“I’m sure he is. Anyway, I’d be more inclined to worry about him. Grace discards men faster than empty pizza boxes.”
Kane grinned. “Your sister seems like quite a dynamo.”
“She is. When God passed out inhibitions, he skipped Grace and gave me a double dose.”
“I doubt that. Anyone who was a soap star can’t have too many restraints.”
“Ask my oldest daughter. She’ll tell you all about them. Here’s my car.” Rachel stopped beside her red SUV.
“I rest my case. Inhibited people don’t buy red cars.”
“I chose the model, but I let my girls pick the color. They take after their aunt.”
He smiled, his rugged face lit by an overhead streetlight. Kindness—and pain—was reflected in his eyes. Lines radiated from the corners of his lips, and creases marred his broad forehead. He looked like a man who’d seen the darker side of humanity and was worn down by the experience. It took all her willpower not to reach up to stroke his cheek.
“It was nice meeting you, Rachel Carpenter. More than nice.”
“I hope you have a wonderful time camping. I must admit I’m a little jealous.”
“You should come up. My brother’s retreat is a great place for families. I bet your girls would love it.”
“Jade and Ivy probably would, but Lark’s another story. Anyway, I imagine the camp is fully booked for the summer.”
“It is for July and August, but I think there’s space left in June. People tend to wait until it’s warmer to go camping in the Sierras. It can be pretty cold at night this time of year. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s still some snow left around the lake.”
“In other words, pack a warm sleeping bag.”
“You’ve got it. If you decide you’re interested, Jed has a web site. Look up Granite Lake Retreat on the Internet, and you can get the phone number to make a reservation.”
“I’ll think about it.” She let out another sigh before she could stop herself. “I’d better go. The drive isn’t getting any shorter standing here.” She touched his arm. “Thanks for walking me to my car. I know you’re anxious to get home.”
“My pleasure, and it wasn’t out of my way. I own the Jeep parked three spaces over. Anyway, it’s not safe for a woman to be alone on the street this time of night.”
“True, more’s the pity. Good night, Kane. Maybe I’ll see you again sometime.”
He enclosed her hand in both of his, and a tingle shot through her.
“I certainly hope so.” He hesitated then released her. “Drive carefully.”
She unlocked her car door. “Careful is my middle name.”
Chapter 2
Rachel eyed Kane through the rearview mirror as she drove away and wished she could be more like Grace. Toss caution to the wind, forget her responsibilities and hook up with an attractive man for the night. Too bad having a one-night stand wasn’t in her nature. Chances of a more meaningful relationship with Kane Lafferty didn’t seem likely.
She took the onramp to the Bay Bridge, thankful the traffic at this hour was light. Though it was a complete waste of time, her conversation with Kane played over and over in her mind. The man was thoughtful, attentive and just plain nice. The fact that he was gorgeous and sexy didn’t hurt. Perhaps he had a few hang-ups, but who didn’t?
God, maybe Grace is right. Maybe I do need to get laid.
It had been too long since she’d felt a man’s arms around her. Her first and only love had been Bryce. After the divorce, she’d dated occasionally, feeling she owed it to herself to meet someone new. At the same time, she’d known going into those relationships they wouldn’t work. Her girls were her number one priority, and not many men wanted a ready-made family.
Rachel counted back the months since her last attempt at a relationship, and her jaw sagged. Could it really have been nearly a year?
“No wonder Kane sent my hormones up in flames. I guess I should make an effort to throw myself into the dating pool again.”
Exiting the freeway, she drove faster than she should along the two-lane country road that wound through the rolling hills of Napa Valley. It was pushing eleven-thirty, and she was anxious to get home. Her mouth opened wide in a bone-cracking yawn.
“What the...”
A fallen limb from a giant oak lay across the middle of the road. She swerved hard left to avoid it. Whump. Her SUV jolted as the rear tire hit the end of the branch. A moment later, an ominous thumping sounded from the back of the car. Swearing under her breath, she pulled to the side of the road, stopped and got out. In the faint moonlight, one look at the rear tire confirmed she had a flat.
“Five more measly miles and I would have been home.”
She got back in the car and pulled out her cell phone. Turning on the dome light, she punched in the number for roadside service and waited for the operator to come on the line. Three minutes later, she threw the phone across the seat. An accident had both their area tow trucks tied up. It would be at least an hour before someone could get there.
“Forget that.”
Rachel pulled the owner’s manual from the glove box. After reading the section on changing a tire, confidence surged. Not hard at all.
Until she got started. After she released the spare tire from beneath the car, she took out the jack. Grunting with effort, she managed to pump the jack enough times to raise the flat clear of the ground.
“All right!” Her fist pumped the air.
A bird in the granddaddy oak emitted a small chirp.
“Next, off with the old tire and on with the new. Piece of cake.”
Except it wasn’t. The lug nuts must have been soldered on. As hard as she tried, she couldn’t budge them. Tired and frustrated, she admitted defeat and went searching for her cell phone. Finding it on the floor of the passenger side, she entered her brother’s number.
Four rings later, a groggy voice answered.
“Hi, Will. It’s me.”
“Rachel? What’s wrong? It’s almost midnight.”
“I know, and I’m sorry to wake you, but I got a flat coming home from San Francisco.”
“Did you call the auto service?”
“Yes, but they can’t get to me for an hour or more. I took the spare out and jacked up the car, but I can’t budge the lug nuts. I’ve tried. They’re on too tight.”
“They usually are. I’ll come get you.” He sounded slightly more awake. “Where are you?”
“About five miles south of town. I’m really sorry.”
“Yeah, well you’ll owe me. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
“Thanks.”
She leaned against the side of the car and closed her eyes. The world around her was dark and silent, the moon having sunk behind the hills. Minutes later an engine rumbled in the distance. She shielded her eyes as twin beams of light speared through the darkness.
The car approaching wasn’t her brother’s Volvo.
An older pickup pulled to a stop, and a man’s voice called from the open window. “Need some help?”
In the glare of his headlights, she could only make out a shadowy figure wearing a baseball cap and dark glasses.
“No, thank you. I