Page 119 of Turn the Tide
“Yes. Get Donny,” she demanded.
“Already done, Princess. Patty’s here. She’s got hold of her boy.”
“You’re sure?” Sarah asked, meeting his gaze as her teeth started chattering.
“I’m sure,” he said, brushing the hair out of her face.
She looked past him. “I need to help Freddie.”
Josh stepped up beside them and checked Freddie’s pulse. He shook his head, and she swallowed hard.
Marco moved in front of her so he blocked her view of Freddie’s body. “Let’s get you inside while we wait for EMS to get here.”
He reached under her arms and slowly pulled her off the ATV and onto her feet. “Hold tight, Princess. I’ve got you.” He carefully scooped her into his arms.
Josh held the trailer door open as Marco carried her inside and set her on the sagging sofa. He propped her leg up and then squatted down in front of her. She didn’t realize she was crying until Marco brushed the tears away with his thumbs. Adrenaline overload. “It’s okay. It’s over now. And you were amazing. Again.”
More tears spilled over her cheeks, and she felt him slide onto the sofa beside her. He wrapped her in the gentlest of hugs, tucked her head under his chin, and ran his hand lightly over her back as she cried. Somehow, the tears wouldn’t stop and soaked his already soggy shirt, but he didn’t seem to mind. He’d never know how much those few words meant to her. No one had ever called her amazing, or treated her as anything more than adequate. Even her parents had never lavished praise, so hearing the words from this tough warrior broke through barriers she hadn’t realized she had.
Once there were no more tears left, she brushed them away and then reached up and cupped his cheeks, loving the way his dark stubble felt under her palms. “Thank you. For saving Donny. And for taking such good care of me.”
He shrugged. “It’s my job. But you did one heck of a job of taking care of yourself.” He leaned closer and pressed his lips to hers, a gentle kiss, filled with promise.
Hunter walked in, Charlee right behind him. “EMS is outside.”
Marco nodded but never took his eyes off Sarah. “Once you’re back on your feet, you and I are going dancing. You owe me.”
She raised her brows. He shrugged and then sent her that incredible smile that always melted her insides. “Okay, maybe we owe it to each other.”
The promise in his eyes said he was hoping for more than a simple dance. She was, too.
Sarah was still smiling when the EMTs loaded her onto a stretcher in the back of a pickup, since the roads were still too muddy to get an ambulance way out here.
When Marco reached over the side of the truck and took her hand, lightly kissing her knuckles, she realized life in Ocala might be quieter than she was used to, but it would never be dull. Not with Marco in it.
“I’ll check in with you later.”
“I’ll hold you to it,” she quipped, then braced herself for another bumpy ride.
***
He’d only said that to be nice, Sarah decided, when she still hadn’t heard from Marco forty-eight hours later. The ER had confirmed a strain and given her a brace and told her to rest. She’d known that already, but Marco had insisted she get checked out.
She huffed out a breath and flopped back on the sofa, leg propped up on the coffee table in the little cottage on her family’s horse farm.
“He’s gone. Just like last time.” The thought made her feel hollow and empty, lonelier than she’d ever been, even more than when he’d disappeared in high school. Maybe because she’d started hoping they’d have another chance.
The knock on the door startled her, and she gingerly limped over and opened it. Her mouth swung open in shock as Marco strode in, a boxed corsage in one hand and what looked like a disco ball in the other. “It’s been a crazy couple days. Sorry I’m late. Did you miss me, Princess?” he asked, and leaned over to kiss her cheek.
Sarah wasn’t sure whether to be mad or glad. “Somehow, I muddled through without you, Sanchez, but it was a near thing.”
He threw his head back and laughed, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “Good to know your sense of humor is intact.” He followed her back to the couch and sat down beside her, presenting the corsage with a flourish. “Sarah Dutton, will you do me the honor of this dance?”
Hope and a big dose of uncertainty flickered in his expression, and her heart fluttered in response. Did he have any idea what he did to her?
But she wouldn’t let him off too easily. She raised a brow. “Here? Now?”
He shrugged, and one corner of his mouth kicked up. “Why not? I even brought ambiance.” He hitched a thumb toward the disco ball.
