Ten minutes later, Kelsey waved as she navigated the car out of the driveway and headed toward Lusty. Because she was driving farther than just her usual five minute jaunt between the ranch and the restaurant, she’d activated her Bluetooth and set her cell phone in the console beside her. Traffic was never brisk through town, especially in the morning. She turned the radio on low and took her time driving through the small town. Looking around, Kelsey shook her head. Even today, she could see families, groups of people who lived and loved together, standing in front of stores where they’d obviously bumped into friends coming and going. Yet she’d never noticed until Matthew and Steven had taken her to the museum and out to the ranch that first time that a happy couple more often than not included three or even four people.
“Talk about being blind,” she said aloud as she stopped at the only traffic light in town. It turned green, and she passed the museum and then the sheriff’s office. Matthew and Adam’s cars were both there, and she lifted a hand in a wave, not knowing if anyone saw her or not. Soon she was motoring past her apartment building on her way towards the state road and her destination.
I should stop on the way back and grab some more clothes for myself.
She needed to do laundry but could do it at the ranch.
She accelerated once she reached the state highway, and her cell phone rang. Reaching up to her Bluetooth, she pressed the button.
“Hello?”
Matthew’s smooth voice came over the line. “Hey, pretty lady.” Kelsey smiled because she could hear the smile in his voice. “Where you headed on such a fine morning?”
“Out to the storage place to get those photo albums. How’s it going?”
“Slowly. When I saw you drive past, I decided I needed a break. I’m only about a minute behind you.”
Before she could say anything, her car jolted, and she gasped.
“What’s wrong?” Matthew’s voice left teasing behind.
“Some son-of-a-bitch just rammed—” She was jolted again, harder this time. Her eyes flicked to the review mirror. A Ford Taurus had pulled back but began accelerating again. “Fuck off!”
“Kelsey!”
“Asshole in a tan Taurus seems to be…Oh, shit, he’s coming up beside me. Matthew!”
He was yelling in her ear, but Kelsey couldn’t answer. It took all her concentration to hang on to the steering wheel. The Taurus rammed her car on the driver’s side, and she spared a glance but didn’t recognize the hat-wearing driver behind the wheel. Uncertain whether to speed up or slow down, she began to apply the brake.
Was the asshole drunk? Kelsey spared him another glance. He seemed to be widening the gap between them. Then he narrowed it again. This time, the impact was harder, and Kelsey lost control of the car. It left the road and careened toward a tree.
She had no time for more than a sharp curse as car met tree and glass shattered and metal screamed.
Chapter 16
The moment Kelsey gasped and told him she’d been rammed, Matthew turned on his lights and siren and stomped on the gas. Then she swore, and he heard the sound of the other car ramming her, and his heart tripped in his chest as he screamed Kelsey’s name.
He knew he couldn’t be more than thirty seconds behind her. He crested a small hill and saw in heart-stopping clarity what he heard with sickening dread through the cell phone. Kelsey’s car hit a tree.
The Taurus that had run her off the road had come to a stop but now sped off, likely in response to Matthew’s siren. The driver swerved in his haste to pick up speed. Matthew caught the first three letters of the license plate, saying them over and over to himself so he wouldn’t forget.
He very badly wanted to wrap his hands around that bastard’s neck and squeeze the living shit right out of him, but he had to let him go.
Police procedure dictated in this kind of situation that the victim came first.
“Oh, Christ.” He couldn’t think of Kelsey as a victim. Bringing the cruiser to a screeching halt, he jammed the gearshift into park and practically leapt from the vehicle. Running for all he was worth, he reached her car, yanking and yanking until he got the driver’s door open, calling her name the entire time.
Kelsey moaned in pain, and it was the sweetest sound he’d ever heard. Bits of plastic littered the interior of the car, and his woman, still strapped in, sat with her head back against the seat.
“Sweetheart?” His hands shook as he stroked her. He took a moment to examine her and the car. He’d move her if he had to but wanted to see how badly she was hurt first. There was no smoke coming from under the hood and no smell of gasoline. So far, so good.