Not having a house and moving into my parents’ place within a few weeks of getting married didn’t help his case.
“Call if you need anything.”
“What better advice to follow than your own,” she quips back, but again I sense her smile.
I chuckle. “Will do, Mom.”
“Before I lose you, did you find the book that I?—”
“I’m going to have to call you back when I get to my house,” I cut her off when a car with flashing hazard lights comes into view, right at the bottom of my driveway. I lean forward, trying to figure out if it’s moving at all or if I recognize the vehicle.
“Everything okay?”
“I think so, just a car off the road.”
“Oh, dear. Help them out and give me a ring when you can.”
When a small figure exits the car and instantly falls to the ground, I hang up the call without saying goodbye. As quick as I can without sliding off the road myself, I pull in behind the small silver sedan and jump out.
It doesn’t take long for me to reach the person on the ground. Thewomanon the ground, I realize, as she whips her head upto look at me while I approach her. Her hair is so light blonde, it almost blends in with the snow swirling around her.
I stand above her with a hand on each of my hips while she attempts to stand, only for her to slip and land on her ass with a thump once again. It’s always pretty slick at the bottom of my driveway. While I try not to laugh, one of my hands reaches down toward her on instinct, and she grips my palm with her ice-cold fingers.
Halfway to a full standing position, I sense her hesitation. She quickly breaks our connection once her feet are planted firmly on the ground. When she looks up at me, my lips part involuntarily. I try not to continue staring, moving my gaze to fixate on the tiny flakes of snow that stick to the tips of her long lashes instead of her whole face.
I blink a few times, wondering if it’s my vision that’s messed up or if she’s as pretty as she seems. My brain forgets, just for a moment, what I was doing standing here in front of her in the first place.
“Thank you,” she says while smoothing a hand over the front of her puffy coat, pulling me back to the present. My eyebrows raise hearing her voice. It’s soft and quiet, but still cheerful despite her current situation.
“Did you slide off the road?” And did my brain slide out of my skull? Because suddenly the ability to think straight feels impossible.
“Not exactly,” she explains. Her arms are crossed now like she’s trying to protect herself. From the cold or from a stranger questioning her, I’m not sure which. She shifts her gaze back and forth to look between me and her car. “I heard this sputtering sound, and then the engine stalled. I think. It started shaking, even though I was driving slow and careful. I got scared and pulled over when I saw this driveway.”
“My driveway.”
“Oh,” she whispers.
I quickly mull over what she told me about the car, immediately guessing it might be the fuel line, considering the sputtering sounds and stalled engine. “Did you smell fuel at all?”
Her eyes widen. “Yes, now that you mention it.”
My head tips up, inspecting the quickly blackening sky, as I scan the road behind us. It’s fucking cold, and this snow isn’t letting up one bit. I could take a look at her car and come up with a better guess as to what the issue is, but I’m not sure what good that would do. The nearest parts store isn’t near at all.
She moves to stand next to me, silent while I contemplate the options.
Call in for a tow? Pointless. No one in their right mind would drive up here for that in this weather, no matter how much she offered to pay them.
I could chance it and give her a ride to town myself, but that’s a huge risk. I’m lucky I left the ranch early and made it here in the first place. Making it down the mountain and then back up to get home again would be nearly impossible at this point.
I narrow my eyes at the car. If my suspicions are correct and she needs a new fuel line, she can’t drive this thing. She’ll flood the carburetor or worse, blow the damn thing up. And that’s on top of slick roads, no matter what direction she’s headed.
With a sigh, I trudge toward the car and open the door.
“Hey! What are you doing?”
I ignore her, settling into the driver’s seat. A decision I instantly regret when her fit of giggles cuts through the howling wind.
The inside of this car is a lot smaller than it looks. I’m not sure how I’m going to get out now, to be honest. I can barely move my legs, let alone bend them enough to fit without feeling stuck. My arms are crumpled up in front of me, shouldershunched, and my chest nearly bumps up against the steering wheel.
