Pulling into the empty parking lot at the hardware store, he saw the ‘closed’ sign hanging in the door. Old man Roberts must have decided to cave in to the weather and head home. Probably was a good idea if Maverick did the same. His Dodge would get him about anywhere he needed to go, but he didn’t want to get stuck staying at the motel—the only motel—in town. The bridge to Nirvana had been known to close in bad weather. The cold wind coming off the mountains froze up the river faster than anything else. Work crews didn’t bother clearing off the roads out here in the middle of nowhere and townsfolk knew to be prepared when the weatherman called for snow.
Back on the main road, he slowly made his way toward home, humming along to an Alan Jackson song on the radio. Up ahead, he saw the sun glinting off a car that had pulled off to the side of the road. As he got closer, he realized it was the SUV with the out-of-town tags. And the blonde with the body that could make a man melt in his boots. He might have a broken heart, but other parts of him weren’t disabled.
Pulling up beside the Tahoe, he saw that it was empty. Now where in the hell did she go? He scanned the road ahead and noticed prints in the snow leading further up on the bridge. This wasn’t the weather to take off on foot. A person would freeze to death before any help came by.
“Shit!” He continued driving until he found her leaning over the side of the bridge railing. One leg was lifted high and she balanced unsteadily on a booted foot. What the hell? Had she come all the way out here to jump to her death?
His adrenaline spiked and he kicked the gear into park. Racing out of the truck, his boots slipped and slid on the ice as he ran toward the spot where the blonde was still hanging foolishly over the ledge. His breathing turned loud in his ears as he ran as fast as his feet would carry him. Once he was upon her, he grabbed her around the waist and dragged her away from the rail.
“Hey!” she yelled, elbowing at his chest. Something dropped from her hands and landed with a loud crack at her boots. His adrenaline was pumping so fast he couldn’t even wrap his brain around what it was that fell. She turned up her chin. He couldn’t see her eyes through the glasses, but the thin line of her lips and the growl deep in her chest told him she was angry. “What the hell were you thinking? Are you crazy?”
“Am I crazy?” He clenched his jaw. Had he heard her right? “Lady, you were the one hanging over the ledge like some lunatic ready to jump to her death. I think it’s pretty damn clear who the crazy one is. I was only trying to save you.”
“Save me?” He could only see his reflection in her large sunglasses. “I’d laugh at the silliness of that if you didn’t just bust my camera.”
Camera? He lowered his gaze to the heap of cracked plastic laying in the bright snow. “What were you doing?” he snapped.
“Do you mind releasing me?” He hadn’t realized he still held her close. He dropped his hands. She bent and picked up the camera, examining the cracked lens as she worked her jaw. “I was attempting to get a picture of the mountains until you came along and foolishly ruined the shot!”
He chuckled. “Really? You’re busting my ass over a camera when you could have easily fallen over the rail. You would have frozen to death and wouldn’t have been found until the river thaws in the spring. Or you could have gotten someone killed with this ignorant trick of yours for a measly picture. What were you wanting? A selfie to post on all of your social media sites?” He rubbed his tight jaw.
“You…you jerk! I should make you pay for the damage you’ve caused. Didn’t you think of yelling? Asking if I planned to kill myself before you rush in and save the day like some backwoods hero lunatic?”
His anger grew. “No way in hell I’m paying for your mistake, lady!” He turned, zipped his jacket higher and headed toward his truck.
“My mistake?” she yelled from behind him. “I expect you to pay for the damages!”
“Use your cell phone like every other normal person.” He made it to the door to the truck and turned, watching her slowly making her way toward him, her arms wide, balancing herself so she wouldn’t fall. He should just climb into his truck and speed away, but if she fell and broke her neck it would be on his shoulders. If wasn’t fair how quickly someone’s life, no matter how foolish they were, weighed on his shoulders.
“You’re a real funny guy, aren’t you? The quickest way to kill a beautiful mountain shot is to use a phone camera. I was waiting for the perfect moment—the perfect lighting to capture the view.” There was a new tone to her voice. Would she cry? Over a lost camera?
