Lost at Heart: A Steamy Small Town Romance (Bluerock Series Book 2)

by Danielle Marx

  Eerie silence followed. All I could hear was the storm raging outside the open door and my heartbeat inside my ear. I gave Ranger Haxley a questioning look, but his eyes were pinned to the fireplace behind me. I turned around and realized my feet were covered in thick sticky mud. It was seeping from the chimney and spreading out over my boots. More crept out, slowly across the wooden floor, like a monster from a horror movie. I staggered back towards him, trying to shake the mess from my feet. The stones around the fireplace creaked, as if the force of the thick liquid was pushing them out of place.

  “What the hell is that?” I backed up a little more and hit his hard chest with my back. For some strange reason, I didn’t freak out at the contact. I was almost grateful when he grabbed my arms and pulled me further away from the leaking fireplace.

  “We have to get out of here,” his deep voice vibrated against my back. “Right now, miss. Come on.”

  I was done arguing. I’d take my chances with the handsome ranger over this.

  Just as he started to lead me towards the door, another crash hit the house so hard it almost knocked me off my feet. Ranger Haxley yanked me towards the entrance just as the high ceiling began to cave in. A mountain of earth rained down, filling the luxury house with half of the hillside. Broken trees and rocks crushed the inside within seconds.

  “Run!”

  My legs wobbled, and I couldn’t find my breath but it didn’t matter. The ranger dragged me along by his side as we shot off the porch into the torrential downpour. He ripped open the truck door, pushing me inside. I shuffled over to the passenger seat whilst he jumped in beside me and hit the gas hard.

  The tires skid in the thick mud as the debris from the house made its way along the trail. “Fuck. Come on, baby. Grip!” It was as if the truck heard him. It flew off down the trail before his door was even shut. “Buckle up, miss.”

  I did as I was told, but once the belt was secured, I couldn’t help but look back. I span around in my seat to see the damage behind us. The wipers were going like crazy on the back window, giving me enough of the sight to turn my stomach.

  It was gone. That grand vacation house, nestled along the river, was completely gone. All that remained was a humongous pile of wet earth.

  He was right. My intruder was right. Had he not dragged me from the house, I’d have been buried alive.

  Turning back around, I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to grasp the reality of what had just happened. My body trembled against the leather seat as the truck shot off into the midnight storm.

  Chapter Four

  Colton

  The stolen glance in the rearview mirror had my heart pounding against my ribcage. Talk about a close call. I could feel small pieces of the fallen hillside hit the truck as we sped off into the night. Hot adrenaline rushed through my body, and I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing. Call me crazy, but there was no denying that rush of cheating death. It wasn’t for everyone, but I’d grown up thriving on the extreme.

  “ Oh, my god. Oh, my god! What the fuck just happened?” the woman screeched beside me. She gripped the door handle, shaking from head to toe.

  This thrill clearly wasn’t for her, and I could hear the panic rising up in her voice. The light from the dashboard lit her face enough for me to get a better look at her now. Back in the house, she had such a forceful dont-fuck-with-me presence that I assumes her to be older. But this woman was young. Maybe fresh out of college. Her long dark hair was wet and mattered over her shoulders, and her clothes covered in mud. The poor girl looked like she’d battled her fair share of the storm already.

  I placed a comforting hand on her knee, and although I fully expected her to smack it away, I was pleasantly surprised when she didn’t. “It’s all right. Just stay calm. I’ll get us out of here.” I flashed her a playful smile with the hope of elevating her shock. “Pretty exciting though, huh? Can’t beat a good old storm to get the blood pumping.”

  She narrowed her dark eyes at me and pushed my hand away. “Are you fucking serious? I could have died back there!”

  “Well, I did try to warn you, but you were too busy asking me for a DNA test and a list of my credentials.”

  “Don’t mock me. I’m not the kind of girl to just run off into the night, with some handsome stranger, hoping it all ends well. I’m not stupid!”

  I raised my eyebrow at her and smirked. “Handsome, huh?”

  “Shut it, and keep your eyes on the road.”

