The Love List (10 page)

"Matt? Oh, yes. He loves them, too. But it's
always better to have two hunky men crave your…goodies…don't you
think?" A nasty grin turned her words into a snarl rather than a
statement.

"I wouldn't know. I'm very happy with Grey
and have no desire for another man," Carrie said, turning to Grey,
slipping her hand into his and smiling into his eyes.

He squeezed her hand and a grin swept over
his face. Emma's smile turned to a frown. She stood up and went to
the side table next to Fran, who was already munching on a blondie.
She brought the box of blondies over to Grey, stealing his
attention back from Carrie.

"Here, Grey…before they're all gone."

Grey picked one up and took a bite.
"Thanks…umm…fantastic as ever," he said.

A smug grin swept over Emma's face. But
before she could offer them to Carrie, Grey lifted the remainder of
his to Carrie's lips.

"Try this, honey, you're gonna love it."

Carrie bit off a corner and chewed. "You're
right, Grey. They are delicious. Well done," Carrie said, nodding
at Emma.

"Don't bother asking for the recipe. Grey can
tell you I never give it out to anyone."

Carrie looked at her watch. "I think it's
time for me to pack. We're leaving early tomorrow morning. I hope
you'll excuse me, Emma. Nice meeting you," Carrie said, standing up
and extending her hand.

"I've got to gas up the car for the trip.
Excuse me, Emma. Nice to see you," Grey said, standing up and
moving with Carrie toward the front door. Instead of reaching out
to hug or kiss Emma, he occupied one hand jingling his keys while
the other remained firmly stuffed in his pocket.

Grey stopped to kiss Carrie palming her
cheek, before grabbing his jacket from a hook on the wall and
leaving the house. Carrie continued to walk swiftly through the
foyer. When she reached the stairs, out of sight of Emma, she blew
out the breath she had been holding as she climbed to the quiet
safety of their room.

****

Grey drove down the street and turned left on
Elm Road heading toward Route 17. Gus's gas station, a convenient
stop for motorists on long trips, was on the left before the
entrance to the highway. This location brought Gus Granger enough
business to make a living. He sure as heck wasn't going to get the
volume of customers he needed from Pine Grove. Gus couldn't afford
to close his gas station, even on Christmas day.

While Gus gassed up Grey's car and after they
had exchanged holiday greetings, Grey sat back and closed his eyes.
Close call. Ten points for Carrie. But I may not have heard the
end of Emma yet. Emma, you bitch.

With his mother sitting right there, Grey
couldn't repeat to Emma the things he was thinking. Carrie seemed
to take Emma's jealousy well, but he wasn't sure. He might hear
about it later when they were alone. His head began to ache a
little so he closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. He needed a
massage from Carrie. The thought of her fingers on his temples
instead of his own and at the back of his neck made him impatient
with the refueling process. He opened his eyes and stared at the
gas pump in the hopes his look would make the gas flow faster.

He cracked his window to let in the fresh,
cool air. The sun was shining, warming everything. Melting snow and
ice dripped off the roof of the small store that was part of the
gas station and off Grey's Jag, too.

Finally he heard the ding of the pump and
knew he'd soon be on the way back to Carrie. He hoped Emma'd be
gone when he returned. He'd had enough of her shenanigans.
And
mom has, too, from the look on her face.
Grey chuckled to
himself at the expression on his mother's face when Emma asked
Carrie if she was pregnant. His chuckle became a laugh when he
recalled Mom's wide eyes and her hand smothering the gasp from her
throat. He shook his head.
Mom would have a heart attack if
Carrie was pregnant and Dad…whoa.

Gus gave Grey the receipt and a small salute.
The men had attended high school together and were once teammates
on the football team. His salute was reminiscent of the team salute
before every game that brought them good luck. Grey saluted back
before he put his car in gear and pulled out.

He was disappointed to see Emma's car still
parked in front of his parent's place. When he entered the old
Victorian and took his coat off, Emma was moving toward him wearing
a big smile. He looked around the living room but didn't see
Carrie.

"Where's Carrie?" He asked. Her packing
should have been finished by now.

Her sweet expression soured and a cool look
came into her eyes. "She took Jenna's skates and headed toward the
lake saying she'd never skated on a frozen lake before."

