Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 72586 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72586 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
"There!" Lily pointed through the trees. "Is that... oh, false alarm. Just a weird-shaped log."
Emma shifted beside me, and I caught the faint scent of her perfume. Without thinking, I reached for her hand. She tensed but didn't pull away.
"Hey," I whispered. "You okay?"
"Fine."
But she wouldn't meet my eyes.
Before I could press further, our driver slammed on the brakes. "Moose! Everyone out, but move slowly and quietly. These are incredibly dangerous animals. You know these things kill more people every year than sharks?"
We filed out of the vehicles, and there it was—a massive bull moose about fifty yards away, calmly munching on some branches.
"Wow," Emma breathed, momentarily forgetting to be distant as she lifted her camera.
“And we’re getting out of the cars?” Charity asked. She wore a disgusted expression beneath a large, fuzzy white hat. “It smells, even from here. Ew.”
June was explaining something about moose behavior while the Wellingtons asked ridiculous questions, but I was too focused on Emma's profile to listen. The morning light caught in her hair, making it glow like copper. Her cheeks were pink from the cold, and her entire face lit up as she snapped pictures.
"Can we get closer?" Dick asked.
"Absolutely not," June said firmly. "These babies may look slow, but they can run faster than a horse when they want to. And unlike bears, they don't usually give warning signs before they charge."
Of course, that's when Dick decided to prove his intelligence by taking a few steps forward, phone raised for a better angle.
Several things happened at once.
The moose's head snapped up, ears swiveling forward.
June swore.
And Emma, who had been backing up to get a wider shot, slipped on a patch of ice.
I lunged for her, but I was too late. She went down hard, camera flying from her hands as she rolled down the small embankment beside the road.
"Emma!" I was already moving, heart in my throat as I watched her tumble through branches and snow.
She finally came to a stop in a tangle of limbs and leaves, face-first in a snowbank. For a terrible moment, she didn't move.
Then she lifted her head and spat out a mouthful of snow.
"I'm fine," she called weakly. "Just... dying of embarrassment and hoping I didn’t break my camera."
Relief made me light-headed as I carefully made my way down to her. I could hear the others gathering at the top of the road to watch my rescue attempt. "Can you move everything?"
"Unfortunately, yes. Which means I get to live with the memory of this forever."
I helped her sit up, checking for injuries. She had a few scratches on her hands and what would probably be some impressive bruises, but nothing seemed broken.
"Is she okay?" Lily called from above.
"Fine!" Emma yelled back, voice only slightly wobbly. "Just... give me a minute."
I held her until the shaking stopped, one hand stroking her hair while the other kept her close.
"Sorry," she whispered. "I'm being stupid."
"You're not stupid." I brushed snow from her cheek.
She studied my face for a long moment. "Why are you being so nice to me?"
Because I'm falling for you. Because seeing you get hurt makes me want to fix everything that's ever gone wrong for you. Because maybe Derek's right and I am compromised.
"Because I care about you," I said finally.
Something in her expression softened, then closed off. "Right. Like you cared about me in Ireland?"
The words felt like a slap. "Emma—"
"No, it's fine. I get it." She pushed away from me, wincing slightly. "This is just fun, right? Nothing serious. Nothing worth fighting for."
She started climbing back up the embankment before I could respond, leaving me with an ache in my chest and the lingering warmth of her body against mine. Those words…
Nothing worth fighting for.
It made me realize what I’d done wrong at the taco shop. When she asked me about whether some obstacles were possible to overcome, I’d shut it down almost immediately. My mind was on Katie and how doomed that had been from the start—on all the weddings I’d wrecked because I judged the problems between the bride-to-be and the groom-to-be as terminal. But she hadn’t been talking about Katie, had she?
Damn it, James. You big idiot…
By the time I made it back to the group, she was already in the SUV with Lily. For some unknown reason, Richard took my spot and Emma made no attempt to get him to move, so I was left to ride with Dick and the muscle brothers.
Perfect.
The rest of the wildlife tour passed in a blur. I was too busy replaying Emma's words, trying to figure out where I'd gone wrong. When had "keeping things casual" turned into whatever this was?
And why did watching her pull away feel like losing something vital?
We rolled back into the resort around sundown and even the stuffy Wellington clan was buzzing with energy after the tour. Between mountain views, various animal sightings, and some interesting stories, the tour had been a hit with them. Now, though, everybody was excited to get back into the warm resort, grab a few drinks, dinner, and get back to their rooms.