by Lori Foster
Knowing he’d been spotted, Harley went back inside and headed for the break room.
Curled on her side, her dark hair half-hiding her face, Anastasia slept on. He hated to wake her, but he didn’t want her embarrassed when his bossy uncle descended on them.
Sitting down beside her, he stroked her hair back, tucked it behind her ear.
She stirred, stretched a little, and finally her eyes opened. She blinked at him.
Something very tender, very intimate stirred inside Harley. He didn’t smile, but pleasure spread through him. “Hey, sleepyhead.”
“Harley?”
Now he smiled. “Forgotten me already, huh? I’m crushed.” Just to see her reaction, he slid a hand beneath the blanket and over her rounded hip.
She scrambled into a semi-sitting position. “What time is it?”
“I don’t know. I hadn’t thought about it.” He picked up his watch from where he’d left it on the table. “Almost eleven thirty. Why?”
Somewhat disoriented, she pushed back her hair and looked around their shelter. Comprehension dawned. She focused on Harley, and blushed. “Still no electricity?”
“Afraid not.”
She sat up the rest of the way, keeping the blanket tight around her. Eyes puffy and voice scratchy, she said, “I’d kill for coffee.”
Harley patted her thigh. “That can be arranged shortly.”
“It can?” She squirmed, then scooted half off the chair. “Excuse me.”
“Sure thing.” Harley stood and picked up her other clothes. “Here. Take your panties and jeans into the bathroom with you. We’re about to be rescued, and I assume you’ll want to be dressed.”
She froze. “Rescued?”
“Yeah, my uncle is here with a snowplow.”
“Here?” After squeaking out that single horrified word, she looked to the door, and her eyes widened in shock and embarrassment.
Harley followed her gaze, and there stood not only Satch, but Barber, too. Together, the two men more than filled the doorway. They were both ruddy-faced from the cold, and covered in snow. Satch stood at an even six feet, and Barber topped him by two inches. In their heavy coats, they looked imposing.
Satch frowned, but Barber, grinning like a fool, said, “Hope we’re not interrupting.”
Satch stepped in front of Barber. “What the hell happened here? Are you all right?”
“We’re fine.” Taking pity on Anastasia, Harley picked up the second gun and headed toward the men. They both glanced at the weapon with curiosity. To head off their questions, he said, “We can talk out front while Anastasia wakes up.” He added, “I don’t suppose either of you has coffee?”
Keeping a speculative eye on Anastasia, Satch nodded. “There’s some left in the thermos in the car.”
“Perfect.” When he reached the doorway, Harley looked back over his shoulder. Anastasia hadn’t moved. “While you get ready to join us, I’ll get the coffee for you.”
“Thank you.”
He winked at her. “You’re very welcome.” Then he put a hand each on Satch’s and Barber’s shoulders to push them out of the room. “Let’s go.”
Barber said, “I don’t suppose—”
“Not a word, Barber. Now walk.”
They’d barely cleared the room when Barber burst out laughing. “You sly dog. Your uncle was fretting like an old woman, and you’re here holed up with a babe.”
“First things first,” Harley said. “Was the snowplow heading back to town?”
“I don’t think so,” Satch replied. “He said something about clearing the path up to a couple of cabins.”
“Anastasia’s place.” Harley nodded in satisfaction. “Good. That means he’ll free up Ned.”
“Ned?”
“He owns this station, but I imagine he’s snowed in, too. I’d like to see him before I leave.”
“If he doesn’t come to us, we can go to him.” Barber studied Harley. “You look like you need that coffee, too. I’ll be right back.”
“Hey, if you see the snowplow still, tell the guy I’m going to need a tow truck to get my Jeep back on the road. Ask him if he can send someone our way.”
“I hear him coming by now.” Barber hurried out the door.
While he was gone, Harley stared toward the break room and wondered what was keeping Anastasia. Shyness? Modesty? Was she trying to pretty herself up, even under such extreme circumstances?
