Page 112 of Winning Winnie’s Hand

Remember? Of course she remembered. How could she forget? And yet, the image of her plummeting through the air, only to have Matthew miss her as she fell to the ground, breathless and broken, flashed through her mind.

“I’m gonna fall,” she repeated.

“I’ll catch you.”

“No, Matthew, I’m gonna fall!”

“Winnie—”

Her fingers slipped.

Fear sailed throughout her, and she was taken straight back to the last time she’d fallen so frighteningly through the air—when Goldilocks had spooked and launched Winnie from her back.

In those moments of being thrown so many years ago, Winnie didn’t have fears of if she’d be okay. Instead, she’d had one thought—Please, don’t let Dad be watching.

Even now, she closed her eyes, clenched her hands tight, and braced for another fall that would inevitably lead to more disappointment from her dad.

Instead of landing on the hard earth below, however, strong arms wrapped around her, cushioning her fall until she stopped just as the tips of her toes poked against the grass.

She breathed heavily, still squeezing her eyes shut, holding onto…What was she holding onto? And why was there a soft, soothing breath brushing against her cheek?

“It’s all right,” came a soothing voice. “I have you, Winnie.”

Matthew. He’d caught her. Just like he’d said he would.

Slowly, she opened her eyes, realizing only then that her arms were wrapped around his neck, and his arms around her middle.

His breath brushed against her cheek again as he calmly held her.

The feel of his arms around her, his strong chest against her, was enough to drive away any negative feelings, and little by little, fear seeped from her person, carried away by the vessel of Matthew’s comfort.

“You okay?” he asked after a moment, no doubt feeling her breathing as it steadied.

Winnie wanted to pretend that she wasn’t okay so she might stay in Matthew’s arms forever, but she knew their separation was inevitable.

Slowly, she drew back, moving to stand on the flat of her feet as he stared down at her, his arms shifting to hold her around her waist. She told herself his lingering grasp was due to his wanting to secure her, not hold her. But she couldn’t help but wish for the latter.

The grass curved around her feet, even colder than the stone from the wall now beside them, but she didn’t care. All she could feel was the warmth of Matthew’s fingertips searing into her sides.

His eyes delved into hers as they stood in silence, their bodies still touching.

“Thank you,” she said, staring up at him. “I kinda lost it up there.”

“That’s understandable. It’s a long drop.”

“You said it wasn’t that far,” she returned, her heart skipping a beat as his gaze dropped to her lips, then lifted back to her eyes.

“I had to say something to convince you to jump down from a wall meant to keep Romans out.”

“If I hadn’t freaked out, I probably would have landed it like you did.”

“Oh, no doubt. You aren’t a damsel in distress, after all.” Again, his eyes dropped to her lips.

“Not even a little bit,” she breathed, though she was beginning to wonder if that was true.

His words from before echoed in her mind. “If I wanted to kiss you, believe me, I wouldn’t have to ask you for it. You’d give it of your own free will.”How could he have been so right? Because with his eyes on her mouth, and his hands on her hips, there was nothing more she wanted to do in that moment than to fall into his arms all over again and be rescued by the knight standing before her.

But once again, disappointment crushed her racing heart as a car revved its engine nearby, breaking the silence between them. Matthew looked away, losing his focus and dropping his hands to his sides.