Thin Ice: Whispering Willows, #5

By Diana Dawn

Snow's sister Lily has now joined her in the village, but she is haunted by her past. She must get past her fears if she is to find love in the Willows, as her sister did. And then there is the magic mirror in the mine...a portal back to their world, with all of its dangers. Will those dangers follow them back to Whispering Willows? 'Thin Ice' is the fifth book in the Whispering Willows series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Diana Dawn
• Release date: Jul 8, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393486589

Diana Dawn

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Whispering Willows

Book 5:  Thin Ice

Chapter 1

Thin Ice

Dinner was delicious, wasn’t it? Snow beamed.

Mitch smiled at his wife, Yes. Jill can make a really ‘mean’ jambalaya. Would you like some tea, darling? Yes, please.

Snow smiled then suddenly shuddered as a chill went through her.

Mitch poured their cups and came to sit by her near the fire, Are you cold, Princess?

Snow rubbed her arms, Just a sudden chill is all. Probably just the chill you get after dinner when your food is digesting, you know?

Mitch lovingly wrapped his arms around Snow and held her tightly into him. Darling, you’re shivering. Are you sure you’re alright? I hope you don’t have a fever or anything.

Snow tried to answer but her voice was overpowered by a sudden feeling of cold. What was wrong with her? She couldn’t stop shivering. She felt incredibly cold, too cold for someone sitting directly in front of a fireplace. Something was wrong, very wrong.

Thomas’ curiosity had gotten the best of him, and he decided to go have a look at this ‘generator’ contraption that Trent and Nate were so intent on conjuring at the mill. After looking it over, he came to the conclusion that he had no clue as to how the silly thing worked, nor did he really want to know. He’d rather not have that in common with Nate, anyway.

Dusk was falling as he headed back to the village. What made him stop in his tracks was a distant voice he heard. He could swear he heard a voice cry ‘help’, a woman’s voice at that. Grace? Could that have been Grace in peril in the woods, perhaps with her newborn baby?

He rushed toward the voice, which seemed to come from the direction of the lake, Hello? Grace? Is someone there? Hello? He came to the small ice pond where he suddenly remembered with an annoyance that this was most probably the spot that Lily went skating with Nate. He looked around but saw no one. Hello? He was about to search another spot when he spotted something on the ice in front of him. It was a scarf … it was Lily’s scarf! Lily? He saw her wearing it at the Mardi Gras dinner that evening. Why was it here? He carefully stepped onto the ice and picked it up. Quickly, he scanned the area. Straight ahead, he could see a large hole in the ice. It was getting dark, so it was hard to see. The hole was in the thinner part of the ice. He couldn’t see anything there. A sick feeling hit the pit of his stomach and he swallowed hard. What if? No, it couldn’t be. But he couldn’t just leave, he had to find out. He had to. He had to investigate that hole … at least to calm his fears, right? Against his better judgement, he succumbed to that part of himself that had to know, had to be sure. He carefully walked to the edge of the shallow pond toward the black hole in the ice ahead. Still, he saw nothing. He sighed heavily, still fearing what he dare not fear. He got down flat on his stomach and carefully slid himself up to the ominous hole. Still, he saw nothing, but almost as if driven by instinct, he reached down into the icy water.

Oh my God! There was something … no someone! Someone went through the ice! God, NO … not Lily! Sweet Lily! He felt the collar of a coat and pulled up. The water must have been just deep enough to submerge the person just over their head, or they would have been much deeper. As he pulled on the collar and brought up the figure, his stomach churned in his body.

Lily! God, Lily!

Frantically, he pulled her upwards, sliding himself back toward the shallow pond. Slowly, he managed to drag her out of the hole, despite the ice cracking beneath them, threatening to give way. Once on the shallow pond, he stood up and quickly dragged Lily to the bank.