  I couldn’t tell if she was embarrassed for the slip of her tongue or just bossy in general. Now wasn’t the time to figure out the mind of a pretty lady though. I had to stay focused. “Yes, ma’am. Hold on tight.”

  I slammed my foot down on the gas and carefully weaved around the fallen debris on the trail. We were going way too fast but time was moving against us, and I couldn’t risk the river breaking its banks and submerging the trail with us on it.

  She wrapped her arms around the door handle and pulled her legs up to her chin like a terrified child. Her breathing grew rapid, and I could hear a slight whimper as she buried her face down into her knees.

  Trying to keep my full attention on the road was impossible. This woman was about to have a full blown panic attack. That was the last thing we both needed. “Hey,” I called over to her softly, trying to jolt her out of it. She didn’t respond though, and so I tried again, a little firmer this time. “Hey, look at me.”

  She kept her head down on her knees but turned it towards my voice.

  Those gorgeous eyes fixed up on mine for a brief second before I had to look back out onto the road. “Don’t freak out, okay? I need you to stay calm. I’ll get us home, safe and sound. Trust me.”

  I glanced over to her again, and she nodded a little in response, but her chest was rising up and down way too fast.

  I needed to keep her calm whilst navigating us through the forest. I knew I could get us out of here safely, but she didn’t know that. Her panicking was completely understandable. She was cold, wet, and had almost been crushed to death. I needed to keep her from freaking out before the shock hit her too hard. “Hey, what’s your name?”

  She hesitated for a moment, taking a short breath. “Tia.”

  “Tia, huh?” I beamed back. “What a beautiful name. Just take a couple of deep breaths, Tia. The station’s not far. I promise.”

  Just then, the radio crackled to life on the dashboard. Tia jumped out of her skin. She opened her eyes wide, slamming her feet back to the floor. “What’s that?”

  I reached out for the receiver whilst keeping my other hand firmly on the steering wheel. “Anybody trying to get through? Over.”

  There was no answer. Just static. I slammed his fist down on top of it until the white noise faded slightly. “This is Chief Ranger Haxley. Respond. Over.”

  My mother’s voice crackled through on the other end. It was broken up by static and impossible for anyone to understand, but I knew exactly what she was saying. Another pointless question to clog up the line.

  “Damn it.” I slammed the receiver back down in the holder. The old radio was well on its way to retirement but shit like that cost money. Over the years, I had gotten pretty good at cracking the gibberish calls.

  “What if somebody needs help?” Tia perked up with concern.

  “It’s just my mom. She was asking where something was, I think. It’s not a big deal.” I smiled over to her, trying to lighten the mood. “I’ve told her countless times to not use the radio for pointless shit. And does she listen? Never.”

  I wasn’t sure if that was a tiny smile I could see, but Tia’s breathing had settled down at least. She still looked horrified though, staring out of the windshield. “How can you drive this fast? I can’t see a thing out there.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I know this park like the back of my hand.” I knew exactly where we were. We were approaching the turnoff that led up towards the camping ground, and eventually the ranger station. But just as I was about to take the
turn, I spotted something move on the rocks above the river.

  Tia’s body jolted forward when I slammed on the breaks. I rolled the truck a little closer, so that my headlight illuminated the ledge of jagged rocks above. Focusing on that small blurred object, I waited patiently for it to move again.

  Had I imagined it? Was it just the wind, knocking parts of the mountain down into the river? Maybe. But something in my gut told me to sit a moment and wait.

  “What are you doing? We have to keep moving, right? The river – ”

  “It’s okay,” I answered back, without taking my eyes off the rocks. “We have a little time.”

  “For what? To sit back and enjoy the scenery? Get us the fuck out of here, Ranger!”

  “Look up there. On the rock. Do you see that?”

  Tia groaned and leant in closer to me, squinting at the dark wet night. Her perfume almost stole my full attention away. “That brown thing?” She shrugged. “It’s just a broken tree branch. Let’s go.”

  Then it moved, running to the other side of the rock, giving me the confirmation I needed.

