Rachel's Rescuer

“Rachel…Stevens,” she replied, using her husband’s first name for a last. Scolding herself for not thinking ahead, she stood and moved away from the table, her hands shaking. She hated lying, especially in front of Cody. Later she would explain to him why she’d done it. And explain it in a way that wouldn’t frighten him. She needed to stay on her toes if she wanted to keep them both safe.

Trouble, he’d told Ben earlier. Lucas groaned at the innocence of the word. Trouble didn’t even begin to describe what he was in for.

He could still hear her voice, floating down from the spare room upstairs where they were settling in for the night. Her name kept echoing through his mind like a soft whisper. And his body still hummed. It had been a while—a long while—since he’d reacted so swiftly to any woman. In fact, it was a long stretch to remember any time he had even come close.

He had ignored the first warning at the corral when he’d looked down into the eyes of an angel, blue as the wide Montana sky on a summer afternoon. After that moment, he hadn’t noticed the chill of the evening or the cold of the approaching storm.

In the light of the kitchen, he’d gotten a good look and knew she didn’t have the soft, full curves of the women who had once attracted his attention. In spite of the floppy sweatshirt, he could see she wasn’t hiding anything remotely voluptuous. He’d always had a soft spot for well-endowed women. The woman now making herself comfortable in one of the spare rooms didn’t possess that particular asset.

And still he hadn’t been able to stop looking at her.

“Hell,” he muttered, followed by a string of words that would make a sailor blush. He stepped into the ranch office and closed the door behind him. Walking to the window, he stared out into the stormy night, seeing nothing but the image of the woman temporarily sharing his home.

Hell, she isn’t even pretty. Not in the usual way. Not in the way that counted, the things men looked for in a woman. Her mouth was too wide, her nose was too short and her eyes were too…blue. Way too blue.

When the phone rang, interrupting thoughts he shouldn’t be thinking, he reached behind him and across the wide, antique desk to grab it. “Blue Sage,” he growled into the receiver.

“Somethin’ wrong there, Lucas?”

With the approaching storm, Lucas had expected to hear from his stepbrother, who lived in the foreman’s house several miles away. But he’d planned on it being a discussion of the extra chores they’d be doing because of the snow. Not about his uninvited guests.

Letting his frustration at the situation get the better of him, he grunted his displeasure. “You bet somethin’s wrong. I’ve got a woman and a boy stranded here. And there you are, enjoying yourself with your new bride.”

“Did you say a woman?”

“And her boy. About six years old. Don’t get any ideas. They don’t belong here. They’ll be nothin’ but trouble. A woman is nothin’ but…trouble, dammit.”

Harley’s heavy sigh echoed across the snowy miles. “You won’t let it go, will you?” When Lucas didn’t reply, he went on. “Not every woman out there is like Debra. That woman is probably nothin’ like Debra. Shoot, Terri is nothin’ like Deb—”

“Terri is different,” Lucas snapped, turning back to stare at the inky night, propping his foot on the window seat. “I don’t know how some worthless cowboy like you got yourself hooked up to that priceless female.” Regretting his harsh tone, he rubbed at the back of his neck and tried to relax. “When you’ve been married a while longer—”

“Yeah,” Harley chuckled, “she’ll take off at a dead run. Or give me a house full of kids. But it won’t hurt you to show a little compassion this once, Lucas. A couple of days until the storm blows on by and the roads clear. That boy and his mama don’t deserve to be tossed out just because some witch of a woman did you wrong eight years ago.”

Lucas didn’t want to hear any of it. It was over, long over. Reminders of Debra were one thing he’d managed to avoid. The pain she’d inflicted had gone away, and he’d been left with a hollow spot in its place that didn’t need filling.

“If I’d sent them on their way, like I should have—”

“They’d be stranded somewhere between here and Deerfork,” Harley interjected.

“And I suppose you expect me to play white knight and get them out of whatever trouble they’re in.”

“They’re in trouble?”

Lucas wished he’d kept his mouth shut. “She’s not the kind to ask for help. By the look of her, the woman has more stubborn in her than one of Zeke Chamber’s mules. I plan to stay out of it.”

