Hero of a Highland Wolf
Page 43
“It appears the two youngsters were playing beyond the wall. The lady saw them. She yelled for them to return, but they didn’t, or at least in Ollie’s case, he didn’t have time. It was too late. By the time I reached the wall, the lady had grabbed for Ollie, the wave struck, and they were pulled out.”
“She…Colleen, was she in human form?”
“Aye.”
“Bloody hell.”
“What are you going to do?”
Grant vaulted over the stone wall. “Rescue them.”
“Somehow I knew you’d say that,” Darby said, scrambling to get over it and join him.
Lachlan leaped over the wall in his wolf form right behind them.
“We could all drown over this,” Grant warned as he took the path too quickly and slipped and slid on the rocks.
“Aye,” Darby said.
Enrick hurried to join them, carrying ropes. Two other men followed.
Colleen choked and coughed as she held on to Ollie in the choppy water. The waves drew them out, then threatened to toss them back against the rocks.
The water was freezing, though Ollie would be fine in his wolf coat. Colleen would be chilled to the bone and unable to function before long.
Grant quickly tied one of the ropes around his waist, and while the other men held on to the rope, he let a wave take him out. Colleen attempted to swim away from the rocks with Ollie, but the cold was taking a toll on her strength.
Grant swam out to her and grabbed hold of her while she kept a tight grip on Ollie. Grant held her snugly, trying to warm her frigid body with his own, the chill driving deep.
“Pull!” he shouted to the men on the rocks, though he knew he needn’t have. The men were already hauling him in as fast as they could, fighting against the strong tug of the currents and his and Colleen’s weights. Luckily, Ollie didn’t weigh all that much.
When the next wave swept them into the rocks, men grabbed Colleen, while Lachlan seized Ollie by the scruff of his neck and hauled him quickly away from the breakers.
Darby gave Grant a hand.
Colleen coughed and spat up water as Enrick tugged her higher up the rocks.
“Good job, men,” Grant said, his teeth chattering from the cold as he made his way up the path after Enrick, thanking God that they’d all reacted quickly enough to save them. “How are Colleen and Ollie?”
Maynard took Ollie from Lachlan and hefted him over the wall. Lachlan leaped over it and shook a spray of water off his fur everywhere.
“Ollie looks fine,” Maynard said.
Troy jumped over the wall and poked his nose at Ollie. He nuzzled his face against Troy’s.
They hadn’t had anyone die on the cliffs in years, so Grant felt he’d been remiss in not reminding the younger members of the pack just how dangerous the rocks could be. Not that such warnings had kept him and his brothers from exploring beyond the seawall.
“Notify their parents,” Grant said, following his brother and Colleen into the keep. He had to get into dry clothes himself.
“I’ll start a fire in her chamber and in yours. She can have a hot shower to warm her up,” Enrick said.
“Aye.” Grant would use the room she would move to since it wasn’t furnished yet and take his own hot shower. He couldn’t believe she’d risked her own neck to save one of his pack members and nearly gotten herself drowned.
“You shouldn’t have gone after him, lass,” Grant said. He was glad Ollie would be all right, but instead of one drowned child, they could very well have had a drowned woman, too. And more, while trying to rescue them.
Colleen didn’t say anything. Too cold, maybe. Too traumatized, possibly.
When they reached his chamber, he grabbed a towel from his bathroom and a dry change of clothes, but shivering, she reached her cold hand out and touched his arm, then said, “Stay here. I’ll go next door. I’m moving there anyway.”
“Nay, lass,” he said, and suddenly he didn’t want her to go anywhere. She deserved the room of honor. “The furniture needs to be returned to the other chambers. You take a hot shower, get into something dry and warm—and rest. I’ll check on you in a while.”
She nodded and Enrick finished starting the fires for her, then left to start one in the guest chamber for Grant. “I think I lost a good ten years off my life,” Enrick said as Grant joined him in the chamber.
Grant heated the water for his shower. “Aye, you and me both. Ask Maynard to get some hot tea and something hot to eat for the lass, will you? I want her to rest after her ordeal. The great hall is too drafty for her to eat in tonight after the chill she’s taken.”
“Aye, which means she’s giving up her room and moving in here?” Enrick asked.
Grant shook his head. “Nay. I am. The lass said she was happy with the room she’s in. She stays. I’ll move here. That’s the least I can do after she nearly drowned herself trying to save one of our kin.”
Enrick smiled. “You know, I don’t think she would have had to do so for you to change your mind.”
“I had every intention of moving her here,” Grant said, not wanting his brother to think he was so soft.
Three men knocked on the door. “You said you wished us to move furniture, my laird?”
