Page 71 of Mistletoe Mischief

“You can’t drive like this,” Ryler said.

“I’ll be fine. Like I said, I have a blanket in my trunk. I can strip down and drive the ten minutes up the road.”

“Your cut is still oozing. What if you pass out because you have a concussion?” she asked.

“I don’t have a concussion.”

“But you might have hypothermia,” Kit said, holding his phone in front of him. “Hypothermia can take up to thirty minutes to fully develop and starts with shivering.”

“We are still twenty minutes from the car,” Ryler said.

“Oh God, did I kill him?” Alia shrieked.

“You are all panicking over nothing— Oof! What the fuck!” Pike hollered as Neil grabbed the shorter man and lifted him over his shoulder, carrying him like a sack of potatoes. Ryler couldn’t believe Neil had the strength to pick him up, let alone head down the trail at a brisk pace.

“Dude, put me down!” Pike growled.

“You’re shuffling too slow, my guy. Just relax and enjoy the ride.”

“Give me your keys,” Ryler said. “I’ll run ahead and grab the blanket and turn on the heat.”

“What the hell is that digging into my shoulder?” Neil asked.

“It’s either my bear mace or my gun, and no, I’m not giving you my keys!”

“Why not?” Ryler asked.

“Wait, did he say gun?” Kit asked.

“It was in case we saw a bear,” Ryler said.

“That’s comforting,” Neil said.

“Pike, just get me the keys. I’m doing this for you.”

“I have them,” Alia said, pulling a set of keys from Pike’s jacket. Ryler had forgotten she was wearing it. Ryler grabbed them and took off, jogging down the trail ahead. She could hear Pike bellyaching and complaining, and while she knew this was probably embarrassing for him, his health and safety trumped his discomfort.

Ryler was sweating buckets despite the chill in the air by the time she made it to the car, hopping into the driver’s seat and starting up the engine. She turned the heater all the way up and got out to retrieve the blanket from the trunk.

By the time the rest of the group reached the cars, the red Charger was toasty inside. Neil dropped Pike onto his feet. His teeth were still chattering, but his cheeks were flushed.

“Thank you for the lift,” he deadpanned, taking the blanket from her. “You can all head back to town.”

“What about the lodge?” Ryler said.

“If you leave now, I don’t think you’ll hit any weather. I can make it to the lodge on my own, but I would like to get out of these wet clothes first, preferably without an audience.”

Neil patted Ryler’s shoulder. “Let’s give the man some space.”

“I am really sorry,” Alia said.

Kit handed Jo over to Ryler, but she didn’t give him the puppy or get into the SUV with them. Instead, she walked over to the passenger door and said, “Go on ahead. I’m going to make sure he makes it there safely.”

Neil looked like he was about to protest, but Alia cut him off. “Let me take the puppy. I’ll give her plenty of love and snuggles, and you can concentrate on him.”

Ryler handed Jo off. “Thanks.”

“Text me when you’re heading back.”