Where There's Smoke:

by Bancroft, S. D.

  Terrified beyond anything she’d experienced before, Annie’s gaze flew to the side mirror in time to see the driver slam the sedan into the driver’s side rear quarter panel of her truck. Both vehicles lurched to the right. Her front tires slid through the loose gravel of the shoulder like they were on ice.

  Annie watched in horror as the guardrail materialized before her. Metal screeched against metal as she plowed through the thin barrier and sailed over the embankment.

  ~&~

  “Mother fucker!” Mason punched the accelerator to the floor, slamming his fist against the steering wheel of his truck.

  His gaze stayed glued to the tailgate of Annie’s truck as it crashed through the railing and disappeared from sight. His heart lodged in his throat.

  This can’t be happening. He scanned the road ahead in time to see the black four-door sedan vanish around the first of the three curves.

  If he’d left the house a few minutes earlier he might have been able to prevent this.

  A loud screech rent the air as he jammed on the brakes, and slid the truck in the direction of the hole in the metal railing. He slammed it into park and leapt from the cab. He raced for the gap in the twisted metal. Fear pounded through his body.

  Mason skidded to a halt inches away from the break. His gaze locked on Annie’s truck. It sat some twenty-feet away from the edge of the drop-off.

  His lungs burned from the pent up air in them as he gingerly picked his way down the embankment. Mason skirted the vehicle in an attempt to avoid coming into contact with it. The last thing he wanted was to cause any movement that may send the truck plummeting over the edge.

  When Mason drew even with the driver’s door the breath he’d been holding whooshed from his body.

  “Hey, honey.” He spoke the words softly. “How about we get you out of there?”

  Annie stared straight ahead. She nodded her head gently in acknowledgment.

  “Alright then,” Mason slowly and methodically eased the door open until it was wide enough for her to slip out, “first things first. Keep your foot on that brake pedal sweetheart.”

  His heart hammered against the walls of his chest until he was sure it might explode from its confines. He could have Annie engage the emergency brake, but he was afraid any extra movement might jeopardize their already precarious situation. His gaze swept to Annie’s again.

  “Annie, it’s really important that you don’t move that foot from the brake until I’ve gotten you all the way out okay? I don’t want to take the chance that it will start rolling again.” He reached in, grasping her icy cold hand in his. “On the count of three, I’m going to pull and you’re going to jump. Got it?”

  “What about my seat belt, Mason?”

  He scanned the interior of the truck. The restraint in question was still fastened securely around her upper body. “Shit. Do you have a cutter?”

  “Up there.” With a little nod, she pointed out the small razor type object clipped to the sun visor overhead.

  “Smart woman.” Mason pulled the rectangular shaped piece of plastic from where it was fastened. He made quick work of slicing through the lap portion of the seat belt before moving to the strap across her chest. Once he’d cut the imposing safety device from Annie, he grasped her hand.

  “Okay, same as before, on the count of three. Ready?”

  Annie’s head bobbed up and down in acknowledgment.

  “One.”

  He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

  “Two.”

  Mason tightened the grip from the casual hold he’d started with, to one so hard that her fingers blanched white from the pressure.

  “Three!”

  With a hearty yank, he pulled Annie free from the truck. They sprawled across the gravel surface. Mason lifted his head in time to see the truck roll over the cliff before he dropped it back to the rough ground.

  He pulled Annie’s still body tighter to him. Neither of them moved for several seconds while the reality of what had just happened sank in.

  “Am I ever going to get out of your debt?”

  Her soft question brought a smile to Mason’s mouth. He dropped a kiss on the top of her head.

  “I can think of a few ways you can work it off.” He set her cautiously to his side, and set about working his way to his feet. The steep incline reminded him that they were yet to be entirely out of danger. “But we can discuss that once we’re on flat land again.”

  He pulled her to a standing position, and waited a split second until she gained her footing.

  “Ready?”

