He rolled to a stop and something white moved from behind the raised hood and into the sweep of his high beams. A woman. No, a bride. He dimmed the lights and hopped out of his rig. He noticed the Washington state plates, an expired UW parking permit decal in the window and the bad feeling in his gut turned into an ulcer. Not just another one of those marriage-crazy women whod come to town, but this one had brought her wedding dress. How enterprising. Looked like she was having a bit of trouble, and not just with the car. He wondered what happened to the Married part of the sign, a sign that looked as tattered as she did.
What are you doing here? This is a private road, he bellowed.
Yes, I figured that out as soon as I turned onto it. But is there a place to turn around anywhere? No. She marched toward him, apparently not at all a shy, retiring sort of woman. He placed her as somewhere in her early to midtwenties. Fury punctuated every word and pounded in her heeled footsteps. Obviously, Im having car trouble. Do I look like I want to be here?
Its hard to say, with the dress.
Oh, dont even mention that. Her eyes flared.
She could be a cute little thing if she wasnt so angry. Note to self: Dont let this one too close. It wasnt often a man got to see what lurked beneath a womans guileless face and pretty smile before they said I do. What he could already see was a major turn-off. He took a step back, because he didnt need this kind of a headache. He had enough of his own. Ill put a call in and get a tow truck out here.
Great. You have a cell phone?
Not a working one.
You dont? Youre kidding, right? Mine wouldnt get reception out here. Stupid phone. She hiked up her skirt and gave the Fiats back tire a hard kick. Stupid car.
Ordinarily, Id worry about a woman alone at night, but my guess is that you can hold your own against any threat, including a bear. No doubt a grizzly would take a look at her and run.
Bears? The anger drained away. She turned to face him, standing full in the light. Soft golden curls tumbled to her shoulders and framed a face that was both beautiful and unique. Big china-blue eyes dominated her pixie face, with a perfect slope of a nose and a mouth that had to have been sculpted by angels. Are there really bears here?
Yes, but not many would want to take you on. Maybe hed better look at her engine first, then figure out what to do with her. Whats with the car?
It started smoking. The temperature thingy has been higher than normal for a while. I think from about Vancouver on.
British Columbia? He grabbed the flashlight he kept behind the seat.
But a few miles down the road it started creeping into the red zone. There was no place to stop, so I turned in here, thinking there might be a house. But there are only trees.
And your husband? Didnt he have the sense to check the fluids? Please tell me there is a husband, he thought. Where is he?
No idea.
Figures. Love and marriage were supposed to mean something, but not to this flighty woman. Why did you leave him? What was the problem? He wouldnt do what you wanted? Wouldnt take you on the honeymoon of your dreams? Give you every little thing you demanded?
Not your business. The anger returned, her soft jawline went rigid and her hands turned into fists that looked ready to punch something. Maybe him. What about the tow truck?
Im going to have to call from home, but Im not wild about taking you to my house.
Me, either. She hiked up her chin. Wheres the closest residence? I was about to grab my things and start walking, but I didnt know which way to go. I havent seen anyone so far on this road.
Myron lives up a ways. Youre right. Its too far to walk. Ill take you there. Get in. He didnt sound happy about it.
That made two of them. She yanked open the Fiats door and pain shot through her fingertip. Another broken nail. The third one to break on this impulsive trip. So much for her pre-wedding spa day. What had she been thinking?
She hadnt been. Shed been driving on pure anger, coffee and heartbreak all the way. She yanked her purse off the seat and followed the mountain man to his SUV. Maybe she should introduce herself. Im Karenna Digby.
Gage Parker. He wasnt a friendly sort, and there was no missing the frown he tossed at her. No doubt he didnt think much of her.
And why would he? She looked a fright. If only she wasnt wearing this stupid gown. This dress had been the start of her problemsthe catalyst that set everything in motion. The gown she had to have, that had cost three months of her salary, because it had represented everything shed prayed for as a little girl.
She gathered up her train, climbed into the passenger seat and groaned at the pristine condition of the leather. She sat down, wincing because she wasnt exactly sure how much dirt, mud and grease was on her skirt. Should she apologize ahead of time? One sideways glance at Gage Parker made her change her mind about saying anything at all. Stoic guy, dark look, scary frown. Best to clean up any grime she left behind after shed gotten out of the vehicle.
He slammed her door, circled in front of his Jeep and stalked through the headlights like a Sasquatch. He was deep shadows, big brawn and leashed power. Suddenly the shadowy woods seemed enormous and she felt very small. Miniscule, in fact. Shed been so steamed about Alan leaving her at the church, her broken-down car and her emotional decision to drive all the way to Alaska, it hadnt even occurred to her she was alone with a strange man. Sitting in his SUV. He could be a rapist or a serial killer who lived in a weird cabin, miles from known civilization.
The drivers door swung open and he angled in behind the wheel. No smile, no reassuring clue to signify he was a decent, respectable, law-abiding, nondangerous man. The dome light winked out, leaving him in shadow, making it easier to think the worst.
Okay, Im out of my element, alone in the dark. Could You please send me a little sign here, Lord? Just something, so I know Im all right? She knew the Lord might be busy. There was a world of strife and suffering He was tending to, but she still hoped for a small heavenly hint before the SUV started to roll and it was too late to jump out.
When you get to Myrons, be sure you call the hotel so they can hold your room. The mountain man eased his vehicle around her disabled car and accelerated along the road. Twilit forests and a pair of antlers on a startled-looking deer sped past her window.
My room? She bit her lip, not quite wanting to admit the truth to the imposing man. Of course he would assume she had a reservation. Any sensible person would. But had she taken the time? No. Shed been too wound up and upset over Alans hastily scrawled note.
I dont love you enough to marry you, hed written. Youre just too much to deal with.
You have a room, right? Mr. Imposing glowered at her. The look on his face clearly said he thought she was one of those stupid women who wouldnt have planned ahead.
Since shed used that word a lot over the last thirty-eight and a half hours, she couldnt argue with him. Her mothers voice blasted in her head like a badly burned CD. You have no common sense, Karenna. You dont think things through. Who can blame Alan for chickening out? I dont know if I can ever forgive you.
Since shed used that word a lot over the last thirty-eight and a half hours, she couldnt argue with him. Her mothers voice blasted in her head like a badly burned CD. You have no common sense, Karenna. You dont think things through. Who can blame Alan for chickening out? I dont know if I can ever forgive you.
No place to sleep. Another inadvertent blunder. She should have done an Internet search for Treasure Creek hotels. Now what? She couldnt look at Mr. Disapproving, so she pulled at a loose thread on her embroidered skirt. This wasnt exactly a planned trip. I figured I could find something once I was here.
Do you realize half the women in the contiguous United States are in Treasure Creek? At least it seems that way. There cant be an available hotel room within fifty miles.
She hadnt been the only one to read the article. Of course. She hadnt looked before she leaped. Shed been too busy trying to escape her grief. How could she admit that out loud? She would have to talk about what happenedabout her shattered hopes and Alans hurtful letter. Better to let this guy think she was a flake in a ruined wedding dress.
She twisted in the seat to take one last look at the shadowed hump of her car on the lonely road. Thats when she noticed something in the mans backseat. A babys car seat. Tension rushed out of her and Gage Parker no longer looked intimidating or questionable. Strong and stoic and grim, maybe, but he was a father. A decent family man. That meant his wife and child were waiting for him at home. No wonder he was put out.
Without a reservation, youre probably out of luck, he growled, wheeling his vehicle off the road and down a bumpy dirt driveway. Myron might be able to suggest someone who could put you up for the night.
You mean stay in someones house?
Dont figure theres any room at the boarding house, either. Which means there are no other options, unless you want to sleep in your car. Maybe you want to try to find that husband of yours? He might have dug up a room somewhere.
I wouldnt want to do that, since I didnt exactly marry him.
Why am I not surprised? His scowl deepened, emphasizing the crinkles in the corners of his eyes, age lines that placed him somewhere in his midthirties.
Maybe he was feeling sympathy for Alan. Maybe Gage Parker would agree with her mothers assessment of things. Karenna hung her head, not knowing what else to say.
She didnt so much care what the mountain man thought of her. She was starting to see his point. This is what happened when you acted out of upset, not calm, rational thought. She had no idea when calm, rational thought was going to kick in. She prayed it would be any second.
A glaze of lights glowed in the shadows up ahead. It was hard to see the surrounding area because of the dense trees, but she caught an impression of a big shed, a woodpile stacked higher than a house and a ramshackle cabin with torn curtains in the windows. The door swung open and a gnarled mans silhouette was backlit by the light as he put a round into the chamber of the biggest rifle Karenna had ever seen.
Ho there, Gage called through the open window, as he stopped the Jeep. Myron, I need to use your phone.
Is that you, Parker? The man ambled onto a broken-down porch and squinted at the windshield. Is that the gal you rescued from the cliff?
Nah. This is a different one. Her car died out on the road. He opened the door and hopped to the ground. An old hound dog loped around the side of the house, yowling. Gage paid it no heed. She needs a tow truck. You wouldnt mind if she waited with you, right?
What? Are you kiddin? The old man moved down a few steps and glared harder at her. She could feel his disapproval piercing the tempered glass. Is that a weddin dress shes wearin? I dont want nothin to do with that.
Cmon, Myron. You know Ive got my hands full at home. Gages voice was a murmur now, as the two men bent together conspiratorially in the poorly lit front yard. The hound put his paws on the edge of the drivers seat, sniffed the air and barked at her. No way was she able to hear what was going on.
What she needed was to get out of the vehicle and beg the old man to help her. Although it did look kind of scary out there, so shadowy, with the forest right up next to the buildings. Surely, he was a kind soul who wouldnt turn away a woman in need? Hadnt the magazine article said the town was full of noble men and handsome hero types? She opened her door and something big, furry and black lunged at her.
Yikes. A bear! She pulled the door closed with all her might and screamed when something hit the window. Beady green eyes glowed through the glass. Fear exploded through her and she flew out of the seat. The belt yanked tight, holding her in place.
The dog silenced, Gage hopped behind the wheel and slammed the door. Thats a no go. I cant believe Myron. He doesnt like brides, either.
B-bear, she sputtered out, pointing at the window. The beast beat against the glass again, rocking the Jeep.
Thats Myrons other dog. Gage shook his head at her. You dont know much, do you?
Thats exactly what Alan used to say to her. The big black creature loped through the gray twilightnow clearly a mammoth dogas he joined the grizzled old man on the porch.
She might not know much, but she was learning. Life used to be simple, but it had gone from great to complicated in five seconds flat, and she hadnt been prepared. Add that to the fact that she was out of her element and she hadnt slept in nearly two daysand she was a mess. What now? Are you going to take me back to my car for the night?
No. He sounded unhappy as he wheeled his vehicle around and pointed the headlights down the sorry excuse for a driveway. Youre coming home with me. But there are going to be rules.
Yes, absolutely. She thought of the wife and child at home, missing him, maybe wondering why he was late. Some women might not be understanding of a husband arriving with a younger woman in tow. I really appreciate this, Mr. Parker.
Youre not to disrupt things. Ive got a baby in the house. Matthew needs to stay on his schedule.
Of course. Matthew. A little boy. How old is your son?
Hes my nephew. Apparently, my brother decided he had better things to do than raise him, so Im doing it by default.
You and your wife must be extraordinary people, to take in a baby.
My wife? Thats a good one. He shook his head, the SUV accelerating on the dirt lane. They bounced harder until he hit the brakes with an angry punch. The seat belt caught her again, saving her from hitting the dash. No wife. She had better things to do than stay married to me.
Im sorry. She could tell the man was hurting. She could make a huge list of all the obvious differences between them, but they had the ravages of failed relationships in common. She felt sorry for him. I wish that hadnt happened to you.
He glanced at her sideways as he turned off the narrow country road. Surprise carved into his granite features. He really was a handsome man. Dark, thick hair tumbled over a high forehead. His compelling sky-blue eyes and high slash of cheekbones could have belonged to a movie star. The straight blade of his nose didnt overpower his face, and his mouth and jaw were pure artistry.
If only he didnt scowl so much.