by Rachel Lacey
“Gabrielle Winters—Gabby. An ice pack does sound great. You’re awfully well prepared.” She blew out a breath and waved her hands in front of her cheeks.
“I like living on the edge, but I always keep a basic first aid kit on hand. Then I can at least patch myself up…well, most of the time.” He winked at her.
Her lips curved in the faintest of smiles.
Ethan found her 100 percent captivating, even in her current wasp-stung condition. He cracked the ice pack to activate it, then handed it to her.
She pressed it against her forehead with a sigh of relief.
“You got a lot of stings. Sure you’re okay?”
She grimaced. The hand holding the cold pack, he noticed, was shaking. “Actually—” And then she stepped backward, tripped, and landed with a splash in the stream.
* * *
Gabby let out a startled squeak as she landed flat on her butt in the stream. But then…oh, the cold water felt so good. Her skin was on fire, like a million stingers were never-endingly piercing every inch of her body. She lay back in the stream, splashing more water over herself.
“You okay?” Ethan leaned over her, offering a hand to pull her up.
She shook her head. The cold water felt too good. Her skin might burst into flames if she got out now. She pressed a cold, wet hand to her forehead and squeezed her eyes shut. Why did she hurt all the way to her toes when she’d only been stung on her face? Somewhere in the back of her pain-wracked brain, she was aware she was making a total fool of herself in front of Ethan Hunter.
Of course, if she had to get stung by yellow jackets after wandering onto some guy’s private property and then fall on her butt in a stream, of course said man would have to look like he belonged on the cover of GQ magazine.
With his tousled blond hair and tanned, muscular arms, Ethan Hunter looked more like a movie star than a Boy Scout. He might be the hottest guy she’d ever met. And oh God…
She moaned, watching as his cold pack floated away. Her heart was racing, and her skin…her skin felt like it was being devoured by ants.
“Gabby, you’re scaring me.”
“I’m okay,” she answered, this time letting him pull her to her feet. The pain increased tenfold as she left the cold caress of the water. She was torn between the desire to claw at herself until she bled or cover her eyes and scream.
Speaking of eyes, Ethan’s had darkened considerably. Following his gaze, she looked down to see her breasts outlined beneath her now soaking-wet white tank top, her nipples visible through the thin shell of her bra. Her skirt was also plastered to her skin, probably highlighting her panties in similar fashion. Crossing her arms over her chest, she turned away.
What a nightmare. She needed to send him on his way, pronto. This little encounter was headed from bad to worse, and if she didn’t get into a cold shower in the next ten minutes, she might spontaneously combust.
He pulled out a cell phone and held it to his ear. “Hi, Max. I’m so glad I caught you. Got a minute?” He paused. “Great. I’m with a hiker who got stung by yellow jackets, at least half a dozen stings, and most them are on her face and scalp. She says she’s not allergic, but—”
“I’m not,” she repeated, “but my skin is on fire.”
Ethan repeated this to whoever he was talking to, then looked at her. “Are you having any difficulty breathing? Any itching or swelling in your throat?”
She shook her head. “Just my skin. And my heart is really racing.”
He spoke into the phone again. Gabby knelt by the stream and scooped a fresh handful of water to splash over her face. Who cared what kind of impression she made on Ethan at this point?
“Hey.” He came up behind her. “My friend Maxine is an ER nurse. She says you’re probably just reacting to the amount of venom in your system, but we should get you checked out to be safe. I’ll drive you to the clinic. I wish I had some Benadryl to give you in the meantime.”
“Oh.” She stood, backing away. “I guess it’s probably a good idea to get checked out, but I can drive myself.”
He gave her a look that said hell no. “I have a change of clothes in my Jeep. I doubt the shorts would do anything for you, but I can at least offer you a dry T-shirt.”
