Veteran and His Dog Save a Wheelchair Bride — Unaware She’s a Billionaire Who Changes Their Lives

Chapter 2

The two miles between their worlds was a war. The wind tore at Nathan’s burden, tried to rip her loose, and the snow came so thick he navigated by memory — the pitch of the road, the lean of a certain outcropping, the feel of mud turning to ice under his boots. He moved with his head down, his body curved like a shield over her. Ekko pressed against his leg the whole way, a gray ghost, a steady pressure in the chaos.

Then the cabin door slammed shut behind them, the deadbolt thudded home, and the world changed register. The scream of the wind became a deep, resonant breathing from the chimney. Heat rolled over him like a physical shock.

He set her down on a worn couch opposite a massive stone fireplace. She landed soft, then went rigid — he saw teeth clamp down, a shiver of agony flash through her face as the blood began to return to her frozen limbs. Her hands were so badly shaking that when he brought her a steaming mug of coffee, she nearly dropped it.

He knelt, took her hands — his palms rough as sandstone, radiating a warmth that made her gasp — and closed them around the mug. “Hold it. Feel the heat. Drink.”

She drank, and the scalding black burned a clean line down her throat.

“My chair—” she started.

“It’s in the truck. It’s useless. The snow is three feet deep at the door. You’re not going anywhere.”