But what choice did she have?
“There another way round?” Doc asked.
“Yeah. But it’s gonna take you a few hours and you have to go back through town to take it,” she told them. “You’re better off staying the night there and setting out for the cabin tomorrow.”
“Better off just going home,” Doc grumbled. “Now put the jacket on.”
She sighed but she grabbed the jacket and slid it on. It was huge on her and she had to push the sleeves back off her hands. It immediately started to warm her chilled skin, though. And the scent of pine and sandalwood drifted around her.
“Why isn’t your damn seatbelt on, girl?” Doc demanded.
“Oh, it doesn’t work.”
“It doesn’t…it doesn’t work?” Archer spluttered from the back while Doc mumbled something under his breath. “That’s not even legal.”
“Well, can’t remember the last time I ever saw a cop up here. Old Arnie doesn’t bother himself with coming up these parts just for me.”
“She’s killing me, Archer,” Doc said bizarrely. “Make her stop.”
“Stop what?” she asked in confusion.
“Girl, you need a keeper,” Doc told her.
“I can take care of myself just fine.” But his words sent a pang of longing through her. Okay, she could be slightly forgetful. But she’d survived this far on her own. Just.
She’d once had someone who had watched out for her. And she remembered how nice it felt to have someone there. Someone to share the load.
“How long to get back to town?” Archer asked.
“Dunno. In this weather, maybe about an hour and a half.”
“Shit.” Doc turned to Archer. “Not having her do a three-hour trip in this weather in a truck that is on its last legs and doesn’t ha
ve a working seatbelt. Plus she’s gonna get pneumonia sitting in those wet clothes.”
“Agreed,” Archer said. “Too dangerous.”
“Didn’t your momma teach you two that it’s rude to talk about someone like they’re not here?” she grumbled.
Archer turned to her, both of them were now staring at her. Which was a little intense. “Caley, I don’t suppose we could impose on you for the night?”
“You…you want to stay the night? With me?”
3
If there was any other choice, he wouldn’t let her drive.
However, Doc knew he shouldn’t be driving right now. Not with the gash in his head. Which likely did need stitches, but now that he’d proclaimed that it didn’t, he wasn’t going to back down without a fight.
Plus, he didn’t know where they were headed, and conditions out here were treacherous enough. But he didn’t like that she was driving around in this heap of junk without a seatbelt.
And don’t get him started on her lack of jacket and phone. Damn fool woman. What the hell was Murray doing sending out a little bit like her to pick up two strange men? It had been years since Murray had seen Archer. They could have changed in that time. Could be the type of men to take advantage of a woman alone.
Luckily, they weren’t.
But still, it made him grumpy thinking about all the ways that Caley could be hurt. Injured. Taken advantage of.
What would cause a young woman to live out here all alone?