Free Mr. Miracle by Debbie Macomber Page B

and slipped her arms under his. “You ready?”
    “I was ready an hour ago,” he muttered.
    Using every bit of strength she possessed, Addie strained to lift him enough to give him leverage to get to his feet. Despite her best efforts, he didn’t budge.
    “Good heavens, just how much do you weigh?” she asked, breathing hard.
    He grumbled a reply. From what she could make of it, he wasn’t discussing his weight.
    “Temper, temper,” she chided.
    “It isn’t you who’s as helpless as an infant,” he reminded her.
    He was right. This situation must be mortifying for Erich. There’d been a time when she would have gotten a great deal of pleasure seeing him down and helpless. She didn’t feel that way any longer. It was far too easy to see herself in a similar situation.
    “Let’s try again,” she suggested. “This time I’ll put a little more oomph into it.”
    Erich snorted sarcastically. “You mean to say the first attempt was just for practice?”
    “Quit complaining. I’m doing the best I can.” If the initialtry was any indication, she could see getting Erich to his feet wasn’t going to be easy.
    She tried again, straining her muscles for all she was worth. Clenching her teeth, she tilted her head back, grunted hard, and gave it her all.
    Nothing.
    She couldn’t lift him so much as an inch off the floor. He was a huge guy—easily six-three. He’d clearly continued to work out after high school and was as broad and muscular as ever. Given that she was slight, lifting him was sure to be a challenge.
    Exhausted now, she slumped down on the hardwood surface, her legs stretched out in a wide V.
    “Are you hurt?” he asked, glancing over his shoulder.
    “No, but this isn’t working.”
    “No kidding, Sherlock.”
    After Addie caught her breath she crawled on her hands and knees around Erich so that they could talk face-to-face. Her eyes had adjusted to the dark and she noticed he’d modestly tucked his robe around his front.
    “You have any other ideas?” she asked. Maybe, with his engineering background, he might offer a couple of other suggestions.
    He leaned his head back and expelled a grating breath. “Unfortunately, not a one.”
    Although she couldn’t see his face that clearly, from the way he spoke, she could tell he was exhausted.
    This was a last resort, but Addie felt she had to suggest it. It went without saying, Erich would object. “If worse comes to worst, I could always call for help.”
    “Who?”
    That was a legitimate question. Knocking on the neighbors’ doors would most likely mean rousing them from bed. Then Addie had an idea.
    “Nine-one-one would be my first option. Firefighters are trained for situations just like this.” The more she thought about it, the more sense it made.
    “No way.” Erich’s response was sharp and automatic. He wasn’t even willing to listen.
    “Come on, Erich, you’re in an impossible situation here.”
    “I am not going to have a bunch of firefighters see me in my underwear.” Just the way he said it left no room for argument.
    “Okay, okay.” Addie held up both her hands as if surrendering. “A man and his pride.”
    He sat pouting for several seconds before he muttered, “Pride’s all I’ve got left, and I’d rather keep it, if you don’t mind.”
    Despite their differences through the years, Addie feltbad for him. “Then we’ll think of some other way.” She tried to sound confident although it was more bluff than any real sense they could successfully pull this off.
    They waited a few minutes in order for them both to catch their breath. Thirty minutes passed along with several attempts, all of which ended without success. They’d been nearly successful with a chair, but it was plain that putting too much pressure on his arms was not an option. When she saw the considerable pain on his face, Addie put a stop to it.
    “You’re hurting yourself.”
    “I don’t care.”
    “I do,” she argued, and pushed the