Page 46 of Wrecked on the Mountain

He looks back at me, smirking.

"Come on, Doc. Time's wasting."

I climb on behind him, and immediately understand why this is either the best idea or the worst idea Jamie's ever had. The snowmobile seat forces me to press against his back, my arms wrapping around his waist to hold on.

Even through our heavy winter gear, I can feel the solid warmth of his body, the strength in his core.

"Hold tight," Jamie says over the engine noise, and I can hear the grin in his voice.

The garage door opens, revealing a world transformed by fresh snow. Everything is pristine white and sparkling in the morning sun, and the trail ahead of us winds up into the mountains like something out of a fantasy novel.

"You ready for this?" Jamie asks, revving the engine.

I tighten my arms around his waist and lean forward until my helmet touches his shoulder. "Let's go save someone."

The snowmobile lurches forward, and we're flying across the snow like we're riding lightning. The world blurs past in a rush of white and speed and pure adrenaline, and for the first time since I left Chicago, I feel completely, utterly alive.

With every turn, every jump, every moment when we catch air, Jamie navigates it all with the kind of confidence that makes me understand why his team trusts him with their lives.

"You okay back there?" he calls over the wind.

I lean forward until my mouth is near his ear. "This is incredible!"

I feel rather than hear his laugh, and when he takes the next turn, he leans into it just a little more than necessary, probably showing off for his captive audience.

Total show-off.

But as we race across the snow toward someone who needs our help, with the mountains rising around us like silent guardians, I can't bring myself to care.

Because this doesn't feel like walking into a sterile operating room with the weight of the world on my shoulders.

This is riding into the unknown in a completely different way.

I'm on the back of a fuckingsnowmobile, adrenaline pumping in my veins, the wind biting my cheeks, and Jamie's warmth pressed against me.

It still matters.

It still makes a difference.

But for the first time since I was nine years old, I don’t feel like I’m trying to keep a promise to a ghost.

I’m just… living.

Chapter Ten

Jamie

I'm trying to focus on navigating this snowmobile through the forest, but having Brooke pressed against my back is making it damn near impossible to think straight.

Her arms are wrapped around my waist, tight enough that I can feel every breath she takes. Every time we hit a bump or take a sharp turn, she squeezes closer, and I swear I can feel the soft press of her breasts against my back even through our heavy winter gear.

Goddammit. There's someone who needs help. Focus!

But Christ, the way she laughed when I showed off on that last jump, her voice right against my ear saying "This is incredible!" - it's taking every ounce of self-control I have not to pull over and finish what we started in my kitchen.

The radio crackles through my helmet. It's Travis back in the radio control room. "Strike, you're about two minutes out.The vehicle is down the embankment, passenger side against a cluster of pine trees."

I tap the radio button on my chest harness, tightening my grip on the handlebars as I steer us around a snowbank. "Copy that. Any update on the driver's condition?"