Reluctant Desire

by Leah Brooke

  Moving as fast as she could, she cleaned off the car, her anger at herself allowing her to make short work of the task. When the light of the store went off, leaving her feeling even more isolated, she paused and looked around, unable to hear much of anything above the blowing wind.

  Joe came outside just as she’d finished and giving her a quick wave, started toward his own car—the only other car in the large parking lot. “You need help?”

  Charity shook her head. “No, I’m done.” She wanted to call Hope before she left to let her know where she was.

  Joe nodded. “I have to clean my car off. I’ll watch to make sure you get out of the parking lot all right.”

  Seeing a snowplow, Charity nodded and jumped in her car, pushing thoughts of calling her sister aside in her race to follow the plow. Not even taking the time to let her car warm up, she hurried as fast as she could to follow the big plow. Relieved to see that he took the same road she would be taking, she stayed behind him, careful to keep enough distance between them, but not falling too far back.

  The wind picked up, coming in harder gusts, and blowing her small car all over the road. The heavy, blowing snow blocked out a lot of the light from the streetlights, making the deserted road seem even darker. The wind and the snow seemed to pick up from one minute to the next, and within only a few minutes, Charity found herself struggling to see the plow. The snow came down even harder, and soon became just about all she could see in her headlights.

  Several minutes later, she realized with a sinking heart that she’d lost sight of the snowplow completely. Easing her foot from the gas pedal, she slowed even more, fighting the gusts of wind to stay in the tracks made by the plow.

  She didn’t see any approaching lights, and couldn’t see anyone behind her.

  It appeared she and the snowplow that she could no longer see on the dark, snowy road were alone.

  She’d never felt so isolated, or wished for Beau more.

  Shivering with both cold and nerves, but not wanting to take her eyes off of the road, she felt for the controls and turned the heat and defroster on high. Sneaking a glance at the side of the road, and surprised by the amount of snow that had already accumulated, she swallowed heavily and focused on staying in her lane.

  The snowplow had pushed the snow to the side, creating a wall about three feet high of snow that she used to judge her position in the lane.

  Alarmed at how much snow had already fallen, she wondered how much more would fall before she could get back home.

  Cursing, she gripped the steering wheel tight and focused on driving straight. Sliding several times, she had to slow even more, alarmed at how fast the snow covered the road again.

  She wished Beau was here.

  He’d be a hell of a lot calmer than she was. Hell, he’d probably pull over and start a snowball fight.

  The snow had started coming down so fast that it stuck to her windshield wipers, slowing them to almost a crawl. Wincing at the sound they made as they jerked over her windshield, she moved her head from side to side in search of a clear spot.

  Minutes later, she knew she had no choice but to pull over and clear the wipers before she could go any farther.

  Slowing, she eased her car to the side as far as she could without getting stuck in the pile of snow created by the plow. Putting the hazard lights on, she reached for her cell phone.

  She didn’t want her parents or sister to find her missing and panic.

  She knew that if she called her parents, they would just worry, so she dialed Hope’s home phone number.

  Hope answered on the first ring. “Where the hell are you?”

  Charity couldn’t help but smile at her hotheaded sister’s demand. “Don’t yell at me. I drove into Tulsa to order the carpet.”

  “Drove into Tulsa? Are you out of your fucking mind?”

  Charity sighed and grabbed the scraper. “Look, the other salesmen messed up. They needed me to pick out the color today and they needed a check. Their computer’s down so I had to do it in person.”

  “There’s a blizzard and you drove almost a hundred miles to order carpet?” Charity had to hold the phone away from her ear, wincing at her sister’s inventive cursing. “Didn’t you watch the news? What did you think—that the storm wouldn’t dare mess with your fucking plans?”

  Charity sighed again, looking around at the deserted road. “I don’t have time to argue with you. I pulled over because my wipers are stuck. I was following a snowplow, but now I’ve lost him. I just called because I want you to know where I am and that I’m okay. Figure out something to tell Mom and the dads so they don’t worry. I’ll call you as soon as—”

  “Would you mind telling me just what the hell you thought you were doing?”

