why?”
The tone of her voice has every wall I’ve let down for her comes right back up. I clench my jaw as I cross my arms. “The damned thing broke. I sent out an alert immediately.” There’s no emotion in my voice as I speak, and yet my heart is shattering in a million pieces as I watch the thoughts play out across her face.
Sophia releases a shaky breath, opens her mouth like she wants to say more, but before she can, the satphone breaks out in static again with that broken voice trying to come through.
It makes me look like a damned liar. Maybe Ishould have tried harder. That’s what it looks like she wants to say. I should have done more.
And she’d be right. Every fear I’ve had since I found her, since she kissed me, comes rushing back as her eyes dart to the bed.
“It doesn’t sound too broken to me,” she states, crossing her arms, mimicking my closed off stance.
I don’t look at her as I approach the satphone and pick it up. It feels like a brick in my hand, carrying the weight of every mistake I’ve made since bringing her here.
Maybe I really should have just taken her to the damned hospital. That would be better than the way she’s looking at me now, like she doesn’t recognise me.
I twist one of the controls to find the right frequency, which allows for whoever is on the other end to come through clearer.
“Grey? Come in, Grey.”
Sophia sucks in a sharp breath as Cooper’s voice becomes stronger. I should feel relief, but instead a weight drops into my stomach.
I barely spare Sophia a glance as I respond. “Ridgeway. I’m here.”
There’s a pause before Coop replies, “Please tell me you have my fucking sister.”
Sophiaand I don’t speak as we await Cooper and the Jade Mountain Rescue Team’s arrival.
Her packed bag waits by the door while she sits at the dining table by the window, chin resting on her fist, eyes on the snowy landscape and driveway outside. She hasn’t looked at me since Cooper told us he was coming.
The first chance she gets, and she’s gone. I shouldn’t be surprised—I knew this would happen. I’m just surprised the peace lasted this long.
No, distraction. Sophia Ridgeway can’t be more than that, and yet she’s become everything to me. She alwayshasbeen everything to me. From the moment I spotted her in Dawson’s Diner, to the day I woke up in that hospital bed with her at my bedside, I’ve always known I would be hers, that no one else would do it for me.
I keep her in my line of sight as I watch the driveway. The snow has certainly cleared a bit in the last few hours, and the sky is blue for the first time in over a week.
The sound of a diesel engine catches my attention, and I slouch a little more as I watch one of the rescue trucks appear through the trees. Sophia straightens, asmile curving her beautiful lips as she catches sight of the vehicle.
They stop the truck next to mine. From the passenger side, Cooper jumps out, rounds the hood, and stomps through the snow up to the small porch I recently fixed up. But before he can make it to the door, Sophia is up from her chair and throwing open the door, releasing all the warmth from inside the cabin.
A chill runs down my spine as I push off the counter. Sophia throws her arms around Cooper with so much love it makes my chest ache. It has me realising she’ll never see me as anything more than Noah, Cooper’s friend, and the man she nursed back to health. A patient, someone she feels sorry for.
“You have no idea how happy I am that you’re alive,” Cooper says, burying his head in Sophia’s shoulder. They might only be a couple of years apart in age, but he’s always taken his responsibility as big brother seriously. “When we got the call about your truck, I thought?—”
“I know.” She takes a step back, and for the first time since she found the satphone, she glances at me. “But Noah found me, saved me.”
I can’t take my eyes off her, but I feel the burn ofCooper’s stare, so I force myself to look away from her to greet him. “Hey.”
Cooper steps around Sophia and holds out his hand. This is the first time I’ve seen him since winter hit, though not for a lack of trying on his part.
I take his hand and give it a shake. “Thanks for helping her, Noah. You have noideahow—” He stops and shakes his head. “I’m just glad you found her and not some creep, or worse—she tried to find help herself. Soph has no sense of direction.”
At that, I crack a smile, chancing a look in her direction. Her eyes remain locked on her brother, glassy and sad. My heart cracks a little more, the smile faltering. “She hurt her wrist in the crash, and her head.”
“I’ll get her to the hospital.” Cooper releases my hand and wraps an arm around her shoulder. “Thank you for looking after her, man.”
