Chapter 3
CHAPTER 3
Fall in love with your heart, but use your brain to make sure it’s right. ~ The Lady Elks Secret Archives.
The rural road cut between snowy fields under attack by the wind. Dawn drove her SUV slowly over the icy streets after the vigorous bingo game, her mind throwing thoughts to the forefront like scattering buckshot while Mrs. Poppins pouted in the passenger seat.
Why did the entire town have to know about her childhood crush on Hawk Rain? What would it be like to live in a big city where nobody knew her business?
Probably not fun. She’d been to college and grad school away from town, and like it or not, she’d missed everybody. It was great to be home, and once she nipped this issue with Hawk in the bud, life would be good.
“You’re driving too fast, Dawn Freeze,” Mrs. Poppins muttered, holding her bulging purse to her chest.
“I’m sorry.” While the rural route remained empty, the roads were icy, and the storm continued to rage. Dawn slowed from thirty miles an hour to twenty. The speed limit was fifty, but Mrs. Poppins had lost at bingo, and she seemed a bit peeved.
Mrs. Hudson had won the most at bingo, and she’d all but danced out the door with Henry Bullton, whispering loudly that he was gonna get some . For some reason, to Mrs. Hudson, winning meant all her dreams would soon come true. Including Hawk falling for Dawn.
Dawn shook her head.
A thump alerted her, and her SUV jumped. Groaning, she pulled to the side of the very deserted country road. The Jeep slid on the ice, and she corrected until she could pull to a stop.
“Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness.” Mrs. Poppins yanked off her scarf and fanned herself, her eyes wide behind her spectacles. “We hit somebody.”
Dawn patted the elderly lady’s knee. “We didn’t hit anybody. I promise.” Squinting out the window, she sucked back another groan at seeing the snow pounding down. “Feels like a flat tire.” Her cell phone glowed on the seat next to her, and without a doubt she could call any of her brothers or her father to come change the tire.
Heck. Her mother and sisters-in-law could change the tire.
So could she.
Did she want to? Um, no. But it was time everyone saw her as an adult and not the Lodge-Freeze boys’ little sister. Changing the tire would make her cold and irritated…but provide no danger .
Not in Maverick County.
“I’ll have the tire changed in just a second, Mrs. Poppins,” Dawn said, keeping her voice low and reassuring.
“No.” Sharp nails dug into Dawn’s arm. “Let’s call for help. Right now.”
Dawn patted the gnarled hand. “I can change a tire, ma’am. It’ll be okay.”
Mrs. Poppins rolled surprisingly bright green eyes. “Of course you can change a tire, Dawnie. Geez. If you couldn’t change a tire, you wouldn’t be a girl I’d let drive me home. But what I’m saying is…you don’t need to change the tire.”
“Yes, I do.” She smiled at the frowning woman.
Mrs. Poppins squinted out at the storm. “What if there are rapists out there?” She glanced down at her shimmering black pantsuit. “Patty bedazzled my shirt, and I’m rather, well, hot in this.”
Amusement filled Dawn’s chest, and she coughed out a laugh. “You surely are, but I doubt any rapists are trolling along this rural road in this storm. Way too cold.”
Mrs. Poppins sniffed and nearly pressed her nose against the window, looking out at the storm. “If you say so.”
Straightening her shoulders, Dawn slid from the car and moved to check the back tire. Yep. Flat as a pancake. Must’ve driven over a sharp rock not covered enough by ice.
She’d been thinking about Hawk and not watching the road.
Thinking of Hawk…he’d rescue her if she called him. Tempting. Yep. Definitely tempting. But they both deserved better than games, and they were only friends. Just like Adam. Seemed she had several hot, way too sexy men around who just wanted to be her buddy. Freakin’ great .
Plus, she could change a tire.
So she jacked up the car, removed the old tire, and grunted while securing the new one. Mrs. Poppins watched carefully out the rolled down back window, her face pale and pinched. The snow turned to sleeting rain, and Dawn’s face was numb by the time she finished.
Yet triumph filled her as she tossed the jack into the back of the SUV.
Country girl all the way. Feeling rather proud of herself, and definitely superior to any woman who needed saving from a silly flat tire on an icy road, she turned to head back to the driver’s seat. Her boot caught a chunk of ice. Her arms windmilled while she fought gravity.
And promptly fell flat on her ass.
Her head thunked the metal of the SUV, and her vision swayed. Darkness danced in front of her eyes. Oh crap. Maybe she should’ve called for help.
She blinked several times, and her vision cleared. Good. Heck, she’d been knocked on the head before. No biggie. Then another pain made itself known in her right hand. Ouch. Cold or seriously hurt? She couldn’t tell.
Mrs. Poppins scooted out the vehicle, her galoshes throwing up ice as she landed on the road. “Oh my. Oh my. Are you all right?”
Dawn wasn’t sure. “I think so.” Scrambling along the ice, she inched her way inside the vehicle with the elderly woman’s help and shut the door before grabbing the phone. Her ears rang, and clouds danced across her eyes. “I’m not sure I should drive.”
“Oh my.” Mrs. Poppins bit her lip and sat back in the passenger seat again. “I drank three glasses of wine, but I could give it a shot.”
Bad idea. Very. “I’ll call for assistance.”
“No. You relax.” Mrs. Poppins grasped the phone and scrolled through her contacts. “I’ll call my Earl to come get us.”
Dawn stilled. “Um, how about we call my dad?” Earl was a great man, but at this time of night, he’d be into the Scotch.
