Page 32 of Love in Overdrive

Cade looked at the trophy. “Sweet buck. I’ve never shot one that big.”

“My dad would give his right arm for a rack like that. What do you think, thirteen pointer?” She held the lantern up, illuminating the deer.

Wow. She knew what points were in relationship to a deer. Oddly, Cade found that sexy as hell. Then again, he got the feeling he’d find anything Laney did sexy.

He cleared his throat. “How’s the leg?”

“I’ll survive. I think.” She gave him a wry smile.

“Not if I don’t get that fireplace going. I saw some cut wood when I was searching for the key. I’ll be right back.” Cade stepped out the door and paused. He listened. Rushing water, wind whispering through the trees, but no other movement. He exhaled and hurried around the side of the cabin to the pile of logs.

A mental to-do list ran through his mind as he worked. Get the fire going. Check Laney’s leg. Then get some sleep.

He looked up at the sky. He was guessing it was around midnight. Not by the position of the moon. Hell, Cade wasn’t an Eagle Scout. No, he figured they’d been walking for two or three hours, after the asshole took his car and stranded them around nine.

Shit. Mom will be pissed about her vehicle.

Cade shook his head and made his way back inside. He kicked the door closed with his foot and placed the logs beside the fireplace.

Now, to start the fire. He looked up the chimney and shrugged.

“Don’t forget to open the flue.”

“Thanks.” He reached into the black abyss and found the lever. “Got it.”

He stacked the logs and crinkled paper he found, made a sign of the cross, and struck the match.

The old wood started to burn. “Wow. I didn’t think that would go as easy as it did.”

“Me neither.” She smiled. It was brighter than the flames behind him.

Man, she looked pretty in the low lighting. Who was he kidding? Laney was a knockout in any light. “I better see if I can find a phone. The sooner we can turn over the money and explain what happened, the better.”

“Let me help you.” She stood and pulled the blanket tighter around her neck.

“Sit. I don’t want you making your leg worse.”

“It’s fine. I work with preschoolers. This isn’t the first time I’ve taken a hit to the shin. How’s your head?”

“Fine.” Cade had a few tender spots. Gut, jaw, ribs, but nothing he couldn’t deal with. No way he was giving Laney something else to worry about.

She moved to the kitchen while Cade checked around the living room.

“Anything?”

“Nope.”

“Well, shit.” Cade scratched his head. Looked like they’d be here all night. “I’ll grab some more wood for the fire.”

When he entered with a second armful, he found Laney removing years of cobwebs and dust from the main room with the broom he’d had earlier.

“There’s a hand pump in the kitchen. Do you want to see if you can make it work?” she asked.

He dropped the wood by the fireplace and moved to the kitchen. The first few pumps took some muscle, but after that, water flowed from the spigot cold and clear.

“This place isn’t too bad, considering no one’s probably stayed in it for years. Look what I found in the closet?” Laney carried linens to the couch.

“We can stay tonight and start looking for a road in the morning. I don’t think the robber will be looking for us here.”

They needed to find a phone tomorrow. He cringed at the thought of dealing with the police. This wouldn’t be his first rodeo where small town cops were concerned. The last time ended with Cade behind bars for the better part of two years.

He shook off the dread spooling in his gut and hoped this wouldn’t be his last night of freedom.