Leanne Banks - The Maverick & the Manhattanite

“Hey, maybe you better not do that,” Will said. “Gage made a good point. You don’t know your way around,” he said, a worried look crossing his young face.

“I can read a map,” she said, although she would have been much more comfortable with a reliable GPS. “I’ll be fine.”

Chapter Two

Lissa had been just fine until snow had started to fall and the roads turned slippery. After visiting a mom of three on the list Bootstraps had provided for her who needed new carpet and furniture, Lissa wobbled down the winding side road in Melba’s eighteen-year-old Buick. Beggars couldn’t be choosers, but Lissa wondered how Melba could possibly use such a vehicle with Montana’s treacherous winters.

The snow pelted against the windshield and Lissa gripped the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles were white. The car veered to the center of the road and she immediately pulled it back into her lane. If she could just get to the main road, she thought she would be okay.

Suddenly, a deer appeared in front of her. Her heart jumped and she instinctively slammed on the brakes. The car went into a spin that seemed to go on forever. She struggled to gain control then felt the sickening sensation of the massive Buick tilting toward a ditch.

“No, no, no,” she pleaded, willing the car back on the road.

Gravity won and the car slid headfirst into the ditch, stopping with an ugly jerk that yanked her head forward before the seat belt wrenched her back against the seat. It took a few seconds for Lissa to remember to breathe. As she gasped for air, willing her heart to stop pounding, she took inventory of herself, wiggling her shoulders and legs. Everything seemed okay, although the seat belt was holding her so tightly it felt like a vise. Pushing aside the discomfort, she glanced around and tried to figure out how to get out of the ditch. She opened the door to get out, but there wasn’t enough room between the side of the ditch for her to open it all the way. Lissa glanced at the other side and grimly noticed that she had succeeded in wedging herself perfectly in the ditch, a feat she wouldn’t have been able to accomplish if she’d intentionally tried.

She groaned. Lissa really didn’t want to call the sheriff. She could see the scowls and disapproval coming and she couldn’t blame him. If she’d followed his advice, she wouldn’t be in this mess. Frowning, she realized Gage wasn’t the only lawman she could call. Will had given her his number. She could call the deputy and deal with Gage’s displeasure another time. She was sick enough at the thought that she’d damaged Melba’s car.

Lissa pulled Will’s card from her purse and punched in his number. The call went directly to voice mail and she remembered Gage had said something about Will speaking about safety to the elementary children. Lissa reluctantly left a message and decided to wait for him to return the call.

She cut the engine and pulled out her tablet to make notes, but she glanced at the time every other minute. It was just after three o’clock. If Will didn’t call soon, she was going to have to call Gage. She couldn’t stay out here all night. Who knew how much more snow would fall in this surprise storm? She was already starting to feel trapped.

Her cell finally rang after eighteen minutes. She immediately answered. “Will?”

“Yes, Miss—Lissa,” he said. “You said you’ve had a problem. What can I do for you?”

“Well, I’m in Melba Strickland’s car on Route 563,” she said and swallowed her pride. “And I’m stuck in a ditch.”

Will gave a low whistle. “Are you injured?”

“No,” she said. “But I’m going to need some serious help getting out of this ditch.”

“Okay, sit tight. We’ll take care of you. It may take a few minutes to get there since I’m on the other side of the county.”

“Thank you,” she said, relief spilling through her. “I really appreciate it.”

“It’s what I do,” Will said. “See you soon.”

Lissa slumped back against the seat and took a deep breath. As soon as she got out of this mess, she was going to rent an SUV with the best GPS available. She just hated that she’d let Melba down by wrecking her car.

Twenty-five minutes later, a male voice called to her outside her window. “Will. Thank goodness,” she whispered and started the car. She pushed the button to lower the window. “Will?” she called, pleased that the snow had slowed to a slight white drizzle.

“It’s Gage,” the man said as she craned to see him.

“Oh, great,” she muttered to herself.

“I guess you decided not to wait until this afternoon,” he said.

“I didn’t want to waste time,” she said. “I’m going to need a giant can opener to get out.”

“Not quite,” he said, as he jumped in front of the car. His facial expression no-nonsense, he waved his hand. “Put it in Reverse and don’t gun it. Steady pressure,” he said.

“Okay,” she said and attempted to do what he’d told her. All she did was spin her wheels.

“Okay, now I want you to rock it. Put it in Drive, then Reverse.”

She followed his instructions and rocked the car. She was still spinning, but she tried it again and suddenly, the car made several inches backward. “Yay,” she cried.

“Good job,” Gage said, jumping to the side of the car. “Rock again a couple times then I’m going to give you an extra push.

She followed his instructions. “Reverse,” he shouted.

Lissa slammed into Reverse and gunned the pedal while Gage pushed and suddenly she was halfway out of the ditch. “Turn the wheel hard and brake,” he said.

The car miraculously didn’t slide back into the ditch. Gage tapped on the door. “You ready to get out of there?”

He had no idea, she thought. Lissa released the lock and scrambled from the car so quickly she lost her footing.

“Whoa,” Gage said, pulling her to her feet. She felt his brown gaze assessing her and something inside dipped. “You okay?”

She took a deep breath and inhaled the scent of leather and a hint of cologne. “Of course,” she said breathlessly. “I’m just embarrassed and I hate that I probably messed up Melba’s car. And I couldn’t get out—” She broke off when she realized her words were running together and took another quick breath. “I’m fine.”

His lip twitched. “Okay. What I’m gonna do now is pull the car the rest of the way out of the ditch. I tow stuff all the time, so this shouldn’t be any different.”

Ten minutes later, Gage was pulling the car behind his truck. Lissa sat beside him as he slowly made his way toward the main road.

“I’m sorry I caused you extra trouble,” she finally said, glancing at him.

“It happens. It could have been worse,” he said with a shrug. “You’re lucky you didn’t get hurt.”

“I really do know how to drive in the snow. I just haven’t done as much driving since I’ve been living in Manhattan,” she told him.

“You’re just a little rusty. You’ll get better with practice. You just might want to take it easy heading out into the snow. We can’t be digging you out every day,” he said with a chuckle.

“That won’t happen,” she said a little more sharply than she intended. “I’m not here to cause problems. I’m here to help.”

He shot her a quick glance. “Rust Creek Falls needs that help. You just need to remember you’re in a different place. This isn’t Manhattan.”

“I know that,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Then check the weather and take it seriously the next time you decide to head out into the far parts of the county,” he told her.

He was right. She hated it, but he was right. “Will do,” she muttered.