by Iris Morland
Anthony had brushed past her to get to his room right then, but not before he’d leaned down and whispered, “You’re drooling.”
A moment later, Thea had slammed the bathroom door shut so hard that it had shaken the cabin.
Thea blew out a breath as she walked. So what if Anthony was handsome? She wasn’t dead. She also wasn’t going to get her panties damp over a total asshole, either. His kind of arrogance didn’t turn her on. In fact, it was a huge turn-off. His handsomeness definitely did not get her panties wet in any way, shape, or form. The thought of kissing him? Disgusting. Totally, completely, absolutely…disgusting.
Except the thought of kissing him sent a shiver through her—and not one of disgust. Get it together! she scolded herself. He probably doesn’t even care if a woman has an orgasm or not. It’s all about him, no one else. He’s an arrogant jerkface.
Thea didn’t know how far she’d walked when she stopped, the creek having narrowed considerably. She glanced at her phone to check the time. Realizing she needed to turn around so she wasn’t wandering around in the dark, she headed back to the cabin, following her muddy footprints.
She wasn’t far from the cabin when movement caught her attention in her peripheral vision. She squinted: there was a small island in the middle of the creek. Where she was now, the creek was at least one hundred feet wide, give or take. It looked as if an embankment that started from the other side of the creek had essentially become an island from the rising waters. And in the middle of the island was a small animal—a squirrel?
Thea stepped as close to the edge of her side of the embankment as she could. No, it wasn’t a squirrel: it was a rabbit. Her heart squeezed when she saw that the rabbit kept going near the edge, as if checking if the water had gone down, only to turn around and try the same thing on the other side. The island itself was only about five feet in diameter. And given how much rain there had been, the rabbit could easily starve to death if it stayed there since there was no way the water would recede anytime soon.
Thea glanced around. The current was too fast for her to wade into it, and who knew how deep it was? She’d be swept downstream before she even got to the rabbit’s island.
Frowning, she began to walk toward the cabin, hoping to find some kind of log or way across the stream. Maybe she could return where it was narrower, hop across, get the rabbit, and walk back…
She returned to where the bridge had collapsed and saw that there was enough of a bridge still to make it to the other side. She considered. She took in the bridge, looking to see how safe it would be to walk on. It was probably crazy to do this for a rabbit. She knew that. But she’d always had a soft heart for animals, and the thought of doing nothing for the creature was out of the question.
Thea looked around, her gaze landing on a large rock. When she picked it up, she guessed it was at least fifty pounds. She placed it on the bridge’s edge, and when the bridge held, she knew that she had to at least try to get across.
She took one step onto the bridge. It held. She breathed a sigh of relief as she was about to take another step.
But when she took that second step, something cracked under her feet. She felt something shift under her. Frozen with fear, she was about to step back onto land when something hard wrapped around her waist and lifted her into the air.
Thea yelped in surprise as she was pulled against a hard torso just as the part of the bridge she’d been standing on broke and fell into the water. Her heart froze in her chest. That could’ve easily been her.
Over the sound of her panting, she finally heard Anthony’s voice. It boomed in her ear as he said, “Are you fucking crazy? Do you want to die? Didn’t I tell you not to get too close?”
His arm was still around her waist like an iron band. He was all hardness, his body tight with tension. If she leaned her head back, it would rest right over his heart. She trembled. Adrenaline made her shaky.
She swallowed, her throat dry. “How did you…?”
“I saw you as I was walking down here. You’re damned lucky I was here. You could’ve fallen in! Do you know how fast that current is? Jesus, the last thing I need is to try to get EMTs up here. Or worse, fish your dead body out of the creek because you’ve lost your mind.”
She looked down to see that his hand was on her hip, his fingers long and brown, the nails filed neatly. His nails were neater than hers. She wondered if he got manicures. He was rich, so he probably did. That thought calmed her.
“You can let me go now,” she said, a bit too breathless for comfort. She was too aware of how warm his hand was on her body.
He seemed to hesitate. Thea waited, not entirely sure what she was waiting for. Something like desire bloomed inside her. She almost wished he wouldn’t let her go.
He finally came to his senses and let her go. Thea tried to force down her disappointment.
“What were you doing?” Anthony asked again. His expression was irritated, but Thea could see that he had also felt that spark between them when he’d touched her.
If Thea were feeling particularly fanciful, she could almost imagine that he sounded concerned. She pointed. “There’s a rabbit stranded on an island in the middle of the creek. I was going to get it.”
He stared at her. “A rabbit. You were about to kill yourself to save a rabbit.”
Thea’s cheeks heated, but she just crossed her arms and shot him a mutinous look. “I tested the bridge,” she said, but it sounded like a lame excuse. Trying to explain, she added, “I shouldn’t have been so impulsive. I tend to act first, think later. It was stupid of me. But I saw that rabbit and I just—” She shrugged, knowing that he wouldn’t understand why it mattered.
He didn’t mock her, to her surprise. He just went to the edge of the embankment and said, “Where is it?”
“Why?”
He turned back toward her. “Show me.”