“That’s really not necessary. I’ll drive myself straight to the doctor, I promise.” She yanked at a chunk of her hair, desperate to relieve the burning, crawling sensation on her scalp. She had to get away from Ethan. He was too charming, too smooth…too everything she no longer trusted. She’d come to Haven to take care of herself for a change, and that’s exactly what she intended to do.
He shook his head. “You can call someone to meet us at the road if you want, but there’s no way I’m leaving you out here by yourself.”
She shivered, biting her bottom lip to keep from screaming in pain and frustration. There was no one for her to call, and the longer they stood here talking, the more likely she was to strip naked right in front of him and jump back in the stream to soothe her wasp-bitten skin.
Ethan’s blue eyes narrowed, and he shoved his hands into the pockets of his cargo shorts. “You’re not from around here, right? I’m a strange guy you met in the woods. How can I put your mind at ease?”
She shook her head. “Forget it.”
He cocked his head with a smile that might have made her swoon if she wasn’t so miserable. “I could get my grandmother on the phone for you. She’ll vouch for me, and she knows everyone in town.”
“It’s okay, really. I trust you.” She shouldn’t, but she did—enough to let him drive her to the clinic anyway. And maybe he was right. Maybe she shouldn’t be alone right now in case it turned out she was allergic after all. “Thank you for caring.”
He shrugged. “Of course. I imagine you’d do the same for me if I’d been the one who stepped in a wasps’ nest.”
This was true. With a resigned sigh, she clenched her fists against the urge to claw at her flaming skin and started walking beside him, presumably in the direction of his car. Her misery was compounded by the wet clothes that clung to her with each step.
Ugh.
“You new in town or just visiting?” Ethan asked.
“Both.” She wiped a strand of wet hair from her face, grimacing when her fingers brushed against one of the wasp stings. “I’ve been here since April.”
Two months, spent mostly holed up inside the little cabin she’d rented or wandering the woods behind it. A habit she’d modify now to make sure she stayed far the hell away from Ethan Hunter’s property. She couldn’t wait to forget today ever happened.
“But you’re not staying?” he asked.
She shrugged. “I’m not sure how long I’ll be here.”
“You have family in town?”
She shook her head. After she’d left Brad, she’d stayed with her parents for a while, but it hadn’t taken her long to realize she’d merely left one suffocating situation for another. So she’d packed up her SUV and hit the road, leaving her hometown of Charlotte behind. A quiet mountain town called Haven sounded perfect. And it had been, more or less. She’d needed a place to curl up and lick her wounds before she was ready to go back out and face the world, and she’d found it.
“Been to the spa yet?” Ethan asked.
She shook her head again, rubbing her hands up and down her arms, which only seemed to intensify the burning sensation in her skin.
“Definitely check it out. You’ve heard of the natural hot springs here, right?”
“Yes.” Not only did they sound fantastic, but they were rumored to have medicinal properties that calmed the soul. And hers could certainly use calming.
“How’re you holding up?”
She paused and pressed a hand against her heart. It raced like a runaway train, making her light-headed. “You ask a lot of questions.”
“You seem kind of quiet, and I need to keep you talking to make sure you’re okay.” He gave her an easy smile, but his eyes were sharp, watchful.
“I could use a cold shower and some Benadryl, but I’ll be okay.” She bit her lip. “In fact, I’d really rather go straight home.”
“No way. I’d never forgive myself if I sent you home and you went into anaphylactic shock or something. There’s a clinic on Weaver Street that’ll get you right in. I’ve been there more times than I care to admit. The nurse practitioner who works there is an old friend of my grandmother’s. You’ll be in good hands.”
They came out into a large grass yard behind a little white house. A red Jeep Wrangler was parked in the driveway. She’d seen this house before, driven by it many times. In fact, the cabin she was renting was just up the street. “You live here?”
“Nah. I used to, but I bought a condo downtown last year. My friends and I are turning this place into an extreme outdoor sporting facility—Off-the-Grid Adventures.”
“Extreme outdoor sports?”
“Yeah. Zip-lining, rock climbing, that kind of thing.” His eyes gleamed with pride.
