Rocky Mountain Angels (34 page)

He put Mari’s pillow down on the passenger window and sat with his back to the seat, crossing his legs. “Come here.” Mari hesitated only a moment before maneuvering to sit on his lap. Joe wrapped his arms around her, and she felt warmth fill her. She knew they were in serious trouble, but she was trying hard not to think about the possibilities.

“Now,” he began, pulling her head to his shoulder, “we are alone with no distractions and no interruptions, and I need to tell you something.”

She pulled her head up to look in his eyes. “Joe, I think I know what you’ve been trying to say. We’ve grown close on this trip, but once we’re home, it has to end. You have a fiancée, and I have—”

“No, Mari, I don’t.”

“You don’t what?”

“I don’t have a fiancée. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you for days. Beth and I broke up.”

Mari found herself holding her breath and holding her heart. She didn’t dare wish. She didn’t dare pray. She tucked her hands against her chest, trying to keep a tight grip on her emotions.

Joe continued. “It actually would be more accurate to say that I broke up with her.”

Mari finally found her voice. “Why?”

“Because I didn’t love her. I figured out that I was in love with someone else.” Time slowed as Joe put a hand to the back of her head and leaned in. Mari’s eyes slipped closed as his lips touched hers—so lightly, it was like a whisper, but the shock waves that rolled through her with that gentle kiss sent her senses reeling.

He leaned his forehead against hers, his voice a low, whispered rumble. “Now, I just need to know if there’s a chance you feel the same way.”

Mari had a flash of an angry Joe quizzing her about her feelings for Eli.
He loved me then.
In answer, she slipped her arms around his neck and hesitantly touched her lips to his. Joe’s breath caught, and she could feel his hands slide down and around her as his lips responded to hers. Emboldened, she pressed in, all the passion she’d been denying for this tall, caring blond suddenly pouring forth in a kiss sure to warm him clear to his toes.

Chapter 26

Eli was starting to get worried. He couldn’t reach Mari, and after calling Joe’s phone a couple of times, Mari’s mother had answered, informing him that Joe had left his phone at her house. She confirmed that they had left the hospital around noon, and since it was only 8:00, they weren’t overdue just yet—even when he took the time change into account. He just didn’t like the fact that he couldn’t reach them.

Sheri and Beth had both stopped by mid-afternoon with a plate of cookies, saying it was a belated thank-you for helping them move. Beth didn’t seem surprised that Joe and Mari were out of town together, and her thin lips let them know how she felt about it. Sheri, on the other hand, was trying hard not to show how pleased she was about the news. Eli reiterated again for both women that Mari went because it was an emergency, and Joe went on business. Neither seemed to be buying it.

Ben popped some popcorn to go along with the cookies and suggested a movie, and with both Ben and Beth there, Eli felt himself relax. The foursome laughed through a comedy classic, then ordered in pizza.

There had been no time for a private conversation with Sheri, but Eli didn’t really want one until he talked to Mari. He had reached at least one conclusion in her absence: had Mari not entered his life when she did, he and Sheri would certainly have given it a go.

They had left around 7:00, leaving Eli with a burning desire for resolution. He looked at his watch and tried Mari’s phone again.

***

The headlights were dimming. Joe held Mari close to his chest, his coat unbuttoned and wrapped around her. Despite this and all the hot packets tucked around her body, she was still starting to shiver. He pressed another kiss to her head and prayed again for help to come soon—for someone, somehow, to find them in the snow. He refused to believe that this was their end—that God had let them find each other only to let them die.

The wind continued to blow, and for awhile Joe feared they’d be buried in a drift, but he could still see out of most of the windshield. Enough to know that the headlights were dimming. The heater had already stopped putting out any warmth, and when the battery died completely, no one driving by would have any chance at all of seeing them.

Mari’s breathing seemed different, and he tilted his head to listen. She sounded asleep, which bothered him since she was still shivering. He was worried about a concussion and shook her gently. “Mari.”

There was no response.

He shook her again. “Mari wake up. I need you to keep me company.”

She roused but barely opened her eyes. “Eli?”

He swallowed. “No, it’s Joe.”

She gave him a sleepy smile. “Dazzling Joe, my angel of maintenance.”

