Absentminded Angel(Divine Creek Ranch 20)(20)

She slowed down a little so the big dually truck coming up beside her could pass before they reached the fork in the road, where it narrowed to two lanes. One lane would continue on to Morehead and the other veered off toward Divine. The truck, which was pulling a long flatbed trailer, pulled ahead of her and the driver put on his blinker and then began to move into her lane.

It was obvious he was misjudging distances, because the flatbed trailer was parallel with her car as he encroached into her lane. Knowing she risked spinning out if she slammed on her brakes, she took her foot off the gas pedal with her heart in her throat and prayed her deceleration would make up the difference. It was close and the rear fender of the trailer clipped her front end as he pulled ahead. She honked her horn and held tight to the steering wheel as the car fishtailed crazily down into the frozen muddy ditch.





Chapter Five




Jared was glancing with growing concern at the big clock on the kitchen wall in the firehouse when Kendry’s phone rang. Kendry lifted it from his pocket as he made eye contact with his brother. The same worry for Presley Ann was in his eyes.

Several of their coworkers, including the chief, were sitting around the dinner table involved in various pursuits while Kendry was cooking supper for the crew on duty that night.

“Hello? Whoa, kitten, slow down. Start over.” Tilting his head, Jared could just barely make out the faint sound of her voice over the line, sounding agitated.

I knew it. Something’s wrong.

Kendry looked over at him and whispered, “She and Whit are okay,” before speaking into the phone again. “It’s okay. I’m glad it was us that you called. Stay on the line for just a minute.” He put the phone to his chest and turned to the chief. “Presley Ann Woodworth got run off the road at the FM 709 cutoff and she’s stuck in the mud.”

The chief frowned as he looked up to the clock, which also displayed the outside temperature. “It’s below freezing now and she won’t have much of a windbreak out there—”

“We’ll go after her,” Scott O’Hara said as he and his brother Kevin rose from their places at the table.

Jared frowned and said, “No you’re not.” Scott had already made it clear he was interested in Presley Ann, and he wasn’t giving the big redneck an opening if he could help it. “I’ll go—if that’s okay with the chief.”

Kevin was about to argue when the chief cut him off. “Jared goes. You can take the fire and rescue truck since it has a winch and chains if you need it. Is the baby okay?”

“Baby’s fine,” Kendry said as he stirred the pot of pinto beans on the stove. “She’s sitting in the car with the heater running, but I could hear her teeth chattering.”

“I don’t see why—” Scott began to say before Chief nailed him with an unamused stare.

“O’Hara, one of these days you’re going to be sincerely interested in a woman and you’re gonna hope I afford you the same courtesy. Drop it.” Chief looked at Jared. “Sooner you get there, the sooner she and the baby can warm up. Cases like this that can turn dangerous fast are one of the reasons we have those vehicles. Be careful of ice on the road.”

Kendry nodded at him from the stove and said, “I’ll tell her you’re on your way.”

Jared was dressed in all his outer layers and gone within a couple of minutes. Full dark had settled by the time he left Divine. He reached the area near the cutoff and spotted her car. After passing her and doing a U-turn and parking on the shoulder of the road, he turned on the emergency flashers, pulled on his gloves, and jumped out of the vehicle.

His boots slid in the mud as he made his way down the incline.

She already had the driver’s side door open by the time he reached her car and he wrapped her in a brief hug, relieved to verify with his own eyes that she was okay. Even though her hands were like ice through his thermal shirt, her arms wrapped tightly around his middle and her face pressed close to his neck felt good. “You’re okay? Whit’s okay?”

“Yes, just a little chilled and spooked. It’s so dark out here and the temperature kept dropping. Whit’s fine. I got him out of his car seat and nursed him just a few minutes ago. I’m sorry I had to bother you.”

“Kendry said the other driver clipped you?”

“Yeah, minor damage, but the roads were slick enough that it sent me into a spin. I’m just glad I didn’t plow through any fences. With my luck there’d be a mean bull in the pasture.”

He silently agreed and squinted as he looked at her face. “You’re all muddy.”