***
Sophie Elliott lifted one of her suitcases out of the trunk of her car. In both directions the road was as straight as an arrow, stretching into forever for as far as she could see. Ten minutes ago she’d run out of gas. She knew she would have been lucky to reach Bozeman, but over the last two weeks she’d been in more difficult situations than a blinking fuel indicator. This time, she’d pushed her luck too far. About two miles too far.
She locked her car and pulled the handle of her suitcase high. Bozeman couldn’t be more than a thirty-minute walk from here. She’d buy more gas, walk back to her car, and keep looking for somewhere safe to stay.
As she started walking, she wondered how many people drove down this stretch of the interstate. In the last ten minutes, the only living thing she’d seen had been a hawk.
She’d driven from Chicago to Montana out of desperation. A friend who’d worked with her in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Chicago University had lived in Montana for six years. She’d told Sophie it was the prettiest place on earth. It was so quiet you could hear the wind whispering through the trees and, in the summertime, it was so hot you could fry an egg on the asphalt. Even knowing all of that, Sophie wasn’t used to feeling as though she was the last person on earth.
Her suitcase bumped over the stones behind her, jarring her arm and slowing her down. At this rate, she’d never make Bozeman by nightfall. She pushed the handle back into the suitcase and carried it beside her. She kept reminding herself that she was doing the right thing, that she could do more good by disappearing. Sharing what she knew with the wrong people could be deadly, not only for herself but for her mom and sister.
A brown pickup truck drove toward her. Sophie put her head down and kept walking. The truck slowed to a crawl, and the driver rolled down his window.
“Looks like you could do with a ride.”
Sophie glanced at the cowboy. “Thanks for the offer, but you’re going in the wrong direction.”
“You’re not from around here, are you?”
Sophie didn’t think her Chicago accent was that different from his, but she wasn’t about to start a conversation with a stranger. She pushed a strand of hair off her face and kept walking. It must have been ninety-five degrees, and it was barely eleven o’clock in the morning.
The cowboy turned his truck around and followed her down the road. “That suitcase seems mighty heavy,” he said with a smile. “Looking at that tiny blue car on the side of the road, I’d say you’ve run out of gas. I can easily drive you into town and bring you back here.”
Sophie stopped walking. The cowboy’s hat covered most of his face. She had no idea what he looked like, but there couldn’t be many mass murderers and trained killers who wore plaid shirts.
His truck was covered in dirt. It had enough bumps and scrapes to pass for the real thing. “I don’t want to be too much trouble. You’ve just come from Bozeman.”
“Ma’am, there isn’t a woman alive that’s not trouble. But if it’s just gas you need, then I can help you out.”
Sophie looked down the road once more before deciding what to do. It was hot and she was desperate. After two weeks of running like a scared rabbit, she was tired of second-guessing everyone. It probably wasn’t the most logical thing to do, but logic didn’t work so well when you were alone and thousands of miles from home.
“Thank you. I’d be grateful for a ride into town.” She waited beside his truck while he got out. He was taller than she imagined. Taller and wider. The man had muscles that would have put her male colleagues in the science lab to shame.
Sophie looked into his deep brown eyes. “I appreciate you stopping.”
“Happy to be of help,” he said with a smile. He opened the back door and took her case out of her hand. “Were you planning on staying a while or just passing through?”
Sophie walked around the truck and opened the passenger door. She thought about the different things she could say; the half-truths and downright lies she could use to keep herself safe. “I’m not sure yet.”
The stranger got into the truck and started the ignition. “Montana’s a good place to work out what you need to do. Have you been here before?”
“No, but I’ve heard some great things about Bozeman. Do you live here?”
He looked in his rearview mirror and moved onto the highway. “I move around a lot. I’ve got family living in Bozeman.”
She waited for him to say something more, but he kept his eyes focused on the road ahead. “I’m Sophie.” She held her hand out, wanting to keep the ride into town as professional as possible.
The cowboy glanced across the cab. He held his hand out. “Hi, Sophie. I’m Ryan.”
Their hands barely touched, but Sophie felt the strength of his grip like a warning along her spine. “I don’t usually run out of gas. I thought I’d have enough to get me into town. I guess I didn’t pay too much attention to how quickly the fuel gauge was going down.” Sophie closed her mouth. She was rambling. He probably thought she was a ditzy woman who didn’t know one end of a car from the other.
“You must have a lot on your mind.”