  Charity shivered at the ice in Ace’s tone. “Ace, listen, I—”

  Ace growled, a sure sign of trouble. “I swear, your fathers should have beaten both of you—and often. Where are you? And don’t tell me you’re on your way home, or I just might beat you myself. Where—exactly—are you?”

  Swallowing heavily, Charity looked around, shivering against the cold, and at Ace’s tone. “Hell, Ace, nothing looks the same. It’s pitch dark out here and everything’s covered with snow. Wait a minute.” Squinting, she studied her surroundings. “I think I’m closer to home than I thought. I’m close to that grove of trees about two miles away from the turnoff to town.”

  “Stay there.” His tone brooked no argument, making her bristle.

  “Ace, I’m halfway into the road. I couldn’t pull off all the way because the snow’s piled up on the shoulder from the plow.”

  She didn’t know how anyone could out-curse her sister, but Ace managed it.

  “Stay put, damn it! I’ll come and get you. I can’t believe Beau let you go out in this. I’m going to beat the hell out of him as soon as I see him.”

  Rushing to Beau’s defense, Charity tightened her hold on the phone. “Beau doesn’t know, and don’t bother coming after me. As soon as I get these wipers clean—shit.” Charity’s heart pounded furiously with a sense of dread.

  “What’s wrong?” The panic in Ace’s tone matched her own as she stared into the rearview mirror.

  She had to swallow again before speaking, but still her voice shook, something Ace would pick up on. “Ace, some asshole is coming up behind me and driving way too fast, he’s skidding all over the road. I have my hazard lights on, but I don’t know if he even sees me.”

  Absently aware of Ace cursing in her ear, Charity braced herself and watched in horror as the driver closed in on her. She saw the truck and knew she couldn’t do anything to avoid the collision. “Shit, Ace, he’s gonna hit me!”

  It happened so fast that Charity didn’t have time to do anything except scream. The truck turned at the last second, but it wasn’t enough.

  He hit her left back bumper hard enough to send her car flying through the snow bank, spinning out of control. She screamed again when the car became airborne and headed right for a tree, holding on tightly to the wheel as it hit the trunk at a sharp angle and slammed down hard on the driver’s side.

  A deafening silence followed as Charity’s mind screamed that this couldn’t be happening.

  The left side of her head hurt almost immediately, and she realized that she’d hit it hard on the window.

  She felt trapped, almost smothered, and panicked until she realized that the airbags had deployed.

  She lay there on her left side as they deflated, pushing them out of the way, aware of no other sounds but a ticking noise, the howling wind, and her own harsh breathing. Shaking, and scared to move, she listened for sounds of the other driver, but couldn’t hear any movements.

  Mesmerized by the faint glow of a blinking light, she thought at first that the car had caught fire until she recognized it as her hazard lights, which also explained the ticking sound.

  Shaking, she struggled to move, slowly becoming increasingly aware that she hurt everywhere.r />
  Her uncoordinated movements and shaking forced her to move slowly as she tried to straighten from her uncomfortable position, gasping at the pain in her shoulder and chest. It took several attempts, but she finally managed to undo the seat belt, breathing a sigh of relief as the pressure against her chest eased.

  Slumping back with a groan, she tried to move to a comfortable position, crying out at the pain, which now included her left hip and the left side of her head. Because her left arm hurt and she couldn’t move herself off of it, she lifted her right one to her left temple, and probed where it hurt, wincing at the pain. Finding it wet, she rubbed her fingers against her thumb, hoping it was water, but fearing that what she felt was blood.

  She felt around for her cell phone, whimpering in pain, and inwardly wincing as she imagined Ace’s reaction to hearing the horrifying sounds of her accident.

  He would be frantic.

