Page 14 of Worth the Rush
“I love you too, Dad.”
After all the goodbyes have been said, I’m taking home two cinnamon rolls and a picture that Hazel drew for me. A valued possession that I’ll be putting on my fridge. Driving up the mountain at night is so quiet. I look down on the town I love, and, yes, I do love it, but I’m looking forward to being home in my cabin for the night. It will be nice to have some solitude and avoid everyone.
That thought is the last one I have before my life is derailed for the second time today by the same person. Flashing taillights off the side of the road catch my eye. The vehicle's owner is standing beside it, arms crossed over her chest, shielding her eyes from my headlights. She may not have been thrilled to seeme this morning, but the redhead on the side of the road right now has absolutely been starring in my thoughts since I left her bed this morning. I slow down and pull off to the shoulder just past her. I hop out of my truck and walk toward her, fully expecting the fire from earlier in the day. She doesn’t seem to have a problem with voicing her displeasure.
Getting closer to her, I still like a deer in her headlights. I was prepared to be met with more of the sass and spice from earlier. The last thing I expected were watery eyes and a red nose. She’s sniffling. The instinct to wrap her in my arms comes over me, but I push it down, afraid she may claw my eyes out if I get too close. I settle instead on removing my wool-lined coat and sliding it over her shoulders. Slowly, so she can stop me if she wants. She doesn’t.
“Hey, it’s alright. Need some help?” I ask her, and she makes a noise that, if I had to name, would be a sarcastic snort.
“Now, why would a woman, who’s new to town, doesn’t yet know her way around, and is stranded on the side of the road, need any help?”There’s the fire.
I’m not a cautious person. Confident. Assertive. Honest. Capable. I have many great qualities. Being careful isn’t one of them. That’s most likely the biggest factor contributing to the predicament I find myself in.
“Why would a woman in that situation be out on the roads she doesn’t know at night in the first place, princess?” The man whose coat is keeping me warm shoots back at me.
“I’m a very capable woman, Mr. Holloway. I’ve been driving a car for let’s see, at least a solid decade now, I can handle a ten-minute drive into town,” I snipe, but then remember that my SUV is stuck in a snowdrift on the side of the road. Minor details.
His smug grin is gas on the flames. He waves a hand to my SUV and opens his mouth. Then shuts it. I wait for him to argue my point. I hope he’s wrapped his wrists because I don’t pull punches. A sigh that’s visible out here in the cold air escapes him.
“I’m sure you are Ms. Rutherford,” he addresses me as I have him. “Do you need me to call you a tow?” he asks.
“I’ve called one, thank you.” I sound snobby, so I add. “I’m fine to wait here alone. You can get on with your night.”
“I’ve got nowhere to be. I can wait with you,” he offers.
“Not necessary,” I retort, sliding his coat off and holding it out to him. He just stares at me, a tight smile pulling his mouth to the side shaking his head at the outstretched garment.
“There’s that word again,” he muses. “I thought we covered that the other night…and stopping to check on you was not my way of pissing you off, just so we’re clear,” he lets me know. I sigh, and I am pissed, so pissed that tears gather in my eyes again, making his outline smudge. But not at him. Not really.Shit.I hate that I’m an angry crier. I’d just gotten a social media notification of Noah’s engagement being announced in the paper, and I needed to do something to take my mind off it. I knew he was engaged, and it’s not a shock that it’s in the paper, but it still hit me hard, and I decided I needed to get some more oranges for my sugared candy peel stash. A drive into town to the grocery store sounded perfect. Until I started sliding around.
Snow is starting to fall again, and I want to scream. It’s enough already.
“I—” My voice cracks. Swallowing, I try again. “I just needed a few things from town. My app said the roads were clear,” I defend myself through gritted teeth. He grips his coat that I’m still holding onto and takes it. Good. Leave me here to dwell in my own misery. I shut my eyes to ward off more tears, but the weight of the coat being placed back on my shoulders makes it really hard. I slowly open my watery eyes.
“Ah, I see. Those apps don’t always give the whole truth.They aremostlyclear, but you still need to watch out for black ice.” I cock my head at his words. “The sun was out today and thawed the snow, then when temps dropped this evening, it froze over again. It’s like glass, really hard to see even when you’re familiar with it—” he cuts himself off with an easy smile then finishes, “—or a very capable woman.” I bite the inside of my cheek, not wanting him to know I find him funny. Charming. Not wanting him to know that I’ve thought about him at all after last night. I have one objective and role-playing the damsel in distress with a real-life action hero isn’t it.
“I guess that’s something I’ll need to be more careful of,” I relent.
“It could happen to anyone. Now, are you going to let me drive you back to the resort?” he asks me again.
“I think I should wait for the tow. The guy on the phone said it would be forty-five minutes,”—I check my phone for the hundredth time—“sixty-two minutes ago,” I say with a groan, hanging my head and pressing my right thumb to my temple. Crunching snow draws my attention to where Alder is now walking away from me and back to his truck. Okay, well, that’s not the reaction I expected. He roots around in the cab of his truck for a minute, not getting in. I look up at the swirling white flakes that are starting to come down faster.
“What’s your number?” he asks from right beside me. What?
“My number? You want my phone number right now?” I ask, flattered, but time and place, hotshot. He chuckles, interrupting my train of thought. He’s holding up a piece of paper and pen.
“I’m leaving the tow driver your information,” he informs me.Oh.“I doubt they even come tonight, but just in case, I’velet them know you left because the weather turned. If you want to spend another night with me, we can do that somewhere other than the side of the road. You need to let me give you a ride before we get stuck here,” he insists again, and as much as I want to tell him that he can get lost, I know the only option is to accept the ride.
“Fine.” I sigh and tell him my number. He writes it down before trapping it under the windshield wiper.
“Let’s go,” he says it in a way that sounds like I have a choice, but I know a command when I hear one. He’s very self-assured. I’m annoyed that I like he isn’t afraid to take charge.
“Lead the way.” I extend an arm up the road from us.
Inside Alder’s truck, I already feel myself starting to thaw. I wrap his coat around myself tighter, and as stealthily as I can, I breathe in its scent. Spicy, but not like cologne. Soap? It’s clean and also warm and I snap my head up because he’s going to catch me smelling his coat. I glance at him from the corner of my eye, but he’s staring straight ahead.
“Do you mind if I turn on some music?” I ask, trying to avoid conversation. Not only am I in a bad mood, but I don’t want to talk about our night together.
He shakes his head with a grin and hands me his phone. “Not at all. It’s already hooked up to my phone. Feel free to play whatever you want.” Hmm, I’m surprised at how easily he hands his phone to me. I’m not going to snoop through his messages or anything, but the pull to know something else about him is strong. I settle for digging into the playlist he has pulled up. Soft Rock Goes The Hardest. A surprised laugh bubbles out of me, and I clamp a hand over my mouth.