“But if she needs help—”

“They’ll be gone in a few days. No reason to get involved. They can go on to Great Falls as soon as the roads are clear. Hell, I’ll even give her this number, if she runs into trouble. But other than that, I’m staying out of it.”

“I’ll ride over in the mornin’. I’d like to meet this lady.”

Getting Harley in the middle of this was the last thing Lucas wanted, but after fifteen years of friendship, he knew better than to tell him not to. Doing his best to sound unconcerned, he replied. “Suit yourself.”

“What’s she look like? Is she pretty?”

“I didn’t notice,” Lucas lied, quickly turning the subject to ranching chores. He wasn’t going to let his partner know just how much about his guest he had noticed or what the sound of her voice had done to him when she’d told him her name.

They briefly discussed the extra work the storm had caused, but all the while, Lucas listened to the sounds of movement above him. Rachel and her son were settling in, and it looked like it would be a long night for him.

She was trouble, all right.

Chapter Two

A wan light spread into the room as Rachel opened her eyes to greet another day. It took a moment for her to remember where she was and why she was there, but for the first time in months, she felt a small measure of peace. Edward and Phyllis Harris would have a hard time finding her here. They would, eventually, somehow, but at least for a few days she could rest and gather her strength.

Dressing quickly in the clothes she’d worn the day before, she crept down the stairs and into the kitchen. With as little noise as possible, she located a can of coffee and filled the coffeemaker. As she watched the dark liquid drip into the glass carafe, she found herself mesmerized by the color, reminding her of her taciturn host.

She had expected Lucas Callahan’s eyes to be as cold and hard as ice, but instead they held a warmth that had surprised her. And if she dared to be honest with herself, something in those eyes had sent a bolt of heat straight to her center. But she wasn’t into daring honesty, and she shook her head, refusing to believe she’d felt anything of the kind.

With a cup of the hot brew in one hand, she moved silently, checking through the cupboards and refrigerator for breakfast supplies. She owed her host something for his hospitality. She couldn’t pay him, but she could do this for him.

While sausage sizzled in a pan, pancakes cooked on a grill, and thick slices of buttered toast waited on the table, she took a quick look out the window as the sky lightened to a dull gray. To her dismay, snow continued to fall like a white curtain, shutting off the rest of the world.

Isolated. To some, the word might bring fear, but to her, it meant safety. Unless the sheriff had been suspicious and checked her license tag number, she and Cody were safe, for a few days.

The feeling of protection stayed with her as she filled several platters with food and put them on the table. Satisfied that there would be plenty to eat for a man whose job probably entailed a lot of physical labor, she started a pan of scrambled eggs.

It was ironic that she could feel so safe, staying in a house with a man who, at any moment, could endanger her future and her son’s. But for some reason, she trusted Lucas Callahan. She just couldn’t confide in him. She only needed a place to stay until the storm was over, and she didn’t want to cause him any trouble.

Scooping the finished eggs onto a plate, she reminded herself that the longer she and Cody stayed where they were, the less money she would have to spend on a room somewhere else. Or sleep in the car, again.

She nearly dropped the plate on the table when the back door swung open with a gust of wind. Looking up, her gaze caught and held a pair of deep-brown eyes, and her breath caught in her chest. She had to get control of herself and not let merely the sight of this man affect her.

Searching her mind for something to say, Rachel stuttered on her words. “Y-you must have a nose for food.”

Lucas’s gaze slid to the table. “Did you do this?”

Rachel nodded, not sure if he was happy to see the display of food, or angry she had made so much.

“You didn’t need to,” he said without looking at her.

She took a deep, fortifying breath, filling her lungs with much needed air and her nerves with resolve. “I wanted to do something to thank you for letting Cody and me stay the night. I hope it was all right to raid the food supply. It looked like there’s enough to last a while.”

His answer was an unconcerned shrug.

To her surprise, the door opened again. Along with another blast of frigid air, a cowboy, dressed in heavy snow gear, walked in. The moment he saw her, he removed his hat and smiled.

“Mornin’. You must be Miz Stevens.”

“Yes. Rachel Stevens.”

“Harley Peterson,” he said, with a brief nod, and began to unfasten his coat. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.”

“Harley’s my stepbrother. He’s here to help with chores,” Lucas said from across the room.

