by Barb Han
“I’m just going to get somebody here to take a look at you, and if everything’s okay, you’ll be cleared in no time. In the meantime, you can wait inside my vehicle and get out of this weather.” He’d noticed that she’d started shivering.
He slipped out of his rain jacket and placed it over her shoulders.
The woman looked up at him and their gazes locked. His heart stirred and his breath caught.
“Makena?”
* * *
WATER WAS EVERYWHERE, flooding Makena Eden’s eyes and ears. Rain hit her face, stinging like fire-ant bites. She blinked up and stared into the eyes of the last man she’d expected to see again—Colton O’Connor.
Still reeling from taking a wrong turn into the road and being clipped by his sport utility, she felt around on her hip.
Ouch. That hurt. She could already feel her side bruising. Mentally, she tried to dust herself off and stand up. Her hip, however, had other plans, so she sat there, trying to ride out the pain.
“I just need a minute.” There was no other option but to get up and fake being well. She had no job, no medical insurance and no money. And she couldn’t afford to let her identity get out, especially not on a peace officer’s radio. Then there was the other shock, the fact that Colton was kneeling down in front of her. How long had it been?
“Not so fast.” Colton’s eyebrow shot up and he seemed unconvinced. He was one of the most devastatingly handsome men she’d ever met, and her body picked that moment to react to him and remind her. This was turning out to be one red-letter day stacked on the back end of months of agony. One she’d survived by hiding and sliding under the radar.
“I don’t want you to try to move. We need to get you checked out first.” He snapped into action, tilting his chin toward his left shoulder to speak into his radio. She could hear him requesting an ambulance. For a split second, she wondered if she could run away and get far enough out of sight for him to forget this whole situation. Wishful thinking. It was so not good that he knew her personally. Granted, he knew her before she’d become Mrs. River Myers, but still...
Panic squeezed her lungs as she tried to breathe through the building anxiety. She couldn’t let her name go down on record. She couldn’t have anything that would identify her over the radio.
“I promise that I’m not broken. I’m shaken up.” Before she could say anything else, he put a hand up to stop her.
Water was dripping everywhere, and yet looking into those cobalt blue eyes sent her flashing back to her sophomore year of college. The two of them had been randomly hooked up as partners in biology lab. Even at nineteen years old, it was easy to see Colton was going to be strong and muscled when he finally filled out.
Now, just seeing him released a dozen butterflies in her chest along with a free-falling sensation she hadn’t felt since college. She could stare into his eyes for days. He had a face of hard angles and planes. Full lips covered perfectly straight, white teeth.
Looking at him was like staring at one of those billboard models. The man was tall. Six feet four inches of solid steel and ripped muscle. The only reason she noticed was the survival need at its most basic, she told herself. She was in trouble and had to assess whether or not Colton could defend her.
Icy fingers gripped her spine as she thought about the past, about her past. About River. Stand still long enough and it would catch up to her. He would find her.
Colton might look good. Better than good, but she wouldn’t let her mind go there for long. There were two things that would keep her from the attraction she felt, other than the obvious fact they’d had one class and a flirtation that hadn’t gone anywhere. A badge and a gun.
Chapter Two
Makena needed to convince Colton that she wasn’t injured so she could get far away from him and Katy Gulch. Coming here had turned out to be a huge mistake—one that could get her killed.
How had she not remembered this was his hometown?
Being on the road for months on end had a way of mixing up weeks. Towns were starting to run together, too. They fell into one of two categories, big and small.
Dallas, Houston and Austin fit into the big-city category. They all had basically the same chain restaurants if a slightly differing view on life. Small towns, on the other hand, seemed to share a few characteristics. In those, she was beginning to realize, it was a little harder to go unnoticed.
Getting seen was bad for her longevity.
The other thing she’d noticed about small towns in her home state of Texas was the food. Some of the best cooking came from diners and mom-and-pop shops. Since she’d run out of money, she’d been forced to live on other people’s generosity.
Makena hadn’t eaten a real meal in the past three days. She’d sustained herself on scraps. The owner of the RV where she’d been staying had been kind enough to leave a few supplies and leftovers a couple of days ago, and Makena had stretched them out to make them last. Hunger had caught up to her, forcing her to seek out food.
The fact that the owner knew Makena was staying on her property and Makena had remained there anyway signaled just how much she’d been slipping lately. Starvation had a way of breeding desperation. Not to mention it had been so very long since she’d slept on a real bed in a real room or in a real house that she could scarcely remember how it felt. The RV was the closest she’d come and she hadn’t wanted to give it up.
Makena was drenched. She shivered despite having the sheriff’s windbreaker wrapped around her. She could sit there and be stubborn and cold. Or, she could get Colton’s help inside the SUV and wring herself out. And at least maybe have him turn the heat on.
“If you help me up, I can make it to your vehicle,” she said to him.
Colton’s eyebrow shot up. “You sure it’s a good idea to move? I didn’t realize how badly you were hurt when I offered before.”
