Читать книгу Rachel's Rescuer - Roxann Delaney, Roxann Delaney - Страница 9

Squinting into the crimson glare quickly disappearing behind the building clouds of an approaching winter storm, Lucas Callahan watched twin columns of dust race along the usually deserted ranch road.

“What the hell—”

Releasing the small calf he’d just tagged, he stood in silence and watched the first of two cars come to a dirt-spewing halt, missing the fence in front of the sprawling two-story house by inches. A woman climbed from the older model, red sports car, panic written all over her. She stood frozen to the spot when the tan cruiser of the county sheriff stopped, nearly crashing into her car.

Sheriff Ben Tatum climbed out of his vehicle and slammed his hat on his head. He strode forward, badge bouncing on his barrel chest. Coming to a stop directly in front of the woman, he planted his fists on his hips, legs spread wide. “Lady, what the hell do you think you’re doin’?”

Lucas stepped back into the deepening shadow of the barn and waited. From his vantage point, he could clearly see the scene unfolding in the yard, even though the sun continued its slow descent, and the sky had begun to darken. He wanted to hear what the woman had to say, but he didn’t want to be seen. Ben would handle the stranger better than he could. The two men had known each other all their lives, being born a few days apart, thirty-two years earlier.

“I…you…” She tugged at the hem of a too large sweatshirt, her nervous glance sweeping past Ben and lingering on her car. Squaring her shoulders, she faced him and lifted her chin. “I guess I’m lost.”

Ben knuckled back the brim of his hat. “Don’t you know you should pull over when an officer attempts to stop you?”

Her chin went up another notch, and she stiffened. “What did I do wrong?”

“Nothin’.” Ben walked around to the back of her car and leaned down.

The woman took a faltering step to follow, but brought herself up short when he straightened, a license plate in his hand. Her mouth opened once, then snapped shut.

He rounded the fender and held out the tag. “This was just flappin’ in the breeze, about to fall off. Drivin’ around without plates will get you in trouble, even here in Montana.”

“You came after me with your lights flashing because my license tag was loose?”

Ben’s stern countenance deepened to a frown. “So you did see me behind you. Next time an officer attempts to stop you, you stop.”

Her head lowered. “Yes, sir.”

Impatient to get back to his chores before dark settled in and the storm put a halt to the work, Lucas stepped out of the shadows. “I’ve got some plate screws.”

The woman jumped, and her hand flew to her throat. “How long have you been there?” she demanded.

Lucas took three strides in her direction and stopped at the corral fence. “Long enough.”

Brilliant blue eyes narrowed. “And what does that mean?”

Lucas sucked in a breath at the sight of those eyes. “I saw you flyin’ up the road.”

She tugged on her shirt again, her nervous gaze going to the car for the second time. “I was lost.”

“You’ve got a bigger problem than that, little lady.” Ben pointed to the front tire of her car, where a soft hiss could be heard.

“Flat,” Lucas grumbled. He wanted her gone, blue eyes and all. Something was wrong, and he didn’t want to know what it was. He wanted her off the Blue Sage. “We’ll get it changed, and you can be on your way.”

“I—I don’t have a spare.”

Before Lucas could reply with a string of words unfit for a woman’s ears, Ben interrupted. “Where was it you said you were headed?”

Looking up, she tensed again. “I didn’t say.”

It couldn’t have been clearer that something was going on. Lucas glimpsed fear beneath the stubborn stance. He wondered if Ben noticed it. The sheriff might look a little slow to some, but the man didn’t let much get by him.

Lucas didn’t take his eyes off her. He quickly reminded himself that strangers couldn’t be trusted in the middle of nowhere. Even isolated areas like the Blue Sage Ranch were known to have their share of con artists and other misbegotten vermin. Never a trusting soul, especially when it came to women, he wouldn’t put it past her to be part of some sort of scam.

And he didn’t welcome the interruption. The weather was expected to get bad—real bad. The woman needed to be on her way. The sooner the better.

Lucas let his gaze take a slow journey over the stranger, checking out the chestnut brown of her hair and the slender neck holding up an obstinate chin. Skipping over the loose-fitting shirt, his gaze lingered on her slim hips and long legs encased in threadbare blue jeans. A pair of dirty, time-worn tennis shoes finished the trip.

