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Now that she could breathe again and the danger had passed, she took stock of her body. Her right cheekbone felt as though she’d been cracked with a hammer. Her scraped palms burned. Her bare feet throbbed, but the hard thing—whatever it was—had been dislodged from her sole.
“There’s your silver lining.” Claire rested her forehead on her knees. It wasn’t much, but she needed something to go her way right now.
“What in the hell did you think you were doing? Do you have any idea how stupid that was? How dangerous? My God, Claire, you could’ve been killed,” Hank yelled as the train’s caboose receded from view.
She spied Hank at the top of the steep embankment with Jake and Chris. Chris wore a grim frown that matched Hank’s scowl. Jake looked toward the horizon, past the train tracks. Glancing back, she confirmed the killer had disappeared onto Dry Creek’s unsuspecting Main Street.
She shaded her face against the midday sun. “Aren’t you at least going to help me up?”
Hank glar
ed down at her. “You ran after some guy who probably set your Jeep on fire. Get your own damn self up.”
With that bit of surly brotherly love, he turned and stomped away. He hadn’t made it three steps before he stopped, looked skyward, grumbled something Claire knew she didn’t want to hear and came back.
Hank and Chris half slid, half stumbled down the embankment. Each brother grabbed one of her arms and hauled her up. Angry and embarrassed about her imprudent chase, she stared at the ground.
“Are you OK?” Chris asked close to her ear.
She brushed the muck off her dirt-streaked wrap dress. “Besides my car blowing up, having the wind knocked out of me and getting punched in the face? Oh, I’m fine.”
Relief swept across his face like windshield wipers sweeping away the rain. His usual smart-aleck grin returned. “Good. I’ll be sure to let Mom know you’re OK when I call to update her on this latest fiasco of yours.”
“Chris, you call her and I’ll…I’ll…I’ll do something you won’t like,” Claire sputtered.
Chris grinned like an overjoyed hyena. He’d been impervious to her nasty looks since birth. They’d been playing this game for years. One would get in trouble and the other would tease and prod to relieve the stress. It had always worked in the past, so why was she still so pissed?
She shook off her brothers, who both stayed near the train tracks. Holding her battered arms out to the sides and hunching forward to aid with balance, she made her way up the steep embankment. The sight of two tan workbooks sent butterflies spinning throughout her sore torso. With a sigh, she came to a stop in front of Jake. He stared down at her, their height difference made even more dramatic because she was shoeless and still a foot down the embankment.
“You are a dangerous woman to know, Claire Layton.” He shook his head. “Still, you gotta admire someone who goes after what she wants. Here.” He held out his hand to help her up the final few steps.
She hesitated, entranced by the muscles in his outstretched arm. His wide hand with its heavily lined palm enticed her. He crooked a long finger and motioned her forward.
A secret part of her heart stuttered. This man was trouble. Her stomach buzzed. Her breath shallowed. Her bra tightened around her tender breasts.
Jake’s smirk slid away, replaced by ill-disguised lust. He strode down to her, curled an arm around her waist and scooped her up. He carried her the last few steps up to the alley.
It felt too good to protest. Her aches and pains lessened in his strong arms and she forgot her scraped elbow and sore jaw. Hell, she barely recalled she had feet, let alone the throbbing on the bottom of her foot from moments earlier. Instead, her waist tingled where his arm touched her. She soaked in the heat emanating from his hard chest.
Any frustration at her ability to fight against this attraction vanished as she melted in his embrace. Her whole body relaxed into his.
Staring at the Harvest logo on Jake’s borrowed T-shirt, she tried to get her body back under control. Where had all this come from? She didn’t even know this guy.
It had to be adrenaline. Right? Yeah, this was all the effects of the adrenaline rush. It had nothing to do with something special about him.
“Thank you for your help but you can put me down now.” She pushed against his chest. She needed space between their bodies.
“I don’t think I’m ready to do that.”
She raised her head at his strained tone.
All the words in her head disintegrated. She doubted she even remembered her own name. All she wanted to do was stay right here in Jake’s arms. Preferably naked. Maybe on a bed, but that wasn’t a requirement.
He tightened his arm around her waist, pulled her in closer to his hard body. Jake leaned his head down but stopped when their mouths were only an inch apart. His breath fluttered against her lips.
“If you keep looking at me like that, we’re both going to regret it,” he ground out.
She leaned her head against his shoulder and wished the rest of the world would disappear. Graphic images in glorious Technicolor flashed through her thoughts, making her breasts heavy. Moonlight casting shadows on his six-pack abs. Rubbing up against him while skinny dipping. Feeling his calloused fingers squeezing her ass as she slid down on his hard cock.
