by Sable Hunter
“Sounds like a challenge to me.” Jase grinned.
“You better keep your mind on matrimony, Short-timer.” Justice, being the oldest, did love to boss the rest of them around.
“Do you want to dance?” Shiloh asked his sister. He was ever the gentleman and knew she normally didn’t take a turn on the dance floor.
“Thanks, but God, no.” Abby had consented to dress up. She knew she couldn’t wear her boots and jeans to the dance, but she was as uncomfortable as heck in this dressy get-up. “My feet are killing me in these shoes.” She held up her foot, trying to gain sympathy for the four inch heel.
“I bet Cade—” Jase didn’t get to finish his statement before the screams began. “What the fuck?”
They all turned to look. Pam and her sister, Harold’s mother, were yelling and waving their arms. “He’s out on the pond. Jase, Harold followed your damn dog out on the ice!”
“My Baby! My Baby!”
Some stood in shock, but several started running, including Abby. “The ice can’t be very thick.” She worried. The pond had been her playground when she was younger. There wasn’t an inch of it she didn’t know by heart. “This can’t be good.” She and her brothers took off. By the time they reached the side of the pond, it was obvious Harold was in trouble. Scout had crossed on over to the other side, probably after a rabbit but the baby was toddling around out in the middle of the two acre lake.
“Oh, God. What are we going to do?” Jase grabbed lights from the back of his truck. Abby ran on to the pond’s edge and what she saw made her heart go up into her throat. Cade, her Cade, was slowly making his way out to the little boy.
“Cade, no, no,” she whispered. She knew someone had to rescue the child, but Cade was too big, too heavy. “Come back, Cade. Let me go! I’m small. I won’t break the ice!”
“Somebody get my baby!” his mother screamed.
“Call him, call him. He might turn back around and come to you,” Abby cried. She held her breath, watching Cade make his way slowly and carefully toward the middle. A crowd had gathered around the perimeter and every eye was on the pair. One little boy who had no idea he was in danger and one very big brave man who knew the risk he was taking – but went anyway.
“Harold! Harold! Come to Mama!” His father made the same plea. And with a squeal of delight, the toddler took off across the icy surface.
Abby couldn’t move as she watched him scamper back to safety. She was relieved the baby was okay, but he wasn’t the only one who’d been in danger. Cade was still out there. He stopped, then started to turn around when there was a loud CRACK!
Just that fast, he was there one moment and gone the next. A man-size hole opened in the ice and he went under. Abby screamed. Others screamed. She started forward, but Shiloh gripped her arm. “Cade!”
“He’ll come out, Abby. The ice is thin. No matter where he is, he can punch out.” Jase held her by the shoulders.
She waited, maybe five seconds. Nothing. Nothing.
“I’ll go.” Justice started. Shiloh grabbed his arm. “You’ll crack the ice. You’ll go down too.” He warned, his voice filled with alarm.
“No!” she yelled and yanked her arm from Shiloh’s grip. She started moving, throwing off her shoes as she went. Then she was running, slipping, sliding, crying, covering the distance in a few seconds. Without a thought, Abby jumped into the dark water, feet first.
GOD! The frigid, icy water hit her system like a thousand knives cutting her flesh, completely stealing her breath. Abby gasped, fighting for air. It didn’t matter. She had no time to lose. She went under. It was black dark. What could she do?
Frantically, Abby felt around. Left. Right. Up. Down. Her limbs were slow. It was so, so cold. This was hopeless. He couldn’t die! He just couldn’t! She wouldn’t survive. Her heart cried out to Cade. And then she touched something with her foot. Was it him? Please, Lord! Her lungs were hurting already, burning like flames of fire. But she dived down. When her body hit his, hands reached out and grabbed her. His hands. She felt up and down him. What was wrong? And then she found it. He was hung, his foot caught in the fork of an old tree trunk. With the buoyancy of the water, he wasn’t able to pull free. Abby sank down to brace herself on the bottom, grabbed his leg and tugged for all she was worth. Despite the freezing temperature, her whole body was on fire. She needed to take a breath of air so badly she couldn’t stand it. Soon, the instinctual need of her body would take over and she would open her mouth and inhale – and die. Frantic, she pulled and she pulled. Cade struggled, trying to help her. Finally, she held the top of his boot and he managed to get free.
