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Damn, damn, damn.After what that bastard had done, Charlee never wanted to feel helpless again. And she never wanted to rely on any man.
And here she was, with no idea how she was going to get out of this mess without begging for help.
Why did she have to think about David—the lying murdering S.O.B.? Especially now?
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm her emotions. She would get past this, past her fear of men and relationships. There were good men out there, like the McBrides, but she just hadn’t been able to get herself to let go. The guilt of her sister almost being killed had been the hardest thing to get past.
Charlee blew out her breath in a long exhale, practicing a breathing technique her therapist had taught her years ago. Going to therapy for years had helped, but she just couldn’t completely get rid of the guilt.
When she had cleared her mind of her past experiences, she stripped out of the wet sweater and slid on the dry one. She shoved the sopping piece of clothing into a plastic bag she grabbed out of the bunch she kept behind the seat and tucked the bag with the sweater in her case.
Wind buffeted the car, rocking it a little as rain pounded down. She couldn’t stop the edge of fear causing prickles to climb up the back of her neck. The storm was closing in.
She stared at her big red tote, before grasping the straps and pulling it close. She thought about waiting out the storm, but the road’s dirt shoulder would get too soft to change the tire.
She’d probably have to deal with heavy snowfall, too, which would make this mess ten times as bad.
She groaned for probably the hundredth time since the tire had gone flat. She reached into the tote for her phone to call one of the last people she wanted to ask for help.
Ace McBride.
One of the yummiest men on the face of this earth, Ace was also her best friend’s brother and a world-class tease. He gave her a hard time whenever she saw him, that sexy grin of his turning her upside down, and challenging her resolve to stay the bleep away from men.
He was also a genuinely good guy, which made matters worse. It made no sense, she knew, but she was afraid for a lot of reasons. She’d given her heart away once to someone only to have it crushed, shattered, ripped apart. SheknewAce would never do anything like that to any woman.
But what if she did enter a relationship with him—if he was interested in the first place, which she was pretty sure he was—then later he didn’t think she was the right woman for him? What if he walked away and broke her heart? What if she broke his?
What if she didn’t know how to be with a man anymore? What if she freaked out or did something stupid because of old memories?
What if, what if, what if.
Another thing that worried her was that she didn’t want to ruin a perfectly good friendship with Ace or hurt her ties with Bailey’s family in any way.
She groaned and stared at her phone. She was gettingwayahead of herself. What it really came down to wasfear.
Okay, so Ace was sexy, had a great personality, and she thought of him as a friend. But she didn’t think she could take his teasing today. What would he say about her being helpless by the side of the road?
Charlee pulled up his number on her phone, her finger poised to press it. She had to give him credit. He was too good of a guy to give her a hard time in a moment like this.
CHAPTER2
Ace McBride patted Champion’s glossy chestnut shoulder. The white-chested gelding bumped his big muzzle against the side of Ace’s head, knocking his Stetson off, and he grinned.
Ossie barked and Ace looked down at the Border Collie. “You ready for another ride out already, girl?”
The blue-eyed dog barked again, giving him a big doggie smile. She had the most beautiful coat of white, black, tan, and gray, the color combination known as blue merle.
“You’d go all day if you could.” Ace shook his head. “It’s going to be cold as hell soon. I’m thinking sitting in front of the fireplace with some Captain Morgan is a better idea.” He ruffled Ossie’s hair before straightening.
“I’ll see you in the morning, Champ.” Ace turned toward his house before he scooped up his hat and plopped it on his head. The wind whistled through the barn doors and rain thundered on the roof. “Sounds like it’s gonna be a doozy. No doubt we’ll have some kind of crap to deal with tomorrow.”
Like felled trees and downed fence lines, among other things.
Ace’s cell phone vibrated in his pocket and he brought it out. He looked at the screen with interest. “Charlee Burke?”
He wasn’t sure how to feel about her calling out of the blue, since she never had before.
He touched the “connect” button on his screen and brought the phone to his ear. “I knew you’d get around to calling me one of these days, Charlee Burke.”