“If you’re lost, I’ll give you directions,” Ben was saying, jerking Lucas’s attention away from the leisurely tour of her body.

“Just tell me where and how far I am from Deer-fork,” the woman replied. “I’ll find my way from there.”

“You’re headed to Deerfork?”

She hesitated. “Sort of.”

“Near Deerfork?”

Nodding, she said nothing.

“I’ll give Willie a call and have him bring the tow truck out,” Ben said, then turned for his patrol car.

“If you tell me where you’re headed, I can give you better directions,” Lucas offered, his patience wearing thin. His suspicion mounted as he watched her twist her fingers in the hem of her shirt. She was scared. And not just of the law.

“I’m headed to see my—my friend,” she finally answered. “She and her husband live near Deerfork. I must have taken a wrong turn.”

The glare she directed at him nearly brought a smile to his lips. She was too easily riled. And too pretty when she was. He shook off the thought. “A name would give me somethin’ to go on.”

Lowering her head, she hid her expression behind a curtain of hair. “Richmond. Jenny Richmond.”

He swore under his breath. “Jen and Pete left a couple of weeks ago for a vacation.”

“Oh, no!” She swayed, wrapping her arms around her middle.

He gripped the fence in front of him to keep from rushing to her. No way was he getting involved. “You okay?”

Her chin lifted again. “I’ll be on my way, as soon as the tow truck gets here.”

While they glared at each other, Ben returned. “There’s been an accident over on I-15 I’ve gotta get to. Willie’s on his way there now.” He turned to the woman. “You’ll have to stay here, until he’s done and can get here.”

“Hold on!” Vaulting the fence and crossing the short distance to where the pair stood, Lucas addressed them both. “She can ride back with you, and Willie can get her car tomorrow. We’ll find her a place to stay in Deerfork.”

The wind kicked up, swirling dirt into the sharply cooling air around them. Gesturing with a nod of his head, Ben led Lucas to the cruiser. “She’ll have to stay here, Lucas, unless you can take her into Deer-fork.”

“Can’t. I’ve got a new bull calf I have to keep an eye on. You’ll have to take her.”

“Nope, can’t do it. I’ve gotta get to that accident.” Ben climbed into his car and rolled down the window, shaking his head. “Bunch o’ wild kids drivin’ too fast. When a storm’s a’comin’, all hell breaks loose. Nothin’ but trouble.”

“I’d say she’s trouble.” Lucas silently counted to five as Ben started the engine. “She’s not stayin’ here, and that’s—”

“Mom?”

He spun around at the sound of the voice, while Ben pulled out of the drive. Too preoccupied with this new development to try to stop the sheriff, Lucas squinted into the blowing dust to see the driver’s door of the woman’s car swing open. Unable to make out who it was, he rounded the back of the car and stopped in his tracks.

“It’s all right,” the woman said, pulling a small boy of about five or six close to her. With her arms wrapped possessively around the youngster, she glared at Lucas.

Eyes full of distrust, the boy looked up at him. “Who’s he?”

If his life depended on it, Lucas couldn’t have uttered a single word. After a moment of dead silence, he cleared his throat and forced himself to speak. “I’m Lucas Callahan. And your name is?”

“Cody.”

Promising himself the satisfaction of blasting Ben the next time he saw him, Lucas looked at the sky, then nodded. “Guess we’d better get to the house.”

“Isn’t there something else we can do? We can’t stay here.” The woman kept the boy close and shivered, but whether from fear or cold, Lucas couldn’t be sure.

“You’ll have to,” he stated, pointing them toward the porch and silently damning his luck. The sky had darkened to near black, and fat snowflakes whirled in the wind with the dust. “In thirty minutes, nobody’ll be able to get to the county road.”

And he was stuck with a woman and a kid for God knew how long.

Rachel Harris didn’t know if her legs would carry her to the house. She could feel the man’s eyes on her, and she knew he didn’t trust her. She couldn’t blame him. In the same situation, she would react the same way. She had to be careful. Suspicious people asked questions. Questions she couldn’t answer. Not if she wanted to keep Cody safe.