“Wow, that sounds, um…exciting.”
His lips quirked. “You look horrified.”
“Sorry. I guess I’m not adventurous.”
He looked like he was about to say something, but then he shook his head. “I’ll drive you to the clinic and then take you home. Where are you parked? I can get someone to drop your car off at your place later.”
“I walked.”
“Really? Where do you live?”
“Just up the road actually.”
His brows lifted. “Oh, you must be renting the Merryweather place.”
“Yes.”
He opened the back of the Jeep and pulled out a light blue T-shirt that said, I’D RATHER BE GETTING HIGH, with a graphic showing someone hang gliding. “Sorry. This is all I’ve got.”
“It’s okay. I’d rather be getting high than stung by wasps.” She laughed in spite of herself. “Thanks for the shirt.”
“My pleasure.” His gaze flicked briefly to her breasts, still outlined in embarrassing detail beneath her wet tank top.
Her cheeks burned even hotter as she turned her back and pulled the shirt over her head.
* * *
Lord have mercy. Ethan scrubbed a hand over his eyes and tried to wipe the dirty thoughts from his mind. Gabby Winters was turning him on big time, even red and blotchy from the wasp attack, still slightly bedraggled from her tumble into the stream, and wearing his ridiculously oversized T-shirt.
Nurse Meyers had examined her, dosed her with Benadryl, and given her a tube of anti-itch cream to take home. Her symptoms seemed to be a reaction to the amount of yellow jacket venom in her system, not an allergy.
Gabby settled on the front seat of the Jeep, looking slightly more relaxed, probably thanks to the Benadryl. She leaned back and closed her eyes.
“I’ll be right back.” He left her in the Jeep and walked into the pharmacy next door. He grabbed a couple of jumbo-sized candy bars, a bottle of water, and a package of Benadryl tablets. After paying for his purchases, he snagged one of the candy bars for himself and walked out to the Jeep. He handed the bag to her. “For later.”
She peered inside, her eyes widening. “Thanks, but you didn’t have to—”
He waved her off. “The least I could do. Now let’s get you home.”
Neither of them spoke on the short drive to her house. It was a classic-looking mountain cabin, with wood-paneled walls and a real wood-burning fireplace. He knew because he’d done some work on the deck a while back. The Merryweathers had moved to nearby Boone a few years ago and now rented the place out to vacationers.
In the driveway, Gabby climbed out of the Jeep and gave him a small smile. “Thanks again for all your help today.”
“Any time. See you around.” He watched until she was safely inside, then turned back toward the center of town and his condo. He ripped open the wrapper on the candy bar and took a big bite. His stomach had been growling since before he’d found Gabby in the woods. It was too late now to go back and make a video of the zip-line. He’d have to shoot it tomorrow morning and hope it didn’t delay production on the new website for Off-the-Grid Adventures.
He chewed through the candy bar in the time it took to drive home, but it didn’t come close to filling him. The leftover pizza in his fridge ought to do the trick. The roar of a Harley behind him on Main Street could mean only one thing: His good buddy Ryan Blake had arrived in town. A grin worked its way across Ethan’s face. Tonight was looking up after all.
He swung into the space behind his building and watched as Ryan parked beside him. Shit was getting real now. Ryan was here, and Mark planned to arrive by the end of next week. They’d requested to have the property on Mountain Breeze Road rezoned from residential to commercial to allow Off-the-Grid Adventures to operate there, and it was taking longer than expected, but with any luck, they’d be accepting customers by the end of the month.
He stepped out of the Jeep. “Well, look what the cat dragged in.”
Ryan grinned at him from behind mirrored shades. “Good to be home.”
Ethan pulled him in for a hug and a clap on the back. “Good to see you, man. You check out your new digs yet?”
Ryan nodded. “Got here this afternoon. The place looks nice.”