Hope rose in her heart. “Are the roads clear?”

Harley shook his head. “I rode over from my place.”

“Rode?”

“A horse.”

“Oh.” Her hope disappeared, and Rachel placed the eggs and the other food on the table, while tears of frustration burned her eyes. Choking back the disappointment, she set an extra place, while the cowboy peeled off his outerwear.

Unlike Lucas, Harley was big and blond, with a grin that probably made flowers grow. His sparkling blue eyes were enhanced by crinkles at the corners when he smiled, and Rachel bet her soul he smiled a lot. He was nearly as tall as Lucas, and his broad shoulders filled out the two-tone western shirt he wore. The two men were complete opposites, and so was her reaction to them.

Lucas moved across the room and flipped on a radio nestled under one of the cupboards. A Garth Brooks song filled the room. “You heard the weather report?”

“Should say somethin’ soon.” Harley took a chair at the table. “How’s that calf?”

Rachel filled the cups with coffee and sat down, listening to the conversation. She was curious to know about ranching, but wouldn’t ask for fear Lucas might think she was being nosy. It really wasn’t any of her business, but since Jenny and her husband also had a small ranch, Rachel wanted to learn as much as she could before descending on them. She couldn’t stay at Jenny’s indefinitely, but if she could help in any way, she would. Deerfork might not offer much in the way of employment.

“I shouldn’t have to call Doc Wellman about him,” Lucas was saying. “He’s stronger this morning.”

“You’d think as big as he is, he’d be chargin’ around,” Harley commented around a forkful of eggs.

“Once he gets a good hold on life, he’ll be the best bull of the lot.”

Rachel’s mind wandered as she half listened. As a little girl growing up in the foster program, going from one family to the next, she had often dreamed of escaping the busy city for a quiet spot. Jenny had been a neighbor for a short time, and they’d become best friends. When Rachel had moved on to a new family, they had kept in touch. They hadn’t spoken since Steven’s death, and Rachel had never mentioned the trouble with his parents. Jenny wouldn’t mind a visit, but she didn’t know they were on their way.

“Mom?”

Her son’s voice jerked Rachel from her thoughts. “You’re up early,” she told him, his arms now wrapped around her legs. She quickly introduced him to Harley, then bent to ruffle his hair and kiss the top of his head. “Would you like some breakfast?”

Cody turned to look over his shoulder, never letting go of her. A sniff was followed by a hesitant nod of his head.

“There’s some cereal up there in that cabinet,” Harley offered. “Maybe he’d like that better.”

Cody gazed up at her with an expectant look in his eyes. Disengaging herself from his hold, she gave him an encouraging pat and steered him to the empty chair. She poured out a bowl of sugared cereal and added milk, then set it in front of him. “Is that better?”

“Better.” Cody’s grin was visible for a split second before he dove into his breakfast.

“You ought to keep him off those sweets,” Lucas announced.

Stung, Rachel stared at him. She was a good mother, but kids just liked sweet cereal over a conventional breakfast. If they had been at home, she might have insisted that Cody eat something more nutritious, or at least add a glass of juice. But they weren’t at home, and Cody deserved a treat.

“And how many children do you have, Mr. Callahan?” she asked in a wounded voice.

“None,” Lucas snapped back.

She could have sworn she saw a flash of pain in his eyes before he turned his attention to his plate. The man hadn’t said a word to Cody since they had arrived except to ask his name.

“I was thinkin’ of the boy.” He looked pointedly at her and then at Cody.

Embarrassment and traces of anger heated her cheeks. Staying here was a mistake, but not one she could do anything about. As long as no one knew her true identity, she and Cody would be safe. For a while.

Lucas knew she was lying. He watched her leave the table, the uncertainty of her steps adding to his conviction. It hadn’t taken him long to know that she couldn’t be involved in a burglary ring. One look in her eyes the night before had told him that much. Whatever she was hiding from had her running scared. A part of him, buried for so many years, wanted to shield her from whatever her troubles might be. But the other part told him her troubles would be his if he didn’t watch it. With a sixth sense, he knew they wouldn’t be something he would want to get involved with. If he wasn’t careful, he’d be smack in the middle of it before long. He could only hope the weather cleared, and she and the boy could be on their way.

