CHAPTER TWO
RANDI PUSHED a cart and tossed packages of hot dogs, hamburger, chips, crackers, cereal, milk, eggs inside the basket. She couldn’t believe as organized as she was, she had left the cooler of food next to the back door.
“Should smell wonderful when we get home,” she muttered to herself. “Have to remember to give Marcie a call. Ask her to stop by to put everything away.” She closed her mouth when she noticed a couple people in the store casting worried looks her way.
If they had a mini grocery store on the resort, she grumbled, she wouldn’t have had to drive five miles to the nearest convenience store. It seemed everyone else had forgotten something as baskets bumped baskets in the small store. Any other time she would have appreciated the quaintness of the narrow aisles and wooden shelves.
Thank goodness, she had remembered the DVD’s. She’d left the boys and her father settled on the sofa watching one of the Avenger movies. When they realized she had left the cooler, her father simply shook his head, then waved her on. “The boys and I will be okay.”
“What would I do without him?” She once again muttered to herself. He might dote on her and the boys a little too much but he never interfered with her decisions and was always there when she needed him. Just like when she had decided to divorce Tim.
Tim’s drinking had escalated to the point that he got several DUI’s. Then she found out she was pregnant with the boys and refused to go with him to the socials. She knew he saw other women at the parties but by then she didn’t care. Political success and ego had taken the spark out of their new marriage.
For the most part, he left her alone. Until one night when one of his lady friends had rebuffed him and he came home in a rage. The fact that she was six months pregnant with the boys didn’t stop him from taking it out on her. She’d become immune to his insults and whenever he came home drunk, she stayed in her bedroom. Waited for him to pass out on the sofa. But this time, his anger escalated and he followed her upstairs. When she tried to run down the stairs to call her father, he slapped her.
She remembered screaming as she fell down the stairs and then lost consciousness. Sharp pains awakened her and she called out to him. When he didn’t answer, she crawled to her cell phone and dialed her parents who took her to the emergency room.
She spent four long weeks in that hospital bed, flat on her back, trying to prevent a premature delivery brought on by Tim’s attack. It was her parents, not Tim, who stayed at her bedside, held her hand, offered support while she wrestled with her conflicting emotions. Her mother had cried and encouraged her to come stay with them.
Her father didn’t say much but Randi knew he was angry. At one point, she didn’t see him for two days and when he returned, there was a calmness about him. She often wondered if he had confronted Tim. Especially when she made her decision to divorce Tim and he never objected. Her father had quietly arranged to have her things moved back home and then both parents remained by her side until the boys were born.
Her mother died the next year from cancer but her father remained her rock. Even moved to Edmondsville with her when she decided to relocate.
Today had been no different. After her meltdown, he apologized for being so insistent about getting to the resort. “Maybe if I hadn’t rushed you, you wouldn’t have forgotten the cooler.” He handed her a hundred-dollar bill and told her to go get what she needed. Promised when she got back, he would prepare dinner and she could relax a bit.
The brief meltdown helped to relieve some of the stress. Randi smiled as she bent down to grab a can of beans from the bottom shelf. The boys always liked beans with their hot dogs. That should be easy enough for her father to heat up tonight.
She straightened and backed into a solid human wall.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” She turned and stared up into chocolate brown eyes. Why was it that men always had the long lashes?
“No problem,” Trevor said as he smiled, reached above her head for a can of peas.
Pinned between his chest and the hard shelf, Randi felt the heat of his body and caught a whiff of sawdust. Rough and tough ran through her mind. Her heart skipped a beat. It had been a long, long time since she had been this close to a man. Judging from the twinkle in his eyes, he enjoyed her predicament and wasn’t in a hurry to move on. She inched her way around him and grabbed for her cart.
Trevor watched her move down the aisle, appreciated the worn jeans that hugged her shapely hips. His gaze moved up her slim back to the silky blonde hair that peeked from the baseball cap. Smooth as silk sprinted through his head. She’d looked up at him in surprise but he saw tiredness in her eyes and watched it in her walk. Her day had apparently been as long as his.
Randi checked the basket to be sure she had everything. She needed to get out of this store. Away from the man who had such a potent effect on her. Her body temperature had spiked up a few notches and she knew her cheeks were flushed. She grabbed a bottle of Pinot Grigio off the wine shelf and headed for the checkout counter. A glass of wine would complement her long bubble bath while her father cooked dinner.
