Undercurrent (Sand Dollar Shoal Book 1)

by Pandora Pine

  The two of them were polar opposites in almost everything. Noble was fit and athletic while Landon was a bit overweight and a bit clumsy. He worked with his body while Landon worked with his brain. Noble was so fucking serious all the time and Landon made him laugh.

  “What the fuck is wrong with me, Charlie?” Noble stopped pacing to look at the puppy who was stationed at the back door as if she were waiting for Landon to come back. The puppy’s ears twitched, but she didn’t turn around.

  Noble shook his head. He was such a rotten human being that even his dog was giving him the cold shoulder. It hadn’t escaped his notice how much Landon loved his girl. He’d told Noble one night that he’d always wanted a dog, but with his mother drinking so much of her paycheck, a pet wasn’t in the budget. It always brought a smile to his face to see Landon playing with Charlie, his boyish charm shining through.

  Was he ever going to have the chance to see that side of Landon again? Noble sighed, sitting back in front of the fire. How the fuck was he going to fix this thing with Landon? He’s said the worst words of his life to the man he loved. Was it even possible to come back from something like that?

  On the flip side, Landon had gotten his digs in as well. Could Noble forgive him for using his secrets as weapons against him? Not that Landon didn’t deserve a chance to defend himself after being ambushed.

  If he lived to be one hundred, Noble would never forget the look of shock when he’d started yelling at Landon. His boyfriend looked like he’d just been shaken out of a sound sleep. Writing coma, was what Landon jokingly called it when he was so into a story that he forgot to eat or even go to the bathroom.

  Why had he gotten so angry at seeing Landon hard at work? Was it because he’d done all of the snow removal while Landon stayed toasty warm inside the hotel? He shook his head, standing up to pace around again. He was no stranger to hard work. Being outside in the middle of the blizzard sucked, but that wasn’t what really had made him go nuclear on Landon.

  His thoughts turned back to Vincent and their identical lives. He hadn’t been exaggerating when he said Vincent would have been out there at his side. He would have been there, and it wouldn’t have been about cutting the work load in half. It would have been because they loved being together.

  Noble stopped dead in his tracks. Landon was nothing like Vincent. They had different temperaments, looked different and Landon challenged his beliefs in a way that Vincent would have never done. The biggest difference was that Landon was perfectly happy and secure doing things without him. Vincent would never have sat drawing or writing while Noble was in the room. He never would have gone alone to the grocery store while Noble was at Home Depot.

  Was it these differences between the men he loved that were bothering him? He’d been so thankful that Landon was a polar opposite from his husband. He didn’t want their time together to remind him of his time with Vincent. So why the fuck was he angry about their differences now?

  Noble shook his head. He couldn’t have his cake and eat it too. He had to embrace all the things that made Landon unique if his boyfriend let him.

  Jesus, was Landon even his boyfriend anymore? That thought rocked Noble to his core. He’d been the one to start the fight and said awful, hurtful words. He could only pray Landon could forgive him.

  Looking down at his watch, he saw it had been almost an hour since Landon had stormed out into the blizzard. That was a long time to be out in the elements without his hat and gloves.

  What if Landon wasn’t out in the cold, what if he’d gotten in his car and driven away? That thought chilled Noble to the bone more than the blizzard ever could. According to his phone, the winds were gusting over forty-five miles an hour and it was snowing like a motherfucker. There’s no way anyone, not even plow truck drivers, should be out in this weather.

  With that thought, he took off running for the front door of the hotel. Flinging the door open, the wind ripped it out of his hands and sent it crashing backward against the wall. Noble was instantly hit with the frigid wind and the driving snow.

  Holding his hand up to shield his eyes, Noble was able to make out the mound of snow that was Landon’s Chevy. The snow was undisturbed, meaning Landon hadn’t gone anywhere and wasn’t sitting in the car.

  If he wasn’t in the car, where the fuck was he? Scanning the hotel grounds, Noble didn’t see any signs of Landon’s red parka. Jesus fucking Christ! He couldn’t help wondering if Landon was dead in a ditch somewhere or buried under a snowdrift.

