Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
Luke Mosby wished he’d thrown on his sunglasses and oversized sweatshirt before offering to help the beautiful woman. But now that his hands were full of her possessions, there was no way to dig into his bag without dropping something.
When the beautiful woman limped back to him, he realized that neither the glasses nor the sweatshirt would be able to hide his powerful, physical reactions to her.
So he’d have to go with it—and hope she didn’t notice the way she affected him.
Her long brown hair was tied in a high ponytail.
Her jeans and pink T-shirt hugged curves that were a gift from the angels.
And her brown eyes—those eyes—held both vulnerability and an unexpected fierceness.
Everything about her, especially her subtle lily-of-the-valley scent, kept him fixed to the spot, unable to put down anything she’d handed him. Including her cherry red lip gloss that sent his erotic fantasies into overdrive.
Her accent pegged her as a Boston native.
But it was the way she limped with a determination that made it appear as if she’d been arguing with all three fates, and still couldn’t admit her loss, that changed his life.
At that moment. In that hour. On that day.
Whoever this woman was, and whatever she wanted, he was all in.
Possibly even forever.
He just wasn’t ready to set his plan into motion. Mostly because all he was working with was lust, a lack of rental cars, and a really hot summer day.
When she paused in front of him, the sheen on her forehead and the way her breasts heaved from her heavy breathing told him she was both annoyed and dumbfounded to be in this position.
“My phone and wallet are locked in the rental car office.”
“I’m sorry.”
“And Edmund is gone.”
He nodded although he had no idea who Edmund was.
She held out both her hands, exposing her scraped palms. “I have nothing.”
“Okay.” He kept his voice steady, as if none of this was a surprise.
“Edmund mentioned that you’re going to the mountains, and I need a ride to Milltown.” She stared at the lip gloss on top of her pile of things. “If you drove me, what would you want in return?”
“Oh, darlin’.” He smiled and used his softest, southern drawl. “What are you offering?”
When she frowned, her eyebrows crinkled. “Nothing frisky.”
He swallowed his laughter and kept his voice neutral. “Virginia gentlemen never take advantage of a woman in need. But we’re not above bribes.”
“Do you know where Milltown is?”
He nodded. “It’s on the other side of the mountain from Kingsmill, my destination.”
“I need to meet the real estate lady by eight p.m.”
“It’s about a four-hour drive from here.” He knew exactly how long it would take to get to Milltown and could probably sleepwalk there from the airport. “Now. About those bribes…”
“Hmmm.” She picked up her purse and scrambled through it. A moment later, she pulled out a half-melted protein bar. “It’s still good.”
“I may be a gentleman,” he waggled an eyebrow at her, “but I still have standards.”
She shoved her hand into her purse again and grimaced. “I have this.” She held up a black and gold gift card. “I have no idea how much money is on it, but it’s still good.”
“The Wicked Beanery?” He shook his head. “I’ve no use for a mystery gift card from a Boston coffee shop. I don’t care how much money is on it.”
She went back into the depths of her handbag. “I’m guessing old ticket stubs and hard caramel candies are a no?”
“In general, trash is a giant no.”
She pulled out a small, zippered bag and opened it. “I have some loose change. And I can help drive.”
“Have you ever driven in the mountains before?”
“No.” She wrinkled her nose and dug through the smaller zippered bag. “But I’m a good city driver.”
“They’re not the same thing.”
She held up a pink card and a white card. “I have a nail salon gift card. It’s for a national salon chain.”
“No, thank you. What’s the other card for?”
“It’s a hotel key.” A red flush started on her neck and flooded her cheeks, and she tossed both cards back into her purse. “I don’t know how that got in there.”
She took the lip gloss and purple tampon off the top of the pile he still held and dropped them into the depths of her purse. When she reached for the brush, he pretended to be deep in thought, like he was negotiating a business deal.
“Do you have any snacks? A decent road trip requires snacks.”
