Page 34 of Wrecked on the Mountain

The crowd cheers.

"Yeah… yeah…" Jamie works them up, adding to the drama. "We should probably give her a little extra... protection… don't you think?!"

He's playing this up for maximum effect, gesturing theatrically as he addresses his captive audience with the kind of showmanship that would make a Vegas performer jealous.

Protection?

His big tattooed arm reaches into a bag beside the platform with deliberate ceremony and pulls out a bright yellow t-shirt, holding it up for the crowd to see like he's unveiling a masterpiece.

"I Smiled for Stone River's Charity Polar Plunge!"is emblazoned across the front in bold letters, complete with a cartoon sun wearing sunglasses.

"Ta-da!" Jamie beams proudly to the delight of the townsfolk below.

"Oh, come on," I groan, but the crowd is cheering so loudly I can barely hear myself think.

"It's for charity," Jamie says with obviously fake sincerity, but his eyes are dancing with mischief. "Wouldn't want you to get cold."

The t-shirt is clearly three sizes too small. It's going to cling to every curve, every... everything. And he knows it.

"Jamie Striker," I call down to him, "you are absolutely—"

"Thoughtful?" he suggests innocently. "Considerate? Devastatingly handsome?"

The crowd laughs, and I can't help but smile despite my impending doom. There's something infectious about his confidence, his obvious enjoyment of this entire situation.

He's told me that he's all about the community, but seeing this big, gruff, bearded man in his element in front of his people like this… it's something else.

"Fine," I say, pulling the t-shirt over my head. "But if I die of hypothermia, I'm haunting you forever."

"I can think of worse fates," he replies, and the way he's looking at me makes my skin feel hot despite the freezing air.

The t-shirt is exactly as terrible as expected. It clings to my breasts, outlines my waist, and barely covers my ass. The crowd goes appropriately wild.

"Now," Jamie continues, "as medical protocol requires, Dr. Shields will give us a quick safety briefing before we proceed."

Medical protocol my ass.

But I find myself speaking anyway, partly because it's habit and partly because it gives me a few more minutes before I have to jump into what looks like liquid ice.

"Cold water immersion can cause several physiological responses," I call out, my voice carrying over the crowd. "Initial shock can cause involuntary gasping, which is why it's important to enter feet first. Water temperature below fifty degrees can cause rapid heat loss—"

"Um… Doc?" Jamie interrupts, continuing the act of showmanship that's wildly amusing for everyone but me. "The water's thirty-four degrees."

"Thirty-four—" I stop, glaring at him. "That's barely above freezing!"

"Yep." He grins up at me. "Any other medical wisdom you'd like to share?"

I can feel the platform swaying in the wind, and when I look down at the water, it's so clear I can see all the way to the bottom. Which is both beautiful and terrifying.

"Just... try to have the hot chocolate ready quickly," I finally say.

"Oh, sweetheart," Jamie says, his voice dropping low enough that only I can hear over the crowd noise, "I've goteverythingready for you."

The way he says it, with promise and heat and something that sounds almost possessive, makes my entire body flush with warmth.

"You ready?" he asks, hand hovering over the lever.

I look out at the crowd—all these people who barely know me but are cheering me on anyway. Betty with her encouraging smile, Etta and Mabel clutching each other in excitement, Frank Barrett actually grinning for once.