Sometimes the best remedy to a bad situation was to make amends and move on. He pulled out his wallet. “What do I owe you?” It was only money and now that his mind was clearing, he did feel a little bad about busting her camera. However, she was half to blame. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, he could have easily just saved her life.
“From the looks of the thickness of that wallet, I’m going to assume you don’t carry five thousand cash on you.”
He brought his chin up. “And you wouldn’t be mistaken.” He folded his wallet and stuck it back into his pocket. “I guess you’ll have to take my apology as payment. I’m sorry.” She gritted her teeth and pulled off her glasses. Everything on his body stopped. All logical thought and the use of his lungs diminished. Her eyes were the palest blue surrounded by a thick fringe of black lashes. She wasn’t cross-eyed or buck-toothed, not even close. She was an actual dream come true, a complete package. Holy shit! The top of her head only came to his shoulders and she had long, lustrous blonde waves with lighter streaks of highlights. Her eyes weren’t just pale blue. They were arctic blue and flawless. She blinked and her black lashes swept across her creamy cheeks covered in a dusting of freckles. Her lips were pretty pink and looked kissable even when wearing a frown that was targeted for him. Her slender neck was adorned with a beaded, cross necklace. Rosary? Oh, the religious type. He had a strong urge to add a breathtaking kiss to his apology. Maybe even a date.
A kiss? A date?
Had he lost his fucking mind?
First, she was only passing through. Secondly, he was pissed because…well…hell, he wasn’t sure why, but he was. He wasn’t wanting a relationship anyway. He liked being alone—lonely at times, but it was the safe bet. A man couldn’t get hurt if he didn’t care.
Yet, a familiar sensation needled its way through his stomach and into his hardening cock. He hoped that part of his body didn’t get its hopes up, only to be let down, literally.
“Sorry?” Her voice dipped and quivered and he swore her bottom lip trembled. “I bet if I grabbed your hat off your head and tossed it over the side of the bridge you wouldn’t think sorry was enough.” She wrapped her arms around her shoulders and she shivered. It was only five degrees outside and she had nothing on but a red flannel and skinny jeans. Crazy woman.
He took his hat off and tossed it on the passenger seat for safekeeping. The black Stetson was his favorite, given to him by his father before he passed away. Maverick wasn’t willing to part with it. He did understand her pain though. “I tell you what, as far as I see things, we were both at fault, fifty-fifty. The bank is closed because of the weather, but if you’ll give me your address, I guarantee I will send you my part of the damage.”
“Am I supposed to just trust your word?” One thin brow popped up.
“A cowboy’s promise is as good as gold, ma’am.”
CHAPTER THREE
JAX BLINKED BACK the tears blurring her vision. She wanted to cry, hard, but refused to allow this stranger to see her vulnerable side. Her emotions were still weak and losing her camera—her newest—was more like the loss of a beloved. Thankfully, it wasn’t her favorite. It was tucked safely away inside the case in the SUV.
She looked back at the lost shot and sighed, then turned her attention on the cowboy. He was asking for her address but she didn’t have one to give. That disappointed her more than anything else. She doubted she’d see a penny from him, even if he declared his word
was as good as ‘gold’. She didn’t have much trust these days for a man’s word. Seeing things from his standpoint, she guessed it did look pretty suspicious with her hanging over the bridge railing, balancing on one shaky foot. Anyway, she wouldn’t give a stranger her address. He looked nice enough, but these days, who really knew a person’s character. She thought she’d known Travis, but in the end, neither of them really knew each other.
Slumping her shoulders, she took a step backward. Her lips were freezing, her cheeks tingly, and she wasn’t sure she’d get feeling back in her fingers. “Look, just forget about it.” She brushed past him and followed her previous tracks back to the rental.
“Are you sure?”