Fifteen minutes later, Randi walked along the mountain road.
“This should have been a pleasant evening,” she exclaimed to the dark skies as she headed back to the convenience store. It would have been a pleasant evening if she’d looked at her gas gauge before leaving the store. Hadn’t left her cell phone on the table at the unit. “What else can go wrong today?”
Maybe it was a good thing that her father had driven separately. At least when she called him from the store, he could come get her.
She caught a whiff of pine as the cool spring breeze whipped through the trees. At least the traffic was light and she didn’t have to worry about having to dodge cars. Instead, she appreciated the much-needed peace and quiet as she made her way along the winding road back to the convenience store.
She kicked a rock. Hopefully this wasn’t an omen of their long weekend. Obviously, these past few months had affected her more than she thought. She wasn’t usually this scatterbrained. Or maybe it was because of the new car. She never thought to check the gas gauge. Or question what the ringing noise meant when she pulled out of the parking lot.
She approached the rock and gave it a harder kick.
What happened to the woman who had picked herself up after the birth of her sons and struggled to give them a good healthy home? Built her successful interior decoration business?
The same woman who had moved to a new town three years ago? Made new friends? Met Ginny, Brina and Marcie.
She reached for her cell phone to call one of the girls and groaned when she remembered she didn’t have it. Now would be a good time to hear one of their voices. Brina and Marcie would laugh. Ginny would be concerned and keep her on the phone while she walked.
Randi shook her head. Despite being stranded on a dark and narrow road, life was good. Ginny and Cliff were going to have a baby; Brina and Rafe were newlyweds and Marcie was busy learning about making wine.
Their vacation might have gotten off on a rocky start but she was determined it would be a wonderful time. She and the boys were going to go to the pool every day. Her father was going to talk to this developer guy. They would go to the water park. Yes, life would be good.
Much as she could use the exercise, Randi didn’t like walking alone along the winding narrow road. Especially now that dusk was settling in and the tree tops were starting to resemble those strange creatures Scott and Sandy’s Power Rangers were always battling.
There were no lines on the road and with the approaching darkness, it appeared to be a wide path with the mountain on the other side and cliff on her side. Walking against the traffic, she worried about missing a step and falling into what appeared to be a black hole.
She heard an engine, then saw the headlights of an approaching vehicle. She slowed her pace and focused on walking as close to the shoulder as possible. It wasn’t completely dark but she worried that the driver wouldn’t see her. As it came closer, she could tell it was a big pick-up. A big, muddy pick-up.
Even though the vehicle was headed in the opposite direction it stopped beside her. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the Snowridge Resort logo emblazoned on the side of the truck but still felt uneasy being by herself. She moved a little closer to the edge of the road and watched as the window came down. Then her heart almost stopped for a second time as she recognized the man from the store.
“Need a lift?” he asked.
“No.” She stepped forward. “I’m, I’m fine.” She breathed another sigh of relief when she heard the engine but sighed when it backed up instead of going forward.
“You know, you really shouldn’t be out here all by yourself. On the dark road.”
“I’m fine. Really. Just going back to the store for something.” She picked up her pace and hoped he would get her message.
“Suit yourself,” she heard him say. Minutes later, another car came towards her and swerved sharply to the left when the lights reflected off her jacket.
“Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea,” she fumed to herself when she heard another vehicle coming up behind her. It stopped beside her and when she looked over, she saw that it was the same Snowridge truck. Same man. He had obviously turned around when he saw her car. “Is that your Escalade back there?”
Randi stopped and sighed. “Yes. I ran out of gas.”
“Get in,” he leaned away from her, opened the passenger door of the truck.
“Excuse me?” Randi’s mouth fell open. “I most certainly will not. I don’t know you. Why would I get in your truck?”
“Look lady, I have a tank of gas in the back and the sooner we get you off the road, the sooner I can go home.”
“Why should you be so bothered?” Randi retorted angrily as she stood her ground, her hands on her hips. She glared at the logo on his truck. “If your boss had had the good sense to put a convenience store on the resort, I wouldn’t have had to drive so far. I wouldn’t have run out of gas. Nor would I have ice cream melting all over the back seat of my brand-new car.”
“I’ll tell him.” He stared at her. “Now get in.”