  And he would tell Beau—who would be crazy with worry.

  She wanted his arms around her, his solid strength holding her against him. She’d be warm and safe in his arms.

  She didn’t know how much time had passed as she sat there watching the light from the blinker. It didn’t seem to matter. She lay there, hoping that if she rested a few minutes, she’d be able to move.

  Without the heater, it got cold in the car fast. Shivering, she gingerly stuck her hands in her coat and tried to imagine Beau’s warm arms around her.

  His body, like a furnace, would warm her in no time.

  She’d love to call him, to tell him what happened and that she was all right, but she had no idea where her phone had landed.

  Stretching as far as she could in all directions, she felt around for it, each movement slow and painful.

  Her neck hurt and moving at all became a herculean effort. Disoriented and weak, she thought about trying to climb out of the car, but since she didn’t smell smoke, she figured it would be safer to stay inside than to get out. She didn’t relish being out in the elements at night in the middle of a blizzard.

  Ace knew where to find her, and she hoped her hazard lights would lead him to her.

  If the snow didn’t bury her car before they could get there.

  Thankful that she’d had time to tell him her location, she felt confident that he would find her.

  He had to.

  She could imagine both Ace and Beau searching for her. They wouldn’t give up. She knew that.

  She could only hope they wouldn’t tell her mom or dads.

  They’d tell them.

  Damn.

  The wind seemed to have picked up even more, and she could just imagine her parents trying to drive in this.

  God, she was cold. She just wanted to curl into a ball and go to sleep, but she knew she had to stay alert.

  She hoped her decision to stay in the car had been a good one, but she kept sniffing for gasoline, and checking around for any sign of a fire. If she had to get out quickly, she figured she’d do it somehow.

  Right now, though, she had no plans to do anything except wait, thinking about the blanket and flashlights in her trunk.

  Her own side window had shattered, allowing the cold in, but the windshield, although badly cracked, remained intact enough to keep the snow and wind out.

  Her feet burned with the cold, and she couldn’t stop shaking, the movements painful and making her ache all over.

  She wanted Beau.

  Beau would come.

  She knew it as well as she knew her own name.

  Ace would call him, and when Ace found her, Beau would be with him.

  She didn’t bother to blink back the tears that burned her eyes.

  She loved Beau.

  She didn’t care if he played, as long as he was in her life.

  If she had to be the one doing the worrying, so be it.

  It would be worth it, if she could only have him.

  As soon as she saw him, she’d tell him she’d marry him. Nothing else mattered. She loved him and would hold on to him as long as she could.

  He was everything to her, and she couldn’t live without him.

  Cold, hurting, and getting scared, she wrapped her arms around herself the best that she could and lowered her head carefully back to the broken side window.

  And waited.

  Chapter Five

  Tightening his hands on the steering wheel, Beau inwardly cursed the weather that made the ride to find Charity painstakingly slow. Scared out of his mind, he hadn’t drawn a steady breath since Ace called him.

  The closest he’d come to feeling this way had been the day the Molotov cocktail went through the window of the club.

  He’d raced with the others toward the fire, anxious to get the women out of the building, but for several heart-pounding minutes, he hadn’t known if Charity was hurt, or even alive. He’d been able to get to her within a minute or two, but it had been the longest two minutes of his life.

  This time, the terror seemed to last forever.

  He didn’t even know if she was still alive. They couldn’t get through to her on her cell phone, an ominous sign that made the drive even more tension-filled.

  She had to be alive.

  He couldn’t bear to think of the alternative.

  The eerie silence only seemed to emphasize the tension in the air, but everyone stayed off the radios Ace had handed out unless they had something important to say.

  Beau had lived in Desire for years, and knew how everyone stuck together, but the number of men who’d joined the search staggered him.

  Word of Charity’s accident, and the fact that they had to search for her in a blizzard, swept quickly through town, and the town of Desire came together in a way Beau had never seen before.

