by Jillian Hart
Julie braked, easing to a stop in the road behind an old sedan. She hit her flasher as thunder cracked overhead. Her pulse kicked high and fast in fear, and she reached for her purse, feeling for her cell phone.
There was no sign of anyone anywhere. Maybe the driver was hurt. Maybe—
A movement in the shadows caught her attention. The tall, broad-shouldered form became a man, rain drenched and awesome, as the lightning cracked behind him, zagging like a crooked finger from the sky to the top of a nearby knoll.
What was he doing out there? Didn’t he know it was dangerous?
As thunder clapped, Julie bolted into the storm, ignoring the cut of ice through her jacket and the sting of rain on her face. “Hey! Get back in your car—”
Lightning splintered the sky the same second the man turned. The earth began to shake like a hundred earthquakes beneath her feet. As the thunder boomed like cannon fire, Julie saw it all in an instant. The bright streak of light overhead, the man leaping toward her and the spark of fire as a tree beside the road flashed with flames.
All she could feel was the steel-hard impact of his shoulder, the dizzying spin of rain as it knifed from the sky and the drum of cattle racing by. She hit the muddy earth with a breath-stealing thud.
Pain rocketed through her body and her head smacked on the rocky earth. The man’s hand curled around the back of her head, cushioning the shock. Fighting for air, she was only dimly aware of the lightning and thunder, the cold and wet. The man’s face was a blur as he crouched over her. A tree limb crashed to the ground at her side. Fire licked at the leaves, even as the rain made the flames smoke and die.
“Are you all right?” he asked in a voice as deep as night, as powerful as the storm.
She gasped for air but couldn’t draw it into her lungs. Fighting panic, she knew she wasn’t hurt seriously. All she had to do was relax—
“You’ve had the wind knocked out of you. You’re going to be fine.” The rumble of his voice was comforting as he lifted her from the ground and leaned her against his chest.
What a strong chest it was, too. Sitting up, Julie felt a little better. Cold air rushed in as her lungs began to relax.
Thankful, she breathed in and out. She felt nauseated, but she wasn’t going to be sick. Icy rain stung her face, the wind buffeted her and thunder hurt her ears.
“We’d better get you inside your truck.” He took her hand, helping her to her feet. “You’ll be warm there. I don’t want you to drive, just sit and get your bearings, okay?”
Her toe caught the edge of pavement and she stumbled. His iron-strong hand curled around her elbow, catching her before she could fall. “I can make it.”
“Good. I’d help you, but I think someone is in trouble. That’s why I got out of my car.” He let go of her hand. “You’ll be all right?”
“Who’s in trouble? What did you see?”
“All I know is that there’s a horse with an empty saddle in that field. I was going to take a look when you pulled up.”
“I’ll come with you.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Lightning flashed the same moment thunder pealed. “It’s dangerous. I want you safe in your truck so I can go help who’s in trouble.”
“Safe? Well, you’d be safer if you stayed in your car, too.”
“I’m a risk taker,” he told her. “A dangerous sort of guy. I don’t need safety.”
Thunder rattled the ground beneath her feet and seemed to shake her very bones, but it didn’t distract her from the man’s dazzling grin.
Dangerous? Oh, yes. He was handsome and confident and a complete stranger. There would be time later to ask who he was and where he was from. Right now someone might be in trouble. She scanned the field. “Where did you see the horse?”
“There.” He gestured toward the far rise as lightning singed the air around them.
Julie could barely make out the bay pony in the downpour. “I know that horse. That horse wouldn’t run off and leave his rider.”
She took off at a run as the rain turned to hard balls of hail. Ice struck her like boxer’s gloves as she raced across the field and over a knoll to the creek below rapidly swelling with runoff. The bay wheeled with fear as lightning and thunder resounded across the sky.
“Hailey!” Julie called, snaring hold of the gelding’s reins. She couldn’t make out anything in the gray and white storm.
“There.” He spotted the child first, a small dark shadow on the other side of the creek. “That water’s rising fast.”
