Charlene Sands - Stranded And Seduced

A minute later, the road separated into a three-foot-wide ditch. “Holy crap.” He swerved instantly, missing the biggest part of the gouge in the road, but luck wasn’t with him. The car hit the very edge of the gap, and the front end plummeted into a gully of mud. He hinged his arm out to stop April’s momentum, while her seat belt did the rest.

“You okay?” he asked her.

“Yeah, I think so.” Color left her face. “W-what happened?”

“The rain washed away a good chunk of the road. It came up so fast, I couldn’t see it, but I think we’re on the edge of the ditch.”

“Are we stuck?”

“Afraid so. The good news is GPS says the lodge is less than a mile away.”

She sat silent for a few seconds. “And you can’t get us out of the ditch?”

“Unfortunately, I left my superhero cape back at the ranch. We can’t just sit here. We might sink farther into the ditch. Gather up your things, April.”

He needed to make sure she was safe, and that meant high-tailing it to the lodge before the storm worsened. “We need to make a run for it. I’ll get out first and help you. We’ll call for help when we’re safely at the lodge.”

He gathered up a few essentials from the back of the SUV and dumped them into an old duffel bag he kept in the back. When he opened his door slightly, a wild gust of wind blew it open the rest of the way. He jumped down into a foot of mud, his boots catching the brunt of the ooze. Tossing the bag over his shoulder, he made his way around the back end of the SUV and opened the door for April. “Got what you need?”

She tucked her briefcase and her purse under her coat and nodded.

Risk reached for her, his hands firmly on her waist, and lifted her out of the car, holding on tight and twirling her around until they were clear of the ditch entirely before he set her down. “Ready to go?”

“I’m ready.”

“Okay, let’s get out of here.” He took her hand and they trudged along the waterlogged road toward the lodge.

* * *

April had never been this soaked in her life. The mile sprint had her breathing heavily, but she was in good enough shape to keep up with Risk, who kept a tight grip on her hand. They hopped over potholes and dodged floating debris and then, finally, the sight of the lodge loomed like a big beautiful refuge. She hadn’t been happier to see anything in her life.

Minutes later, they took the wide river-rock stairs together and landed under the protection of a covered veranda. Rain ceased to pelt them now, and the low veranda walls broke the wind gusts.

Risk stood by the double-door entry. “You have the key?”

Shaking from the cold, she opened the briefcase she’d kept as dry as possible and handed Risk the key. “H-here you go.”

He opened the door and gestured for her to go inside. She’d been here twice before and remembered the layout. Risk followed directly behind her, a consoling presence after the ordeal they’d just been through. For a moment there, when the earth parted and the car careened into the ditch, she’d feared for her life. But Risk was there beside her, making her feel safe. Right now, it went a long way in reassuring her.

“Stay here while I check out the place and see if the power’s on.”

“It’s supposed to be. Mr. Hall is keeping the electricity on through the sale.”

Risk nodded and took off while she stood there, shivering. She scanned the interior of the main lobby. It had a floor-to-ceiling river-rock fireplace and settees positioned around the large room. Thick wood beams crisscrossed the tall ceilings, and black iron chandeliers hung from various points in the room. Though the room was cold, it was shelter from the raging storm outside.

“Looks like the storm knocked the power out,” Risk said upon his return. “But there’s some firewood here on the hearth, and I’m sure it’s enough to keep us warm until the storm clears.”

A puddle of water formed at her feet, droplets dripping from her clothes, her coat, her hair.

“I think that’s a good idea.”

“Give me a second to get a fire going.”

While he was building a fire, she removed her coat and foraged inside her drenched handbag for her cell phone. Checking the screen, she wasn’t surprised she had no service. Even on a good weather day, the cell service out here had been spotty. Now, it seemed nonexistent. She imagined the same was true of Risk’s cell.

She walked over to the massive fireplace, where Risk was stacking logs. She found a magazine lying on one of the tables and rolled it up. “You can use this for kindling.”

“That’ll work.”

She slapped it into his palm and shivered again. “I don’t suppose you checked your phone yet.”

“The minute we got inside. No service. You?” He tossed the kindling under the logs and lit it up.

“Same. Nothing.”

Just then the kindling caught, and a small fire crackled and flamed. The burst of color also lent warmth, and she scooted closer to the new blaze.

Risk turned to her. “We should get out of our wet clothes. Get dry.”

She blinked. She couldn’t believe he’d suggested it. “How do you suppose we do that?”

“Peel ’em off.”

“That’s not what I meant. I don’t have a change of clothes.”

“Neither do I. But there’s got to be towels or bedding or something we can wrap ourselves up in until our clothes dry out.” He gave her an up and down glance. “Unless you want to shiver yourself into pneumonia.”

Uh, no. She didn’t want to do that, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it. Risk caught her dumbfounded look and shook his head.

“April, you’ve got nothing to worry about with me. That ring on your finger might as well be a chastity belt. I’m only suggesting we don’t catch our death of cold in these wet clothes. Should only take an hour or so to dry them.”

She stared at the blaze burning bright orange, the glow rapidly growing. Risk was right, and boy, she hated to admit it, but the fire would dry out their clothes in no time. And that comment he made about her engagement ring hit home. She believed he’d be true to his word. “Okay. Let’s see if we can find something to wrap up in. There’s a master bedroom and a few other rooms on the ground level. I think Mr. Hall said he stays over once in a while.”

“Sounds good to me.” Risk walked over to where he’d dropped his duffel and came up with a utility lantern flashlight. He pulled the handle, and the light came on, flashing a halo over six feet of the room. “We’ll use this only if we need to. Want to save the charge for tonight.”

“Tonight?”

Risk turned to look her square in the eye. “The storm’s going strong, and we’re stuck. It’s doubtful we’ll get out of here today.”

Thunder boomed, making her jump. She hadn’t really thought that far ahead. “Won’t someone come looking for us?”

Risk shrugged. “Don’t know. Most around here must think this place is empty. No one’s lived here for years, right?”

She nodded.

“And with the rain coming down in buckets and the car sunk in the mud...”

“Oh.” A few seconds ticked by. “What about your family? Will they come looking?”

Risk smiled, his deadly dimples making an appearance. “My brothers know I’m smart enough to get out of the way of the storm. Wouldn’t be the first time I didn’t make it home at night.”

April bit her lower lip. “I see. And your aunt?”

“Goes to bed kinda early. She probably figured I’d get in late.”

That left Clovie. She was the only one April had told about this trip. And she wasn’t due in the office until Monday afternoon.

It was her own fault for getting in this predicament. She should’ve postponed the meeting when the weather turned bad or at least asked Risk to turn back when the storm first hit. Now, she had to spend the night...with him. And soon they were going to get naked.