by Noelle Adams
They went.
It was swelteringly hot, cars kept whizzing by, they both were sweating profusely, and Ashley’s blisters starting to break open.
Before they had reached the exit, she was pretty sure the blisters were all bleeding. She could feel wetness around the straps of her sandals, and it felt like the leather was rubbing against raw skin. But she didn’t look down to see. She wasn’t about to call Ethan’s attention to her injuries.
Once they got off the exit, the nearest gas station was still a distance away. Every step felt like hell for Ashley. It was all she could do to keep from sobbing from the pain.
But she had always been stubborn. Always been proud. And there was no way she was going to act like a weakling in front of Ethan.
He grumbled a few times about her not keeping up, but in general, he was too focused on their crisis situation to pay much attention to her.
The gas station was—miraculously—full service, and there was a garage and a tow truck available. By the time they approached it, Ashley was gasping from the pain, and there were tears in her eyes, but she refused to brush them away. Not in front of Ethan.
A middle-aged man in a dirty work shirt stepped up to greet them. “Howdy,” he drawled. “Y’all have some trouble?”
Ethan briefly explained the situation in clipped tones.
“Fifty dollars to tow,” the man said, eyeing them as if they’d come in from another planet.
It was a reasonable price, and they had no other options. “Good,” Ethan agreed. “Is there anywhere for us to wait?”
“Some chairs next to the desk there. And there’s a Coke machine in front. Looks like y’all could use a cold drink.”
“We could use something stronger than Coke,” Ethan muttered under his breath.
The man seemed to have heard him because he hid an amused smile.
Before he turned away, Ashley asked in a voice that only broke a little. “Do you have a restroom?”
“Outside. Round the back. They’re not locked.”
Ashley hurried around the back of the building as fast as her injured feet could take her.
She opened the door to the women’s bathroom and stepped inside. Then she jumped back outside and took an urgent breath.
She had never smelled anything quite so foul as that bathroom, and it looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in months.
But this was an emergency, so she took a deep breath and summoned her courage. She rushed in, hovered over the toilet so she could pee without contaminating herself on the seat, then flushed and opened the door again.
Glancing around, she saw a large rock. She used that to prop the door open, so she could have some fresh air as she tended to her feet.
She wet down some paper towels and wiped off the toilet seat so she could prop her foot up on it. Then she dampened some more paper towels, took off her right sandal, and looked at the bloody mess on her foot.
She seemed to have developed more blisters along the way, and those had broken open as well.
Wiping off the blood as much as she could, she mentally screamed at herself for not buying any bandages at the drugstore the day before.
“What the hell?”
Ethan’s voice was the last sound she wanted to hear just then, but there was no way she could get away.
He entered the bathroom, wrinkling his nose at the stench. He was glaring at her feet. “Damn it, Ashley. Why didn’t you tell me your feet were hurt?”
Ashley was in no state to argue with him. “What good would it have done to whine about them?”
“Of all the stubborn, infuriating females…” And then he stormed out of the bathroom.
Ashley stared dumbfounded at the empty doorway. “Talk about infuriating,” she muttered. “Come in and yell at me, and then stomp away in a snit.”
She started mopping up the blood some more, since more had seeped out of the torn skin. Before she could do much, Ethan had brought with him a box of Band-Aids, a bottle of antiseptic wash, and some gauze.
“Oh,” Ashley said, when she saw he was planning to help her.
He was shaking his head and muttering under his breath, but he started preparing his first aid supplies. He poured some of the antiseptic wash onto a piece of the gauze.
Ashley was about to reach over to take it from him, but before she could, he knelt down on the dirty floor, took her ankle with his hand, and started treating her injuries himself.
There was no excuse for her reaction. No reason for it. No justification. No way she could explain it away, to herself or anyone else.
But Ashley panicked. She just absolutely panicked. It wasn’t just Ethan’s warm hand on her bare ankle. Or his submissive position before her. Or his inexplicable gesture of kindness and compassion. But it was perhaps the combination of all of them.