Abby was so tired, she just let go. It would be so easy to take a breath and just float away. But strong arms encircled her waist and they began to rise. A few more moments. A few more moments. The top of her head hit the ice. He kept pulling them. Pulling them. With a powerful punch, something gave. And what was an icy, wet grave was now blessed cold air.
“Let me have her,” someone said.
Abby gasped, coughed and gasped again. Her lungs ached. Everything hurt. She couldn’t open her eyes. She felt numb. She felt lost.
“Grab the rope.” Another voice instructed.
Abby was jerked around, and then her legs were in the water again and she whimpered.
“I’ve got you, Abilene.”
“Cade?”
“Open your eyes!” he commanded.
She did. She saw lights. She saw family. Trace, her favorite brother, had crawled out on the ice with a rope tied around his waist. He was slowly pulling them back to the bank.
“Get a doctor!”
“We need to get them warm!”
“I don’t need a damn doctor.” Cade snarled. “See about Abby!”
“Pam’s Uncle, Doc Williford’s here,” a familiar voice called.
Abby closed her eyes again. It was all just too much.
* * *
“If you don’t wake up, I’m going to kiss you.”
Abby’s eyes sprung open instantly.
Cade was lying next to her in the guest bed—his bed. They were dry, warm and safe. “Hey,” she whispered. What was she doing here?
“Hey, yourself.” Cade sent a prayer of thankfulness up to heaven. It had been hours since they were rescued. Amelia had wanted to call Lifeflight and have them flown to Austin to the hospital but Pam’s uncle had examined them and deemed that neither was suffering from hypothermia. Since the weather was so bad and dangerous to fly, the family had called in the local doctor, Curtiss Parker. He was getting old and frail, but he’d known what to do and Cade was feeling better – and now Abby was awake.
She tried to sit up and realized she only had on a T-shirt and panties, very brief, very revealing panties. Oh, God. Abby scrambled for the sheet. “Who undressed me?” She asked frantically.
Cade gave her a sly smile. “You were soaking wet, Sunshine. We couldn’t let you freeze.”
“Who undressed me? Who changed my clothes?” She was panicking. Abby clutched the sheet under her chin.
Like a ton of bricks, Cade realized Abby was sincerely freaking out, she wasn’t kidding. What the hell? “Your mother undressed you, Abby. Dr. Parker was here and checked us both out. I wasn’t even in the room, if that’s what you’re worried about. Everything’s okay. You just slept through it. He gave you a mild sedative.” Cade put a hand out toward her and she immediately scrunched up in bed. She seemed about to hyperventilate. “Are you hurting somewhere, Abby?”
“No, no.” Abby moaned, laying her head down on her knees. She tried to calm herself. The last few hours seemed like a horrible dream. Cade could have died. She could have died. Oh, God, what if she’d lost him? Turning, she looked at him silently for a moment. “Are you okay?”
“Am I okay?” Cade got up off the bed and paced across the floor.
Land’s sakes, he made everything in the room look small. She didn’t know what she expected him to say. Maybe a ‘thank you’ would’ve been nice, but she wasn�
��t prepared for what she got.
When he looked back at her, he was stern, no-nonsense and pissed. “What were you thinking coming in that lake after me? Don’t you realize you could have died? It’s a miracles you don’t have hypothermia!”
A sob stuck in her throat. “Well, how about you? I was thinking I didn’t want you to drown, that’s what I was thinking!” She fired back at him.
He stalked over. “Why you, Abby?” He threw his hand in the air. “Why did you have to be the one to come after me? There were a dozen other people standing there. One of your brothers could—”
“Stop it!” She screamed. Hell. Jerking the sheet off the bed, she stood up. He wanted a reason? Maybe because she cared? He had no idea this was the second time she’d risked her life to save him, and she wasn’t about to share that particular piece of information. “I did it because I was the only person small enough to get out there without breaking the ice. Someone had to get to the hole you fell through. Someone had to save you. Think about it!”
