Chapter 2
Chapter Two
There was only one person Willa wanted to talk to, but Finlay was getting ready for her rehearsal dinner.
Which made the five-hour plane ride across the country unbearable.
Her body was filled with confusion, hurt, and rage, and she had no outlet for it. She wanted to turn to her seatmate and rant.
What kind of man dates sisters?
What kind of woman dates her sister’s boyfriend?
But as much as she needed answers, the only people who could provide them were the ones she never wanted to speak to again. Seriously, she was not going to confront Nate. He’d made his choice. He could live with it.
Nor did she have anything to say to her sister. Their rivalry was baked into their origin story. Kendall had grown up in the city with their mom, which meant Willa always had to try harder to win their mom’s attention. Her love. It would never change.
So, if her sister felt any kind of triumph in winning the man Willa had already slept with, that was her issue to work out in therapy.
No, the true source of this suffocating pain was that her mom had been a participant in the entire story.
She’d known Willa and Nate were dating.
She’d known Nate had switched to Kendall.
And she approved.
How did Willa know that? From the look of glee in her mom’s eyes.
It happened when Kendall got up on her toes to kiss Nate’s cheek. Her ex looked happy—which sucked—but for some reason, at that moment, Willa’s gaze slid over to her mom.
To see her so unapologetically happy with the pairing had rocked Willa’s world.
What about me? Why am I not the right choice?
What is it about Kendall that’s better?
And why the hell didn’t her mom care about Willa’s feelings?
A fresh wave of humiliation burned through her when she realized the three of them had discussed it. Had contemplated what to do about her. How to handle her.
And the conclusion those three intelligent, successful people reached was to avoid it altogether. Go ahead and get engaged. Willa will just have to deal with it.
She honestly didn’t know if she could go back to work on Monday.
A jolt of turbulence had her reaching for the handrests. Her head pushed back against the seat. Weirdly, Willa had a flash of her mom angrily shaking the plane. “You behave like a professional. No drama in my office, you hear me?”
She had to laugh. Her mom was powerful but not that powerful.
A sudden drop wiped the smile off her face.
For a moment, the cabin went silent as everyone tried to make sense of what was happening.
Then, people began murmuring. Outside the window, the Rockies rose stark and jagged, and a bolt of lightning forked right through the thick bank of dark clouds piled high over them.
Her seatmate’s hand clamped around the armrest. “Why’re we flying into that?”
“I don’t know.” Willa kept her voice steady even as she tightened her own seat belt. “But I’m sure the pilots know what they’re doing.” She tried for a reassuring smile, but her back was pressed hard against the seat.
The next jolt was worse—violent enough that drink trays flew open. Behind her, someone screamed. The plane dipped, then banked, engines roaring as if strained to their limits. When her seatmate grabbed her arm, Willa didn’t pull away. Fear turned her rigid.
The plane shuddered and bucked, and when it lurched sideways, some of the overhead bins popped open, and luggage flew out.
“What the hell’s going on?” a man shouted.
A chime sounded, and the flight attendant’s voice filled the cabin.
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your flight attendant speaking from the forward cabin. At this time, the captain has made the decision to divert and make an unscheduled landing due to severe storm cells in our destination area. For your safety, we’ll be landing in Salt Lake City. ”
“Salt Lake City?” the same man bellowed. “But that’s so far.”
“How am I going to get home?” someone else shouted.
“Please remain seated with your seat belt securely fastened,” the flight attendant continued.
“Make sure your seatback is upright, your tray table is stowed, and all carry-on items are properly secured. Once we’re safely on the ground, we’ll provide additional information as it becomes available. Thank you for your attention.”
“This can’t be happening,” the woman next to her said. “My daughter’s picking me up in Calamity. What am I going to do?”
“Don’t worry,” Willa said. “We’re not going to be stranded in Salt Lake City. The airline will either book you on a new flight or this one will be rescheduled. You’ll get home. It’ll be all right.”
Even as she reassured the woman, Willa made her own plans. Because flight crews timed out, and she couldn’t wait for a new one to be assigned to this plane. The flight could be delayed forty-five minutes, three hours, or it could be canceled altogether.