The old brick building in front of them had once housed the town’s newspaper offices. It had sat empty for over a decade, but last year, Garrett Waltham, a local businessman, had bought it, renovated it, and converted it into three spacious condos. Ethan, Mark, and Ryan bought them, ready to turn this old building into their newfangled bachelor pad.
Ethan’s stomach growled again. “You want to head over to Rowdy’s for a beer and some wings?”
“Definitely.”
They walked down the block to Main Street. Rowdy’s was just around the corner, ambitiously named for this laid-back town, but occasionally, if enough alcohol was consumed, it lived up to its name.
Ethan and Ryan took a table near the front where they could see the game on the TV behind the bar.
“Hi, Ethan,” their waitress, a pretty blonde named Tina, said as she approached their table.
“Hey, Tina.”
She adjusted the neckline of her top, giving him a better view of her cleavage, then turned to his friend, her eyes widening. “Ryan Blake?”
“Yo.” Ryan gave her a friendly look, his gaze sliding from her face to her breasts.
Dog. Ethan shook his head with a grin.
“I’m Tina Hawthorne. I was in class with your brother.”
Ryan’s eyes narrowed. “Excuse me?”
“Bro, she means Mark,” Ethan said.
“Right. Good to see you, Tina.” Ryan’s posture relaxed. He and Mark had been foster brothers for a few years in high school after they’d both been taken in by Howard MacDonald in Silver Springs, the next town over from Haven.
After being bounced around the foster care system, Old Man MacDonald had been a welcome respite, a stable home where they were treated fairly and with respect. Ethan had gotten even luckier. After only a year in the system, Dixie had shown up and taken him in. Luckiest day in his damn life.
Tina had her hand on Ryan’s biceps, admiring his tats. He showed her an eagle he’d had inked on his right arm, and next thing Ethan knew, she had lifted her shirt to show Ryan a little blue bird tattooed on her hip.
It was cute. So was she. Ethan sometimes flirted with Tina when he came here, which was often. She’d never shown him her tattoo. But tonight he didn’t care because his thoughts were still occupied with Gabby, her honeysuckle-scented hair and those gorgeous caramel eyes. There was an air of mystery around her that intrigued him.
He wanted to see her again. Soon.
He and Ryan ordered a pitcher of beer and a platter of wings from Tina, then settled back to watch some baseball.
“You heard from Mark?” Ryan asked.
Ethan shook his head. “He said he’ll be in next week, so he’ll be here.”
His phone pinged wi
th a text message. He swiped it from his back pocket and grinned.
What’s this I hear about you escorting our lovely friend Gabby Winters to the clinic?
It was from Gram, the tech-savviest seventy-year-old he’d ever known.
She stomped on a yellow jacket nest. She’s pretty sore, but she’ll be okay, he wrote back. How do you know her?
Silly question. Gram knew everyone in town.
We met at the garden store. She’s a sweetheart.
Entirely too sweet for the likes of him, and they both knew it.
“Who are you texting?” Ryan asked. “You better not be planning to ditch me for a chick on my first night back in town.”
Ethan held his phone up so that Ryan could see the screen.
His friend chuckled. “Tell Gram I said hi.”
He did, and Gram replied that she’d like to have them all over for dinner soon. Ethan’s gut twisted uncomfortably. He’d scheduled her to see a specialist in Charlotte on Monday for a second opinion. This guy was supposed to be the best. Surely he could find a way to save her life.
Because Ethan had no fucking clue what he would do without her.
Also by Rachel Lacey
The Risking It All series
Rock with You (short story)
The Love to the Rescue series
Unleashed
For Keeps
Ever After
Only You (short story)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rachel Lacey is a contemporary romance author and semi-reformed travel junkie. She's been climbed by a monkey on a mountain in Japan, gone scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef, and camped out overnight in New York City for a chance to be an extra in a movie. These days, the majority of her adventures take place on the pages of the books she writes. She lives in warm and sunny North Carolina with her husband, son, and a variety of rescue pets.
Rachel loves to keep in touch with her readers! You can find her at:
