G.o.d, she"s gorgeous.
She bites that pouty, pink lower lip, her blue eyes wide as she peers at me through her gla.s.ses. She looks vulnerable and small, and I want to scoop her up and protect her from everything.
"Are we just going to stand here and stare at each other all night? We"ll die from hypothermia."
"Funny." I take her bags and follow her out to my crew-cab Ford, stow her things in the backseat, and start the engine.
"Could you have bought a taller truck?" she asks as she pulls herself up into the cab. "I need a stepladder to get into this thing."
"I don"t drive many short people around," I reply with a smile.
"Seth is short."
"Seth hops in without a problem."
"I"m not a twelve-year-old boy," she reminds me and rubs her hands together briskly to warm them up.
"No, you"re definitely not that, Jilly."
"d.a.m.n, it"s really coming down," she murmurs in awe. She"s right-the snow is falling faster than crews can clear it from the streets. As we drive on the highway heading out of town toward the ranch, the snow is coming down so hard and thick, my headlights bounce off the white flakes, almost blinding us.
"Oh no! Someone"s in the ditch!" Jill points to a small SUV with its hazard lights blinking, the front end in the ditch and the back tires spinning worthlessly in the snow. I slowly pull over to the shoulder, put the truck in park, and take Jill"s hand in mine, demanding her attention.
"Stay in this truck, Jill. I"m gonna pull them out."
"I can help."
"If I need you, I"ll let you know, but for now just stay here."
I don"t need to worry about her out in this mess. She nods and I hop out of the truck and make my way down the brush- and snow-covered ditch to the driver"s side of the SUV. A woman is inside, frantically talking on her phone. A baby is crying in the backseat.
I knock on the window, startling her.
"I"m Zack King," I yell through the gla.s.s. "I have a truck and chains. Just stay here, put it in neutral, and I"m going to pull you out!"
She sighs in relief and smiles as she cracks her window.
"Thank you so much!"
Pulling my gloves out of my coat pocket, I nod and climb up to the truck, then yank my tow chains out of the bed. Once I have the chains attached to both my truck and her SUV, I climb into the cab.
"What"s happening?" Jill asks.
"I"m pulling her out," I reply, looking both ways on the highway for oncoming headlights. There are none.
As quickly as I can, I pull out onto the road, put the truck into the lowest gear possible, and pull the small SUV out of the ditch and onto the road. As soon as I see she"s out, I throw the truck in park and get out to unhook the chains and wave at the woman as she drives slowly and carefully away.
After throwing the chains back in the bed of the truck, we"re on our way to the ranch.
"You"re soaked," Jill murmurs.
"I"ll dry."
She turns up the heat and takes my right hand in hers, pulling my glove off and warming my fingers. "You"re freezing."
I glance over in surprise as she continues to warm my hand, confused as all h.e.l.l at the riot of emotions racing through me. One minute she"s stubborn and impossible and the next she"s soft and sweet.
"I"d do the other one, but it"s kind of busy right now," she says with a grin.
"Yeah, not a good idea to drive with no hands," I agree and chuckle. She keeps my hand in hers, resting in her lap, until finally, I gently pull it away. "Thanks. That"s better. That could have been you, you know."
"I know." She sighs deeply. "I need to replace my car. I drive a lot for my job, so I probably need an SUV with all-wheel drive."
"Sooner, rather than later."
She just nods and continues to watch the snow in the headlights. "So, are you still living with your mom and dad?"
I glance over at her, expecting to see a teasing smile on her lips, but she"s just watching me with wide, quiet eyes.
"Well, you know how it is. I could do my own laundry, but Mom makes it so extra soft and it smells good."
"Don"t be an a.s.s." She laughs and smacks my biceps.
"Actually, Mom and Dad moved into the new cabin last week."
"Oh! It"s done already?" she asks.
I nod. Mom and Dad decided this past summer that with me home and running the ranch with Josh, it was time for them to retire. But they would never leave the ranch, so Josh and I had a small single-story home built for them on the property.
"Does your mom like her new place?" Jill asks.
"Yeah. No more stairs to climb every day, less house to clean, and Dad made sure her kitchen is bada.s.s, so she"s been baking and cooking like crazy."
