Sparks Fly(Divine Creek Ranch 11)(56)

Jack knew if she got off the road the possibility of her getting hurt was very real. Plus, she was stark naked.

Ethan growled and called out, “Grace, we need you to come to us now.”

Jack braced his hands on his knees, catching his breath. “Sorry, guys. It was a stupid idea.”

Ethan turned to him and looked him in the eye. “Actually, if I’d been in your shoes, I might’ve suggested it too. None of us was thinking too clearly when we planned this. Bed at home is sounding sexier all the time.”

“Grace!” Jack turned in all directions calling her name. “Maybe we should split up.”

The wind kicked up, and a sheet of red lightning flickered on the horizon, and Jack heard the distant rumble of thunder. His heart drummed loudly in his ears, and he tried to control the icy fear creeping into his heart. He’d never forgive himself if something happened to her. There were more than just snakes out here.

What a damned fool idea!

Suddenly he heard a loud scream, a yelp, and the pounding of her sandals slapping the ground nearby. A loud, feral squeal made his blood run cold, and they turned in circles. Suddenly Grace appeared and leaped for Adam at full speed, judging by how high she landed on his back, screaming, “Pig! A pig is chasing me!”

“What the —” Ethan looked around and then turned with big eyes. “Boar! Run! Why did I leave the gun in the car? It’s huge!”

They beat feet down the road with Grace screaming at the top of her lungs, clinging to Adam and crying the whole way. With the sprinter’s edge, Ethan outdistanced them and hollered, “Jump in the back with her. I’ll get the gun!”

It was hard to tell how far ahead of the pursuing animal they were. It paid to not test whether a boar was willing to risk attacking or might simply try to chase off an intruder then disappear back into the brush. Jack helped Adam load Grace into the back of the vehicle, and then he and Adam stood their ground with Ethan, who was armed with Jack’s handgun from the console. He fired one shot in the air, and the large animal skidded to a halt and disappeared into the brush.

“Why didn’t you shoot it?” Adam asked incredulously. “That was at least two-fifty or three hundred pounds of wild hog.”

“Our freezer is still full from last time,” Ethan replied as he watched for the animal to reappear. “And I really don’t want to deal with gutting a hog in the middle of the night when we could be making love to Grace.”

“Good point,” Adam agreed as he and Jack looked in on her.

She was crouched in the back of the SUV trying to slip into her clothing. “Is it gone?”

“I think so, darlin’. Are you injured?”

Another sheet of red lightning rippled across the horizon. Grace looked up and smiled. “No, I just got the shit scared out of me. Once I got farther away from the SUV the moon went behind a cloud and I somehow got turned around. I could hear you hollering but couldn’t tell which direction to go. I walked right up on a couple of them. At first I thought I bumped into a scratchy bush, but then it grunted and turned. When the cloud passed, I saw his tusks in the moonlight and…I don’t think I’ve ever run that fast in my entire life. I’m just glad it made you easier to spot too. I probably scared him as much as he scared me.”

Her easygoing manner made Jack feel even worse. “I’m really sorry, darlin’. I never should’ve sent you off without thinking things through. My only thought was that it might be fun if you gave them a little game of hide-and-seek first.”

Ethan clapped him on the back. “Actually, it wasn’t a bad idea, just not in the dead of summer when the rattlesnakes are out.”

Ethan lifted the snakeskin so she could see it, and Jack saw her shudder. “Can we go home? I think I want a shower and our bed.”

“I second that motion,” Adam said as he helped her from the back of the vehicle.

Lifting her now-dirty white satin bra from the ground, Jack apologized again. “Sorry about your lingerie, Grace.”

“If that’s the only casualty, we’re doing good. It may just need washing.” She took it from him and kissed him.

They climbed in the SUV and headed home. It was a quiet trip. Jack worried the whole way that he’d ruined the evening for Ethan and Adam. He even allowed Ethan to sit in the back with her so she could talk with him and maybe rekindle the flame from earlier in the vehicle. Ethan had a knack for knowing what Grace was thinking, and Jack hoped that connection between them could salvage their night of fun.





Chapter Twelve




Ethan pulled Grace across his lap and cuddled her to him tightly. “I was really scared for you, Gracie. When I realized you were out there and that there could be a full-grown rattlesnake somewhere nearby…”