Rose did not want to call Jake Clark. The man she left her fiancé at the altar for, and the one who didn’t even know she was still in love with him.
She glanced at the dog on her front seat. “At least you’re safe now.” Rose had seen the dog shivering under a tree and hadn’t been able to leave her. It hadn’t taken too much convincing to get the dog into the car.
The forecast had said the blizzard wouldn’t hit for another few hours, but Mother Nature did what she wanted, the persnickety bitch. And the snow was coming down harder.
Rose’s little car did not like the cold or snow, apparently. It wouldn’t even start.
There was nobody else to call for help.
Not anymore.
Her parents were out of town for the long post-Thanksgiving weekend, and she wasn’t about to ask one of her friends to send their guys out to help. Not in this weather.
The phone rang twice before a deep voice answered, hesitation evident. “Rose?”
“Jake? I’m sorry to bother you, but I didn’t know who else to call.” Rose had just seen him a little while ago at the grocery store, and though their conversation hadn’t lasted long, it hadn’t been as awkward as when she was still engaged to Henry.
“Are you okay?” Concern laced his voice, and Rose could almost picture his face—the furrow in his brow and the set of his jaw.
“I was trying to get this stray dog and my car won’t start, and the local tow truck company is busy, my parents are out of town, and I don’t know what to do.”
“Tell me where you are.”
She told him which shopping center to find her and ended the call. The black dog she’d found had curled up on the front passenger seat, still shivering. Both of them were soaked from the rain and snow.
Strong winds whipped through the trees, and Rose tried not to worry as the car shifted from side to side.
The dog glanced around in alarm, settling her gaze on Rose. “It’s okay, sweetie. What should I call you? Do you have a name already?” A head tilt was the only reply. Rose reached her hand out again for the pup to sniff. “How do you like the name Daisy?”
There was no collar on the dog, and Rose was worried someone had dumped her.
A kiss on the fingers. “Daisy it is.”
Barely ten minutes later, Jake’s truck appeared ahead. Rose could have cried in relief.
“We’re rescued, little one. Today really is your lucky day.”
The dog looked up at Rose as if to say, ‘I know.’ Those big brown eyes were full of hope, but Rose could see a tinge of fear that made her heart break. She let the dog sniff her hand again and then rubbed her ears. “You’re a sweet, good girl.” The words earned her a tail thump. “Should we let the sexy man take us home?” Another thump. “Come on, let’s get out of this mess, what do you think?”
Jake hopped out of his truck with something in his hand, and a golf umbrella open. He handed Rose a lead that she slipped around Daisy’s neck without issue. Jake held the umbrella overhead as he escorted Rose and her new friend to his truck.
Rose hesitated before she got in. “We’re going to get your seats wet.”
“Don’t worry about it, they’ve had wet dogs on them before.” He smiled at her, and Rose’s heart almost stopped.
Damn his green eyes. She’d always been weak for that shade of deep green, the canopy of leaves in a forest.
Once they were all in and on the road, Jake spoke first. “I’m sorry I don’t have towels or anything for you. I was already on the road and didn’t want to make you wait any longer than you had to. I called Randy down at the shop and they’ll be out here to tow your car when they can.”
“You didn’t have to do that. I kept trying to get through to the shop and nobody answered.”
“Ah,” he held up a finger in a triumphant gesture. “I have Randy’s cell.”
“That explains it. You’ve got connections.”
Jake shrugged. “It’s all about who you know.” The truck hit an ice patch and slid a few feet to the right, narrowly missing a hanging limb and catching Rose off guard. She managed not to scream but couldn’t stop the gasp and clutched the center console in a death grip.
Jake got the truck straightened out and back on the road. He covered her hand with his. The warmth and strength that emanated from him helped Rose relax - ever so slightly.
“I’ve got you, Rose. I won’t let anything happen. You’re safe with me, remember?”
She remembered, possibly too well.
A memory of Jake driving them around town in the middle of the night, the town quiet and deserted, popped up. They had gone to see a movie and then spent time in the backseat of his truck in a dark corner of the parking lot.
Rose’s phone dinged and brought her out of her memory. A message from her friend and temporary landlord, Stacey, said their house lost power. Rose had moved into the studio apartment above their garage. If the main house didn’t have power, neither did her apartment. “Crap.”
“What happened?” Jake’s hand went back on the steering wheel, and Rose tried not to miss his touch. It had been so long since she’d felt as safe as she did with him.
Rose didn’t want to burden him any more than she already had today. “The power is out at my place. I’m sure it’ll be on again soon, though.” She glanced out the window at the falling snow. The road was rapidly disappearing beneath a blanket of white. The truck slowed to almost a crawl, Jake maneuvering it expertly through the weather.
Jake shook his head. “I don’t feel comfortable taking you home to a dark house. Not in a blizzard like this.”
“I guess you could take me to my parent’s house, but…” She wasn’t fully convinced about the idea even as she spoke it.
“It’s on the other side of town, up a massive hill.” Jake wasn’t wrong about that. She’d had difficulty traversing that hill many times.
He didn’t take his eyes off the road. “I’m going to suggest something, and you can’t get mad, but you have to say yes.” Bossy as ever.
“I don’t like the sound of that.”
“Stay with me.” Jake must have anticipated her reaction because he held up a hand as he said. “Just until the storm is over, and your power is back on.”
Rose’s heart almost stopped. She couldn’t deny that the opportunity to spend time with him was appealing, and the electricity running through her body meant she was definitely still attracted to him. But they’d hardly spoken in years except for the odd run-ins in town, and even those had been few and far between once she’d moved to college and then in with Henry at his apartment on the north shore.
She hadn’t worked up the nerve to reach out since she called off her wedding almost six months ago. The wedding that she called off because she was still in love with him.
If she hadn’t just seen him at the grocery store earlier, she probably wouldn’t have thought to call him for help. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. I’m sure the power will be back on soon enough.”
She checked on Daisy in the back. She was upright and looked as though she were trying to be as small as possible against the back of the leather seats. Rose knew she couldn’t bring Daisy to an apartment without heat and didn’t want to risk Jake not taking her in.
“Rose, I’m not taking you back to a dark house with no heat during a blizzard. My house isn’t far, and I promise Randy will get your car safely to his shop. I’ll take you home as soon as your power is back, and the roads are safe.” Jake spared a second from watching the road to wink at her, a grin on his face.
Her resolve melted.
It was nice to be rescued. That hadn’t happened in a long, long time.
“Okay, but just for tonight.”
“We’ll see.”