Discovering Rafe

by Sara Blackard

  She peeked at him again, wondering if he’d spoken the truth.

  The SUV swerved, and she blurted the first question that popped in her head to distract herself. “So you live at a ranch with a bunch of guys, what, like a special ops frat house or something?”

  “We call it the MAN-sion. It’s dreamy. You’ll like it.” He winked at her before turning his attention back to the road.

  She rolled her eyes at his emphasis on man. “We call it or you call it? That sounds like something stupid you’d come up with.”

  “Hey, I resent that. I come up with great names. All the guys love it.” Rafe’s hidden smile ruined his hurt expression.

  “Like your names for our fort growing up? Those weren’t that great.”

  “I don’t remember.” Rafe’s forehead scrunched as he leaned closer to the steering wheel.

  “Two Dudes and Two Duds Place.” Piper crossed her arms and leaned against the door, suddenly glad the trip had taken twice as long. It gave her the perfect opportunity to stare.

  Rafe’s head tipped back, and his full laugh filled the space. The sound swirled like hot cocoa down her throat and pooled in her belly. Gosh, she loved his laugh.

  Her smile wavered. She would never recover from this time with him. She’d spent half her life pining over Rafe, the boy. Age and life’s trials had just made the boy into an even more incredible man that checked all her boxes and crossed all her t’s in the love-of-your-life list. Great. Old maidery, here I come.

  “Oh man, that was a great name.” He wiped a tear from his eye.

  “No, it wasn’t.”

  “What did we end up naming it again? Probably something lame.”

  Piper cleared her throat. “The Shack.”

  Rafe started laughing again. “And that’s better?” He hit the steering wheel with his hand. “We did have some transcendent moments out in that rickety thing, though I’m not sure if they’d be considered heavenly-inspired.”

  “How were we to know that book and movie would come out?” Piper turned forward. “And speak for yourself. That fort was my sanctuary. I spent hours talking to God out there.”

  The next few seconds felt pregnant, like the air grew thick and would pop.

  “What kind of things did you talk about?” Rafe’s low question had no laughter in it.

  She shrugged, sorry she’d brought that up. Would everything she said lead her right into trouble?

  “Stuff. Boy stuff.” She pitched her voice like an elementary school kid taunting when she said boy, then twisted her hands in her sweater. “Silly stuff mostly, at first anyway. Then more serious as I got older.” She sighed and leaned her head against the icy door window. “I spent hours there praying for you and Davis. Then hours praying for Chloe when she got so sick. Yeah, so, maybe the name fit after all.”

  She closed her eyes and willed down the burn of worry that lapped at her heart. It had become her constant companion over the years, but she resented its presence. She didn’t want to be that person, the one always fretting over everything. It seemed since her parents’ deaths, she couldn’t avoid it no matter how much she ignored it. She tried so hard to hide her fretfulness, which made the heartburn worse.

  Rafe’s warm hand stilled hers that twisted in her lap. Her eyes popped open, and she peered at him. He gave her a soft smile and squeezed her hands.

  “Thank you for your prayers, Piper. You don’t know how much that means to me.” He swallowed and turned his gaze back out the windshield.

  She waited for him to pull his hand away, but he didn’t. Instead, he pushed his hand between hers and threaded her fingers with his. Her chest expanded with so many emotions she couldn’t catalog them properly. Joy, love, pain, and, yes, worry, all fluttered spastically against her heart.

  His thumb started making slow circles on the back of her hand. She stared out the windshield, blinking to keep her tears firmly in her eye sockets. Please stay put. She didn’t want to embarrass herself any more than she already had.

  Something bounced in the splotch of light from the headlights.

  “What the …” Rafe’s hand tightened in hers.

  Another object pinged even closer.

  “What is that?” Piper leaned forward to get a better look.

  No sooner had the words escaped her mouth than a large rock the size of a football landed on the hood and rolled off the other side. Rafe jerked his hand out of hers as a crash hit the roof.

  “Rockslide.” His words tumbled fear into her throat.

