by Tia Souders
His heart raced as he was transported back two years.
He’d felt the same churning in his stomach on this very night when he heard the blare of sirens in the distance followed by that all-consuming, gut instinct that something very bad had happened, that his life was about to change. And then the sheriff called . . .
His mind raced as he noted the local sheriff’s number on his phone. It was late, and Mae Beth wasn’t home yet. She’d gone to town with the girls for ladies night at one of the local boutiques where they’d dine on appetizers, sip cheap wine, and shop. It was a great way for them to get out while promoting small businesses, and she always had a great time. She’d called him on her way home, but that was nearly twenty minutes ago.
His hands shook as he accepted the call and answered.
The grim tone of the sheriff immediately tied his stomach to knots, and when he explained Mae Beth had been in a car accident, the world dropped from beneath his feet. The rest was background noise, with Rhett hearing only one thing: “You need to get here now, Rhett. She’s dying.”
Rhett shook his head. The memory jolted his muscles into action, and before he knew what he was doing, he made a beeline for his truck.
He needed to find Danny. Now. Before it was too late.
Rhett flew out of the gravel drive of Montana Wild and onto the road. Stones pinged off the undercarriage of his truck and dust clouded the air around him. The needle of the speedometer lurched as he pressed on the gas.
If Danny just left The Water Hole, that meant she was only a couple minutes ahead of him. She should be traveling these same back country roads, so with any luck, he’d run right into her. And when he found her, he’d shake her silly for ever accepting a ride from Bones. He knew most people around town pitied him, and he’d heard a million times about how the accident pushed him to get sober. But Rhett never believed it. After all, a tiger never changes its stripes. Why should he be the exception?
Danny was like Mae Beth; she believed in the best of people even when they hadn’t earned the benefit of the doubt, which included Bones.
He gave the truck more gas and watched the speedometer twitch.
Two minutes later, flashing red lights illuminated the road in front of him like an encore performance from two years earlier, and his heart stopped.
“YOU NEED TO GET HERE now, Rhett. She’s dying.”
All the blood drained from Rhett’s face, leaving him numb.
He didn’t remember stepping down from his truck or the journey across the glass littered road on wooden legs. All he remembered were the words he repeated to himself since he got in his car. This wasn’t real. They were mistaken. It wasn’t Mae Beth. It was someone else.
It had to be. Because the alternative was unthinkable.
By the time he reached the officer turning away traffic, he’d had himself half convinced. Until the sheriff recognized him and his expression transformed from polite authority to sorrow in an instant. Then Rhett knew all his hopes had been in vain.
Still, even as the sheriff led him to where Mae Beth’s car had been smashed to bits, he hoped and prayed this was all a mistake.
He saw the car first, and his world stopped.
The entire front end was gone. All that was left was the tree and a metal frame and Mae Beth.
She sat behind the wheel, slumped over it, unmoving, and for a moment, Rhett thought he was too late, she’d already died.
How could anyone survive this even for a second?
A piece of metal the size of a dinner plate had impaled itself into her torso. The only thing holding her together was the pressure from where Bones’ truck had hit the driver’s side door and now pressed against her midsection. Even if they managed to free her from the debris with the metal intact, her organs had sustained permanent damage, and she’d bleed to death almost instantly. Long story short, she was dying and there wasn’t much they could do about it. At least this way, Rhett had a chance to say goodbye.
He called her name and found her fingers, which he enveloped with his own. They were cold to the touch, and she could barely move to look up at him as he told her that he loved her.
Then he lied.
He said this wasn’t goodbye.
As his tears fell, he told her everything was going to be okay, that she was going to be okay.
A few minutes later, they managed to extract her from her car, but by the time they placed her inside the ambulance, she was gone.
The memories hit him with unrelenting cruelty as Rhett came to a stop at the sight of the flashing lights. The blood on Mae Beth’s hands. Her pale face, broken and bruised in the moonlight. Bones’ truck. Blood. The metallic taste of fear as they extricated her from the car.
He pulled over to the side of the road as a horrible sense of déjà vu hit him. Then he closed his eyes and pounded the steering wheel. This couldn’t be happening again.
Please, God, he pled. He’d do anything, give up everything not to relive the same nightmare.
And before he knew what he was doing, he clasped his hands in prayer and prayed for the first time in two years. Because he was desperate. Because deep down, his faith never truly left him, he just hid it in a well of pain. He only prayed the Lord would listen now after so many days and months of silence.
“I know I’ve been awful, and maybe I don’t deserve your mercy, but, please, spare, Danny,” he muttered, squeezing his hands tighter. “I’ll do anything . . . I just can’t do this again.”
A prickling sensation shimmied down his spine, followed by a soothing voice in his ear. Open your eyes.
Rhett gasped and blinked his eyes open, then glanced around him, certain the voice had to have come from the sheriff. But he was alone.
Now, look . . .
Rhett swallowed and focused his gaze out the windshield through the rush of blood pounding in his ears.
No longer blinded by the haze of fear, he saw that the flashing lights were not from a cruiser but a tow truck, and the only soul around was the driver.