“We can cross it.” Julie saw the gelding was in good shape and uninjured, but too panicked to ride through the fast-moving current. She tied him quickly to a willow branch, so he wouldn’t injure himself further. He’d be safe, for now.
“Be careful,” she shouted. “The water’s rising and it’s more dangerous than it looks.”
The stranger was already at the steep bank. “Stay here where it’s safe. I’m going in.”
“No, wait!” Julie called, running full out, but the effects of her earlier fall held her back. She wasn’t up to one hundred percent. “The current’s fast—”
As if he didn’t hear her or understand the danger, he plunged off the bank and disappeared beneath the muddy water coursing dark and deep.
Chapter Three
Knowing the flooded creek was powerful enough to knock a man down and keep him there, Julie grabbed the rope from the saddle and ran. She could feel her lungs straining—they were still tight—and air gasped in and out of her throat, but she pushed harder.
She wasn’t about to let him drown.
The water pulled at her shoes as she secured the rope to a fence post. Her fingers felt clumsy as she tested the knot, but it held. The creek licked at the rope, sucking it out of her hands. She wrestled it back, held tight and leaped into the rising creek.
The shock of the water turned her skin to ice. Lightning flared so close she could feel the crackle in the air. Thunder crashed, rattling her very bones. Above the hammering hail, she heard the thin wail of a frightened child.
“It’s okay, Hailey,” she called to the little girl, but the wind snatched her words and tore them apart.
“Where is he?” The current pushed like a bulldozer at her ankles, then her knees. He’d fallen in right here. Where was he? What if she couldn’t find him? What if the current had swept him downstream? Lord, please help me find him….
“Toss me the rope!” a deep voice boomed above the roaring storm. “I can get across, I know it.”
Julie stumbled. Thank God! There he was, climbing out of the water onto a snagged stump in the middle of the creek. The powerful current buckled around him. He looked muddy, soaking wet and blood oozed from a cut on his forehead, but from where she stood, he looked invincible.
Since she wasn’t a blue-ribbon roper for nothing, she tossed the line, watching it uncoil as it sailed through the air and into the man’s outstretched hand.
“Good throw!” he shouted. “Stay there where it’s safe.”
One thing about this stranger was really starting to annoy her. He was bossy, and she wasn’t staying anywhere. “If Hailey’s hurt, you’ll need my help.”
He glanced over his shoulder at her. Through the driving wind and thick hail, she could see surprise flash in his dark eyes.
Handsome guy. She didn’t get the chance to think on that any further because the current knocked her feet out from under her. The rope held her as she kicked her way across the swollen creek. She surfaced just in time to see the big man kneel on the ground beside the fallen child.
“Are you all right, little girl?” His voice was kind, and it was amazing to watch how calm he was, how steady. “I’m Noah. What’s your name?”
“H-Hailey,” the child sobbed.
Julie secured the rope and dropped to the girl’s other side. “Hi, there, cutie. What are you doing out here in the storm?”
“Miss Renton!” Hailey flew off the ground, burrowing into J
ulie’s middle. “I wasn’t supposed to be riding Bandit, but I didn’t know it was gonna storm. Honest. He fell real hard. Is he hurt?”
“He looks perfectly fine to me.” Julie soothed the little girl who’d been in her kindergarten class two years ago.
“Are you hurt anywhere, Hailey?” The man— Noah—leaned close, dripping mud and creek water on Julie’s sleeve. “Tell me what hurts.”
She cried. “My arm.”
“Sounds like it’s pretty bad.” He leaned close, and even though he’d been at the bottom of a creek, he smelled wonderful—like an expensive aftershave, spice and molasses rich. “Let me take a look.”
“Are you a doctor?” Hailey sniffled.
“No, but I broke my wrist once, so I consider myself an authority.” Noah gently cradled Hailey’s thin forearm and pushed her sleeve up over her elbow.
“Ow,” she cried again.
“That could be a break. Look at the swelling.” Noah’s eyes met Julie’s and there was concern in them. “It would be best if we can stabilize it.”