“It was foolish.” Cade stepped toward her, his jaw set and his eyes blazing.
“It was necessary.” Abby stood in front of him, refusing to back down, clutching the sheet over the top swell of her breasts.
“I’ll show you what’s necessary.” Stepping to her, he caught her shoulders and hauled her up against him, taking her mouth in a total, complete claiming. This was no gentle kiss – it was hot, desperate and hungry. Abby fought not to respond, but she couldn’t resist. With a sigh she let go of the sheet and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her surrender seemed to fan the flames and he tightened one arm around her waist, cradling her head with his other hand. Only the fact that their bodies were pressed together held the sheet in place.
He kissed her over and over – tenderly. Cherishing her. Celebrating the fact that they were both alive and she was in his arms where she belonged.
Finally, Cade lowered his head, panting, closing his eyes as if he was suffering. “If you’d died…if you’d been hurt…”
“We both could have died.” She laid her head on his shoulder, the wonder of being held in his embrace almost more than she could process. Abby felt as if she was losing her grip on reality. “It’s simple. I saved you. You saved me. And I thank you for it. We’re even, both alive and well. So, let’s just forget it.” She pulled out of his arms, knowing she had to, grasping the sheet to maintain her modesty.
“Abby, wait.”
She started toward the door, stepped on the sheet and nearly fell. “Dang it,” Abby muttered. Coordinated she was not.
“Grace.” He tried to joke, but there was an underlying wistfulness in his tone that wasn’t lost on Abby.
Abby shot him a half amused look of longing, and tried to smart off, lightening the mood. “That’s my name. I hope you froze your balls off.”
“Wait.” Cade’s voice was quiet, but strong.
There was an air of authority in his tone, but a hesitancy also – as if he were waiting for permission to do more. All of that flashed through Abby’s mind, but she rejected it for wishful thinking. “Wait? For what? Do you want to castigate me some more for caring enough to save your sorry ass?” She wasn’t doing too good of a job acting nonchalant either. God, she wished she understood what was going on. Maybe the icy water had affected her brain.
“I’m tired of pussyfooting around, Abilene.” He started unbuttoning his shirt. “It’s time.”
Her eyes watched his fingers as they moved on the material, she couldn’t breathe. “What do you mean? Pussyfooting around what?” Abby was scared to assume anything.
“I want you.” He swept his eyes from the top of her unkempt hair to the pool of sheet at her feet. “I want you in my bed, in my arms and I want to be as deep inside of you as I can get.”
A blaze of heat and need swept over Abby’s body like a flash fire. This big, perfect, infuriating man wanted her. And she wanted him. More than anything.
But, she couldn’t. She just couldn’t. “I gotta go, Cade. I’m sorry, so sorry.”
And she left without looking back.
“Well, hell.” Cade threw his hat to the floor. He didn’t understand women and he guessed he never would – and this one woman was going to kill him.
* * *
Abby dragged a big pasteboard box out of the closet. It was marked in gay red and green markings. All of the Christmas decorations she’d accumulated over the years were carefully packed away waiting to be brought out year and year. She didn’t know why she went to so much trouble to decorate when she lived alone. After all, the big family celebration would take place up at the main house. Feeling nostalgic, she sat down on the floor and started pulling out ornaments and figurines. All of her life she’d collected figures of Santa Claus – dolls, statues, some almost as big as she was. None of those all white and ice blue color themes for her. Abby loved red and green. Old fashioned pine cones with bows and glitter. Sleighs and snowmen. Reindeer and elves. Abby smiled, touching the memories, holding symbols of hope in her hand.
Dreams died hard. There would be no children gathered around her tree, no special one to cuddle with in front of the fire. She’d always wanted a family, a husband and children. But that dream wasn’t going to come true.
When she was nineteen, the fire happened and everything in her life and future changed.
With tears streaming down her cheeks, Abby lay back on the floor, clutching a holiday teddy bear. Remembering….
