“Kiss me.”
Did he seriously say that? “Kiss you? You’re stuck under a tree.”
“I can’t think of a better distraction than having your lips on mine.”
God, the man was crazy. Leaning closer, she pressed her mouth to his. If she wasn’t so scared that he was going to die on her, she would have enjoyed this.
His fingers closed around her neck and drew her near. Bracing her hands on either side of his head, she put her all into the kiss. He needed a distraction; she’d give him one. Theo’s lips against hers made everything disappear. Memories of the years of loneliness, losing her child, her father’s betrayal, they all took a back seat now that she connected to the man she loved. He kissed her as if his life depended on it. Maybe it did.
“Sheesh. Can’t leave you two alone for a minute.”
Chelsea yanked away. Rico. Thank God.
“About time you got here,” Theo groaned, his face strained.
As Rico paced around, assessing the tree, he said, “I told you a chaperone was required.”
“Just cut the flippin’ tree and get it off me.”
“You do this, Chelsea?” Rico indicated the deep V-cut in the trunk as he started up his chainsaw.
Stepping back to allow him to work, she nodded. She positioned herself by Theo’s head and clasped his hand as the tree shook with the vibration of the machine. It took Rico only a few minutes to cut through the rest of the wood. As the last part cracked and broke apart, Theo let out a pain-filled groan.
“It’s almost done,” she whispered in his ear, stroking the hair back from his sweaty brow.
“Okay, Chelsea, I’m going to lift this up if I can. I need you to help pull him out. Can you do that?”
She positioned her hands under Theo’s arms and waited for Rico to push up on the remaining wood. It moved an inch and then two, and she pulled with all her might. Theo’s non-trapped leg dug into the dirt and stretched, and soon he was free.
As Rico lowered the trunk again, Chelsea dropped into the dirt, cradled Theo’s head, and kissed his face.
“Let me take a look at that leg. See if there’s a fracture.”
Theo didn’t do much except nod and close his eyes as Rico ran his hands over his leg. Once he’d finished, Rico reached for his radio. “I’ve got him out. What’s your ETA?”
The device crackled and a female voice came through. “Almost there. We heard the chainsaw.”
“What’s the damage?” Theo opened his eyes a narrow slit, his mouth still in a straight line.
“I don’t feel any obvious fractures, but Kim will be able to tell better. She’s almost here.”
“Kim?” she asked. Why did that name sound familiar?
“She was at our wedding,” Theo said. “The paramedic friend who took the pictures.”
That’s where she’d heard the name. And when the pretty blonde trotted into the clearing, Chelsea remembered. Behind Kim was a forty-something man who carried a metal stretcher of sorts. Two other rangers followed behind.
“Getting in trouble again, I see, Lapierre,” the female paramedic teased, yet her eyes held concern.
“I haven’t seen you in a while and thought this might be the only way to get you to come hang out.” Theo might joke, but the clenched way he spoke told the true story of his discomfort.
Chelsea sat back while Kim and the other man, whose name was Pete, worked on Theo. When they helped him to stand and he placed his foot on the ground, he swayed and his face tightened. Kim glared at him.
“We’re using the litter and no arguments.”
In minutes, they had Theo loaded and strapped in, grumbling as they picked him up.
“Stop your belly aching,” Rico said, hefting a chainsaw in each hand while the other rangers took a hold of the back of the stretcher, and Kim and Pete took a handle on each side of the front.
