Page 29 of First Bride to Fall
Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding!
“Guess the WiFi’s back on.” He shot a glance at the ceiling, figuring the satellite had reconnected.
She snatched up her phone, holding it toward her.
He glanced at her phone. “Who’s that?”
“Just my sisters.”
Ding.
“I told them I was safe.”
Ding. Ding.
“And up here with you.”
Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding!
“They, uh…” She frantically scanned the incoming messages, then grinned. “Said to tell you hi.”
“Oh. Well.” He shifted on his feet. “Tell them hi back.”
She nodded and sent a quick reply. “Sorry about that.” She silenced her phone. “I let them know I won’t be in tomorrow.”
“Good idea.”
He handed her jacket, and she put it on. She slipped her phone into one of its pockets.
“I’ll grab your left boot from the bathroom,” he said, “and those socks.” He looked forward to their outing and to holding her close again. Even if it was by piggyback. “Then we’ll take a little nature hike.”
…
Nell giggled when Grant carried her down the front steps of his cabin. She had her arms around his neck, and he’d latched onto her legs as they wrapped around his big strong back.
“Giddyup,” she said, lightly pumping her heels, but she immediately regretted digging in so hard with the right one. Her ankle pinged. “Ow!”
Grant chuckled. “Whoa there, partner,” he teased. “The ground’s still slick, so we won’t be moving that fast.”
The back of his neck smelled like manly body wash or cologne, and Nell breathed him in. She almost had to pinch herself to believe this wasn’t a dream. While she might have seen Grant’s fishing place as run-down at first, his rustic cabin had morphed into a romantic getaway for two. And she was spending the whole night there. With him.
She stifled a happy sigh. This was better than the first date she’d imagined over coffee at her place. They’d have much more time to get to know each other. One-on-one. Without anyone around to distract them. She was already getting to know him better, and he was getting to know her. Apart from being handsome and amazing, Grant was kind and funny, too. And, when he’d made that flirty comment about her being his type, her heart had sprouted wings.
Sunlight streamed through the trees, their branches teeming with colorful fall leaves, all golds, reds, and browns. Tiny droplets clung to their surfaces like glistening autumn tears. An aftermath of the rain. The crisp air nipped at her cheeks, but she was warm enough in her toasty jacket and the dry hat Grant had loaned her.
Grant traipsed across the gravel drive and around the cabin to a path that led through the woods and then down a hill. The more he walked along, the louder the sound from the falls grew, roaring like a majestic lion. Nell’s heart pitter-pattered because this felt straight out of a daydream—well, minus her ankle. He was taking her to see a waterfall, and carrying her there had been his sweet idea.
“You doing okay?” he asked her.
“Yeah, great. You?”
“Never better.”
Her heart warmed at the sound of that. It was like all her wildest fantasy-dreams were coming true. She held her breath and made a wish that things would continue to go well between them. If the past hour was any indication, they were in for a wonderful rest of the day and hopefully a stellar night.
She didn’t quite have the nerve to tell him about Aidan, but she planned to as soon as she could. She couldn’t smash any hope of a future they had with such a heavy-handed truth. That would feel like a weird overshare this early in their friendship, and she hoped their budding friendship would develop into something more.
No. She and Grant needed to give each other a chance, without Aidan getting in the way. Then if Grant really began to like her, she could ease into the avoiding-marrying-Aidan conversation. She wasn’t entirely sure how, but she was hoping an answer would come to her. Sooner rather than later.