Immediately Grey felt his chest tighten and
his mouth go dry.
Carrie…God, no!
He grabbed his coat, shot
a glance at Emma before racing toward the back door.

"Why didn't you stop her?" He yelled as he
took off at a run.

Before she could say a word, Grey was running
down the path to the lake, silently thanking his mother for making
him shovel it. The air had gotten colder as the afternoon wore on
and shadows were already forming on evergreen trees. His breathing
grew ragged as his pulse beat loudly in his ears. He could feel
panic begin to rise in his chest and he forced it down.
Can't
panic. Must find Carrie.
He ducked and pushed the snow-heavy
pine tree limbs out of his way as he moved down the path.

Bringing his head up, he scanned the area,
hoping to catch her still lacing up the skates. But there were only
children throwing snowballs near the edges. Everyone knew on a day
that started out warm, like this one did, the lake was dangerous.
Everyone but Carrie! Why didn't she listen to me?

His feet slid on the wet snow. He grabbed a
branch to steady himself. But his next burst of speed brought him
down, bottom first into the snow. His jeans got wet but he ignored
the cold water seeping into his pants as he continued down the
path.

When he got to the edge of the lake his panic
turned to fear as he stared at the ice. First he looked around,
trying to spy Carrie but didn't see her. It wasn't long before he
realized he'd have to venture out, maybe only a foot or two to see
if she was in the middle or…horrors…had fallen through. Sweat broke
out on his brow and his tongue felt six inches thick. Unable to
steady his breathing, he put one shaky foot after another on the
ice. He tested each new step before putting all of his weight on
it. Slowly, slowly he inched out on the ice.

"Carrie! Carrie!"

Grey turned his head to face East and yelled
her name, then turned, directing his voice West and yelled again,
hoping he'd hear an answering call but nothing came. He was now
about four feet out onto the ice. Yelling seemed to push him down
harder on the ice, so he stopped, fearful the extra pressure would
crack it.

Now five feet out, now six. At seven feet, he
stopped and yelled again. This time he heard something. From far
away he heard what he swore was his name. But it was coming from
behind him. He swiveled around quickly pushing off with his right
foot and spied Carrie running down the path toward the lake. Her
chest was heaving and she wore a look of panic on her face.

Relief flooded his veins and he smiled
broadly to see her safe on the shore. Forgetting where he was, he
stepped down hard again with his right foot on the ice to speed his
return to her. The deadly crack came to his ears two seconds before
he was plunged into the icy water.

Chapter Seven

A few minutes earlier…

Carrie trotted down the stairs. Emma stood in
the archway to the living room, wearing a smug smile, her green
eyes even greener with envy.

"Where's Grey? I heard his car…" Carrie hoped
her face was a mask, her feelings toward Emma well hidden.

"He's not here."

"Where is he?" Carrie repeated, shifting her
weight from foot to foot.

"I told him you went ice skating…" Emma
admitted, her hand on her hip, her eyes narrowed.

"You
what?
" Carrie froze.

"I told him you went ice skating on the
lake," She said, her chin jutting out, her eyes cold.

"You
idiot!
" Carrie screamed at the
girl before grabbing her jacket and running out the back door
heading to the lake.

****

Seven minutes later…

A scream escaped her throat the moment Carrie
saw Grey fall through the ice. She froze, staring, until she heard
him call her name. She ran to the edge.

"Get Colin. My dad. Rope on the deck," He
called out as he raised one dripping arm out of the water
attempting to support himself on the ice and keep his head above
the water.

He spread his fingers and raised the other
arm but the ice cracked underneath him, dunking him in further.
Again he surfaced and reached out but it was hard to get a grip on
the slippery ice. He steadied himself with his head above water
using one hand and treading slowly with his legs. Carrie's
breathing stopped and her pulse pounded in her ears. She could
almost feel the adrenaline pumping through her veins. Carrie could
see his jacket get darker as water soaked through. She knew the
water-logged garment was weighing him down.

"Hurry!" Grey called.

In a flash, her mind took over and pushed the
panic down. She turned on her heel and ran back toward the house as
fast as she could. She focused her mind on each breath and keeping
her legs moving as fast as possible but not thinking. When she got
within twenty yards of the house, she started screaming.