  “Not really. I can’t seem to make my feet move.” Fear darkened her hazel gaze. “Pathetic, right?”

  “No, Annie.” He planted a kiss on her upturned mouth. “It’s a natural reaction. I’m nervous as hell, too. So what do you say we get off this ridge?”

  “Sounds great.”

  Mason rested a hand on the small of her back as he guided her up the slope in front of him. She shivered beneath his hand. Each tiny spasm tore at his heart.

  He had come way too close to losing her again. Had he been wrong all along? Could someone be after, Annie?

  ~&~

  “Did you get a look at the driver?”

  “That’s the odd thing. Well, aside from the fact that someone tried to run me off the mountain.” Emotion constricted Annie’s throat as the scene replayed in her mind. “Even though he or she got so close, I never could get a clear look at their face.” She pivoted in the passenger seat until she faced Mason before continuing. “It was a dark blob. Almost like they’d been wearing some sort of mask.”

  “That’s a possibility. Did you recognize the car at all?”

  Her brows drew together in concentration. “The only part of it I got a good look at was the front end, and there was nothing unusual about it.” She blew out a frustrated breath. “Some help I am huh?”

  “Hey,” Mason reached across the small span of seat between them, and grasped her still trembling hand in his warm one. “don’t be so hard on yourself. I didn’t get a much better look myself. Besides, it’s not every day you get run through a guardrail.”

  He brought her hand to his lips. Desire shuddered through her when he placed a kiss on her palm. Who would have thought it would be such a sensitive area of skin? She certainly hadn’t, but then again, she couldn’t recall anyone ever kissing her there before.

  Annie didn’t resist his soft tug that summoned her closer. Welcoming the warmth, she snuggled into his big body. A sigh of contentment issued from her mouth.

  “I don’t understand why someone would try to kill me, Mason.” A quake of fear soared through her, and she nestled tighter to him. “Do you think it has anything to do with the fires?”

  “That’s a very big probability.” He crushed her even closer. Annie reveled in the notion that the incident had been a frightening one for him too. “How about we head on out to your parent’s house, and see what we can find out there? I called dispatch and told them what happened. When we get back to town you can file a police report.” He lifted her chin until their gazes locked. “Looks like I get to see your parents again after all, huh?”

  “It sure looks that way doesn’t it?” Annie snickered. “Hey, you didn’t plan this just so you could meet them, did you?” She shifted in the seat, and fastened the seatbelt around her. “Because if you really wanted to join us all you had to do was ask.”

  “What of it if I wanted to play the dashing hero, to your maiden in distress?”

  She turned back in his direction. The teasing in his tone didn’t reach his eyes. Raw fear danced in the brown depths. She leaned in, and brushed a light kiss to reassure him that she was fine, across his lips.

  A groan rumbled from deep in his chest. Annie broke the contact, and swiveled to face forward in her seat.

  “It seems you’ve been doing that a lot lately.” Her voice trembled, whether from relived fear or the want thrumming through her veins, she couldn’t be sure. “
I’m glad you were there, Mason.”

  “Yeah, so am I.” He cranked the key in the engine before he pulled her tightly to his side again. “What are you going to tell your folks?”

  Annie swallowed hard. She hadn’t thought that far ahead. If it were up to her alone, she wouldn’t tell them, but she didn’t harbor any doubts that they’d find out the truth.

  “I’d rather not tell them anything, but I’m sure they’ll find out.” She put voice to her thoughts. “I don’t want to scare them, Mason. Do you have any ideas?”

  “I don’t know your parents al that well, but I do know how mine would react if I sugar coated something as serious as this. And from what I remember about yours, they would respond in pretty much the same manner.”

  “Somehow I can’t see your parents having the capability to lock you away for the rest of your life somewhere,” she grumbled.

  “Hell, I might tuck you away somewhere myself, Sweetheart.”