  He pushed on the gas and rocketed down the interstate, slipping this way and that. The pinging of rocks on metal barraged her ears. The road disappeared to rocks, dirt, and snow. They wouldn’t make it.

  Oh God, Lord, please. She didn’t want to be buried alive.

  The windshield splintered into a thousand spider webs before them. The baseball-sized rocks assaulting the vehicle thundered and pushed out all other sounds. Something large bounced into her door, pushing the car sideways and shattering glass across her.

  “Piper, hold on.” Rafe’s yell barely reached her as her fear ripped screams from her soul.

  She curled over her knees, trying to protect herself as rocks pelted her like hail through the busted window. She jerked as one hit behind her ear, exploding stars behind her eyelids. She was too tall—couldn’t hide. She tried to cover her head better with her arms, tried to stifle her screams every time a rock struck.

  Then, just as quickly as the onslaught began, the pummeling stopped, leaving wind and snow blowing through the busted window. She choked back a sob.

  Don’t fall apart now.

  Another sob followed. She gritted her teeth against the heat of tears and pain coursing through her body.

  “Piper, honey, hold on.” Rafe soothed his hand across her back, and she flinched.

  A whimper escaped. Please, don’t fall apart now. The car slowed to a stop, and a click of a seatbelt being released sounded before Rafe’s hand pushed her hair off her face.

  “Oh, Pip, I’m so sorry.” His voice sounded thick in her ears, and she wondered if they would ever work again.

  She clenched her fingers in her hair. She wouldn’t cry. Another sob choked her.

  “Piper, where are you hurt?” He put pressure on her shoulder to lift her, but she shook her head. “Please, honey, let me see you.”

  His voice cracked, and her dam broke. Her shoulders shuddered as sob after sob tore from her chest. Rafe pulled her up, and she tucked her face into his neck. She fisted his shirt in her hands, trying desperately to control her emotions.

  “Oh honey, please tell me you’re okay.” Rafe rubbed his hand on her back.

  She flinched as pain shot across her skin. He groaned and leaned back, sliding the back of his fingers over her cheek. His muscles jumped under her hand pressed against his chest.

  She swallowed down her pain and fear. “I’m okay.” She forced out the words.

  His breath came fast and choppy against her face. He leaned his forehead against hers. His thumbs rubbed her cheeks.

  “Phew. That was intense.” His chuckle sounded forced.

  She shuddered out a breath. “I was so scared.”

  He took three deep breaths before he spoke, tension building in the air around her. “Me too.”

  His breath touched her lips, almost like a kiss. The soft sensation uncurled the fist of fear in her stomach. All her daydreams didn’t come close to the warmth that spread through her stomach and skated to her toes. She slid her hand up his chest and combed her fingers through his coarse beard.

  She pushed her fingers along his jaw and cupped his head. “Rafe.”

  Everything she ever dreamed, all her hopes and fantasies, hovered a breath away. She didn’t want to wonder anymore. Though her back and head throbbed, she was alive. She’d risk the plunge.

  She kissed him, putting all her fear and yearning into the action. He responded with a moan and leaned closer, though the touch of his hands stayed gentle on he
r face. The warmth built to heat that threatened to singe her from the inside out. She needed air but was willing to drown if it meant dying while kissing Rafe.

  A frigid blast of wind whipped through the broken window, causing her to gasp. He pushed back from her until he leaned against his door, his eyes wide upon his face and his chest heaving. Her lips tingled, and she brought her fingertips to them.

  “That shouldn’t have happened.” Rafe’s words tumbled her joy down like boulders in a landslide.

  She turned to look out the windshield, her shoulders slumping. She refused to cry, refused to react, though his words had ripped her heart from her chest. He didn’t know she’d spent years thinking about kissing him. That hours of her life were tied up into prayers for and dreams of him. She should’ve known the landslide created a moment of relief that expressed itself in a kiss. She should’ve known not to push it further in her head than it was.

  “Piper.” He leaned forward, but she put her hand up to stop him.

  She couldn’t hear his excuses now.

  He cleared his throat. “I need to get the window covered and get on the road before we get stuck out here.” His words conjured all kinds of images of them snuggling in the back of the SUV.

