Things with her ex-fiance hadn’t exactly gone as planned. She’d waited months to figure out how to break the news to him. He’d always been clear that he didn’t want kids. That he detested the very sight of them.
Elena thought she could deal with that. After all, it wasn’t like she could have one of her own. That little positive sign on the pregnancy test had changed everything – including ending a three-year relationship.
“Well, I don’t like this,” Allegra said. “Not one bit. You don’t belong there anymore, Elena. You’re a city girl. That place has nothing to offer you.”
Elena didn’t say anything, but she hoped within her heart that her best friend was wrong.
“Maybe that’s the case, but I’m broke and I’ve got no-where else to go.” She chewed on her bottom lip. “It’s not like I have a choice.”
Allegra sighed. “Of course. I’m sorry. Life isn’t fair sometimes.”
“Tell me about it.”
She squinted through the windshield at the road up ahead. It twisted back and forth, thick brambles on either side of the ditch blocking much of the view. There were still a few more miles to go before she got to town, but she could’ve sworn that there were some strange looking shadows hovering over the road ahead.
“What is that?” she asked.
Her phone beeped in her ear – the telltale warning that her battery was running low.
“What was what?” Allegra asked impatiently.
“I’m not sure.” Elena squinted at the coming curve. “But I think they’re...”
Suddenly, her car came upon half a dozen large cows gathered in the middle of the road. Elena screeched and slammed on the breaks, swerving to miss the first of the herd. It blinked its large brown eyes at her as if she were nothing more than a fly on its rear.
Elena jerked the wheel, sending the phone flying and her speeding car onto the shoulder of the road. It thudded several times and she closed her eyes tight, hoping she hadn’t just run over a baby cow. That would be the end of her. She wouldn’t be able to go on with her life if she killed an innocent animal.
The car finally came to a complete stop. With a shaking hand, Elena put it into park and sat back in her seat, her eyes still closed. Her heart threatened to burst from her chest. She took a deep breath and then rubbed a hand over her stomach. The baby was safe.
With hesitation, she opened one eye and then the other. Her car had managed to stay on the shoulder. At least she hadn’t gone completely off the road. Turning toward her side window, she shrieked again when she saw a large black face. A cow was chewing its cud and watching her, standing inches from her car.
“Elena? Elena, answer me!” Allegra’s voice sounded from the phone that had landed on the passenger side floor. “Are you okay?”
Elena unbuckled her seat belt and scrambled to grab the phone. Putting it to her ear, she let out a nervous laugh. “I’m okay, but I nearly took out a herd of cattle in the middle of the road.”
“Cows in the middle of the road?” Allegra said incredulously. “Aren’t those things dangerous? They should be locked up.”
“They’re harmless,” Elena said with another breathless laugh. “They must’ve broken free from their field. Really, I’m fine, Allegra.”
“Okay...” Allegra didn’t sound like she believed her. “But stay in your car until they’re gone, do you hear me? I don’t want to hear about my best friend dying from Mad Cow disease or something like that.”
Elena chuckled. “You can’t get Mad Cow disease that way.”
“Whatever. Just come back to me in one piece.”
“I will. I promise.”
The phone beeped again. Elena held it up in time to see the screen blink and then go black. She swore and pressed the power button, only to find a dead phone. Tossing it on the passenger seat, she opened her door and let herself out of the car.
By now, the cows had begun to migrate into the ditch and up toward a nearby grassy field. Elena shielded her eyes and watched them go, thankful that she hadn’t hit one of those massive beasts with her car. She wasn’t sure how good her rental insurance was, but she was pretty sure they wouldn’t be happy to hear she’d totaled their car with a walking milk shake.
She inched herself toward the trunk of her car, trying to build up her courage enough to look at what she’d ran over. With a deep breath, she trailed her eyes down the road and to her relief saw the remnants of an old rusty bumper that had been abandoned in the ditch. Not a baby cow. At least she wasn’t a murderer.
But ten seconds later, that relief dried up when she spotted the condition of her front driver’s tire. The impact with the rusty bumper must’ve punctured a massive hole in it, because it lay completely flat on the gravel shoulder.
She wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
“Great. Just great.” Elena threw her chin up and glared at the endless blue sky above her. “Is this a sign? Or, is my life just one big joke after another?”
She listened hard for a response, as if the heavens would open up and give her some sort of message from the great beyond. But the only thing she heard was a cricket chirping in the nearby grass and the soft sound of tall grass blowing in the wind.
“Alright, enough with the pity party.” She dusted off her hands and looked expectantly at the rental. “Now, tell me they at least gave me a spare somewhere inside this thing.”
Ten minutes later, she’d finally managed to find the spare tire in the trunk of the car and drag it out onto the ground. With the tire iron in hand, she looked back and forth from the tire to the trunk. Something didn’t feel right. Why hadn’t she listened to her grandpa all those times he’d tried to teach her how to change a spare? She had the tire and a tire iron. What else did she need?
“You’re kidding me.” She leaned over the trunk again, her green eyes narrowing. “No, no, no. It’s got to be here.”
They’d forgotten to leave her a jack. With no jack, it would be impossible to change the tire. And with a dead cell phone, she’d be stuck there until the next person came along. On a road like this, there was no telling when that would be.
“This is not how I planned our new start, baby,” she said to her belly, giving it a rub as she leaned back against the white Buick. “I mean, I wasn’t exactly expecting fanfare and trumpets, but something better than this.”
Maybe she should go back to Chicago. But with no place to live, no fiance, and a dead end job, it wasn’t likely to be a promising start. She couldn’t do that to her child. He or she deserved better. And she was determined to be the mother she never had.
“We’re going to make this work,” she said firmly to her belly, giving it one last caress. “I promise, little one.”
The sound of an approaching motor made her perk up. It was her lucky day. She peered down the road and saw a large silver pick-up coming her way. It slowed down when it came around the corner. She raised her hand and waved, silently thanking whoever was driving. At least she hadn’t had to wait long.
The truck came to a stop several yards behind hers. The engine cut and the driver side door swung open. Out stepped Henry Brandt with a look of bewilderment on his face. He took in the sight of her car and the iron in her hand, and an amused expression crept on his face.
“I guess you might want that ride after all?”
LACY ANDERSEN is the author of several series, including the Billionaire Matchmaker, the Monstrana Paranormal Romances, Faking Ever After, and the Dark Angel Wars. When not writing or dreaming up stories to tell, Lacy is busy running after her daughter, watching Netflix with her husband, or reading the latest releases. She has a serious addiction to cotton candy, loves to compete in any type of game, and is currently planning her next trip around the world.
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Faking Ever After with the Bodyguard: A Sweet Fake Romance Page 16