While they finished breakfast, she kept busy. His gaze slid over her slender body as she turned on the faucet and started running a sink full of soapy water. Her jeans stretched tight across her hips and bottom, causing his mouth to go dry. He’d dare anyone to guess she had carried a child with hips that slim. The thought crossed his mind that the boy might not be hers, but after a glance at Cody, he knew better. The youngster might not have those same blue eyes, but the mouth was wide and full like hers.

Reminding himself that women, slim-hipped or full-hipped, were nothing but trouble, he watched her for a reaction to his next question. “You have out-of-state plates. Where are you from?”

She stiffened slightly, and her hand, reaching for the griddle on the stove, stopped midway. “Ohio,” she answered. “Cincinnati, to be exact.” She grabbed the pan and plopped it into the water. “We have snow there, too.”

“Not like this, I’ll bet,” he thought out loud.

She turned, offering him a weak smile. “No, nothing like this. And not nearly so early in the year. I never expected anything like this.”

He could see that much was the truth. “Early for here, too. First measurable snowfall usually isn’t until later in September.”

“Does that mean more work with the animals?” she asked, her back to them once again.

“We’ll have to take some hay bales out to the herd.”

“Is it a large herd?” Rachel asked.

“Large enough to keep us busy,” Lucas answered, his long-sleeping hormones awakening. Every time she scrubbed at the pan she was washing, her hips swayed from side to side. He wanted to tell her to put the damn pan down. He wanted to grab her and turn her around, look into her eyes, and demand she tell him the truth.

Only he didn’t want to know the truth, he reminded himself.

“Jenny and Pete have cattle,” she said, as if to herself.

“Different breed.”

“I thought cows were cows,” she quipped over her shoulder with a grin.

“Do you know anything about cattle?” Lucas questioned her.

“Only that they’re raised and sold for meat and sometimes leather,” she answered. “And they moo,” she added with a laugh.

“And milk, Mom,” Cody reminded her.

She dried her hands and approached the table. “And milk,” she agreed, picking up his empty bowl.

Lucas watched her comb Cody’s hair with her long, tapered fingers and imagined how they’d feel skimming through his own hair. “Hell,” he muttered, shoving away from the table.

“What?” she asked, looking over her shoulder at him.

“Are those the only clothes you have?” he answered with a question of his own. And what do you look like without them? He swallowed the groan that nearly escaped him at the picture in his mind.

She looked down and picked at the hem of her shirt. “They’re still in the car,” she said before looking up at him. “I didn’t want to put you to any more trouble.”

If she knew how much trouble she was causing him, Lucas was sure she’d head for the hills. Hell, he hadn’t had insane thoughts that verged on lewd for years. He’d had enough women since his ex-wife to keep him at least close to satisfied. Women who filled his hands much more than this one would. But still, there was something about her….

He stuffed his hands in his pockets at the thought of touching her. “I’ll get them.”

“No!” she blurted. “I mean, I’ll just go out and get what we’ll need for another day.”

“You can’t be traipsin’ out in those flimsy shoes.” He looked down at her thin canvas shoes and noticed how small her feet were. “You’d end up with frostbite.”

Her chin went up and her eyes flashed with defiance. “A little snow and cold isn’t going to hurt me. Cody has a snowsuit out there, and boots and mittens.”

“Mittens?”

“He’s only six,” she snapped.

“Aren’t six-year-old boys usually in school?”

Cody answered the question. “I’m in school back home. Mom says this is a special vacation.”

“Vacation?” Lucas nailed her with a look, waiting for an answer.

“Let’s get their clothes, Lucas,” Harley said from the door.

Lucas held her fearful gaze with a promise in his own that they weren’t finished. Without a word, he joined Harley, grabbed his coat and hat, and pulled the door open.

“You’re pushin’ too hard,” Harley told him once they were outside.

“Maybe.” Wet snow hit him full in the face and the wind nearly sent his hat flying.

“I thought you didn’t want any part of it?” Harley reminded him.

They braced themselves against the wind, and Lucas saved his answer until they were inside the shed where he had parked her car. He waited while Harley took the keys from the ignition and returned to the back of the car. “That’s what I said. Maybe I was wrong.”

