Josie’s mouth firmed with determination as she steered the car around a curve on the dark two-lane highway. She’d nearly made the worst mistake of her life, and it was all because she’d doubted her own judgment. She hadn’t trusted her own feelings and intuition, and had nearly let her well-meaning but misguided family push her into marrying a man who’d turned out to be nothing but a two-timing, self-centered, greedy, loathsome cad.
The thought of Robert sent a fresh surge of outrage pulsing through her. Thank heavens she’d discovered his true colors before the ceremony! If she hadn’t happened to wander down that back hallway of the church in an attempt to calm her nerves, she wouldn’t have overheard him talking with the best man—and she wouldn’t have learned the real reason he wanted to marry her.
Josie’s fingers tightened on the steering wheel. How could she have been so blind? How could she have been so gullible? More importantly, how could she have thought for even one nanosecond that she loved him? If she had, surely she wouldn’t be feeling this overwhelming sense of relief right now.
How, oh how could she have been so naive, so unaware, so foolish?
Thinking about it made her whole body tense and caused her foot to inadvertently press down on the accelerator. The car skidded on the wet pavement, jerking Josie’s thoughts back to present
If she wanted to arrive at the ranch in one piece, she needed to focus all of her attention on her driving, she told herself. There’d be plenty of time later to sort things out. A whole week, in fact. Buying herself time to think was the main reason she’d decided to go ahead and come on the honeymoon—sans groom.
The rain was falling harder now, slashing across her windshield so fast that her wipers were virtually useless. Josie slowed the car and hunched forward, searching for the turnoff. According to the directions in the brochure, the dude ranch should be along here somewhere.
Her headlights picked up the gleam of a metal sign. Squinting, she leaned over the wheel and peered through the downpour. She couldn’t read all the words in the split second of vision the wipers afforded, but she could make out the Lazy O brand at the top. With a sigh of relief, she turned onto the narrow dirt road that cut through the dense stand of oaks.
She hadn’t traveled more than a few yards before she realized the rain had turned the road into a slick, muddy quagmire. Apprehension tightened around her chest like a giant vise. Oh, mercy. There was no place to turn around, and she didn’t dare try to back out onto the highway. She had no choice but to keep going.
Clutching the steering wheel as if it might bound out of her grasp at any moment, she inched the car along, trying to avoid the obvious ruts. The downpour and the darkness made it impossible to see anything but a few scant feet in front of her headlights. The farther she went, the worse the road became. If she didn’t get to the lodge soon, she was likely to find herself stuck for the night.
She rounded a curve in the road and saw a light shining ahead. “There it is,” she muttered in relief. She couldn’t make out anything about the building, but it looked as if it was just around the next bend.
Suddenly the rear end of her car swerved, then fishtailed. The next thing she knew, the vehicle was wedged in a deep, muddy rut, the back tires spinning uselessly.
Oh, terrific. The perfect ending to a perfect day.
She peered through the windshield, squinting to see through the rain. The light was straight ahead, probably no more than a hundred feet away. It was within easy walking distance, but with no umbrella or raincoat she’d ruin her delicate gown in a matter a seconds.
On the other hand, if she tried to wait out the storm, she might still be waiting come morning.
She glanced down at the elaborate gown. As far as she was concerned, it was ruined, anyway. Besides, the darn thing was so uncomfortable it felt like it was lined with razor blades.
“What the heck,” she muttered, switching off the engine.
She was tired of playing it safe, tired of trying to avoid criticism, tired of caring so much about everyone else’s opinion. Most of all, she was tired of not trusting her own judgment, tired of second-guessing her every decision.
With that thought in mind, Josie decisively yanked open the door, stepped out of the car—and promptly slid into the mud.
The rain pummeled her like a prize fighter, drenching her in a matter of seconds. She struggled to regain her footing, but the mud was so slick she flopped back down like a grounded fish. She finally managed to haul herself upright, only to trip on the hem of her gown and again plop in the mire, this time facedown.
The rain continued to pelt her. Panting, she pushed herself into a sitting position. That dratted veil was in her eyes again. She swiped at it with a muddy hand, smearing thick red clay all over it, only to have it immediately fall back in her face.
Dadblast the thing! She’d deal with it once she made it indoors. Right now she needed to concentrate all her energy on the simple task of standing up. The wet gown weighed as much as a small elephant.
Kicking off her shoes, she hoisted the heavy skirt in her arms and struggled to her feet. Mud squished through her sheer stockings and oozed between her toes as she lurched blindly down the road, heading toward the light. Mercy, she hoped it hung over the lodge door!
The muddy veil obscured her vision, but her hand made contact with a doorknob. Relief surged through her as she tugged the door open, staggered inside and slammed it shut behind her.
“What the hell…” a deep male voice roared.
It smelled like a barn. Confused, Josie dropped her dripping skirts and pushed back the mud-soaked veil.
Oh, heavens. It was a barn!
A loud snort jerked Josie’s attention to her right, and the source of the noise made her freeze. An enormous, wild-eyed horse reared, whinnied and charged directly at her.
Helpless to move, she watched in horror as a tall, dark-haired man lunged at the beast and grabbed the harness. The animal reared on its hind legs and pawed the air, nostrils flaring, teeth bared. A flash of hooves sailed past her face, missing her by mere inches.
In terror, Josie watched the beast turn and buck. The man jumped aside, narrowly dodging disaster as the powerful back hooves struck the very spot he’d stood just a second before.
“Easy, boy. Easy.” The man spoke softly, but his grip on the horse was strong and sure. His biceps bulged under his plaid flannel shirt as he grasped the halter under the animal’s chin, backed the beast into a stall and slammed the gate closed with a loud bang.
The sound reverberated in the air. Jessie leaned her head against the wall and let out a long, ragged breath. Her chest hurt, and she realized she’d been holding her breath.
The man strode toward her, his dark eyes glaring, his broad shoulders squared. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? You nearly got yourself killed!”
His build was as powerful as the horse’s, and from the look in his eyes, he might be just as dangerous. Josie tried to take a step backward, but her back was already against the wall. “I—I’m sorry. I thought this was the Lazy O Lodge.”
The scowl on his tanned face deepened. “If you can’t tell a barn from a lodge, then maybe you’d just better go back to the city where you belong. The number-one rule around here is no visitors allowed on the working parts of the ranch without an escort.” He raked her from head to toe with a scathing gaze. “What in blue blazes are you doing in a getup like that, anyway? Halloween’s not for another two weeks.”
Josie glanced down at her wet, mud-smeared gown. She knew she must look like an escapee from a sideshow exhibit, but she’d be darned if she’d offer the man an explanation. He was too rude to warrant one.
Doing