by Sue Lyndon
Hell, she might as well forget her name. Emily who? She angrily tore her nametag off her shirt and threw it on the floor.
Ten minutes later, she arrived at her rental house. She entered quickly and ran to her bedroom, pulling out a suitcase from under her bed. Opening the closet and all her dresser drawers, she tossed clothing and shoes into the suitcase until it was full. She gathered a few books, all of them presents from Aunt Jamie, some nonperishable food items, a small photo album, and two flashlights, and shoved them in a large handbag. Most of the money she’d saved was in the bank in a savings account, and she wouldn’t be able to access it before leaving town. But she had a few hundred dollars hidden in a jar behind some books in the living room, and she pulled out the crisp bills and tucked them into her purse.
There. All packed. She panted and spun in a circle, checking one last time to see if she’d forgotten anything important. Well, even if she had, she had to leave. Now.
George might already be awake. The cops could be on their way here at this very moment. She held her breath for a long second, listening for the sound of sirens and screeching tires. But aside from the pounding of her heart in her ears, she only heard crickets and a dog barking in the distance.
She ran outside and into the night. As she threw her belongings into her car, she spared a longing glace at Mr. and Mrs. Maccabee’s house. The porch light had been left on. Most nights the old couple forgot to shut it off before they turned in for the evening.
Guilt visited her over her sudden departure as the police would wake them and question them in the middle of the night, no doubt. She wished she had enough time to say goodbye. Enough time to explain the truth and apologize for the trouble she’d caused them. Their kindness wouldn’t be forgotten.
Emily jumped in her car and sped off in the opposite direction from where she’d left George lying in the road. Doubts and fears clouded her mind as she navigated the back roads of Remsfield until finally reaching a main road and eventually a highway. Though she wanted to drive one hundred miles per hour the whole way north, she had to keep it at the speed limit or risk getting caught. The sooner she made it to Oklahoma, the better. At least, that’s where she thought she was headed. She didn’t have a map or a GPS on her phone. She couldn’t afford such luxuries, so she drove blindly on the highway, looking for road signs but constantly missing them due to her nervousness and agitated state, until the gas light in her car dinged.
“No, no, no!” she said, squinting as she looked for signs of a gas station.
To her relief, she found a truck stop and managed to get in and leave with a full tank of gas in about five minutes, paying cash because she dared not use her bank card. The attendant, an old man with tattoos covering his arms, didn’t even glance up at her as she handed him the exact amount.
Back on the road, Emily became nervous when she spotted a car pulled over by two cops. The highway probably wasn’t the smartest road to take, she realized as she once again scanned ahead for an exit. After a few miles, she took an exit that seemed to lead to nowhere. No stores. No gas stations. Just the name of a road she’d never heard of and would likely forget.
She blinked rapidly as fatigue set in and cursed herself for not taking the time to grab a coffee at the gas station. More than once she nodded off only to jerk awake just in time to avoid landing in a ditch. The further she drove, the fewer cars she passed, and she realized she was indeed in the middle of nowhere. Maybe she could find a place to park and catch a few hours of sleep.
Despite her complete exhaustion, she decided to drive for at least one more hour. Maybe she’d inadvertently cross over into Oklahoma by then. She could only hope. She didn’t want to spend a good chunk of her life in jail for defending herself against a slimeball cop.
She should have refused the strip search and demanded a female officer do it back in town. She berated herself for letting fear and fatigue cloud her ability to think rationally. Believing George’s story about recent drug problems in town and the new search protocols had been stupid. So stupid. A fresh wave of tears wet her face as she continued down the road, headlights blaring into the blackness surrounded by fields and the occasional patch of woods.
The bastard. He’d ruined her life. No matter how far she ran, she’d always be looking over her shoulder. So much for college and trying to make a fresh start.
Emily sniffled and wiped her tears away. At least her trembling had stopped—though fear still occupied her heart and would for some time. She’d actually knocked a man unconscious. She couldn’t believe she’d had that kind of strength in her, but she was grateful she’d managed to escape.