If Ryan knew what she had on her mind, he wouldn’t have stopped to help. Sophie glanced out of the cab, suddenly feeling nervous. It was a bit late for that. She’d jumped into the truck with a total stranger, she was heading toward a town that she’d never seen and had ninety dollars in her wallet.
As they drove closer to Bozeman, she thought about what she had to do next. After she’d refilled her gas tank, she’d need to look for a job. It wasn’t what she’d planned on doing, but nothing over the last two weeks had been part of her plans.
Ryan glanced across the cab. “Where do you normally live?”
Sophie didn’t have to think hard about her answer. Before she left Chicago, she’d decided to invent another life in a different city. “San Francisco.”
“It’s a big city. I’ve stayed there a few times. Did you ever go to Tony’s Pizza Place? It’s on Stockton Street.”
Sophie felt her cheeks grow hot. “No, I don’t think I went there.”
“It’s opposite Washington Square Park. It’s well worth a visit.”
Sophie kept her eyes on the passing scenery, hoping Ryan got the message and didn’t ask her any more questions.
“How long have you been living in San Francisco?”
“About three years.” Sophie crossed her fingers, hoping the story she dreamed up sounded real. “I work in retail.”
“What do you sell?”
She tried to look confident, as if his questions were the most natural thing in the world to answer. “Shoes. Ladies shoes.”
Ryan looked down at her feet. He didn’t need to say anything about her choice of footwear. Her sneakers were the most comfortable pair of shoes she owned. They definitely weren’t the type of shoes that a fashion-conscious twenty-nine-year-old would have worn.
She pulled her feet closer to the edge of her seat. “I wore my old sneakers today. They’re a good pair of shoes to wear when you’re driving.”
Ryan nodded. “Makes sense.”
As the first buildings in Bozeman came into view, she breathed a sigh of relief. The commercial properties were a mix of old red-brick buildings and newer retail outlets. The wide streets and almost empty parking lots were so different from Chicago. She felt as though she’d stepped back in time.
“There’s a gas station not far from here. They’ll have a gas can we can use. When you get back to town, just drop it off to them.”
When they pulled into the station, Sophie looked at the cars and trucks parked at the pumps. Everyone was going about their own business. They weren’t worried about the brown truck that had parked at the side of the building.
As soon as Ryan stopped the truck she had her hand on the door handle. “Thanks for giving me a ride into town. I really appreciate it.”
Ryan looked amused. “Anytime. It’s nice helping a damsel in di
stress. But I haven’t finished yet. I’ll take you back to your car once we’ve got a full can of gas.”
Her eyes widened. She’d been in such a hurry to leave that she’d forgotten about getting back to her car.
“Just in case you need rescuing again, here’s my phone number.” He took a piece of paper out of a folder on the floor and scribbled a number on it. Now let’s get some gas for your car.”
Sophie didn’t need to be told twice. She jumped out of the truck and walked across to one of the people working at the station. The sooner she got what she needed, the sooner she could start working on her other problems.
Running out of gas wasn’t the best start to her arrival in Bozeman, but it was better than not getting there at all.
PLAYING FOR KEEPS
Available Now!
Other Contemporary Romances by Leeanna Morgan
(All series are linked)
Montana Brides:
Book 1: Forever Dreams (Gracie and Trent)
Book 2: Forever in Love (Amy and Nathan)
Book 3: Forever After (Nicky and Sam)
Book 4: Forever Wishes (Erin and Jake)
Book 5: Forever Santa: a Montana Brides Christmas Novella
Book 6: Forever Cowboy (Emily and Alex)
Book 7: Forever Together (Kate and Dan)
Book 8: Forever and a Day (Sarah and Jordan)
The Bridesmaids Club:
Book 1: All of Me (Tess and Logan)
Book 2: Loving You (Annie and Dylan)
Book 3: Head Over Heels (Sally and Todd)
Book 4: Sweet on You (Molly and Jacob)
Emerald Lake Billionaires:
Book 1: Sealed with a Kiss (Rachel and John)
Book 2: Playing for Keeps (Sophie and Ryan)
Book 3: Crazy Love (Holly and Daniel)
The Protectors:
Book 1: Safe Haven (Hayley and Tank)
Book 2: Just Breathe (Kelly and Tanner)
Book 3: Always (Mallory and Grant)
Book 4: The Promise (Ashley and Matthew)
Book 5: Coming Home (Mia and Stan)
Book 6: The Gift (Hannah and Brett)
Book 7: The Wish (Claire and Jason)
Sealed With a Kiss Page 59