  Warm tears streamed down her face. Several minutes later, she dabbed at the wetness on her cheeks with the sleeve of her thin coat.

  “Feel better?” The affection in Mason’s gentle tone soothed her.

  “A little bit.” Heat flooded her face. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to turn our conversation into a crying fest.”

  “You have nothing to be sorry for, Annie. What you’ve, hell what we’ve both, just gone through was a traumatic event. It’s a totally human reaction you’re experiencing and you know that.”

  “You’re right.” She wiped the last vestiges of moisture from her eyes. “I hate being the one going through all of this crap.” She leaned her head against the back of the seat, and studied his profile. “Being the center of attention has never been my favorite position. I’d much prefer to blend in, and not stand out.”

  “Well I hate to tell you this, honey, but with your looks and occupation, there’s no way in hell you’ll get away with being a wallflower.” He cut his gaze to hers. “If you haven’t realized that by now then maybe you’re not as bright as I took you for originally.”

  “Go to hell, Mason.” She smacked the muscular thigh pressed against her own. She hoped the move would mask the shiver of terror that flooded through her when she remembered the outcome of the last time she’d been the center of attention. Never again would she put herself in that situation. She’d been lucky to survive that horrible time in her life.

  “It’s okay, babe.” Mason pulled her closer until she was practically sitting in his lap. “We’ll make a quick trip of telling your mom and dad before we head home, and relax for the rest of the day.”

  Home. The sound of that one little word on Mason’s lips thrilled Annie. Even if it had been a slip on his part, it incited images in her brain that got her heart pumping overtime.

  “Sounds good to me.”

  ~&~

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  “Hey, daddy.” Annie wrapped her arms around the still impressive physique of her almost sixty-year-old father. “Sorry to show up unannounced. You guys aren’t busy are you?”

  “We’re never too busy for you, sugar plum.” He hugged her tight. “I see you’ve brought your friend with you.”

  Annie closed her eyes, savoring the protection her father’s embrace offered. After a couple seconds, she stepped back.

  “Dad, you remember Mason.” She gestured in a sweeping motion behind her. Mason clutched her hand and pulled her back. She stood wordlessly beside him, her heart pounding.

  “Nice to see you again, Sir.”

  The deep rumble of Mason’s voice sluiced over her. She couldn’t rally quick enough to protest when his arm slipped around her waist, and he squeezed her affectionately. Right there, in front of her dad. She was irritated at the thrilling current that moved through her.

  “Mason.” A knowing glint burned in the smoky gray depths of Nathan Andrews eyes.

  “What brings you home, Sugar plum?” Nathan smiled. The air rushed from Annie. Her gaze shot to Mason’s for a brief second before locking on her father’s again.

  “Well, Dad,” Mason’s hand tightened on her hip, sending a current of desire catapulting through her body. “there’s something I need to talk to you about and I really didn’t want to do it over the phone.”

  Anger quickly replaced the congeniality on Nathan’s features. The firm set of his jaw, coupled with intensity in his gray eyes as they bounced between Annie and Mason. Oh Lord, he had misconstrued her words. She rushed to right the situation before he could put the fists clenching at his sides to use.

  “It’s about a case, Daddy.” She caught hold of a fisted hand in both of hers. Giving it a gentle shake, she directed his attention away from Mason, and back to her. Although Mason wasn’t doing much to help in the matter, in fact, he’d tightened his hold on her, pressing her flush against his side. Damn men anyway. “Have you heard about all the fires in the area lately?”

  “I’ve heard a little bit.” He turned and headed in the direction of the big barn.

  Annie and Mason fell into step beside him. Besides the house, the big building was the only other original structure that remained on the ranch. As a child, the hay loft in the second story of the barn had always been her favorite place to play. When she hit her teenage years, it had become a place where she could hide out and dream of what her life would be like when she grew up. She’d spent many summer afternoons lounging amid the hay bales, and planning out her future in her mind. How, once she finished college, she’d meet the man of her dreams, open a small photography studio and settle down to raise a big family. And now here it was, five years since she’d walked across the stage at her commencement ceremony, and aside from her freelance photography stint, she’d yet to accomplish any of her goals.