Confused by his interest, she tried to figure out his game. Finally, Thea sighed and waved at him to follow her. They walked in silence.
When they arrived at the island, she pointed. The rabbit was currently huddled in the center of the island, looking dejected. It broke her heart.
“It’ll starve to death,” she explained. Tears burned her eyes. The rabbit had to be terrified, cold, hungry… it didn’t deserve to suffer a death like this. At least a predator making it its dinner would give it a quick death. This was just torture.
“I can’t just leave it,” she said.
Anthony was like a stone wall beside her. She sighed.
“Look, I’ll figure something out,” she said as she began to walk back to the cabin.
But he stopped her as he said, “Wait. Let’s make a plan. Even if you get to the other side, you won’t be able to reach the rabbit.”
She stopped in her tracks. “What? Are you saying—”
“There’s no reason to get yourself killed for a rabbit.” Anthony’s look was faraway, but calculating. She wondered if that was the look he got as he ran his company. She had to admit, it was kind of sexy.
“So what do you suggest?” she asked, curious, if not wary.
“We need a net. Something to catch it without getting into the water.”
Before Thea could reply to that, he started walking back up the hill with a determined stride. Although she was tempted to follow him, she was more interested to see if he would actually come back.
And really, why did he care in the first place? Thea couldn’t make out his motives at all.
About fifteen minutes later, Anthony returned with a net, the handle of which was at least three feet long. He’d also changed into different clothes, including a pair of worn jeans and an old t-shirt. Thea couldn’t believe he even owned either piece of clothing.
“Where did you find a net?” said Thea.
“The supply shed on the property. There’s tons of stuff in there for fishing and hunting.” He placed the net’s strap over his shoulder to keep his hands free.
“So you’
re going to save the rabbit now?” Thea was incredulous. She couldn’t believe he was deciding to do something purely out of altruism. Would he demand that she pay him somehow after he’d saved the rabbit?
“The creek narrows down here,” he said, pointing. “I can walk across it here, get to the other side, and get the rabbit.”
Thea blushed, because it was a much better plan than crossing the bridge.
Where the creek narrowed, it was about thirty feet across.
“Are you sure?” asked Thea. “You don’t have to do this.”
He shot her a wry look. “No, I don’t. But my arms are longer than yours, so you won’t be able to reach the rabbit from the other side.” He shrugged, like there was no question about him doing it.
“Plus, like I said: I’m not fishing your body out of the water.”
“How noble you are,” said Thea as Anthony began to wade the creek.
He smiled at Thea’s sarcasm, but soon his attention was focused solely on not letting the current pull him further downstream.
Despite the narrowness, it was surprisingly deep, the water reaching to Anthony’s knees at one point. He was just glad that he’d brought rain boots with him. Unlike Thea, who had tried to cross the bridge in nothing but tennis shoes. He rolled his eyes.
He didn’t know why he was doing this. Maybe it was because when he’d seen Thea step onto the bridge, he’d thought the worst. Had he driven her to do something desperate, if not suicidal? Terror mixed with sheer rage had propelled him forward until he’d plucked her from harm’s way for a second time. The woman was bound and determined to get herself killed for some reason.
Of course she hadn’t been trying to die—she wanted to save a damn rabbit. Anthony growled under his breath. The woman was insane. Who did that?
After their argument in her room, her words had burrowed under his skin like a thorn. You are heartless. He’d never disagreed with that assertion. Elise had called him as much since their divorce.
But hearing those words from Thea—soft-hearted, artistic Thea—had stopped him in his tracks. For some reason he didn’t want to contemplate, he’d wanted to prove her wrong. He wasn’t heartless. He was human, too. He’d loved once, and he’d lost, and she was completely wrong about him.
Anthony hated when people got him wrong. Which was the only reason he could think of why he was crossing the creek to rescue a rabbit. Not because he wanted to prove to Thea that her words had actually wounded him.
He was almost to the other side of the creek now. The current was fast enough that it had taken him longer than he’d anticipated. When he stepped on what was probably a slick rock, he felt his balance slip. He caught himself just in time.
“Be careful!” called Thea.
Anthony waved a hand at her over his shoulder. His heart thumping, he kept moving, and finally, he reached the other side. He blew out a breath of relief.
If anyone could see me now, they wouldn’t recognize me. Elise would laugh in my face.
Anthony moved down the embankment to where the rabbit was trapped. He realized that he was a few feet from being able to reach the rabbit with the net. Damn. He’d have to wade into the water here, something he’d wanted to avoid, since the current was faster.
He thought of Thea trying to get into the water here, which would probably reach her waist. A nip of fear bit into his gut.
When he’d said that he hadn’t wanted to fish her body out of the creek, he hadn’t really been joking.
Thea had followed him along the other side. “Everything okay?” she called.
“Yeah, I’ll just have to get into the water, which I didn’t want to do. Damn.”
The rabbit reacted to their voices, its ears standing straight up. It darted to the side, almost falling into the water before careening back into the center.
From Anthony’s vantage point, he could see how much it trembled. The poor thing might drop dead from fear if he weren’t fast enough. Then Thea would never forgive him.
