Chapter 19

Getting the kisses out of the way hadn't helped Luke's rascally thoughts as much as he'd hoped. In fact, even looking at Ellie through a phone screen made him want to kiss her breathless a few hundred more times.

And maybe the heat of those kisses distracted him from paying better attention to the weather. In fact, from the time she'd shown up on his doorstep to now, his brain hadn't been working its best, despite the fact that he'd had three cups of coffee. And with the desire to cuddle up with her on the couch and kiss her until they both forgot about tomorrow, getting out into the cold seemed a good idea.

Until now.

But the grin on her face as she began reeling in the catch made his mental instability and the unpredictability of the weather worth every moment.

The kiss probably helped too.

Lord, help him. No wonder men in stories went around kissing princesses!

Ellie stumbled from the effort to reel in the fish, likely from lack of experience paired with the damp ground, becoming a little wetter with each second.

Flurries floated around her, framing in the moment, and he smiled. Maybe he couldn't be with her, but knowing he'd given her these few memories helped ease a little of the pain in his chest.

A little.

She jerked again, but this time, her smile disappeared. Was she even looking in the direction of the fish? What was she doing? He followed her line of sight with the camera but didn't see anything, and then he turned back to her when she tripped forward onto the ice.

A sickening sound groaned beneath her feet and she looked up at him, eyes wide. His blood ran cold just before the ice gave way and she went down, the water catching her scream.

Luke shoved the phone in his pocket and rushed forward, sliding to his stomach as he neared the hole where she disappeared. She resurfaced.

"Can you swim?" he called, stretching out for her, but she was just out of reach.

"Not in winter wear," she shot back, her hat gone. At least her humor was intact. That was a good sign. "I... I can't get a hold." She grappled for a grasp on something, only to slip back under.

She reemerged, taking in another breath, reaching for his hands. "I... I lost the fishing rod."

The fishing rod? Crazy woman! "Fishing rods are a dime a dozen. Princesses aren't." He almost caught her fingers, but they slipped through his hold and she went beneath the surface again.

She couldn't maintain this, not with her soaked clothes weighing her down and the chill of the water slowing her movements. He slid a little farther out, shoulders on the ice but the rest of him on solid ground. Having both of them in the water wouldn't save anybody, but he wasn't going to let her drown.

She didn't emerge as quickly this time and he couldn't see her. He edged a little closer. "Come on back up to me, Ellie!"

Blonde hair swirled into view just before she broke through the water again, and this time he grabbed a flailing arm. With a strong tug, he drew her close enough to take her other arm. The ice creaked beneath them, so with another heave, he rolled to the side, bringing her with them and landing them both on dry ground.

Her body shivered against him, trembling like a leaf in a windstorm. The snow came thicker and the wind began to gust, bending the trees. What on earth was happening?

"It's... it's... a snow feirge." He helped her to a stand. "Squall? Is th-that the English word?"

"I know what squall means, but I don't know what feirge means." He pulled off his jean jacket.

"Fury. Appropriate for a sudden and unexpected sno—" Her attention shifted to his fingers as he unbuttoned his flannel shirt. "Wh-what are you doing?"

"You need to get dry." He kept unbuttoning. "This shirt is dryer than my jacket, so we're going to start with this until we can get you to the cabin."

"All right." She pulled off her drenched jacket and he slipped the flannel around her, followed by his jean jacket.

"Let's walk to get your body warm from the inside, okay?" He placed an arm around her shoulder and guided her forward, rubbing his hand against her arm as they walked. "We'll go as slow as you need, but we need to get to the cabin, Ellie."

She nodded and then whimpered, turning to him. "S-someone was out there, Luke. H-he distracted me and... I... fell."

He turned her back around, moving a bit faster at the sight of her pale lips. "Somebody? What do you mean?" She hadn't been in the water long, so delirium from hypothermia shouldn't have set in yet. And if he could get her out of the cold, she may not have to worry about it at all. His gaze flipped to the cabin on the ridge.

It was a good thirty-minute walk. Snow swirled and the wind picked up as if challenging him.

"A... a reporter. I think. I saw a flash."

Luke looked across the lake, scanning the area, but the snow blew heavier, and whoever had been there easily could have hidden within the low visibility and forest at this point.

"I'd say whoever it was is going to have a doozy of a time getting any photos out to the world right now." He rubbed his hands down her arms to add friction.

Her hair fell in damp ringlets around her head, likely only adding to her chill. The knot in his stomach unbraided a little with a good dose of gratitude. It could have been worse. Much worse.

"Well, at least I'll still be able to attend the banquet, even if I look like an ice cream cone."

"No worries, Princess." He cooed the words, taking another glance behind them. "We'll get you up to the cabin and dried off in plenty of time to make the banquet. We just need to get you out of this cold as soon as we can, so let's walk a little faster, if you're able."