He smiled back. “I thought I was your security angel.”

She seemed to be thinking. “That, too.” She lay her head back on his shoulder.

He dug his fingers into her waist, and she laughed. “Joe, stop, I’m ticklish.”

“Then stay awake, or I’ll tickle you silly.”

She sat away from him and pouted. “Don’t be so mean. I’m tired.”

Joe thought she seemed almost drunk and felt sure she had a concussion. Suddenly she looked as if she could cry. Joe searched his mind for a diversion and thought of the blue dress. “Mari, I bought something for you.” Fishing around behind the seat, he pulled out the dress box. Lifting it over her head, he set it on the door beside them and pulled on the ribbon holding it closed. She tried to open it, but the mittens with the Hot Hands inside gave her all the dexterity of boxing gloves. When she gave up, Joe pulled off the lid and spread open the tissue paper. Mari lifted it out and held it up.

“It’s hard to tell what it looks like now, but it criss crosses over your, uh, front, and goes around your neck, and the back is... is bare. It’s for summer.” He wondered if looking at it would make her feel colder.

“You bought this for me?”

She laid it carefully back in the box, and Joe’s heart sank.
She doesn’t like it.

Then she turned back to him, looking a bit dizzy, but smiling. “Can you look right inside me, Joe Rhodes? It’s absolutely beautiful.”

Joe tried to pull her back inside his coat, but Mari resisted. “If you want to keep me awake and warm, I have a suggestion.” She suddenly looked as serious as a schoolteacher.

“What?”

Sliding her hands around his neck, she rubbed his cold nose with hers before she settled her lips on his. Joe couldn’t believe how soft her lips were. He wrapped his coat around her and deepened what Mari started. Kissing Beth had never been like this. It started a fire in his chest that spread to his belly, leaving him breathless with want. He slid a hand into her hair and reveled in the feel of it. Breaking away from her lips, he kissed along her jaw and around the edge of her ear, listening to her breathing come fast and heavy. “Oh, Mari, I love you. I love you so much.”

She held him tight around the neck. “I love you, too, Joe, my angelo d’amore.”

He pulled back to look at her. “Hmm?”

She laughed. “My angel of love.” Her body convulsed with a shiver just as the headlights went dark.

Chapter 27

At 11:00, Eli called the highway patrol with Ben standing by, looking concerned. He still hadn’t been able to reach Mari, and he knew she would have called if there had been more delays... if she could. Something was wrong.

“So, there was a blizzard earlier in northwest Texas, northeast New Mexico, the Oklahoma panhandle and southeast Colorado?” He was repeating both for clarity and Ben’s benefit. “Is it still going on?”

“No, the winds calmed down about twenty minutes ago.”

“Have you had any reports of car accidents.”

“We’ve had quite a few folks go off the road, but no serious injuries.”

Eli felt hopeful. “How about a white Dodge Ram pickup?”

“Let me check... no, I don’t see a pickup. The larger pickups are usually okay in this weather.”

“I see.” Eli ran his hand through his hair, reluctant to hang up when he didn’t know what else to do. “Well, thank you for—”

“Just a minute, there’s a new report coming in... someone ran into a herd of Angus out on the road in the northwest corner of Texas, but sorry, it’s not a Dodge Ram. It’s a smaller Toyota pickup. Sorry. Leave me your number, and I’ll let you know if we have any reports for a Dodge Ram.”

Eli did as he asked, thanked the man again, and hung up the call. Short of jumping in the car and driving out into the storm in his sports car, he didn’t know what to do, and he knew that would not be exceptionally wise.

He looked to Ben who was sitting with his head bowed and his eyes closed. Eli guessed he was praying.

He decided to join him.

***

Joe heard the squeal of tires on pavement and jerked awake. He had vowed to keep Mari from falling asleep, and he had dozed himself. “Mari, wake up.” She squirmed a bit on his lap but didn’t lift her head. “Mari, I heard something.” His breath was now a fog between them.

She licked her lips and swallowed. “Do we have any water left? I’m parched.”