  Maybe being stranded wouldn’t be so bad after all. She snorted to herself. With the way he’d scrambled from her, trapped with him wouldn’t include cuddling.

  “Will the door open?” His question pulled her from her thoughts and made her cheeks warm.

  She turned to the door, noticing for the first time how it had a slight bent toward her. Her hands slicked at the memory of the impact. She pushed the feeling aside and gripped the handle. The door didn’t budge.

  “No.” She leaned her head out to see the damage, but the blowing snow and darkness obscured it.

  Rafe placed his hand on her back, and she flinched at the pain. Her back had to look a mess.

  “Can you crawl into the back seat? I’ll get a trash bag and duct tape from the back to take care of the window, then I’ll check out your back.”

  “Its fine, Rafe. I’ll just have some bruises.” She turned to him, the thought of him seeing her bare back making her sick to her stomach.

  She couldn’t handle throwing herself at him and showing her chub all in one day. His eyes narrowed. He made a noise in his throat before pushing his door open and marching to the back of the vehicle.

  She climbed over the seat, wincing as she did. Yep, definitely going to be sore, but sore beat dead, any day.

  She brushed off the glass on the seat, realizing that both hers and the back window had shattered. When Rafe climbed in the front, she helped him tape up the windows the best she could. With that finished and the snow no longer filling the floorboards, she turned to toss the tape and extra bags into the back.

  Before she could protest, Rafe got into the back seat with her, the freezing wind and her anxiety skittering down her spine. He slammed the door, reached over the back of the seat to grab a first-aid bag, and glared at her.

  “I’m checking your back.” He used that tone he and her brother had perfected growing up, that I’m-taking-charge tone.

  She crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t think so.”

  “It’s me or the hospital.”

  “Over some bruises?”

  He wouldn’t.

  “Piper, please.” His voice cracked, and he jerked his head to look out the windshield. He took a deep breath and peered back at her. “Please.”

  He cut his words off and looked at his hand clenched around the bag. His anguish loosened the humiliation that burned her insides. She eased her hand over his. She didn’t want to hurt him, even if it would embarrass her.

  She pulled her bulky sweater off, glad she’d worn the tank top underneath. She could do this. She swallowed and turned, pulling her hair over her shoulder. She closed her eyes as he gently pulled her hem up.

  He hissed. “Oh, honey.”

  The sweet word eased her tension. “That bad?”

  “Baby, you’re going to look like a blackberry pie by tomorrow.” He smoothed his fingers over her skin, spreading some kind of ointment over it.

  “Hmm, your favorite.” She tried to chuckle.

  “My favorite, for sure.” Rafe’s audible swallow and odd tone made her wish she could see his face.

  She closed her eyes, allowing her body to relax under his doctoring. His soft touch eased all the fear from the last hours and had her muscles relaxing. She rolled her head and pain spiked from behind her ear. Groaning, she gingerly lifted her hand to her head and felt a large bump.

  “Here, let me check.” Rafe squeezed her fingers and parted her hair. “Pip, you took the brunt of the attack, that’s for sure.”

  “I think maybe the car got the brunt.” She flinched and hissed as he gently probed her wound. “I just got the leftovers.”

  “That was a lot of leftovers.” He sighed and smoothed her hair down. “The only spot I think you didn’t get hit is right here.”

  His voice dipped low as his fingers skimmed a section on her left shoulder. She froze as her skin sparked alive, heating where he touched and raising goosebumps where he didn’t. She squeezed her sweater in her hands.

  “Piper, I know you don’t want to, but I need to take you to the hospital to make sure you don’t have any internal bleeding or broken bones.” He pulled her shirt hem down, careful not to touch her back.

  “Over some bruises?”

  “You’re not seeing what I’m looking at. It’s more than just a few bruises.”

  “Is it necessary?”

  “Yeah.” He sighed. “Let’s get going, Pipstick.”

  She turned to see what his expression would tell her and spied the busted windshield. “Will you even be able to see the road?”

