Page 99 of To Catch a Latte Thick as Thieves

“There’s no place to pull over or turn around, you’re going to have to drive through it,” Jared spoke softly, as if trying to soothe her anxiety. “Just take a deep breath and concentrate on the road.”

Flashing yellow warning lights began to blink at them from both sides of the road. The space between the concrete barriers didn’t look large enough for a bicycle to pass through. The vehicle that hadn’t made it through was lying on its side in the deep ravine to the right. Cat felt beads of sweat break out on her forehead. Every muscle in her body was clenched as tight as a fist.

“You’re doing fine,” Jared coached her.

Cat slowed the van to a crawl. Unable to see through the blinding rain, she inched her way through the construction site while the water that filled the barriers slowly crept up the side of the van.

“The water must be covering the wheels.” Cat let out a hiss. This was a trucker’s route. If they stalled, they were goners, sitting ducks as the enormous trucks that rumbled along this road ran right over them.

Although it seemed like hours, in seconds it was over, and Cat steered the van onto an embankment at the end of the construction zone. Several other vehicles were parked there to wait out the remainder of the storm.

Cat put the van into park and stepped on the emergency brake. She was shaking from the inside out. Her skin was clammy, and she felt nauseous. Jared took one look at her, unsnapped her seat belt, and pulled Cat into his arms while unclipping a quivering Lucy from her seat harness at the same time. The puppy immediately hopped onto Cat’s lap and she cuddled the puppy as sweetly as Jared held her.

“That was some fancy driving there, Teach,” Jared whispered against her hair. He rubbed her arms as if trying to warm her up. “I think I saw some people down by that car. Are you going to be okay if I run down and check on them?”

“I’ll go with you,” she volunteered between chattering teeth.

“No, stay here. I’ll be right back,” he ordered and placed a swift, comforting kiss on her forehead.

Cat watched him dart out into the rain and tried to pull herself together. They’d made it through the flooded road and everyone was fine. Concentrating on taking deep breaths, she felt her heart rate return to normal.

Although Jared had only been gone a few moments, it seemed like an eternity. The fogged-up windows made it impossible to see, and Cat felt panic begin to whisper along her already taut nerves. As a teacher, she’d made it her business to learn the basics of first aid. If people were hurt, they might need her.

“I’m going to go see if Jared needs help,” she explained to Lucy as she clipped her back into her harness. “You be a good girl.”

Cat stepped into the warm rain and hurried to the side of the road. She reached the concrete barriers just as a trailer truck was passing through. He barely even slowed. As the water arched up and away from his tires, Cat felt a chill run through her. Had the van gotten stuck, they could have been killed. So easily, they could have been killed.

Pushing the wet hair out of her eyes, Cat tried to control the trembling that racked her body. Jared. She had to find him. She scanned the road. The sheets of rain made it almost impossible to see. A figure moved at the end of the pass and Cat recognized his walk. Jared. A faint set of headlights glowed up the hill as another truck came toward the flooded area.

Cat felt her heart hammer. Jared was carrying something on his shoulder. A spare tire? It was clear he didn’t see the truck headed straight for him. Cat shouted but the rain drowned out her voice. She waved her arms but he didn’t look up. The truck was roaring down the hill. Without stopping to reconsider her actions, she climbed onto the top of the cement barrier and started to run, praying she didn’t slip. She only had seconds to get to Jared.

The spare tire was heavy on his shoulder but Jared was almost out of the flooded roadway when a motion to his left caught his eye. Cat was running along the top of the cement barrier towards him.

“Catherine!” he shouted, but she couldn’t hear him over the pounding rain. What the hell was she thinking?

He’d almost cleared the cement barrier when she launched herself at him, pushing him out of the flooded roadway to the side of the road where he landed on his ass while she crashed on top of him with a knee tohis chest that knocked the breath from his lungs. The spare tire rolled out of his arms and down the hill. But he had no time to reach for it as the hair on the back of his neck rose just as a rumbling truck tore passed them, sending an arc of water over them.

Attempting to get up, Cat pushed off Jared but the sodden ground beneath her feet gave way. Jared grabbed her arm, trying to catch her but the ground was too slippery and she plummeted down the side of the muddy hill, taking him with her.

The hand holding her never loosened its grip, and as a result Cat landed at the bottom with an indelicate thump as Jared slid to a stop on top of her, pressing her into the mud. Pushing the rain soaked hair out of her eyes, she noted his dead weight across her and wondered if he’d cracked his head on the way down.

“Jared!” She pushed at his shoulders, trying to rouse him.

He was non-responsive and she felt panic start to thrum inside of her. What if he was dead? What if she’d killed him with that flying tackle?

“Damn you, Jared McLean, you wake up right now.” Her voice cracked, but she continued to yell at him. “Do you hear me? Wake up!”

“I’m awake.” He lifted his head and his blue eyes snapped open and pinned her with a glare. Fury crackled in his gaze, but Cat was too relieved to care.

She lifted her hands from his shoulders. “Well, you could have said something.”

“I was trying to control my temper,” he said.

“Yourtemper?” she repeated, irritated. “Of all the idiotic stunts to pull. What were you thinking? You could have been killed.”

She shoved him off and staggered to her feet, fighting to keep her balance in the mud. Annoyed, she turned on her heel and began to trudge back up the slope. She only got three feet away when a hand clamped around her ankle and jerked her foot out from under her. She landed with an undignified splat.

All of her fear and panic twisted into fury, and she struck out with her other foot only to have Jared pounce on her, trapping her body beneath his as he straddled her in the mud.

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