Rachel's Rescuer

And still he hadn’t been able to stop looking at her.

“Hell,” he muttered, followed by a string of words that would make a sailor blush. He stepped into the ranch office and closed the door behind him. Walking to the window, he stared out into the stormy night, seeing nothing but the image of the woman temporarily sharing his home.

Hell, she isn’t even pretty. Not in the usual way. Not in the way that counted, the things men looked for in a woman. Her mouth was too wide, her nose was too short and her eyes were too…blue. Way too blue.

When the phone rang, interrupting thoughts he shouldn’t be thinking, he reached behind him and across the wide, antique desk to grab it. “Blue Sage,” he growled into the receiver.

“Somethin’ wrong there, Lucas?”

With the approaching storm, Lucas had expected to hear from his stepbrother, who lived in the foreman’s house several miles away. But he’d planned on it being a discussion of the extra chores they’d be doing because of the snow. Not about his uninvited guests.

Letting his frustration at the situation get the better of him, he grunted his displeasure. “You bet somethin’s wrong. I’ve got a woman and a boy stranded here. And there you are, enjoying yourself with your new bride.”

“Did you say a woman?”

“And her boy. About six years old. Don’t get any ideas. They don’t belong here. They’ll be nothin’ but trouble. A woman is nothin’ but…trouble, dammit.”

Harley’s heavy sigh echoed across the snowy miles. “You won’t let it go, will you?” When Lucas didn’t reply, he went on. “Not every woman out there is like Debra. That woman is probably nothin’ like Debra. Shoot, Terri is nothin’ like Deb—”

“Terri is different,” Lucas snapped, turning back to stare at the inky night, propping his foot on the window seat. “I don’t know how some worthless cowboy like you got yourself hooked up to that priceless female.” Regretting his harsh tone, he rubbed at the back of his neck and tried to relax. “When you’ve been married a while longer—”

“Yeah,” Harley chuckled, “she’ll take off at a dead run. Or give me a house full of kids. But it won’t hurt you to show a little compassion this once, Lucas. A couple of days until the storm blows on by and the roads clear. That boy and his mama don’t deserve to be tossed out just because some witch of a woman did you wrong eight years ago.”

Lucas didn’t want to hear any of it. It was over, long over. Reminders of Debra were one thing he’d managed to avoid. The pain she’d inflicted had gone away, and he’d been left with a hollow spot in its place that didn’t need filling.

“If I’d sent them on their way, like I should have—”

“They’d be stranded somewhere between here and Deerfork,” Harley interjected.

“And I suppose you expect me to play white knight and get them out of whatever trouble they’re in.”

“They’re in trouble?”

Lucas wished he’d kept his mouth shut. “She’s not the kind to ask for help. By the look of her, the woman has more stubborn in her than one of Zeke Chamber’s mules. I plan to stay out of it.”

“But if she needs help—”

“They’ll be gone in a few days. No reason to get involved. They can go on to Great Falls as soon as the roads are clear. Hell, I’ll even give her this number, if she runs into trouble. But other than that, I’m staying out of it.”

“I’ll ride over in the mornin’. I’d like to meet this lady.”

Getting Harley in the middle of this was the last thing Lucas wanted, but after fifteen years of friendship, he knew better than to tell him not to. Doing his best to sound unconcerned, he replied. “Suit yourself.”

“What’s she look like? Is she pretty?”

“I didn’t notice,” Lucas lied, quickly turning the subject to ranching chores. He wasn’t going to let his partner know just how much about his guest he had noticed or what the sound of her voice had done to him when she’d told him her name.

They briefly discussed the extra work the storm had caused, but all the while, Lucas listened to the sounds of movement above him. Rachel and her son were settling in, and it looked like it would be a long night for him.

She was trouble, all right.

Chapter Two

A wan light spread into the room as Rachel opened her eyes to greet another day. It took a moment for her to remember where she was and why she was there, but for the first time in months, she felt a small measure of peace. Edward and Phyllis Harris would have a hard time finding her here. They would, eventually, somehow, but at least for a few days she could rest and gather her strength.

Dressing quickly in the clothes she’d worn the day before, she crept down the stairs and into the kitchen. With as little noise as possible, she located a can of coffee and filled the coffeemaker. As she watched the dark liquid drip into the glass carafe, she found herself mesmerized by the color, reminding her of her taciturn host.

She had expected Lucas Callahan’s eyes to be as cold and hard as ice, but instead they held a warmth that had surprised her. And if she dared to be honest with herself, something in those eyes had sent a bolt of heat straight to her center. But she wasn’t into daring honesty, and she shook her head, refusing to believe she’d felt anything of the kind.

With a cup of the hot brew in one hand, she moved silently, checking through the cupboards and refrigerator for breakfast supplies. She owed her host something for his hospitality. She couldn’t pay him, but she could do this for him.

While sausage sizzled in a pan, pancakes cooked on a grill, and thick slices of buttered toast waited on the table, she took a quick look out the window as the sky lightened to a dull gray. To her dismay, snow continued to fall like a white curtain, shutting off the rest of the world.

Isolated. To some, the word might bring fear, but to her, it meant safety. Unless the sheriff had been suspicious and checked her license tag number, she and Cody were safe, for a few days.

The feeling of protection stayed with her as she filled several platters with food and put them on the table. Satisfied that there would be plenty to eat for a man whose job probably entailed a lot of physical labor, she started a pan of scrambled eggs.

It was ironic that she could feel so safe, staying in a house with a man who, at any moment, could endanger her future and her son’s. But for some reason, she trusted Lucas Callahan. She just couldn’t confide in him. She only needed a place to stay until the storm was over, and she didn’t want to cause him any trouble.

Scooping the finished eggs onto a plate, she reminded herself that the longer she and Cody stayed where they were, the less money she would have to spend on a room somewhere else. Or sleep in the car, again.

She nearly dropped the plate on the table when the back door swung open with a gust of wind. Looking up, her gaze caught and held a pair of deep-brown eyes, and her breath caught in her chest. She had to get control of herself and not let merely the sight of this man affect her.

Searching her mind for something to say, Rachel stuttered on her words. “Y-you must have a nose for food.”

Lucas’s gaze slid to the table. “Did you do this?”

Rachel nodded, not sure if he was happy to see the display of food, or angry she had made so much.

“You didn’t need to,” he said without looking at her.

She took a deep, fortifying breath, filling her lungs with much needed air and her nerves with resolve. “I wanted to do something to thank you for letting Cody and me stay the night. I hope it was all right to raid the food supply. It looked like there’s enough to last a while.”

His answer was an unconcerned shrug.

To her surprise, the door opened again. Along with another blast of frigid air, a cowboy, dressed in heavy snow gear, walked in. The moment he saw her, he removed his hat and smiled.

“Mornin’. You must be Miz Stevens.”

“Yes. Rachel Stevens.”

“Harley Peterson,” he said, with a brief nod, and began to unfasten his coat. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.”

“Harley’s my stepbrother. He’s here to help with chores,” Lucas said from across the room.

Hope rose in her heart. “Are the roads clear?”

Harley shook his head. “I rode over from my place.”