She shivered, but he had to get her out of the wind. He pulled her close, trying to push his body heat into her side, and increased their pace a little more. "I have to say, Princess, you're awfully good at being efficient, aren't you?"

"Efficient?" She looked over at him, her eyes even brighter when framed by her pale face.

"You can check off fishing and swimming in a lake from your list all at the same time."

Her laugh shook from her. "Nice." She shuddered. "I guess we shouldn't add s-sleeping under the s-stars for tonight? Might be a bad idea."

He glanced up at the sky, another gust of wind barreling through the forest with such force, the trees creaked their displeasure. He pulled Ellie as close as possible, attempting to shield her as best he could. "I doubt we'd get to see them anyway."

"How... how did he know where to find me? How do they always know?" Her voice broke a little and he shook his head. The last thing she needed was tears making her face even colder.

"Come on now, Ellie. What do you think he captured?" He urged her forward, each step a little faster. "Those amazing kisses or your poor princess-on-ice moves?"

Her smile failed to respond. "I don't know." Her gaze met his. "But I don't regret the kisses."

"I'm glad, because I sure don't."

She squeezed her eyes closed, her jaw tightening with another tremble. "I don't want to think about the possibilities of him being here, Luke, so I'm not."

"Good call. Let's think about a nice warm fire and how many social rules I'll break at the banquet tonight."

All the way up the hill, he kept her talking, paying attention to her speech, her clarity, looking for any signs of second-stage hypothermia. Near the last leg of the climb, she misspoke a few words and then slipped on the soft layer of snow beneath them, so he took the opportunity to catch her in his arms and carry her the rest of the way.

Despite her weak protests to set her down, he marched through the house to his room and placed her feet down on the floor. She nearly collapsed from shaking.

"You need to get out of those clothes." Under any other circumstances, the company and that sentence would have set his whole body on fire, but right now, concern eclipsed wishful thinking for his future.

He pulled open a drawer and tossed a pair of drawstring sweats on the bed. "Put these on quick, okay, Ellie?"

She nodded.

He tossed a long sweatshirt next to the pants. "I'm going into the kitchen to get you something warm to drink and eat. As soon as you're dressed, join me, all right? We need to get you burning calories, as well as warm."

She slid his jacket and flannel shirt from her shoulders, stumbling down on the bed.

"Ellie."

His voice jerked her attention to his face.

"No going to sleep, you understand?"

She blinked up at him. "I understand."

"If you're not in the kitchen in five minutes, I'm coming back in here after you." His throat constricted at the idea of finding her in some sort of state of undress in his bed. He shook the image clear. Mostly.

"Is that supposed to be a threat?"

Why did she have to go and get all sultry voiced and delirious right now? "How 'bout I promise to snuggle with you by the fire if you hurry up and"—he waved toward the clothes—"change."

She rewarded—or tortured—him with a sleepy smile. He closed the door and nearly dashed to the kitchen to put distance between them, brewing another pot of coffee and warming up some leftover potato soup. Just as he added a few logs to the fire, the lights flickered.

At least the soup was warm and they had the fireplace for heat in case...

And off went the power completely.

He sighed. How long did snow furies last?

Well, once Ellie was fit to travel, he'd load them up in the car and drive to the Frasiers'. Likely, the weather at the bottom of the mountain proved better than the top.

"What happened t-to the lights?"

He turned to find Ellie standing in the doorway to his bedroom, looking much better in his clothes than he ever did.

"Looks like we've lost power for a bit." He moved to the couch and picked up a large blanket. "Come on over and get wrapped up. I'll bring you some soup."

She obeyed and he tucked the blanket in around her, then brought her the soup.

She shook while she ate a few bites. "Th-that helps." She looked up at him as he replaced the bowl with a cup of coffee. "You're better than any servant at the castle."

"Aww, you're just saying that because you're delirious."

She chuckled and took a sip of the coffee. "And you even perfumed up my c-coffee?" Her smile quivered. "Hidden talents?"

"Desperate times." He took the cup from her and placed it on the side table. "I couldn't let you die from drinking my petrol after you'd survived freezing to death."

"Your charm and valor know no bounds."

Yeah, she just needed a little time. She'd be okay. His grin broadened as he stared down at her. Better than okay. "Don't get any fancy ideas about me. I'm a plain and simple kind of guy."

She shook her head and shuddered again. "Not true." Her gaze held his. "You're not simple, and you are certainly not plain."

He almost breached the gap between them to kiss her again, but if that started up, it may be a long time coming to a stop. And he needed to make sure she was perfectly fine. "Stop trying to flatter me and take a few more bites of that soup." He stepped back. "I'm going to change into warm clothes so both of us don't end up teeth-chattering together."