  “What do you think I can help you with, Annie.”

  Nathan’s question drew her out of her thoughts.

  “Actually, Sir,” Mason broke in. “We were wondering if you could remember anything about when Joe Martin arrived in Hammond’s Bend.”

  “Joe Martin?” His quizzical gray expression met Annie’s. “You probably remember as much about that as I do. Wasn’t he in the same grade as you?”

  “Yeah he was. But what we’re really interested in, Dad, is his parents. Were they from here? Or did the whole family move to town that year?”

  “Now that I think about it, Camille and Jon lived just outside of Hammond’s Bend. They were a quiet bunch, keeping to themselves except for when they had gone into town for supplies.” The sound of whiskers scraping against his fingers as Nathan ran a hand across his jaw line filled the silence. “In fact, it wasn’t until they lost their farm, and had to move into town that folks really got to know them.”

  “When was that, Sir?”

  “Well, as a matter of fact, that was the summer before Joe started school with Annie.” Surprise flitted across his face. “Hell, until that fall, no one even knew they’d had a kid.”

  A zip of excitement coursed through Annie. She shot a look of total astonishment at Mason.

  “Could it be that no one knew they had a child because he wasn’t biologically theirs?” Her dark brows slanted upward in question. “Do you know if the Martins had any family living in Houston around that time, Dad?”

  The trio entered the cool shadows of the barn. The sweet smell of hay mixed with the leather from the saddles and tack. Annie loved the aroma.

  A gentle nicker sounded from a stall half-way down the row. “Hey Stoney boy.” She called in greeting to the Blue roan stallion she’d owned since he was a colt. She made her way down the length of wooden floorboards, and stopped in front of his stall. Inquisitive dark eyes set in a magnificent blue-black head watched her approach. He blew air out through his nose as if to return her greeting.

  Annie ran a hand over the soft and warm muzzle he thrust in her direction. The tiny hairs tickled against her palm, and she laughed in response.

  “Maybe I can take you out for a short ride before I leave today.”

&nbs
p; It had been too long since she’d done just that. After the events of the past two weeks, she really could use the distraction.

  Annie placed a hand on each cheek, and pressed her forehead against his snout. She would definitely take him out before leaving. It would be beneficial to them both.

  She deposited a kiss on the silky end of his nose.

  “I’ll be back in a little bit, boy.”

  She walked back to where the two men stood. They appeared to be in deep conversation, yet Annie could feel Mason’s gaze follow her across the space.

  “He misses his daily rides.” Nathan stated matter-of-factly.

  “Yeah, me too.” Annie locked stares with her dad. “I would give anything to be able to afford a place where I could keep him close-by.”

  “You always have a place here.”

  “I know, Dad.” The idea of living in the big house on the ranch that had belonged to her grandparents held great appeal to Annie. If it wasn’t set so far out of town, and the events of three years ago hadn’t occurred, she would jump on the opportunity. But it was, and they did, and the idea of being alone, so far from the police station, terrified her. Even with her parents living a few short miles away, she couldn’t imagine lying in bed alone, and listening to every creak and groan as the house settled. “Maybe someday.”

  “I sure hope so, Honey. I know you went through hell a while back, but you can’t live in fear forever.” Nathan wrapped a beefy arm around her shoulders. “It was your grandparent’s dream that one of their grandchildren would settle down and raise a family there. And since your brothers are scattered to the four corners of the country, you’re the only one left.”

  Annie flicked a glance at Mason. Had he caught her father’s entire statement? The lethal calmness in the gaze that met Annie’s told her all she needed to know.

  Damn it. The last thing she wanted was for him to know the torment she’d suffered at the hands of some unknown stranger.