Page 70 of Mistletoe Mischief

“Alia!” Neil yelled, cupping his free hand over his mouth. “It was a fucking bunny! You nearly killed Pike over a rascally rabbit!”

“Shut up, Neil,” Ryler snapped, grunting as she pulled. Kit swung his camera onto his back and reached for Pike’s other hand, helping her lift him out of the water.

“How’s the water?” Kit asked, the corner of his mouth twitching.

“Like ice.”

“I think I’ll pass, then.”

Ryler was about sick of all her friends right now. Worry twisted her gut up like a corkscrew, and she stroked a hand over Pike’s forehead. His lips looked a little blue to her, and he was shivering.

“I’ve got no service,” Neil said.

“What … the hell hit me?” Pike whispered.

“My cousin,” Ryler said dryly.

Pike blinked, and Ryler was struck by how beautifully blue his eyes were. “Are you telling me I got knocked out by a hundred-pound woman?”

“Would you rather I lie to you?” she asked.

“I’m going to catch up to Alia before she takes off with the car and leaves us stranded,” Neil said, passing Kit the puppy. “Hopefully, I’ll have a better signal down by the cars.”

“I’m alright,” Pike said, his arms wrapped around his soaking wet frame. “Don’t call anyone. We can just go to the lodge.”

Ryler saw something that looked like blood and grabbed him by the chin.

“Ow, my beard!” Pike said as she turned his head to the right.

“You’ve got a cut above your ear. Does it sting?”

Pike reached back, his fingers coming away bloody. “I didn’t notice it until you said something.”

“Shit, I’ve heard about moms lifting up cars to save a trapped child, but never a woman knocking a man four feet into the air when she’s scared,” Kit said, waving at Alia and Neil when they came into view. “Good news, Alia. You didn’t kill him.”

“Not yet anyway, but the hypothermia in my extremities is definitely becoming an issue,” Pike chattered. “If I freeze to death, it’s par for the course for how my day has gone so far.”

“You should strip off your clothes,” Kit said, and Ryler’s jaw dropped.

“I’m not stripping here and walking naked back to my car. I have a blanket in my trunk that will at least save my dignity.”

“How far is the nearest hospital?” Ryler asked.

“We don’t need to go to the hospital,” Pike said, taking a step toward the trail. “They have a doctor at the lodge down the road.”

“Damn, what kind of bougie hotel has their own concierge doctor?” Neil asked, coming in on the conversation.

“They don’t. He bought the place when he retired.”

Ryler shook her head. “Pike, he won’t have any medical equipment—”

Ryler quieted when he covered her hand with his and gave it a squeeze. “It’s just a bump on the head and some wet clothes, Kitten. Get me back to the car, and I can fix half my problems.”

“I am so sorry, Pike,” Alia said, her voice hoarse. “I heard the bushes rustle, and this brown thing poked its head out, and I just panicked.”

“Yeah, I figured that out after I went flying through the air and ended up in the pond,” he said, shuffling down the trail. Ryler could only imagine how those wet jeans were rubbing against his skin if he wasn’t wearing boxer briefs.

“I’m still concerned about the weather turning,” Pike called over his shoulder. “You guys should probably head back to town.”