“Avalanche,” Luke said, setting his finger over Camry’s pulse, sighing in relief when he felt it beating steady and strong.
“An avalanche? That’s rare in these parts. Where’d it happen?”
“Just south of Springy Mountain.”
Pete glanced over at him in surprise. “You hauled her all the way here in that makeshift sled? Down the lake?” He looked back at the road, shaking his head. “You either got more balls than brains, or one hell of a guardian angel.” He glanced at Luke again. “The lake ain’t frozen over in places, you know.”
“Apparently the last six miles of it are.”
Pete turned onto the TarStone Mountain Ski Resort road. “What’s up with the funny hat?” he asked.
Luke settled it farther down on Camry’s head. “It’s a birthday gift from a relative.”
“Oh yeah, that’s right. Today’s the MacKeage girls’ birthday.” He snorted. “Hell of a way for a woman to spend her birthday.” He glanced at Luke again. “Talk in town when Camry was here last summer was that she didn’t even have a boyfriend. How long you two been married?”
“A couple of days.”
Pete chuckled humorlessly. “Hell of a way to spend a honeymoon, too. But I suppose honeymooning in the mountains in the middle of the winter, instead of on some warm beach in the Caribbean, ain’t all that far-fetched for Camry.” He turned off the road just as the resort came into sight, and pulled up into the driveway of Gù Brath. He stopped in front of the bridge leading to the front door, then shut off the truck with a sigh as he looked directly at Luke. “The MacKeages are pillars of the community, but they’re . . . um . . . a bit on the strange side. They’re a tight-knit clan, along with the MacBains.” He opened his door, then shot Luke a grin. “I had a thing for Cam’s older sister Heather when we were in high school, but her daddy scared the bejeezus out of me so bad, I never dared to ask her out. You need help getting Cam inside?” he asked, glancing at the well-lit house.
“No, I’ve got her,” Luke said, opening his door. “If you can just bring the dogs.”
“I’ll let them out, and they can follow you in.” He glanced at the house again, and Luke would have sworn the man shivered. “I got to get down to my bar. We open at five, and the staff is waiting for me.”
Luke stilled just as he was getting ready to get out, and lifted his wrist.
Holy hell, his watch said four fifteen!
A vehicle pulled up behind them, doors opened and closed, and a man and woman walked up to Luke’s side of the truck and peered in his open door.
“Oh my God, Camry!” gasped the woman holding the young toddler. “Robbie, take her. She’s hurt.”
“No, I’ve got her,” Luke said, carefully sliding out of the truck with Camry in his arms, then shouldering past the tall man. “Thanks for your help, Pete,” he called out as he strode onto the bridge. “I’ll catch up with you later.”
The man named Robbie rushed ahead and opened the door.
“Could you make sure the dogs come in?” Luke asked, stepping inside the foyer, the sounds of voices and playing children assaulting his senses. He stopped and looked around, blinking against the blast of hot air that made his eyes water, and even stepped back when several people rushed up to him.
“Camry!” someone cried. “Mom! Dad! Camry’s here, and she’s hurt!”
Another man stepped forward and reached out to take her, but Luke took another step back. “No, I’ve got her. Is her aunt Libby here?”
“Libby’s my mother,” Robbie said from behind him, placing a hand on Luke’s back and guiding him toward the living room. “She should be here soon. Why don’t you lay Cam down on the couch?”
Luke walked into the living room, but instead of laying her down, he sat with Camry in his arms, then carefully stretched her right leg out on the couch beside him.
“What’s wrong with her?” asked one of the women.
“She has a broken ankle and maybe some cracked ribs.” Luke unzipped her jacket, but quickly reached out when the woman tried to take off Camry’s hat. “No, that stays on until Libby MacBain gets here.”
The sea of people crowding around them suddenly parted. “Camry!” Grace cried, dropping to her knees in front of Luke. She touched Camry’s cheek, then looked up and smiled at Luke, her eyes shining with tears. “You brought her home,” she whispered, reaching up and touching his beard. “Th-thank you.”
Greylen MacKeage edged past his wife and reached out as if he intended to take Camry into his arms. Luke pulled her against him. “No, I’ve got her.”
“She’s hurt,” Greylen growled.
“Leave her, Grey,” Grace said gently, caressing Camry’s cheek again. “She’s in very good hands, and she’s going to be okay.”
“What happened?” Grey asked, kneeling beside his wife and touching Camry’s cheek himself. He glared at Luke. “Did ye crash the snowcat? Why won’t she wake up? Does she have a concussion?” he asked, reaching to remove her hat.
Luke held it in place. “It stays on until her aunt gets here,” he repeated. “And we got caught in a small avalanche, and her ankle is shattered. Libby MacBain will heal her,” he said, somewhat defiantly.
Greylen snapped his gaze to Luke in surprise. “Ye know,” he whispered.
“I know,” Luke said with a nod. “And just so youknow, she’s my wife.”
“I don’t remember giving my permission, Renoir.”
Luke grinned tightly. “A distant relative of yours gave it for you.”
Greylen arched one brow. “And just who would that be?”
“Roger AuClair.”
He frowned. “I don’t know anyone named Roger AuClair.”
“No? Then how about Roger de Keage?”
Greylen reared back, his sharp green eyes narrowing. “Ye met de Keage?”
Luke nodded toward Camry. “That’s his hat.” He grinned again. “And he thanks you for the snowcat he said you would want him to have.”
“Aunt Libby’s here,” someone said.
The people who’d crowded around them again moved out of the way, and a slender woman in her sixties leaned over Grace’s shoulder to touch Camry’s forehead.
She stood silently for several seconds, then lifted her eyes to Luke and smiled. “You got her here just in time. Robbie,” she said, motioning him over, “carry her up to her room for me, would you?”
“No, I’ve got her,” Luke said, leaning forward to stand up.
“Let Robbie take her,” Greylen ordered. “Ye look like you can barely walk.”
“I’ve got her,”Luke growled, levering himself off the couch to his feet. He fell into step behind Grace, who led the way through the sea of people to the stairs.
“Ye drop her, Renoir, and ye better hope you break your own neck in the fall,” Greylen said, walking beside him.
“Oh, quit posturing, Grey,” Grace said with a laugh, turning to loop her arm through her husband’s and pulling him up beside her. “She’s not your daughter anymore, she’s Luke’s wife.”
“It wasn’t a legal marriage,” Grey muttered.
“No? Then would you care to lay odds that when we check at the courthouse tomorrow morning, we won’t find their license duly registered?” she asked.
“Pendaär is supposed to marry our girls.”
Grace laughed again. “I’m sure Daar will defer to Roger de Keage.”
If Luke hadn’t been seconds away from falling to his knees, he was sure he’d have found their conversation intriguing. But he was so exhausted, he just wanted to see Camry open her eyes and smile at him so he could fall into a coma for a week. They reached the balcony, and he followed Grace and Greylen down the hall as Libby MacBain walked beside him. She reached out and quietly took hold of his elbow, and in less than three steps his exhaustion vanished and he suddenly felt like he could run a marathon.