Rescued by the Major (Winter Rescue)

1. Anders

1

ANDERS

The wind picks up in an instant, blowing my hair into my eyes, making me want to curse. I’ve let it grow since I’ve been out, proof I’m not bound by the rigid structure of military life any longer. A reminder to myself every time I looked in the mirror. Because I can’t seem to shake it any other way. The sharp corners of my bed every morning prove that. Not to mention the way I can’t seem to sleep late, my heart jumping in my throat every morning, and the fear I’m going to be late for a roll call that doesn’t exist anymore making my pulse race.

I stumble, the armful of wood slipping in my grasp as pain lances up my leg. The need to pause and catch my breath grates on me. Nothing is as easy as it used to be. Not even walking on a flat surface. So why I chose to come to this cabin when I was done with all the required rehab, I still haven’t figured out.

Because you can be alone up here. The thought pops into my head, unwelcome, but also, true.

I growl, pushing the idea away, and tighten my grip on the logs, then climb the few steps in front of me to the porch. Once I’m under the roof, the wind is less biting, and my balance is more secure.Never would I have thought a gust of wind would be enough to knock me down, but I’m living with a lot of things I didn’t expect right now. And it pisses me off all the more.

Stomping across the porch, the sound of my uneven steps echoes, and I ignore the shame that surges up in me at another reminder I’m not the man I used to be. Because if I think about it, I’ll just be reminded of the way she looked at me all those months ago, mouth pinched with what I knew from experience was disappointment. It had settled in me that instant, the sure knowledge she’d been walking away. The diamond ring she handed to Evan in the hallway the next day had only confirmed what I already knew. Gabriella wasn’t going to shackle herself to a man who’d likely never walk right again. Who wore his past for all to see on his skin. She was too good for that.

The logs tumble from my arms in front of the fireplace, and I blink in surprise. I hadn’t even realized I’d covered that distance and yet, here I am. Those moments of blank loss, where I wake from an unconscious period, I didn’t even realize I was in, trouble me. Another reminder I’m different now.That kind of inattention can get a man killed. I should know.

A shrill sound cuts through the quiet cabin. The satellite phone Max insisted I bring with me rings, and I push myself back toward where I stashed it in the small kitchen. When I answer, I can hear the instant relief in my friend’s voice.

“Anders, so glad I got you, man. Heard there’s a big storm coming your way.”

The memory of the wind almost knocking me on my ass makes me give a disgusted laugh as I shake my head. “Yeah. It’s starting already. Won’t be long and this place will be snowed in.”

“That’s why I’m calling.” He sighs, and I go tense as I wait for the request that I leave this place, go back to the city, somewhere others can take care of me. If he doesn’t believe I can do this, no one will. Not even me.

I don’t voice those words, but they rocket around in my mind. My fists clench tight and I give myself a small amount of credit for not throwing the phone even if I hear the plastic cover protest in my grip.

“We need your help.” Max’s voice pulls me back to reality. “One of Livvy’s friends, Eva. She’s been going through some stuff and needed to get away. Livvy told her about the mountain. We rented a cabin for her, but she hasn’t checked in. Livvy did a search for her phone when she didn’t answer, and we got a signal back. It looks like the phone is somewhere near you.”

He pauses, and I hear his wife’s voice in the background. Livvy is smart and determined, and more than that, she made my friend smile again even after losing her brother in the same battle that wounded Max. They’re a family now, and I’m happy for him. I once hoped for the same thing. Now I’m just glad one of us got what we wanted out of life.

“Will you go look for her?” Max asks, and the request stuns me. “I can give you the coordinates we got from the location signal. It’s a start, at least.”

I look out the windows. The tips of the trees are starting to whip now. Back and forth, a promise of what’s to come. The weather up here can turn brutal fast, and anyone caught out in it is in danger.

“Give me what you’ve got,” I say, my voice tense with an emotion I can’t quite name. The pad of paper and pencil I keep on the counter are close and I snatch them up, scribbling down the numbers as Max reads them off.

“Thanks, man,” he says.

Livvy speaks in the background again, and I can hear her more clearly, thanking me for being willing to try.

Max pauses, and I can imagine the way his arm slips around her waist, a comforting squeeze between them, before he adds, “I knew we could count on you. Stay safe up there.”

The line goes dead, and I stare at the phone for a second. Emotion twists in my stomach and I rest my hand over the spot, as if I could touch it. Gratitude spreads out from that point, filling me, and my shoulders straighten as I stand a little taller, not even realizing how hunched over I’ve been until this moment. The trust my friends have shown me, that they’re asking me to do this even knowing the extent of my injuries, makes me think that maybe I’m not a lost cause after all.

I move, faster than I have in a long time, bringing in more wood so it’s ready to go when I get back. Then I grab my gear, the SAT phone, and after a moment’s hesitation, my gun. They said Eva was going through something, which tells me she’s running. But from what, I don’t know. Better to be armed and ready than not. Just in case.