Page 15 of The Unbuttoned Ranger
“Have you lost your mind?” he bit out.
“Excuse me?”
“Who the hell stands in the middle of a road? Do you have a death wish?”
CaDee narrowed her eyes on the cowboy. He looked like a modern-day giant. The long-sleeved blue shirt had a few buttons undone and fit his broad shoulders and chest, tapering down tohis waist embellished with a leather belt and a large, polished belt buckle with a design etched into the smooth medal. The loose-fitting, worn jeans didn’t hide his powerful, muscular legs. The lowered Stetson shadowed his eyes, but the grim set of his jaw sent a shiver through her, making her wish she’d waited for the next vehicle.
She straightened her backbone. After the hellish week she had she wasn’t about to take any lip from a stranger.“Who the hell drives like an idiot on a narrow backroad?”
“Someone who doesn’t expect to see a person playing chicken in the roadway.” He took off his hat and hit it on his thigh, sending up a puff of dust
She slammed her hands to her hips. “For your information, I wasn’t playing chicken. I was trying to get your attention.”
“Well, you certainly succeeded on that. Why the hell did you need to get my attention?”
“Are you blind? Can you not see that my car is broken down?”
“Lady, you must not be from around here.” He dipped his silver-blue gaze down her and chuckled. “Figures. You’re a city girl and must think you were hailing a cab.”
“Are you assuming?”
“I haven’t seen a fancy pair of shoes like those since those arrogant corporates came to Fin’s Creek trying to buy up land from the locals. They thought they could take advantage of the townsfolk by offering half of what properties around here are worth. I suggest you get back in your car and save the damsel in distress routine for another town.”
She gasped. She started to respond when she heard, “Mommy?” Carsen was watching the spectacle, with the scraggly dog at his side. “Are you angry?”
“No, baby. It’s okay.” She knelt in front of Carsen, reassuring him with a smile. “I was just having a conversation with this nice stranger who stopped to make sure we’re okay.”
“Is he alright?” The cowboy asked.
She was a bit surprised that the man hadn’t left.“He’s fine. Carsen, go sit in the car and I’ll be there in a moment.” Carsen looked at the cowboy then did as she asked. She stood and faced the obnoxious man again.“He’s sensitive.”
“He’ll be more than that if he stays out here too long. This isn’t a safe place for a kid to be. With the afternoon comes high temps and it’ll get unbearable. The dog won’t be comfortable either.”
She blinked before responding sarcastically, “There went my plan. I thought I might stay out here all afternoon and work on my tan while I come up with clever ways to steal land out from under the townsfolk.”
One corner of his mouth lifted.“What’s wrong with the car outside of it being foreign?”
“It died,” she said smartly.
His smile turned the color of his eyes sky blue like the clouds rolling back after a storm had passed. If she hadn’t been so troubled, she might have found him attractive. Instead, she found him unpleasant.
"Let me check," he said, not waiting for her response. He glanced under the hood, then straightened. "One of your belts is shot and your oil is low." He brushed his hands together as if they'd gotten dirty.
She wasn't sure how bad that was, but being stranded on a Texas backroad felt serious either way. “Is it bad?”
“Bad enough that you won’t be driving it until it’s fixed.”
Frustrated, sweaty, tired, and feeling the stress of the world on her shoulders, she felt her control slip. She peered upand down the road again, weighing her options. No one else was coming along.
She asked him,“Do you have a phone?”
“I do. But it won’t do you any good. There’s no service until a few miles further toward town.”
The weight grew heavier. Why had she ever agreed to this? Because what other choice did she have? She needed safety and security for her son.
“I have a meeting I’m late for,” he glanced at his watch.
“Then don’t let us keep you.” That settled it. She didn’t need his help anyway.
