worry no matter what, but sure, I’ll let you know when we get settled.”
“Thanks. You know I love you bunches.”
As Jett said, “Back atcha,” his gentle, easy smile tugged at Natalie’s heart.
“Give Natalie a smooch from me.”
“Goodbye, Heidi.” Grinning, Jett disconnected the call on her enthusiastic farewell.
His love for his sisters couldn’t be more apparent, and obviously they felt the same. But it boggled Natalie’s mind that they’d fret over him. Jett was six-plus feet of solid, capable and in many ways lethal male.
Other than Molly, no one had ever really worried about her. And now she couldn’t reach Molly.
Jett reached for her hand. “C’mon, Natalie. Don’t look like that. You’ll get used to my sisters being mother hens. It’s just their way.”
Would she be with him long enough to get used to it? She snuffed that thought real fast. “I don’t mind. I think it’s sort of…endearing, how close you all are.”
That seemed to bother him. “Speaking of sisters…” He glanced at her. “Did you ever get hold of yours?”
Natalie shook her head. “She’s still not answering her phone, so I emailed her this morning. Hopefully by the time we get to the cabin she’ll have replied.”
His hand squeezed hers. “You’re a little scared for her, aren’t you?”
“I don’t know.” Logic told her that Molly was just involved with her fast-growing career. “She has a movie deal in the works, and deadlines and research, so I know she’s busy.”
“But not too busy for her sister.”
She frowned, because Jett had just pinpointed her problem: she was hurt. “It’s not like her to stay out of touch like this.” Then she half laughed at herself. “I sound ridiculous, don’t I? My stepmother said so, and she didn’t even want to bother my dad with it. But I can’t help thinking that something might be wrong.”
“Not ridiculous at all. You’re her sister, and sisters have a way of sensing these things. Did you want me to check into it?”
Natalie’s brows shot up in a mix of indignation and curiosity. “Are you offering to investigate my sister?”
Jett shrugged. “I could probably figure out where she went, where she’s been—”
“No.” Molly wouldn’t appreciate anyone snooping through her personal life. But then, because her worry felt real, Natalie added, “At least, not yet. I’ll give her a few more days and hopefully it’ll become a moot point.”
“Fair enough.” Jett kissed her knuckles and released her hand. “But I don’t want to see you worry. So when you’re ready, let me know and I’ll find out what I can.”
Not only did Jett understand her concern, he was willing to help. And with that, he stole another little piece of her heart.
“Look at that sky,” Jett told her. “The snow’s turning to frozen slush.” Everyone now drove well below the speed limit, and still cars were slipping left and right.
Ice stuck to the wipers, interfering with visibility. Just then, they passed a mild wreck involving two cars that had collided with each other. It didn’t amount to much more than a fender bender. But less than half a mile from there they saw a car flipped into the gully, with three other cars stopped nearby to help.
Jett said, “Shit,” and leaned a little closer to the steering wheel.
Natalie twisted to look out the window, stunned that the weather had changed so drastically. “Looks like your sister had good reason to call. It’s really coming down out there.”
“The last weather report I heard said a storm, but I wasn’t expecting this.” He concentrated on the road. The accumulated snow had been pushed aside by the traffic and narrowed the lanes. “We’re not sliding, but it looks like a lot of other cars are.”
“Maybe I should turn on the radio to check the updated weather reports?”
“Yeah. I’d like to know if we’re driving into or out of the worst of it.”
Natalie switched around the stations until she found the news. It wasn’t good. The storm was proving worse than weathermen had predicted and since ice had joined the snow, many smaller roads were already shut down and the interstates were fast becoming congested. Unfortunately, it would be both behind them and ahead of them.
They listened to the weatherman intone the news with ominous warnings.
“Over three inches have already accumulated throughout Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee with up to nine inches now expected. Slick road conditions are being blamed for numerous reports of car wrecks. All along Interstate 75 and 71, cars and trucks are off the road with a few serious accidents that have required air support. The mixture of ice and snow should be considered hazardous. Many areas are under a level-three snow emergency. If you don’t have to be on the road, stay home.”
Natalie frowned at the admonition. She turned to look out the rear window but couldn’t see far with the snowfall so thick. “I guess there’s no point in turning around?”
Jett glanced at the odometer and shook his head. “We should be about halfway there.” He turned the defroster up even more. “At this point going back wouldn’t be any easier than going on.”
Guilt assailed her. It was because of her plans that they were now out on the road in a possibly hazardous situation. She stared at Jett’s frowning profile. “I didn’t hear anything about a snowstorm.”
He met her gaze for only an instant and then said with feeling, “As I recall, weather reports held little interest for us last night.”
If the heat in his words wasn’t enough to scorch her, the memory of what they’d done certainly was. Natalie stared at him, remembering everything.
Voice low, Jett said, “Babe, when you look at me like that, I feel like I’m already inside you.”
Oh Lord. And now she felt it too. She tightened her thighs. “Whether we heard the news or not probably wouldn’t have mattered. They’re saying it wasn’t expected to be this bad.”
Jett shifted, cleared his throat and allowed her the change of topic. “It’s a little snow—no big deal. Don’t worry about it.”
“Hopefully as we get farther south, it’ll lighten up.”
“Maybe.” He stretched out his left leg, shifting again. “If things start to get too dicey, we might have to stop at a different hotel along the way. You okay with that?”
“Jett, I’m fine with whatever we need to do. Really. But it might be difficult finding a hotel that accepts pets.”
“We’ll see.”
She reached over to touch his biceps. “Your leg is hurting.”
His
