CHAPTER ONE

JESSICA CRISTOBEL was lost. Scratch that—she was currently driving in what seemed like a whole other world. The dark two lane road went on for miles without so much as an animal to be seen in the glow of her headlights. The GPS on the dash had stopped working several miles back, causing her to fall into a full out panic. Hell, her phone wasn’t even getting reception among the lofty evergreen trees that lined the road. Maybe it was the lack of phone service making her feel lost. It was—for the most part—attached to her hip for the better part of her days and nights.

As she focused on the pavement, Jessica finally caught a glimpse of a road sign ahead. She gripped the steering wheel tighter then leaned forward as the words came into view. “Blue Creek,” she said out loud. She’d never heard of the place, but then again, she lived and worked in New York City. The only tree she’d seen before her trip was in Central Park. Even then it was rare to see one without a homeless person either living under them or taking a leak behind them.

Deciding she’d stop into the town for directions, Jessica pressed her foot to the gas pedal harder. She wanted to hurry and get through the vast wilderness and into civilization—preferably somewhere with a spa. BANG! Click, click click. She heard the dreadful noises coming from the front of her rental car as it gave a quick jerk, then slowed down. Soon, white smoke bellowed out from under the hood, a sure sign that something was wrong. “Well isn’t this just great,” she grumbled as she guided the car to the shoulder of the road. After shifting it into park, she turned the key toward her and listened to the knocking sound that followed more smoke. She knew nothing about cars or how to fix them, so she grabbed her phone, hoping she could get at least one bar of service. When the screen still displayed that it was searching for a signal, she tossed it into the passenger seat and slammed her palms on the steering wheel. Great, she was in an unfamiliar place with a car that had given up the ghost. What now?

***

“Naw, it’ll be fine. He’s used to staying with you,” Maiken Douglas said to his sister as he drove back toward his home in Blue Creek.

“What if he gets homesick?” his sister Izzy asked.

“Iz, you live two miles from me. If my son needs to talk to me, give me a call,” he replied.

“Okay,” his sister let out a sigh. “It just feels weird, you know? Not having his mom around anymore.”

Maiken blew out a breath, “Tell me about it.” It had been almost eight months since he laid the love of his life to rest in the Blue Creek Cemetery. He’d lost his wife and Lincoln—his son— lost his Mom. It was tough trying to get through each day and not be sidelined with emotion. Keeping busy with his towing business helped, but when he went home, there were too many reminders of what was missing. Her scent continued to linger in his bed, her hairbrush hadn’t moved from the bathroom vanity where she last left it and Lincoln would frequently cry out in his sleep for his Mom. Maiken shook his head, trying to keep himself from getting emotional. When he focused on the road once more, he noticed a car on the shoulder with the emergency flashers on. As he got closer, he could see white smoke wafting from the front of the vehicle. “Hey, I’m gonna be late getting Linc, there’s a car on the side of the road,” he relayed to his sister.

“Take your time, he’s shoving mac & cheese in his mouth,” she laughed.

Once he hung up, Maiken pulled his tow truck off the shoulder in front of the grey compact vehicle. He could see the silhouette of someone in the driver’s seat but he wasn’t sure if it was a man or woman. The license plates were from New York—wow, they were a long way from home. It was his job though—helping people with car troubles. Along with running the towing side of his business, he was also the main mechanic in Blue Creek. He’d seen underneath just about everyone’s hood in the town.

Grabbing his grease laden baseball cap from the dash of the truck, he plopped it on his head and went about exiting the vehicle. Concern hit him as he walked to the other car, the driver making no movement to get out. He didn’t need a welcoming party but he also didn’t want to find someone hurt.

Leaning down, he glared in the driver’s window, tapping lightly on the glass with his rough knuckles. A shriek sounded in the car, followed by a pair of hands flailing around.

“Uh, you okay in there?” he tapped lightly again.

Soon he noticed the door begin to open. “Thank God,” he stepped back as a woman pulled herself from the car. “I thought I was going to have to sleep here tonight.” She ran her hands down the front of her fur coat. The green eyed brunette looked as if she just stepped off the runway in a fashion show. Her white silk blouse and black skirt leant him to think she as some kind of business woman.

“Car trouble?” he nodded his head toward the hood of the car.

“Hell if I know,” her haughty tone confirmed she was not from the area.

“Pop the hood, I’ll take a look,” he said while rounding the front of the vehicle. He glanced back at her when she made no attempt to reach inside and pull the lever that released the hood. “Anytime now would be good.”

“Sorry, do I look like a mechanic to you?” she scoffed while checking to make sure her high heels weren’t scuffed.

Maiken bit back several retorts but ended up scanning her body from head to toe, then saying, “No, you look like a pain in the ass, though.”

“Excuse me? Aren’t you small town folk supposed to be friendly or something?” she smoothed a hand over her slicked back hairstyle.

“Most of them are. Me? I’m an asshole.”

“I can’t argue with you there,” she mumbled.

“Listen, you can’t stay out here tonight. Let me tow this into town and take a look at it in the morning.” He offered.

The woman craned her neck, looking at his truck with a snobbish expression on her face. “I’ll be fine out here.”

“You think so?”

“Sure. I’ll lock myself in, take my Ambien and be off to dreamland in no time.”

“Trust me when I say that isn’t a good idea.” He warned.

“Why? Do wild beasts live in the woods,” she laughed but he didn’t join her jovial demeanor.

“Something like that.”

It took several minutes of her deciding whether she would go with him before she gave in. “Fine, just drop me off at a local hotel.”

Maiken laughed to himself. If she thought she was in for a night of pampering, she was dead wrong. There wasn’t a hotel in town and if her attitude didn’t tame down soon, he would consider dumping her off at the local animal shelter. “Get in,” he motioned to his truck.

The woman walked to the passenger side like she carried a stick up her ass. She stopped every few inches to make sure her heels didn’t sink into the damp mud on the side of the road. He didn’t know how much more of the shit he could handle.

Rolling his eyes, Maiken went about hooking her car up to the truck for a tow. As the wench tightened, he grabbed his phone from his back pocket, checking the time. Had he really been out here for an hour already? Damn, Izzy wasn’t going to be happy. Blowing out a breath he finished up and joined Miss America in the cab of the truck. “It’s only a few miles into town. Before I drop your car at the garage, I’ve gotta swing by my sister’s place.”

She flippantly waved her hand in the air, “Fine, whatever.” She groused.

“So, what brings you to these parts?” he asked as he started the truck.

“Besides bad luck?” she paused. “My GPS went haywire and I somehow took this road.”

“This area isn’t the best for getting signals,” he mentioned.

“I noticed.”

“Just a warning when you get to town. Don’t piss anyone off too bad, they all bite,” he laughed—only him knowing his statement was one hundred percent true.

“I won’t be there long enough to make enemies, I assure you. In the morning I’ll grab another rental car and be on my way.”

“Well, good luck then.” He said before turning his attention back to the road. He couldn’t wait to get away from the perfume soaked beauty queen next to him. She was definitely going to be a fish out of water in Blue Creek.