Within minutes he was back and knew exactly what do to do next. With her body still trembling and her skin still cold, he took the bowl from her, pulled back the blanket, tugged her against his warmth, and cocooned them up together.

"Oh my goodness, you're so wonderfully warm." She nestled in close, her damp hair pressing in against his chin, the coolness of her skin still evident even through their dry clothes. Not cold, though, so that was definitely progress.

He tightened his arms around her as her body shuddered into his, but the shivering was subsiding.

"I think I'll just st-stay here the rest of the day." She yawned. "Or the rest of my life."

"Well, that sounds nice to me too, but I think we both have an engagement to make this evening, so we'll have to take a rain check on the rest-of-our-lives scenario."

And the rest of their lives wasn't an option.

A truth neither needed to voice. He certainly didn't want to break the sweetness of the moment by doing so.

She burrowed her face into his shoulder. "Can we just rest a little while before we have to think about what's happening outside this cabin?"

"Sure, Ellie. We have another hour or so before we need to get you down the mountain." He ran a hand over her hair, tucking the blanket back close.

"I love moments like this," she whispered, her breath warming his neck.

"Falling in a frozen lake and nearly freezing to death gives you a high, does it?"

She chuckled and then sighed. "I meant moments with you. Everything feels s-so safe and real."

The fire flickered in the dim room as the wind howled just beyond the walls. He kept her talking a little longer, until he felt sure she was beyond harm, and then allowed her to fall asleep against him.

In a perfect world, he knew the next steps.

Be with her. For as long as she'd have him.

But they didn't live in a perfect world.

And no matter how charming she thought him, Luke wasn't a prince.

***

A buzzing sound pulled Luke awake. He blinked the room into view. A weight on his shoulder turned his attention to find his dream turned into a reality. Princess Elliana St.Clare lay beautifully asleep against him, her hair falling in tangled curls around her face.

All dry.

He touched a hand to her cheek, all warm and pink.

No wonder a guy would feel compelled to kiss a sleeping princess, especially if they looked anything like her.

And he didn't even cringe at the thought as it invaded his brain.

He kind of liked it.

The buzzing happened again, and he looked over at the side table where his phone lay. A series of texts lit the screen. Careful to keep his movements to a minimum so as not to wake Ellie, he reached for the phone.

Five unread messages?

From Gordon?

Gordon:You can't go runnin' off with a princess, lad. Nessa's been trying to contact Ellie for the past hour with no response.

Luke looked up at the window. Pale light shone a later hour than he expected. How long had he slept? He checked his phone and pinched his eyes closed. He should have had Ellie on the way to Crieff a half hour ago.

He read down the other messages.

Gordon:We can't get to you. Trees are down all over the mountain.

Luke shifted a little and sent a text.

Luke:I'm just seeing this, Gordon. Sorry. A situation happened that I'll explain later. What do you need me to do?

Gordon:There you are, lad. Are you and the princess all right?

Luke:We are, but the cabin's power is out. We're safe and warm otherwise, though.

Gordon:I'll let Cam know. He's a wee bit furious at us for taking her up the mountain, but he'll be happy to hear you're all fine.

Ellie stirred at his side and her eyelids fluttered... and he forgot what he was going to text next.

"Hey." She pushed her hair back from her face.

"Hey," he murmured, watching the way all those curls fell right back into place.

"You make a really nice pillow."

"I've been called worse things, so I'll take that."

She smiled and looked around the room.

Luke hated to ruin the moment, but waiting would only make it worse. "I just got a few texts from Gordon that Nessa has been trying to contact you."

Ellie's eyes widened and she looked up at the window, probably making the same assessment he'd made a minute earlier. She pushed back the quilt and stood, stumbling as she did, so he steadied her.

"The banquet. Luke. I can't miss it. It's imperative that I show my support to this."

"I know." He showed her his phone. "We're trying to figure it out."

Her gaze came back to his. "My phone. Where is it?" She rushed back to the bedroom and came back a moment later, phone in hand. "It's dead. The water."

"All right." He nodded. "We'll figure this out. Do you know Cameron's number?"

"Not from memory."

He looked back down at his phone and began texting. "Gordon can get it for us."

Within a few minutes, Luke had Cameron on the phone and was explaining what had happened and trying to sort out a plan. But as Cameron detailed the extent of the storm damage, the truth became clearer.

She wouldn't make it.

"Holton is going to share the news about the storm keeping you, Ellie." Luke repeated Cameron's words from the other side of the phone for Ellie's benefit. "The people will understand. Cameron said a good number of folks have had to cancel their trips due to the weather, so you won't be the only one."

"And what is the plan?"

Luke turned the phone on speaker. "Ellie asked what is the plan, Cam?"

"I'll be there in less than two hours."

Luke's brows rose as he met Ellie's gaze. Ellie gave a one-shouldered shrug.

"With the storm damage, you think you can do that?" Luke asked.

