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He led her to a bedroom with a queen-size bed and its own private bathroom. The guest room was nice and the perfect place for her to stay. But she didn’t want to be here.
“You should have everything you need in the bathroom. I’m going to take a shower now in case we lose power. When you’re finished, come down to the big room,” he said. “I’ll fix us some dinner.”
She nodded and watched as he walked out the door. Then she turned and gazed at the room. With a sigh, she took her purse into the bathroom. She tried to call her parents and all she got was a fast busy signal.
Instead, she sent her parents a quick text hoping they would receive it and not worry about her, plus, someone else would know she was at Peterson’s Folly Ranch.
There were stories of women disappearing and never being seen again, and she often wondered what happened to them. Could they have been rescued on a snowy night?
With a sigh, she removed her clothes before she crawled into the shower, wishing she’d thought to bring her suitcase with her. But then again, right now her head ached and she’d been barely conscious of what was going on.
Before starting the water, she locked the bathroom door. No, it wasn’t much of a deterrent. If he really wanted in, he could simply bust the door down. When the warm spray hit her, she couldn’t help but enjoy the way the water felt against her skin. This morning’s shower seemed like a week ago.
Even this afternoon felt like days ago.
When she finished, she stepped out and grabbed a towel. Glancing around, she sighed. She had nothing clean to wear.
After opening the bathroom door to the bedroom, she noticed a pair of flannel pajamas on the bed. Lucas had brought her something to wear.
At least flannel pj’s were not sexy or enticing.
Putting on the pajamas, she noticed they smelled like Lucas and her heart beat a little faster. These must be his and she pulled them up almost to her breast to keep them from pooling around her ankles. With one last glance in the mirror, she noticed her head oozed blood again.
The cut was high next to her hairline, and hopefully, it wouldn’t leave a scar.
After grabbing a couple of aspirin from her purse, she tried her parents’ phone one more time. Not even a signal. She headed downstairs, feeling extremely self-conscious in his pj's. Yet she enjoyed the feel of the flannel against her skin.
Glancing at the Christmas decorations, she tried to shake her grouchiness. This was her favorite time of the year, and yet she’d had one of the worst days she could ever remember.
It wasn’t often you were fired from your job, found your boyfriend in bed with a coworker, and then had a freakish wreck that damaged your car and had you spending the night with a stranger.
A very handsome stranger.
CHAPTER4
After Lucas laid the pair of pajamas on her bed, he’d hurried to get his own shower, knowing the electricity would go down soon. While he had a backup generator, there was no telling how long before they had regular service again, and he hated to put a strain on his generator that would make certain they stayed warm and were able to cook.
Outside the window, the wind howled.
Stepping into the shower, he sighed as the warm water pelted him.
Standing beneath the spray, all he could think about was the woman on the other side of his home. He’d been alone for so long and it was nice to have company. Especially, a beautiful woman like Olivia who he’d felt an immediate attraction to.
The urge to shield her and make her his was undeniable. But he wouldn’t do anything that would cause her alarm.
Why she’d been out driving in this storm, he had no idea, but when he’d seen her little car trying to stop before it hit the elk, he’d known she was going into the ditch. And when he’d seen that her head hit the window, he’d been worried.
A big ambulance would have trouble maneuvering on unplowed roads, even with chains on the tires. And with the strong winds and blowing snow, a helicopter could not have rescued her.
He was thankful she was not hurt any worse. But the damage to her car was going to be bad.
She appeared to be a very strong-willed woman. There was a sadness that emanated from her sapphire eyes. And now she would be sleeping under his roof. At least until the storm passed and they were able to get her car moved by a wrecker.
It had been so long since he’d dated. He’d not been out on the town since his family had passed away. Life could turn in an instant and leave you alone. Leave you with no one to spend the holidays with. Leave you in a big ranch house that held so many memories of his parents and his sister, of them running down the stairs at Christmas.
Memories of the laughter and the happiness that he missed.
When Olivia walked through his front door, he’d envisioned her laughing before the Christmas tree, her belly rounded with his child. Shaking his head, he cleared his thoughts. He’d just met her, and yet immediately, he’d felt a connection.
