Morning, Sunshine. There’s decaf in the cupboard above the coffeepot. I’ve gone to meet Colton in the south pasture—steers loose and fence down from the last storm. There’s another one coming, so stay inside. Love, Jake
P.S. About the storm, you’re mistaken. We’ll never blow over.
Sophie noted the signature, and her heart hummed to a deep warmth. He used the L word. Maybe he actually meant it.
Thunder pealed directly overhead, and a slash of lightning lit the cheery kitchen. Her stomach rumbled and her head began to ache. “All right, baby, let’s get some food.” She filed through the shelves of the pantry. Ah, saltine crackers. Wonderful. A quick look into the fridge discovered butter and strawberry jam, homemade by Loni. The perfect combination.
Sophie placed her treats on the island and munched quietly, her gaze fixed on the dark clouds rolling toward her over the mountains. She finished her plate and looked through the fridge, still hungry. At this point she’d weigh a ton by the time the baby was born. Oooh, cold macaroni salad. Probably Loni’s. Sophie took the bowl to the island to eat, enjoying the storm. Lightning jagged across the sky, and she jumped. The lights flickered.
A phone jarred her from her thoughts. Jake’s landline. What if were Colton? No. He would’ve called Jake’s cell. Sophie let it ring, listening intently when Jake’s deep voice on the machine told the caller to leave a message.
“Jake?” Hysterics lifted Dawn’s voice. “You’re not picking up your cell…” Static came over the line. “But…storm…road…there’s…blood. I need help.” Sophie lost the rest of the woman’s words.
She jumped for the phone. “Dawn? Where are you? Dawn?”
“Sophie? I’m…bottom…of Jake’s… Call Jake.” The phone went dead.
“Dawn? Dawn, damn it, answer me,” Sophie yelled into the phone. A drumming buzz met her ear. She hung up the phone then grabbed it again and dialed Jake’s cell. It went directly to voice mail. Damn it. Sophie paced the cozy kitchen. “Okay. Dawn’s in trouble. At the bottom of Jake’s. Jake’s what? The drive?” The drive was several miles long. Perhaps she’d slid off the road below. Sophie jumped at a loud thunderclap. She couldn’t leave Dawn at the bottom of the hill. If that’s where she was.
Sophie ran into the living room and grabbed a thick flannel jacket out of the closet. “It’s okay, baby,” she whispered as she buttoned it and rolled the sleeves up to free her hands. “We’ll get Dawn and come right back. No problem.” She wondered if the baby could hear the rapid beating of her heart. Then she wondered if the baby could even hear yet. Probably not.
After yanking on her boots, she ran into the rain, slipping once in the thickening mud and dropping to one knee. Her jeans shredded, and her skin smarted as blood began to well. With a hiss of frustration, she pushed to her feet and bolted for the rented Jeep, her pant leg stiff with mud and blood. She jumped inside the car, fastened her seat belt, wiped the rain from her face, and started carefully down the drive.
Wind slashed at the vehicle, pushing it to one side of the road where branches scraped the side like fingernails against a chalkboard. Water ran in rivulets across the dark asphalt, throwing the vehicle into a slide.
Sophie gingerly pumped the brakes. “This is bad, baby,” she whispered while jerking the wheel to the left. Rain beat against the windshield so hard even the fastest wiper setting failed to clear the view. Lightning crackled across the sky. Sophie screamed as a fallen branch clattered on the hood.
She slammed on the brakes and panted. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.
“Damn it, I already know this isn’t a good idea,” Sophie muttered to the empty vehicle. “But Dawn needs help and we can make it.” No way could she leave Jake’s sister hurt and scared at the bottom of the drive.
She pressed on the accelerator while twisting the heat controls to defog the windows. There, that was better.
The road stretched down the hill, empty save for falling pinecones and branches. The wind battered the vehicle like a boxer without his gloves, hard, merciless, dirty. Sophie struggled to keep the Jeep stable on the roadway. The wind shifted and rain angled straight at her. The cascading heat from the vents failed to warm her chilled bones. Her knuckles white on the wheel, she ventured farther down the road.
