Page 5 of Let it Snow Queen
The smile returned as he undid my ties on the tree. “Rescuing a beautiful woman wasn’t what I was expecting.”
My heart fluttered. Beautiful? Fox assisted him with the undoing the knots. “I take it your . . . husband will be glad you’re safe and sound,” he said after a beat.
“Husband? Oh, my last name. No, those last names are from my dads. I’m not married.”
Realization lit his manly features and my heart warmed again. I liked Gallow O’Brien immediately.
Fox grinned, stuffing my ropes into my backpack. “Your dads are going to be so pissed when they find out about this,” he signed.
I giggled and gave a shocked expression. “Yeah, well, they’re never going to find out,” I answered.
His returning chuckle lit my soul on fire.
“Ah, you know sign language then?” Gallow said and signed cheerily.
I nodded. “Some.”
“What are you guys doing out here?” I asked once we were all packed and my knees had finally turned solid again.
Fox and Gallow exchanged glances. “Camping,” Fox answered.
“Little cold for that . . . ,” I replied. Following them away from the falls, I reached my turn. “Well, thank you, guys. I should head back to my place. Maybe we’ll run into each other again.”
“We’ll escort you,” Gallow said definitively. “We should make sure you make it back alright.”
“It’s at least half a mile more. I don’t want to keep you guys any longer.” Fox watched my mouth as I spoke, and it dawned on me he could read lips. It was distracting in ways that lit up my core . . . those blue eyes flicking to my mouth like that.
“We like wandering the woods,” he answered.
I shrugged. “Suit yourselves.”
Just then, something hit my cold hit my cheek. “Snow.” Gallow smiled.
“It can’t be. The weather radar . . .”
“Changed two nights ago. Big storm is blowing in from Canada. This one’s going to be a doozy.”
“Fuck,” I whispered.
The very sexy giant chuckled. “That foul mouth of yours is how we found you. Heard some woman screamingfuck fuck fuck. Was hoping it was of the pleasurable variety, but thought we’d check just in case.”
My cheeks heated with embarrassment as I brushed past their amused grins.
I didn’t mind that they were walking me home.
And I kind of didn’t want them to leave.
Chapter 3
Ikicked a rock on my way down the path when Fox appeared next to me, his shoulder brushing mine. He was tall, at least a couple of inches taller than me. The brush of his arm gave me really stupid and girly butterflies, even if it were accidental. He elbowed me lightly, and I glanced up at him, meeting his kind smile. “What brought you so far out in the woods?”
A small huff of a laugh left my throat. I raised my eyebrows and signed, “Loaded question.”
He chuckled in response. The sound was deep and velvety.Hot.
“I’m out here logging the plants so we can hopefully get some grants and save this place. Online said it’s been swarming with greedy investors for decades. If I can find enough protected species, the land can be saved. By the way, where’s your campsite?” I signed to the best of my ability while ensuring he could see my lips.I knew from my language courses and time with the deaf community that reading lips wasn’t a superpower, and it wasn’t always accurate, but it helped.
Fox bit his lip slightly, the move . . . distracting. He glanced past me to Gallow, who’d joined us. Gallow looked at home in the forest. No wonder he knew precisely how to get me out of my bind at the waterfall. “We’re camped a ways south of here. But with this storm . . .” He peered up, snowflakes dotting his red hair and getting caught in his beard. “Not sure what the boss will want us to do.”