“No.” She took the rest of her things out of his arms and dumped them into her handbag. “But I promise not to complain about how you drive.”
He crossed his now-empty arms over his chest, still in pretend contemplation mode. “If we do this—”
“You mean you agree?” She swung her purse onto her shoulder. “To take me to Milltown?”
“Under certain conditions.” He picked up his duffel bag and began rolling her monstrous pink suitcase that had to have cost a fortune in oversized luggage fees toward the back of the mostly empty lot. “First, I choose the music.”
“But we have to wait for Edmund to open up the office.” She ran after him and tugged his arm until he stopped. “My phone—”
“We leave now or not at all.” He shrugged. “I have a schedule to keep as well.”
And if he didn’t make that tuxedo fitting appointment, the women in his family would give him a scolding for the ages.
She glanced at the rental office. “I guess I could rent a car and come back tomorrow.”
“I have an idea.” He stopped walking, dropped his duffel, and pulled out his phone. “My brother Abe is coming in on a flight from Maine, but it’s been delayed. When he lands, he’s renting a car. I’ll have him swing by here and get your phone.”
She wrinkled her nose and looked around the parking lot, as if searching for another solution.
“Abe is an Army officer.” Luke began typing a note to his brother. “I promise he’s an even better man than I am.”
Truer words, and all that.
“I guess that’s okay,” she said in a shaky voice.
“And when we get to Milltown, I’ll call my sister-in-law Eve. She’s an accountant and is super smart about stuff like this. I’m sure she can help you contact banks and credit companies, just in case.”
She gave him a weak smile. “Let’s hope I don’t have to do that.”
“Try not to worry.” He tapped her shoulder in a lame attempt to make her feel better. “And as the driver, I choose the route, the snacks, and any other adventures we have along the way.”
“Adventures? I don’t—”
“Right now I’m your only option.” He gestured toward the lack of cars in the lot.
“Or you can wait for someone to return a car before tonight. But I have to be honest. Milltown is in the middle of nowhere. There’s no public transportation and no ride-shares.
Some of the mountain roads don’t even allow electric vehicles. ”
She gave a resigned sigh and nodded. “I guess that will work.”
“Good.” He finished his text to Abe, grabbed both of their bags, and headed for the white truck he’d rented despite the horrendous cost and terrible gas mileage. “We need to hurry if we’re going to get snacks for the road.”
“I’d offer to pay for them but…” she sighed and fell into step next to him. “Once I get my phone, I’ll make good on my promises.”
“I’ll hold you to that. But I should probably know your name. Mine is Luke Mosby. I’m originally from Kingsmill, Virginia. The youngest of six boys, and I now live in Miami.”
“Six boys?” She shook her head and chuckled. “Holly Wythe. Only child. Born and bred in Boston.”
“Wythe?” He stopped at the truck and unlocked the passenger side door. “Are your people from Wythe County, Virginia?”
“No idea.” She hopped into the front seat and placed her purse on the floor. “I just know my grandpa grew up near Milltown.”
“Interesting.” He stowed their bags and got into the driver’s seat. Once they had their seat belts fastened, he adjusted the mirrors, turned on the truck, and blasted the AC.
Holly played with her vent. “Make it as cold as you want.”
He intended to do just that. He was a gentleman, but no man was perfect.
As he shifted the truck into reverse, he sent her a smile that he usually saved for end-of-the-night action. “Ready?”
He wasn’t looking for that kind of action—not yet, anyway—but he wanted her to feel comfortable. While he’d hitchhiked across the country a few times, he could only imagine how unnerving it was for women to take rides from strangers.
She checked him out like he was an unlicensed ride-share driver. “You’re not a serial killer, Miami surfer dude, are you? I really don’t want to end up in a ditch.”
“No to the serial killer.” He drove out of the parking space and winked at her. “No to the ditch.”
She gripped the door handle. “And the Miami surfer dude?”
Once he cleared the rental car property gates, he hit the gas and drove through a yellow light just as it turned red. “That would be hell, yes.”