Lily? She gave no response. Remembering the lessons Kate once gave in the main hut in CPR, Thomas leaned his ear to her face … no breath. He closed her nose in the same fashion Kate demonstrated on Donnie, since he wouldn’t allow her demonstration to be done on anyone else. He silently cursed at Donnie, wishing he’d been able to practice the technique before having to perform it for real.

Lily’s lips were blue, a sight which didn’t set too well with Thomas. Gently, he cupped his lips over hers and attempted to breathe life into the little gypsy. Nothing. He did it again. Something that under normal circumstances could be considered as sweet as a kiss, he didn’t consider so at this moment. To Thomas, this was in desperation … and he couldn’t possibly consider it sweet, like a kiss from Lily might be. Then, like music to his ears, coughing and sputtering from Lily actually made him smile, and he sighed in relief. Quickly, he flipped her on her side to help rid her lungs of the lake water.

He then pulled her onto his lap, Lily? No answer. She was breathing now, but still unconscious. Thomas knew he had to act quickly, lest she go into shock. He had to get her warm, and fast. The closest shelter was the mill. There was a fireplace there for when they work in the wintertime or need to pre-cook any of the foods for canning. He grabbed Lily up in his arms and started toward the mill.

Thomas was able to get a fire started quickly, but there were no blankets in the mill, except for a cotton drop cloth and the large rug on the wood floor. He removed Lily’s coat and ice skates and held her in his arms as close to the fire’s flames as he dared. Still unconscious, she was shivering violently. Her clothes were still wet and freezing. He was leery to do it, but knew he had to. He went over and vigorously shook the dust from the dropcloth and rug, then brought them over to Lily. He hesitated at first, then gently unbuttoned her cardigan sweater. Even soaking wet and shivering, she was beautiful, thought Thomas … and without looking at her, he carefully removed the sweater. Quickly, he wrapped the drop cloth around Lily, then again without looking, managed to slip off her skirt. He pulled her in tightly and wrapped the large floor rug around them both. Still, she was shivering so. Thomas’ shirt was wet from pulling Lily from the lake and was making the drop cloth damp and cold. He took his shirt off and set it off to the side to dry along with Lily’s clothes. Then he pulled Lily in close to him. Her skin was clammy and she was still shaking. Along with the rug, he wrapped his arms around Lily and hugged her into him tightly, breathing warm air upon her cold ears.

It wasn’t until after she stopped shivering that Thomas became fully aware of his present situation. Lily was feeling warmer now beneath his touch, as he rubbed her back and shoulders. Her skin was soft, and it suddenly occurred to Thomas how long it had been since he’d been with a woman, since he’d been with Beth. He missed her more than ever, now. In the few years he’d been in the Willows, right now seemed to be his most difficult moment. The feel of Lily’s warm soft skin so close to his, was so much like Beth’s own gentle touch. True, this entire situation was to save Lily’s life, to keep her from freezing, but Thomas was still a man. And although he had been able to show more self-control than many of the other men in the village, it was still a difficult moment for him. Difficult to keep his thoughts from wandering, considering his feelings for Lily. Ever since that day at the cabin … watching her with the baby, and her gentle way with Grace … Lily was so lovely, despite her lack of sleep. Thank God it wasn’t someone like Nicholas in this position, right now … God only knows what would happen. Thomas shut his eyes tightly and kept his emotions and his thoughts in check. As he sighed deeply, he had to make a conscious effort not to dwell on the fact that their upper bodies were touching. He combed his hand through her hair. How smooth it was. It occurred to Thomas that he’d never seen Lily’s hair. She’d always had it tucked up in her scarf in a typical gypsy fashion. Feeling it’s softness, it had now begun to dry by the fire. He couldn’t resist, he had to open his eyes to see it. A beautiful sheen … in the flicker of the fire’s glow, how it shined, he thought. A silky dark shine with the red-dye highlights … definitely Lily, thought Thomas. A perky and unique flair, just like its owner. He brushed his cheek against its softness.

"What have you done to me, Lily? What is it about you? I think about you all the time, yet I hardly know you. It’s like I need you … or is it that you need me? You wear such a sadness