  I couldn’t hide my elation. “Holy shit!” A huge grin crept up on my face as Tia’s gorgeous dark eyes examined me. “It’s Kiki! Fuck yeah!”

  She looked at me like I was crazy, but I didn’t bother to explain and hopped straight out of the truck. I could hear her yelling for me to not leave her, but I wasn’t going anywhere far. I just needed to grab the dog so I could collect my paycheck.

  The chances of finding the dog tonight were slim at best. But here she was. Huddled up above raging rapids, like my own little money pot.

  I crept out onto the slippery rocks, trying to hold my balance. The water was deafening under my feet. Although my headlight offered some light, the rain was falling so hard, I could hardly open my eyes.

  My foot slipped a little when I jumped to the next rock, but I recovered fast and looked for a place to climb further up. There was nothing though, and I would never make it to the ledge where the dog was. I needed to coax her down. I held up my hand and patted the rock above my head, hoping to get her attention.

  “Kiki! Come on, girl!” I followed it with a sharp whistle.

  She leapt off the top ledge and into my arms. The force made me stumble back, and I tried to gain my balance, but my boot slipped off the edge.

  Within seconds, I was hanging off the ledge by my fingertips, above the raging rapids. The dog yelped and jumped up on my shoulders, back to the rock above. At least she was safe. The same couldn’t be said for me.

  I swung my body over, so that my dog-free hand could now grip the edge. My heart hammered in my chest, and my adrenalin had gone into overdrive. I used every muscle I had to hoist my body back up before I fell to my death.

  Once I made it back on to the rock, I caught back my breath and grabbed Kiki before she ran back off into the storm. By the time we got back to the truck, the river had broken its banks, and the water flowed over the top of my boots. I needed to get us all off this road and fast.

  Ripping open the door, I tossed the dog to Tia and hopped in. She screamed as the soggy creature scrambled around on her lap. “What the fuck is that?”

  I slammed my door shut, checked the rearview mirror, and raced up to the clear path home. “Kiki.”

  “What the fuck is a kiki?”

  I chuckled at her as the truck sped up the hill. I couldn’t blame her for not recognizing the animal. The poor thing looked like a wet haired alien. And she stunk like garbage. “It’s a pedigree show dog.”

  She stopped panicking and wrinkled her nose up when the dog panted directly in her face. “This disgusting thing is a show dog? Wait a minute. This is the same dog those people were looking for?”

  “Yep. And be grateful for this disgusting show dog. It saved your life tonight. If they hadn’t told me you were at that house, you’d be dead by now.”

  She held onto it tighter. I wasn’t sure if it was out of gratitude, or the fact that I was turning a harsh corner.

  It had been a hell of an experience for all three of us, and as the realization hit, so did my buzz. My hands smacked against the steering wheel, and I couldn’t help but let out the laugh this time.

  Tia was eyeing me carefully. She must have thought I was a madman, laughing in the face of danger. “Are you alright, Ranger?”

  “That was wild, right? See, I told you a storm gets the thrills pumping.” I could hear the excitement in my own voice, like a kid hyped up on sugar.

  She stared at me with concern. “You could have died.”

  “Nah. I’m a professional, darlin’.”

  “You’re bleeding.”

  Really? I glanced in the rearview mirror. Fresh blood trickled down my temple. It wasn’t deep, but I should have felt something. I couldn’t even remember getting it. “I probably just caught it on the rocks. It’s nothing.”

  Tia squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. “You’re insane. This whole thing is insane.” Her voice turned high and rapid. “What the hell am I doing here? I’m with a crazy mountain man, in the middle of nowhere! What the fuck is going on right now? What the fuck ?”

  “All right. Calm down.”

  “Don’t tell me to calm down!” The dog barked on her lap, and she jumped in her seat, almost knocking the filthy thing to the floor.

  “If you won’t calm down for me, then at the very least, calm the fuck down for the dog. She’s had a rough vacation, and you’re making her very nervous.”

  Tia glared at me with murder in her eyes. “ I’m making her nervous? Me ?”

  “Yeah. You’re giving her a vibe right now. A hostile kind of feeling. Dogs don’t like that shit, so I need you to chill for her sake.”

