He was acting like a son of a bitch and he knew it. What was it about this woman that got under his skin so? He wanted to think it was her attitude about her roots, but he knew it was something more.
He glanced over at her thigh-hugging jeans and gritted his teeth. The physical reaction he’d had the last time he’d seen her was back with a vengeance. He forced his gaze to the snow-slick highway, trying his damnedest to forget the memories they’d made together...horseback rides over foothills, the cattle drive just before she’d left when he’d spent three long nights watching the campfire reflected in her dark brown eyes, listening to the soft sounds of her sleep as she snuggled in her bedroll, her husky morning voice as she joked with the cowboys over breakfast....
But the images wouldn’t go away.
This is stupid, guy. He tightened his grip on the wheel. She’ll leave again as she did before. It would be foolhardy to get involved. He’d allowed himself to care a little the last time and look where that had left him.
Frustrated and alone.
He blew out a pent-up breath. Somehow, someway, he would keep his distance. Besides, he had to remember how she felt about Buck. He had hoped she might have mellowed with time, softened her inflexible attitude about a people he loved and respected. Obviously, he’d been wrong. She sounded as angry as the day she’d left. Exactly why was that?
He looked down at her one more time, then drove on.
Why did she hate an entire race? In a flash he imagined the two of them sitting in front of a decorated tree, her secrets tumbling out as he held her....
No! Not a good idea. He sat taller in his seat. An intimate conversation with Jenny Moon was the last thing he needed.
But with each passing mile, her rosy perfume wrapped around him, tugging at his resolve, reminding him of other needs—need for a family as his younger brother Ryder had found with Savannah and Billy, need of a good woman to share his hopes and dreams, a woman to hold under the mistletoe and kiss for more reasons than tradition.
He passed another ranch with Christmas lights strung around the windows and something tugged at his heartstrings. Maybe it was the hohdays that had turned his mind to mush. Whatever it was, for the first time in thirty-three years, none of it—not Buck, his brothers, Dad, the miles of Malone ranch, the horses—none of it seemed enough.
He could lie to himself all he wanted, but his gut told him something fundamental was missing. And his gut was never wrong.
A gust of wind blew a sheet of snow over the windows and Shane pumped gently on the brakes. “Better sit up and tighten your seat belt.”
Jenny jerked into action next to him as he flicked on the windshield wipers, hoping to find the highway in front of him, but another gust of white blanketed the front end of the Explorer. He pumped harder on the pedal, feeling gravel instead of highway beneath them. They were nearly stopped when he felt the downward slide followed by a solid thunk as the front end burrowed into the embankment. He lunged against his seat belt and saw Jenny do the same. “Are you okay?”
She stared at him with those big brown doe eyes and his heart raced.
“Is it your neck? Your chest?” He unbuckled himself and faced her.
She raised her chin and looked him in the eye. “Was this your first time driving on this stuff or were you just trying to scare the hell out of me?”
He let out a relieved breath and smiled. “Welcome back, Jenny Moon.”
“I’m glad you find this amusing, but how are we going to get out of here.”
He heard the fear in her voice. Without analyzing the wisdom of his actions, he reached over and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Now don’t you worry your pretty little head over it. I’ve gotten myself out of far worse scrapes than this one and—”
She stiff-armed him and thrust him away. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“I was just trying to comfort you.” Anger danced from her slitted gaze and he couldn’t resist. “Or were you expecting something more?” He grabbed her wrist and saved his face the sting of her palm.
“Y-you arrogant, self-absorbed cowboy.”
He held up both hands and scooted back behind the wheel, his eyes never leaving hers. In spite of her bravado, he noticed she was shaking under her folded arms. “There’s a blanket in the back if you want it.” She didn’t budge so he reached behind him, grabbed it off the seat and deposited it between them. With one hand on the steering wheel, he felt under the seat and found the cellular phone.
“You sure you know how to use one of those things?”
He swallowed another smart-assed response and punched in the preprogrammed number for the ranch. It rang three times before Ryder answered.
“Sorry, bro. Did I wake you up?”
“Are you kidding? Savannah won’t go to bed till Jenny gets here. Are you close?”
“Not really. The roads are getting worse and... well...we’re in a ditch right now.”
“Give me some directions and—”
“Nan. I got a shovel and sand in the back. I can be out of here before you could find us. Just wanted to tell you it might be a couple hours yet.”
There was a pause and he thought they may have lost the connection, then Ryder said. “Savannah’s tugging at my arm. Better put Jenny on the line.”
Shane handed over the receiver. “It’s for you.” He smiled again and she rolled her eyes as she grabbed the instrument.
“Hello?”
“Jenny! Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, sweetheart. Shane just ran us off the highway, that’s all.” She scowled at him and turned away. “Men drivers...you know.”
He tapped on the steering wheel and listened another moment before deciding it was time to start digging them out. He flung open the door and jumped out, walking to the front and then the tailgate, assessing the situation. The front wheels were embedded in snow, but the back end was clear. With some work, it should be easy to back out. He opened the hatch to get his gear and heard Jenny still talking to Savannah.
He called up to her. “Might want to save the battery...in case we need it later.”
She didn’t turn around or acknowledge him, but he heard her wrapping up the conversation. “We’ll call back if we have a problem. I promise. But you have to promise me you’ll go to bed.” She paused, then said. “Good. Just crawl in with me in the morning whenever you get moving. We’ll catch up then.”
Jenny fell silent and he thought she was done, then he heard her whisper into the phone. “I love you, too, Savannah. See you in the morning.”
He grabbed the shovel and sand and shut the gate before more cold air could flood the interior.
Just crawl in with me in the morning...
He’d like to just crawl in.... Stupid thought.
He buried the shovel into the snow and went to work, trying to concentrate on the job at hand. But something else bothered him about Jenny’s last words to Savannah. Why did she have to whisper she loved her? It was as though she were embarrassed to own such feelings...even for her best friend. He’d known plenty of men who acted this way, but never a woman.
Finally, he threw sand beneath the wheels and walked back. Jenny was staring out the front window, the blanket tucked under her chin. She looked so small and vulnerable. Her words were always tough, but he would bet his bottom dollar that a warm and loving heart beat beneath that thick facade. A passionate one, too. And whether it was wise or not, he also knew he would be testing her limits before she could run away a second time.