Stop caring what Thea thinks of you, he thought.
Getting out the net, he slowly waded into the water. The current pushed at his ankles and then his calves, but he was strong enough not to let it push him over. Reaching with the net, he was able to place it right over the rabbit in a swift motion. The rabbit froze.
Anthony nudged it with the edge of the net, praying that it would venture further into the net so he could lift it up. The rabbit, spooked now, ran headlong until it reached the bottom of the net. Anthony picked up the net, rabbit and all, triumph filling him.
Thea hooted from the other side of the creek. “You did it!”
Anthony was about to let the rabbit go when he saw a dark smear on the rabbit’s back leg. The thing was injured. He swore. He couldn’t just release it into the woods now. Some predator would catch it by the time the sun set.
“What is it?” asked Thea.
He grimaced. “It’s injured. I think something tried to take a bite out of its back leg.”
“You can’t just let it go, then. Can you get back over with it?”
He didn’t want to, but hearing the concern and anguish in Thea’s voice gave him a reason to try. He didn’t know why this suddenly mattered to him, why he cared about doing this for her. Or was it really for Thea at all? Had he gotten so cynical that he’d convinced himself he wasn’t capable of doing something purely altruistic?
He dismissed the idea. He’d done this because Thea was impulsive and she would’ve gotten herself killed.
Thea said something else, but right then, Anthony concentrated solely on wading back into the water with the rabbit still in the net. The creature was paralyzed with fear now, and Anthony gently twisted the net until he was able to place the rabbit in the crook of his arm. At least this way he’d have one arm free.
Finally, they reached the other side. Thea took the rabbit from him, her expression one of sheer gratitude, something Anthony hadn’t seen anyone give him in ages.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you so much.”
He grunted, feeling embarrassed, and gestured at her to start the trek back up the hill to the cabin. He ignored how much he liked hearing that tone in her voice, or how she’d looked at him like he was a hero.
Anthony was no hero. If he was anyone in this story, it was the villain. They’d both be better off remembering that.
8
Thea took the rabbit into her bedroom and wrapped it in a towel to get it warm. She knew that rabbits could die of shock, and she held her breath, hoping the poor thing wouldn’t collapse from the stress of its adventure. The fact that the rabbit wasn’t even trying to get away said everything. Thea just hoped they hadn’t acted in vain.
Anthony knocked on her door. “How’s it doing?” he asked.
“It’s alive. Actually, could you find me a box or something to put it in?”
Anthony nodded; she heard him go downstairs. She still couldn’t believe he’d helped her rescue the rabbit. Where had the arrogant, selfish billionaire gone? The one without a heart? The one who didn’t care about testing on animals and sure as hell didn’t care about helping other people?
Thea couldn’t help but wonder if he had an ulterior motive, but then she dismissed the idea. He had nothing to gain from her. In fact, she had more to gain from him in this situation. But he’d crossed the creek, potentially risking his own neck, to save a rabbit. He’d said it was because he didn’t want Thea to break her neck, but she didn’t buy that. At least, she thought that was only part of the reason.
Her thoughts spinning, she didn’t even hear Anthony return. He placed a cardboard box filled with newspaper on the floor, along with a plate of various vegetables and a bowl of water. Her heart squeezed at the sight. His actions today weren’t helping her to continue hating him.
Thea ignored her own thoughts as she gently placed the rabbit in the box. She kept it wrapped in the towel, although it could free itself if it wanted. The rabbit’s nose twitched. It huddled
in the corner of the box without moving, although Thea could see the towel shivering.
“I don’t know what rabbits eat, but I assume it’s the same as what you eat,” said Anthony, his voice dry. Then, he said more seriously, “Do you think it’ll survive?”
Thea chewed on her bottom lip. “I don’t know. I wish we weren’t stranded here. I didn’t know it was injured. I thought we’d just let it go. I’m hardly a vet.”
Anthony peered into the box, not saying anything, although she knew he thought the same thing. All they could do was hope for the best.
He was about to leave when Thea blurted, “Thank you, again. I know you didn’t have to help me, but—” She blushed a little. “It means a lot to me.”
Anthony looked almost surprised at her words before he shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’ll be in my room,” was all he said before he shut the door behind him.
Thea placed the bowl of water in the rabbit’s box, along with a few pieces of lettuce and carrots. She smiled when she saw that Anthony had cut up some peppers and…was that cantaloupe? Thea thought she better stick with the lettuce and carrots for now. She could search online what fruits and veggies rabbits liked to eat later.
She watched the rabbit, making sure her room was as warm as she could make it. The rabbit slowly stopped shivering after a while. Thea’s heart sped up when she saw it poke its nose further out of the towel. Its whiskers twitched. Thea held her breath. When a noise sounded from Anthony’s room, the rabbit returned to its towel burrow.
Thea blew out the breath she’d been holding. “Poor little thing,” she murmured.
She hadn’t gotten a good look at its injury. She hoped its leg wasn’t broken, because she had no way of helping the rabbit if that were the case.