No. Anastasia wasn’t that superficial.
“The town is immobilized,” Satch told him as he wandered around the station, examining all the protective measures taken against intruders. “I had a hell of a time just getting a plow up here. What equipment they’ve got, they have running everywhere. But for enough money, we should be able to get what we need.”
“Does your phone work?” Harley asked.
“Hasn’t since I got in Echo. Too many mountains, I guess. The phones in town are all out, too. Must be some lines down somewhere.”
Barber returned and handed the half-empty thermos to Harley, then stripped off his coat. “It’s colder than a dead witch’s tit in a brass bra out there.”
“Did you catch the driver?”
“Yeah. He has a tow truck. He said for a Franklin, he’ll come back with his hitch and get you right and tight.”
“Hell.”
Satch rejoined them. “Consider it cheap, under the conditions.” He didn’t smile. “You’ve got this place set up like a fortress. What the hell went on?”
Indicating they should both sit in the waiting chairs, Harley said, “We were attacked last night. I took the guns off two men—strangers to me and Anastasia—who first tried to run her off the road, making her wreck her truck, then they came back and tried to do the same to me.”
“Holy shit.” Barber sat down hard. “The idiots were armed?”
“One pulled a gun, but dropped it in the snow when Anastasia nearly ran over him. I took the other gun off his friend, after I’d pounded on him a bit.”
When Satch held out a hand, Harley gave him a gun to examine.
“Smith and Wesson nine millimeter.” Satch turned the gun at every angle, hefted it in his hand. “Pretty common, but looks like whoever had it kept it in good shape.”
“I don’t know if they intended to really use them or not.” Harley crossed his arms over his chest. The chill in the air was enough to make his bones ache. “But I wasn’t about to take any chances.”
Satch nodded. “That’s why you broke into the station, and set up booby traps for anyone who tried to sneak in.”
“Yeah.”
Anastasia tapped on the wall, announcing herself.
All three men turned to stare at her.
Harley fought off a smile. She’d straightened her hair and splashed her face. She wore her now-dry jeans, the sweatshirt he’d given her, and the thick socks. “Good morning.”
Her smile wavered. “I don’t want to be too hopeful, but I recall you mentioned a possibility of coffee?”
He held up the thermos. “Barber braved the weather again to bring it in for you. If I recall, there’s powdered creamer, sugar, and cups in the break room.”
“Barber? The man you spoke with on the phone?”
“None other.” Harley reached out a hand to her and she came to stand beside him. “The other man I spoke on the phone with was my uncle, and that’s him scowling at you. Anastasia, meet Barber and Uncle Satch. Guys, this is my landlord and cohort against crime, Anastasia Bradley.”
She strode to Barber and held out a hand. “Thank you for the coffee.”
Barber accepted her hand with old-fashioned gallantry. “My pleasure.”
Next she reached out to his uncle. “Uncle Satch,” she said, making Harley raise a brow. “I did deliver your message, but everything went downhill after that. I’m sorry for the trouble.”
“Not your fault.” Satch patted the seat he’d just vacated. “Sit yourself down and I’ll get the coffee for you.”
&n
bsp; “Oh, no, I’m fine.”
“Nonsense,” Barber said, and he took her arm. “Grab a seat. Are you warm enough?”
And so it went, much to Harley’s consternation. They treated Anastasia with kid gloves and a kind of familiarity they reserved for significant others.
Maybe they’d misunderstood the situation, but he couldn’t very well correct their impressions in front of Anastasia.
Not that he had much of a chance anyway. Once the tow truck driver returned, Harley got right to the business of getting his Jeep operational again. And there was no reason for Anastasia to wait around in the cold while he did so.
At his insistence, and Anastasia’s lack of objection, Barber agreed to take her to town so she could get more comfortable.
“Harley?”
Telling the tow truck driver that he’d meet him by the road, Harley turned to face Anastasia. Wearing his coat again, her hat hanging loosely in her hand, she stood in the garage doorway and waited for him to come to her.