She made it about a mile before lightning snapped right in front of her. The crash of a splintering tree roared over the rain. With a cry, Sophie yanked the wheel to the left to avoid the falling white pine, sending the car hydroplaning across the asphalt. A loud crunch of buckling metal rose over the fury of the storm. She shut her eyes as the vehicle bounced twice, spun to the side, and rolled.
Darkness swirled, and then nothing.
She awoke to rain drumming against metal and pain screaming through her head. She tried to move, opening her eyes and realizing she was upside down. “Oh,” she moaned, reaching for her seat belt and pushing the button with trembling hands. She dropped onto her already aching head, her breath whooshed out, and she curled into a fetal position on the inside of the roof.
The Jeep teetered upside down, and branches covered the shattered windshield and blocked her view. Groaning, she leaned forward and tried to open the driver’s side door but it wouldn’t budge. “Okay,” she whispered. “It’s okay. I’m okay.” She wiped tears and blood off her face and curled into a ball around the baby. “Jake will come.”
She pushed the deflated airbag out of her way and concentrated on her body. Her head hurt, and everything else ached. The ignition had turned off, so she didn’t have to worry about that. The metal protested beneath her as she shuffled into a more comfortable position. Where was Jake?
Tears filled her eyes as her stomach cramped.
The baby.
God, she couldn’t lose the baby. Until that moment she hadn’t realized how badly she wanted the little guy. And Jake. She finally had a chance for a real family, for a man who wouldn’t leave her. She loved him. She’d known it for a while. As nausea spiraled through her and darkness crept across her vision, she wondered if it was too late.
Chapter Twenty-three
The pelting rain, the swirling sirens, the crumpled metal—Jake had been here before. The devastating déjà vu of the moment froze his legs in place.
Through the smashed window, the limp body of the woman he loved failed to move. Devastating pain shot through him at the thought of losing her. His chest actually pounded in agony.
Fire lit through him. Not again. He wouldn’t lose Sophie.
He jumped toward the upside-down vehicle and grabbed the door handle.
Strong arms banded around him and twisted to the side. Fury leaped through his veins, more powerful than any storm. He pivoted and shoved Quinn. Hard.
His brother slipped in the mud. He growled and pounced, both hands grabbing Jake’s arms. “Stop it.”
Jake was beyond reason. Only one thing mattered—getting to Sophie. The primitive being deep within him surged to the surface. He shrugged from his brother’s grasp and rushed toward the vehicle, shoving a paramedic out of the way.
The tackle from behind dropped him into the mud and away from the car.
Rage heated every neuron in his body. He flipped around, both hands clapping Quinn’s face.
Quinn howled in anger and punched him in the jaw. “Fucking knock it off. The car isn’t stable—we need to go in through the other side.” For good measure, he punched him again. “Let us do our fucking job.”
Jake blinked. Reality returned. Mud squished his back, and his heavy-as-hell brother flattened him to the ground. He glanced into his brother’s concerned eyes. “She left me.”
Quinn yanked them up. “She didn’t leave you—not Sophie. This is different.”
Maybe. Jake turned toward the car. “I need to know. Is she—”
“I don’t know.” Quinn shoved him. “Stay here. I’ll check.”
Jake nodded, helplessness catching in his throat. She couldn’t be dead. Please, God, let her be alive.
; He kept his gaze on his brother as he maneuvered around the firefighters trying to open Sophie’s door. Quinn leaned in and then slowly stepped back. “She’s alive.”
Jake hit his knees. Thank God.
Then he leaped forward to tear the car apart and get her out.
Sophie opened her eyes slowly to a white wall and bright lights. A dull pounding set up in her skull, so she turned her head to where Jake slumped in a chair, his chin on his chest, his hair wet under a black cowboy hat, his shirt and jeans streaked with mud. She shifted to the right.
Loni moved forward in her chair, her black eyes bright with concern, her hair a lopsided mess atop her head.
“My baby?” Sophie croaked, her throat on fire.
“The baby’s fine.” Loni reached out a hand and smoothed back her curls.
