Love me till the end

Chapter 17

Charlie turned the radio on low, not wanting to disturb Luke. She reached into the cupboard for a clean cup when her sleep blurry eyes automatically went to where the picture of him and Susan usually was on the windowsill. Seeing it gone caused her to freeze. That has to be a good sign, doesn't it? Meaning he'd put it away because he was ready to get on with his life.

Or had he taken it to slip beneath his pillow while he slept that night? Charlie chose to believe her first assumption because Luke didn't strike her as the kind of man who would give into something so depressing, especially when so much time had already gone by.

She took a deep breath, half-listening to the weatherman on the radio. He discussed the climate and was predicting more snow. Then the news came on and Charlie heard what she and Luke had been waiting for. A report that she'd never made her scheduled landing at the Tall Pines Airfield and was presumed missing.

The news broadcaster went on to say a search and rescue was underway to find her and that they focused their search efforts in the mountains surrounding Tall Pines. Well, at least they were looking in the right area, even if they had a lot of ground to cover. With it snowing every day Charlie knew there was probably nothing left of the wreckage to see from the air. Thank goodness Luke had placed a marker.

"It was just a matter of time."

Charlie jumped at the sound of Luke's voice, and spun around to face him. Their eyes met briefly before his gaze moved over her face with growing amusement. For a moment she was mesmerized by the look in his chocolate eyes. They made her think of the cocoa she was making, dark and rich, welcoming for a change.

"What?"

The back of his hand came up and brushed over her cheek with a tenderness that tugged at her heartstrings. "You have creased sleep lines on your cheek."

His response brought a smile on her face. "Oh, I'm not a very pretty sight in the mornings." She reached up and tried to do something with her russet hair, which crackled with static electricity.

Luke pulled back slightly, his gaze moving over Charlie's sweatsuit, which she knew was rumpled. Then, as if just realizing what she'd said his eyes sobered and his hand fell away.
"You're a damned desirable sight first thing in the morning."

Oh, she didn't know what to say to that, feeling suddenly shy. Luke was close. She could smell his earthy scent, feel the warmth radiating off his body. His thick hair was mussed from sleep and before Charlie reached up to run her fingers through it, she turned for another cup. "My family must be devastated."

"Maybe they won't have long to wait. I saw another plane fly over yesterday. I wasn't going to say anything because I didn't want to get your hopes up since they weren't anywhere near where you crashed. But they'll be out again and when they come across the crash site they'll know you survived."

Charlie digested the information with mixed emotions. "If they find the site and manage to land somewhere, how will they know where to find me?"

"I nailed a note to a spike in the snow, with a flag on top. It tells them where you are. Most people around these parts, who know me, know where to find me."

"Oh." Charlie hoped Luke didn't question her less-than-enthusiastic tone. "I thought we'd have hot cocoa this morning." She turned to get another package from the box in the cupboard. She couldn't explain the moisture filling her eyes. It was silly. They both knew she had to leave eventually. The deep breath she took sounded more like a broken sob.

"Charlie, we both know it's for the best." The determination in Luke's words was obvious. He'd already made up his mind.

She turned on him, anger rising as fast as an erupting volcano. "You've just decided this on your own? What happened all of a sudden, Luke? I thought..." What, that we'd been falling in love? She wiped furiously at her cheeks, hating the show of weepy emotion. What they'd been doing was falling in lust, which was all.