Only Abby, Justice and Cade had been home. Everyone else had gone to Austin to the UT game to watch Shiloh play football. She’d come home from college for Chelsea Turner’s baby shower. Justice was holding down the fort and Cade was packing up to go out on the circuit. He’d qualified for the NFR for the first time. The whole family had been thrilled for him, even Abby – although she knew she was going to miss him like crazy. At the time, he was on the fast track to becoming one of the best steer wrestlers and team ropers in the state. As tears ran down Abby’s face, she went back in time…
“Cade! I’m going to miss you.” Abby threw herself in Cade’s arms. She loved him so. Even though he lived with them as family, she loved him as that and so much more. Abby worshiped the ground he walked on.
“Shortcake.” He cradled her to him. “I’m going to miss you too.” He kissed her temple, and she clung to him.
“When will you be home?”
Cade touched her face reverently, gazing into her eyes. “I’ll be back for Christmas. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
Something was different. Abby trembled. He was staring at her mouth. She licked her lips. “I’ll make your favorite cookies for you, like always.”
He lowered his head. She lifted hers, her lips parting.
“I love sweets. I need some sugar now. May I?”
Denying him never crossed her mind. Kissing Cade was a dream come true. She’d never kissed anyone else. Abby had saved herself for this man, for this moment. “Yes, please.” Standing on tiptoe, she met his kiss and the joining of their lips was nothing less than perfect. Shivers of absolute bliss flooded her soul.
“Cade!” Justice’s voice broke the spell. “Dad called and said for you to get your father’s spurs from the attic in the barn. They’ll be good luck for you.”
They pulled apart and Cade smiled at her. “Will do.” he answered Justice, then he leaned his forehead against hers. “When I come back, I want to take you out on a date. Will you say ‘yes?’
“Yes.” Abby didn’t hesitate. Why would she? There was nothing or no one Abby wanted more than Cade. “I’ll be waiting for you.”
“Abby!” Justice called from inside. “Mom’s on the phone. She wants to talk to you.” Apparently Justice was still chatting with the folks.
Cade seemed reluctant to go. He kissed her on the cheek once more. “I guess I should go get those spurs. They’re packed back in a box in the loft, I think. I hope I can find them. Crockett is picking me up in a few minutes, but I’ll make sure to say
bye before I go.”
“Okay, I’ll wait for you.” She stood and watched him sprint toward the barn. Abby touched her lips. He’d kissed her. Cade was so perfect. She placed her hand over her pounding heart. This was it, the beginning of her perfect life.
Only it hadn’t turned out to be so perfect.
Justice turned the phone over to her, glad to make his escape. Their mother could talk forever. Abby listened to her mom expound on everything from Shiloh’s new girlfriend to a pair of shoes she’d found at Barton Creek Mall. Abby was polite, but her mind was on Cade. She needed to go. He might be waiting on her. When at last she could make her escape, Abby flew out to the porch. Almost immediately, she knew something was wrong. She could hear horses whinnying and stomping. And then she smelled smoke. The barn was on fire! And Cade was inside of it! She knew he was, because he hadn’t come to tell her good-bye.
“God, no! Fire! Fire!” she’d screamed over and over. Justice yelled, but he sounded far away. Knowing there was no time to waste. Abby ran for the barn, threw open the door and a wall of smoke hit her in the face.
“Cade! Cade!” she screamed. As she ran toward the back, Abby released the stall doors one by one. The horses ran madly for the barn door. One of them knocked her down, but she rolled to one side, still screaming Cade’s name.
“Abby!” It was Justice. He came barreling into the inferno. Fire was lapping at the sides and rushing across the ceiling. “Get out of here!” He grabbed her by the arm, but she pulled away. “I’ll get the rest. You head out!” he screamed at her.
Assuming she’d obey, he made sure the other horses were freed and headed in the right direction. Crackling and popping, flying embers and intense waves of heat mixed with choking smoke made everything seem like an insurmountable task.
“Cade!” Abby screamed, heading for the loft. She was sobbing, the loft was consumed in a curtain of fire. “Cade!”
“He’s not in here, Abby!” Justice yelled. “Get out!”
“No, he’s here. I saw him come in!” She made a wild, frantic dash toward the back. “He may be in the loft or in the office. I have to find him!”
