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His fingers curled around a branch and, using his good leg, he regained his balance and sucked in an unsteady breath. He massaged his knee, hoping he hadn’t just undone the surgeon’s long hours of reconstructive surgery, and weeks of physical therapy. Cautiously Jason flexed the joint. A new wave of agony swept up his body and socked him in the gut. It might hurt like the dickens, but it still worked. That had to be a good sign.
When he reached the two-door coupe, he tapped on a snow-covered window. “I’m here to help. Open up.”
The window inched down, letting the buildup of flurries spill inside. Jason flashed his light into the dark interior. A hand immediately shot up, shielding the occupant’s eyes from the glare.
“Jason?”
“Kara?” He leaned down, trying to see her better. “Are you all right?”
“I don’t know. I think so.” Her breathy voice held an eerie squeak. “There was a deer. Then the car skidded off the road. The door’s stuck and my phone won’t work.”
“Okay, slow down. First thing we’ve got to do is get you out of there.”
She started pushing on the door with her palms. He tried pulling on the handle. Without warning, she slammed her shoulder into the door. A grunt followed, but she pulled back, ready to repeat the process.
“Stop!” He used his drill sergeant voice, hoping to gain her attention. “Sit still.”
“But I smell gas.”
The mention of a gas leak shot a dagger of fear through his chest. Jason surveyed the area with the help of the flashlight, soon spotting the reason the door was stuck. The bottom was jammed against the embankment. The passenger door was pressed against a tree trunk.
“I need out!”
“Wind down your window the whole way.”
“It’s stuck.” Her eyes grew round as her palms pressed against the glass. Her fingertips slipped through the opening and curled over the edge. “Help me.”
The frigid wind continued to throw snow through the opening. With these low temperatures, he needed to get her out—fast. He kicked the ground, hoping to find a rock beneath the white blanket of frozen moisture.
At last, armed with a decent-size rock, he used his drill sergeant voice again. “I’ve got to break the window to get you out. Turn away. And cover your head with your coat.”
She did as he instructed, and soon he was assisting her through the opening. When her foot sank down into the deep snow, she lost her balance and pitched to the side. He caught her, hugging her slight form to him. Her hands clutched at his shoulders, pulling him closer. When her head came to rest on his chest, he breathed in the faint scent of strawberries. The feel of her body next to his and the enchanting smell of her all came together, jumbling his senses.
Unable to resist the temptation, he ran his fingers over her golden locks. “It’s okay,” he murmured. “You’re safe now.”
Her weight shifted fully against him. Warmth filled his chest. After all those long, lonely nights in different towns and countries, Jason felt as if he’d finally found his way home. He never wanted to let her go.
A gust of wind threw wet snow in his face, bringing him back to his senses. He shouldn’t be holding her. It was wrong to enjoy their closeness. He’d sacrificed that liberty years ago. And he was no longer the same man she’d once known.
He held her at arm’s length. “You’re bleeding.”
“I am? I don’t feel a thing.”
He cupped her face in his hands. A crimson streak trailed from her forehead to her cheek. Please don’t let it be serious.
“Are you sure? No headache? No double vision?”
“Nothing.”
Ever so gently he wiped away the blood with his thumb. When he found only a minor cut, he breathed a little easier. “Tell me if you start to feel bad.”
She nodded.
He pulled his phone from his pocket, punched in the numbers for help and held the device to his ear. After a few seconds, he moved, positioning the phone in front of him. “I can’t get a signal. Looks like we’re on our own.”
She shivered, wrapping her arms around her midsection. “How will I get my car out of there?”
He gave her a quick once-over. Aside from the small cut, he didn’t see any other signs of trauma. “The car’s not going anywhere tonight. And if you smelled gas, we aren’t taking any chances. The tow truck people can deal with it tomorrow.”
Her body shook and her teeth chattered. “Now...what...am I going to do?”
He worried about shock settling in. He was certain the accident had been horrific enough, but then to be trapped, even for a brief time, might have been too much for her.
“My SUV’s up on the road. We need to get you warm.”
He ushered her up the short embankment to his vehicle, which still had the engine running. After she climbed in, he reached behind the seat and pulled out a blanket. “This should warm you up.”
He was about to close the door when she said, “Wait. I need my stuff from the car.”
She started to climb back out, but he placed a hand on her shoulder, holding her in place. “I’ll get your stuff. You wait here and turn up the heater.”
