Corrigan was almost a silhouette in front of me: I could just see some of his black hair, shining in the moonlight, and the edges of his broad shoulders where the falling snow whipped past them. I could see the tension in him: he knew I was watching him. Every hundred yards or so, he’d look back to check I was okay and the need, the longing in his eyes was breathtaking. A battle was going on inside him and all I could do was keep shuffling forward and wait and hope and pray.
Finally, the snow started to turn amber as the glow from the snowplow’s lights trickled through the trees. I’d started to shiver and couldn’t stop, and my fingers were gripping the backboard so hard, afraid of dropping it, that I wasn’t sure I’d be able to let go.
We emerged from the forest and there it was: a big yellow double cab pick up with a snow plow mounted on the front and emergency lights on the roof. Krista was riding shotgun and she and the driver jumped out when they saw us. Krista ran over, gently pried my fingers from the backboard and took my end. I wanted to hug her. I’ve never been so glad to see her in my life.
Between the four of us, we got the backboard into the bed of the pickup truck: it would be cold, but it wouldn’t take them long to get back to the hospital now that the roads were clear. Krista knelt down in the back of the pickup to keep an eye on Sophie. “I got this,” she said, waving me towards the cab. “You’re frozen, you take the cab.”
I eased my freezing body into the pickup. The warmth hit me like I’d stepped into a sauna. And the dryness, the simple pleasure of not having snow hitting my cheeks and forehead, for the first time in what felt like hours….
And then a second wave of warmth hit me, this time through my thighs and ass and I groaned. Heated. Seats. I seriously considered stripping my soaked pants off right there and then and the hell with modesty.
And then I looked up and saw that Corrigan, instead of getting into the rear of the cab, was about to close the door.
“I’ve got to go back for my car,” he said. “We might need it.”
I stared, open-mouthed. I knew exactly what this was: he couldn’t take being close to me, feeling like we felt. But that meant he was going to walk off into the darkness: two miles through the snow, alone.
He slammed the door and stepped back. The driver started to turn the pickup around. Corrigan backed away and then turned and headed back up the hill.
The driver got the pickup pointing towards town and the hospital. Home. All I had to do was sit tight and I’d be safe and warm. We began to accelerate. Outside, Corrigan’s orange parka had almost disappeared into the night….
“Stop!” I threw open my door. “Wait! Sorry! Stop!” The driver pulled up and I was out before we’d even stopped moving, stumbling in the snow, the cold even more of a shock after the few moments of warmth.
Krista shouted my name but I shook my head. “I’m going with him!”
And I raced after him into the night.
33
Dominic
CLIMBING UP THE HILL was even harder than going down it. I had to lean forward for balance, fighting for grip. The wind was getting up, whipping sounds away from me, and the parka’s hood blocked my ears but I thought I heard someone shouting and then—
Beckett arrived beside me in an explosion of snow and panting. My eyes bugged out. But I left her—
I spun around to see the snowplow’s lights fading into the distance. Shit! She couldn’t be out here with me! The temperature was dropping fast, it was dangerous. I’d have to call them back….
Then I remembered: no cell service. I cursed under my breath and glared at her.
She lifted her chin, resolute. “I wasn’t leaving you out here on your own.”
Damn you, Beckett! But it was myself I was mad at. If I’d just gone back in the snow plow with her and stuck it out, instead of running back into the darkness..... But I was ready to snap. Every time I looked at her, the pull towards her was almost more than I could take. What had happened on the cliff top had made everything jump into high-def, pin-sharp clarity. I was in love with this woman. I couldn’t deny it, but I couldn’t give in. I couldn’t do that to Chrissy and Rachel.
“Come on,” I muttered. “We’ve got to hurry.”
The snow wasn’t just falling anymore, it was blowing horizontally and falling more thickly. By the time we’d made it back to the cliff top, our tracks had been completely covered. I turned a slow circle, trying to figure out which way my car was. I could feel Beckett looking up at me and I knew she wanted to talk. But I picked a direction and set off instead.