drive that led to the house, it was necessary to cross the creek on a narrow concrete bridge. Today, the creek was a raging river...and rising rapidly.
Dani’s hands gripped the dash and the door, white-knuckle. “I don’t like this, Nathaniel.”
“Hummers were meant for situations like today,” he said. “There’s barely any water over the bridge yet, so I’ll take it slow and we’ll be fine.”
They inched their way forward. The water was still rising, but certainly not fast enough to sweep the Hummer off the bridge. For a brief moment, it occurred to him he might be getting stuck with Dani in another weather-related situation, but he ignored the thought. He tightened his grip on the wheel and pressed the gas pedal carefully.
The vehicle kept a gratifying grip on the road surface. “See,” he said. “You were worried about nothing.”
In the next second, he saw a large section of creek bank in front of them crumble into the muddy water. With a loud, groaning crack, a corner of the concrete bridge gave in to forces it was never meant to withstand.
“Hold on,” Nathaniel yelled. They were six feet from safety. More of the concrete could give way at any moment. He gunned the engine, floored the gas pedal and made the unwieldy vehicle lurch forward like an elephant released from a slingshot.
Everything happened in slow motion. Dani screamed. Another chunk of the bridge sheared off. But the Hummer came through for him. They landed on firm ground, inches away from the disaster they had so narrowly missed.
He shifted into Park with a shaky hand and reached for Dani. “God, I’m sorry. Are you okay?” They glanced at the back seat in unison, reassuring themselves that the baby had slept through it all.
Dani nodded, her face milk white. “I’m fine. It wasn’t your fault.”
It was, and he would kick himself for that later, but now all he wanted to do was reassure himself they were alive. He cupped Dani’s head in two hands and turned her face up to his for a frantic kiss. His heart still beat in sickening thuds. “Your parents will shoot me,” he said hoarsely.
Dani’s arms were wrapped so tightly around his neck she threatened to strangle him. It didn’t matter. The fragrance of her skin and the tremors that shook her body were killing him bit by bit with guilt. She might have been hurt. He could have lost her.
“We’re fine,” she insisted, though it was clear she couldn’t stop shaking. “You saved us, Nathaniel. If we’d been on that bridge and it collapsed, we could have ended up nose first in the water. I don’t even want to think about it.”
“Me, either,” he said. He rested his forehead against hers. “Damn it, little elf, I nearly ruined your storybook Christmas.”
She laughed softly, her fingertips caressing the hair at his nape and making him shiver. “There was never anything storybook about this holiday. I suppose today is more of the same. Come on. Let’s go get some lunch. Adrenaline makes me hungry.”
* * *
Dani moved through the next hours in a dream. She’d done her best to reassure Nathaniel that their near disaster wasn’t his fault. The experience shook her to the core. Personal danger wasn’t at the heart of it. What if Peaches had come to harm? Or Nathaniel?
The terrifying moments on the bridge replayed in slow motion in her brain, even as she greeted her family and introduced Nathaniel and Peaches all around. It had been a long time since the Meadows clan had an infant in the house, so the baby helped defuse any awkwardness about Nathaniel’s presence.
Nathaniel himself rolled out a generous helping of charm, complimenting Dani’s parents on their home and their view. Lunch was delayed when the men decided they needed to check the status of the rising creek. The four males donned rain boots—some borrowed—and trudged down to the bottom of the hill while Dani and her mom and sister put the finishing touches on the meal.
Dani held the baby and snitched a piece of ham. “This looks amazing, Mom. You must have been up since dawn.”
“Angie helped a lot. Why don’t we go hang out in the den until the boys get back? No sense standing when we can sit.”
Dani knew what was coming next. Jared hadn’t brought a date. With only her mother and sister in the room, the confrontation to come was a given.
Angie played leadoff. “So tell me, little sis. Since when are you and the head of NCT so chummy?”
“I explained that already. It was a weird situation. He was going to drive me to the train station, but the snow got too bad too fast.”
“And that’s when you found the baby.” Angie rolled her eyes. “Give me a break. This sounds like an episode of a really bad soap opera.”
Dani’s mother intervened. “Don’t be rude to your sister, Angie.” She pinned Dani with the kind of look parents perfect when their kids are still toddlers. “Are you sleeping with him?”
“Mom!” Mortification flooded Dani’s face with heat.
“That’s not an answer.”
“He’s my boss,” Dani said, desperately wishing she had never initiated the idea of Nathaniel coming with her. “That would be entirely inappropriate.”
“Danielle...” Her mother’s voice went up an octave.
Dani clutched Peaches and straightened her spine. “There’s nothing going on between us. Nathaniel doesn’t trust women. He’s a confirmed bachelor.”
Angie pointed across the room, sympathy on her face. “Too late, kid. Give it up. Mom was worried about the creek. She and Dad have been scouring the valley all morning.”
Dani looked over at the cushioned seat in the bay window. There were the high-end binoculars she had bought her dad last Christmas. For bird-watching. “Oh?”
Her sister put an arm around her waist and leaned in to whisper in her ear. “They saw the kiss, Dani. Every passionate second. You’re busted.”
“I can explain. We were scared. It was adrenaline.”
Her mother frowned. “Is this serious, Dani?”
“No,” she cried. “I swear it’s not. Please don’t make a big deal about nothing.”
Fortunately, the men returned before her mother could continue the inquisition. Dani was temporarily saved from further embarrassment. Everyone was hungry, so presents had to wait.
Over lunch, the adults teased each other with old stories about Christmases past. The year Jared opened all his presents in the middle of the night and tried to rewrap them before morning. The time Angie cried when she didn’t get a doll she had actually forgotten to ask Santa for. And then Dani’s most embarrassing Christmas. The one when her high-school boyfriend gave her a kitten because he didn’t know she was allergic.
Jared finished the tale. “Oh, man, Nathaniel, you should have seen Dani. She was covered in red welts from head to toe. It was the quickest breakup in the history of teenage dating.”
Nathaniel grinned. “It’s hard to imagine. The