Blinking at the lights shining brightly inside the house, she entered the kitchen.

“Coffee?” the cowboy asked and pulled out two chairs from a large table.

Uncertainty gnawed at her, but she nodded and took the seat he offered. Daring a glance at the scowling man who crossed the roomy kitchen with long, bold strides, Rachel’s breath caught. Outside, the light had grown too dim to notice much by the time she’d realized he was there, and she had been too scared after that to pay much attention. But now that she could see him, if only from the back, she wished she had jumped in the car and taken off, flat tire and all.

A good six feet plus tall, Lucas Callahan resembled the devil himself. Beneath his black hat, thick dark hair curled against a deeply tanned neck and touched the collar of his matching black shirt. From the back, he looked formidable. From the front, she guessed he’d be frightening. The expanse of his shoulders was broad enough to lean on and feel safe, but didn’t look in the least bit inviting. Narrow-hipped and long-legged, he reminded her of a piece of onyx. Hard. Cold.

“Thank you,” she whispered, when he set a cup of coffee before her. After breathing in the comforting aroma, she offered a grateful smile. She hadn’t had any coffee since yesterday morning, and she craved it. But she had less than forty dollars, and she hadn’t wanted to spend even a little on a selfish cup of coffee. She’d counted on Jenny being home. Disappointment brought the walls of desperation closing in on her. In her twenty-seven years, she had felt many things. This bordered on the worst.

Lucas set a glass of milk in front of Cody, then turned back to a row of cabinets and rummaged through them. With a soft grunt of what must have been satisfaction, he tossed a half-empty package of cookies onto the table.

“Better not eat all of them. They may have to last a few days.”

Cody looked at Rachel, who answered the question in his eyes with a smile. He took one cookie, eating it slowly and carefully, as if it were something strange and exotic.

Rachel watched him, her love for her son overcoming her fear. He’d been so good, never once complaining about being stuck in the car for days on end. They had even slept in it for the past two nights, so they wouldn’t risk running out of money. But instead of making it to her childhood friend’s the way she had planned, here she was, sitting in the comfy but unfamiliar kitchen of a strange man. After seeing the friendly familiarity between him and the sheriff, her instincts told her she and her son were probably safe. Hadn’t it been the sheriff who had suggested she stay? She wasn’t scared, but she was certainly aware of the man across the room. And she couldn’t explain it.

Wrapping her hands around the hot cup in front of her, she looked up. “Do you know when Jenny and Pete will be back?”

He didn’t look at her. “Last I heard, they might be gone for a month.”

“A month!” Her heart sank to her toes. That meant another two weeks. Her cash wouldn’t last more than a day or two at the most, and she couldn’t risk using her credit cards. They were too easy to trace when someone had the means to do it. And Steven’s parents did. Somehow, she would have to find a place to stay until Jenny returned. But when would she be able to leave?

She dared another look at Lucas Callahan. He wore his hat pulled so low over his face, she couldn’t be sure where his attention was focused, but the distinct burning in her cheeks narrowed her guess. He hadn’t moved since he’d tossed the package of cookies, except to lean back against the counter, plant one big, booted foot over the other, and cross his arms on his chest. The stance only made him look more unapproachable. So why did she feel drawn to him?

Rachel turned her focus back to her coffee and gathered her strength. “We can drive to Great Falls, as soon as the tire is repaired. How long do you think the storm will last? Is there a chance we can leave tonight?”

“Doubt it,” Lucas answered. “Depends on how much snow we get and how hard the wind blows. If it keeps up, it’ll be a few days before you can get out of here.”

Her heart sank deeper, and she couldn’t help but notice the howl of that wind beyond the quiet of the snug room. A shiver went through her, and she told herself it was caused by the eerie sound, not by the fact that she could feel a pair of eyes boring into her. She hadn’t seen those eyes in the light yet, but she felt certain they would be cold, like the owner. Why was he so unfriendly? So…hostile? Most people were wary of strangers, but didn’t he realize she hadn’t chosen to be stranded?

“Before it gets any worse, I’d better get your car moved so it doesn’t get buried. Anything you need from it?”

