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“Good job,” Gage said, jumping to the side of the car. “Rock again a couple times then I’m going to give you an extra push.
She followed his instructions. “Reverse,” he shouted.
Lissa slammed into Reverse and gunned the pedal while Gage pushed and suddenly she was halfway out of the ditch. “Turn the wheel hard and brake,” he said.
The car miraculously didn’t slide back into the ditch. Gage tapped on the door. “You ready to get out of there?”
He had no idea, she thought. Lissa released the lock and scrambled from the car so quickly she lost her footing.
“Whoa,” Gage said, pulling her to her feet. She felt his brown gaze assessing her and something inside dipped. “You okay?”
She took a deep breath and inhaled the scent of leather and a hint of cologne. “Of course,” she said breathlessly. “I’m just embarrassed and I hate that I probably messed up Melba’s car. And I couldn’t get out—” She broke off when she realized her words were running together and took another quick breath. “I’m fine.”
His lip twitched. “Okay. What I’m gonna do now is pull the car the rest of the way out of the ditch. I tow stuff all the time, so this shouldn’t be any different.”
Ten minutes later, Gage was pulling the car behind his truck. Lissa sat beside him as he slowly made his way toward the main road.
“I’m sorry I caused you extra trouble,” she finally said, glancing at him.
“It happens. It could have been worse,” he said with a shrug. “You’re lucky you didn’t get hurt.”
“I really do know how to drive in the snow. I just haven’t done as much driving since I’ve been living in Manhattan,” she told him.
“You’re just a little rusty. You’ll get better with practice. You just might want to take it easy heading out into the snow. We can’t be digging you out every day,” he said with a chuckle.
“That won’t happen,” she said a little more sharply than she intended. “I’m not here to cause problems. I’m here to help.”
He shot her a quick glance. “Rust Creek Falls needs that help. You just need to remember you’re in a different place. This isn’t Manhattan.”
“I know that,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Then check the weather and take it seriously the next time you decide to head out into the far parts of the county,” he told her.
He was right. She hated it, but he was right. “Will do,” she muttered.
“Good. Things will go better that way.”
They drove the rest of the way in silence. Gage pulled into the driveway behind the rooming house. Because of all the snow on the vehicle, Lissa wasn’t sure how much damage she’d caused. Hopping out of Gage’s truck, she rushed to look it over and was shocked to only find a few dents.
“Good grief,” she said. “I was sure I totaled it.”
Gage walked to stand beside her. “Not Melba’s Blue Bomb. It’s lasted through floods, blizzards, bumps, wrecks. Everything.”
Lissa shook her head. “Do you think Melba will be upset about the scrapes and bumps I left on it?”
Gage chuckled. “She’ll be hard-pressed to find ’em. Once you tell her about your little bump with the ditch, she’ll be more concerned about your safety than her car.”
Melba waddled toward them from the back of the house. “Glory be, thank goodness you’re alive,” she said, wrapping her arms around Lissa. “I heard all about it from Nanette Gilbert. She heard from Sadie Brown. I think one of the teachers told her when she overheard the conversation with Will. I was sure you would end up in the hospital after such a terrible wreck.”
Gage covered a chuckle. “It wasn’t all that terrible. She just fell into the ditch and couldn’t get out. Everything’s okay now.”
“Well, you can be sure I’m not going to let you drive if there’s any chance of snow. If you’d been hurt, I don’t know what I’d do. Come on in and let me give you some soup. You can come, too, if you want, Sheriff.”
“That’s mighty tempting, Melba, but I’ve got to get back to the office.” He glanced at Lissa. “I’m sure she’ll take care of you now.”
Lissa met his gaze. “Thank you again for getting me out of the ditch.”
He touched his hat. “You’re welcome.”
* * *
Gage walked to his car and drove to his office, the whole time thinking about Lissa and the spark in her eyes. He could tell she felt bad about driving into the ditch. He just hoped like hell she wouldn’t do the same thing again. When Will had called him with the news, it had given him a jolt. Will had wanted to go after her, but Gage had insisted, and now he was glad he had. Lissa had been well wedged in that ditch.
Lissa’s combination of determination and humility got to him. She had a twinge of pride, but it didn’t keep her from going after her goals. She made something inside him rumble and burn, and he didn’t like it one bit. He didn’t have time for any sort of attraction or distraction.