“I’m so cold my teeth are chattering. You look pretty miserable. There’s no reason for me to sit here in a puddle when I can be warm inside your vehicle.” She had to practically shout to be heard. She put her hands up in the surrender position, palms up. “All I need is a hand up and maybe a little help walking.”
He opened his mouth to protest.
“Sitting out here, I may end up with the death of cold.” She realized she was going to have to give him a little bit more than that. “I’m pretty sure that I have a nasty bruise working up on my left hip. It was stupid of me to run into the street. I didn’t even see you.”
“You must’ve darted out from in between the parked vehicles right when I turned.” There was so much torment in his voice now.
“Sorry. I was just trying to stay out of the rain but I’m okay. Really.” It wasn’t a total lie. Mostly, a half-truth. Being dishonest pained Makena. She hated that she’d become the kind of person who had to cover her tracks like a criminal.
“What are you doing out on a night like this?” he asked.
“I-um...was trying to get back to my rental over by the river.” The way she stammered was giving her away based on the look on his face.
He nodded as he studied her, but she could see that he wasn’t convinced.
“My name is Makena. You already know that. It’s Wednesday. At least, I think it is.”
“Do you know where you are right now?” The worry lines on his forehead were easing up.
“Katy Gulch, Texas,” she said. “And I’ve been out of work for a little while. That’s the reason I’ve lost track of the days of the week.”
It was her turn to look carefully at him.
“What do you think?” she asked. “Did I pass?”
Colton surveyed her for a long moment. Lightning raced sideways across the sky and thunder boomed.
“Lean on me and let me do the heavy lifting.” He put his arm out.
“Deal.” She grabbed hold of his arm, ignoring the ele
ctrical impulses vibrating up her arm from contact. This wasn’t the time for an inappropriate attraction and especially not with a man who had a gun and a badge on his hip. She’d been there. Done that. And had the emotional scars to prove it.
Not taking Colton’s help was out of the question. She had no car. No money. No choices.
Makena held onto his arm for dear life. As soon as she was pulled up to her feet, her left leg gave out under the pain from her hip.
“Whoa there.” Colton’s strong arms wrapped around her, and the next thing she knew he’d picked her up. He carried her over to his SUV and managed to open the passenger door and help her inside.
She eased onto the seat and immediately felt around for the adjuster lever. Her fingers landed on the control and she adjusted her seat back, easing some of the pressure from her sitting bones. Her hip rewarded her by lightening up on some of the pain.
Colton opened the back hatch, closed it and was in the driver’s seat a few seconds later.
He then leaned over and tucked a warm blanket around her. “Is that better?”
“Much.” She said the word on a sigh, releasing the breath she’d been holding.
“Be honest. How badly does it hurt?” he asked, looking at her with those cobalt blues.
“On a scale of one to ten? I’d say this has to be a solid sixteen.”
The engine was still humming and at least she’d stopped shivering. She could also finally hear him over the roar of the weather, even though it seemed the rain was driving down even harder than a few minutes ago.
“I couldn’t hear a word Gert said earlier.” He flashed his eyes at her. “Gert is my secretary in case you hadn’t sorted it out for yourself. And she’s a lot more than that. She’s more like my right arm. I’m the sheriff.”
She glanced down at the word SHERIFF written in bold yellow letters running down her left sleeve. Even if he hadn’t told her earlier, she would’ve figured it out. With a small smile, she said, “I put that together for myself.”
“Is your car around here somewhere? I can call a tow.”
“No.” Talking about herself wasn’t good. The less information she gave, the better. She hoped he would just drop the subject, let her warm up and then let her get back to her temporary shelter in the RV.
Her stomach growled, and surprisingly, it could be heard over the thunder boom outside.
“There’s someone I need to check on. Are you hungry?” Colton asked.
“Yes. I didn’t get a chance to eat dinner yet.” She followed his gaze to the clock on the dashboard. It read 8:30 p.m.
With his left hand, he tucked his chin to his left shoulder and hit some type of button. “Gert, can you read me?”
Crackling noises came through the radio. And then a voice.
“Copy that, Sheriff. Loud and clear.” The woman sounded older, mid-sixties if Makena had to guess.
“I need an ambulance on the corner of Misty Creek and Apple Blossom. Stat. A pedestrian was struck by my vehicle and needs immediate medical attention. She is alert and communicative, with a possible injury to her left hip. She’s lucid, but a concussion can’t be ruled out,” he said.
“Roger that, Sheriff. You must not have heard me earlier. There’s flooding on several roads. Both of my EMTs are on calls and even if they weren’t, the streets aren’t clear. No one can get to you for at least the next hour.”
Relief washed over Makena. However, Colton didn’t look thrilled.
“Roger that.” He blew out a frustrated-sounding breath. “I’ll drive the victim to the hospital myself.”
“County road isn’t clear. There’s been a lot of flooding. I don’t advise making that trip unless it’s life-threatening,” Gert said.
Flash floods in Texas were nothing to take lightly. They were the leading cause of weather-related deaths in the state.
“We probably need to close the road since the water’s rising,” she continued.