"Good for them." Jill grins. "Your parents have worked hard all their lives. I"m glad they"re going to take it easy."
"Well, we"ll see how long it lasts. Dad loves ranching too much to retire completely."
"How is Seth?" she asks as I pull into our driveway.
"He"s doing so much better," I reply. "His grades are awesome, and he"s got friends. I wish I"d moved him here years ago."
The guilt sets in as I think of what my son went through before coming home to Montana.
Jill lays her hand on my arm and squeezes gently. "I"m glad he"s doing so much better. He"s a great kid."
I grin and nod. "Thanks."
Pulling up to Josh and Cara"s place, I park and turn to face Jill, who is frowning and biting her lip again. She looks almost . . . disappointed.
"What"s wrong?" I ask.
She shakes her head and offers me a smile. "Nothing. Thank you for rescuing me."
"You don"t need to be rescued, Jill," I reply and return her smile. "I"m just glad you know how to ask for help when you need it."
I step out of my truck and retrieve her bags from the backseat, then trudge through the snow to Josh"s front door, which is now open as Cara has rushed out to hug Jill. Thor runs out of the house, lifts his leg on a s...o...b..nk, and then dashes right back in.
Smart dog.
"Dad! I creamed Uncle Josh in Need for Speed!"
"That"s my boy," I reply and ruffle his hair when he runs over to me.
"He cheats." Josh glares at Seth, who laughs hysterically.
"Do not. You suck."
"I bet I can beat you," Jill announces and Seth stills, watches her with narrowed eyes, and then shoves his controller at her.
"You can try, but I"ll beat your girl b.u.t.t."
"We should go, Seth."
"Just one game? Please?" Seth asks, bouncing on his toes.
"Please?" Jill joins him, both of them about the same height, looking up at me with hopeful eyes, and I can"t help but burst out laughing.
"Go ahead."
"Yes!" Jill cries and races Seth to the couch, where they settle in to race.
"Couldn"t fix the furnace?" Josh asks.
"We"re gonna have to send someone over there tomorrow," I tell him and watch the dark-haired woman with my son.
"Thanks for going in to help," Cara says and hugs me around my waist.
"Anytime," I reply.
Jill is laughing and when Seth beats her in their race, she smiles widely at him and offers her fist for him to b.u.mp, which he accepts happily.
What the f.u.c.k am I going to do about her?
CHAPTER.
Three.
JILLIAN.
"All right, Seth, it"s time to head home. You have school tomorrow."
"Dumb school," Seth grumbles under his breath next to me. "Maybe we"ll get a snow day."
"Doubtful," Cara replies with a frown. "This isn"t Texas. We"re used to snow around here."
"Dumb school," Seth grumbles again, making me laugh.
"Thanks for playing with me." I nudge him with my shoulder. "This was the best part of my day."
"It was?"
"Yeah, I had a c.r.a.ppy day. So thanks."
He shrugs like it"s no big deal, but smiles and pets Thor before standing, putting the game away, covering his dark hair with his hat, and stuffing his feet into boots.
"Thanks again, Zack," I murmur and offer the tall, s.e.xy man a grin. He just nods and shoos his son and their dog out to the truck, leaving me with Josh and Cara.
"Want to watch a movie?" Cara asks.
"I can go find something to do, give you some girl time," Josh offers, but I shake my head no.
"Honestly, I"ve had one of the worst days I"ve had in a long while, guys. I"d like to just go take a long, hot shower and go to bed."
"Okay, follow me." Cara leads me down the hall to a bedroom with a soft queen-size bed, and towels and washcloths stacked neatly at its foot. "The linens are clean. The bathroom is just across the hall. Let me know if you need anything."
"Thanks, friend." I hug her close. "I"ll see you in the morning."
I gather my toiletries and towels, turn on the water in the shower as hot as it goes, and take my clothes off.
This has been one long day. I can"t seem to get warm, despite sitting in front of the fire with Seth, playing the game. I step under the water and flinch as it bites my cold flesh, then sigh in relief when it begins to warm me up. I go through the motions of washing my hair and shaving, and then just stand in the blissfully hot water until the temperature starts to fall.
It"s stupid to be disappointed that he brought me here rather than taking me home with him. Of course he would bring me to Cara"s. Why in the world would he take me to his house?