And Willa was not going to sit around and hope. While the plane touched down, and everyone around her panicked, throwing out worst-case scenarios and demanding to speak to the flight attendants about possible outcomes and alternatives, Willa kept quiet. She’d go straight to the car rental desk.
She wouldn’t miss Finlay’s wedding. Not for anything.
Willa couldn’t believe it. She’d scored the very last car.
If she left right away, she’d make it in time for dessert.
The row of rental desks sat empty, the fleets sold out, and as she waited for the clerk to finalize things, Willa texted her friend.
Willa: About to hit the road. See you in four and a half hours. So excited!
Finlay: Yay! More like three with your lead foot.
Finlay: And I wasn’t worried for a single second. I told Jude if you had to parachute in with a commando squad, you’d be here.
Willa: You got that right. See you soon!
Before dropping her phone into her tote bag, she checked her messages one more time. She couldn’t believe it. Just could not believe none of them had texted her. Not Nate, not Kendall.
Not my own mother.
It felt like they were teaming up against her, like she was a total outsider. But why? What had she done to deserve this? All she did was work her butt off.
She’d done everything her mom had wanted. Graduated top of her class from Columbia, worked three years at Big Law before joining her mom’s boutique firm. Six years of seventy-hour weeks, and she'd even sourced the FieldTech deal herself.
I mean, come on.
She was exactly where she was supposed to be.
Why would her mother hurt her like this?
The image dropped into her mind for the hundredth time: the glee in her mom’s eyes. It
made her wonder… If her mom thought so little of her, would she give the lead associate job to someone else? To Nate? Just to teach her a lesson?
What lesson, though? What had she done to piss them off so badly?
She felt sick. The deception—her mom, Nate, Kendall…
“Okay, we’re all set.” The clerk smiled. “I’ll just need your credit card.”
“Awesome.” It was already in her hand, so she handed it over.
“As soon as I got off the plane, I raced over here. Knocking down old ladies, shoving aside kids.” She laughed.
“I’m pretty sure I ran over a few dogs.” She blew out a breath.
“I’m just so relieved. My best friend’s getting married, and I can’t miss it. ”
The clerk stared at the screen, her jaw hanging open. “It’s gone.”
“What’s gone?” Willa demanded. “What’re you talking about?”
“Your car. Someone must’ve rented it over the phone.” She glanced up. “I’m so sorry. There are no cars left at all.”
“What? No. That’s not possible.” How could this be happening? “It was my car. I got here first.”
“I'm really sorry, but it’s not in the system anymore. I can call our downtown location to see if they have anything available, but there are storms all around us and lots of canceled flights.” She gestured to the row of empty rental desks. “No one’s got inventory.”
Arguing, begging, demanding…none of it would accomplish anything. She had to get going. “All right. Can you give me the number of a private car service? There must be another way to get to Calamity Falls.”
“I mean, there are taxis and things like that, but I don’t know if anyone will drive you that far.”
With no time to waste, Willa thanked the woman and hurried off. At this point, she should just check her flight. If it were taking off in the next hour or so, it’d make the most sense to get back on it.
But when she tapped in her flight number, she saw it had been canceled altogether.
All around her, frantic travelers paced with phones to their ears, parents chased restless children, and people camped against the wall.
She screened them out and focused on her search. She checked out the private car companies, but most of them drove no farther than the local ski resorts. Hold on. She needed to approach it from the opposite direction. Instead, she looked up private drivers in Calamity Falls, Wyoming.
Bingo.
She tapped Call on the first company that appeared and, while it rang, moved out of the fray and into a quiet corner next to a large rubber tree.
“Yeah, I got the car,” a deep, rumbly voice said from the other side of the planter. “But what good’s it gonna do me with this fuckin’ boot? You’ve got to find me a driver, Noah. Pronto. I can’t be late.”
He’s got a car, and he needs a driver?
Hello!
But before she could approach him, someone answered her call. “Calamity All-Trans,” a man said. “How can I help you?”
“Hi.” She forced her attention away from Planter Man and back to the phone. “My flight’s been diverted to Salt Lake City, and I need a driver to take me to Calamity Falls.”
“Sure thing. If you can give me until tomorrow morning, I can have a driver pick you up at your hotel.”
