Well, that might be an exaggeration. Before she could respond and point that out, the snow that was piled up beside them fell on top of her face. If they stayed in this position, she was going to be buried beneath it.
The next thing she knew she was being pulled up to a standing position by her sexy stranger. The motion was so swift and fluid it felt choreographed, like they had rehearsed it. As she brushed herself off the thought did cross her mind that she might have acted too impulsively. The tree would have most likely missed this man completely.
Her opinion, however, was altered when she lifted her head and saw the size of the pine tree that was lying across his crumpled truck beneath it. The trunk was massive. It had caused steel to buckle and would have most certainly crushed a person. Even a person as impressive as the man standing beside her.
Okay, maybe she had saved his life.
“This is bad.” Grace hadn’t meant to say it out loud. But after seeing the damage the tree had caused, it had just popped out.
“The road is blocked,” she heard him say.
“What?” Her eyes shifted to the left and she saw that, yep, the trunk of the tree was blocking the road. There was no way even if she did get the tire fixed, which was the last of her worries right now, that she could get back on the road tonight.
“I’ll have to walk to get help.”
“You’re not walking in this!” Grace suddenly felt very protective over this man who was over twice her size and seemed more than capable of handling himself.
Her reaction caught her by surprise. She’d made it a rule never to feel responsible for anyone, other than her three little sisters. They were enough. And the responsibility had certainly taken a toll on her.
Ava, who was the second oldest, hadn’t really been much to raise after their mom passed. She was seventeen at the time, had a steady boyfriend who she’d been with since she was twelve, and she’d already been accepted into the college of her choice. She’d only been home for another six months before she’d moved into a dorm out of state.
Her youngest sister Audrey had been no trouble at all. Unlike all three of her older sisters, Ava was quiet, introverted, and kept things inside. She’d been the picture-perfect baby, child, and teenager. She was a straight-A student. Worked a part-time job and even volunteered at the animal shelter and a senior citizen’s home.
Vivien was another story. She was a wild child who acted out to get attention. She rebelled against authority and had to do things her own way. Viv embodied every middle child cliché there was. Or maybe she’d acted out because her mom died when she was only sixteen. Either way, Viv had given Grace a run for her money.
Viv snuck out so much that Grace had invested in a video surveillance system well before they were affordable. Her second youngest sister almost flunked her senior year. Got suspended on multiple occasions for talking in class, being tardy, and ditching. She came home drunk and high more times than Grace could count. She’d had several fake IDs which she’d used to get into places she had no business being in. And she’d had several pregnancy scares and gotten tattooed before her eighteenth birthday.
And Grace had had to handle it all. Alone. When she was barely an adult herself. Because of that, she’d kept everyone else in her life at arm’s length and had honestly never given a second thought about anyone else’s wellbeing.
Which made her wonder why she was so concerned about the man who’d pulled over to help her.
He ran his hands up his arms, showing the first sign that the low temperatures had affected him at all. “I’ll just go up a mile or two and see if there are any cabins or somewhere that I can call someone.”
“Fine, then I’ll go with you.” Despite how it may appear, Grace was not a damsel in distress. She’d never been comfortable in that role and she sure as hell wasn’t going to start now because of being stranded in the snow.
“It would be better if you just got back in your SUV and waited.”
“You’re not going out into this storm alone. I’m going with you.” Her tone was final, leaving no room for an argument.
His eyes dropped down to her high heeled ankle boots. Which, in all fairness, were probably not the best shoes for walking in snow. But, in her defense, when she’d left The City of Angels over twelve hours ago, it was a balmy seventy degrees. And her trip had been so sudden she hadn’t taken the time to check the weather.
In all honesty, she was proud of herself for having the foresight to go through her bags and find her winter jacket and beanie when she’d stopped outside of Sacramento to put on her snow chains.
“You don’t even have a jacket!” she responded to his visual accusation.
“Get back in your car,” he insisted, not backing down.
Grace hated to admit it, but her body responded to the authority in his voice. She’d never let anyone tell her what to do, especially not a stranger who she’d known for less than one hour. But at his command, she felt her lady parts saluting him and saying, “Yes sir.”
That was very un-Grace-like behavior.
Maybe her compliance had to do with the fact that she’d been so relieved he hadn’t tried to kill her. Or maybe it had to do with the fact that she’d very much like him to boss her around when they were wearing a lot less. Either way, she wasn’t a fan of her giddy reaction to it.
Grace was in control. Always. It was part of her survival instinct. She’d had to grow up real fast when she was fourteen, and the way that she was able to do what she’d done is because she never allowed anyone to dictate what she could do.
“If you’re going, I’m going.”
She wanted to add—and you’re not the boss of me—but she thought that might have undermined the persona she was trying to portray.