Frantically, she tried to pull away from him.
It wasn’t a good idea. She was standing on one leg, and Ethan had a firm grasp of her other one. Her abrupt movement made her lose her balance, and she couldn’t get her other foot down to the floor to support herself.
Ethan jumped up in time to catch her before she toppled over. “Damn it, Ashley,” he roared. “What the hell are you doing?”
She was confused and upset and disoriented, and her feet were hurting. And Ethan’s arm was now around her waist. “I can do it myself,” she said, gesturing at the first aid supplies.
“Well, you aren’t going to do it yourself,” Ethan gritted through clenched teeth. He was clearly stressed and at the end of his patience. “You’re damn well going to suffer my touch long enough for me to make sure you don’t get an infection. I’m certainly not trying to make a move on you—so there’s no need to behave like an outraged virgin. Now stand still and stop acting like an idiot.” He knelt back down on the floor and started applying the antiseptic, which stung the raw flesh.
The tears that had been lingering in her eyes started falling, and it wasn’t because of the pain. Ethan was focused on her feet, so Ashley surreptitiously brushed them away. She didn’t think he had noticed.
He covered her right foot with Band-Aids, helped her back into her sandal, and then started working on the other foot. Ashley endured his touch in silence. Tried not to look at him kneeling beside her. Tried not to feel his strong clasp on her ankle. Tried not to recall his harsh words. Tried to concentrate instead on the physical pain—that was far more comfortable.
When he finally put on the last Band-Aid, he stared at her bandaged foot for a few more seconds. Then he picked up her sandal. Studied the leather straps that were bloodied in several spots. Glared at the sandal like he wanted to murder it.
Then he put it back on her foot.
“Thank you,” Ashley choked out, as Ethan got to his feet again. Then she turned to leave the bathroom, hoping only for escape.
She was stopped by Ethan’s hand on her shoulder. He turned her around until she was facing him. Brushed away a stray tear on her cheek with his thumb. “Ashley,” he said, in a low voice.
Taking a deep breath, she made herself meet his eyes. “I don’t think you needed to talk to me that way, but I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about my feet.”
He took her face between his hands, tilting her head up toward his. She lost her breath at his touch and at his intense expression. “Ashley, I’m sorry I talked to you that way. I’m having trouble…controlling myself. But I never wanted to get you into this, and now there’s nothing we can do about it. We’re in this together, though. That means we have to help each other.”
She nodded, almost mesmerized by his husky voice and the look in his eyes.
“But that also means we accept help from each other. I don’t ever want you to hide something from me that I should know about. How do you think it makes me feel that I made you walk more than a mile on bleeding feet?” His face was strained and damp with perspiration, and he was still holding her head between his palms. “And then I complained that you were walking too slow.”
Suddenly
seeing his perspective, Ashley felt a wave of guilt wash over her. “I’m sorry. I was just being stubborn. Didn’t want you to think I was a wimp.”
“I'd never think that. I know how strong you are.” Then Ethan smiled a little and let go of her face. “But you do wear the most ridiculous shoes.”
Now that they were back in familiar territory, Ashley started to feel a little better. “They’re cute. Not ridiculous. They just weren’t meant for walking.”
“I would have bought you better shoes yesterday if you’d asked me,” Ethan told her as they left the smelly bathroom at last.
“You kept saying we’d be in South Dakota today, so it didn’t seem worth the trouble. Who knew we’d be walking for miles?”
They sat down in the designated chairs to wait for their car to be towed. “Let’s hope they can fix it very cheaply and have it done in a couple of hours,” Ashley said at one point.
A couple of hours later, the mechanic informed them that the car couldn’t be fixed for at least three days and it would cost at least three thousand dollars.
***
Ethan and Ashley stood staring at a row of beautifully kept or restored Thunderbirds, from early antiques to the sleek newer models.