  “Get it together,” Noble mumbled, using both hands and a bit of muscle to close the front door and lock it against the wind. He ran back into the dining room and started pulling his boots back on followed by his coat and hat.

  “Charlie, come.” Noble watched the puppy, holding his breath to see if she would turn away from the door to follow his command.

  Whining, Charlie obeyed.

  “Thank, Christ.” Noble sunk his hands into the dog’s soft fur and reached for her harness. “We have to go outside and find Landon.”

  Charlie howled at hearing Landon’s name.

  “I know, princess. Daddy feels like howling too.” Grabbing the dog’s leash and harness, he hooked her up and reached for his gloves. “I need you to help me find Landon, okay?”

  Charlie took off toward the door, yanking Noble off his haunches and onto his knees. Regaining his feet, Noble headed toward the door. He took one last, deep breath of warm air and pushed the door open.

  He was instantly assaulted by the gusting wind which knocked him back against the door. Visibility was definitely under a quarter of a mile, but Noble would guess it was only a few yards at most. It would be easy to get turned around in a storm like this and not be able to find his way back to the hotel.

  “LANDON!” Noble shouted, his words instantly stolen by the howling wind. He knew calling out was useless. There was no way Landon would hear him yell.

  Charlie was pulling against the harness. Noble knew the dog had better senses than he did, but she was only six months old. Right now, the dog was Landon’s only hope. “Find Landon, Charlie.”

  Noble didn’t have to tell the shepherd twice, she took off like a shot, her paws skidding a bit before finding purchase in the deeper snow. Noble thought she was heading off in the direction of the ocean, but with the wind screaming, it was hard to hear the breaking crash of the waves against the beach.

  He was having a hard time keeping up with Charlie. She was much steadier on four feet than he was on two. Underneath the snow was a layer of ice and Noble kept skidding and pitching forward.

  Charlie started barking frantically and pulling harder on the leash. Noble thought he could see a hint of something red lying in the snow. Jesus Christ, was that Landon?

  “LANDON!” Noble screamed, his voice breaking.

  Charlie kept pulling him toward the black lump in the snow. Once she got to it, she stopped pulling and started barking even louder.

  Hitting his knees in the snow, Noble reached out to brush snow off of what he knew was Landon. Nearby, he thought he could see some kind of debris. “Landon?” Noble rolled him over and saw he was out cold. Pulling off his gloves, he touched the side of his frigid neck and thankfully found a pulse. It was slow, but strong.

  “Thank you, Jesus.” Noble mumbled.

  Now that he’d found Landon, the bigger question was going to be how to get him back to the hotel. The snow was whipping around so hard that he couldn’t even see it. Pulling the loop of Charlie’s leash higher up on his arm, he grabbed Landon under the arms. “Home, Charlie.” He prayed that the dog could find her way back to the hotel otherwise they were all in big trouble.

  27

  Noble’s booted foot hit the first step leading up the hotel’s back door. He slipped and fell down hard, landing on his ass. He’d been shuffling backward, his arms wrapped under Landon’s shoulders, following Charlie’s lead to what he hoped was the hotel.

  “Thank Christ,” Noble mumbled. He figured
he’d dragged Landon’s body a hundred feet or so. He breathed a bit easier now that they’d found their way back to the hotel. Charlie had really earned her kibble today. Fuck that! He owed her a steak.

  Rewarding the dog would have to wait until Landon was back inside the hotel and warmed up. He tugged his boyfriend up the stairs and through the boarded up French doors.

  The first thing he noticed was that the lights were out. “Motherfucker!” Setting Landon down on the floor, Noble shut the door against the howling wind and went to work getting out of his boots and coat before going to work on Landon.

  By the dim light of the fire, he could see a bluish tinge to Landon’s skin and a deep cut running from just below his hairline down his forehead toward his left eye. Feeling around the cold skin, he noticed a bump too. That, rather than the cold could be the reason Landon was still unconscious.

