Chapter 10
SAMMIE
Don't look down. Don’t. Look. Down.
It's not that I'm afraid of heights, exactly. But I am afraid of falling off these two thick planks and into the angry river below, possibly snapping an ankle in the process.
Breathe in. Breathe out. There are people who need help.
It's only twenty feet across, yet it feels like a mile.
Meanwhile Kane casually walked across while carrying two cases of water like it was nothing.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
I try to focus on my sneakers, shuffling along the planks without really seeing the water below. I'm just glad we made a quick detour so I could rush home and change into jeans. If I tried to do this with a skirt swirling around my legs, I would definitely panic.
"That’s it, baby."
I look up to see Kane smiling at me, holding the thick rope we're using as a handrail. "Nice even steps. Even if they're small."
"You've totally got this, Sammie," Walker calls out from behind me. The knowledge that he’s standing on the planks to steady them gives me the courage to shuffle forward.
“You're doing so good, baby. I’m so proud of you." Kane’s radiant smile lights me up from the inside.
Half an hour ago, meeting up with everyone in the grocery store parking lot, my head was swimming as I was introduced to Griffin, Carson, and Walker, known collectively as the Dirty brothers since that's their last name. For real.
Then I met Kai and Kellen. Nobody said a word about the fact Kane’s arm was around my waist and that we’re clearly together. There were just huge grins, then everyone went straight into work mode.
That helped me when I had to…not exactly order them around, but ask for what I needed to cook such quantities of food. Everyone listened to me and treated me like one of the team.
Townspeople were staring, but I didn’t even care. I actually stepped outside myself and got to a place where it didn’t matter if people were analyzing me.
I hold onto that as I keep stepping.
It warmed my heart when I saw Kane and Kai working with the grocery staff to prepare a ton of gift cards. Sounds like they want to replace the groceries that might go bad in everyone's refrigerators—
Focus, girl.
Left foot. Right foot. Breathe. Shuffle. Hold onto the rope for dear life.
I hold back a smile. The amount of good Kane and his brothers do in the world is inspirational. No wonder people stare. At least it's in a good way.
Now I know that, I’ll get through it. Assuming I don’t fall into this river and knock myself senseless.
"Almost there,” Kane calls out. “Deep breaths. Keep going."
His eyes glow as I move forward steadily and finally step into his arms. "Great job, baby."
Then he kisses me, his arm wrapped around my waist, still holding the rope and not caring who sees us. The warmth of his kiss sends sparkles through my heart.
From here, I can see the nearby bridge with a massive fallen tree blocking it. It’s surrounded by men with chainsaws, making a plan before they start cutting.
Kane nods to the RV behind him. "Do you want to get set up? We'll haul everything over the river, and then you can set me to prepping while Walker drives."
"Sure. What about Kai and Kellen?"
"They’ve already gone on ahead with water and sandwiches. They’ve got a pod coffee machine and a battery to plug it into. They’ll tell everyone hot food is coming, and we're to follow their trail on the map."
"Perfect."
An hour later, I have to admit, I'm having the time of my life. We’ve developed a rhythm with our system: it's not exactly safe to cook in a moving vehicle, but desperate times and all that.
We do, however, draw the line at knife work.
So whenever we stop for Walker to run steaming hot containers of pasta to houses, Kane and I chop like crazy.
I adore the way Kane seems to know every inch of these roads. Whenever we approach a hill or a rough spot, his hand wraps around my waist. His tree trunk legs bend slightly as he braces, holding me steady.
It's also hilarious how he has to duck in this small space, although he hasn't complained once.
"The last house is up ahead," Walker calls out.
"Good – we're nearly out of food," Kane jokes.
After we park, he jumps out, then takes my hand, swinging me into his arms off the bottom step.
Two middle-aged women who look so alike they must be sisters are already fawning all over Walker. "What a sweet boy you are to think of us out here. Your friends said you were coming."
One of them grabs Walker's arm and shepherds him around to the back of the house. "We had just started our annual freezer cleanout when the power went off, so we need to use up the last of these steaks and sausages. Think you can help us out there?"
We follow them around to a patio, where Kai, Kellen, Carson and Griffin are sitting around a picnic table stuffing their faces, a huge platter of meat in front of them.
A younger version of the first two women is turning ears of corn on the barbecue. Her eyes light up when she sees me. "Hi! You must be Sammie. And you must be starving after cooking in that RV all afternoon. How do you like your steak?"
By the time we've crossed the makeshift bridge back out of Cedarvale and returned to Kane's truck, I'm so full of steak, corn and roasted peppers that I might not eat for a week.
Today’s adventure has given me a real taste of what it might be like to live here on the mountain. Not just the extreme weather and occasionally volatile conditions.
I saw real community – mechanics jumping in to take care of vehicles. Tech guys doing manual labor at the drop of a hat. People at the grocery store bending over backward to help in times of need.
And all the while, Kane cared for me, even as I was trying to help others.
Looking over at his gorgeous profile in the fading light just after sunset, I can hear the truth ringing in my head.
It doesn't matter that things have moved so fast. Doesn't matter that he's older. Doesn't matter that we're very different in many ways.
Kane is the man for me. Forever.
And maybe it's all the fresh air and hard work talking, but I’m practically counting the minutes until I can throw him into bed and devour him.