gave him an unsure nod.
He reached for her hand clutching the seat and gave it a slight squeeze. “We’ll be fine. The SUV can take it.”
She slid her hand from his and slunk back in her seat, warily folding her arms across her middle.
There wasn’t much else he could say, so he shut his trap. It was better to forget the solid connection he’d felt when he grabbed her hand a few seconds ago. She was pretty and intelligent, and touching her quickened his pulse. For a man who hadn’t had sex in a while, it was dangerous territory.
And he wasn’t forgetting about that engagement ring on her finger. No, sir.
Rain pelted the windshield, and he concentrated on driving through the storm, the wipers giving him glimpses of what was ahead. He came to a low-lying bridge just around a curve in the road and slowed the car as the long wooden planks rattled under the tires. “It won’t be long now,” he told April and took a right-hand turn down a tree-lined road. April’s face relaxed in relief.
A minute later, the road separated into a three-foot-wide ditch. “Holy crap.” He swerved instantly, missing the biggest part of the gouge in the road, but luck wasn’t with him. The car hit the very edge of the gap, and the front end plummeted into a gully of mud. He hinged his arm out to stop April’s momentum, while her seat belt did the rest.
“You okay?” he asked her.
“Yeah, I think so.” Color left her face. “W-what happened?”
“The rain washed away a good chunk of the road. It came up so fast, I couldn’t see it, but I think we’re on the edge of the ditch.”
“Are we stuck?”
“Afraid so. The good news is GPS says the lodge is less than a mile away.”
She sat silent for a few seconds. “And you can’t get us out of the ditch?”
“Unfortunately, I left my superhero cape back at the ranch. We can’t just sit here. We might sink farther into the ditch. Gather up your things, April.”
He needed to make sure she was safe, and that meant high-tailing it to the lodge before the storm worsened. “We need to make a run for it. I’ll get out first and help you. We’ll call for help when we’re safely at the lodge.”
He gathered up a few essentials from the back of the SUV and dumped them into an old duffel bag he kept in the back. When he opened his door slightly, a wild gust of wind blew it open the rest of the way. He jumped down into a foot of mud, his boots catching the brunt of the ooze. Tossing the bag over his shoulder, he made his way around the back end of the SUV and opened the door for April. “Got what you need?”
She tucked her briefcase and her purse under her coat and nodded.
Risk reached for her, his hands firmly on her waist, and lifted her out of the car, holding on tight and twirling her around until they were clear of the ditch entirely before he set her down. “Ready to go?”
“I’m ready.”
“Okay, let’s get out of here.” He took her hand and they trudged along the waterlogged road toward the lodge.
* * *
April had never been this soaked in her life. The mile sprint had her breathing heavily, but she was in good enough shape to keep up with Risk, who kept a tight grip on her hand. They hopped over potholes and dodged floating debris and then, finally, the sight of the lodge loomed like a big beautiful refuge. She hadn’t been happier to see anything in her life.
Minutes later, they took the wide river-rock stairs together and landed under the protection of a covered veranda. Rain ceased to pelt them now, and the low veranda walls broke the wind gusts.
Risk stood by the double-door entry. “You have the key?”
Shaking from the cold, she opened the briefcase she’d kept as dry as possible and handed Risk the key. “H-here you go.”
He opened the door and gestured for her to go inside. She’d been here twice before and remembered the layout. Risk followed directly behind her, a consoling presence after the ordeal they’d just been through. For a moment there, when the earth parted and the car careened into the ditch, she’d feared for her life. But Risk was there beside her, making her feel safe. Right now, it went a long way in reassuring her.
“Stay here while I check out the place and see if the power’s on.”
“It’s supposed to be. Mr. Hall is keeping the electricity on through the sale.”
Risk nodded and took off while she stood there, shivering. She scanned the interior of the main lobby. It had a floor-to-ceiling river-rock fireplace and settees positioned around the large room. Thick wood beams crisscrossed the tall ceilings, and black iron chandeliers hung from various points in the room. Though the room was cold, it was shelter from the raging storm outside.
“Looks like the storm knocked the power out,” Risk said upon his return. “But there’s some firewood here on the hearth, and I’m sure it’s enough to keep us warm until the storm clears.”
A puddle of water formed at her feet, droplets dripping from her clothes, her coat, her hair.
“I think that’s a good idea.”
“Give me a second to get a fire going.”
While he was building a fire, she removed her coat and foraged inside her drenched handbag for her cell phone. Checking the screen, she wasn’t surprised she had no service. Even on a good weather day, the cell service out here had been spotty. Now, it seemed nonexistent. She imagined the same was true of Risk’s cell.
She walked over to the massive fireplace, where Risk was stacking logs. She found a magazine lying on one of the tables and rolled it up. “You can use this for kindling.”
“That’ll work.”
She slapped it into his palm and shivered again. “I don’t suppose you checked your phone yet.”
“The minute we got inside. No service. You?” He tossed the kindling under the logs and lit it up.
“Same. Nothing.”
Just then the kindling caught, and a small fire crackled and flamed. The burst of color also lent warmth, and she scooted closer to the new blaze.
Risk turned to her. “We should get out of our wet clothes. Get dry.”
She blinked. She couldn’t believe he’d suggested it. “How do you suppose we do that?”
“Peel ’em off.”
“That’s not what I meant. I don’t have a change of clothes.”
“Neither do I. But there’s got to be towels or bedding or something we can wrap ourselves up in until our clothes dry out.” He gave her an up and down glance. “Unless you want to shiver yourself into pneumonia.”
Uh, no. She didn’t want to do that, but she couldn’t bring herself to
