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“This is my fault. If I hadn’t taken off without checking the weather, you wouldn’t have had to come and rescue me. Plus, you got injured because you were looking back, checking on me…” He blew out a long breath. “I’m sorry.” He met my gaze. “And it sounds like I might have caused you trouble with your boss.”
I glanced at the radio and shrugged. “That’s all on me. I, uh…” My face heated to epic proportions. “I might have gone about things the wrong way because I was so…”
He stared at me expectantly and I reluctantly finished, “I was hasty because I was terrified something might happen to you. I didn’t inform anyone. I just ran out to find you on my own.” It wasn’t that I was embarrassed about being worried about a guest… I was too concerned about this particular one.
Jamie studied me for so long that the fire in my cheeks intensified. Finally, he said, “Thanks for your concern.”
He looked down at my ankle, which he still cradled. “Charlotte, what I said last night… That was just me?—”
Kendra’s voice, warped and fuzzy, interrupted him. Jamie and I both glanced at the radio. “Charlotte, you there?”
Swallowing my curiosity about what Jamie had been about to say, I picked up the device. “I’m here.”
“Mark is pretty annoyed but as long as you don’t need urgent help…”
“We’re okay where we are.”
“Okay, you’ll have to wait until the weather clears up…” I frowned as static drowned out her words again. However, I got the picture when the words, “Don’t want to make a big deal and get anyone riled up…” came through.
“Thanks, Kendra, and I need another favor.”
“Shoot.”
I told her about Lincoln and the others who were anxiously waiting for Jamie’s return. She agreed to find them and let them know he was with me and to explain our situation.
“Take care of yourself out there, Char,” Kendra said and then there was silence.
Jamie’s fingers unwrapped from my ankle and he stood. “I didn’t get what she said about not getting anyone riled up.”
“I heard enough to understand perfectly.”
I took up my backpack that had all the essentials for leading guests out into the forest. There was a small first aid kit in there that had some mild analgesics… My ankle had really started to hurt.
“Since you’re doing just fine, we don’t want to kick up a rumpus and scare the bigwigs at the resort. That might land not just me in hot water for going on a solo rescue mission in a storm, but my supervisor as well.”
He raked his fingers through his hair. “If anything like that happens, I’ll be there to back you one hundred percent. I promise.”
I gazed up at him with a small smile. “Thanks, but everything will be fine. The most important thing is that you’re alright.”
He held my gaze for so long that I practically felt the electricity crackling between us. Of course, that had me confused after what he said last night. He called me “some woman.” That stung hard. To break the awkward silence, I held up the first aid kit. “Did you get any scratches out there?”
“I’m fine.”
“Good.” Looking around, I said, “We need to find those tinned goods and blankets.”
“Rest your ankle. Tell me where everything is and I’ll get them.”
“Okay. Have you ever been camping before?”
His eyebrows dipped. “Never…”
“Hmm, well this is going to be just like camping. It’ll be fun.”
His skeptical expression sent amusement dancing through me. Poor, Mr. Billionaire. “Buckle up, James Wilfred Winchester. You’re about to slum it with me in an abandoned cabin in the woods. Yippee!”
He narrowed his gaze with mock outrage at my use of his name. “Stop saying my name like that.”
The corners of his lips then twitched with the threat of a smile. He looked much better than he did a moment ago when I saw utter sadness shadow his handsome features.