  He was way in over his head here. First aid was not his strong suit. He could treat kitchen burns and cuts from the worksite, but he had no idea what to do with Landon aside from bringing his body temperature back up.

  Stripping Landon to his boxers, Noble pulled him over to their bed and piled all of the blankets on top of him before adding more wood to the fireplace. Charlie hopped up on the mattress beside him, stretching herself out along his side

  Noble got out of his wet clothes and dug his phone out of the pocket of his jeans. Forcing his frozen fingers to work, he dialed Gregor. The former Navy SEAL was the only person he knew with medical training of any kind.

  “Hey Noble!! How’s my sweet baby niece doing? Heard you’ve got a bit of snow heading your way! Remember when we were at Andover and we’d use the cafeteria trays to go sledding? I thought we’d get kicked out of school for-”

  “Gregor, stop! I need your help!” Noble practically shouted, not recognizing his own voice.

  “What’s wrong?” Gregor’s voice turned serious instantly.

  “We’re in the middle of a blizzard, power’s out and Landon’s unconscious. He can’t die, Gregor. He can’t. I haven’t even told him I love him. Please help me.” Noble was on the verge of tears.

  “Okay, slow down. Take a breath, man. Tell me what happened.” Gregor sounded like he was in complete control of the situation.

  “We had a fight and Landon stomped off into the storm.” Noble was gulping for breath.

  “Must have been one hell of a fight if your boyfriend stomped off into a blizzard.”

  “I’m a total dick, Gregor. The whole thing was my fault. Anyway, I was trying to cool off and hadn’t noticed how long he’d been gone. When I did, I went outside looking for him. He was lying face down in the snow and has a large gash on his forehead.” Reaching out to touch the bump, Noble started to cry. He’d never forgive himself if the last words he’d ever say to Landon were “Fuck you, Wordsmith.”

  “Take a deep breath, Noble. You need to pull it together to help Landon. Okay?”

  “O-Okay.” Noble did what his friend instructed. There would be time to cry later. What he needed to do now was save Landon.

  “Is he breathing?”

  “Yes, but it’s slow and shallow.”

  “Is he making any sounds, like wheezing? Or do his breaths sound wet?”

  “No, nothing like that.” Thank Christ. Noble knew how to perform CPR, but if he needed to call an ambulance, it was going to be a while before anyone could reach them in this weather.

  “Good. Do you have a watch with a second hand?”

  “Yeah, it’s the one you gave me for Christmas five years ago.” Noble thought his friend sounded every inch the SEAL Commander he used to be. Gregor’s strength comforted him.

  “Okay, time his heart rate for thirty seconds.” Gregor’s voice was steady.

  Noble did what Gregor asked, finding the pulse point in Landon’s neck and timing the beats. “Forty.”

  “Okay, so that’s eighty beats per minute. That’s normal for an adult man. That’s a good sign, Noble. Do you have a flashlight?”

  “A flashlight?” Noble was confused. What the hell did a flashlight have to do with helping Landon?

  “I need you to check his pupils for me. Let me know if they react to light.”

  “Why do you need to know that?”

  “Just do it, okay? We can talk about what it means later.” Gregor’s voice had taken on a bit of an edge.

  Wishing he’d paid more attention to those damn medical dramas on television, he stomped off toward the back table in the dining room and grabbed a flashlight from their stash of emergency supplies. Kneeling beside Landon, he pried open one eyelid and shined the light at his dull green orb. He saw the pupil contract instantly. “Thank Christ, Gregor. It responded.”

  “Okay, man, that’s a really good sign. It sounds like he just knocked himself out when he fell. What color is his skin? Does he look peachy, red or blue?”

  “His face and hands are bluish, but the rest of him is peachy.” He’d never seen anyone turn blue before, unless he counted Jack Dawson in Titanic. He didn’t realize people could actually turn that color.

  “Sounds like frostbite. You need to keep him warm and monitor his temperature.” Gregor’s serious tone had softened.

