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Chapter 1
PAIN SURROUNDEDher pregnant stomach and sharpened with knifelike intensity. Darcy Rhodes swallowed once, twice, as the threat of hurling abated along with the cramp that had taken her so by surprise.
Sliding into the narrow, Tennessee mountain road’s salt-rusted guardrail hadn’t been fun, but at least she’d stopped with a fairly light, if jarring, jolt. For a split second mid-skid, she’d wondered if she would plunge right over the edge.
You just had to keep driving to make up for the pee stops, didn’t you?
She collapsed against her Volkswagen’s seat, barely daring to breathe for fear that the pain would return or, worse, the movement would cause the guardrail to break and send her hurtling down the mountainside. Before the cramp had hit she’d done little more than reassure herself that she hadn’t been severely injured—all body parts were still attached—and all four wheels appeared to be on solid, if slippery, ground. But now…
Now what?
The passenger-side air bag had deployed on impact and sagged across the dash like a deflated balloon. Chalky powder filled the air, making her nose itch and her throat burn. Whowouldn’ttense up and react to what had happened?
She took a deep, cleansing breath, coughing weakly because of the powder. The cramp was just that, a mixture of fright and the need to pee. A normal reaction. As soon as she twisted the keys in the ignition the car would start and she would be on her way once again, slowly but surely. The very first hotel she saw, no matter how dirty, smelly or disgusting, she would stop without a single complaint.
The steady stream of freezing rain quickly changed over to a sleet-snow mix, and she watched, dazed, while the little bits of ice globbed together on her windshield before slowly sliding toward the hood.
Ignoring the weather as best she could, Darcy grasped the keys and turned. Nothing. Not even a stutter. She tried again. And again.Nothing?
She stared out the moisture-blurred windshield, her mind too full to think clearly. Mostly because it flashed to the horror flicks she’d watched as a kid. She knew what happened to stranded motorists—they were always the first victims. Back then she’d clamped her hands over her eyes to escape the scary parts, but there was no escaping this. When had she last seen a car? Twenty minutes? Half an hour? “They had better sense and stopped somewhere.”
And now you’re talking to yourself. Someone will be along soon.
But when? Darcy groaned, all too aware the passenger door was a lot closer than it had been five minutes ago, and shifted to find her cell phone. When she couldn’t, she leaned over to peer into the dim abyss of the passenger floor, the shadow she cast negating the illumination offered by the overhead light. At least her air bag hadn’t deployed and she hadn’t hit the console between the seats. If she had, she could’ve broken a rib, and her baby—
Not going to go there,she told herself firmly. “Everything is fine.” Her thick coat and the pillow she used for comfort had cushioned the impact.
Finally spotting the phone lying near an empty sour-cream-and-onion chips bag, she managed to snag it, only to swear at the illuminated display. She shook the phone, held it up in various spots in the interior of the car, but the little bars indicating signal strength didn’t budge.
Her mind chose that moment to flash on an image of the movie heroine having car trouble and a strange man appearing out of nowhere and offering to help, the bowie knife concealed until it’s too late.
Stop it!
Darcy turned off the overhead light and stared out at the landscape revealed by her one remaining headlight. At least the battery still worked. It didn’t power the heat, but she wouldn’t have to sit in total darkness while her mind ran amok.
Cold seeped into the car with every gusty blow of wind, the battered little Bug rocking with the force.And when the bough breaks?
“Nothing’s going to break. You’re not going to—”
Something struck the rear, thethumpstartling her so badly her breath hitched in her throat. What wasthat?
She jerked around to look out the back window, the side mirrors, but saw nothing. The wind in the trees? A twig or branch? The road was littered with them, the combination of the wind and precipitation wreaking havoc on the area. Just her luck, she would have to get lost in the stupid forest.
Darcy double-checked the locks on the doors. If she jumped and tensed at every little sound, she’d be a basket case in no time. Maybe music would help? She turned the knob.
“And now a weather update…” Two seconds after finding a station, she groaned. In typical weatherman style, they’d gotten it wrong. The forecasted dusting of snow was now a full-fledged winter-storm advisory, and she was right in the middle of it with a car that wouldn’t start and no cell service.
Wherewaseveryone? Surely there was someone out on the roads. “Where’s a cop when you actually need one?” She shoved her hair behind her ear, but it sprang right back.
“Be prepared for the worst,” the too-chipper radio voice added. “We’re in for a doozy. Stay indoors and conserve heat. Power outages are being reported throughout the listening area, and repair crews are running behind. For further updates and information, stay tuned. Up next is everyone’s favorite, ‘Don’t worry, be happy.’”
Darcy rolled her eyes and turned the radio off with an angry twist of the knob. This couldn’t be happening. Seriously, how many people got stuck like this?
Bands of muscle began to contract, up her back and around her middle. No, no, no. This was not happening. It was too soon.
She fought the pain, tensing, then just as quickly tried to will the muscles lax. She was fine.Theywere fine. It was only a cramp. The phone in one hand, she rubbed her belly, noted that it was hard as a rock and getting harder, the ache in her back growing sharper and more uncomfortable. “It’s just a cramp,” she whispered, eyes squeezed tight. Slow, deep breaths. In and out. Calm. Soothing. She gave massages for a living, she knew soothing. She coulddosoothing. It was mind over matter.
“Just calm down. A car w-will be along soon, and this—” she exhaled, blowing the air out of her mouth “—is just a cramp…. Just an itsy-bitsy cra—Ohhh!”
