would ever hear them.
Suddenly the plane came back into view. It began circling above them. Within minutes, it began to descend, bit by bit. It was coming for them!
Declan waved his arms high in the air. “They see us, Annie. They see us!” His face was lit up with joy. Unable to contain herself, Annie jumped up and down. She hooted and hollered. Declan’s grin stretched from ear to ear. They were both ecstatic.
“Oh, Declan! We’re saved. Isn’t it wonderful?”
“It’s beyond wonderful,” Declan gushed as he swept her up in his arms, then twirled her around. Annie felt almost giddy as her feet left the ground and Declan whirled her in the air. As he settled her back on the snow-covered ground, she looked up at him and directly into his ice-blue eyes. Their gazes held and locked. Something simmered in the air between them that caused her legs to shake like the branches of an unstable tree.
Having never experienced this particular feeling before, all Annie could do was pray. Dear Lord, please keep my feet firmly planted on earth. Declan is not the right man for me, regardless of the way he makes my heart race. Please allow me to continue the path You have been leading me on. The path straight to Love.
* * *
Declan tried to catch his breath. Between their imminent rescue and the romantic tension brewing between him and Annie, he couldn’t decide which was causing his pulse to race more. He stepped back from Annie and swung his gaze toward the sky. He began waving his arms in the air again until the plane dipped down farther and farther. From this vantage point he recognized the plane as his own, Ethel. Within the space of a few minutes, it landed in a clearing about three hundred feet away from them. Declan let out the breath he had been holding since the very moment he knew Lucy was in trouble. He felt as if the weight of the world had suddenly been lifted off his shoulders.
There was only one person who knew how to fly Ethel with such finesse. Finn! He knew that his brother was the pilot as surely as he knew his own name. Boone was the first one to step out of the plane. He made a beeline toward Declan. A few moments later, Finn emerged. He stood next to the plane, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. He hung back and surveyed everything going on around him.
Declan met Boone halfway, thrilled to the bone that his best friend had come looking for him. In truth, he wouldn’t have expected any less from him. Their relationship had always been rock solid. Boone clapped him on the shoulder before saying, “Do you have any idea of what you put us through?”
Before he could even respond, Boone wrapped him up in a bear hug. Declan went with it, hugging Boone back with equal ferocity. When the hug ended after a few moments, Declan took a good look at his best friend. Boone appeared as wrecked as Declan felt. Boone’s chin trembled. A sheen of moisture gathered in his eyes. He shook his head. “I’ve never been more relieved to see anyone in my whole life, Declan.”
“Thanks for coming to find me,” Declan said, feeling overwhelmed with the emotion of the moment. In all the years of their friendship, Boone had never once let him down. He hoped Boone could say the same about him.
“Don’t thank me. I just came along for the ride. Finn was the one who organized everything,” Boone said, jutting his chin in Finn’s direction. “He really came through in the clutch. We were desperate to locate you.”
Declan reluctantly swung his gaze in his brother’s direction. Finn was standing off to the side with his hands jammed in his back pockets. He was next to Annie, who was talking a mile a minute. Declan studied his brother for a moment. With his dark hair and emerald green eyes, Finn didn’t really look like him, although they shared a similar build and height. As far as Declan was concerned, they were polar opposites. Declan needed human contact in his life, while Finn was content to backpack
Suddenly the plane came back into view. It began circling above them. Within minutes, it began to descend, bit by bit. It was coming for them!
Declan waved his arms high in the air. “They see us, Annie. They see us!” His face was lit up with joy. Unable to contain herself, Annie jumped up and down. She hooted and hollered. Declan’s grin stretched from ear to ear. They were both ecstatic.
“Oh, Declan! We’re saved. Isn’t it wonderful?”
“It’s beyond wonderful,” Declan gushed as he swept her up in his arms, then twirled her around. Annie felt almost giddy as her feet left the ground and Declan whirled her in the air. As he settled her back on the snow-covered ground, she looked up at him and directly into his ice-blue eyes. Their gazes held and locked. Something simmered in the air between them that caused her legs to shake like the branches of an unstable tree.
Having never experienced this particular feeling before, all Annie could do was pray. Dear Lord, please keep my feet firmly planted on earth. Declan is not the right man for me, regardless of the way he makes my heart race. Please allow me to continue the path You have been leading me on. The path straight to Love.
* * *
Declan tried to catch his breath. Between their imminent rescue and the romantic tension brewing between him and Annie, he couldn’t decide which was causing his pulse to race more. He stepped back from Annie and swung his gaze toward the sky. He began waving his arms in the air again until the plane dipped down farther and farther. From this vantage point he recognized the plane as his own, Ethel. Within the space of a few minutes, it landed in a clearing about three hundred feet away from them. Declan let out the breath he had been holding since the very moment he knew Lucy was in trouble. He felt as if the weight of the world had suddenly been lifted off his shoulders.
There was only one person who knew how to fly Ethel with such finesse. Finn! He knew that his brother was the pilot as surely as he knew his own name. Boone was the first one to step out of the plane. He made a beeline toward Declan. A few moments later, Finn emerged. He stood next to the plane, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. He hung back and surveyed everything going on around him.
Declan met Boone halfway, thrilled to the bone that his best friend had come looking for him. In truth, he wouldn’t have expected any less from him. Their relationship had always been rock solid. Boone clapped him on the shoulder before saying, “Do you have any idea of what you put us through?”
Before he could even respond, Boone wrapped him up in a bear hug. Declan went with it, hugging Boone back with equal ferocity. When the hug ended after a few moments, Declan took a good look at his best friend. Boone appeared as wrecked as Declan felt. Boone’s chin trembled. A sheen of moisture gathered in his eyes. He shook his head. “I’ve never been more relieved to see anyone in my whole life, Declan.”
“Thanks for coming to find me,” Declan said, feeling overwhelmed with the emotion of the moment. In all the years of their friendship, Boone had never once let him down. He hoped Boone could say the same about him.
“Don’t thank me. I just came along for the ride. Finn was the one who organized everything,” Boone said, jutting his chin in Finn’s direction. “He really came through in the clutch. We were desperate to locate you.”
Declan reluctantly swung his gaze in his brother’s direction. Finn was standing off to the side with his hands jammed in his back pockets. He was next to Annie, who was talking a mile a minute. Declan studied his brother for a moment. With his dark hair and emerald green eyes, Finn didn’t really look like him, although they shared a similar build and height. As far as Declan was concerned, they were polar opposites. Declan needed human contact in his life, while Finn was content to backpack
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