The dark road ahead blurred. Sleep called her name like a comforting lullaby. She fought to stay alert but soon lost the battle. Her heavy eyelids closed, and she didn’t jerk awake until the moment before impact.
Chapter Two
Daniel stretched his legs out on the porch and stared into the beautiful night. The endless star-encrusted sky was humbling. His mother had always said any man who thought too highly of himself need only stare at the night sky, at the billions and billions of stars, until he realized how insignificant he actually was. A drop in the universe’s bucket, she’d say. He smiled and took a sip of his beer as memories washed over him.
The Twisted River Ranch had foundered after his father passed away of lung cancer six years ago, a mere month after Daniel had opened his own family practice in town. But Daniel and his younger brother, Trevor, convinced a few of their cousins to join the remaining ranch hands, and the Twisted River had flourished since then. Fortunately, their mother had lived to see it have brighter days before she suffered a massive heart attack and went to be with their father.
Daniel took another sip of beer and stood up, ready for bed. He’d gone to visit a friend in the hospital a few hours away and hadn’t returned home until after three in the morning. At least tomorrow was the last Friday of the month. His practice was always closed on the last Friday of the month, and he was glad for the extra-long weekend. Not that he did much relaxing on the weekends; he always pitched in around the ranch. He was, however, looking forward to the three weeks of vacation time he had coming up the following week. A friend from medical school had joined his practice a few weeks ago and insisted Daniel take his first vacation in six years.
A pair of headlights appeared in the distance, and Daniel paused when he noticed the car swerving back and forth on the road. A flash of anger ignited in his chest and his blood boiled. He had no tolerance for drunk drivers, and he worried the car in question belonged to one of the ranch hands. As the car neared the end of the long driveway, he glared at the headlights and shot down the porch. He’d rip the ranch hand a new one and send him packing.
The car veered dangerously close to the dark tree line, and Daniel winced as a loud crash pierced the night. He threw his beer down and took off running at full speed. The headlights had disappeared, but he saw a faint glow in the distance rising up from the side of the road. Luckily the stars and moon provided enough light that he didn’t need to run in the house to fetch a flashlight first. He sprinted down the lane and past the mailboxes. Panting, he crossed the road and stumbled down into the ditch.
The front of the vehicle was smashed and bent around a tree.
Dammit. He rushed to the driver’s side only to discover a large rock blocking the door. Cursing, he hurried to the passenger’s side and opened the door. He felt around for a light and finally settled for opening up the visors so he could see the victim. His boots crunched over glass, and he brushed more glass off the passenger seat and slid into the car to examine the woman moaning over the air bag.
He couldn’t believe she hadn’t been knocked out by the impact.
“Ma’am? Can you hear me?” He touched her shoulder and waited as she lifted her blonde head and met his gaze. Not ma’am. Miss was more like it. She was young, probably college aged. What the hell had she been doing driving out here in the middle of the night? He didn’t
recognize her, and Daniel knew every face in town since he’d grown up in these parts and almost everyone local went to his practice.
“Miss,” he said, “can you hear me?”
Blue eyes wide and full of shock, she nodded and touched her head, wincing. “Guess the air bag saved me,” she said.
His gaze swept over her body as he looked for injuries. At first glance, he only saw scrapes and bruises, but he needed to be sure. He needed to get her in the house and examine her in better light. The nearest hospital was an hour away, and he didn’t see the need to rush her there when he could tend to her injuries himself.
“My name is Daniel, and I’m a doctor. Can you tell me your name, miss?” Try as he might, he couldn’t keep the anger out of his voice. It was four in the morning and she’d been out driving, likely after too many drinks, and now her car was crashed on his property.
“I—I’m Sharon.” Her hesitant look spoke of fear, and he tried to swallow his initial anger and give her the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps she lived around here and he didn’t know it, and perhaps she hadn’t been drinking at all. Although as he leaned closer the faint smell of booze hit him.