  Ace drove in the lead, with Hope and one of her fathers, Drew.

  Beau and another one of their fathers, Garrett, followed, while Finn, the youngest of Hope and Charity’s fathers stayed home with their mother, Gracie, trying to keep her calm.

  John Dalton and Michael Keegan had closed the bar in town without hesitation and joined the search.

  Another truck held Lucas Hart, Devlin Monroe, and Caleb Ward from Desire Securities, who’d shown up with their SUV loaded with boxes of who knew what.

  Jared Preston and his brother, Duncan, had left their younger brother, Reese, with their pregnant wife, Erin, and drove behind them.

  King Taylor drove his truck, with Royce Harley, Ethan Sullivan, and Brandon Weston inside.

  Boone Jackson left his brother, Chase, home with Rachel and their daughter, and rode with Jake Langley, and Clay and Rio Erickson, who’d dropped their wife, Jesse, to stay with Blade and his very pregnant wife, Kelly.

  The three men who worked with Boone and Chase—Sloane, Cole, and Brett Madison, newcomers to Desire—had also joined the search.

  Hunter and Remington Ross brought up the rear.

  Dillon and Ryder, who owned the garage in town, were on their way with their tow truck.

  A woman from their town was hurt and in trouble, and everyone rushed to help.

  Beau appreciated the support and help more than he could ever repay.

  Floodlights of all sizes shone brightly from every vehicle window, illuminating both sides of the road, but with the snow still blowing hard, it was difficult to see.

  The thought that Charity could freeze to death in this before they got to her weighed heavily on his mind.

  They’d left in a hurry, within minutes of her accident, and Beau prayed they would find her in time.

  The crunch of the snow under his tires and his own heartbeat were the only sounds as the line of SUVs and pickup trucks slowly made their way to where Charity claimed to be, and Beau hoped like hell she’d been right.

  As they approached the spot, Ace, in the lead, slowed his truck to a crawl.

  Beau slowed behind him, knowing the fear Ace felt. He’d heard it in his voice when Ace had called him, but the sheriff of Desire, known for the ice in his veins and take-charge at
titude hid his fear to comfort his wife.

  Hope had been nearly hysterical.

  As the storm raged on around them, Beau and the others continued to shine high-powered flashlights out their windows, searching for any sign of Charity’s white car.

  Beau divided his attention between driving and scanning the sides of the road, glancing periodically toward a stone-faced Garrett, who shone another flashlight from the passenger side.

  Beau turned back to search for her, not wanting to miss anything. “We’ll find her soon. She’ll be all right.”

  “You tryin’ to convince me, or yourself?” The worry in Garrett’s low growl had Beau glancing back with a sigh.

  “Both of us, I guess.” Swallowing heavily, Beau turned back, slowing even more, his hands tightening on the wheel as he swept the area with his light. “I suppose you and the others are blaming me for this. I want you to know that I blame myself. We had an argument this afternoon and I walked out. If I had known she would do something like this, I never would have left.”

  He’d been kicking himself for leaving, and had planned to use the storm as an excuse to check on her. Ever since Ace called him, he’d blamed himself for her accident.

  “I would have stopped her, or driven her in my truck. She wouldn’t have been alone in this in that tiny car of hers.”

  Garrett sighed. “I don’t blame you, and neither do my brothers. We know you love her and we know what kind of man you are. We spoiled them too much, and ended up raising two very stubborn daughters.”

  Beau clenched his jaw. “It was my fault. I want you to know that this kind of thing won’t happen again. I’m going to convince her to marry me, and I’m not going to take no for an answer this time.” He wouldn’t allow himself to believe that he wouldn’t have the chance.

  “Good. She needs you.” The tension and fear in Garrett’s voice seemed to grow worse by the minute.

  Beau didn’t turn, keeping his attention focused on their surroundings, and squinting against the snow blowing in his window as he searched for the woman he loved. “I need her, too.” His voice broke, surprising him.