She didn’t bother turning. “Very.” Slipping into the driver’s seat, she placed her broken camera on the passenger seat and looked through the window. The cowboy was still standing outside of his door, staring at her.
Something she didn’t want to face until this very moment was how her female parts responded to him. It wasn’t every day a man came along and saved her from falling off a bridge. She chuckled. It wasn’t quite the fairytale it seemed, but she had to admit, his action was pretty chivalrous. Where she came from most men would keep on driving if they saw a woman standing on the side of a bridge. It didn’t quite ease the gloom of losing her camera, but there was nothing she could do about the issue now. Cowboy was sliding into his truck and closing the door.
Wyoming certainly did have killer views as promised.
She pretended interest in her camera as he drove away. “Goodbye, gorgeous.” If she wasn’t recovering from a broken engagement, she might have asked the green-eyed, dark-haired cowboy if he had plans for Valentine’s Day. After all, she’d be in town for a week. Best way to get over any residual grief was to move on. Most women probably wouldn’t mind getting kissed, spurred, and Valentined by a cowboy that looked as good as the one who just drove off into the sunset.
Starting the engine, she looked at the GPS on her phone. There was no network connection. The last she had read, she was ten miles from Nirvana.
Sliding the vehicle into drive, she followed the tracks of Cowboy’s truck until the snow came down harder and covered everything, causing her to slow to merely a crawl. Good thing she came early to Nirvana, before the weather would have prevented her from getting anywhere close. She was ready to take a needed hiatus while she sorted out life’s junk.
Jax was never happier to reach her destination. The large swinging Nirvana sign welcomed her and she turned onto the private lane. She’d been a lot of places, faced horrible situations, but driving in the snow and not being able to see ten feet in front of her was by far the worst thing she’d ever done. She didn’t even own a car back home so her driving skills and abilities could fit into a shot glass. There was always that chance she’d end up a statistic on the front page of the local paper—the spurned photographer from Chicago found frozen in her rented SUV along the deserted Wyoming road on Valentine’s Day.
Pulling into the building clearly marked “Administrative Offices,” she killed the engine and hurried out into the white blanket. She’d been crazy not to bring a coat. She sure hoped Tina had thought far enough ahead and packed her one in the suitcase.
Once inside, she stomped the snow from her boots and soaked up the warmth in the building.
“Hello. Welcome to Nirvana. How can I help you?” The bright eyed blonde asked from behind the receptionist counter.
“I hope you can help me.” Jax stepped up to the desk and read the name plate. “Jennifer, I’m Jax Morgan. I have reservations for the honeymoon cabin.”
The young woman’s mouth dipped into a frown. “Jaxene Morgan?” She reached for a journal, thumbed through the pages until she came to the last entry. “Aha. The Morgan/Dennis party called and canceled.”
Jax shifted in her boots. “Uh, considering I’m the Morgan from that party, I can certainly tell you that no, we didn’t call and cancel our reservations.”
Jennifer tapped a long, fake nail against the paper. “It’s written right here. You see, I note everything and yes, I did indeed note that yesterday we received a call canceling the Sweetheart Valentine package and cabin.”
Staring at the stranger, Jax wanted to scream, but realized she’d only make a screwed-up situation worse. Digging deep inside her, she found a sliver of calm and collective. “Okay, can you tell me who called? Of course you’d have to have that tidbit of information written in your notes.” She needed the name of the person who she needed to strangle.
“I do. Mr. Dennis called himself.” Her proud smile quickly fizzled. “Oh no. I’m sorry. If Mr. Dennis called without your knowledge that means the wedding is off?” Her tan turned two shades whiter.
Forcing a smile on her lips that hurt, Jax finally nodded. “That is correct.” She had nothing to be humiliated over. Many couples decided they didn’t want to marry. “I’m sure this happens all of the time.” She chuckled.
A choked sound escaped Jennifer’s crimson lips. “No, I don’t think so.” Clearing her throat, she closed the book. “Are you here because the wedding is back on?” There was the smile again.
