Page 65 of Winning Back His Wife
Christian prepared chicken marsala. “Add Leanne to the list.”
Sarah sighed. “Cullen said the same thing to me.”
Zoe placed napkins at each of the four place settings. “What they don’t seem to understand is no matter what the conditions are, it’s hard not to worry when the love of your life is up on the mountain.”
Sarah nodded in agreement.
Wait a minute.
The love of her life? Cullen?
Truth scorched like the hot lava from Kilauea in Hawaii.
Oh, no. She wasn’t falling for Cullen. She’d fallen.
She loved him. Truly loved him. With all her heart, body and soul.
What had she done? She folded her left arm over her stomach.
Zoe rushed to Sarah’s side. “You’re so pale. Sit.”
She sat.
Christian knelt, taking her pulse. “Does anything hurt?”
“No.” Her voice cracked.
Carly touched Sarah’s forehead with the back of her hand. “You don’t feel warm.”
“I’m not sick.” Not unless you wanted to count being lovesick. “Give me a minute. I’m a little light-headed.”
A worried look passed between Carly and Christian. His forehead wrinkled. “Put your head between your legs.”
Sarah did. She hated making her friends worry when the problem wasn’t her injuries. But what could she say to them? That she’d just realized she loved her husband? Loved him to the point nothing else mattered?
“Feel better?” Carly asked.
“Yes.”
Physically Sarah did. But emotionally...
This was the worst thing ever. Loving Cullen gave him complete power over her, to hurt her when he no longer wanted her. And he wouldn’t want her to be with him forever. How could he? No one else had.
Building a volcano and playing with a toddler didn’t mean she would be a good mother. She didn’t know anything about being a mom let alone a decent one. Not to mention being Cullen’s wife. She could try, but she would end up failing as before. And that would hurt both of them.
Zoe handed her a glass of water. “Take a sip.”
Sarah raised her head and drank.
Christian’s gaze never left her face. “Your color’s returning.”
“I’m feeling better,” she said.
But her heart was breaking. Thank goodness her things were packed. If Cullen asked her to stay, she wouldn’t be able to leave him. That would turn into a disaster. The longer she stayed, the more it would hurt when it ended. She couldn’t do that to Cullen. She wouldn’t do that to him.
Or herself.
She had to end things now. No going back again. No matter how tempted she might be.
Sarah glanced at the envelope containing the divorce papers. She didn’t know whether they needed to be signed or what. But once she figured it out, she could leave. Cullen hadn’t tried to win her back before. He wouldn’t this time.
Her heart cried out at the thought.
No, she wouldn’t let emotion overwhelm her.
This was for the best. Sarah wasn’t strong enough to survive being left again. She wasn’t sure she was strong enough to leave him on her own. She would have to leave before he got home.
Sarah drank the rest of her water. “I’m okay now. Really.”
The relief on her three friends’ face coated her mouth with guilt. But this was for the...best. She would be out of here before Cullen returned.
Coward, a voice inside her mocked.
Not a coward. Smart. Proactive. This was the best way—the only way—to break the hold Cullen had over her and keep her heart safe.
* * *
Cullen supposed there were worse places he could be than a snow cave in the middle of a blizzard on Mount Hood with four of his closest friends. Someday he might laugh about this, but not tonight.
At least they were safe. And so were the missing climbers. Three lives had been saved today. No sense risking theirs. As soon as the weather cleared, they would head down. Until then, they would make the best of it.
He sipped from his water bottle. The liquid—melted snow—warmed his insides on this chilly night. He’d rather be cuddling in bed with Sarah.
He missed her. He would miss her more when she left Hood Hamlet.
But Cullen understood. Mount Baker was blowing off steam. He didn’t blame her for wanting to be back at the institute.
“Whose bright idea was it to sleep out here?” Hughes asked.
“Paulson’s,” Porter, Moreno and Cullen said at the same time.
“Just a suggestion.” Paulson hunkered down inside his sleeping bag. “I didn’t think anyone would take me seriously.”
“You know Doc,” Porter teased. “He’s always serious.”
Cullen stuck his water bottle inside his sleeping bag to keep it from freezing. “Someone needs to be serious around you clowns.”