She thought of the four suitcases and the boxes in the trunk containing everything they hadn’t had to leave behind. If he saw those, he would know for sure this wasn’t a pleasure trip for a short visit to a friend. He might not press for answers, at least not right away, but he would soon. Luckily, she had kept one small bag handy.

“There’s a backpack behind the seat,” she answered. “And Cody’s coat. Some blankets, too. The keys are in the ignition.”

He nodded and shoved away from the counter, his long strides taking him quickly past her to the door. “You won’t need the blankets. There’s plenty of extra bedrooms here. I’ll get a room fixed up for the two of you.”

“Thank you.” She kept her gaze averted. Something about him, when he walked by her, had her nerve endings tingling.

“It may be a while. I’ve got stock to check.” He put on his hat and shrugged into a heavy coat. For a moment, he hesitated. “Would you mind stirring that pot on the stove?”

“Of course not.” She stood and, as he hurried out the door, she lifted the tight-fitting lid, letting the aroma of the contents into the room. Dipping a long wooden spoon into the kettle, she inhaled. The scent warmed her heart. “Mmmm. Chicken soup.”

“Mom?”

She finished stirring and replaced the lid. “What is it, Cody?”

“When are we going to get to Jenny’s?”

“In a few days.” Rachel moved to where he sat at the table, his empty glass sitting amid a small scattering of cookie crumbs. She smoothed his dark hair and rubbed her hand along his neck, hoping to soothe the worry in his eyes. She didn’t want Cody looking over his shoulder the way she’d been forced to for the past six months. If only she had called Jenny to warn her they were coming. But they’d had to leave so quickly this time.

“Are we going to stay here until then?” he asked, his hazel eyes too wise for a six-year-old.

“We’ll find someplace else as soon as it clears up.” Somehow. But if the cowboy’s prediction of the weather proved correct, she didn’t have a choice. She and Cody would have to stay.

Knowing worry wouldn’t gain her anything, she set herself in motion, searching the cabinets for bowls and something to go with the soup.

A short time later, the door behind her swung open, banging into the wall and bringing in both a gust of snow-laden wind and Lucas. She jumped at the sound, but forced her attention to the display of food in front of her, ignoring the rough whisper of denim and the clomp of boots on the tile floor. She had to be dead tired, she told herself, to be unable to keep her curiosity at bay. And that’s all it was. Simple curiosity. But even that frightened her. Still, it didn’t stop her from glancing over her shoulder for another peek.

Whipping off his hat, he stomped his feet to rid his boots of their covering of snow and slapped his hat on his leg. “Doesn’t look too good out there.”

She hurried to fix a plate of crackers she had found, while he hung his coat and hat on a peg behind the door. Without another word, he approached the table and set her red nylon backpack and Cody’s coat on an empty chair.

Shoving aside her disappointment of the forecast, she found three bowls, filled them, and placed everything on the table. “I don’t know what else you planned to have.”

“That’s about it. Hope it’ll be enough for you two.”

“It’s fine.” She added a smile and sat down. “It smells delicious.”

The only available chair was to her right, at the end of the table. It was only natural to look in that direction when he moved to it. But not so natural for her heart to stop for a brief moment when their gazes met. Without his hat, she was able to see him clearly for the first time. Dark, nearly black eyes gazed into hers, leaving her breathless.

After a moment that seemed like an eternity, she ducked her head, and then watched him crumble a huge handful of crackers into his bowl. Cody, she noticed, watched, too, and then did the same to his own soup. Her son needed a male figure in his life. It had been two years since Steven’s death, and Cody didn’t remember much about his dad. Since then, she had been too busy earning a living to give much thought to Cody’s other needs, beyond keeping a roof over his head and food in his stomach. She spent every minute she could with him, though, being both mother and father. She would never let anyone take him from her, no matter how far or how long she had to run.

“I didn’t catch your name.”

At the sound of his voice, a ball of lead formed in her stomach. She couldn’t give him her name, but she couldn’t ignore the request either. Not when he’d opened his home to her and Cody.

“It’s Rachel.”

“Rachel what?” he asked, pinning her with those dark eyes.

“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.