Daniel grasped her hand and forced a smile. “I’m here to help you, Sharon. Do you think you can crawl out of the car with my help?”
She returned his smile, though tears brimmed in her eyes. The urge to wipe them away fell upon Daniel, and he shook the feeling away and beckoned Sharon to follow his lead and crawl out of the car. He grabbed her purse from the floor of the passenger’s seat and handed it to her, brushed shards of glass off the console and helped her over it, then swept her up in his arms once she cleared the car.
“Hey!” she said. “I can walk.”
Daniel ignored her protests and effortlessly carried her up to the road, crossed it, and headed for the house.
“I said I could walk, mister. Put me down!” She pushed at his chest. Her breath didn’t smell of booze, giving him pause. Her words weren’t slurred either.
“Behave yourself, little lady. You were just in a bad accident. I’m certain that car of yours is totaled. Let me take care of your injuries and then we can call your family to come get you.”
She stiffened the moment he mentioned family, and her face appeared pale in the porch lights. Daniel carried her into the house and wished Trevor were home, but he was out of town for a few days on a case, leaving Daniel alone with the girl.
He laid her down on a couch in the living room and stared into her eyes, frowning to see fear written all over her face.
“Hey,” he said gently, tipping her chin up. “You’re okay, Sharon. You don’t need to be afraid. Take a few deep, slow breaths for me. Please?” He smiled again and nodded, urging her to regulate her breathing.
She took the deep breaths and then seemed to calm down a bit, relaxing into the couch as she continuously shot him suspicious glances. Her hands fidgeted nervously in her lap, and she looked as if she wanted to bolt out of the house.
“I’m going to get my bag now. I’ll be right back. Don’t move.”
Daniel grabbed his medical bag out of his study and hurried back to Sharon’s side, still reflecting over her identity. The only Sharon he knew was eighty years old and lived at the end of Spooner Street in town, right next to the ice cream shop. This Sharon definitely wasn’t from around here.
“Do you feel nauseous at all?” he asked.
“No,” she said with a shake of her head.
Few words passed between them as he tended to her cuts and scrapes, dabbing alcohol on them before bandaging the worst wounds. Fortunately none required stitches, and he determined she didn’t have a concussion. She knew the date, the president, and correctly answered every other question about current events he asked. He brushed her hair out of her face and looked at her as if she were a puzzle he had to solve. And she was. Young women didn’t just appear out of nowhere in the middle of the night. All he knew about her was her name.
“Tell me where you’re from, Sharon. I don’t believe you’re from Trentsville, are you?”
“Trentsville?” she asked, her eyebrows pinching together as confusion played across her face.
“That’s the name of the town closest to here. It’s an hour away from anything else. Can you tell me where you were headed before you crashed?” He pulled up an ottoman and sat next to her.
“I—I was just on my way to visit some friends who live nearby,” she said, her eyes dancing around the room.
“Friends who live nearby? If they live nearby, Sharon, how is it you didn’t know that you’re in Trentsville? Were you lost?”
Her face crumpled and she dashed a tear away. “I’m not lost. I’m running away. I’m sorry I lied to you just now. The truth is, I don’t have any idea where I am right now. I fell asleep behind the wheel.”
“Sharon, running away is never the answer. I’m sure your family is worried sick about you.”
She shook her head. “I don’t really have any family. Just a mother who doesn’t give a shit. But she’s not the person I was running away from.”
Concern for this stranger, this tiny young woman, filled Daniel to bursting. Fear continued to radiate off her, and he sensed she’d endured something horrific. Something that had caused her to flee wherever she called home in the middle of the night.
He clasped her hands in his. “Sharon, I’m a doctor in Trentsville and I own this ranch, the Twisted River, with my brother, Trevor. He’s not here right now. We’re good, trustworthy people. Trevor’s actually a Texas Ranger. Whatever happened to you, you can tell me, and I promise to help you.”
