Chapter 24
Twenty-Four
J ackson bolted off the bridge, his heart thudding with dread.
“Where is she?” He didn’t care that he was yelling at the reverend. All that mattered was getting to Sage before she was lost to him.
“She was just here.” Pastor Abe was scanning the mountain road.
Jackson careened down the path that led to where he’d last seen her. “Sage!”
“Help me, Jackson!” Her faint voice wobbled with fear.
“Where are you?” He surveyed the woodland that rose steeply on one side of the road. The route wouldn’t be easy—would even be treacherous—but it was possible someone had hauled her up and into the woods.
“I’m here!” Her voice came again, this time closer.
He paused, examining the shadows of the woodland again, but he didn’t spot her anywhere amongst the pine and fir trees.
“Hurry!” she called. “I don’t know how much longer I can hang on.”
Hang on?
His gaze shifted to the other side, the steep drop that fell to the river bottoms below. At the sight of a portion of earth that looked like it had given way into a cascade of rocks and dirt, his heart plummeted to the bottom of his chest.
Already Abe was veering toward the spot. Jackson shot out an arm to block him from going any closer. If they loosened any more of the earth it would fall onto Sage and whatever precarious hold she had.
Abe halted, and his expression turned solemn. “What should we do?”
Jackson’s mind spun in a vortex of all the possibilities. Only one solution was viable. And if he didn’t act immediately, even that wouldn’t work.
“Grab on to my legs, Reverend.” That was all the explanation Jackson had time to offer before he dropped to his knees, flattened himself on the ground, and then stretched out so that his head was peering over the ledge.
At the sight of Sage hanging on to a protruding tree root with both hands but dangling in the air, his body nearly froze with the horror of the moment. Thankfully she wasn’t wearing her gloves, which would have made holding the limb much more difficult.
As it was, her knuckles were white and her veins prominent, the sure sign she was struggling to keep her hold. How long before she lost her grip?
For an instant, he was back at the bridge in the spring, staring at the unfolding disaster and in particular one of the workers who’d held on to a beam, suspended above the wreckage below. He’d called for help, and Jackson had nearly fallen off the broken bridge in his attempt to reach the fellow. But before he could snake his way down the remaining beam to grab on, the man had first lost one grip, then ten seconds later, he’d lost his other grip and had dropped. He’d yelled all the way down, and when he’d landed, silence had settled over the bridge, with only the river mocking them with its rushing life.
Jackson’s throat went suddenly dry at the prospect of Sage losing her hold. “Don’t let go.” He tried to keep his voice calm, didn’t want her to get more nervous than she already was.
“Help me, Jackson.” Her voice was strained, as if she was already having trouble.
“I’m coming.” He inched his way over the cliffside, and at the same time, he felt the reverend’s strong arms wrap around his ankles, anchoring him in place.
Jackson knew he couldn’t go straight down, not with the landslide that had already taken place. Instead, he had to angle his way toward her. It would take longer, but it was the safer route.
“Hold on, love.” Jackson used his most soothing tone as he scooted down even more, stretching for her hand on the root. If he could just grasp her hand…
He had to get a little closer.
Roots and rocks and prickly plants scratched at his stomach and his face. Though the sun was barely above the eastern range and only beginning to chase away the chill from the night, perspiration formed on his brow.
“I’m almost there.” He pushed himself over the ledge just a little farther. He could feel the strain on his legs and ankles where the reverend was clinging to him so tightly his knees felt like they might come out of their joints.
“Hurry,” she said in an urgent whisper.
He lunged, trying to snag her wrist, but he missed. God above, help him. The reverend had been more than right. Sage was not only a treasure. She was the greatest treasure he’d ever known. Hopefully she could accept his obsessive tendencies, because they would be mostly about her. Hopefully she could accept that he would hover and be jealous and need her too much at times. And hopefully she would be patient with him as he tried to change so that he wasn’t so hovering and jealous and needy.
God, You gave her to me. Don’t take her from me yet. Not until I have the chance to prove I can cherish her as she deserves.
The silent plea rose in desperation as he dove for her again. This time his fingers circled her wrist. “I’ve got you.”
A half sob escaped from her lips.
He could feel his own body slipping down, as if his weight was simply too much for Pastor Abe to bear. Would he and Sage both tumble to their deaths below?
He managed to wrap his other hand around her second one so he was clasping on to both of her arms now. “Pull me up!” he shouted over his shoulder in the direction of the reverend. “Now!”
At the heave on his legs, Jackson tugged on Sage, attempting to drag her with him.
She’d turned her face up to his and was watching him with rounded eyes that were brimming with fear.
“I won’t let you go,” he said. “Not here at this moment, and not ever.” Now wasn’t the time or place to declare his love and intentions to her. But the words had slipped out anyway, almost inevitably.
She watched him with trusting eyes, her lashes wet with tears.
He hauled her again, pulling her up a few more inches. “Promise you won’t let go of me either.”
She managed a nod.
Behind him, Abe grunted. No doubt he was in agony with the strain of holding two people.
With another heave, Jackson dug deep inside to the last of the strength he had. “Pull now!” he shouted at Pastor Abe. The reverend seemed to put his whole body into the hauling, and at the same time Jackson poured out everything, roaring with the pain of the effort, tugging her the rest of the distance.