Rhett frantically grappled for the door handle and flung his door open before he stumbled out.
“Excuse me, sir?” he asked the tow driver as he secured the wench to the back of the truck.
“Yeah?”
“I think my friend was in this truck. Do you know anything about how the passenger’s doing?”
“As far as I know, there was only one person, just the driver. She seemed fine on the phone, maybe a little shaken.”
She. It had to have been Danny, though he had no idea why’d she been driving Bones’ truck.
“I passed her less than a mile out, a few minutes ago,” the man said, nodding toward the road.
Without wasting any time, Rhett ran back to his truck, yelling his thanks over his shoulder as he wrenched open the door and hopped inside.
CHAPTER 18
Danny walked along the old country road back to The Water Hole, rubbing the knot on her forehead.
Gosh, it hurt, though she supposed she was lucky. It could’ve been a whole lot worse. After all, she could’ve swerved into oncoming traffic or hit a telephone pole or a tree instead of landing herself in a ditch. Still, that didn’t stop her from feeling stupid, nor did it stop the goose egg on her head from throbbing.
She never would’ve accepted Bones’ offer to drive his truck had she known she would crash it. He claimed he never used it anymore, hadn’t touched it since the accident, but still, she felt awful about the damage.
She’d already called a tow on her cell, but now she had to head back to The Water Hole with her tail between her legs and see if anyone might be willing to wake up at the butt crack of dawn to drive her to the airport. Then she’d have to find Bones and apologize that his old beater was, once again, involved in an accident.
Danny sighed.
What a way to end the night.
The only thing that could possibly make this any worse would be running into Rhett.
No more than a second after t
he thought crossed her mind, did a pair of headlights illuminate the dusty road from behind.
She picked up her pace as the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. It probably wasn’t the smartest thing to be walking alone at night by herself, but The Water Hole wasn’t too far and she figured she’d be fine. Now she wasn’t so sure. There wasn’t a house within earshot. The closest thing to it was Montana Wild and Bones’ old place, but they were several miles off.
The familiar lights of The Water Hole appeared in the distance, pushing Danny to move even faster. Maybe she could get there before the truck passed.
The roar of the engine grew closer.
The hair on her arms rose, and she held her breath as it passed, exhaling once she was in the rear.
Paranoid much?
But her relief was temporary because the glow of red taillights blinked in the darkness before the truck pulled over and came to a stop.
Her step hitched, and she froze on the side of the street, wondering if there was anywhere to hide when a figure stepped out of the vehicle.
The only thing she could make out in the dark were the long legs, sturdy frame, and broad shoulders.
She took a step back, ready to run.
And then they stepped into the red glow of light from the vehicle, and Danny’s heart skipped a beat.
HE SAID NOTHING AS he closed the distance between him and Danny.
He’d never seen anything as beautiful as the pouty frown crossing her face or the little crease between her brow.
He came to a stop and his eyes slid over her, checking for injuries, but the only thing he found was a small bruise on her forehead.
“You’re okay,” he breathed, reaching out to her and cradling her face.
“Of course I’m okay. What are you—”
“You can’t leave. I won’t let you,” Rhett blurted. He had only this one chance to convince her and he wouldn’t screw it up. “I don’t know what they offered you at your old job, but you can have any position you want at the ranch, if you’ll just stay. I’ll let you live in the cabin, free of charge until you find a place of your own. And you can continue taking on clients at the lodge in your spare time. Whatever you want.”
“Wait, Rhett . . . ” Danny blinked her eyes closed and shook her head. Then she opened them and said, “Rhett, I’m only leaving for two days.”
Rhett froze, staring into her eyes and trying to understand. “What?”
“I’m coming back. I’m not taking the job. I’m taking my share of the partner payout, half of Neil’s third.”
“But . . . you moved out of the cabin.”
A smile curled her lips. “Yeah, because I found a place of my own to rent. It’s just outside town, and Tess is helping me find someone who can renovate the downstairs floor into a salon so I can work out of my own place.”
Rhett swallowed, feeling slightly foolish before the full understanding of what she said sunk in. “So, you’re staying, but you’re just not working on the ranch anymore?”
Danny glanced down at her feet. “It seemed like a conflict of interest, but even if it weren’t, I can’t do this, Rhett.”
“Do what?”
Her eyes flickered up to his. “This . . . whatever this is.” She motioned between them. “I can’t get closer to you, spend time with you, and laugh and flirt and kiss you without falling even more than I already have. I’m happy to just be your friend, but I think a little distance for a while is best. The last thing I want is to get hurt again.”
“Friends,” Rhett repeated dumbly. “I don’t want to be just friends, Danny. I—”
“Stop.” Danny placed her hand on his chest. “Don’t make this difficult, please. I heard you the other day. You didn’t know I was there, but I came to talk to you at your house, about us and what you felt for me because I was so afraid of getting ahead of myself and getting hurt, and I heard you. You were sitting by Mae Beth’s garden, talking to her, and you told her that you could never love me, that you couldn’t do this anymore.”