As he approached, she watched him with big brown eyes and an unsettled shifting of her feet.
Nervousness from her now? Harley paused in front of her and lifted a brow.
She hesitated, glanced back at Satch and Barber, who stood a few feet behind her, and cleared her throat. “I need one private moment, please.”
“I was just about to get my Jeep pulled free.”
“I know. I promise it won’t take long.”
Dreading the inevitable—sort of—Harley took her arm and walked with her around the corner. He could feel the rapt gazes of his friend and his uncle, but he avoided looking at them.
He already knew what they were thinking.
Once he and Anastasia were out of sight of everyone, she smiled up at him.
“Everything okay?” Harley asked, and then waited to hear her ask about seeing him again, if he’d call, if he’d visit her…
“Everything’s fine. But I know this is my last chance to say good-bye to you.”
Did she think he planned to sneak away without another word? Not a flattering thought. “I’ll see you in town before I head out.”
She nodded. “I suppose. But there’s no place there for me to speak privately with you. I wanted to…well…” She ducked her face, but quickly met his gaze again. “I’d have preferred looking a little better for this, but it can’t be helped. So…”
Confused, Harley studied her, but said nothing.
A smile slipped over her mouth and she shrugged, then went on tiptoe, wrapped her arms around him, and plastered her mouth to his.
Hell yeah.
Harley didn’t mean to, but his arms went around her waist and he crushed her close.
He hadn’t realized how badly he wanted to taste her again until her mouth touched his. Then he knew he was starving for her.
What a kiss it turned out to be—hot, deep, a prelude to what could follow, if only they had time and privacy enough to go where that kiss naturally led.
But they weren’t alone. His uncle and Barber waited in the other room. The tow truck driver waited on him, likely with plenty more work to do today.
Lingering would only encourage her—and him.
But Harley didn’t stop the kiss. He meant to. He kept telling himself that it was enough, to pull away, to get going on all he had planned for the day—but he couldn’t.
Anastasia’s small, cool hands went to his face; she nipped his bottom lip, kissed his chin, then she ended the kiss and hugged him fiercely. “Good-bye, Harley.”
Damn. Why did she have to make it sound as final as he’d meant it to be?
He put his chin to the top of her head. “You’re sure you’re okay?”
“I’m terrific.”
Now why did that annoy him? Maybe because he was the one with the parting pangs this time. Damn it, he knew he’d miss her, and selfish as it seemed, he wanted her to miss him, too.
“Good.”
She leaned back, smoothed her hands down his shirt, and smiled. “You are truly a remarkable man, Harley Handleman. I mean that.”
“Spoken like a woman satisfied.”
“True.” She laughed, but quickly sobered. Her gaze searched his. “I’ll be watching all your future fights and cheering you on, but I already know you’re going to excel. You have enough drive and dedication for ten men.”
“We’ll see.”
She patted his chest, then dropped her hands. “I’ve held you up enough. You need to get going. It just didn’t seem right to simply say good-bye.”
“No.” In fact, saying good-bye at all didn’t feel right.
“Thank you for everything.”
Harley frowned. “I didn’t do anything.”
She laughed. “Thank you for being modest, too.” Hooking her arm through his, she said, “All right, then, let’s go.”
Barber and Satch had moved closer to the wall separating them, and they didn’t even try to deny eavesdropping, the dumbasses.
The moment Anastasia saw them, she went to Barber. “Thanks for waiting. I’m ready now if you are.”
With a glint in his eyes, Barber opened his mouth—and Harley said, “He’ll be right with you.”
Satch, who never missed a thing, told her, “Come on with me, Anastasia. We can chat while Harley reads Barber the rules.”
“Rules?”
Satch winked. “There’re always rules.”
Ready to strangle his uncle, Harley waited impatiently while he led Anastasia away, and then he turned on Barber.
Barber said quickly, “There are rules?”