“No. Trust me. The wedding will never be back on.”
Smile faded. “Then the cancelation was accurate.”
Jax wondered if this could go back and forth all day. “Can I rent the cabin again? I haven’t received the refund. Surely no one else has rented it since yesterday.”
“No, it’s not rented.”
“Great, then I’ll take it.” She placed her purse on the counter.
“But sorry, that’s not possible.”
Jax narrowed her eyes. “Why isn’t it possible?”
Jennifer placed her palms flat on the desk top and rolled her tongue over her bottom lip. “Our wedding suites are reserved for couples celebrating marriage. When you reserved the package deal, you signed a contract. In that agreement it states that cancelations must be received one week prior to the scheduled date.”
Every hope for peace fizzled in Jax’s mind. “But I didn’t cancel.”
“Your fiancé did…I mean, Mr. Dennis canceled.”
Squeezing the area between her brows, she couldn’t wait to speak to Travis. “Great.”
“But I can help you,” Jennifer said.
Jax dropped her hand with a thud on the counter. “You can?”
The receptionist’s smile came back, wider than ever. “You’re at Nirvana, Miss Morgan. We’re in the business of making dreams come true. In your favor, we’ve had a lot of cancelations because of the weather and the airport closing, which means we have space available.”
Some of the tension left her shoulders. “How much?” At this point she was willing to pay anything just to relax.
Jennifer leaned in, whispering, “No worries. I’ll work out the paperwork and shift your registration to one of the treehouses. The boss, Chase Sever, is away on his own honeymoon and he had specific rules that every guest be treated like family. Besides, the snow changed plans for a lot of people.”
“I really appreciate this.” She couldn’t go back home, not now. She needed time to work things out for herself. She’d take care of her ex later. For now, she just wanted a cabin, or a treehouse. She’d take a tent at this point, she just couldn’t go back into the cold.
“It’ll only be a few minutes to take care of everything and then I’ll have Maverick transport you over to our best treehouse, Persuasion. You’ll love it. Trust me.”
“I’d like to make a call.” She reached for her phone from her purse.
“Service is pretty bad all the way out here. If you’d like, you can use the office phone.” Jennifer offered.
Jax guessed the conversation she’d have with Travis wouldn’t be one for anyone to overhear. She wasn’t sure why he canceled her reservation, but she would sure find out. “That’s okay. Nothing important.”
“Alright then. Let me take care of the last details.”
Leaving the
receptionist desk to allow Jennifer to finish the registration, Jax stared at the screen on the phone, seeing the red blinking battery image. Oh no! I didn’t charge it.
She heard Jennifer talking on a radio. “Maverick, you’re needed for transportation.” Then a slight pause. “Yes, in Persuasion. No, not the wedding suite. The plans changed.” Jennifer looked up then turned her back, whispering into the receiver, “Long story. Marriage off.”
That takes the cake! It was definitely a long story. Not caring to hear anymore, Jax stepped over to the couch and took a seat. She had to sit down to take this. Hopefully Jennifer worked her magic and Jax would be alone, in her lodging, within the half hour.
Ten minutes later, she heard the door open and booted feet on the polished planks. Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly. She stood, dropped the magazine she was reading back on the table and turned. She literally had to drag her tongue back into her mouth.
The cowboy standing in front of her wasn’t just any ol’ cowboy. He was the dark-haired, pale-eyed hunk she’d met on the bridge. The one who broke her camera and then drove straight out of her life, leaving her in disappointment. She slipped her gaze over his zipped coat, large silver belt buckle, worn jeans, and black boots. The Stetson was in place and pulled down low on his forehead shading those amazing eyes. He pushed his hat back and his blazing gaze penetrated her every pore, her every doubt. An insistent throbbing nestled in her core and she realized she was in big trouble.
“What are you doing here?” the words stumbled out of his mouth.
“I should ask you the same question.”
Kissed, Spurred, & Valentined (Cowboys of Nirvana Book 4) Page 3