Page 21 of A Cuddly Christmas
"They would." The wind blows snow across what’s already there, masking whatever direction Dominick would have gone in.
"I have to search for him," Paxton says, and I worry my bottom lip between my teeth. "It will be okay. I'm guessing on instinct he would have run to the trees for cover. He'll want to hide."
I don't want to tell Paxton that there’s a possibility Dominick ventured out to the frozen lake. I'm not sure how solid that ice is right now, and I could be wrong.
"You go back into the house. That way I'll know you're safe and I won't worry."
“I can’t do that.” His head has stopped bleeding, but what if he gets lightheaded and passes out somewhere? I wouldn’t be able to find him.
“Please.” He grabs both my hands, pulling me into him, his eyes pleading.
“Can we try something first? If it doesn’t work, I’ll go inside.”
“Yes,” Paxton says without hesitation.
“It might sound stupid?—”
“It won’t,” he says, cutting me off. I want to kiss him, but again, now is not the time. It’s sexy as hell how confident he is in me without hesitation.
“Okay, so you walk out of the barn and toward the tree line and then pretend to fall.” His brows lift. “I saw it on TikTok. It’s worth a try.” I’ll do anything right now if it means keeping Paxton in my line of sight.
“All right.”
"I'll stay hidden in here and watch for him.”
"I'll give it a shot," Paxton says before walking out of the open barn doors.
I creep forward and peek out as Paxton goes halfway to the trees before he falls dramatically. It makes me want to laugh, but I don't have it in me. Not when he's out there with his head wound and a missing mini donkey.
"Come on, come on." I chant the whisper to myself. It's getting so close to dark at this point that time really is running out.
Then I see Dominick in the distance and I slam my hand over my mouth so I don't let out an excited squeal. I watch as he tentatively steps out from behind one of the trees and takes a few slow steps toward Paxton. He must believe it's all clear because after that, he goes rushing the rest of the way to Paxton.
When Paxton sits up to get him, I step back into the barn so I don’t spook Dominick. A couple of minutes later, they start to come through the barn doors, but Dominick freezes, no pun intended, when he sees me.
“It’s okay,” I say, gently taking a few steps back before kneeling down to be less intimidating.
“She’s all right,” Paxton tells him. “Come on, I’ll give you some treats.” He leads the little cutie past me. "I'm going to get him settled, if you want to head in. I need to change his coat and get him warm water." Paxton lets out a relieved breath, but I can tell he's still worried. "He’s all wet now."
"Is that bad?"
"He's a rescue. Donkeys are desert animals. They can deal with some cold, but you have to do it right." He shakes his head. "I'm working on building him his own little barn that's heated."
That is so freaking adorable. Paxton has a sweet, pure heart, and I have no idea why he's trying to tie himself to me. Guess that's on him, but either way, I need to focus on the problem at hand.
"You have a mudroom," I point out. "Let me go ahead of you and move a few things in there and toss a few of those paint blankets down on the floor."
"That's a brilliant idea." Paxton gives me a warm smile that has me relaxing. I didn't know how much his being worried upset me too.
"I have my moments."
"They're more than moments."
"Stop saying things that make me want to kiss you. We're busy." I wave my hands around.
"I'll save them for after,” he says and then winks at me.
Gah! This man’s charm is driving me crazy. Turning around, I hurry back to the house and waste no time getting everything ready. It might be freezing out, but all I can feel is warmth flooding my entire body, thinking this could be my life. When I’m done, I head back into the living room and scoop up Paprika to cuddle her close.
