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Annie tried to smile, but all she could think about was the fact that she wanted to watch the northern lights with Declan by her side. Dwight was nothing more than a friend, while Declan made her heart pitter-patter. And there was nothing more painful than standing here with another man while she was being hit with the realization that she was falling head over heels for Declan. It almost took her breath away, this feeling that hit her like a punch in the gut.

There was no sense pining away for Declan. He wasn’t the type who would embrace the idea of settling down. She needed to focus on men who wanted the same things in life as she did. A solid man like Dwight! She didn’t feel any romantic sparks with Dwight, but she knew that her focus should be on men like him.

“Have you ever been on a toboggan?” Dwight asked, his eyes radiating enthusiasm.

“Sure. A few times here and there when I was a kid,” she said, injecting her voice with eagerness. She didn’t want to hurt Dwight’s feelings or make him think she’d checked out of their date.

“A few people are going up to Cupid’s Hill to sled. Wanna join them?”

Annie looked over at the hill. She could see a group of people careening down the slope on their sleds. It looked like a lot of fun. And Dwight had such an expectant look on his face. There was absolutely no shot of them becoming romantically involved, so she felt obligated to show Dwight that at least she was a good sport.

“Okay,” she said with a tight smile. “Let’s do it.”

By the time Annie had made her way to the top of the hill, she felt winded. From way up on top of Cupid’s Hill, it was a long way to the bottom. She was starting to feel nervous. It had been a long time since she’d ridden one of these things.

“We can just grab one of these sleds. Everyone ends up sharing anyway,” Dwight explained. He picked out two big toboggans and dragged them over to the top of the run.

“Dwight, I’m not sure I want to do this,” she said, biting her lip. “We’re really high up here. I’m not exactly the sporty type.”

Dwight put his arm around her. “It just looks intimidating, Annie. Trust me. We’ve been tobogganing down this hill since we were little kids.”

Annie peered down the hill. It was a pretty steep incline. She shook her head. “I’m walking back down. I’m sorry to be a killjoy, Dwight, but I’m a little nervous.”

“Hey. Why don’t we go down together? I’ll steer us, okay?”

Annie nodded. Dwight held the toboggan and ushered her to sit down. Annie placed her feet firmly on the snow and straddled the sled, then gingerly sat down. She took another look at the steep incline. It was enough to make her dizzy. Calm down, a little voice buzzed in her head. Live courageously. Wasn’t that her motto for her new life in Alaska?

Just as she caught a glimpse of Dwight positioning himself next to the toboggan, she felt a shift in the sled’s position. She let out a cry as the toboggan began to slide down the hill without Dwight on it. With his guttural screams ringing in her ears, Annie held on for dear life as the toboggan careened down the hill at breakneck speed. With no way of stopping the runaway sled and her heart firmly lodged in her throat, all Annie could do was pray to make it out of this without breaking every bone in her body.

* * *

Declan sat at the bottom of Cupid’s Hill, looking out at Deer Run Lake. There was a tranquility about this place that settled over him like a warm blanket. It was his favorite location in town for that very reason. Everything seemed clearer out here. He could think without the doubts creeping in. Life seemed way simpler when he was standing here, bathed in moonlight and staring up at a star-filled sky.

He turned toward the hill, chuckling as he watched a group of teenagers come to a stop mere seconds before they would have skidded onto the lake. They triumphantly gave each other high fives. Sledding on Cupid’s Hill was tricky due to the steep slope of the hill and the way a smattering of trees intersected the route. People who didn’t know what they were doing might break their necks by crashing into the copse of trees at the bottom of the hill. Declan had seen quite a few terrible accidents over the years.

“I think someone might be in trouble,” one of the teens said, pointing toward the slope.

He followed the boy’s gaze and saw the flash of pink, accompanied by the sound of feminine screams as the sled came careening down the hill. Annie! He could see her brown hair flying wildly around her face and the earmuffs covering her ears. One quick glance revealed that she wasn’t even attempting to control the toboggan. She was going way too fast and heading directly toward the trees. Declan ran toward her path and veered to the right. With a wild cry he lunged for the reins, using all his weight to jerk the sled toward him. As if in slow motion, he saw Annie roll off the sled and land facedown in the snow.

“Annie!” he yelled, letting go of the reins and scrambling to get to her. When he reached the spot where she lay motionless, he heard her moan softly. “Are you all right?” he asked, gently turning her on her side. Her earmuffs were askew, and snow and ice particles clung to her face.

After a few moments, her eyes fluttered open. “Declan!” she whispered. “You saved me. Again.”

Declan blew out a deep breath. “You scared me half to death, Annie. What in the world did you think you were doing, coming down that slope like a runaway train?” He frowned at her. “You could have broken your neck.”

Annie struggled to sit up. He steadied her by her arms until she got her bearings. Without any kind of warning, she threw her arms around him and clung to him as if he was a life preserver. He could feel the rapid ins and outs of her breathing through her parka. She was mumbling something that he couldn’t quite decipher.

All he knew was that he didn’t want to let Annie go. It felt so right to be holding her in his arms and giving her a soft place to fall.

Chapter Ten

Talk about a thrill ride! Annie could still feel her pulse racing like crazy from her dramatic ride down Cupid’s Hill. Declan coming to her rescue would go down in her memory as one of the most exciting and heartwarming moments of her life. It had been swoon worthy! Just as she had thought all hope was lost of being able to maneuver herself out of harm’s way, he had swept in and taken control of her toboggan like the French chevaliers she enjoyed reading about in medieval history. The look of intensity and fear etched on Declan’s face was one she would never forget.

Her cheeks felt flushed at the memory of the way she’d enthusiastically embraced him in the aftermath of her rescue. She hadn’t given a single thought to all of the onlookers. All of a sudden she’d looked up, and Dwight had been standing there. He’d raced all the way down the hill to make sure she was in one piece.

Poor Dwight, she thought. He had looked rather shell-shocked, as if the events of the evening were too much for him to grasp. She felt so guilty. Dwight was her date, but her thoughts were so wrapped up in Declan at the moment, she could barely see straight.

Once the excitement wound down, Dwight walked her back to the concession stand, where word had traveled fast about Declan’s quick thinking. Sophie wanted Annie to recount every detail of her escapade. Annie happily complied. She didn’t want there to be a single solitary doubt that Declan was a hero. At one point, Sophie sent her a knowing glance that caused her to wonder if she had gushed too much.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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