Chapter 21 #2
I forced a smile to my face and went to join the single father and the young teacher with rosy cheeks, plump lips, and twinkling blue eyes. Even in a bulky coat and a red hat with ear flaps, she was pretty.
“Wyn, have you met Ms. Thomas?” Archer asked as I joined them.
“Call me Livy,” she said with a welcoming smile. “I was just telling Archer that I’m sorry about Lenni’s suspension.”
His name on her lips sounded far too familiar for my liking.
“I pleaded with the principal not to suspend her, but he said he couldn’t let the fighting stand,” Livy said. “He did reduce her suspension from three days to one, considering she’s a new student and being the new kid takes some adjusting.”
“Thanks for going to bat for her,” I said.
“Well, I thought with such extenuating circumstances . . .” She looked at Archer. “How are things going? Is she settling into a routine?”
“I think so,” Archer said. “Wyn’s been a huge help.”
“She’s a bright kid,” Livy said with a wide smile. “Funny, too.”
“You barely know her,” I blurted out. “I mean, Lenni hasn’t even been in school a full week. How can you possibly get a read on her so fast?”
Archer looked at me, his brow furrowing.
Mildred shifted beneath my coat, and I unzipped the top of it. Her head popped out.
“Oh!” Livy exclaimed and then started to laugh. “I wasn’t expecting that.”
A little boy, maybe about seven-years-old ran up to Livy. His cheeks were flushed pink, and his hat was askew. Livy fixed it instinctively.
“You promised me you’d go sledding with me,” he said to her.
“I did promise,” Livy said with a wide smile at him. “Trav, this is Wyn and Archer.”
“Hello,” he said absently in our direction.
“My son will not be taking no for an answer,” she said with a shake of her head. “Lead the way, Trav. But you’re hauling the sled up the hill.”
Livy smiled a goodbye at us and then followed her son up the mountain.
“Stand down, Tiger,” Archer quipped.
“What?” I demanded, absently rubbing the top of Mildred’s head while I searched for Lenni in the sea of sledding children.
“I thought you were going to go right for her jugular,” Archer teased.
“I was not.”
“No? You looked a little . . .”
“A little what?”
“Jealous,” he supplied. “You looked—and sounded—jealous. Territorial, too.”
“You’re deluded.”
“Hmm. Yeah, I don’t think so, Wynelope.”
“Get over yourself, Archie.”
He stepped closer and pitched his voice low. “Or, you could get under me. Seems like that’d be a great way to work out the jealousy problem you have.”
“I don’t have a jealousy problem.”
Did my voice sound breathless?
“You’re the one with a jealousy problem,” I retorted.
“How do you figure?”
“You were nearly apoplectic when you heard that Garrett and I were talking.”
“He picked you up and twirled you. Not the same thing as what Livy and I were doing. Talking. And you were here the whole time,” he pointed out. “Lenni didn’t tell me Livy had a kid.”
“Maybe she didn’t know,” I pointed out. “Teachers aren’t real people until you see them outside the classroom.”
I finally caught sight of Lenni. She was at the top of the hill, and she was talking to another child. Lenni got onto her sled and the other kid gave her a push.
She wasn’t too great at directing the sled, letting it just zoom down the packed trail of snow. But her shrieks of laughter echoed off the mountain side and warned those in her path.
Archer grasped my arm and hauled me out of the way before Lenni came to a stop mere inches from where I’d been standing.
“Yeehaw!” Lenni cried. “I’m doing that again!”
“Okay, now it’s your turn,” Lenni said to me.
“My turn to what?” I asked.
“To sled,” she stated. “I’ll hold Mildred in my coat while you go have some fun.”
“I’m having fun watching you,” I stated. “I don’t need to go sledding.”
“Archer,” Lenni whined. “Make her go down the hill at least once.”
Archer nodded. “We’re not leaving here until you’ve had a run down the mountain.”
I rolled my eyes. “This is ridiculous. Why don’t you two just go again? I’m fine watching. I swear.”
Lenni gave the sled to her father and then held her hands out. “Millie. Now.”
“When did you become so bossy?” I asked, reluctantly unzipping my coat and extracting Mildred, who did not like to be out in the elements.
“It’s for your own good,” Lenni said. “And then I promise we can go get hot chocolate.”
“Are you bribing me?” I demanded.
“Yes. Is it working?”
“Kind of . . . yeah.”
“I don’t trust you,” Lenni said to me as she cradled Mildred against her chest. “Archer’s going to make sure you go down the hill.”
I helped zip up her coat and raised my brows. “Excuse me?”
“Yeah, you’re going to ride the sled together,” she informed us.
“I’m tall. And he’s tall. We’ll never fit,” I protested.
“Won’t know until you try.” She pointed to the top of the hill and waited.
I looked at Archer for help.
He shook his head and shrugged. “You heard the kid. Let’s go.”
Archer and I began our tromp up the hill.
“This is ridiculous,” I stated.
“How long has it been since you’ve gone sledding?” he asked.
“I don’t know? Fifteen years?”
“Long past due for some fun. Do it for your inner child,” he remarked.
“My inner child is fine.”
“How’s your hand feeling?” he asked.
“Hurts a bit. But I’m okay.” I paused. “I never did thank you for taking care of it. For taking care of me.”
“I had to wrangle you.”
I took a deep breath. “I’m not used to people making a fuss over me.”
“Yeah, because you’re too busy taking care of everyone else around you. It’s hard for you to let someone else take care of you.”
I didn’t like that he knew that about me. It made me feel vulnerable.
I didn’t reply.
We made it to the top of the hill and Archer set the sled down. “You get on first.”
“You sure?”
“Yep.”
He held the sled in place while I got situated, moving as far forward as possible. He sat down behind me. His legs bracketed mine and then he scooted so close that I was pressed against his chest and his arms wrapped around me. Not too tight. But tight enough that I felt secure.
Protected.
For just a moment, we sat there. Together.
He lowered his head and rested his chin on my shoulder. “Ready?”
“Yep.”
He pushed off, sending us flying down the mountain.
When we got to the bottom of the hill to a waiting Lenni, her smile bright with excitement and happiness, I felt more right in Archer’s arms than wrong—which scared me more than anything I’d ever felt before.
I hastily shook him off.
“Well? Did I earn my hot chocolate?” I asked as Archer dropped his arms from around me.
“And a donut,” Lenni informed me.
“Let’s pack it in,” Archer said as he stood.
He held out a hand to me.
I looked at it for a moment and then gave him my non-injured, gloved palm. He helped me rise but didn’t drop my hand.
Something had shifted between us this morning. Maybe it had been when he saw that I hadn’t slept well, or when he took care of my burned hand. But Archer was different with me now. Charming and playful, yes. But honest and solicitous too.
“You’re a good partner,” he said, staring into my eyes. “And not just when it comes to sledding.”
“You want Mildred back?” Lenni asked, completely oblivious to what was going on between me and her father.
“Nah, you keep her,” I said.
“I wanna say goodbye to Ms. Thomas. Be back in a sec!” Lenni said as she scampered off.
“Ms. Thomas,” I huffed.
Archer leaned down and picked up the sled, chuckling.
“She doesn’t even look old enough to have a seven-year-old son,” I said.
“Do I look old enough to have an eleven-year-old daughter?” he fired back. “And if the answer is yes, lie to me.”