“Oh! River! I see you,” Gillian called. “Here we are, boy!”
There. She was there. Safe. Dry. Smiling that beautiful smile of hers and flinging out her arms in welcome, she was the most beautiful sight Tucker had ever seen. As he scrambled to the canyon floor, he took the first easy breath he’d managed all day.
“Glory.” He reached her and wrapped her in his arms, buried his face in her hair, and shuddered. “Oh, hell, Gillian. You scared me to death.”
“I sprained my ankle, but I knew you’d find me,” Gillian continued. “You’re earlier than I expected too. Tucker, you’ll be so proud of me! I’m so proud of myself!”
Proud. Tucker dragged his hand down his face as she babbled on. Proud wasn’t the first word that came to mind.
“I was Anna Acronym, I’ll have you know. S.U.R.V.I.V.A.L. Queen, that’s me. I kept my cool and made good decisions that didn’t make the situation any worse. Look at the shelter I built. It kept us nice and dry during the thunderstorm last night.”
She continued to talk, parroting back lessons he’d taught her during the Survival 101 class. Tucker knew he should be happy that she’d managed so well, that she’d taken his lessons to heart and put them to use them when she’d needed them the most. But now that his fear was easing, the fog dissipating, temper stirred.
He interrupted. “Where the hell is your phone?”
She winced. “Well, see, the screen shattered, so when it fell into the pond, it died.”
He looked from Gillian to the pool then back to Gillian once again. “How?”
“Well, I lost my temper and threw it. Yes, yes, yes, I know it was stupid, and that isn’t like me, but believe me. I was provoked.”
She rattled off a story about Jeremy and his wife, which only stoked the coals of anger glowing in Tucker’s gut.
“Then the owl flew at me, and I jumped about a foot in the air and tripped over Peaches’ leash and hurt my ankle.”
“How bad is it?”
She gave him a rundown and demonstration that convinced him she would not be walking out of Enchanted Canyon today. He was mentally reviewing their options as she finished, “But you know what? It’s okay.” She flipped her hands in a voilà gesture and declared, “I am the Wilderness Queen!”
Tucker gaped at her. Wilderness Queen? She thought he’d be proud of her?
She was safe, relatively unhurt, and at the moment, borderline euphoric. Well, yes, he probably would be proud of her. Eventually. Right now, he wanted to wring her neck.
“You scared me to death,” he repeated as he pulled his phone from his pocket. He handed it to her and said, “You need to call your mother.”
“Oh. Yes. I’m sure she was worried.”
Tucker bit back a caustic remark, stood, and walked toward his cousin, who had joined them moments ago, having followed at a slower pace. “Is she okay?” Boone asked, his gaze on Gillian, who was now speaking with her mom.
“Sprained ankle. We could carry her out, but I think the process would be quicker with a MULE.” He wasn’t talking about the four-legged animal, but one of the four-wheeled utility task vehicles they kept at the Fallen Angel Inn resort.
“Want me to go get one?”
“Think you can find your way back?”
Boone gave him a chiding look, then looked at Gillian. “She is safe if I leave her with you, right?”
“Very funny.”
“I’ve known you all your life, cuz. During a crisis, you’re ice. You only get scared when the crisis is over, and then you get pissed. You are royally pissed.”
Tucker muttered a curse, and Boone clapped him on the back and grinned. “Let me say hello to your bride, and then I’ll be on my way.”
“Don’t tell her I told you about Vegas. I’m a client, remember? I’ll get your ass disbarred.”
“Your secret is safe with me, cuz.” Smirking, Boone unhooked his water bottle from his belt and took a drink as he waited for Gillian to finish her phone call. Once she hung up and smiled at him, he said, “Hello, Gillian. Fancy running across you here.”
“Hey, Boone. Welcome home. How are the wedding plans going?”
“Eternity Springs and the North Forty are ready for Redemption to descend upon us.”
“I can’t wait. I loved Eternity Springs when I visited there in February.” She gave a little embarrassed smile as she added, “The wedding is the main reason I didn’t try to do too much on my ankle. I don’t want to be the bridesmaid that hobbles down the aisle at Caroline’s wedding.”
“As long as you’re there, I’m sure she wouldn’t mind,” Boone said gently.
Tucker cleared his throat loudly. “If y’all are done chitchattin’, Boone is going to go get a MULE to carry you out of here.”
“Oh. Okay, good.” Gillian frowned up at the trail above them and said, “That trail is awfully narrow.”
“He can come in through the creek bed,” Tucker explained. “It’s shallow and accessible.”
“I’ll be back in less than an hour.” Boone gave Tucker a pointed look as he added, “Everything okay here?”
“Fine,” Tucker snapped. “Go.”
That last exchange finally caught Gillian’s attention. She stared at Tucker, her eyes widened, and her exhilaration faded. “Tucker? What’s wrong?”
He waited until his cousin had disappeared up the trail before turning to her, his voice grim, and said, “You scared ten years off my life.”
“I’m sorry, but—”
“Let me talk,” he interrupted. “I have something I need to say.”
Gillian grimaced and held her head in the palms of her hands. “You really don’t need to lecture me. My mom covered everything from soup to nuts. I feel terrible for all of the trouble I caused. Truly, I do. It was stupid to throw—”
“I love you.”
Her hands fell to her lap. She stared at Tucker with wide, round eyes.
“I love you, Gillian,” he repeated. “I’m all in. No holding back. I want a life with you. What happened today reminded me of a lesson I learned up close and personal numerous times throughout my military career. Life is too short to waste any more time. Be my wife, Gillian. My family. Let’s make a home together. Let’s forget about this divorce nonsense and go public. Today.”
Chapter Eighteen
All the breath seemed to leave Gillian’s body. She wondered if she simply hadn’t noticed when the mule kicked her in the breadbasket. The kind of mule with four legs, not an engine.
He loved her. Tucker just told her he loved her!
Thrill washed over her like an ocean wave, sudden and fierce, but even as it crested, another more significant wave overtook it. Fear.
She thought she loved him too, but how could she be sure? She couldn’t trust herself. She’d been ready to marry and pledge her love and her life to that two-legged sand trap only four months ago!
“You promised to give me time,” she said quietly. “No pushback. You gave me your word.”
He braced his hands on his hips. “Let me tell you something about time, Gillian. The past three hours took three decades to pass. I was afraid you’d been abducted or murdered or mangled! I thought you might be dead!”