Chapter 50

“Fuck!”

Randy heard Vaughn curse, but he was already down. It wasn’t the pain of his already abused knee meeting the frozen gravel pathway underneath the snow that forced the grunt out of him. It was the cold. Bare hands, bare face, bare neck—they all seemed to scream as the snow dug its icy fingers into him and squeezed. He was too shocked to do anything but freeze.

Then wide woolly hands were scooping him up by the back of his sweater. A thick arm was wrapped around his waist and he was tugged the rest of the way up. “You damn fool,” Vaughn growled. “What in the Sam Hell are you trying to do?”

“Chase you,” Randy wheezed. He pushed Vaughn away. “I’m fine—”

His knee buckled underneath him. Fireworks went off behind his eyelids, and he dropped like a stone. He had to take two sharp breaths before he could open his eyes.

Once again Vaughn snaked an arm around Randy’s waist, and this time Randy clung to him. They shuffled and hopped up the stairs and across Randy’s porch.