by Debby Mayne
The car finally shuddered to a stop. Darcie cut the ignition and slammed against the door. Locked. Pain radiated up her shoulder. After a few more lunges and grasping of slippery fingers on the lock, she got the door open and slid from the seat.
She slipped through the mud as she circled the car to check for damage. The passenger side sported a curved-in wide swatch of unpainted metal.
“And I thought you were ugly before.” Darcie sniffed and leaned against the hood. “Now what do I do?”
She folded her arms across her chest, stared into the dark sky, and blinked against the falling drops. “Did you hear me, God? What do I do now? Could you maybe make it rain harder? How about some closer lightning? You know how much I love storms.”
The sky lit in a brilliant display of fire. Darcie dove inside the car.
Rain pounded the roof, deafening in its ferocity. She wrapped her arms around her middle, hoping to find warmth. She sulked, shivered, and yelled. At God. When her watch showed ten o’clock, she grabbed her purse, suitcase, and keys, then exited into a drizzle.
Her feet slipped in her wet sandals. The sodden skirt tangled around her legs. Thighs trembling from the uphill climb, she stopped before collapsing in a soggy heap beside the road.
It’s too soon. I’m not ready to begin life again. A year wasn’t enough. I need five years. Ten years. The ever-present risk of danger hovered over her. How could she subject someone else’s family to potential threat? Hiding on top of a mountain didn’t guarantee they wouldn’t find her. Especially since they’d come for her at the hospital. She shrugged. Finding what her husband had hid was top priority. She’d do whatever it took.
Darcie wrapped her arms around her knees and clenched her chattering teeth. Where did she go from here? Farther up apparently, but the clouds covered the moon and stars. She sat in darkness.
The drizzle finally stopped. Sounds seemed magnified. Not being a country girl since she’d left home at eighteen, Darcie’s heart beat an unnatural rhythm every time the woods around her popped, splashed, or snapped. You’ve got to move, girl. If you don’t, you’ll be a bear’s dinner.
With that encouraging thought, she rose and continued. Blisters formed between her toes from the prong of the sandals. Her temper smoldered, and her rolling suitcase weighed five hundred pounds. She stumbled on a rock, stubbing her toe. Pain shot through her foot, and she gasped.
Headlight beams sliced through the night. Darcie squinted and raised a hand to shield her eyes.
The truck, an older model, passed. Water sprayed from its tires. drenching her further. Darcie gritted her teeth and turned to glare. She ought to do more than stare. Flee, in case the truck held her pursuers. But exhaustion hovered just under the surface.
Relief mingled with fear flooded her body as the vehicle turned back in her direction. Too tired to care, Darcie collapsed. Let them kill her.
The Ford stopped. Its beams dimmed. The driver-side door opened, and a cowboy boot-covered foot emerged to plant firmly on the ground. Darcie allowed her gaze to travel up the denim-clad legs as the man stepped in front of the lights. He towered above her. Her heart accelerated.
“Are you all right?” A rich baritone swept over her. The apparent knight in shining truck knelt before her.
Darcie glanced into dark eyes framed by wire-rimmed glasses. The eyes were set into the most handsome face she’d ever seen. A face so good-looking, it should only appear on the pages of a magazine. Her breath caught. She had to be hallucinating.
“Miss?”
She shook her head to clear it. “I’ve had an accident.”
“You wouldn’t be Darcie Thayer by any chance, would you?” He placed a hand beneath her elbow and helped her to her feet.
“York Wardell?” This couldn’t be her boss. Luck didn’t run that way for her. Or maybe it did. What a wonderful way to meet a new employer. Wet and bedraggled.
“The one and only. Where’s your car?”
“About a mile back with a flat tire.”
York led her to the passenger side of the pickup. “I’ll take you to the house. We’ll pick up your car tomorrow.”
Darcie folded her arms and sank back into the seat. “I got lost. Then I got the flat tire and almost went sailing off the mountain. I apologize for being late.”
“The kids have gone to bed. The housekeeper is watching them.” He glanced at her. “You’ll have to meet them tomorrow.”
“It was really out of my control.”
A muscle twitched in his jaw. “It’s fine.”
Okay, how fitting. A beautiful face with a nasty attitude. Her spirit sank. She wanted Tony back. Faults and all. At least they’d understood each other.
“The main thing is, you’re okay.” She looked like a drowned rat and, in spite of himself, York felt a tug on his heart as he stared at her. She looked too young to be a nanny. She’d said twenty-eight, but he swore she couldn’t be older than nineteen. Red hair hung limp around a face with sparkling golden eyes and just a sprinkle of freckles across her nose.
When he’d driven past and noticed her slumped like a lump on the side of the road, he’d thought at first she was injured. After he discovered she’d only been stupid enough to walk in the dark, he’d felt the first stirrings of anger—at himself for feeling pity and for her—he shrugged. No reason to be mad at her. It was nothing but bad timing with a flat tire.
It didn’t help that she was pretty, despite her drenching. After Michelle’s betrayal, the last thing he needed, or wanted, was to entertain thoughts of another woman. He definitely didn’t need a tiny slip of a woman complicating things. And York knew his weaknesses. The major one: a pretty face or a damsel in distress.
