Lonely Road to You (Class of '85)

by Jannine Gallant

  “There’s a light on in the back. Maybe we can raise someone.”

  Kate shut off the engine and laid her hand on his arm as he reached for the door handle. “I’ll go check. There’s no reason for you to get out again if the place is empty.”

  The rain had stopped completely, and streaks of red and gold lit up the horizon as the sun sank through the clouds. Shivering in her damp clothes, she pounded on the door. When no one answered she knocked again.

  The door swung open, and an older woman with short gray hair frowned at her. “We’re closed. You’ll have to come back in the morning.”

  Kate bit her lip. “It’s sort of an emergency. I was in an accident, and a man is hurt. He may have a broken ankle.”

  “What is it, Nora? Who’s there?” The voice echoed from the back of the building, hardy and booming.

  “An accident victim,” the woman called back.

  “Well, let her in.” A large, man with pure white hair and a neatly trimmed beard hurried down the short hallway. “Lucky for you I stayed late to get caught up on my paperwork. Come on back to the examining room and we’ll get you fixed up in a jiffy.” His blue eyes twinkled behind wire rimmed glasses as he took her arm.

  “Oh, I wasn’t hurt. The injured man is in my car. I’ll go get him.”

  Tyler had the car door open and was trying to block Lucy’s escape. His mouth pinched in a tight line.

  “Lucy, stay! You’re just going to have to wait a few minutes.” Rushing forward, she slid her arm around his waist and shut the car door. Leaning heavily against her, his leather clad arm warm across her shoulders, they hobbled toward the building.

  “Follow me,” the doctor said. “Is it your ankle?”

  Tyler nodded and eased up onto the examining table. Kate cleared her throat. “I’ll wait outside.”

  Neither man seemed to notice her departure. She paused beside the reception desk and smiled. “It was nice of the doctor to see us.”

  The woman glanced up from the stack of files she was sorting and frowned. “My husband is a generous man. If you don’t mind giving me the patient's name and insurance information, I can get started on the paperwork.”

  “His name is Tyler North. That’s all I know.”

  One eyebrow shot up. “Possibly he has the information I need in his wallet?”

  Kate studied her determined expression and backed slowly away from the counter. “I’ll go check.” She turned and knocked softly on the exam room door.

  “Come in. Come in,” the doctor called.

  She poked her head around the door. “Your wife wants Tyler’s insurance information.”

  “Nora is a stickler for details.” His eyes twinkled merrily as he glanced her way. He removed Tyler’s boot and gently probed his ankle.

  Tyler winced as he pulled a black leather billfold from his pocket and tossed it to her. “It’s all in there.”

  “Thanks.” She shut the door and opened the wallet. A young girl with light brown braids and blue eyes smiled at her from behind a plastic sleeve. Slowly she flipped past the picture and found the insurance card, pulled it out, and handed it to the dragon in her lair. “Is this what you need?”

  The woman nodded. “I’ll need his address and birth date as well.”

  She read off the post office box number in Whitefish listed on his driver’s license. “Birth date is February 1, 1967.” Her eyes strayed to the photograph of the girl as curiosity warred with guilt for invading his privacy. The woman turned to face her computer.

  Gathering her courage, Kate spoke to her rigid back. “I should call in the accident. You wouldn’t happen to have the number of the local law enforcement office, would you?”

  The woman reached into her desk drawer, removed a sheet of paper, and handed it over without speaking. Kate studied the neatly printed list of emergency numbers. “Thank you.”

  Pulling out her cell phone, she discovered she had three bars and smiled in satisfaction. A half hour later, she dropped her phone into her purse, feeling a little more in control. She’d reported the accident to the sheriff’s department and to her insurance company and talked to the garage owner about having Tyler’s bike towed into town and the damages to her car repaired. He’d promised to look at it first thing in the morning.

  Leaving the waiting room, she walked outside and released Lucy from her prison. The dog leaped from the car. Shaking her head, she glared at Kate through a fringe of red fur, stalked over to a flower border and peed on some marigolds.

  “I’m sorry, Lucy,” she said, bending to scratch the dog behind her ears. “I didn’t forget about you.”