Trevor waited for her to make up her mind. He couldn’t really blame her not trusting him. After all, there was no way she could know for sure he worked for Snowridge. Forget the fact that he owned it. He wasn’t certain he’d approve of his own sister having to make the same decision.
Randi’s tightening calves decided for her. She stomped around the front of the truck and stepped onto the running board. He leaned over to offer a hand and she felt an instant jolt at his touch. Sparks travelled through her body. Her cheeks felt warm and her heart raced. Expecting a gentle tug, she was unprepared for his hard pull and had to brace herself before she fell across the seat into his lap.
He must have felt it too, she thought. There was a puzzled look on his face. A frown creased his forehead and his eyes squinted slightly. Before she could consider jumping out of the truck he managed a quick U-turn in the road and headed back towards her car.
“I take it you just arrived today?”
“Yes.” She answered breathlessly. She scanned the interior of the truck for any stray tool she might be able to use in case she needed to defend herself. He had smelled of sawdust in the store but she had to wonder if he really was one of the construction crew. He didn’t seem to carry many of the mechanics of the trade with him. Then she spotted a hammer between her seat and the console and closed her hand over the handle.
Trevor noticed and couldn’t help but smile.
“My father stayed at the unit with my sons while I went to stock up on groceries. I was on my way back to the store to call him when you so kindly stopped to help.” There, she thought, she would be pleasant and as soon as he got her car going, she would offer to pay him for the gas and then make a quick exit. “I hope this doesn’t put you out too much.”
“No problem. That’s what we’re here for.”
They pulled up behind her Escalade and Trevor left her to get out by herself. He lifted the tank of gas out of the bed of the truck, walked over to her car and began pouring the fuel into her car.
While he poured, Randi moved to get her purse out of the car. She pulled on the handle but the door refused to open. She frowned and tried again. When it still wouldn’t budge, she looked inside and could barely see her keys dangling from the ignition.
Why? She groaned to herself, rested her head against the top of the car. What next? She heard his chuckle and with her head still resting against the door, she turned to glare at him. Her Good Samaritan was obviously enjoying her run of bad luck.
“Let me guess,” he started to say but stopped when she straightened and faced him. There was anger in her stance and fire in her eyes. Trevor was beginning to like the way she put her hands on her hips when she was flustered.
“Don’t. Say. One. Word.” She inched her way towards him then threw her hands up in frustration and paced back and forth. “I can’t believe this is happening. It’s been one thing after another all day.” She kicked the front tire. “First the boys forgot Ironman.” She gave the tire a second harder kick and groaned when her foot jolted. “Then there was the fiasco in Brownsville.” She swung around and moved toward him. “My father was behind me. Honking that stupid horn all through the town. Can you believe it? Then when I got to the unit and started unpacking, I realized I’d left the cooler of food at home. Damnation!” She threw her hands in the air once again.
She took one step closer and glared up at him. “If your boss had thought to put a convenience store on the resort I wouldn’t have had to go so far. Or run out of gas,” she exclaimed.
Yes, Trevor decided he liked her fiery temper and tried not to laugh. He simply emptied the gas into her tank, then stepped around her to put the can in the back of his truck.
Randi watched him, furious that he was so calm and could care less. She started to follow him, continued her tirade but backed up when he turned and advanced towards her. Oh Lord, she thought to herself. Now she’d done it. With her luck, he was one of those psycho employees who would probably knock her senseless and then toss her off the mountain. She’d never see her boys again. Never watch them grow up, get married, father her grandchildren.
Trevor picked up on her attack of nerves and much as he wanted to laugh at her, he could understand her ranting and simply stopped in front of her. Stared down at her. When he was sure she was in control once more, he reached for her hand.
“C’mon,” his firm grip pulled her towards the truck.
There was strength in those coarse hands that scared and excited her at the same time. “What?” she said. “Wait a minute,” she tried to pull away. “I’m not going anywhere with you. With the day I’ve had, how do I know you’re not going to have your way with me? Then throw me off this mountain and steal my car? My groceries? My ice cream,” she exclaimed as she looked back at the car.
Trevor yanked the truck door open. “Do you smell that chicken? Much as I would probably enjoy having my way with you, as you put it, I haven’t eaten all day and am more interested in enjoying the chicken than your delectable body.”