Colton smacked his flat palm against the steering wheel. “Roger that.”
“As soon as I warm up, you can drop me off. I think my hip just needs a little chance to rest.” Embarrassingly enough, her stomach picked that moment to gurgle and growl again.
Colton’s gaze dropped to her stomach as he reached under the center console of his SUV and pulled something around. A lunchbox?
He unzipped the black box and produced what looked like a sandwich. He opened the Ziploc bag and held it out toward her. “I knew I’d be working late tonight with the storms. So I made extra. You’re welcome to this one.”
When she didn’t immediately reach for the offering, he locked gazes with her. “Go ahead. Take it. I have more.”
“I really can’t take all your food.” Her mouth was practically watering.
“It’s no big deal. I can always swing by my house and get more. It’s on the way to my office, not far from here.”
“Are you sure about that, Colton?” The last thing she wanted to do was take his food and leave him with nothing. The sandwich looked good, though. And she was pretty certain she’d started drooling.
“It’s fine,” he reassured her with that silky masculine voice that trailed all over her, warming her better than any blanket could.
He urged her to take it, so she did.
“Thank you.” She wasted no time demolishing the sandwich. Ham. Delicious.
He barely looked away from the screen on the laptop mounted inside his vehicle as he handed her an apple next.
This time, she didn’t argue. Instead, she polished off the fruit in a matter of seconds while he studied the map on the screen. Just as she wrapped the remains of the apple in the paper towel he’d given her, he pulled out a thermos and handed her a spoon.
“Soup,” was all he said.
Angel was all she thought.
* * *
COLTON ENTERED the hospital’s location into his computer. The screen showed red triangles with exclamation points in the center of them on more roads than not, indicating flooding or hazardous road conditions. Gert was a lifeline, going well above and beyond typical secretary duties. She’d become Colton’s right arm and he had no idea what he’d do without her.
Makena needed medical attention. That part was obvious. The tricky part was going to be getting her looked at. He was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact Makena Eden was sitting in his SUV.
Talk about a blast from the past and a missed opportunity. But he couldn’t think about that right now when she was injured. At least she was eating. That had to be a good sign.
When she’d tried to stand, she’d gone down pretty fast and hard. She’d winced in pain and he’d scooped her up and brought her to his vehicle. He knew better than to move an injured person. In this case, however, there was no choice.
The victim was alert and cognizant of what was going on. A quick visual scan of her body revealed nothing obviously broken. No bones were sticking out. She complained about her hip and he figured there could be something there. At the very least, she needed an X-ray.
Since getting to the county hospital looked impossible at least in the short run and his apartment was close by, he decided taking her there might be for the best until the roads cleared. He could get her out of his uncomfortable vehicle and onto a soft couch.
Normally, he wouldn’t take a stranger to his home, but this was Makena. And even though he hadn’t seen her in forever, she’d been special to him at one time.
He still needed to check on the RV for Mrs. Dillon...and then it dawned on him. Was Makena the ‘tenant’ the widow had been talking about earlier?
“Are you staying in town?” he asked, hoping to get her to volunteer the information. It was possible that she’d fallen on hard times and needed a place to hang her head for a couple of nights.
“I’ve been staying in a friend’s RV,” she said.
So, she was the ‘tenant’ Mrs. Dillon mentioned.
It was good seeing Makena again. At five feet five inches, she had a body made for sinning, underneath a thick head of black hair. He remembered how shiny and wavy her hair used to be. Even soaked with water, it didn’t look much different now.
She had the most honest set of pale blue eyes—eyes the color of the sky on an early summer morning. She had the kind of eyes that he could stare into all day. It had been like that before, too.
But that was a long time ago. And despite the lightning bolt that had struck him square in the chest when she turned to face him, this relationship was purely professional.
Colton wasn’t in the market to replace his wife, Rebecca, anytime soon. He was still reeling from the loss almost year later. He bit back a remark on the irony of running into someone he’d had a crush on in college but not enough confidence to ask out. He’d been with Makena for all of fifteen or twenty minutes now and the surge of attraction he’d felt before had returned with full force, much like the out-of-control thunderstorm bearing down on them.
He refocused. His medical experience amounted to knowing how to perform CPR and that was about it.
Even soaked to the bone, Makena was still stunning—just as stunning as he remembered from twelve years ago in biology lab.
However, it was troublesome just how quickly she’d munched down on the sandwich and apple that he’d given her. She’d practically mewled with pleasure when she’d taken the first sip of soup, which she’d destroyed just as quickly.
Colton glanced at the third finger on her left hand. There was no ring and no tan line. For reasons he couldn’t explain, given the fact he hadn’t seen Makena in years, relief washed over him and more of that inconvenient attraction surged.
No ring, no husband.
It didn’t exactly mean she was single. He told himself the reason he wanted to know was for the investigation. Here she’d shown up in town out of nowhere. She was staying in an RV and, based on the brightness in her eyes, he was certain she was sober. He hadn’t expected her to be doing drugs or drinking. However, his job had trained him to look for those reasons first when dealing with uncharacteristic behavior.