  Kate looked up when the clinic door opened. Tyler stood propped in the doorway on a crutch, his ankle wrapped in an elastic bandage. She hurried over to him. “Is it broken?”

  “No, just a bad sprain.”

  “He also has a mild concussion,” the doctor said, stepping up behind him. “Keep an eye on him and bring him back if he seems disoriented or shows any signs of nausea.”

  She nodded. “Thank you, doctor.”

  Tyler held out his hand. “If you’ll give me my wallet, I’ll pay my bill and we can go find a place to stay.”

  “Of course.” She dug the wallet out of her purse and handed it to him. He limped back to the reception desk.

  The doctor winked. “Those independent types are always grumpy when they’re hurt,” he said in a stage whisper. “A good night’s sleep should improve his mood.”

  Kate couldn’t help smiling back. The man was Santa Claus without the red suit. “Let’s hope so.”

  Tyler returned, carrying his boot, a scowl drawing his brows together. She led the way to the car and opened the door. After Lucy jumped inside, he maneuvered into the seat with his crutch and let out a long sigh when she started the engine. “You don’t want to know what that battle axe charged me for the used crutch the doc dug out of the supply closet.”

  Kate winced. “I can imagine.” She studied his face, pale with fatigue and pain. “Food or a bed?”

  “Bed. Maybe we can get take-out later.”

  She headed toward the Red Hawk Inn which boasted a row of rooms set back from the road, a swimming pool surrounded by a chain link fence, and a separate building with a sign identifying it as the office. The parking lot was nearly full. She pulled into an empty spot and turned off the engine.

  “Do you want me to come in?”

  She shook her head. “I’ll get us a couple of rooms and be right back. No offense, but you look like crap.”

  “I feel worse.” She was half way out of the car when he spoke again, his voice gruff. “Thanks, Kate.”

  She turned and looked at him. “For what?”

  “Not bailing on me at the clinic. I figured you’d be long gone when I got out of the exam room.”

  “Even if I didn’t feel horribly guilty about the accident, I wouldn’t have left you stranded there. I’m not that sort of person.”

  “No, I don’t suppose you are.” His smile took her breath away. “Still, I appreciate it. Thank you.”

  Kate swallowed. “You’re welcome.”

  She shut the car door and headed up the sidewalk to the office. A little bell rang when she opened the door. Behind the desk the sound of a car chase echoed through the lobby. A young man who looked not much older than Josh turned down the TV.

  “Can I help you?” he asked, his jaw working furiously on a wad of chewing gum.

  “I need two rooms.”

  His glance strayed to the TV. “Sorry, but there’s only one room left. Soon as the storm hit, everyone started looking for a place to spend the night. The vacant room has two beds if that helps.”

  She bit her lip. “Is there another motel in town?”

  “Nope, we’re it.” He turned away from the TV as a commercial flashed on the screen. “Do you want the room or not?”

  Kate let out her breath and nodded. She handed him her credit card and a minute later walked outside holding the room key. Her
steps slowed as she approached the car. Was she an idiot to trust the man waiting for her inside it?

  Even if he was a memory from her past, Tyler North was still a complete stranger. She knew nothing of the man he had become, and what she knew about the boy he’d been wasn’t very reassuring. Straightening her shoulders, she moved forward, hoping she wasn’t making the biggest mistake of her life.

  Chapter Three

  From the passenger seat, Tyler watched her pause on the sidewalk before continuing to the car. Kate. Something about her seemed familiar, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. She was slim and pretty, but not the sort of woman who usually caught his eye. She was refined, elegant, untouchable. More Lady Di than Madonna. A woman who attended ballet recitals, soccer games, and PTA meetings. No rock concerts for this one. She was undoubtedly married with a couple of kids, and he couldn’t figure out why she was traveling alone through the wilds of Montana.

  He opened the car door as she approached. Head aching, ankle throbbing, he maneuvered the crutch tip onto the pavement and came to his feet. All he wanted was a bed and sleep. Tomorrow was soon enough to worry about the Harley and that he was stuck in the middle of nowhere without transportation.