  “What do I do about him being unconscious?” Noble felt a bit better, but was still scared that Landon hadn’t moved a muscle since they’d gotten back inside.

  “Give him a little while to wake up. Call me back if he still isn’t awake in an hour.”

  “Jesus, Gregor. I don’t know what I’d do without him. I almost didn’t survive losing Vincent. Losing Landon would kill me for sure.” Noble felt the tears he’d been trying to hold back break free.

  Gregor snorted. “You’re really in love again, aren’t you?”

  Noble nodded. “I am. I didn’t want to be, but I am. I want you to meet him and see what I see in him.” He sniffled, trying to pull himself together.

  “In all the years I’ve know you, this is only the third time I’ve seen you cry. You cried when you heard about your father’s heart attack and when Vincent passed. I can tell what kind of man Landon is just by your reaction to him being hurt. What happened to cause this fight?”

  He had a feeling this question was coming. “I was such a dick. I’m the biggest dick on planet earth.”

  Gregor snorted. “I know that! I lived with you for four years, but can you be a bit more specific?”

  Noble found his first smile in what felt like hours. “We agreed this morning to take turns with keeping up with the snow. It was a stupid fucking deal to make since Landon has no idea how to run the snow blower. Anyway, he started writing when I was out clearing the parking lot and never budged when I came back inside.”

  “Ah, so you got pissed off because he was paying attention to his work and not you? Where have I heard that before?”

  “What do you mean, where have you heard that before?” Noble was stunned. What the hell was Gregor talking about?

  “Don’t give me that bullshit, man! You know how pissy you’d get when Vincent was too tired to go out with you or when he had other plans. You’d make the rest of us miserable. Sounds to me like you’re pulling the same shit with Landon.”

  “You’re supposed to make me feel better, Gregor, not worse.” Christ, if he wanted a lecture or a history lesson, he would have called his father. Noble ran a hand through Landon’s still wet hair.

  “Wrong! What I’m supposed to do is talk sense into your fool head. Let me guess what happened next, you picked a fight with Landon and said some nasty shit you didn’t mean causing your man to run out into a blizzard. Yes?”

  It was useless lying to his best friend. Gregor wouldn’t buy it anyway. “Yes. Then I was so wrapped up in justifying my anger at him that I didn’t stop to think what kind of danger he was in by going out in the storm.”

  “What’s done is done, Noble. What you need to do now is figure out how you’re going to apologize when Landon wakes up. Is he in love with you too?”

  “I think
so. He almost said it once, then changed his mind. I think he was scared of how I would have reacted.”

  “How would you have reacted?”

  “I would have told him how much I love him too.”

  “So why didn’t you tell him anyway?”

  “I’m scared, Gregor.”

  “Of what? You just said you think he feels the same way.”

  “Of losing him. I can’t go through that again.”

  Gregor sighed. “Part of falling in love means putting your whole heart out there. You can’t just risk a part of it. It has to be all or nothing. I know losing Vincent was a terrible blow for you, but just because you lost one man tragically and far too soon doesn’t mean it’s going to happen again.”

  Logically, Noble knew Gregor was spot on. Losing Landon forever was so much scarier than risking his whole heart. “Thanks for everything. I don’t know what I’d do without you as my best friend.”

  “You’ll never have to find out, man. Call me back in an hour to let me know how Landon’s doing, but in the meantime, start planning out a top notch apology worthy of the man that you love. How’s my Charlie girl doing?”

  “Jesus, she’s the one that found him out in the snow. If it weren’t for her…” Noble couldn’t bear to finish the thought, let alone the sentence.

  “Sounds like she’s fallen in love with Landon too.”

  “She curls up around his feet when he’s writing.”

  Gregor laughed. “Of course she does. Dogs love smelly feet.”

  Noble couldn’t help it, he burst out laughing.

  “There’s my boy. Listen, everything is going to be all right. Take care of Landon. Keep in mind that he’s probably going to wake up confused and disoriented. He might even be nauseous and might not remember what happened before he fell. Don’t push him to remember. Just love him, Noble.”