Not because my mom’s here, and not because I know we’re not in any real danger just yet.
The two beams of white light cut through the late afternoon mist.
Like fingers with eyes. Searching.
I gasp when I see them, craning my neck to make double sure I’m not imagining it.
“See,” Mom says. Opening her door and wasting no time waving her arms like a blow-up advertising thing that they have in used car lots.
Inflatable tube men with flailing hands and arms.
But my eyes are fixed on the lights, not even how crazy my mom’s acting.
Whoever it is, I feel like we’re more than rescued.
All my worry and fear have suddenly turned to excitement for some reason.
And once the heavy, modern pickup with dark windows gets closer, the feeling inside me turns to a shiver that runs from my tailbone to my brain.
I don’t know who or what it is. But it feels like I have been hooked by something pulling me closer the nearer the truck gets. Tugging at my insides with a warm, electric pulse that sees me shiver more than just a breath.
The truck pulls up right next to our little car. Parking as if it is completely normal to stop in the middle of the road.
Like they own it or something.
And once I get my first glimpse of the man driving as he steps out and I notice the Silver Fox Ranch logo on the side of the truck as well as his shirt, I know that this weekend might not be so bad after all.
And I should have brought extra underwear if this feeling is the effect this man gives me is correct.
It’s going to be a wet weekend, and if he keeps this up, I’m going to need a paddle.
CHAPTER TWO
Mack
It is nothing unusual to have guests lose their way out to the ranch.
It is kind of in the middle of nowhere, but that’s how I like it.
Mountains as big as the sky on one side and the rolling plains and forests on the other.
But the weekend away contest winners are long overdue, and something in my gut tells me they might be lost, stuck, or worse.
I usually arrange to pick up VIP guests from the airport, but this time around, they insisted on driving themselves out and politely ignoring the email offer to pick them up.
So, with a shrug and a strange knot in my stomach, I set out to find them, which from past experience won’t be hard.
Apart from nobody really driving around out here, there’s only one major road.
If they haven’t taken off into the woods or down a narrow trail, I should have them home in time for the complimentary meet n’ greet dinner the ranch offers.
Groaning a little before I smile to myself, shaking my head as I study the sky under the visor of my truck, I notice it looks like some cold, wet weather is blowing in.
And it always does make me smile because I keep forgetting that not everyone, especially holiday makers, enjoys the cold and wet as much as I do.
It’s off-season, and there are only a few bookings. The contest idea is just to fill some empty guest slots when it’s quiet around the ranch.
But something else is gnawing at me as I cut through the National Park, making my way to the main road.
Something I haven’t felt before.
It’s not a bad feeling, but it’s so weird that I can’t help wondering if I should get my heart checked.
Thing’s pounding like I’ve just climbed a hill on my hands.
Catching my reflection in the truck’s windshield, I’m grinning like a maniac too.
Like something amazing or incredibly dangerous, or both is about to happen.
I’ve got a sense for these things.
Living on the land for so long and seeing trees and animals more than people has given me keen senses. Makes me more aware of certain things.
But it’s a feeling I trust, and if it’s a good thing, then…?
No wonder I feel my foot a little heavier on the gas.
And not only so I can find our wayward guests before dark, either.
Something feels like it’s being drawn to me.
Like finding something I’ve lost…I don’t know. But either way, it’s a welcome sight when I spot the little blue bubble of a car parked at a strange lean on the shoulder of the road.
The mist is rolling in already, and if it’s who I think it is with their car, there’s no way they’d find the ranch after dark in the heavy fog once it sets in.
The woman getting out of the driver’s side frantically waves me down, and at a glance, I can see the relief in her features once I pull up.
Mack saves the day…Again.
It doesn’t click with the woman that I’m from the ranch.
The fading light and the worry about being stuck out here having got the better of her, I guess.