  “Did you get us those rooms?”

  Creases marred the smooth skin of her forehead as she caught her bottom lip between her teeth. “They only had one room left.”

  “Seriously?”

  “At least it has two beds.”

  He let out a breath as visions of sleeping in the cramped backseat of her car began to fade. “You’d be willing to share the room with me?”

  She lifted her shoulders in a helpless shrug. “I don’t know what else to do.”

  “Even if I wanted, I’m in no condition to pose a threat.” He smiled, hoping to take away the fear lurking in her clear blue eyes. “I swear I’m harmless.”

  Kate grimaced. “That’s probably what Jack the Ripper told his victims, but I’m inclined to believe you.” She opened the trunk of the car and pulled out a suitcase. “Let’s get you settled in the room. I’ll come back for your luggage.”

  “I can carry it.”

  She lifted one shoulder. “Suit yourself.”

  Reaching into the car, he pulled his duffel bag off the backseat then hobbled behind her into the room. Lucy flew past them and sniffed around the bases of the two beds covered with generic floral spreads. Tyler dropped the bag and sank onto the nearest flat surface. With a hand that wasn’t quite steady, he wiped beads of sweat off his brow.

  Kate stared at him and shook her head. “You’re an idiot. Will you please just sit there while I get the rest of our stuff?”

  “I don’t think I have a choice.”

  “Good, because if you passed out in the parking lot I would be tempted to leave you.”

  Tyler grinned as she left the room. The woman had spunk. He couldn’t help noticing she also had a nice ass. If the situation were different—

  He grunted when Lucy landed on the bed next to him. Brown eyes stared at him through a mop of red fur, and teeth showed in a doggy smile. Cautiously he reached out to pet her. She moaned and rolled onto her back, begging for more. He obliged.

  “Lucy, get off that bed!” Kate set his guitar case on the floor and dropped her purse, a small overnight bag, a bowl, and a bag of dog food onto the table in the corner of the room. The dog didn’t even glance her way.

  Tyler’s attention focused on his guitar. Carefully he eased off the bed and stretched out his injured ankle. Mentally crossing his fingers, he unzipped the case and studied his instrument. He stroked the satin finish of the Gibson Dove, looking for damage, lifted it from the case, and turned it from side to side. Finally he let out a breath.

  “Still in one piece?”

  He nodded, strummed a few cords, and winced. “It definitely needs tuning, but that problem is easily fixed. It looks like I got lucky.”

  “I’m glad.” She pushed her hair behind her ear. “I really am sorry about your motorcycle.”

  “You never know. It’s pretty cracked up, but I may be able to put it back together again.”

  Kate raised a brow. “Like Humpty Dumpty?”

  He returned the guitar to its case. “Why not?”

  “I don’t know about you, but I’m starving. Would you like me to pick up something for you at the diner?”

  He sat on the edge of the bed and bent to remove his remaining boot. “That would be great. Get me whatever looks good. I’m not picky.”

  “Do you mind if I leave Lucy with you?”

  “Not at all.” He studied the recumbent animal stretched across his bed. “Apparently I’ve become her best buddy.”

  “You’ll have to fight her for the bed because she doesn’t like sharing.” She grabbed her purse and gave him a teasing smile. “Good luck with that. I’ll be back shortly.”

  ****

  Kate shut the motel room door and leaned against it. Watching Tyler's beautiful hands caress the guitar, stroking it with obvious love, started a fire low in her belly. The heat spread until she was certain he would notice her flushed cheeks. And that smile! She felt like she was seventeen again, mooning over a boy who was way out of her league.

  Firmly tamping down hormones that should have withered and died long ago for lack of stimulation, she headed for her car. Thinking about Tyler North as anything other than a chance encounter would lead to nothing but trouble. After tomorrow he would be on his way back home, and she would never see him again.

  Kate parked in front of the diner and entered the nearly empty restaurant redolent with the smells of burgers and fried chicken. She sat at the counter on a chrome stool with a red vinyl seat, ordered a cup of coffee, and scanned the menu. The waitress, an older woman whose name tag identified her as Gloria, handed her a steaming white mug. Kate added a little cream and took a sip, nearly moaning at the welcome warmth.