"Help! Help!"

Running was harder when she was screaming but
she forced herself on, trying to pick up speed. Fran came to the
back door and looked out.

"Help! Colin! John!" Carrie screamed.

The two men appeared at the door within
seconds. Carrie stopped and bent over, pulling air into her
lungs.

"Grey…in the lake…rope…on the deck…" she
choked out, panting heavily.

The two men were outside in a flash. Colin,
looked around the deck until he spied the rope while John took the
stairs two at a time. With the coil of rope thrown over his arm,
Colin joined his father in a flash.

"Grey fell through the ice?" Colin asked.

Carrie nodded.

"Where Carrie? Show us!"

Gasping for breath, she willed her legs to
move. She took gulps of air and started walking toward the lake.
Although a minute ago she'd have sworn all her energy was spent,
she found a reserve and began to run down the path with the two men
right behind her. It didn't take more than three minutes to find
Grey.

Colin tossed the rope to him, but it missed.
John tied a slip knot and looped the rope. He threw it lasso-style
but missed.

"Carrie, you're the lightest of us…you'll
have to go out there and slide the rope to Grey."

She nodded, keeping her eye on Grey who was
bobbing slightly in the water, moving as little as possible, his
head still visible above the ice. Then the section of ice he was
holding broke and he scrambled to grab another, thicker piece to
hang on to. Carrie cringed as she watched him. Her mouth was too
dry to form words. She slipped her arm through the rope and
ventured carefully to the edge of the lake.

"No! No!" Grey called. "Go back, Carrie!"

She shook her head and continued to take
small steps along the ice.

"She's the only one light enough!" John
called out to his son.

She bent down, gingerly resting first one
knee then the other on the ice. Slowly she moved into a prone
position, face down on her belly. She crawled and slithered like a
lizard along the ice toward Grey, dragging the rope along. When she
got as close as she dared, she pushed the rope out in front of her.
Inching along, drawing closer to him, listening for cracks in the
ice, she held her breath. Hearing nothing, she slid further toward
Grey, propelling herself with her feet in a seesaw movement, her
grip slipping then reconnecting. Time stood still for Carrie as her
progress seemed to take forever.

"Close enough. Close enough," Grey
called.

She stopped and awaited his instruction.

"Push the rope in a straight line toward me,"
he yelled.

Carrie laid the rope on the ice and pushed it
little by little. But it bent in the middle. She stopped and
straightened it out again. This time she pushed it more slowly,
trying to ignore the anxiety building up inside her. She didn't
know a ton about the outdoors but she did know that Grey may have
only twenty minutes until he succumbed to the cold. Again she shook
her head slightly to dislodge the frightening thought from her mind
and forced herself to focus on his rescue. Lying flat on the ice,
she rested her cheek on the frozen surface so she could extend her
arm fully while she inched the rope closer to Grey.

When the rope was within a foot of him, he
vaulted out of the water a few inches, propelled by his legs and
grabbed at the loop. He closed his freezing fingers around the rope
as best he could and dragged it toward him. He put one arm through
the loop, then made it bigger and slipped it over his head. While
he pulled his other arm through, he steadied himself using his
elbow on the ice. He had to keep his head above the water at all
costs. Once his second arm was through, he tightened the rope
around his chest under his arms and grasped it with both hands.
When Carrie saw the thumbs up sign from Grey, she started to slide
backward on the ice to shore. Colin pulled the rope tight while
John reached out to get a hold of Carrie's foot as she slid toward
him. When he reached it he pulled her in to shore quickly.

Colin pulled on the rope with all his
strength. Grey came up, but fell back into the water. Grey was at
least fifty pounds heavier, since his clothes were totally soaked
through. Colin gritted his teeth as he wound the rope around his
hands. Uttering a loud grunt, his face turning red, he pulled again
on the rope, then again, inching Grey out of the water. John
secured the slack rope, winding it around a tree trunk. Carrie
stood up and brushed the ice off her chest and thighs which were
beginning to grow numb. John joined behind Colin and with one more
pull together, Grey lurched out of the water and slid closer to
shore along the frozen surface like a sea creature.