“Just what I was going to say. We can use small branches from one of the cottonwoods.” Julie cradled the girl in her lap, protecting her from the wind and hail. “Do you hurt anywhere else, Hailey?”
“Nope.” She snuggled closer, whining a little in pain.
“Good. We’ll get you home soon, I promise.”
“Here.” Noah reappeared with two fairly straight branches, stout-looking enough to stabilize Hailey’s arm.
They worked together, as the wind strengthened and the temperature dipped. The hail turned to ice. Freezing wherever it fell, it turned the landscape to a white wintry world.
“Here, give her to me.” Noah took the child in his arms as easily as if she were a doll, and tucked her beneath his jacket. Snug against his chest, at least Hailey would be as warm as possible.
The creek had risen to a dangerous level. There was no way to go around, so they went straight through. Noah held on to the rope, and Julie helped him keep Hailey out of the water. Julie fell once and Noah slipped, but the taut line kept them both upright. Exhausted, they made it to the opposite bank.
“Is there a hospital nearby?” Noah shouted to be heard over the fierce storm. “She’s cold. Too cold.”
“Her grandmother lives just up the road. We’ll take her there.” Julie slipped and slid through the icy field until the pavement was safely under their feet.
She took one look at the sedan off to the side of the road, taillights flashing eerily through the thick white curtain of snow. “Let’s get her into my truck. I’ve got four-wheel drive.”
“Something tells me we might need it.” Noah cradled the child out of the wind.
Julie yanked open the door, threw the seat back to grab a couple blankets stashed there.
“You get the truck started.” He stole the blankets from her. “We’ve got to get her warm.”
That was what she was about to do, but she didn’t waste time arguing. She ducked her head into the wind, scrambled across the snow and ice to the driver’s side, and turned the key in the ignition. The engine leaped to life and tepid air puffed out of the vents. Julie turned the heater on high. At least the engine hadn’t cooled off completely—she was thankful for that.
Hailey’s tears echoed in the cab. Wrapped in two blankets, shivering in Noah’s strong arms, she looked small and vulnerable. But safe.
Julie smoothed the girl’s tangled curls. “You’re going to be warm soon, I promise.”
“Want my d-daddy.”
“We’ll get you to him, I promise.” Julie tugged the cell phone from her purse and tried dialing. “With the luck I’ve been having, I should have known this wouldn’t work. It’s the storm. I’ve got to scrape the windshield—”
She got out of the truck and slammed the door shut, not needing his instruction. Cold had settled like pain in her midsection and, being wet to the skin, she actually couldn’t get much colder. As she dug the scraper into the stubborn frozen mess on her windshield, she fought the driving ice with each swipe. Her hands were numb and she kept working until she’d pried the windshield wipers free.
The truck was mildly warm, but she couldn’t feel the heat or her feet as she pushed in the clutch. “Hailey, how are you doing?”
“Still want my d-daddy.”
“We’ll find him for you, don’t you worry.” With a prayer on her lips, Julie backed onto the road. She couldn’t see much, but there were no headlights coming her way.
Everything she’d fretted over and worried about today was insignificant now as she clenched her teeth to keep them from rattling. She wrapped her numb fingers around the steering wheel and peered through the veil of white hiding the road from her sight.
All that mattered was getting Hailey home.
Over the rasp of the wipers on the windshield and the whir of the heater, Noah’s low, melted-chocolate voice seemed to drive away the fury of the storm. He was talking to Hailey, assuring her that her horse would be all right, and asking her questions about the animal. What was his name? How old was he? Was he a good horse?
Hailey answered quietly in a trembling voice. As the minutes passed and warmth filled the cab, the girl stopped shaking and climbed onto the seat between them. She told how she’d been racing Bandit for home to beat the lightning, but he got real scared.
Out of the corner of her eye, Julie couldn’t help watching the big man who seemed to fill up half the cab. He had to be well over six foot, by the way his knees were bent to keep from hitting the glove box. It had been something how he’d taken care of Hailey.