Frowning, he strode into his office building, where a young blonde woman stood. “What can I do for you?” he asked, trying to place her. “You look familiar, but I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Gage Christensen, the sheriff,” he said and extended his hand.
She smiled and accepted his grasp. “I’m Jasmine Cates. I’m from Thunder Canyon. I’ve been helping my brother-in-law Dean with some construction projects here in town.”
“Thank you for your help,” he said.
“I’m trying to get in touch with someone by the name of Ann Gilbert. Someone brought some of her furniture in for repair, but the phone number they left is disconnected.”
Gage felt a shot of loss. “Some people have left town. The flood was too hard on them. Annie Gilbert fell and broke her hip just after the flood. I think she’s been staying in Livingston while she gets back on her feet. I can probably find a way to get in touch with her.”
“That would be great,” Jasmine said, an expression of relief crossing her face. “Her furniture was beautiful. We really want it returned to her.”
“Will do,” he said. At that moment, Gary Culbert brought in a casserole dish. “What’s up, Gary?”
“Edith made some extra chicken potpie and she wanted you to have it. She really appreciated you helping us get our cattle back last week,” the thirty-something-year-old man with a cowlick said. He glanced at Jasmine and tipped his ball cap. “There’s more than enough to share.”
A moment of silent awkwardness passed and Gage finally met Jasmine’s gaze. He shrugged. “You want to join me for dinner?”
She bit her lip. “It’s a little early, but...”
“It’s early for me, too,” Gage said.
“Well, you could heat it up in the microwave,” Gary said. “This is good stuff. I appreciate you helping us with the cattle, but I was disappointed when Edith insisted I bring you half of what she was baking.”
Gage chuckled. “You sure you don’t want to tell her I refused her kind offer so you can take it back home with you?”
“She’d skin me alive,” Gary said.
“I can come back in an hour or two,” Jasmine said, shoving her hands into her coat pockets.
Gage paused a half beat. Well, hell. Maybe Jasmine would keep him from thinking about Lissa. Jasmine didn’t talk as fast as Lissa and she didn’t make his gut twist into a knot. “Yeah,” he said. “That’ll work. I’ll see you later, then.”
For the next two hours, Gage took care of paperwork, answered calls and touched base with Will. It had been a hell of a day. He raked his hand through his hair as Jasmine walked into the office.
“Rough afternoon?” she asked.
He lifted an eyebrow. “Why do you ask?”
“You don’t look—” she smiled “—happy.”
“Every day is an adventure,” he said, rising to his feet. “Are you ready for that chicken potpie?”
“Sounds good to me,” she said.
Gage put the potpie in the microwave and heated it. He pulled out two plates and poured himself a cup a coffee. “We have hot chocolate, coffee and cider. What’s your pleasure?” he asked.
“Hot chocolate sounds good for tonight. Thank you,” she said.
“Have a seat,” he said, motioning toward the chair across from his desk. He spooned the chicken potpie onto the plates and set her plate across from him then served himself. “So, how does Rust Creek Falls compare to Thunder Canyon?”
She chuckled. “Rust Creek is a little more rustic, but the people are great. We have a bit more shopping, but the truth is we still do a lot of shopping online.”
“It’s nice of the folks from Thunder Canyon to come and help us,” he said and took a bite of the potpie. It was delicious, just as Gary had said.
“We’re connected in many ways,” Jasmine said. “Why wouldn’t we help?”
He nodded and continued the conversation and the meal, but he couldn’t keep his mind from wandering to thoughts of Lissa. Damn the woman. Images of her red hair and sparkling eyes slid through his mind. Her determination bumped through him. What was going on, he wondered. This was ridiculous.
Finally, both he and Jasmine had finished the potpie, although he couldn’t have recalled much about their conversation if asked.
She stood. “This was fun,” she said with a sweet smile.
“Yeah. It was,” he said, knowing there wouldn’t be a repeat. He couldn’t mislead a nice girl like Jasmine until he got Lissa out of his head. He extended his hand to Jasmine. “Thanks for all you’re doing for us.”
She blinked and shook his hand as if she weren’t quite sure how to take him. “Um, you’re welcome. Maybe I’ll see you again?”
“I’m the sheriff,” he said. “Everyone sees me at one time or another.”
He sensed her immediate withdrawal and wished he wasn’t so distracted by Lissa.