“My purse is there...in the backseat...and my cell phone.”
Jason closed the door and yanked his gloves from his pocket. He hobbled along, doing his best not to stumble on the uneven ground. The coldness seemed to freeze all but one of his thoughts: Kara. He’d missed her much more than he’d been willing to admit to himself. Between her pouty lips and soulful eyes, it was tempting to forget the demons that lurked in his past.
But that couldn’t happen. He couldn’t let himself go soft in the brain. It wouldn’t be fair to her. Soon they’d be off this mountain, he assured himself. Once he gathered her belongings from the car, his only agenda was to deliver her safely to her doorstep and leave.
He limped to the wrecked vehicle and ran the flashlight’s beam from trunk to hood. A sour taste rose in the back of his throat. In the military he’d witnessed the tangled metal wrecks and human carnage caused by IEDs, so this accident scene shouldn’t evoke a reaction—certainly nothing like the wave of nausea washing over him. But he couldn’t escape the fact that Kara could have died here tonight.
He blocked the awful thought from his mind. She was safe, he assured himself. All he had to do now was retrieve her belongings and drive her home.
* * *
Long minutes ticked by before Jason reappeared in the glow of the headlights. Thank goodness he’s back. Soon she’d be home, snug and warm, with her family. Still, something struck her as not quite right. She gazed through the window, giving him a second, more intense inspection. She noticed he moved with a limp. The knowledge that he’d been hurt while rescuing her gave her pause.
When he yanked the back door open, she asked, “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.”
After placing her belongings on the backseat, he closed the door with a loud thud and climbed in beside her. It’d been a long time since they’d been together, but as close as they were physically, they’d never been so far apart in every other way. And it would remain that way. It was for the best.
But that didn’t mean she could ignore his physical pain. “You aren’t fine. You were limping.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine after I rest my leg for a bit.”
The lines etched around his eyes and mouth said the pain was more severe than he’d admitted. Once again he was holding back the truth.
“Can I do anything—for your leg?”
He shook his head. “The, uh, weather—it’s getting worse. We better get moving. Are you ready?”
“Definitely. I’m anxious to get home. I don’t want my family to worry.”
He yanked off his snow-covered hat and tossed it in the backseat. When he unbuttoned his coat, a fluff of pink fur poked out. Kara gaped at him. Nothing about him either in the past or now screamed pink fuzzy anything.
He withdrew the object. “I found this on the floor in back when I was searching for your purse.”
“Bubbles.” Her daughter must have forgotten the stuffed animal that morning, when Kara had dropped Samantha off at her grandparents’ house before school.
“Huh?” Jason’s gaze darted from the teddy bear with Baby Girl embroidered on its belly to her. “Bubbles? Really?”
Kara reached for the stuffed animal. “Something wrong with the name?”
“Uh...no.” He tossed her the ball of fluff. “Not at all.”
“Hey, it’s the color of bubble gum—hence the name Bubbles.”
“Logical. I guess.”
She glanced at him, expecting to find humor easing the tense lines marring his face, but his expression hadn’t changed. What had happened to the old Jason, the one with a thousand and one fast comebacks and an easy grin? Sadness burrowed into her chest. She mourned the boy who had always made a point of making her smile, even during the worst teenage crisis.
She hugged Bubbles to her chest. “Thanks for rescuing him.”
“The bear is really yours?” Suspicion laced every syllable. “You carry a baby’s toy around in your car?”
She stared down at the bear. It had been her daughter’s very first stuffed animal. Even though Samantha had accumulated an army of plush toys over the years, she still reached for Bubbles when she was tired or upset.
Kara considered pretending she hadn’t heard the question. However, she recalled how Jason had been worse than a hound dog rooting around for a bone when he wanted information. He would continue to hunt and dig until he found exactly what he was after.
Maybe a glib answer would suffice. She did know one thing: she certainly wasn’t prepared to blurt out the entire truth about her daughter. So she’d give him the basics, and hopefully, he wouldn’t ask any more questions.
“The bear belongs to my daughter.”
CHAPTER THREE
SERIOUSLY, COULD THIS night get any worse?
Kara didn’t say anything more, hoping he’d get the hint that she didn’t want to talk. Her daughter was off-limits to him. She turned her head and stared out at the starless night, which mirrored her dismal mood.
“So you’re a mother?”
