way only the day before and the road had been clear. It had been raining for twenty-four hours but surely the water level couldn’t have risen that fast?
The secret was to drive quickly and not hesitate.
She’d done it before in her youth, she reminded herself. Plenty of times.
Her mind made up, she hurried back to the car and scraped a hank of sodden hair away from her face.
Now that she’d made her decision, her eyes gleamed with anticipation and she started the engine, set her jaw and pressed the accelerator to the floor.
As she hit the water the car jerked and for one terrifying, breath-stealing moment she thought she was going to be stranded in the middle of the roaring river. And then she heard the engine splutter and the car suddenly surged forward and bounded out the other side as if it was relieved to be clear of the water.
She gave a whoop of triumph which turned to a groan as the car gave another splutter, choked and then stopped.
‘Oh, no—don’t do this to me.’ She turned the key again but there was no response.
Her little car might have made it through the ford but there was no way it was going any further. She flopped back in her seat and stared out of the windscreen in dismay.
Now what?
All her thoughts were on Lindsay, alone, afraid and possibly in labour less than a mile away.
Lindsay—not just her cousin but her best friend.
There was no way anything was going to stop her reaching her.
Which meant she was going to have to walk the rest of the way.
But at least now she was on the right side of the water. She’d just have to leave the car where it was and sort it out later.
Reaching into the back of her car for her coat, she dragged it on, grabbed her bag and opened the car door again, bracing herself as she confronted the elements.
If anything the rain had increased and in seconds she was drenched to the skin, her vision distorted by the volume of water streaming over her face. The wind was so fierce she could hardly stand, let alone make headway up the road, and she swore under her breath as she battled to stay upright.
She’d barely made any progress when she heard the unmistakable sound of a car engine from behind her. Turning quickly, she saw headlights flickering in the darkness as another car made its way towards the ford.
For a moment she tensed. The water was deeper than it looked, but there was no way of warning the driver. She just hoped he wouldn’t suffer the same fate that she had.
He didn’t.
Ellie watched enviously as the car surged through the water without any alteration in speed and then leapt out the other side as if it had barely noticed the impediment. Great. What wouldn’t she have given for a car like that on a night like this?
Still, she might be able to make use of it.
Ignoring the fact that the wind was trying to tear her coat from her shoulders, she braced her legs apart, stood in the middle of the road and windmilled her arms.
Oh, please, please, let the driver stop.
If the driver could drop her at the end of Lindsay’s lane, she’d save precious time.
The car pulled up and there was a soft purr as the window on the passenger side slid down.
The wind whipped her sodden hair across her face and she raked it to one side impatiently as she leaned inside to talk to the driver.
‘Thank goodness you stopped!’ She was shouting to make herself heard above the wind. ‘I need a lift, it’s an emergency.’
Without waiting for an invitation, she yanked open the door and clambered into the passenger seat, giving an exclamation of disgust as the wind tried to drag the door from her hand.
With considerable difficulty she slammed it shut, closed the electric window and turned to the driver with a relieved smile.
‘What a night! Thank goodness you came along when you did. I was in a spot of bother.’
There was an ominous silence and in the darkness the driver’s features were barely visible. When he finally spoke, his voice had a hard edge. ‘Do you have a death wish?’
The temperature inside the car suddenly seemed lower than outside, and Ellie’s merry smile faltered slightly as she looked into glittering black eyes.
‘Of course I don’t have a death wish.’
‘You took an absurd risk.’
‘By driving through the ford?’ She gave a chuckle and toed off her wet shoes. ‘I hate to point out the obvious, but you drove through it, too!’
‘In a vehicle designed for those sorts of conditions,’ he growled. ‘The same can’t be said for your car.’
‘Wasn’t she amazing?’ Ellie squinted through clogged lashes towards her little car, her tone warm with affection. ‘I mean, I know she conked out on me but at least she made it through the water.’
‘You could have been killed.’
‘Relax, will you?’ She smiled cheerfully as she peeled off her soaking wet coat and pulled her sodden jumper over her head. ‘I’ve got nine lives.’
‘Not any more.’ His voice was clipped. ‘You just lost at least three back there in the river.’
Why was he so angry?
‘I’ve been driving through that ford since I was young, although admittedly I haven’t done it for a while now. There was no danger.’
She dropped her wet clothes onto the floor of the car and tugged her wet shirt out of her trousers.
‘Are you planning to remove all your clothes?’
‘Just the outer layers,’ she assured him. ‘I’m soaked to the skin and I don’t want to get hypothermia. What I really need is a towel. I don’t suppose...?’ Her voice trailed off as she saw the expression in his eyes. ‘No, you’re not the type to carry a towel in the car.’
He seemed to struggle to find his voice. ‘I don’t generally need towels when I drive,’ he said finally, and she rubbed her arms to keep warm.
‘Well, you should,’ she told him. ‘They can be very useful. I remember one time when I was driving home from work, I passed this injured sheep—’
He blinked in disbelief. ‘Sheep?’
‘Yes, sheep.’ She gave him an odd look and then shrugged and carried on. ‘Anyway, she’d managed to wriggle her way under the barbed-wire fence and she was totally wedged and every time she moved the wire embedded itself deeper in her wool and— why are you looking at me like that?’
‘I’ve
