I checked the rearview mirror. Bethany was shoving at the glasses. The fluid inside of them was supposed to signal her brain that we were moving or some shit. Would rain imitate the effect? “I don’t want to find out it’s not enough after you throw up.”
“Ugh, fine.” Bethany stuffed them on. “I still don’t feel good.”
Maybe it was the rich food her stomach wasn’t used to.
Up ahead, blinking lights caught my eye. I slowed. Our turnoff was soon, but I could make out the darkoutline of a car about a hundred yards beyond it. The hood was open. Someone was stranded.
I didn’t want to be a Good Samaritan today. I wanted to get home before pukefest began and get the girls to bed.
A figure crossed in front of the hazards. Shapely legs. Most likely a woman. My inner chivalrous man reared up, the bastard. Whoever it was likely had a phone. They were probably local and had someone to call. I didn’t need to rush in to save the day.
Although tourists took random roads all the time and got more than they bargained for in the Montana wilderness.
The rain grew heavier and a crooked flash of lightning lit the sky.
Shit. I had to at least make sure they had everything they needed. The girls were with me, so it wasn’t like I would be giving a stranger a ride, but I could ensure all was well. “Someone needs help up ahead. I’m gonna check on them. You two stay in the car with the doors locked.”
Both perked up, unbothered by my warning.
“Remember—stay in the car.” I eased to the side of the road and turned my hazards on but stopped twenty yards behind the stranded motorist.
I kept the engine running. Who knew what kind of person I was helping? “I’ll lock the doors. Watch for me and unlock them.”
I got out. Rain pelted me in the face. I tucked my chin down and jogged toward the car. Whoever the girl was, she wasn’t by the trunk. I couldn’t see a blown-out tire. Must mean engine issues. I blinked water out of my eyes and made a wide arc around the front. If this ladywasn’t stable, or if I surprised her, I didn’t want to be close if she lashed out.
But I didn’t want to terrify the poor girl, so I called, “Need a hand?”
The woman was bending over the engine, barely sheltered by the open hood. Her top hung down and I caught nice cleavage and the shadow of her bra.
I swallowed hard and looked away, but my gaze landed on long legs. I jerked my attention to her face and found large amber eyes blinking at me and ripe pink lips opened in shock.
“Rhys?” Her voice rolled over me just as a crack of thunder rent the air. An uncomfortable heat filled my veins that had nothing to do with the storm. Because I knew that voice.
Everyoneknew that goddamn voice. Her songs played every hour on the radio, and her face was splashed across every screen. Everywhere I turned, I heard her voice or read her name.
A guy shouldn’t have to avoid his past in his own goddamn house, but the high school sweetheart who’d left me behind for fame and fortune sure as fuck made it happen every damn day.
“June.”
June
Anxiety fled just having Rhys Kinkade so close. Irritation filled its place. Why did he have to be the one to come to my rescue in this storm?
Why had I decided to go to the hunting cabin tonight?
It was my refuge, and I’d been seeking a hiding place. Somewhere no one but my family knew about. I had a lot of homes. The press liked to make a big deal out of it whenever I bought one, but they didn’t know about the cabin Daddy had given me.
And miracle of all miracles, they didn’t know about Rhys. He was my before, and my fans didn’t care about my before. They thought my life had been nothing but bourbon and small-town Montana. My present-day relationships were of more interest than my past.
It’d been ten years since I’d seen more than a passing glance of him. For a guy so unbothered about our breakup, he sure did go out of his way to avoid me when I was in town. But then, I did the same.
Now I was facing him. His dark hair was plastered against his forehead and his short beard glistened from the rain. His scar bisected his upper lip to the left of his nose. His soaked shirt was plastered against his hard chest. My mouth watered.
He had changed so much since we were kids. How much wider his shoulders had become. How burly he’d gotten. I couldn’t answer why the darkness in his expression sent tingles right down my spine to between my legs, but here I was, soaked to the bone, cold, and wishing he’d make me feel as good as he once used to.
Don’t wait for me.
Well, that doused the lust effectively.