Tomorrow? “No, you don’t understand. I need it right now.” Her voice rose. “I’ve got a—”
“—wedding to get to,” Planter Man said, right in sync with her.
Willa lowered her phone and peered around the large, glossy leaves. On the other side, she found a very tall, muscular biker. With his scruff, messy blond hair, and startling blue eyes, he had an unmistakable carnal energy.
Whoa.
Where had that come from? Still, there was something raw and unapologetic about the way he carried himself.
Nate had sex.
This man fucked.
He had no inhibitions. Took what he wanted.
The thought hit like a spark. She could imagine him tossing her onto the mattress, yanking off his belt, and crawling over her.
A shock ran through her.
She’d never been with a man like that.
Are you serious right now? She shook off her reaction. “You have a car?”
The tip of his tongue took a slow lick across his bottom lip, and he nodded. He had a wariness in his eyes she found odd.
She had no idea why he wouldn’t trust her. There wasn’t a single sketchy thing about her. “And you need a driver?” she asked.
Again, he only gave a curt nod. Keeping those bright blue eyes on her, he said into the phone, “Hang on,” and then lowered it. “Where you going?”
“Calamity, Wyoming. But I’ll drive you anywhere you want as long as I can have the car after I drop you off. Where’re you going?”
He brought the phone back to his ear and said, “I’ll call you back.
” After disconnecting, he shoved the phone into the back pocket of worn jeans that showed off thick, muscular thighs.
When he shifted toward her, pain flashed across his features, and she noticed the black boot on his right ankle.
His jaw clamped shut, and he closed his eyes.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“Fine.” A moment later, he said, “I’m going there, too.”
Not a wild coincidence, considering her hometown was the gateway to some of the best national parks in the country.
“Well, look at that.” She grinned, thrilled she’d found a solution.
“You can’t drive, and I don’t have a car.
We’re a perfect match.” She reached for the handle of her carry-on. “Let’s get going.”
“Hang on. I don’t even know you.”
“I’m Willa.” She stuck out her hand.
He grasped it. “Decker.”
“There you go. We’re friends now.” She waved around the mobbed airport. “Besides, do you have another choice? Because I sure don’t. It’s either this situation”—she wagged a finger between them—“or we get there tomorrow.”
He sighed. “Fine. But don’t drive like a maniac, and don’t fuck around with my playlist.”
She laughed. “I don’t think you understand the power dynamics. I’m the driver.” She struck off for the exit. “And that’s not how road trips work.”
Outside of the terminal, they headed for the shuttles. “Which company?” she asked. When he showed her the receipt, she narrowed her eyes. “You took my car.”
“I don’t think you know how car rentals work.”
Grinning, she cut him a look. This should be an interesting ride.
The hot, dry air was welcome after the humidity of Manhattan. “So, who’s getting married?” Loads of couples chose Teton County for their destination wedding. It was one of the most beautiful places in the world. Focused on the overhead signs, she wasn’t looking at him, but she felt his gaze on her.
What was up with this guy? Why’s he being so weird? If he tried anything with her, he was in for a big surprise. Not only was she a New Yorker, but her mom had made sure she’d taken self-defense classes. And also, she’d have control of the steering wheel. Not him.
“My brother’s.”
“Well, that explains why you’re letting a strange woman drive you. That’s something you can’t miss.” Following the signs, they crossed the street. “I’m going to my best friend’s wedding. She’s like a sister to me.”
At the curb, he stumbled, and she reached out to steady him—encountering the hardest, roundest biceps she’d ever felt. Heat slid up the back of her neck, and desire bloomed under her skin.
He yanked out of her hold. “Who’s your friend?”
A little flustered by his aggressive response to her touch, she watched for the buses. “Her name’s Finlay. Why?”
“Finlay O’Neill?”
“You know her?” she asked.
“You’ve got to be shitting me.” Their shuttle bus came to a stop, its doors whooshing open. The driver got up to help them with their carry-ons, but the biker raised a hand to stop him. We got this.
They boarded, and she found seats at the back where he’d have room for his boot. “How do you know her?”
He sat down. “She’s marrying my brother.”