“Good idea.” Mrs. Poppins nodded, her concentration absolute. “There we go.” She dialed and pressed the phone to her ear. “Hi dear. This is Bernie Poppins.” Then she waited several beats before clearing her throat. “Well, we were heading home from bingo, and I thought Dawn hit a person, but maybe it was just a moose. Anyway, the girl got hurt.” She vigorously shook her head at the response. “No need for an ambulance, but we do need a ride, at about mile marker seven on Solstice Road. Hurry up, young man.” She clicked the phone shut.
Only Mrs. Poppins would dare call Tom Freeze a young man and order him to hurry up.
Dawn turned the key in the ignition and turned up the heat. Ahhh. Much better. Leaning her head back, she closed her eyes and tried to thaw.
Mrs. Poppins poked her in the side. “How’s your head?”
“Good.” Dawn opened her eyes. “Slight headache, but my vision is fine.” She glanced down at her aching wrist. “I think I’m bruised but nothing is broken. I could probably drive us home.”
“Absolutely not. I called for help.” Mrs. Poppins’ lips firmed.
Dawn heard what must be her dad’s truck in the distance, and she sat up as he pulled to a stop behind her.
Mere seconds later, the door was wrenched open, and Hawk stood outside, his green eyes darker than normal. He wore faded jeans and a dark T-shirt, and his shoulder length black hair looked ruffled, like he’d been asleep. The guy hadn’t bothered to grab a jacket, and snow quickly covered his broad shoulders.
“You okay?” he asked.
She tried to focus. “Where’s my dad?”
Hawk stepped closer and brought the scent of darkened forest with him. “Are. You. Okay?” Fire now burned in his eyes, and his jaw worked in what looked like anger.
Scary. Hawk on the side of the road in an irritated mood was actually kind of…scary. “I’m freakin’ fine. Where’s my dad?”
Mrs. Poppins twittered. “Oh my. I got the phone numbers mixed up.”
Dread slithered down to land in Dawn’s abdomen. Embarrassment followed quickly. She turned a look on her companion. “You didn’t.”
Mrs. Poppins grinned, showing her perfectly spaced dentures. “Oops.”
Dawn could swear a growl rumbled from Hawk’s muscled chest as he leaned in, his body way too close.
“Babe? If you don’t answer my question?—”
She turned to face him. A tingle spread through her abdomen, reaching and warming her private parts. Now that was a voice she wouldn’t mind hearing late at night under the covers. Sexy, dangerous, and masculine.
Unfortunately, also impatient…and sliding rapidly to pi ssed off, if she had to guess. She sighed. “I’m fine. Hit my head and landed on my wrist. Stop being scary and go away.”
Mrs. Poppins clucked her tongue. “She didn’t mean that. Must be the brain injury.”
Dawn leaned forward and rested her head on the steering wheel. “I can’t do this. I really can’t take this—not now. Please. No list, no meddling, no mistaken phone calls. Please.”
Mrs. Poppins patted her arm. “See? She’s delirious.”
Hawk clasped Dawn at the base of the neck and drew her gently back. His hand was firm and warm, determined. A shiver wandered right down her spine, and his hold tightened.
Oh man. He’d felt the shiver.
Then his face was in hers, separated by a mere inch.
Her breath caught, and the universe stopped moving. Completely. She focused on his forest-green eyes to keep from looking down at those full lips. Don’t look. Don’t look.
“Head injury?” he rumbled, his gaze penetrating hers. He looked deep, and he looked hard, and the hand at her nape didn’t relent.
“No,” she croaked out. “Little head bump…nothing to worry about.” Why was it so hard to breathe all of a sudden? If he didn’t back up, she was going to completely humiliate herself and flatten his butt on the icy road. It’d be worth it just to feel that impossibly hard body against hers for a few seconds.
He lifted an eyebrow. “Blink.”
She huffed and blinked several times. “I’m okay.”
“Your pupils look all right.” He leaned in a bit more. “Seeing stars? Blurry vision? ”
“No.” She wanted to burrow into his heat, so she kept perfectly still. “I’ve had a concussion before, and I know what it feels like. This is just a bump.” She’d been bucked off horses her entire life, and she knew she was fine.
Hawk rubbed the nape of her neck, and she couldn’t help the small whimper.
That quickly, his face lost all sense of irritation. Something else replaced it…something heated and all male. “Let me see your wrist,” he whispered, releasing her.
She couldn’t take it if he touched her like that again, so she handed over her wrist.
He gently clasped her arm and turned it this way and that in the light from the car. “Bruised.”
“I know.” She gingerly retracted her arm. “I’m fine.”
“No she isn’t.” Mrs. Poppins clucked her tongue.
Hawk straightened and glanced around the quiet road. “You didn’t hit a moose.”
“Of course not.” Dawn shook her head and then winced as pain cut into the back of her eyes. “It was just a flat tire.”
“Okay.” Hawk rubbed his chin then slowly drew her from the car to open the rear door and place her in the backseat. “Let’s take Mrs. Poppins home, and then we’ll figure out what to do with you.” Without waiting for an answer, he secured Dawn’s seat belt, shut the door, and slid into the driver’s seat. Seconds later, he pushed the seat back and drove onto the road.
Mrs. Poppins bounced happily against her seat belt. “She shouldn’t be alone, you know. Just in case it’s a concussion. Could be.”
Hawk glanced into the rear view mirror. “She won’t be alone. I promise.”