"I work for the king, Mr.Edgewood," came Cameron's pedantic response. "He has the power to make the impossible happen."

"Well, I'm sure the princess is all for the impossible right now, so I'm glad to hear it."

Not even a chuckle. Sigh.

Luke gave Ellie his phone to contact whoever she needed, so while she retired to the bedroom for some privacy, he worked to get her clothes dry without electricity.

After a while, she walked back into the room, still rocking his clothes. "Cameron just called. He said he should be here in ten minutes."

Luke looked down at the clock. True to his word. He'd even managed to make it up the mountain in about an hour and a half. "I think everyone needs a Cameron in their lives."

"By the time we drive down the mountain, I still won't make it to the banquet. And this was my opportunity to show everyone in this very visible way how I followed through with a task close to my heart." She sighed. "And I bungled it like I do all the time."

"Hey, hey." He moved to her side and touched her arm. "You may be royalty, but I don't think you have the power to control the weather."

"But it's my patronage, Luke." She sank down onto the couch. "And now it's my fault all over again. And whatever photos the reporter took will only capitalize on the fact that I chose my heart over my duty."

"You did not." He took her by the shoulders. "Ellie, I'm glad to hear that I reside somewhere in your heart, but the truth is, you had every intention of fulfilling your duties. Not telling Cam the truth might have been a bit reckless, but you never meant to forgo the banquet. Everyone at Cambric knows that those kids live in your heart too."

He gave her shoulders a squeeze, drawing her attention back to him. "Don't let them jerk you around. You're stronger than that. We can spend a lot of time living a lie when we give people the power of our identities, but they don't really have that power. They're pretending to have power over you because it's been working for so long."

Her brows crinkled as she listened.

"Do you doubt your dad's going to love you even when you mess up?"

"No, he's been so gracious to me with all of my brokenness."

"Right, so he's not going to just toss up his hands and say, ‘Nope. Ellie's not my daughter anymore because she screwed up one too many times,' right?"

"No." She grinned, blinking up with those watery eyes. "He'd never do that."

"You'll still be his daughter." He smiled down at her. "Keep that truth close and embrace what God says about you. Who He says you are." He ran a palm down her arm, wishing he could infuse strength. "Then those reporters and naysayers and Monster Maxims... they won't have any hold on you anymore. Because you'll know your real worth and you can walk with your head high."

"My head knows you're right. My heart is struggling with the consequences of my choices and people's reactions." Her perfect posture deflated. "It's so hard not to let their words beat at my insecurities, Luke."

"I can't even imagine what life is like for you, but the woman I've come to know is compassionate, kind, funny, determined, creative." He gave her shoulders another squeeze. "And you have a whole lot of strength inside of you too."

"Do I?" She frowned. Not a pretty look on such a pretty face.

"You have a track record that shows it. Over and over again, folks have tried to keep you down, and you've stood right back up and moved forward. Just like what Rocky says."

"Rocky?" Her smile improved upon that frown very nicely. "The old boxer movie?"

He nodded. "Goes like this: ‘Nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!'"

"You remember that whole quote." Humor danced in her eyes.

"I've got a whole lot of information in here." He tapped his temple. "But most of it is useless. That quote, however, is not. Focus on who you are, really, at the soul level and how many people love who you are. And do what you can, when you can, to make right the wrongs. That's all any of us can do. You're only going to stumble if you keep looking back when you're trying to step forward."

Her smile softened. "I feel as though I should start calling you Obi-Wan for some reason."

"Well, at least you chose a good character. Though I'm partial to Yoda."

Her lips tipped into a broader grin and she opened her mouth to speak, but the sound of a loud engine broke into their quiet. Cam was here.

Luke blinked to attention and took her clothes from the couch. "Here, go get these on real quick so you won't have even more to explain."

She rocked up on tiptoe and pressed a kiss to his lips as she took the clothes. "Thank you, Luke."

Within minutes, he'd opened the door to Cameron, and Ellie met him on the threshold.

Cam looked as serious as ever. "The power should be restored within the next few hours. Will you be fine until then?"

"I should be fine." Luke dipped his chin. "Wood is stocked and I have a solar-powered emergency charger for any electronics."

Cam nodded and turned to Ellie. "We are ready for you, Your Highness."

Luke shifted forward a step, drawn toward her. But he knew, they both knew... this had to be the end.

Ellie started to walk and then paused, turning back to Luke, the door closing off Cam. Stepping close, she lowered her voice, holding his gaze with those sapphire eyes of hers. "Just so you know, I don't regret choosing you today. And you are wonderful just as you are, Luke. More wonderful than I ever imagined anyone could be. If things could be different—" Her fingers wrapped around his, squeezing for a second. "No matter what happens, I loved choosing you." She stepped back and pressed a fist to her chest. "I'll never regret it."