“How did you know where to find me?” Darcie swiped wet hair out of her face.
“There’s only one road on and off this mountain unless you drive all the way around. It wasn’t hard.”
“Oh.” Her hand cradled her stomach, almost protectively, as she glanced behind them.
“Are you hurt? Sick? Looking for someone?” York peered in the rearview mirror.
No, why?” Darcie straightened.
“Just wondering.” She’d touched her stomach the way Michelle had when she was pregnant with Sam and Sarah. Please don’t let her be pregnant. There isn’t exactly a cornucopia of nannies in this part of the state. And, forgive me, Lord, but he had a deadline to meet.
York sighed. When had he gotten so mean? When Michelle died, that’s when. With someone new living in the house, he vowed to work on his attitude.
They made the rest of the drive in silence. Occasionally, she’d shiver and wrap her arms tightly around her middle. York’s gut clenched as sympathy for her increased. He ought to be more compassionate. Isn’t that what the Bible taught? “I’m sorry I don’t have a blanket or jacket, but we’ll be home soon. Have you eaten?”
“Yes, thank you. I grabbed a burger when I stopped for directions. I’m sorry for the inconvenience. I really appreciate you coming to look for me.” Darcie turned to face him. “I’ll have breakfast ready by seven a.m., and the children dropped off at school by eight. If I can borrow a car, that is. Then what do I do?”
“Whatever you want. Cooking isn’t part of your job description. I have a housekeeper. You’ll be free until you pick the kids up at three. School is out in a week. You’ll be plenty busy then.”
“Great.” She stared into the side mirror.
“Are you sure you aren’t looking for someone?” Car lights pierced the night behind them.
“Positive. I’m just tired.”
She sounded obstinate, her voice soft, yet hard as steel. York struggled to keep from smiling. He’d have difficulty taking such a small thing serious if she got really angry. Like a furious forest sprite. He’d known the woman five minutes, and she’d already shown she had two sides to her.
Two sides that traded places faster than a tornado could blow apart a trailer park. But, could she handle a couple of hurricanes named Sam and S
arah?
Click here to purchase A Secret to Die For
Connect with me on FaceBook
Twitter
Sign up for my newsletter
www.cynthiahickey.com
Enjoy other books by Cynthia Hickey
Shady Acres Mysteries
Beware the Orchids, book 1
Path to Nowhere
Poison Foliage
Poinsettia Madness
Deadly Greenhouse Gases
Vine Entrapment
INSPIRATIONAL
(scroll down to see clean books without inspirational message)
Nosy Neighbor Series
Anything For A Mystery, Book 1
A Killer Plot, Book 2
Skin Care Can Be Murder, Book 3
Death By Baking, Book 4
Jogging Is Bad For Your Health, Book 5
Poison Bubbles, Book 6
A Good Party Can Kill You, Book 7 (Final)
Nosy Neighbor collection
Christmas with Stormi Nelson
The Summer Meadows Series
Fudge-Laced Felonies, Book 1
Candy-Coated Secrets, Book 2
Chocolate-Covered Crime, Book 3
Maui Macadamia Madness, Book 4
All four novels in one collection
The River Valley Mystery Series
Deadly Neighbors, Book 1
Advance Notice, Book 2
The Librarian’s Last Chapter, Book 3
All three novels in one collection
Historical cozy
Hazel’s Quest
Historical Romances
Runaway Sue
Taming the Sheriff
Sweet Apple Blossom
Finding Love the Harvey Girl Way
Cooking With Love
Guiding With Love
Serving With Love
Warring With Love
All 4 in 1
A Wild Horse Pass Novel
They Call Her Mrs. Sheriff, book 1 (A Western Romance)
Finding Love in Disaster
The Rancher’s Dilemma
The Teacher’s Rescue
The Soldier’s Redemption
Woman of courage Series
A Love For Delicious
Ruth’s Redemption
Charity’s Gold Rush
Mountain Redemption
Woman of Courage series (all four books)
Short Story Westerns
Desert Rose
Desert Lilly
Desert Belle
Desert Daisy
Flowers of the Desert 4 in 1
Romantic Suspense
Overcoming Evil series
Mistaken Assassin
Captured Innocence
Mountain of Fear
Exposure at Sea
A Secret to Die for
Collision Course
Romantic Suspense of 5 books in 1
The Game
Suspicious Minds
Contemporary
Romance in Paradise
Maui Magic
Sunset Kisses
Deep Sea Love
3 in 1
Finding a Way Home
Service of Love
Christmas
Handcarved Christmas
The Payback Bride
Curtain Calls and Christmas Wishes
Christmas Gold
A Christmas Stamp
The Red Hat’s Club (Contemporary novellas)
Finally
Suddenly
Surprisingly
The Red Hat’s Club 3 – in 1
CLEAN BUT GRITTY
Colors of Evil Series
Shades of Crimson
Coral Shadows
The Pretty Must Die Series
Ripped in Red, book 1
Pierced in Pink, book 2
Wounded in White, book 3
Worthy, The Complete Story
Lisa Paxton Mystery Series
Eenie Meenie Miny Mo
Jack Be Nimble
Hickory Dickory Dock
One Hour (A short story thriller)