“Aye, return the furnishings that were here before the painting was done. I have changed my mind about moving the furniture from the lady’s chamber,” Grant said, still shivering from his dunk in the cold North Sea.
“She…Colleen, was she in human form?”
“Aye.”
“Bloody hell.”
“What are you going to do?”
Grant vaulted over the stone wall. “Rescue them.”
“Somehow I knew you’d say that,” Darby said, scrambling to get over it and join him.
Lachlan leaped over the wall in his wolf form right behind them.
“We could all drown over this,” Grant warned as he took the path too quickly and slipped and slid on the rocks.
“Aye,” Darby said.
Enrick hurried to join them, carrying ropes. Two other men followed.
Colleen choked and coughed as she held on to Ollie in the choppy water. The waves drew them out, then threatened to toss them back against the rocks.
The water was freezing, though Ollie would be fine in his wolf coat. Colleen would be chilled to the bone and unable to function before long.
Grant quickly tied one of the ropes around his waist, and while the other men held on to the rope, he let a wave take him out. Colleen attempted to swim away from the rocks with Ollie, but the cold was taking a toll on her strength.
Grant swam out to her and grabbed hold of her while she kept a tight grip on Ollie. Grant held her snugly, trying to warm her frigid body with his own, the chill driving deep.
“Pull!” he shouted to the men on the rocks, though he knew he needn’t have. The men were already hauling him in as fast as they could, fighting against the strong tug of the currents and his and Colleen’s weights. Luckily, Ollie didn’t weigh all that much.
When the next wave swept them into the rocks, men grabbed Colleen, while Lachlan seized Ollie by the scruff of his neck and hauled him quickly away from the breakers.
Darby gave Grant a hand.
Colleen coughed and spat up water as Enrick tugged her higher up the rocks.
“Good job, men,” Grant said, his teeth chattering from the cold as he made his way up the path after Enrick, thanking God that they’d all reacted quickly enough to save them. “How are Colleen and Ollie?”
Maynard took Ollie from Lachlan and hefted him over the wall. Lachlan leaped over it and shook a spray of water off his fur everywhere.
“Ollie looks fine,” Maynard said.
Troy jumped over the wall and poked his nose at Ollie. He nuzzled his face against Troy’s.
They hadn’t had anyone die on the cliffs in years, so Grant felt he’d been remiss in not reminding the younger members of the pack just how dangerous the rocks could be. Not that such warnings had kept him and his brothers from exploring beyond the seawall.
“Notify their parents,” Grant said, following his brother and Colleen into the keep. He had to get into dry clothes himself.
“I’ll start a fire in her chamber and in yours. She can have a hot shower to warm her up,” Enrick said.
“Aye.” Grant would use the room she would move to since it wasn’t furnished yet and take his own hot shower. He couldn’t believe she’d risked her own neck to save one of his pack members and nearly gotten herself drowned.
“You shouldn’t have gone after him, lass,” Grant said. He was glad Ollie would be all right, but instead of one drowned child, they could very well have had a drowned woman, too. And more, while trying to rescue them.
Colleen didn’t say anything. Too cold, maybe. Too traumatized, possibly.
When they reached his chamber, he grabbed a towel from his bathroom and a dry change of clothes, but shivering, she reached her cold hand out and touched his arm, then said, “Stay here. I’ll go next door. I’m moving there anyway.”
“Nay, lass,” he said, and suddenly he didn’t want her to go anywhere. She deserved the room of honor. “The furniture needs to be returned to the other chambers. You take a hot shower, get into something dry and warm—and rest. I’ll check on you in a while.”
She nodded and Enrick finished starting the fires for her, then left to start one in the guest chamber for Grant. “I think I lost a good ten years off my life,” Enrick said as Grant joined him in the chamber.
Grant heated the water for his shower. “Aye, you and me both. Ask Maynard to get some hot tea and something hot to eat for the lass, will you? I want her to rest after her ordeal. The great hall is too drafty for her to eat in tonight after the chill she’s taken.”
“Aye, which means she’s giving up her room and moving in here?” Enrick asked.
Grant shook his head. “Nay. I am. The lass said she was happy with the room she’s in. She stays. I’ll move here. That’s the least I can do after she nearly drowned herself trying to save one of our kin.”
Enrick smiled. “You know, I don’t think she would have had to do so for you to change your mind.”
“I had every intention of moving her here,” Grant said, not wanting his brother to think he was so soft.
Three men knocked on the door. “You said you wished us to move furniture, my laird?”
“Aye, return the furnishings that were here before the painting was done. I have changed my mind about moving the furniture from the lady’s chamber,” Grant said, still shivering from his dunk in the cold North Sea.