She nodded. “Have a nice night.”
Fat chance, he thought.
* * *
Lissa leaped off her bed in shock as her alarm sounded the next morning. She still hadn’t made the adjustment to Mountain Time. Plus it didn’t help that she had driven Melba’s car into a snowy ditch yesterday. Even more embarrassing was that Gage had rescued her. She didn’t want him to view her as incompetent or a pain in the rear. She hadn’t helped her case by going out in the snow yesterday, but she was too impatient to wait to be chauffeured. There was too much to be done.
Taking a quick shower, she pulled on her clothes and sneaked down the back steps. Avoiding the temptation of Melba’s full breakfast, she scarfed down a granola bar. The temperature was higher than yesterday, but still cold. She blew into the air and saw her own vapor. In Manhattan, she would have worn a hat, gloves and scarf. Today, she wore the same, but it felt more freakin’ freezing. The subway was a lot warmer than the great outdoors of Montana.
She made her way to the mayor’s office and was surprised to find it open at such an early hour. Stepping inside, she glanced around and saw an elderly woman focused on paperwork. Although Lissa has never seen the woman, she suspected this was Thelma McGee, the mother of the late mayor.
“Good morning. I’m Lissa Roarke,” she said, approaching the counter.
The woman looked up from behind her glasses. “Good morning to you. I’m Thelma McGee.”
“I’m honored to meet you,” Lissa said.
Thelma’s eyes softened. “Thank you. You must know about my son.”
“I do,” Lissa said. “Everyone talks about what a wonderful man he was.”
Thelma sighed. “He was,” she said. “And I’m just trying to help keep his office running. But it’s not easy.”
“Everyone appreciates your effort,” Lissa said. “I’m here with the Bootstraps organization to help the town get back on track.”
“I can’t tell you how much we appreciate your help,” Thelma said, rising from the computer. “Rust Creek Falls is a bit remote, so it’s hard for us to get enough help. Thank you for coming. We all thank you.”
Lissa shrugged. “I’m not sure everyone is all that excited about me being here to help.”
Thelma lifted her eyebrows and set a cup of coffee on the counter for Lissa. “Are you talking about Gage?”
Lissa felt a rush of heat rise to her cheeks. “I guess you could say that.”
“Gage blames himself for everything. He doesn’t understand that he doesn’t have the power to prevent a flash flood. He’s been through a lot. We all have, but he will come around. It just may take a bit longer.” Thelma put her hand over Lissa’s. “Give him time. Don’t pay attention to his crankiness.”
Lissa couldn’t help but smile. “I’ll work on it. I’ve heard so many good things about you. Now I understand why.”
Thelma waved her hand in dismissal. “Don’t flatter me. I just want to honor my son.”
Lissa’s heart twisted at the woman’s words and she felt her determination rise inside her even more strongly. She would help Rust Creek Falls. She would make a difference.
No matter what Gage Christensen thought about her.
Before he’d had his second cup of coffee, Gage saw Lissa Roarke walk through the door of his office. His stomach rolled. He wasn’t ready for this.
“Good morning,” she said. “I’m glad you’re here. I’ve thought about the day and I would like to do a little more research on the north side of the county. Do you think you could take me? Or should I ask Will?”
Gage’s head was spinning. “Whoa, whoa,” he said. “Why do you have to talk so fast? Talking fast isn’t going to get anything done faster.“
“I just want to get things done as quickly as possible for your town,” she said. “They’ve been waiting a long time.”
“True, but unless you have recruits ready today, there’s no need to rush,” he said.
Frustrated beyond measure, she barely resisted stomping her foot. “Why are you fighting me on this?” she asked. “Is this personal? Do you dislike what I’m trying to do? If I’m the one who’s causing a problem for you, then maybe I should just call my boss and ask for a replacement.”
“Why are you jumping off a cliff? I just said you talk way too fast. You just need to slow down,” he said.
“You haven’t done anything but give me a hard time. Maybe you would be happier with someone else heading up this project,” she said.
“You just don’t understand what you’re getting into. Your degrees may work in New York, but they won’t do much here,” he said.
“How dare you?” she asked. “I’m just trying to help and all you can do is criticize. You act like I personally made it rain here in Rust Creek Falls. I’m calling my boss so he can have someone else come here to help.”