He stared down at her, dared her to interrupt. “What I tried to say was that I will take you to your unit, you can borrow your father’s keys,” he paused a moment, “he does have a spare key to your car doesn’t he?” When Randi quietly nodded her head, he grabbed her around the waist and lifted her up into the truck. “Good,” he barked, then slammed the door and stomped around to get in his side of the truck.
“We’ll get you straight and I’ll give my boss your message. Tomorrow.”
Ten minutes later, Trevor smiled as he drove towards his home. She had three things going for her – shapely hips, a temper and meekness. As soon as he pulled up to her unit, she had jumped out, thanked him, and said good night before he could even get it into park. When he got out, she stated that her father would be able to help her now and she didn’t want to take any more of his time. He had simply bowed silently and returned to his truck.
He laughed out loud. These next few days might be interesting. First thing tomorrow, he planned to check with the office to find out the identity of the little lady in unit thirty-eight.
Randi sat on the deck outside the unit enjoying another glass of wine. She had just put the boys to bed and her father was watching a golf tournament on the sports channel.
True to his word, Sebastian had cooked dinner after driving her to get her car. She hadn’t mentioned her companion. Simply said a Good Samaritan had stopped by, gave her some gas and then brought her to the unit.
She put her feet up and stared up at the clear skies. The stars sparkled like diamonds, the full moon glowed and the weather forecast promised exceptional spring temperatures for the weekend. She looked forward to just taking it easy. After the day she had had, it couldn’t get any worse.
She reached for her cell phone to check the time. Nine-thirty. Marcie should be closing the wine shop about now. She was sure Ginny and Cliff and Brina and Rafe were otherwise occupied, but Marcie would probably appreciate talking to her while she locked up.
She answered on the second ring. “Hey, what’s up? I thought you were on vacation? What’re you doing calling me on your first night away?”
Randi laughed. “Sorry to say you’re not the first to talk to me. I talked to Ginny on the way.”
“Well then, what’s wrong? That was a nervous laugh. I know when something is bothering you.”
Randi sighed. “Today has been so discombobulated.”
“You’re on vacation. You’re supposed to be relaxing.”
“I wish,” she groaned. “You won’t believe what has happened.”
“You met the man of your dreams?”
“Hardly,” Randi said thinking about her Good Samaritan. Yeah, he might clean up good but after her reaction to his touch, she wasn’t sure she wanted to tempt herself. “Well, I did meet someone today but not under the best of circumstances.”
“What happened?”
“For starters, Dad had us leaving almost at the crack of dawn. Then I got turned around in Brownsville and it took forever to get here.”
“You mean the round-about?”
“Yeah. When I missed the turn the first time, Dad started honking at me. That got Scott and Sandy all excited. You should have seen us. Dad honking his horn, the boys hollering at one another as we went around four times. Four times,” she exclaimed. “Can you believe it? It was so embarrassing.”
Randi could hear Marcie locking the door to the shop. “So? You made it okay, right?”
“Well yeah, but then when we unpacked, I realized I had left the cooler of food next to the back door. Can you go over and take care of it for me?”
“Sure,” Marcie laughed as she unlocked her car. “What else?”
“Well, I went to the store,” Randi paused “and on the way back, I ran out of gas.”
Marcie laughed again. “You ran out of gas?”
“And locked my keys in the car.”
For once Marcie stayed quiet. “Wow. You really have had a bad day. Surely someone stopped to help you.”
“Well,” Randi paused to sip some wine when her heart skipped a beat, “this guy did stop.”
“Guy?” Marcie interrupted. “Did you say guy? As in a member of the male species? Was he old? Young and cute? Fat and bald?”
“Definitely young. And I guess he cleans up good.”
“He what?”
“He works for Snowridge. And had apparently been working most of the day. The truck was muddy and he smelled of sawdust.”
“You got close enough to catch his manly cologne? Randi, you’re going to have to check him out. Or look up his boss one. Doesn’t Trevor Graystone have some connection with Snowridge? You know, the one with the cute butt you’re always talking about?”
“Yeah, now that you mention it I think Brina mentioned something about him when I told her we were going to Snowridge.” She chuckled. “I guess I’m just going to have to check all the butts around here. That could be interesting but I’m not sure my father would understand.”
Randi heard Marcie’s car chime. “I’m at your house. You keep the key under the flower pot, right? I’ll go put the food away. Go get ‘em girl!”