Page 14 of Stuck on Jude

I hold out an arm to her and she buries her face against my chest. This feels good. It feels right. It’s like I’m holding a piece of my heart that I didn’t know was missing. But now that it’s here, I never want to let it go.

Only, I’m going to have to at some point. Her life is back in Chicago.

And my life is here.

She leans back to glance up at me. It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask her to stay. To ask her to be with me.

But I don’t.

I’ll just have to make her want to stay. I don’t even know how long she’s booked to be here. But I plan to use every moment I can showing her that she can have a life here in Alaska. With me.

And if she doesn’t see that, well, hell. I’ve moved my practice once. I’d do it again for her.

I give her a parting squeeze then take her hand. “Let’s head back to the lodge.”

We make good time on the snowmobile. As we cover the territory, I point out a few notable sights.

“It really is beautiful here,” she shouts over the motor.

I can’t help but grin at that. Maybe this won’t be so hard after all. She’s already half-way in love with this place. Just like I’m pretty much all the way in love with her.

I frown as we reach a downed branch in the path we took last night. Pulling the snowmobile to a stop I hop off. Lucy glances at me in confusion.

“I just need to move this branch. Otherwise, we’ll have to backtrack a mile.”

Because I can’t seem to help myself, I press my lips to hers before I leave.

Reaching the branch, I grab it with both hands. As I start to tug, I’m given pause by the sound of rumbling in the distance. Turning on my heel, I see the wave of snow only a second before it crashes over me.

SEVEN

LUCY

My heart stops as Jude disappears beneath the pile of snow. Jumping off the snowmobile, I dig at the pile of snow. I open my mouth to scream, but nothing comes out. As I dig and dig, trying to reach him, dry sobs erupt from deep inside of me.

“Please be okay,” I beg to him and God and anyone else who might be listening. “Please be okay.”

He has to be okay. I’ve only just found him. He’s the one. I know he’s the one. I can’t lose him now. We have too much living to do.

My lungs and fingers ache from the cold, but I don’t let up. I won’t stop searching for him until he is safe.

Minutes pass, but finally, I catch a glimpse of his dark hair. Releasing a breath—that’s part sob—I dig faster.

Once his head is clear, I call out his name.

He opens his eyes. “Hey, gorgeous.”

I sob. “Are you okay? Can you move?”

“Almost.”

We work together, me digging more snow out from around him. Once he has the use of his arms, he helps to push off the rest of the snow.

I wrap my arm around his waist, pressing my cheek to his chest, shouldering some of his weight as I guide him to the clearing.

“That was lucky,” he says a second before collapsing.

I sink to the ground, pulling his head into my lap. He gazes up at me with a goofy grin.

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