“I had a pony once, too,” Noah told the girl. “I rode him to play polo.”
“Polo?” Julie had to question him on that. “No respectable Montanan plays polo. Rides broncos, maybe, ropes calf, definitely. But polo?”
“I was only a kid at the time, so don’t hold it against me. Now I like baseball. Do Montanans like baseball?”
“What kind of question is that?” She nodded toward the minor league cap on the dash. “Okay, so I won’t toss you out on your ear, but only if you never mention polo again.”
“You drive a hard bargain, Miss Renton.” He winked at her.
With his hair wet and slicked away from his face, and his jacket clinging to every contour of his remarkable chest, he looked like a dream come true.
He’s trouble, Julie. Big-time, one-hundred-percent trouble. A sensible woman would keep the Continental Divide between them—and that’s exactly what she was going to do.
As soon as she got Hailey home.
Heaven was kind to her, because she spotted the Coreys’ driveway and eased off the road. The tires churned up the steep lane. No sooner had she slid to a stop in front of the carport, there was Mrs. Corey, arms outstretched, taking Hailey from Noah’s arms.
“I can’t believe you found her. Praise be, Julie, you’re a lifesaver.”
“Not me. I just did the driving.” Julie gestured toward the strong man, holding the back door open for Mrs. Corey. “Noah here is the hero. He saw Hailey fall from her horse and stopped to help.”
“No! Say you didn’t.” Mrs. Corey paled as she set Hailey down on the chair in front of the pellet stove and turned to stare at the handsome stranger. “Aren’t you Noah? Of course, I’ve heard of you. Goodness, won’t this be a story to tell. Hailey, my girl, you’re hurt.”
Noah knelt down, carefully taking the wet blankets. “We splinted her arm just to be safe. She should see a doctor.”
“I’ll call my nephew. He’s a medical doctor and he’s out looking for this little one, right along with the others. I’ve got to run and get hot water started. Julie, be a dear and call them on the radio.”
“Sure thing. I’ll send someone after Hailey’s horse, too.” As she left the room, she smoothed wet locks of hair out of her face and tucked them behind her ear.
A graceful gesture, and Noah couldn’t look away as she crossed the room. Her jeans and sweatshirt were baggy and sta
ined with mud from the creek.
She was no fashion statement, but there was something that made him look and keep looking. She was simply beautiful. Not made up or artificial, but genuine.
“Miss Renton’s awful nice,” Hailey whispered to him while they were alone. “She got a broken heart.”
“A broken heart?”
“’Cuz she had to give the ring back. A really pretty one. It sparkled and everything.”
Hmm. A broken engagement, huh? Noah couldn’t help turning his attention to Julie. She stood in the kitchen, visible above the countertops, where she was signing off on a handheld radio.
“Mrs. Corey, do you mind if I borrow your phone?” she called down the hall. “I’ve got to get a hold of Pastor Bill. I’m guessing that the party is canceled.”
“What? You can’t let the storm get in the way of an important celebration.” Mrs. Corey marched into view, with a warm blanket outstretched. “Look, the snow’s already stopping.”
Julie Renton. Noah thought about that. She had to be related to Harold Renton, the man he’d met today. The man ready to marry his grandmother and her money.
“I’ve got a bath running.” Mrs. Corey tapped into the room and scooped Hailey from the warm chair. “We’ll warm you up and get you into some clean clothes, and by that time the doctor will be here. Thank you again, Mr. Ashton.”
“No problem, ma’am.” He straightened. “Just make sure Hailey’s going to be all right.”
“She will be. Thanks to you and Julie.”
Julie appeared, frowning. “Pastor Bill has promised to clear the walkways right away. I guess the party is still on.”
“We’ll try to make it, dear. You drive safely now, and thanks again.” Mrs. Corey gave her a hug and, carrying Hailey deeper into the house, disappeared from sight.
“Did I hear her right?” Julie asked the minute they were in the truck. “Did she call you ‘Mr. Ashton’?”
“Some people have been known to do that.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s my name.”