“Yeah, ’fraid so.” Keeping all humor from his tone, Harley said, “Watch her closely, but keep your hands to yourself.”
Grinning, Barber tugged on his earring. “So it’s like that, huh?”
“No, it’s not. But it’s not open territory either. Not for you.”
Trying not to laugh, Barber asked, “What’s wrong with me?”
“I know where to find you.”
“Ah. Good point.” The laugh won out, and Barber, never knowing when to shut up, said, “I’ll pretend the two of you are hitched. How’s that?”
Far as Harley knew, the danger wasn’t over yet, and until he knew the local authorities were on it, he didn’t want her out of Barber’s sight. He needed to make sure that Anastasia was all right before he left. “Pretend any damn thing you want if it means you’ll keep her safe without getting too familiar.”
“I think I can manage that.”
“She might want you to take her by her cabin so she can grab some stuff.”
“I’ll make the offer.”
Harley nodded. “Don’t let her linger, and be on your guard. Those idiots might still be hanging around. It’ll be safer in town.”
“I’ll keep an eye out.”
“After I get my Jeep back on the road, I’ll see to her truck, then I have a quick errand to run. I won’t be long, though.”
“I’ll feed her breakfast while we wait for you.” Barber grinned again. “Wanna kiss her good-bye one more time before I leave with her?”
“No.” And with that, Harley walked through the garage, out the door, and up the snowy yard to the road where the tow truck driver waited.
He didn’t look back.
It didn’t take too long to get his Jeep on the road. Once that was accomplished, he made sure it would run, and then spent a few more minutes seeing that Anastasia’s truck got safely towed to the garage where Ned could work on it. He tried to look at her brake lines, but so much snow and ice stuck to the undercarriage, he couldn’t see shit.
He wouldn’t be satisfied until he had all the facts, but for now, there was nothing he could do.
Maybe that explained his reluctance to leave her.
Sitting beside him in the front seat of the Jeep, Satch asked, “You’re convinced someone damaged the lady’s truck on purpose?”
“Yes.”
“That and the attack later were related?”
“Absolutely.
”
“Hmmm.” Satch mulled things over in his mind. “I’m glad your Jeep wasn’t damaged, but if her brakes are gone, then she’s out of commission, unless you take the time to get it fixed before we head out.”
It was tempting, but Harley didn’t want to mislead her about his intentions. “That could take a while, and Anastasia isn’t the sort who’d want someone else in her business anyway.”
“Independent, huh?”
Harley shrugged. She was, but no more so than most women. Being an old-fashioned guy, Satch didn’t realize that women today were well equipped to handle their business on their own. “The driver needed payment up front, and I wanted to make sure her truck made it to the garage before he went off to a dozen other calls, thanks to the weather.”
“So you paid him?”
“It wasn’t that much.” He glanced at his uncle. “But that’s going to piss her off enough without me overstepping myself further.”
Satch grinned. “But by the time she finds out, there won’t be anything she can do about it.”
Unless she tracked down his address somehow, she wouldn’t know where to send repayment. Harley wondered if she’d go so far as to search him out.
Did he want her to?
No. It was better that they just made a clean break of it.
Of course, that wasn’t entirely in his hands. As an SBC fighter, he wasn’t all that anonymous. Any number of trainers, fighters, sponsors, or friends could give her information on him that’d lead her right to his front door. It had happened with groupies, and with the media.
“I’ll talk to Ned before we leave,” Harley added. “He’s the guy who owns the garage.” He wanted to explain to Ned why they’d broken in, and he wanted to have a contact who could keep him apprised of any other trouble Anastasia might have.
“That’s it?”
Again, Harley shrugged. “Without knowing who attacked us last night, there’s not much else I can do.”
“I don’t like to think of that little lady here all by herself with that kind of trouble around.”
“Me either. But because her cabin is pretty secluded, Anastasia had already planned to ride with me to a motel along the interstate. She’ll spend the night while she gets things in order. Until then, Barber will see that no one bothers her.”