“I’m going to end up in jail!” she sobbed, her shoulders heaving. “I didn’t do anything wrong, but if they catch me, I’ll go to jail for a long time. The cops will never, ever believe my story.”
“Slow down, Sharon. Take a few more slow breaths. Now, what story is it that the cops won’t believe?”
She studied him from behind her tearful, red-rimmed eyes, as if assessing whether or not he could be trusted. Finally she spoke, spilling the details of a story more horrendous than any he could have imagined. His heart broke as she described her ordeal on the side of a back road near her hometown, and his blood pounded in his ears while she told of the strip search and what happened next, right up to the heavy kick she’d landed in the perverted cop’s face.
Speechless, Daniel held her hands and processed the story she’d told him. Even though he’d just met her, he believed her without a doubt. The desperation lacing her voice revealed a young woman at the end of her rope, ready to reach out and ask for help. Obviously she’d confessed her ordeal to him because she sensed she could trust him. He vowed to help her in any way possible—even if it meant breaking the law to keep her safe. He knew Trevor would do the same.
He sighed and squeezed her hands, and the warmth produced by this simple touch moved something inside him. “I believe you’re telling the truth, Sharon. Trevor’s had to deal with a few dirty cops from time to time. You need to report this. Trevor can help you go to the police.”
She paled and shook her heard. “I have a record. The cops will never believe me. I’ve been arrested five times. And George is the sheriff’s son. No cop in my town will believe my story, and I’ll end up charged and convicted of assaulting a police officer. Oh, and my name’s not Sharon.” She flushed. “Sorry. I lied about that too. My name is Emily.”
* * *
He believed her story! The handsome man who’d rescued her on the side of the road hadn’t called her a liar or looked at her suspiciously. Though he’d seemed angry upon first discovering her, his annoyance had faded and he now regarded her with warmth.
She drank in his features, her fingertips itching to touch the dark stubble covering the lower half of his face. His dark brown hair was cropped short but was mussed, as if he had a habit of running his hands through it. He had a prominent nose and a strong square jaw, and the kindness reflected in his large brown eyes made her melt. Even though
he was a doctor and simply doing his job, it was nice to have someone care about her—if only for a while. Not even her last boyfriend, the one she’d trusted enough to give her virginity to, had looked at her with such kindness and compassion.
Next to Daniel’s huge form, she felt tiny but safe. She held his gaze and a nervous flutter moved in her stomach, but she attributed it to her brain not working correctly. A girl could only go so many hours without sleep before going crazy and falling for random strangers, even if this particular stranger was the most handsome man she’d ever met.
Emily closed her eyes for a second and said a quick prayer of thanks. After hours of worry and hours of driving blindly, she’d been so confused she hadn’t known what to do. Other than drive—but obviously that had been a bad idea. Daniel had been gentle as he’d bandaged her cuts, and his sense of humor had shown through as he’d asked her the questions about current events, even including a few silly questions about movies and celebrities.
The whole time she’d been driving, she’d been praying. Though she hadn’t been to church in years, not since her Aunt Jamie had taken her, she still believed that God listened and she spoke to him every day. Perhaps crashing outside this kind rancher’s house hadn’t been a coincidence. She shut her eyes briefly to give thanks for this miracle, and when she opened her eyes, she practically swooned at the concerned look Daniel had fixed on her.
He squeezed her hands again, and she smiled up at him. “Thank you for believing me, Daniel.”
“How did you end up all the way out here?” He drew slow circles on her hands with his thumb. Though she normally hated when someone touched her, she didn’t mind his touch. It calmed her, and she’d almost stopped shaking.
“I wanted to try crossing over into Oklahoma, but I didn’t want to risk getting caught on the highways, so I veered off on a random exit and kept taking back road after back road.” Her heart swelled to see understanding flicker in his eyes. Daniel wouldn’t hurt her and he wouldn’t turn her in to the authorities.