“Dawnie?” The pain receded to a dull roar as other aches and pains sprang to life.
“Dawn is fine. Hawk found her at the bottom of the hill, and they’re waiting the storm out at his place.”
“I wasn’t running away from him.” Tears filled her eyes.
“I know. Though you should probably tell him that, sweetheart.” Loni nodded toward the midnight dark gaze running over her face. “I’m going to go call Colton. He’s worried sick.” She hurried from the room.
“I thought you were asleep.” Sophie’s throat felt like sandpaper as she turned toward Jake.
“I was praying.”
“I wasn’t running away from you.”
“I know. What were you doing?” His chair creaked as he leaned forward and gently clasped one of her hands in his. Raw cuts and bruises welled from his knuckles.
She gasped at his hurt.
A purpling bruise spread along his jaw. “The Jeep’s metal put up a fight while we were getting you out,” he confirmed. He stroked his finger down her cheek. “Where were you going, Sunshine?”
“Dawn called. I thought she was hurt at the bottom of the hill.”
“So you went out into the storm.”
The gathered tears began to fall. “I didn’t mean to risk the baby, Jake. I just didn’t know what to do.”
“The baby? You think I’m concerned for the baby?” His eyes glowed dark pools of emotion.
“Yes,” she said miserably.
“I’m concerned for you, damn it. Don’t get me wrong, the baby means the world to me. But there isn’t any world without you.”
“What?”
“I love you, Soph. I don’t want this life without you in it.”
“I don’t understand.” Her mind swirled while heat bloomed in her chest.
“I thought about it. The whole damn time you were out. We can live in San Francisco and visit Montana as much as possible. Maybe even get a summer place here.” Jake almost smiled.
“You’d move to the city? With Leila?”
“I could make enough money in the city to easily travel back and forth. Our kids could have the best of both worlds.”
“You’d give up your job with the tribe?” Hope exploded within her entire body.
He sighed deeply. “I’d have to.”
“The best of both worlds?” she asked, her heart spinning.
“Yes.”
“Well then.” She smiled, her heart in her throat. “Maybe we should live here and visit the city whenever possible.”
“I don’t understand.” He frowned.
“My children are going to grow up with grandparents. And uncles. And meddling friends. Not alone like I did.” This was her decision, and she was making it.
“The law and the damn ranch keep me really busy. I don’t know how often we’ll be able to travel.” His eyes veiled as if he didn’t want to get his hopes up.
God, she loved the stubborn man. “Jake, didn’t I tell you? I’m going to be a famous artist. And a golf course designer. Money shouldn’t be a problem.”
“You’re awfully confident, Sunshine.” Dark eyes melted to burnt sugar.
“Yeah, I know. By the way, I love you, too.”
Epilogue
In the background, the band played a soft tune as children romped along the bridges and yelped when they spotted swimming koi.
“Willa’s Garden is perfect, isn’t it, Nathan?” Loni crooned to her grandson while deftly lifting him from Sophie’s arms.
“Thanks. Man, he’s getting heavy.” Sophie grinned and stretched her arms over her head before looking around. “Where’s my daughter?”
“She’s over feeding the koi with Tom. Those fish are going to need a diet by the end of summer.” Loni smooched kisses on the baby’s nose and then grinned as he giggled. Already, he looked just like his daddy with dark hair and even darker eyes.
“Okay. So where’s my husband? They should be finished posing for the memorial picture by now.” Sophie scanned the area.
Loni shrugged, her attention focused on the sparkling eyes staring up at her.
The sound of rapid hooves made both women look toward the main road.
“Oh my!” Loni yelped just as one broad arm leaned down and lifted Sophie onto a rushing black stallion. Two other horses followed close behind, leaving dust in their wake.
“Jake, for Pete’s sake,” Sophie bellowed from the rushing horse.
Sophie grasped the silky mane in desperate hands, warmth from the familiar body behind her sending awareness through her stomach.
“Hang on, Sunshine.” Her husband’s deep voice caused chills down her spine as he maneuvered the large stallion through trees with strong thighs. Thighs that gripped hers while hers gripped the horse.
