Chapter 22

CHAPTER 22

S everal hours after playing in the shower with Jake, eating the delicious stew while arguing over poor Jeremy’s fate, and making love again in the big bed, Sophie dropped into an exhausted sleep.

She had odd dreams about skiing through storms all night, and awoke with a start, her eyes adjusting to early morning light filtering through the shades. She rolled over and buried her face into Jake’s vacated pillow, filling her senses with the scent of man and musk. Hmm. His pillow was still warm. She snuggled closer and opened one eye on the empty doorway, her mind awakening much faster than her body.

What a night. Jake had been there for her, in her life, every step of the way. When she’d been confronted by the Citizen’s Group, when she’d needed to climb away from a fire, even when she’d been lost and confused. He was a man who stuck.

She’d always wanted that kind of security. And love.

The thought hit her square in the chest. She loved the man. Completely.

Did he love her? She squared her shoulders. Forget things working out. As a smart woman, as a strong one, she’d make sure things worked out. Whether Jake Lodge liked it or not.

She rolled out of bed with a smile on her face, yanked on jeans and a cream sweater, then padded barefoot into the kitchen. The echo of a clock filled the room as her gaze fell onto a note on the black marble counter.

Morning, Sunshine. There’s decaf in the cupboard above the coffeepot. I’ve gone to meet Colton in the south pasture—steers loose and fence down from the last storm. There’s another one coming, so stay inside. Love, Jake

P.S. About the storm, you’re mistaken. We’ll never blow over.

Sophie noted the signature, and her heart hummed. He used the L word. Maybe he actually meant it.

Thunder pealed directly overhead, and a slash of lightning lit the cheery kitchen. Her stomach rumbled, and her head began to ache. “All right, baby, let’s get some food.” She filed through the shelves of the pantry. Ah, saltine crackers. Wonderful. A quick look into the fridge discovered butter and strawberry jam, homemade by Loni. The perfect combination.

Sophie placed her treats on the island and munched quietly, her gaze fixed on the dark clouds rolling toward her over the mountains. She finished her plate and looked through the fridge, still hungry. At this point she’d weigh a ton by the time the baby was born. Oooh, cold macaroni salad. Probably Loni’s. Sophie took the bowl to the island to eat, enjoying the storm. Lightning jagged across the sky, and she jumped. The lights flickered.

A phone jarred her from her thoughts. Jake’s landline. What if it was Colton? No. He would’ve called Jake’s cell. Sophie let it ring, listening intently when Jake’s deep voice on the machine told the caller to leave a message.

“Jake?” Hysterics lifted Dawn’s voice. “You’re not picking up your cell…” Static came over the line. “But…storm…road…there’s…blood. I need help.”

Sophie lost the rest of the woman’s words. She jumped for the phone. “Dawn? Where are you? Dawn?”

“Sophie? I’m…bottom…of Jake’s hill… Call Jake. There’s blood. Need help.” The phone went dead.

“Dawn? Dawn, answer me,” Sophie yelled into the phone. A drumming buzz met her ear. She hung up the phone then grabbed it again and dialed Jake’s cell. It went directly to voice mail. What to do? Sophie paced the cozy kitchen. “Okay. Dawn’s in trouble. At the bottom of Jake’s. Jake’s what? The drive?” The drive was several miles long. Perhaps she’d slid off the road below. Sophie jumped at a loud thunderclap. She couldn’t leave Dawn at the bottom of the hill. If that’s where she was.

Sophie ran into the living room and grabbed a thick flannel jacket out of the closet. “It’s okay, baby,” she whispered as she buttoned it and rolled the sleeves up to free her hands. “We’ll get Dawn and come right back. No problem.” She wondered if the baby could hear the rapid beating of her heart. Then she wondered if the baby could even hear yet. Probably not.

After yanking on her boots, she ran into the rain, slipping once in the thickening mud and dropping to one knee. Her jeans shredded, and her skin smarted as blood began to well. With a hiss of frustration, she pushed to her feet and bolted for the rented Jeep, her pant leg stiff with mud and blood. She jumped inside the car, fastened her seat belt, wiped the rain from her face, and started carefully down the drive.

Wind slashed at the vehicle, pushing it to one side of the road where branches scraped the side like fingernails against a chalkboard. Water ran in rivulets across the dark asphalt, throwing the vehicle into a slide.

Sophie gingerly pumped the brakes. “This is bad,” she whispered while jerking the wheel to the left. Rain beat against the windshield so hard even the fastest wiper setting failed to clear the view. Lightning crackled across the sky. Sophie yelped as a fallen branch clattered on the hood.

She slammed on the brakes and panted. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.

“I already know this isn’t a good idea,” she muttered to the empty vehicle. “But Dawn needs help, and we can make it.” No way could she leave Jake’s sister hurt and scared at the bottom of the drive.

She pressed on the accelerator while twisting the heat controls to defog the windows. There, that was better.

The road stretched down the hill, empty save for falling pinecones and branches. The wind battered the vehicle like a boxer without his gloves, hard, merciless, dirty. Sophie struggled to keep the Jeep stable on the roadway. The wind shifted, and rain angled straight at her. The cascading heat from the vents failed to warm her chilled bones. Her knuckles white on the wheel, she ventured farther down the road.

She made it about a mile before lightning snapped right in front of her. The crash of a splintering tree roared over the rain. With a cry, Sophie yanked the wheel to the left to avoid the falling white pine, sending the car hydroplaning across the asphalt. A loud crunch of buckling metal rose over the fury of the storm. She shut her eyes as the vehicle bounced twice, spun to the side, and rolled.

Darkness swirled as she fell unconscious.

Sophie awoke to rain drumming against metal and pain screaming through her head. She tried to move, opening her eyes and realizing she was upside down. “Oh,” she moaned, reaching for her seat belt and pushing the button with trembling hands. She dropped onto her already aching head, her breath whooshed out, and she curled into a fetal position on the inside of the roof.

The Jeep teetered upside down, and branches covered the shattered windshield and blocked her view. Groaning, she leaned forward and tried to open the driver’s side door but it wouldn’t budge. “Okay,” she whispered. “It’s okay. I’m okay.” She wiped tears and blood off her face and curled into a ball around the baby. “Jake will come.”

She pushed the deflated airbag out of her way and concentrated on her body. Her head hurt, and everything else ached. The ignition had turned off, so she didn’t have to worry about that. The metal protested beneath her as she shuffled into a more comfortable position. Where was Jake?

Tears filled her eyes as her stomach cramped.

The baby.

She couldn’t lose the baby. Until that moment she hadn’t realized how badly she wanted the little one. And Jake. She finally had a chance for a real family, for a man who wouldn’t leave her. She loved him. She’d known it for a while. As nausea spiraled through her and darkness crept across her vision, she wondered if it was too late.