Page 2 of Protecting Vidalia
Whoever he might be, he was starting to sound impatient now.
“Dax told me you were coming and asked me to check on you and make sure you got here safely. Since you've got Dax’s truck, I thought he might be here after all.There's a big storm brewing, and the electricity could go out any minute.In fact, I'm not even sure I should start back to my own cabin now, it's coming in fast.”
Vidalia could indeed see the tree limbs waving ferociously back and forth, some of their leaves brushing against the rails on the deck. If the lights went out, it would be rather eerie up here in the mountains alone. Surely the man was telling the truth, how else would he know her name? Or recognize Dax’s truck?
“Come on, Vidalia, open the door,” he yelled. “It's starting to rain out here!”
He was right, she could see the water drops slamming against the patio door, their beads of liquid glistening in the glow from the lights as they began to run down the glass panes. If he was a friend of Dax’s, she couldn’t leave him out there in that storm. Quickly, she unlocked the door and opened it, the wind almost blowing him forward as he ducked inside and slammed it behind him.
She stared at him suspiciously, inspecting the smoky stone color of his eyes and the dark waves of hair that were askew from the wind. He was well over six-foot, rugged jawline, and a sexy light covering of five o’clock shadow on his lower face. His nose had been broken at one time, she decided, noting the small ridge in the cartilage. Dark chocolate brows were an accent to an arresting face, giving him a powerful aura.The rest of his body was dressed in jeans, tan work boots, and a gray sweatshirt, his muscled physique obvious even beneath the loose style clothing. A small sliver of attraction knifed through her.
“Well? Do I pass inspection,” he drawled, his lips quirking in amusement.
Embarrassed for acting like an enthralled teenager, Vidalia held up the pepper spray. “If you hadn’t, I was prepared. Believe me, I won't hesitate to use it if I have to.”
His eyes narrowed at the threat, and for a moment, Vidalia had a weird sense of impending danger. It was gone as suddenly as it came so she thought she must have imagined it. She didn't imagine the next instant though. Suddenly she found herself twisted around in a powerful grip, the pepper spray taken from her fingers, and then quickly released. It had happened so fast it left her mortified at how easily she’d been defeated.
“You...you...” she sputtered. “Give that back!”
He slipped it into the pocket of his pants. “You won't need this while I'm here,” he replied. “I’ll just keep it for you so you don't get trigger happy unexpectedly,” His white teeth flashed in a wicked smile as he took his turn inspecting her.
“Maybe you should go,” Vidalia replied acidly, her upturned nose shooting into the air. She couldn't help the shriek that erupted from her throat when a huge blaze of lightning split the dark sky and thunder boomed so loudly it hurt her ears.“Oh my God!”
The electricity went out and they were instantly pitched into inky darkness, the only light being the flickering firelight casting eerie shadows everywhere. She was trembling so badly she didn't even question the man when he put his arms around her, she just buried her head in his shoulder, whimpering like a small child.
Her mind shifted. Whimpering likethatsmall child. The one that haunted her.Dani had been out in weather like this, but there’d been no one to hold her. Only a voice on the phone in the darkness. Her voice.
Vidalia felt her knees giving out on her, and she didn't have the strength to protest when the stranger picked her up and took her to the sofa, easing down onto it with her on his lap. A warm thumb reached out and caressed her cheek, trailing down the coolness of her soft skin.
“Hey, are you okay? You're awfully pale. That was a doozy of a lightning crack, and it sounded pretty close, but we're safe in here.” When she didn't answer, he shook her slightly. “Vidalia?”
It took a tremendous effort, but Vidalia willed herself to pull it together. Taking deep breaths, she eased herself off his lap and into a corner of the sofa, pulling her legs up beneath her. With her fists knotted on her knees, she strove to put the lid back on the cannister of emotions the lightning bolt had opened up. It was all right. She was all right. It would be okay. At the back of her mind, she refused to give life to the thought that had raced through her mind every day, every hour of her life since it had happened.
Little Dani Owens would never be okay again—and it was her fault.
“I take it thunderstorms scare you?” He arched a quizzical brow at her, and she forced herself to nod.
“I hate storms.”
***
JAKE STUDIED THE SMALLfigure beside him. She looked so miserable and vulnerable that he found himself wishing she was still on his lap. He felt the need to shield and comfort her from the storm and whatever else had driven her into a mountain retreat.
Beyond that, she was a very attractive young woman. His currently dead interest in the opposite sex had flared to life the moment she’d opened the door, her beautiful, deep green eyes staring at him with hostility and mistrust. Dax was forever trying to pair him off with some girl or the other, but none had interested him. They all seemed too immature and spoiled, imagining themselves so tough or talking about bars and men. No, none of them had interested him at all, but this girl was different.
He knew from Dax that Vidalia was an EMS dispatcher, a 911 call taker, and it was a very high stress job. He also knew she’d rejected stress debriefing after a recent incident involving a death. Serving in Afghanistan in a field medical facility, he’d seen people die and been helpless to do anything to save them.Dax had told him very little except that Vidalia hadn't taken the death incident well and had finally requested time off. He’d offered her his cabin and she’d accepted.
For some reason, the American culture didn't face death well as a nation. There was a time when death was a daily part of American life and still was in many nations, but the advent of miracle cures and technology now allowed people to cheat death for longer periods of time than they used to. As a result, death was not all that common for people to have to face until they grew a lot older. And these days it was very common for people to cart their old folks off to nursing homes where they didn’t have to watch them die until death was imminent, and even then, they could shield their children from its icy clutches.
“Storms are God's way of cleaning the air,” he said quietly. “At least, that's what my mother used to tell me.” His eyes twinkled at her, hoping for a small smile. Her slender fingers still shook as they came up to sweep a lock of shining auburn hair behind her delicate ear. “By the way, my name is Jake Bonner. Dax and I are old friends.”
She looked at him then, the misery shining in the depths of her eyes. With a deep breath, she offered him a tremulous smile. “I'm Vidalia Minton. I'm sorry for being such a wuss, but I really don't like storms. Plus, I wasn't expecting anyone to be here when I arrived. Dax never said anything about a friend coming by.”
“Vidalia, huh? Interesting name, very pretty. I don't think I've ever known anyone named after an onion before,” he teased. “I'm sorry if I scared you, but my jeep stalled about half way up your drive, so I walked the rest of the way.”
“It's all right,” she replied, getting up to put some bigger sticks on the fire that was now burning well. She shivered and put her hands on the backs of her arms. “Just don't call me onion, I got enough of that from my friends when I was a kid.”
Jake watched with interest as she bent over to pick up another log to put on the fire. The girl had a very sweet butt and long slender thighs, just the way he liked a nice bottom. “I take it you gave out a few black eyes, then?” He could barely take his eyes off her heart shaped rear, but managed to shift his glance upwards when she turned around.