His strong, oh-so-hard body warmed her as they galloped through the damp forest into a meadow filled with light. The horse slid to an abrupt stop and birds took to the air. The arm around her waist lowered her gently before her captor leaped lithely to the ground.
She backed up until a tree stopped her retreat.
“She’s kinda pretty,” said Colton as he stopped his mount.
“She’ll do,” Quinn agreed gravely. “What are you going to do with her, Jake?”
“That’s my decision,” Jake said with a soft grin as he stepped forward. “Now go away, both of you.” His eyes remained on the woman watching his approach.
His brothers turned their mounts and took off.
“One more step, and you’ll land on your ass.” Sophie lifted her chin, fighting a smile. Shafts of sunlight poked through the pine trees all around them, and a quiet descended in the cool forest.
“Is that a fact?” he drawled while taking another step forward. “Think you can take me?”
“I am pretty tough,” she agreed, pressing farther into the rough bark.
“So I have to chase you down to get a second alone with you, hmm? Some captive you turned out to be.”
Sophie grinned, her mouth watering at the ripple of muscle over her husband’s chest. “Not true. I believe we had several minutes together last night. And early this morning.”
“True. But between Willa’s spring opening, your designing my golf course, and preparing for another art show, by the time my mouth is in your vicinity, it doesn’t want to talk.”
“It’s not my fault you’re insatiable.” Love hummed along her veins, through her blood for this man.
“Is, too.” One final step and he was but a breath away.
Sophie looked up several inches. “You want to talk, huh?”
“Yes, I believe so.” A hand fisted in her hair and warm lips dropped to nuzzle her neck.
“So Jake, you didn’t answer your brother.” She tilted her head to allow for better access. “About what you’re going to do with me.”
His smile was pure sin as he raised his head and midnight dark eyes captured hers. “I caught you, Sunshine. I’m keeping you.”
Acknowledgment
There are so many folks who help to make sure a book becomes a final product—many behind the scenes whose names I don’t even know. So first, to all the hardworking people at Entangled who make the company r
un so smoothly—thank you!
Thank you to my very patient and understanding family. My husband, Big Tone, you’re the best. And I like that you’ve learned to just nod when a crazy lady at the grocery store asks if the books feature you. Thanks to Gabe and Karly—I appreciate that you pretended I was taking stats at your basketball games and not really plotting out my next scene. You kids rock!
Thank you to my clear-headed, thought-provoking, and loyal agent, Caitlin Blasdell—I’m so glad I found you! Thanks as well to her colleagues at Liza Dawson Associates—you’re a wonderful group.
Thank you to my editor, Liz Pelletier, who I had to ply with red wine and sit on in Seattle until she agreed to read my submission. (Note to aspiring authors: this only works once). Thanks for the wonderful edits and the hard work…and I promise next time you suggest I expand a scene I won’t add a full twenty pages. Well, probably.
Thank you to my Entangled team: Heather Howland, Misa Ramirez, Jessica Estep, Barbara Hightower, Sarah Weiss, Cameron Yeager, and Robin Haseltine. Also to everyone who has worked on my behalf whose names I don’t know yet. You’re amazing!
Thanks to the Inland Empire Chapter of RWA—I appreciate the support and friendship!
Thanks also to my hard-working Facebook Street Team—you’re a lot of fun, and you always make me smile. I appreciate the hard work!
About the Author
USA Today Bestselling Author Rebecca Zanetti has worked as an art curator, Senate aide, lawyer, college professor, and a hearing examiner—only to culminate it all in stories about Alpha males and the women who claim them. She writes contemporary romances, dark paranormal romances, and romantic suspense novels.
Growing up amid the glorious backdrops and winter wonderlands of the Pacific Northwest has given Rebecca fantastic scenery and adventures to weave into her stories. She resides in the wild north with her husband, children, and extended family who inspire her every day—or at the very least give her plenty of characters to write about.
Please visit Rebecca at:
http://www.rebeccazanetti.com/
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