“Wrong?” Harley’s hand stilled on the key in the trunk lock, and a slow grin crept over his face. “You, Lucas? That’d be a first, wouldn’t it?”

“Just get it open,” Lucas growled.

With a flick of his wrist, Harley opened the trunk and stared inside. “All this for a vacation?”

Cardboard boxes sealed with tape were stuffed between a set of expensive luggage. Toys were crammed in every spare inch, along with more shoes than most people would wear in a month.

“Hell,” Lucas muttered.

“She’s runnin’.”

“Yep.”

Harley pulled two suitcases out and handed them to Lucas, then turned back for the other two. “Think we ought to mention it?”

“Nope.” Lucas considered the collection of belongings. “But I think we ought to keep an eye on her. Give me the keys.”

“Now, Lucas—”

He held out his hand. “Give me the keys, Harley. I don’t want her running off before we can find out what’s happening.”

Harley hesitated. “You’re going to help her?”

“I’m going to find out what’s going on and make sure she’s not on the wrong side of trouble. That’s all. I won’t say anything to Ben unless I think it’s important.”

Harley passed him the set of keys. “Then let me ask the questions. You’re about as subtle as a runaway freight train.”

Lucas picked up the two bags. “You always were better with women.”

Harley’s laughter echoed in the old building. “Me? Hell, Lucas, they always flocked to you like flies to an outhouse.”

Lucas ignored the jab and started out into the weather. “I’ll do the asking. I’ll find out what her name really is and have Ben check it out.”

“You don’t think it’s Rachel Stevens?”

“If it is, mine is Satan.”

“Did I say something wrong, Mom?” Cody asked when the two men were gone.

Rachel had some explaining to do about her little white lies. But this wasn’t the time. “No, it’s all right, honey. Why don’t you run upstairs and get your books out of the backpack? You can look at the pictures while I clean up. I’ll read it to you later.”

“Can I try to read it?”

Pride filled her heart. Cody had been able to read since kindergarten, far ahead of the other students in his class. “Sure you can.”

“Yippee!” he shouted as he ran out of the room.

With a sigh, she picked up the empty plates from the table and put them in the sink. The men would be back soon, and she’d have to answer some questions. She had hoped to put it off for a while longer. But just how little could she get away with telling Lucas? She owed him some kind of explanation. And now she was forced to tell the truth. To a point.

The last fork dropped in the drawer with a clatter when the door opened behind her. Bracing herself for more questions, she turned to see the snow-covered cowboys enter, carrying her four suitcases.

“We’ll put them up in the bedroom,” Harley told her as they passed through the room.

She breathed a sigh of relief when Lucas didn’t bother to look her way. She watched him walk out, the muscles in his back and shoulders bunching at the weight of the luggage in his hands. Her knees wobbled beneath her, and her heartbeat quickened. She still stared when he was no longer in sight.

Get a grip, Rache. She had seen men with well-toned bodies before. Well-toned? Okay, she relented. Hunky bodies. But none that kept her eyes glued to them and made her heart pound. There hadn’t been a man yet who could catch her attention and hold it for more than five minutes, especially after she’d found out how most of them were like Steven. And she had a feeling Lucas Callahan was more like Steven than all of them.

With a muttered reminder to keep her lusting thoughts under control, she started for the hallway and the stairs, only to find herself nose to chest with her cold host. Her heart leapt to her throat, and she silently cursed her reaction.

“I—I was just going to check on Cody,” she murmured, looking up. She instantly wished she hadn’t. Eyes like two pieces of burning coal gazed down into hers.

“He’s talkin’ to Harley.”

His voice slid over her like warm honey on a hot biscuit and left her speechless.

“Rachel Stevens, right?”

She could only nod.

One corner of his mouth lifted in a smile that resembled a smirk. “That’s what I thought,” he said and moved past her.

She grabbed the banister for support. Lordy, if the man had horns and a forked tail, he’d be the spitting image of Lucifer, fire in his eyes and all.

With a quick look over her shoulder to make sure he had gone, she let the moan slide through her lips. She needed a swift kick in the rear, that’s what she needed.

You need a man, a voice whispered in her mind.