Chapter 2
Sam
It had been one hell of a day. Not that I could complain. Snow was dangerous, but danger was good for business, and I had bills to pay.
The unusual call from a woman broken down at the Kamloops Airport looking to go all the way to Vancouver provided a good solution.
I had just finished a job near Kamloops, but I lived closer to the Vancouver end of the highway in the little town of Hope.
I could drop her car off in Vancouver and go home to sleep.
Easy money.
I ran my eyes over my next client as I approached, feeling dirty and underdressed. Her curves were cinched into a perfectly ironed black suit while her long legs ended in an impractically heeled boot.
This might not be easy money after all.
I fumbled with a rag in my pocket before extending my hand.
“Did you say tow truck?” She ignored my hand, her eyebrows coming together.
“Faster than dragging it with a bicycle.” My joke fell flat.
She was shaking her head, and her manicured fingers came to her temple.
“You are Anna Johnson, aren’t you?”
“I called for a town car. I told you I needed a ride to Vancouver.”
I took a half step toward her. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d slept, and Ms. Long-Legs was trying to tell me my business?
“No, you told me you were stuck at the airport and needed to get to Vancouver. I assumed you needed a car towed to a dealership there for warranty work. It’s not uncommon. What else was I supposed to think?”
Her eyes narrowed at the corners. “You asked me what kind of car I wanted.”
“I asked you what kind of car you had.”
She took a step forward now. I was well over six feet tall, but in her heels, Anna wasn’t far behind.
I owned my own business, and in dangerous situations I was used to being obeyed without question.
Being challenged by this business , her minty breath skating across my neck, was both unexpectedly alluring and frustrating as hell.
“You should have clarified,” she said. “Why didn’t you ask?”
I licked my lips and felt a small surge of triumph when her hazel eyes followed the motion. “I own a towing company. I am a tow truck driver. It’s what I do. It’s all I do. What was there to clarify?”
She pulled a card from her pocket with one hand and scrolled her phone with the other. She glanced between the two before visibly wilting. “No, no, no. I inverted the numbers when I dialed.” She quickly typed into her phone, planted her hand on her hip, and turned her back to me.
I had effectively been dismissed, but I crossed my arms over my chest and watched. I’d driven all the way here; the least she could do was provide me with some entertainment. Besides, the view of Ms. Anna Johnson was as good from the back as it was from the front.
She gestured frantically as she explained the situation into her phone. The effect was not unlike a bird flapping its wings.
She lowered her phone and slowly turned back to face me.
This should be good.
She stepped forward. An award-winning smile found its way to her lips, but her eyes didn’t get the memo. “I’m sorry. I didn’t catch your name.” Her tone was syrupy sweet and completely unnatural. I was looking forward to watching her squirm.
“Sam.” I bit back a smirk.
“Sam, of course, a good simple name.”
I raised an eyebrow. “You’re saying I’m simple?”
“No, no. It just seems that men who work with their hands, such as yourself, always have monosyllabic names. Jim, Fred, Bob. You know?”
What the hell is she talking about?
I cocked an eyebrow. “You’re really bad at sweet talk. You know that?”
Something flashed behind her eyes, and she planted a hand on the curve of her hip. “Who said anything about sweet talk?”
I didn’t reply.
She exhaled from her nose. “Alright, fine, Mr. Sam—”
“Just Sam,” I cut in. “I like to keep it simple.”
She rewarded me with something between a smile and a cringe. “Alright, Sam then. I need to get to Vancouver as soon as possible. You were going to take a car there for me. What if I pay you the same amount to take me instead?”
“The highway’s a mess, even with the plows out in full force—”
“Yeah, so I found out,” she said, gesturing to her phone.
“Whatever you need to get there for isn’t worth it. You’d be smart just to turn around and go home, Anna.”
“AJ,” she said. “I go by AJ.”
“Anna is prettier.”
Why is it so fun to rile her up?
Her eyes narrowed. “Pretty isn’t my concern. I need to get to Vancouver for a flight tomorrow morning. Either you can make the drive, or you can’t.”
“Back to the sweet talk again, are we?” I brought my hand to my chin and scraped it over my too-long stubble.
This situation had “pain in the ass” written all over it, but against my better judgment, I was thinking of agreeing.
Work was work. I had to cross the highway to get home anyway.
Besides, I wasn’t ready to be done with Anna “AJ” Johnson just yet.
“Alright we have a deal, on one condition.”
She cocked her head. “Which is?” A touch of pink colored the skin of her neck. Apparently, my perfectly-put-together new client’s mind went straight to the gutter. Interesting. I wasn’t talking about that kind of deal, though.
“I make no guarantees I can get you there. Mother Nature and I are not exactly on speaking terms. If she decides to throw a fit and we can’t get there safely, we turn around and go home. Safety is always my first concern. No argument. Sound good?”
Her eyes sparked with triumph, and she gave a single, efficient nod.
“Then let’s go.” I grabbed the handle of her suitcase and turned toward the door.
Her heels clicked in an even rhythm against the floor like the ticking of a clock.
Even though I was taller, I had to lengthen my stride to get to the door in time to hold it open for her.
Her shoulders tensed at the gesture, and her lips disappeared as she squeezed them into a thin line.
I wondered how anyone could be wound this tight and not explode into a million pieces.
I watched her step out into the thickly falling snow. Impractical boots. No gloves. No hat. No coat. Just a sharp suit, designer luggage, and one hell of a chip on her shoulder.
She was right about one thing, though. I was a simple guy.
I didn’t have the patience for anything fussier than black coffee.
Hopefully, the trip would be smooth sailing.
On the other hand, this highway had a well-earned reputation for being unpredictable: snow, black ice, steep hills, and sharp corners.
If she expected this to be an easy trip, she had another thing coming.