Rhett blinked as everything clicked into place. Danny wasn’t leaving Cedar Falls. She was just leaving Montana Wild because she thought he didn’t share her feelings for him. Because she heard and misconstrued his conversation with Mae Beth.
And then that day, outside the church when he came to speak with her, she’d given him a second chance to say he cared about her—that she should stay for him. That there was something between them worth staying for, and he froze up.
“Danny . . . that day in the garden, do you know why I went to talk to Mae Beth?”
She shook her head.
“I went to her because I felt guilty, and I needed to feel okay with what was happening between us. I hoped it would give me clarity, some relief from my guilt at having feelings for another woman and wanting to move on.”
“But . . .”
“What you heard,” he said, interrupting her, “was me telling her that I wasn’t capable of loving anyone like I loved her, not while I was still holding on so tightly to my grief.”
He stepped forward and cupped one hand behind the back of her head.
God, she was beautiful, and he wanted nothing more than to kiss her, but he wasn’t finished. Not yet.
“I told her that I’d always love her, but that I can’t hold onto the grief and the guilt. I needed to let go and find a way to be happy.” He paused, looking into her eyes. “Then I told her I met someone. . . someone special who reminded me I could be happy.”
Danny’s breathing hitched as she listened.
Rhett drew her closer until she melted against him, until he could practically taste her kiss. “I told her all about you. How you make me laugh. That you made me grateful to be alive. And how if I’m not careful, I think I could fall.”
Danny’s throat bobbed. “Is that true?”
He shook his head. “I think I’ve already fallen,” he whispered.
“But when we talked, outside the church—”
“I was scared.”
“Of what?”
He smoothed her hair back from her face and wondered how he could explain so she’d understand. “A lot of things. Getting hurt again. Letting you down. Not being enough. I don’t know how to do this . . . move on and let go, and when you looked at me with those big blue eyes, I was afraid to fail you.”
“And now?”
“And now, I realize I need to try because I’ll regret it if I don’t. Because I’m falling for you, Danny, and nothing, not even a move back to Pittsburgh would change that.”
Danny grinned and curled her fingers around the collar of his shirt, tugging him to her lips, as she whispered, “That’s good. Because I’m not going anywhere. And I’m falling for you too.”
Then she kissed him.
EPILOGUE
SIX MONTHS LATER . . .
DANNY GLANCED AROUND the space. The beautiful color scheme of soothing spa green, cream, and white complimented the rustic charm of the log cabin and hints of teakwood throughout. The paint had barely dried, and it smelled of coffee and wood from the custom cabinets and shelving, yet she already loved every square inch.
This time tomorrow, Serenity Day Spa & Salon would be filled with refreshments and treats, along with patrons and first-time clients, including so many of the locals she had grown to love these past months, all taking advantage of their opening week specials. It almost seemed too good to be true.
“Ready for tomorrow?” Two very familiar, strong arms wrapped around her from behind.
Turning, Danny smiled up at Rhett. “Thanks to you, we are. Thank heavens you’re as good with a toolbelt as you are handsome.”
A slow spreading smile lit up Rhett’s face, one Danny had come to love. “It was my honor to help with the renovations. Besides, I should be the one thanking you. Now that Montana Wild features a soon-to-be-world-renowned salon of our very own, we’ll be fully booked years out.”
Danny laughed. “No pressure.”
Rhett leaned
forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead, then trailed his hands up and down her arms as he said, “Seriously, though. Guests are thrilled about it. Especially this time of year. During the winter months, it gives them one more thing to do when they visit. Shoot,” he said, glancing around him, “you may need to expand again when all is said and done.”
Danny took in the cozy waiting room. A fire crackled in the stone fireplace, giving the room an ambient glow. A leather sofa and plush chairs framed the space and lent to the rustic charm, while rows of shelves housed products for purchase and a coffee bar for clients.
“I sure hope you’re right and we’re as successful as you think.”
“Danny.” Rhett sighed and placed his fingers under her chin, bringing her eyes up to meet his. He’d been admonishing her for her anxiety about opening day ever since he pitched the idea. “Stop fretting. Tomorrow is going to be perfect. All your stylists are already booked three weeks out. Your masseuse can hardly keep up with the incoming appointment requests, and your appointment book for the facials and other services isn’t too shabby either. You’re killing it and your doors haven’t even opened.”
Danny bit her lip, thinking about the whirlwind of this past year. More than seven months ago, she came to Montana Wild, hoping for a fresh start, some direction in her life, and now . . .
She slid her hands around Rhett’s neck and caught a glimpse of the diamond on her left ring finger.
Who knew she’d fall in love and catch a cowboy in the process?
After opening a makeshift salon in her apartment six months ago, Danny soon outgrew the space. As it turned out, the guests at Montana Wild were chomping at the bit for a little pampering paired with their stay at the dude ranch. So, not only did she have the locals coming to her, but tourists, too. Before she knew it, she needed help—another stylist—and she surmised it wouldn’t be long before she needed more than just the downstairs of her tiny rental to accommodate her clients’ needs.
Then one month ago, among the backdrop of the mountains and the stars, Rhett proposed.