“I love them,” the gas station manager, whose name they had learned was Gus, told them. “Doesn’t matter if they’re worth money or not. Just has to be a T-Bird, and I’ll treat it like family.”
“And you want our pitiful excuse for a Thunderbird?” Ethan asked slowly, eyeing the display of cars parked in the long garage behind Gus’s house.
“Yep. It’s a T-Bird, ain’t it?”
“It is indeed a T-Bird,” Ethan said. “And you’ll trade us for that old truck?”
The truck wasn’t in much better shape than the Thunderbird—it looked about as old—but it did apparently run, which was the essential feature they needed in a vehicle.
“Yep. Can’t wait to get started on the new baby. Don’t need that old truck anyway. Just takes up space. But it’ll get you where you need to go.”
Ashley met Ethan’s eyes for a moment.
Gus added, “Your girlfriend thinks it’s a good idea, don’t she?”
He seemed to be talking about her, so Ashley played along. Made goo-goo eyes at Ethan. “I do think it’s a good idea, dearest. Can’t we make the trade?”
Ethan stifled a grin. “Yes, honey. Whatever you want." Then he turned to Gus. “It’s a deal.”
Everyone seemed pleased with the transaction.
Finally Ethan glanced at his watch. “We should get going. We have a long trip ahead of us tonight.”
Ashley forced herself not to moan. She was dead tired, kind of dizzy, and ravenous. It was already dinner time, and they hadn’t eaten since breakfast. If she had to, however, she’d drive all night without complaining.
Gus had been watching her. “Surely you’ll at least get your little lady some dinner? She looks like she’s ready to drop.”
Despite her weakened condition, Ashley almost giggled at being called Ethan’s little lady.
Ethan turned to look at her too. His face seemed momentarily torn.
Then Gus said, “My wife sometimes rents out a room in our house. It’s fixed up real nice. You’ll get a good bed to sleep in and a filling dinner and breakfast for fifty dollars. Won’t get a price like that at any motel, and won’t get as good a meal either.”
Ethan was still hesitating, so Ashley put a hand on his arm. “It sounds like a good deal to me, sweetie.”
Finally, Ethan nodded. “We should probably get some sleep before we start out on the rest of the trip anyway,” he conceded, shaking his head at Ashley in amusement.
Gus was grinning. “My wife’ll be delighted. There’s only one bed in the room, but since y’all are so lovey-dovey, that won’t be a problem, I’m sure.”
Ashley gulped audibly.
***
Dinner was well-prepared and hearty—meatloaf, mashed potatoes, collard greens, homemade biscuits, and sweet iced tea.
Dinner discussion was friendly too. Ethan and Gus talked about cars, and Ashley and Gus’s wife, Elaine, talked about their men.
Ashley concocted a fabulous story about her complicated but destined romance with Ethan, since that was clearly what Elaine wanted to hear. She ended it with a detailed description of how she and Ethan had flown to Tahiti to elope, but they had changed their minds at the last minute—not being able to bear getting married without their families as witnesses. So they’d flown back, but the airline had lost their luggage. And they were short on cash because of the long trip. And they were in a hurry to get back home because they wanted to get married as soon as possible.
Elaine listened in awe and delight, asking dozens of questions, which led Ashley to higher and higher flights of fancy. Occasionally, she saw Ethan looking at her across the table with a horrified expression, but that just inspired her some more.
By the end of dinner, Elaine was convinced that Ashley and Ethan were the most romantic couple since Romeo and Juliet.
As they said goodnight and headed up to their room (with only one bed), Elaine said with a sigh. “Such a lovely couple. It’s like you were meant to be.
Ethan looked a little disgusted, but Ashley just sighed and gazed at him lovingly—for Elaine’s benefit. “I can’t imagine being with anyone else.”
Elaine sighed too, in sentimental pleasure. “Now y’all have a good night. Let me know if you need anything. I laid out a pretty nightgown for you to wear, dear. Since that terrible airline lost all your clothes.”
