Page 27 of Combust
There was something about his primal, brooding intensity that made her fantasize about climbing into his lap and—
No. Absolutely not!Maggie told her bear yet again.He’s trouble. And I need to stay far, far away from him.
* * *
One week later
Cade drove carefully through the pre-dawn darkness of oh-God-early on a Monday morning.
With a full roster of pre-breakfast chores looming, he knew he’d be sorry later for stretching his day off until the last possible minute. But it had felt so damned good to let his beast out to play, and the National Forests surrounding Bearpaw Ridge were pure bear paradise, right down to the last few frost-kissed chokecherries hanging on riverside bushes.
Even the storm that had moved in around midnight hadn’t dampened his fun much. His thick pelt was impervious to the freezing rain, even when it began sleeting.
The icy downpour did make driving back to the ranch tricky, though. At least the highway was deserted at this hour.
Then he rounded a bend and saw a car parked on the shoulder on the other side of the highway. A figure was hunched over the front passenger-side wheel, pumping the handle of a jack. Cade’s headlights shone off a wet yellow slicker, its hood pulled up.
He glanced at the clock on his dashboard. If he stopped now, he’d be late for his morning chores, and he’d only been on the job for about a week.
Besides, he liked his boss. Dane might be the Swanson clan enforcer, but he was soft-spoken and friendly, and didn’t throw his weight around like some others that Cade had met. But the big man also carried quiet authority like a superhero’s cape draped around his shoulders, and Cade didn’t doubt that Dane was up for any challenge.
But out here in the country, decent people didn’t ignore someone in trouble.
He slowed and made a U-turn, then pulled up behind the stranded vehicle. It was leaning to one side, and he spotted that the right front tire was flat.
He recognized the old, pale-blue Subaru station wagon an instant before its stranded driver glanced up and met Cade’s eyes. The now-familiar shock hit him as his bear sat up and focused on her.
Maggie Swanson. What the hell is she doing out here in the middle of the night?
He turned to grab his hat and sheepskin coat out from the storage space behind his seat, opened the door, and jumped out. Wind-driven sleet slapped his cheeks like a handful of gravel. The sting of impact gave way instantly to numbness.
“Miz Swanson,” he began. “Can I lend you a hand?”
Her dark brows drew together. She wasn’t wearing makeup today, and her face looked pale, except for the tip of her cold-reddened nose.
Absurdly, Cade wanted to kiss it. Or open his jacket and draw her in, and let her warm her face against the side of his neck. All those soft curves nestled against him would be worth dealing with her cold, clammy raincoat plastered soaking his front.
“I can handle it, thanks,” she replied shortly.
And she probably could. Her shifter strength was more than able to deal with loosening a set of lug nuts, or lifting the heavy damaged tire off before putting on the spare.
But Cade and his bear both objected to leaving a woman to change her own tire by the side of the road. Especially on a night like this.
“It’ll go faster with two of us,” he pointed out. “What are you doing out here at this hour, anyway?”
She threw him a disbelieving look. “Going to work. It’s Mom’s day off, and those cinnamon rolls aren’t going to bake themselves.”
Oh. Right. He’d never really thought about how all of those amazing pastries ended up in the bakery cases in time for Cinnamon + Sugar’s 5:00 a.m. opening time.
“And I could ask the same of you,” she continued.
Well, that was a surprise. She’d pointedly ignored him the few times they’d crossed paths after last weekend’s clan dinner. He knew that he’d lost standing in her eyes…hell, ineveryone’seyes by refusing to join the fire department.
Fire had robbed him of everyone and everything he had loved. There was no way in fucking hell he’dvolunteerfor a job that involved dealing with the stuff.
Encouraged by her interest, he grinned at her. “Fair enough. I went camping out at Lost Trails Pass. Needed to stretch my legs a bit, if you know what I mean.”
That got him a reluctant smile in return. “That’s a great place to camp and hike. Not too many people around. My bear likes it a lot.” She looked back at the tire. Her shoulders slumped. “If you sure about wanting to help…I’d appreciate it,” she admitted.
