Pamela Macaluso - The Cowboy Who Came In From The Cold

Right, Patrice, like your wits are in any kind of competent shape after a day and a half with little sleep and over twenty-four hours on the road.

He carried her to the truck. When he opened the door, the heated air hit her face in a blast of warmth. He set her in the driver’s seat because that was closest to where they’d stood. For an instant she considered throwing the engine in gear and driving away, but he was right behind her. Because of his height, the bench seat was back far enough that it was easy for her to scoot across to the other side—all the way to the passenger door.

The stranger started the truck moving as soon as he got in and closed the door.

Patrice looked back at her car. She hated to abandon it this way. They’d come so far together in the past twenty-four hours that a special bond now linked them. It had never been more than a way to get to and from work, until her whole life had come crashing down around her, and then it had become her means of escape. Now she was saying “Thank you” by abandoning it.

Her thoughts snapped to reality when she remembered the personal items she’d brought on the trip with her. “Wait! My luggage!” How could she have forgotten?

The stranger continued to accelerate. “It won’t go anywhere.”

The suitcase was in the trunk. “My briefcase and laptop are in the back seat, and my cellular phone is on the front seat, and I didn’t lock the door.”

He peeled the scarf off the lower half of his face, tucking it around his neck. It didn’t give her any better view of her rescuer, since he had a dark beard covering his chin and jaw, and a mustache that hid his top lip. All that was new to the picture was his nose and full bottom lip. But it was enough for her to know this man was a looker—in that sexy rugged mountain man way.

Now that his eyes weren’t squinting to protect them from the frigid wind, she could see them better. They were an incredible shade of blue...and framed by thick dark lashes.

He had great eyes, seductive eyes, except at the moment, the message they were sending was one of annoyance, not enticement “Lady, your stuff will be safe. No one is dumb enough to be out in this weather.”

“Meaning no one else is dumb enough to be out in this weather.”

He glanced her way. No words were necessary; the glance spoke volumes.

Did he have any idea how stop-in-your-tracks good-looking he was?

What was she thinking? A stranger picks her up along the side of the road and all she can think about is how attractive he is? Maybe her brain had frostbite.

Technically he was a stranger to her, but an expected stranger, and one she was relieved to see. She’d spoken to the sheriff of Clancy, Montana, and he’d said he would send someone with a tow truck to help her.

Suddenly she realized she wasn’t sitting in a tow truck. “Sheriff Jackson said he was calling someone with a tow truck,” she said nervously, slightly suspicious of her rescuer.

“I have one. But at the moment, it’s on the far side of the ranch. Besides, we never would have made it in time.”

“In time for what?”

“In time to be back safely before the storm gets going.”

“You’re really expecting a blizzard?”

He took a deep breath and let it out. Even with the heater on the highest setting, a white puff of condensation accompanied it. “Surely those fancy city wheels of yours must have a radio. Haven’t you been listening to it?”

She’d been listening to CDs—soft, soothing music, in an attempt to counter the turmoil in her mind and spirit.

“Yes, the car has a radio, but I hadn’t been listening to it.”

He shook his head. “Didn’t you notice the clouds gathering?”

Earlier, all her attention had been on the road. Two lanes, wet where the snow hit and melted.

Knowing where the conversation was heading, she didn’t answer him. After the past thirty-six hours, the last thing she needed was some modern-day Jeremiah Johnson lecturing her about being on the road without keeping track of the weather.

She settled into her seat, rubbing her gloved hands together. Thank heaven she’d bought the gloves, hat, scarf and snow boots the last time she’d stopped for gas. She was cold enough with them. Being without would have been unthinkable. A heavier jacket would have helped, too. Something like the sheepskin-lined coat the man beside her was wearing.

The stranger slowed the truck, looking to the left. A minute later, he turned, steering between two metal stakes. There was a shallow buildup of snow on what seemed more like a trail leading into the forest than a road. He put the truck into four-wheel drive.

Patrice looked around trying to memorize the surroundings—just in case. But she couldn’t make out any discernible landmarks. There were lots of trees and a number of rocks, all dusted with white snow. None were distinctive enough to make a good marker. Metal stakes were posted at regular intervals, marking the trail, but she had no idea how many similar trails were in the area. Would she be able to find her way back alone and on foot if she had to make a run for it?

Part of her was nervous and on guard, while the other part urged her to give the guy the benefit of the doubt, trusting that he really was there to help, not indulge in nefarious deeds. Her budding trust was shaken when the trail narrowed even more, curved and started upward.

“We’re going higher? Shouldn’t we be heading down the mountain?”

“The nearest shelter is this way.”

Shelter? How did he define shelter?

The flakes were falling faster, whirling around before splatting against the windshield, and there were more of them joining in the dance as time passed. A shiver of unease passed through her as she finally admitted to herself that he might be right about the blizzard after all.

They drove another five minutes or so, then the road widened into a clearing. In the middle of it was a snow-covered log cabin. Patrice would have appreciated it more as a photo on a Christmas card than up close and personal as she sat shivering in a pickup truck.

The stranger pulled around to the side of the cabin, parked beside a lean-to and turned off the engine. Without the rumbling and the whooshing of the heater, the wail of the wind echoed outside the truck’s cab. Her mysterious rescuer reached across her and took a cellular phone out of the glove compartment. Tucking the phone into his pocket, he opened the driver’s side door, slid out, then grabbed the rifle.

Patrice couldn’t stop her quick intake of breath. “Do you have to bring that? I mean, can’t you leave it in the truck?”

“Most bears are hibernating this time of year, so if one shows up, it’s liable to be extra cranky.” He closed the driver’s door and headed for the cabin.

Bears?

Patrice looked in all directions before hopping out of the truck and quickly following him to the narrow porch. A wooden sign hung over the door. Burned into it was the letter G nestled inside a larger letter C, and next to that, the number five.

Inside, the cabin looked larger than it did from the outside, but it was still a long way from what anyone would call spacious. And it was dark. Light struggled through the shuttered windows and only the open doorway made a dent in the darkness.

The man took off his gloves and lit the two kerosene lanterns sitting on the wooden table. He left one on the table and set the other on top of the dresser sitting next to a set of bunk beds. The only other furniture in the room was two benches along either side of the table and a small couch.

“Close the door.”

She did as he asked. Leaning against the heavy wooden barrier, ready to make a run for it if needed, she watched him light fires in the stone fireplace and the woodstove. When she noticed he’d left the rifle on a rack beside the door, she felt more at ease.