Surprise Bidder

Then I, too, run.

~

The woods Giselle was referring to are mostly cedars, spruces and pines- tall, sturdy trees. Sunlight filters through the dense foliage. The ground is covered in moss, leaves and ferns. Several fallen branches are also scattered about. The sound of them snapping underfoot is all that disturbs the silence.

Not a bad place to do yoga.

“There she is!” a member of Angelo’s team shouts.

In the distance, I see a woman with a large belly and short blonde hair wearing a shirt and overalls.

Leah.

The men start running after her.

“Stop!” I order them. “I’ll go get her myself.”

They nod. I run after her. Even with that belly, she can run fast. But not fast enough.

“Leah!”

She slows down and turns her head to look at me.

“Leah, stop running.”

She runs faster. Fuck.

“I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to talk to you.”

She ducks beneath a low branch. “Leave me alone!”

I snap it off.

“Leah!”

She keeps running, but I’ve almost caught up now. Suddenly, she veers right. I step on the brakes and find myself inches from the edge of a ravine.

Fuck.

Leah follows a trail going down. Then she starts to cross a rope bridge.

As I look at it, my heart stops. It’s clearly an old bridge. Some of the wooden planks are gone, some pieces of rope are hanging. It gives a loud creak and Leah gasps as she freezes in her tracks.

It’s not going to hold, I think as I race down the trail she’s taken. She’s too heavy.

She’s realized it, too, so she rushes back. As she does, though, the piece of rope holding the bridge together snaps. She screams and reaches out to me as it falls. I manage to grab her arm in time.

Thank goodness.

The danger isn’t over yet, though. She’s still hanging from the edge. Only my arms holding one of hers are keeping her from falling onto the rocks in the shallow water below.

Fuck.

“Please don’t let me go,” Leah begs. Her blue eyes echo the same plea.

Blue?

“I won’t,” I promise.

Still, she’s heavy. She’s pregnant, after all. I don’t know how long I can keep holding her like this.

“Think you can lift your other arm?” I ask her. “I need you to grip the rock and try to pull yourself up.”

She lifts her other arm. She grips the rock. As she tries to pull herself up, though, she yelps in pain and her arm drops to her side.

Fear seizes me.

“Leah?”

“It’s my wrist,” she says. “I’m sorry, but I can’t.”

“Boss?” I hear Angelo behind me.

“Get me some rope,” I order him. “And send someone down.”

I hear footsteps scurry off.

“Down?” Leah looks alarmed. “You’re not going to let go of me, are you?”

I wince as I feel the strain on my arm.

“I won’t,” I tell her. “But I can’t hold you much longer.”

“Please don’t let me go,” she begs. “I don’t want to die.”

“You won’t…”

“And I don’t want to lose our baby.”

My eyebrows arch. Our baby? She means her baby, right? Or the baby?

“Don’t let our baby die,” Leah repeats.

Our baby.

I don’t understand. Is she saying I’m the father of her child?

I don’t know how it’s possible, but I also know she wouldn’t lie at a time like this. I’ll ask her about it later. For now, I’ll believe her.

Our baby.

Mine.

The thought of Leah carrying my child gives me a fresh burst of strength and resolve. I look around and see a crag to my right. If she can jump on that, it will be easier for me to pull her up.

“Do you think you can reach that rock?” I ask her.

She turns her head to look at it. “I don’t know. It’s a little far.”

“I’m going to swing you to try to get you closer to it.”

She still looks reluctant, but when she turns to me, I see determination on her face.

“Okay.”

“Ready?”

Leah nods. “Ready.”

I pour all my strength into my arms so I can swing her. She stretches her legs to try to reach the crag. The first attempt fails. I swing her again. This time, her feet brush against the crag but she still can’t get on it.

Harder.

I groan as I swing her with everything I’ve got. One of her feet lands on the crag. I let her go and she throws herself onto it, landing on hands and knees. I let out a breath of relief. My lips curve in a triumphant smile.

Thank goodness.

I get on my feet and rush above the crag. Angelo helps me pull her up. Once Leah is safely on the ground, she throws herself into my arms.

“Gavin.” Her voice still shakes as she whispers my name against my chest.

She clutches my shirt as she starts to sob.

Poor thing. It’s only now that the reality that she came so close to dying must be sinking in.

I stroke her hair as I press a kiss to the top of her head.