  Her voice came out breathy, like she’d just run a marathon. She’d never run for fun a day in her life, but the way her heart and lungs seemed bottled up and confined in her chest, she imagined she’d feel like this if she did. He sat close, so close his breath skated across her shoulder.

  “Yeah, I can drive.” He hadn’t checked the windshield. “I can’t stay here.”

  His gaze glued to her lips as he leaned forward. She definitely wanted to stay and find out what being trapped in a snowstorm with Rafe would be like. She angled closer. He jerked and gave a slight shake of his head.

  “I mean, we can’t stay here.” He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing.

  “Why not?” She wanted to stay in this vehicle with a desperation that rivaled any desire she’d ever had.

  “Why not?” Rafe repeated her question like he couldn’t remember what they were talking about.

  She liked this side of Rafe she’d never seen before. The one where he was flustered and fumbled with his thoughts and words. Could she really cause his bewilderment? She chewed on her bottom lip, and his eyebrows furrowed like she confused him. She licked her lips, and his eyes widened. Discovering this Rafe proved too much fun. Now, she just needed to convince him staying put would be the safest route.

  Seven

  What are you doing, Malone?

  Rafe had asked himself that question repeatedly over the last half hour as he’d scrambled back into the driver’s seat, picked his way through the Glenwood Canyon, and drove to the hospital. He kept his eyes glued to the road beyond the busted windshield, not because it required his complete attention, which it did, but because if he even chanced one peek at Piper he’d pull the vehicle over and answer the expectation he’d heard in her wispy voice—quell the disappointment that had widened her eyes when he’d fumbled out of the backseat.

  He clenched his jaw. For Pete’s sake, he’d run like a chicken from a fox. That was the problem. She was foxy as all get out, and she didn’t even know it. She called to him like a siren with her tender heart and big brown eyes. He couldn’t answer the call, though. She was too pure for him, and he couldn’t cross that line against Davis.

  His thoughts sta
lled as he pulled out of the hospital parking lot after making sure Piper hadn’t busted anything. Why couldn’t he cross that line? They were all adults now. He wouldn’t use or hurt her, and he and Davis had gone through enough that their friendship wouldn’t be compromised. Besides, Davis still spent most of his time on overseas missions. He wouldn’t even know until Rafe put a ring on Piper’s finger and a wedding date got set.

  He almost swerved into the other lane. When had he jumped from kissing Piper to marrying her? He couldn’t help peeking at her in the rearview mirror. She’d pulled her hair over her right shoulder, and Rafe imagined the soft skin hidden under her sweater. He’d made a dire mistake kissing her back. One taste had infused her into his soul, making him long to drink from her well forever.

  Man, he needed to rein in his thoughts before he went all poet on her and started spouting sonnets. The facts still hadn’t changed. She was Davis’s sister. Rafe didn’t deserve her. Period. She groaned and shifted in her seat.

  “Honey, we’re almost there.” He cringed. He had to stop calling her that, but it seemed to keep slipping out on its own.

  “Good. I’m getting a little sore now.” Her laugh sounded forced. “I don’t think sitting so long has helped. How long until the pain killers the hospital gave me kick in?”

  She had to be more than a little sore. He bet her every breath pained at the moment with the deep bruises she’d sustained. His forehead creased. Did she always downplay her hurt like that?

  “Shouldn’t be long now. I think we should end this night with some cookies or ice cream or something to reward ourselves for making it.”

  She shifted in the seat. “Actually, I think a hot mug of tea sounds good.” She shifted again. “And sleep. Lots and lots of sleep.”

  He could think of other rewards, but he wouldn’t bring those up. He glanced at her. The side of her head rested on the seat, and her eyelashes lay against her cheeks. His heart double timed it in his chest. Man, she was so beautiful. The men where she lived must be idiots. Who was he kidding? He was an idiot for never seeing it.

  He gritted his teeth and focused on driving the last few miles to the ranch. When they got home, he’d have to keep his distance. With them being at the ranch, he could bury himself in work and not screw things up more than he already had. His heart felt strangled in his chest. He didn’t want to hide away from her.