The astonishment in his voice set her on edge. This was the very last topic she wanted to discuss with him. After all, she didn’t owe him any explanations. She didn’t owe him a single thing. Her daughter was no secret, but that didn’t mean she had to share the circumstances of her birth with him.
“A lot changed after you left.”
“Obviously. So who’s the lucky man in your life?”
Kara suddenly hated her single status. The thought of lying tiptoed across her mind, but she’d never been any good at it, even as a kid. Best to stick with the truth. “There is no man.”
“Thought you’d have guys lined up, waiting to take you out.”
“And you’d be wrong.”
She smothered a sigh. After he’d dumped her and she’d found out she was pregnant, it was a very long time until she was willing to trust any man. When she finally did dip her toe in the dating pool, finding a man with the right personality, who was ready to take on a young mother, was a challenge. Most of the guys she met simply didn’t want the hassle of a ready-made family. And they certainly weren’t thrilled about having their social calendars dictated by whether or not Kara could secure a babysitter.
Not that she’d become a nun or anything. She’d dated here and there. The evenings out were nice, but that’s all they were—nice. She shielded her daughter from her dating life. She didn’t want Samantha getting attached to someone, only to lose him when things didn’t work out.
Sensing Jason giving her periodic glances, Kara refused to meet his gaze. Instead, she continued to stare into the night. The thickening snow kept her from spotting the pond where they used to skate as kids. In those days, they’d been practically inseparable. Did Jason ever think about the good old days? Did he even regret his abrupt departure from her life and this community? Was that why he’d finally come home? To make amends?
She sneaked a glance at him. His long fingers clenched the steering wheel, fighting to keep the vehicle on the road. When he turned his head to glance at her, she jerked her gaze away, focusing on the hypnotic swish, swish of the windshield wipers.
A loud crack echoed through the night as a tree limb fell onto the road. “Watch out!”
He cut the wheel to the left. The driver’s side tires dropped off the snow-covered pavement. Kara’s upper body jerked to the left, where firm muscles pillowed her and held her steady. Jason’s body was rock hard. The kid she’d planned to explore the world with was long gone, and in his place was this man she barely recognized. The army life had transformed him into a human tank. And in that moment, she knew he’d protect her.
Thankfully, the vehicle slowed to a stop. With some effort, Jason eased it back on the road. “Sorry about that. You okay?”
Realizing she was still leaning against his arm, she pulled herself upright. “I’m fine.”
But was she? Her heart continued to palpitate faster than a jackhammer. The blood pounded in her ears. It was the near miss with the tree limb that had her all riled up. She was certain of it. She settled back in her seat and took a calming breath.
“Hang on tight.” Jason released the brake and the vehicle crawled forward. “The weather’s getting worse. I can barely make out the road.”
The tires crunched over the snow blanketing the pavement. The wind created white sheets that draped over the vehicle. All the while, the wipers worked furiously to clear the windshield for a second or two at a time. How in the world was she going to get home tonight? It’d be dawn before they got down the mountain at this inchworm pace.
“What are we going to do?” She didn’t bother to hide the quaver in her voice.
Jason patted her leg. “We’ll be okay. Trust me.”
He was the very last person she should trust, but in these extreme circumstances, she didn’t have much choice. Heat emanated from his lingering touch and radiated outward, sweeping through her limbs. Her gaze zeroed in on his fingers gripping her thigh. She should pull away, at the very least shove his hand aside. Before she could act, he withdrew it himself, to grip the steering wheel.
“Kara, why are you still there—at the resort? Working for my father?”
Not exactly a subject she wanted to broach with him, but at least it kept him from asking about her daughter. “You mean why didn’t I leave him like you did?”
“That isn’t what I meant.” A note of bitterness wove through his tone. “Why haven’t you moved on with your life? Gotten away from here? You always dreamed of traveling the world. Why give it all up for an old drunk who ran my grandfather’s dream into the ground?”
She straightened. “Don’t you dare judge me. Your father and I did our best to keep the resort up and running. Maybe if you’d been here, you could have helped.”
“I was busy at the time, getting shot at while defending our country.” He turned to her, his eyes glittering. “And recovering from a bomb blast.”
Her brain stuttered, trying to imagine the dangers he’d faced. “I had no idea.”
“You weren’t supposed to. I shouldn’t have mentioned it.”
“What happened? Are you okay now?”
“I’m fine.”