Ethan was now almost sputtering, so Ashley pulled him upstairs. They finally made it up to their room—a good sized chamber with a private bathroom, decorated in what was commonly referred to as “country-style.”
Ashley and Ethan looked at each other. Then looked at the double bed.
Well, Ashley decided she was going to be cool and nonchalant about the whole thing. Act like she slept with men all the time.
Which she absolutely, positively did not.
“I’ll get ready for bed first, if you don’t mind,” she said lightly, picking up the ivory nylon nightgown Elaine had left for her. It had thick straps edged with lace, and a satin ribbon to pull it in under the breasts.
“Go ahead,” Ethan told her distractedly. He was still staring at the bed.
Ashley felt kind of silly and awkward as she came out of the bathroom wearing the frilly nightgown. Ethan had taken off his shirt and was pacing the floor.
He went into the bathroom as soon as she left it, and she tried not to listen to the sounds of his getting ready for bed. It felt too intimate, too personal.
Instead, she crawled under the sheet and quilt and stayed as far on her side as she could.
When Ethan came out a few minutes later, he turned off the light and crawled in beside her. “You all right with this?”
She assumed he was talking about the sleeping situation. “Of course. As long as you don’t hog the covers.” She was pleased that her voice reflected no hint of her anxiety. She could feel Ethan next to her. Feel him. Like his body was generating heat, vibrations, or some kind of invisible force field.
“Surely tomorrow will be better.”
“That’s what you said yesterday. And look what happened today.” She shifted some to get more comfortable, but then stopped abruptly, not wanting to disturb Ethan. “Tomorrow we’ll probably be attacked by giant snakes or hoards of killer bees.”
“Or both,” Ethan added, getting into the spirit. After a long stretch of silence, he said, “Try to get some sleep. We have a long trip tomorrow. Assuming our newly obtained truck can handle the journey.”
“Goodnight,” Ashley told him and turned on her side so her back was to him. She clung to the edge of the bed, trying to keep enough space between herself and Ethan’s body. Ethan’s warm body. Hard body. Very fine body.
She forced herself to stop thinking absurdities. Instead, thought about the reality of the situation.
This was definitely not in her good-girl plan for her life.
She had a sinking feeling that she moved around a lot in her sleep. She tended to roll and scoot—always ended up on the other side of the bed. But surely she wouldn’t tonight. She wouldn’t leave the safety of her edge of the bed.
This was no big deal, really. What difference did it make? Last night they had shared the same room. Tonight they shared the same bed.
She was mature, sophisticated, a woman of the world. So what if she could hear Ethan breathing? If she could reach out and touch his bare chest?
Tomorrow would be better. Tomorrow their trip would be over. Tomorrow Ethan and all of his trouble would be out of her life for good.
He wasn’t as bad as she’d thought a couple of days ago, but that didn’t mean she actually wanted to be around him.
And it was the end of the third day.
Day Four
Polksville, Kentucky
As soon as Ashley woke up, before she even opened her eyes, she knew that something was wrong.
Not that it felt like anything was wrong. It felt like everything was very, very right. She felt toasty and drowsy and content.
But her face wasn’t resting against a soft pillow. It was pressed up against something warm and firm. And there was something draped around her that was heavier than the bed covers.
She had rolled over in her sleep after all.
She edged her eyelids open a smidgen and peeked through her lashes. The first thing she saw was Ethan’s chest. Her face was burrowed against his bare skin. She opened her eyes a little wider. Saw his chest rise and fall with his even breathing.
Ashley knew she should roll back over to her side of the bed, but she was still so sleepy and content. And Ethan’s arm was draped around her, holding her close to his body, so it seemed like she wasn't the only guilty party in the accidental cuddling.
She shifted very slightly so she could raise her head from Ethan’s chest. Their hot, damp skin clung together where it had been connected, so that side of her face felt sensitive and flushed at the removal. Ashley tilted her head up to look at Ethan’s face.
