Page 125 of The Rescuer

The sweetest melody he’d ever heard floated up to him—a barely audible gasp, followed by his name, uttered from Neve’s lips. “Reece.”

He dropped to his knees at the exact moment Pearl lunged for Neve, her tongue windmilling. Neve sucked in a breath as though bracing herself. In a heartbeat, he managed to corral the elated dog before she jumped on Neve, and he tied her off. “Sorry, meatloaf. I promise you can get your licks in later, after I make sure your mom’s okay.”

Pearl whined behind him while he hovered over Neve, not daring to touch her. He mustered his calmest voice—which in no way reflected his ping-ponging emotions. “Tell me where you’re hurt, babe.”

She was slumped against a huge tree trunk, dressed all in black, a knit cap covering her blond hair. Had she been unconscious, he might have walked right past her. If not for the pipe—God, she was smart! Except she’d wandered off … Nope, he’d worry about that later.

She looked up at him. “I thought you called your rescues ‘sweetheart.’”

He couldn’t hold back a grin. “I’ll call you anything you want, as long as you tell me you’re all right.”

“I’m woozy, definitely lost, I probably have frostbite, and my arm’s broken. Otherwise, I’m in awesome shape. Ready to take you on in a game of hockey, ace.” One side of her mouth curled up in a feeble attempt at a smile.

“Funny girl. Is your face hurt?”

“No.”

“Your head?”

She brushed the back of her hand against her forehead. “A headache, probably from being knocked out.”

“Then I’ll be gentle.” Leaning down, he cradled her face and kissed her softly, pouring every ounce of gratitude and relief into it. When he drew back, tears leaked down his face into his beard. He brushed them away.

Her eyes were closed, and she hummed, “That was nice.”

“And there’s plenty of time for a lot more of that later. What do you say we get you out of here?”

“I’m not sure I can walk.”

“Leave that up to me, okay? I got you.”Always.

She lifted an eyelid. “Is there going to be a lot of jostling involved?”

“Nah. It’ll be like a magic carpet ride. And if you’re a good girl and do what I tell you, I might even take you rappellingall over the place.”

“Ooh, I love it when you talk mountain goat.”

“And I loveyou—even when you don’t talk mountain goat.” He didn’t miss how her eyes snapped open and went wide. He winked at her and hailed Shane on the two-way.

Chapter 34

Admissions

Reece had pulled thehard-backed chair as close to the hospital bed as it would go. His hand engulfed Neve’s, trapping it as if he would never let it go. He relished how small it was, how soft, and the fact that her skin was warm, alive. Given a choice, he would have been lying beside her, but he’d already been chased off the bed for simply sitting on the edge by a male nurse with a stick up his butt about rules. People were like that in cities.

Her eyes fluttered open, and she turned her head and smiled at him. “You’re still here.”

“I’m not going anywhere.” He hadn’t left her side since he’d first brought her to the hospital in Montrose. Another perk of being married to her: They couldn’t make him leave. “How areyou feeling?”

She looked down at her casted arm and grimaced. “My arm hurts, and my fingers and toes feel like they’ve got freezer burn.”

“Because they do. But that’s normal, and it should go away. Meanwhile, there’s ibuprofen.”

“Not the good stuff? Not even for my arm?” She batted her eyelashes.

“I’m pretty sure they’ve given you thegood stuff,” he laughed.

“Well, it wore off.”

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