  “That was some storm,” the waitress said.

  “Not one I’ll forget anytime soon. Can I order two club sandwiches and two cups of coffee to go?”

  “Sure thing, honey. It won’t take more than a few minutes. Our rush is over.”

  Kate’s phone beeped, and she read the incoming text message from Josh about playing hide and seek with a grizzly bear. At the end he’d squeezed in an “I luv u.” Her chest tightened painfully. A second text from Ben telling her it had been a coyote not a grizzly made her smile. She texted back that she was fine and having a wonderful time.

  Gloria handed her two Styrofoam cups and a plastic bag filled with take-out cartons. “Here you go, honey.”

  Feeling as if she were single-handedly destroying the planet with all the non-biodegradable containers, Kate added cream to one cup and paid the bill, leaving a healthy tip.

  Kate heard the shower running after she pushed open the motel room door. Setting their dinner on the table, she bent down to pet Lucy and dropped her purse onto a chair. The water stopped just as she opened the container holding her sandwich. The smell of bacon made her stomach growl. She took a bite and glanced up when the bathroom door opened. Tyler stood in the doorway wearing nothing but a thin white towel wrapped around his waist. Toast and lettuce lodged in her throat, nearly strangling her.

  “Hey, are you okay?”

  She made an effort to control her coughing fit and wiped her streaming eyes. “Fine.”

  Holding the towel in place, he limped out of the bathroom. “Sorry, I didn’t realize you were back. I’ll just get something to wear.” He reached into the open duffel bag, grabbed a handful of clothes, and retreated.

  Kate stared at the firmly closed bathroom door, gasping for breath. At her feet, Lucy whined and licked her ankle. A vision of a broad chest covered with a nice sprinkling of hair was burned onto her retinas. Tanned arms hard with muscle, long toned legs, and an endearingly sexy smile completed the picture. When he’d bent over to grab his clothes, the towel molded his backside in a way that increased her heart rate to dangerous levels. Slowly she let out
her breath. Sharing a room with Tyler North was a huge mistake. The man was positively lethal.

  The door opened again, and he emerged dressed in faded jeans and a forest green T-shirt with North Star Ranch emblazoned across his chest. He limped to the bed and dropped onto it. “Smells good,” he said, nodding toward the bag of food.

  “I got you a club sandwich and coffee.”

  “Great. I’ll eat just as soon as I wrap my ankle. Oh, I fed Lucy while you were gone. She made it pretty clear it was past her dinner time.”

  “Thanks.” Kate tried not to stare as he wound the elastic bandage around his swollen ankle. “You should probably ice it.”

  He looked up. “Yeah, I guess I should.”

  She dropped her sandwich back into the container. “There’s an ice machine outside.” Grabbing the plastic bucket off the counter next to the coffee maker, she fled. The brisk evening air cooled her heated cheeks and restored her slipping self-control. After filling the bucket with cubes, she headed back to the room, determined to behave like a dignified, middle aged woman. For crying out loud, she was the mother of a teen-aged son and a best selling author of children’s books—not some impressionable girl swayed by good looks and an undeniably fine physique.

  Kate entered the room with a firm step and handed him the ice bucket. After filling the plastic bag from the restaurant with ice, he slid back onto the bed and applied it to his ankle. She handed him his coffee and sandwich and retreated to the table, determined to finish her dinner. For several minutes they ate in silence.

  When she glanced his way, Tyler’s gaze was on her, his brow puckered in a frown. “Is something wrong?” she asked.

  “No, I’m just trying to figure out why you look so familiar. I get the feeling you aren’t exactly a local. Am I wrong?”

  A tingle zipped up her spine. Maybe she had left some kind of impression on him back in high school. Maybe she hadn’t been completely invisible. “I’m from Seattle,” she said, wiping her fingers on a napkin.

  “Obviously I didn’t see you around here, then, but it fits. I keep getting an image of you standing on a beach, but I haven’t been in Seattle since my touring days. Maybe I’m remembering someone who looks like you.”