  “What about you, buddy?”

  “What about me? I’m calm. I’m positive. I’m bonding with her right now. We’re making that human and dog connection thing.”

  “You almost dropped her in the river! I think if the dogs pissed at anyone, then it’s you. She was doing fine out there, and then you came along and she almost drowned.”

  “Hey, I saved her ass!”

  “And then you’re all, ‘ Woo hoo, thrilling storm, high five ’. You think that’s calming, Ranger? Do you?”

  She had a point. “Okay, I get it. I’m sorry. Just calm down, okay?”

  “Stop telling me to fucking calm down!”

  The dog barked again as I pulled the truck to a stop and turned off the engine.

  We’d made it, just like I knew we would, but it was clear the reality of salvation had only just hit her. Tia’s eyes sparkled with joy at the sight of the wooden building by my window. She’d gone from panic to relief within seconds. The light from the station filled the truck with a soft glow, and I could finally get a decent look at her.

  Damn, she was gorgeous. Dark almond shaped eyes and olive skin. Her soft full lips smiled for the first time, making my mouth water. She was cold, drenched, and covered in dirt, but none of that mattered. I had still never in my life seen a more beautiful smile.

  “Is it safe?” she asked, with some hesitation.

  “Safe as houses.” I snickered. “Poor expression in recent events. But yeah, it’s safe.”

  “Well, what are we waiting for?” She hopped out into the storm with the dog waddling behind her and raced up to the porch.

  Chapter Five

  Tia

  As soon as I opened the door, the damn dog ran under my foot, toppling me over into a display stand. Ranger Haxley caught me before I hit the ground, taking my breath away with him. I looked up at his face, and for the first time I could see him clearly.

  His hair was lighter than I thought. Dirty blonde, cropped close with a little length on top. His chiseled jaw had a light dusting of stubble, and his nose looked as though it had been broken one too many times. Nevertheless, he was still ridiculously handsome.

  Those gentle, sky blue eyes gazed into mine, turning my tense muscles to liquid in his arms. I spotted a small smirk
on his lips and couldn’t help but smile back. It was contagious as hell.

  “Kiki! Baby!”

  The woman’s cry snapped me back to my senses, and I wriggled free from his strong hold and pulled my eyes away. Looking down at the floor, I saw a mess of scattered postcards and muddy paw prints.

  The blonde woman that I’d met on the river trail, cradled the dog in her lap. “She looks awful, Barry. Just look at her. Her coat is ruined.”

  “It’ll grow back, honey,” he replied in a monotone voice. He strutted over to us and shook Ranger Haxley’s hand. “Nice job, Ranger. I hope it wasn’t too bad out there.”

  “Nah, just a little rain.”

  Just a little rain?

  What the hell was wrong with this guy? He was courageous and handsome, sure. But this man was a total adrenaline junkie with zero fear. An absolute accident waiting to happen. I felt like I had aged ten years in the space of an hour, and here he was, smiling from ear to ear, with his eyes glued to the TV screen on the other side of the room.

  “Hey, who won the game?”

  The other man scratched his black goatee, looking as confused as me at the ranger’s priorities. “Oh, um, the Red Wings.”

  “Woo hoo! Fuck yeah!” He punched the air and turned to me. “Looks like you’re my lucky charm tonight, beautiful Tia.” He bounced off through what appeared to be an archway, leading into a brightly lit kitchen.

  The dolled up housewife looked up at me and grimaced. “My gosh. Are you okay, sweetie? You look like hell.”

  All I could manage was a small nod.

  I glanced about the room, making sure it was as safe as the ranger had made out. It looked like a small visitors centre inside a large wooden cabin. By the door was a sitting area with two small sofas and a coffee table. A selection of guides and pamphlets spread out across it, along with a jar of crayons and some coloring sheets for kids. Opposite was the kitchen and the large TV that hung above a huge tourist information desk. There was a small woodburner in the corner, to keep the place warm and toasty. I turned around to see an old messy desk by my side, covered in paperwork and dirty coffee cups.