Page 4 of The Traitor

“I think you’re a damn fool and you have a death wish.”

If she only knew. “I’m not the one that could easily be mistaken for a deer on the side of the road, that’s walking in the dark in the middle of a storm. The road is treacherous around here, with lots of bends. If you don’t get hit by a car, you could fall into that ditch and die from hypothermia.”

She stopped once more and looked at him as if he’d completely lost his mind. “Are you for real? You’re the one making it dangerous. I’m perfectly fine.”

She must have hit a patch of ice just then because she yelped and vanished in an instant.

Knox put the truck in park and leaped out, running around to her. She was on her back, her legs partly under the truck, and scrambling to get her footing. Knox offered his hand, but as he’d expected, she didn’t acknowledge his offer of help.

Ignoring her flailing arms, he grabbed her under the arms and put her up in front of the truck where the road was clear.

She dusted off the snow before turning to him. “What part ofI don’t need your helpdo you not understand?”

He wanted to pull his hair at her stubbornness. “If you’d got in the car from the beginning, you’d already be home by now and off the damn road.”

Her mouth opened to answer, and he knew it was going to be a fiery reply when a car came around the curve. Unable to control the momentum of the car due to the snow, it was obvious the driver had lost control and was heading their way.

It was an instinctive reaction that caused him to grab Josie and jump into the ditch.

He had the good sense to roll in midair so he’d bear the brunt of their weight and the thick snow cushioned their fall. At the angle he was he couldn’t see much and wasn’t surprised hear the car driving away. Pushing himself up, he saw his truck was still in the same spot, and from the tire tracks, the car had barely avoided the truck before continuing down the road.

Only then did he turn to Josie, who looked like a snowman covered in a thick layer of snow, and a smile twitched his lips. “Are you okay?”

Her breathing was labored, but she nodded. “Thank you.”

Being so close, with his truck’s headlights reflecting on the snow, he saw her hazel eyes locked on his face.

There wasn’t much more to say. It had been a while since he’d felt an adrenaline rush like this, and it was difficult to let her go. When he did, he immediately felt the loss.

Wading through the snow, he finally reached the road and turned to help Josie out. This time, she didn’t refuse his hand.

“I’m not the kind of man to beg, but I really want to go home, and I won’t be able to rest if I know you’re still out here. Please, let me drive you home?”

She was clearly debating his offer, and Knox forced himself to stay silent, hoping that she wouldn’t decline him.

“OK.”

That single word helped loosen his jaw. He wanted to open the passenger door and play the gallant card, but his patience was wearing thin and he didn’t want her to misinterpret his actions and change her mind.

He removed as much snow as possible from his clothes before getting in the driver’s side, and Josie did the same. Once inside the cab, he closed the passenger window, blasted the heater, and put the truck into drive.

Josie stayed silent for the entire five-minute drive and Knox didn’t try to make conversation either. When he passed his driveway, he was glad to see it had been cleared although he suspected that during the course of the night enough snow would fall and it would need to be done once more. He slowed to check for the turn to Josie’s place when she told him he was there.

He looked around and didn’t see the opening for her driveway, so he stopped the truck. “Where do I turn?”

“You don’t. I’ll walk from here. Thanks for the ride, Mr.Knox. Goodnight.”

And before he could move, she was out the truck. As she rounded the front, she gave him a small wave and turned to wade through the snowbank. Only then did he realize her driveway probably hadn’t been cleared all winter, and despite the snow and wind, he could see the trail she’d made as she made her way to her home and back. On foot.

Only when she disappeared through the trees was he able to force himself to turn and head home, but he now had a new set of unanswered questions on top of those he’d already had. How could this woman go on like that? Working relentlessly, no car, no money, and a cabin lost in the woods? Even if he didn’t like the fact he was curious and was resisting the compulsion to find out more, he knew the fight might prove to be useless.

Chapter 3

He hated mornings.He hated mornings after a snowstorm and he was pissed at his dark-haired neighbor. Knox should have known something was up when Josie hadn’t appeared by the lake that morning. At first, he’d thought it was because of the snow and she’d decided not to take her morning walk, but he should have known better. When he went to get her in his truck, he’d cursed when he saw a fresh set of tracks in the snow leading to the road. Snow White had fled before he could make a princely move, as if she knew he’d planned to do just that.

Knox almost expected to see her walking to town, but she was nowhere to be seen. That didn’t help his temper. It had been late when he’d driven her home—she couldn’t have gotten much sleep. When he arrived at the shop, he took the time to take a couple of deep breaths so he wouldn’t bite Georgia’s head off for no reason. After all, she was the bearer of his morning coffee.

Mostly steady, and deciding to forget about Josie he headed to the front desk. Georgia took him by surprise and jumped into his arms as he reached it. He only had time to brace himself and prevent them both from falling backward before she gave him a loud kiss on the mouth. Stunned, he held the plump woman and searched his mind how to react. Happily, she had the answer.

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