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ChapterOne
“Oh, no. Come on, baby. Don’t let me down now.” Beth Adams blew a stray lock of hair off her face as she patted the dashboard of her old car. The steering wheel was shaking and various lights were blinking at her like beacons in the dark.
She was thousands of miles away from the man she never wanted to see again, yet somehow it wasn’t far enough. She had to keep going. Keep driving until she could go no farther.
But it appeared she wouldn’t be driving much farther for the time being. Beth could no longer ignore the fact her car needed to be looked at by a professional. Thankfully, she knew she was close to a town where she hoped a mechanic existed.
Welcome to Silverbell Shore.
She’d noticed the sign as she’d driven by it. Silverbell Shore was a resort town nestled on the east side of North Carolina. She’d never heard of it but had been taking in the scenery as she’d been driving and it looked pretty.
Beth needed a rest. Needed to stop and recharge. She’d been driving for days with little sleep, only stopping when necessary, and exhaustion was setting in. If she didn’t get some rest soon, she’d be at risk of having an accident. Thinking about having an accident by falling asleep at the wheel made her heart ache, grief crushing her chest like a heavy weight had been placed on it.
Rapidly blinking to hold the tears at bay, she willed her little car to keep going. About two miles down the road, however, her vehicle had simply had enough and stalled.
Easing onto the side of the road, making sure she was far enough over to avoid being hit by another car, Beth let out a cry of frustration as the engine died.
Shit.
Now she was stranded, with no idea how to get into town. She grabbed her cell phone and got out of the car, only to discover she had no reception.
Double shit.
She reached back in, popped the hood, then went around to the front of the car and peered inside. There was no steam shooting out of any orifice. Nothing was smoking or looked out of place. She’d been hopeful that maybe she could identify the issue on sight.
Triple shit.
Beth looked at her phone again, then let out a long sigh. She was going to have to walk into town and see if she could find someone to help her. She just prayed the repairs weren’t going to cost an arm and a leg. She was trying to spend as little money as possible, so she had enough for a fresh start.
Or to keep running if he found her.
Closing the hood again, she went around to the trunk and transferred enough essentials for a couple of days from her suitcase to her backpack, just in case. She was so absorbed in making sure she didn’t leave what few valuables she had behind that she didn’t hear the pickup truck behind her until it was almost on top of her.
It zoomed past without stopping, even when she stepped out onto the road and waved animatedly at it. The driver put her in the rearview mirror without so much as a glance. Beth only realized tears had begun to fall when she noticed her top was wet.
Why hadn’t she been paying more attention? The driver could have helped her, even if it was only to let her know if there was a garage in Silverbell Shore and how far it was on foot to get there.
Slinging her backpack onto her shoulders and making sure her car was locked up tight, she began to cross the road, only to discover a truck coming toward her. It wasn’t until it swerved over from the right to park in front of her metallic blue Honda that she realized it was the same truck which had passed her a couple of minutes previously.
She doubled back as the driver stepped out of the car and her heart skipped a beat as she got a good look at him. The man was tall, dark, and most definitely handsome. A ball cap shaded his face somewhat, meaning she couldn’t tell the color of his eyes, but what she could see she liked very much. Dark scruff dusted his jaw. His light blue tee showcased his muscles nicely. Knee-length cargo shorts did nothing to hide his trim, taut figure, and she was willing to bet he was sporting a six-pack.
“You need some help, ma’am?” The timbre of his voice was deep but quiet, which surprised her.
She moved toward him, nearing his truck—which had clearly seen better days—and let out a scream when a loudwoofsuddenly rented the air out of nowhere. Her hand flew up to her chest as her heart thumped loudly.
“Freya! Naughty girl. Don’t scare the lady.” The man waved a finger at a large dog, whose head was suddenly hanging out the window, tongue lolling about. He jogged over to the other side of the truck and kissed her snout before giving her a pat. “Now you stay here and guard the truck, okay?” As if the dog understood, she parked her butt and made not a peep. “Sorry about that. She was just saying hello.”
Beth gave him a small smile and dropped her hand. “That’s okay. Thank you so much for coming back.”
He nodded toward her car. “Did it break down?”
“Yes. I don’t know what’s wrong with it. Lights began flashing and the steering wheel was shaking. I popped the hood but couldn’t see anything.”
“Can you pop it again and start the engine so I can take a look?”
“Oh, are you a mechanic?”
“No, ma’am. But I know my way around a car well enough.”