“Maybe.” He felt around beside them until he found the water bottle they had been sharing. He shook it and felt a bit of a slosh inside. He unwrapped her from his coat and got it into her hands. “I need you to stand up. My legs are asleep, and I think I heard something out on the highway.”

Joe gave her a boost up as she struggled to stand then grabbed onto the steering wheel and pulled himself up. The needle sensations shooting up his legs were unpleasant, but he stomped his feet anyway to speed circulation back to his toes. He needed to see if there really was someone on the road, or if it had just been a dream.

“Sweetheart, I’m going to need to leave you for a minute. I think I heard tires squeal on the highway. Someone else may have found the cows.” He reached around her to open the glove box, and everything tumbled out of the sideways compartment. Feeling around on the floor at Mari’s feet, he found the flashlight he was looking for.
Please, God, let the batteries work.
He flipped the switch, and light shown up at the driver’s side door.

“You had that the whole time?” Mari’s teeth were chattering.

“I didn’t want to waste it until we needed it.” He was glad now that Mari had insisted on “clothing” him with the rest of the hot packets. His butt was pretty toasty because of the two in his back pockets and his toes were feeling okay. He knew he had a good woman when she said she couldn’t smell a thing when he’d pulled off his boots.

He needed to get his boots back on, however, for a trek outside, and that meant removing the  warmth temporarily. He took them out quickly and stuffed them in his coat pockets. He was sorry to have to take off his gloves to lace up his boots, but it couldn’t be helped. He needed to get out fast and back fast. Mari was freezing. He didn’t know how much more she could take.

With the flashlight in hand, he reached overhead to the door latch. “I’m sorry to have to open this. Snow is probably going to fall in.” He picked up the pillow and handed it to her. “Here, hold this so it doesn’t get wet.” Reaching up again, he said a silent prayer that he’d find help out there, and unlatched the door while pushing up.

As Joe predicted, a good quantity of snow fell in, but he kept pushing until the door held open. Thankful for his weight training, he pulled himself up and out. He looked back down at Mari. “I’ll be back as fast as I can. March in place or something. Keep moving.”

Mari nodded, and for the first time he saw real fear in her eyes. He shut the door and jumped off the truck into a snow drift that came up to his hips.
Damnation
. Moving forward proved the snow wasn’t heavy, and he plowed through it until he was walking in about six inches. He could see the headlights of a small pickup stopped on the highway and one of the Angus lying in the road in front of it. What he didn’t see was any movement, except for a few cows that were still hanging out in the vicinity.

He kicked his pace up to a jog then was slowed as he trudged through the snow-filled ditch. He finally reached the pickup and could see a man with short cropped black hair slumped over the steering wheel. He opened the door, pulled off his glove, and felt the man’s neck for a pulse. He breathed a sigh of relief when he found one. The man had a nasty cut on his forehead, but other than that, he was probably just knocked out. He didn’t see any sign of an airbag being deployed.
That’s probably a lawsuit in the making.

He knew he shouldn’t move the guy, but he needed to get in and see if he could restart the truck. He unbuckled his seat belt and gently pushed him to the center of the seat. Climbing in, he turned the key, and the engine roared to life.
Thank you, God.
Then he saw it—a police band radio. And this time he shouted it. “Thank you, God!”

He turned up the heat, pulled the emergency brake, and turned on the emergency flashers. He wanted to call for help, but first he needed to get Mari. Trudging back through the snow was easier  now, partly because of the trail he’d made and partly due to the lightness of Joe’s heart. Getting back up on the snow-covered, tipped truck was more difficult than jumping off had been, but he finally made it and opened the door.

He looked down at Mari and smiled.

***

Eli was about to jump out of his skin. He had never felt so helpless in his life. Pacing back and forth from the front door to the kitchen and back, he wanted to put his fist through a wall. If he hadn’t been instrumental in the remodeling of those walls, he probably would have. Ben came out of the living room and started up the stairs.

Eli called after him. “So, you’re just going to bed?”

Ben paused. “No, but I’m tired of watching you pace. You’re making me crazy.”

“I can’t help it. I’ve never been this... terrified before in my life.”

Ben came back down and sat on the steps. “I know, but there’s nothing we can do. It would be ridiculous to go out searching for them. We’re not even sure of the route they were taking.”