In the next instant, she was crawling forward on solid ground, using her feet to propel her upward even more. He didn’t stop pulling until she was well away from the edge of the cliff. Even then, he dragged her backward.
Pastor Abe released him and fell on his knees, breathing hard.
Suddenly weak and nearly sick to his stomach, Jackson sat back. He lifted Sage onto his lap then wrapped his arms around her and buried his face into her neck.
He’d come so close to losing her. Too close.
His heart was pounding hard, and he wheezed in a breath past his constricted airways.
Her arms slid around him, and she sidled closer so that he could feel her whole body shaking. She obviously understood, too, that she’d had a brush with death and had barely survived it.
His senses filled with the light fragrance of her soap, the softness of her skin, the silk of her hair, and the warmth of her body.
She was safe. She was with him. She was his. The three thoughts rolled through his mind over and over.
As his heartbeat slowed and his breathing evened out, one thought rose above all the others. He loved her. It began to repeat in his mind until it was a mantra that was echoing loudly.
Although he still didn’t deserve her, he loved her, and he wanted to do whatever he could to make himself strong enough and worthy of her. Even if that took a lifetime, he’d do it so she would always know just how much he adored her.
First, though, he had to apologize for last night.
He loosened his hold just a little.
As if sensing his need to say something, she tugged back, forcing him to release her more. “Thank you for saving me,” she whispered, her forehead now near his lips.
He didn’t restrain himself. He couldn’t. His lips brushed her brow gently, then harder as his passion swelled like it usually did.
She didn’t move, probably didn’t know what his kiss meant, not after last night.
He tilted away enough that he could see into her eyes—eyes full of questions and doubt and even pain.
“I love you, Sage.” The whispered words were out before he could stop them. “I should have said it last night because I knew it then. I’ve known it for a while.”
Her gaze softened. She opened her mouth to say something, but he lifted two fingers to her lips to silence her. He had to finish his speech before he lost his train of thought or got distracted or kissed her or all of those things.
“I don’t feel worthy of having you,” he said. “Not when I’m still a beast at times.”
“It’s okay,” she mumbled against him. “I understand.”
“No, I need to grow and change and become better.” Her lips were so soft against his fingers, so full, so beautiful. Maybe it had been a mistake to touch them. Already his mind was veering away from the much-needed apology and filling with the longing to rub his thumb across her bottom lip.
“I need to grow too,” she whispered.
“I love you just the way you are.” His thumb disobeyed his head and caressed her bottom lip. It was every bit as perfect as he remembered.
“I don’t know, Jackson.” A wrinkle formed in her brow. “What if you regret choosing me?”
“You might regret choosing me.” He shifted his fingers and drew a line along her elegant cheekbone. “You’ve seen how my mind works, and you know that it’s different than other men. I get focused on something like my bridge and become obsessed with it and then I can’t let it go.”
“I love that about you.”
“You do?”
“It just shows how passionate you are about the things you care about.”
He dropped his gaze, suddenly embarrassed by what he needed her to know next. “The truth is, that’s happened with you the same way, Sage. I’m so focused on you that you’re in my mind all the time. You’re all I think about, all I want, and all I need.”
She didn’t respond.
He waited another second before peeking up at her face.
She was smiling. And her smile was beautiful and happy, filling her eyes with light and turning them a vibrant blue. Did that mean she wasn’t put off by his obsession with her?
“Do you think you can tolerate the kind of man who might smother you at times with his attention and ardor?”
She slid her arms around his neck. “I’d much rather have you showing me too much affection than too little.” Her gaze dropped to his lips.
Sudden heat cascaded through him. “Would you now?”
“I would,” she whispered, tightening her hold around his neck and at the same time pulling his head down.
She didn’t have to work too hard because he was more than ready to kiss her. In fact, in some ways he felt as though he’d been born to spend his life with this woman, holding her and kissing her.
He let her initiate the kiss, softly touching her lips to his, gently caressing him, sweetly tugging and tangling with his lips. She was everything he needed to survive in life. As long as he had her, he’d be able to do anything else.
As her fingers slid into his hair at the back of his neck, the pressure of her lips seemed to change, growing more needy and letting him know that she wanted to show him affection too.
Her need and desire seemed to give him permission to unleash his. His fingers on her back tightened, and he pressed her closer. He started to angle in, hungry for her mouth more fully. But before he could capture her, Pastor Abe cleared his throat loudly right behind them.
She jumped, nearly breaking free, except Jackson didn’t want her to go anywhere, needed her close, couldn’t release her yet, not after what had happened.
“So lovely to see you two together,” Pastor Abe was saying through his cough. “But I do suggest that you be careful not to stir up too much desire until after you’re married.”
Sage had definitely told him about their fake marriage.
It was probably for the best. And Pastor Abe was right. They didn’t want to instigate more desires than they already had. Not until after they were married.
And they were getting married. At least he wanted to. Why shouldn’t they?
As if hearing his unspoken question, she hesitated. “We’re from two different worlds, Jackson?—”
“You’re the only woman I’ll ever want or need.”
Her beautiful eyes rounded hopefully. “Are you sure?”
He caressed her jawline—couldn’t help himself. “Are you sure about me? You know about my tendency to make messes?—”
She was the one to cut him off this time as she gently dragged a finger across his bottom lip. “That’s why we fit so well together, because I love to organize your messes.”
He peered into her eyes, love radiating there. “Then will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”