Julian had opted to take the scenic route to Magnolia Lake. He was driving a vintage tan-and-white 1970 Ford F-100. He’d needed a way to get to town from the airport in Knoxville and his cousin Elias, who owned body shops in Knoxville and Gatlinburg, needed a truck transported to Magnolia Lake. So he was delivering the iconic old truck, which had been completely refurbished.
He hadn’t been back home to Magnolia Lake in the last three years. And in the five years preceding that, his visits home had become less and less frequent.
It had been better that way. Each visit home to spend time with his mother had become more painful and awkward than the last. So one year, when his roommate and a few of their friends had invited him to join them in Cancún for Thanksgiving, he’d said yes. His mother had almost sounded relieved when he’d said he wouldn’t be home for the holiday.
So when another friend had invited him on a ski trip to Colorado Springs for Christmas, he’d said yes to that, too. Since then, going on some adventure over the holidays had become his tradition. But now, heading back to Magnolia Lake for four years, he could no longer evade the hurt and painful memories each visit home plagued him with.
He could deal with the temporary loss of the things he loved about living in a major East Coast city. Sporting events. Nights out with friends. Being an easy drive from New York and Broadway. What caused an unbearable knot in his gut was being back in the town where his father had died, knowing he was the reason his dad wasn’t there. And seeing the resentment in his mother’s eyes. Because she, too, blamed him for his father’s death.
Julian scratched at his beard, well overdue for a trim.
He’d grown the beard two years ago, at the request of the woman he was seeing. The beard had lasted far longer than the relationship. He’d kept it because it made him look five or ten years older than his thirty years. That put a lot of the older patients he’d seen during his residency at ease. Now that he was returning home to serve as the local GP to people who’d known him since birth, keeping the beard seemed like a good idea. Maybe it would help them take him seriously and realize that he wasn’t a kid anymore.
Knowing his mother would hate it gave him a perverse sense of joy.
Julian slowed the old truck when he saw some tire tracks ahead that veered off the road.
What had happened? Was someone hurt?
Julian pulled to the side of the road and turned on the caution lights. Then he hopped out of the truck and went to take a look.
“Shit.”
There was a car turned over in the ditch. He’d treated lots of patients who’d been in car accidents. Not all of them had survived—despite his best efforts. He only hoped the occupants of the car had been wearing their seat belts.
Julian slid down the embankment, not caring about the mud soaking his designer jeans and ruining his expensive boots. He approached the car, where a woman hung upside down, unmoving. His stomach knotted.
“Ma’am, are you all right?” He pressed a hand to the window. “Can you hear me?”
She moved the slightest bit, then bobbed her head. “The seat belt is jammed. I can’t get out,” she mumbled.
He could barely hear her through the glass, but his shoulders sagged with relief at the sound of her voice. She was alive and conscious. He tried opening the door, but it wouldn’t budge. “Sit tight. I’m going to get you out of here, all right?”
“I don’t expect I’ll be going anywhere soon,” she said.
Julian couldn’t help chuckling, impressed that she didn’t seem panicked. And despite needing his help, she was a little bit of a smart-ass. He couldn’t help admiring her fight and spirit.
He took a less steep hill to climb back up the embankment and called Elias to request a tow truck. He retrieved his luggage and dug out one of his going-away gifts: a car safety hammer with a built-in seat belt cutter.
Julian shoved his phone into his back pocket and hurried back down the hill, trying hard to ignore the chilly mud that had soaked through his jeans, making them feel five pounds heavier.
“Turn your head and close your eyes,” he instructed. “I’m going to break the glass.”
When the woman turned her head away and shielded her face with her arms, Julian removed the safety cap from the pointed end of the hammer and looked away as he tapped on the glass. The window shattered, but the safety glass stayed in place. He used the flat hammerhead to knock the glass out of the window, some of the pieces landing in her hair.
“You’re doing great. We’re almost there.” He employed the calm voice he used to put his patients at ease. “Are you injured? Is anything hurting?”
“Just my pride,” she muttered. “And my head because the blood is rushing to it.”
“Then let’s get you down. Brace your hands on my shoulders while I cut you out of this seat belt. I won’t let you fall,” he promised before she could object.
The woman, who wore a tan jacket, nodded. Her long hair shielded her face. She gripped his shoulders, and he placed a hand on her waist to stabilize her as he sliced through the seat belt.
He held on to her when the seat belt snapped, then eased her out of the car window, legs and bottom first. It was inelegant, but it got the job done and she was out of the car safely.
Julian set her on her feet, a hand on either side of her waist. She wavered slightly and clutched her head.
“Ma’am, are you sure you’re all—”
The woman flipped her hair out of her face.
“Chandra?” He was stunned. With the adrenaline rushing through his veins and the scent of coffee splattered throughout the car, Julian hadn’t recognized her alluring scent or her voice.
“JB?” Chandra pressed a hand to her forehead, as if she was feeling a bit woozy. She glanced at the cows grazing in the distant pasture. “Am I dreaming?”
“Afraid not. Seems you were in a single-car accident. I was driving along this road and noticed the skid marks veering down the hill, so I stopped to help.”
“You’re a regular Black Superman, aren’t you?” Her voice was filled with more quiet amusement than mockery. “Did you just pop out of a phone booth around here?”
“I prefer to think of myself as Falcon with a dash of Luke Cage.” He chuckled, glad she was lucid enough to make jokes.
She cocked her head and studied him for a moment. “Yeah, I guess I can see that. Now, I need to find my phone.” When she turned toward the car, she swayed. He reached out to steady her.
“Are you sure you’re okay? Maybe I should call an ambulance. You might’ve sustained a concussion or—”
“I’m fine.” She pressed a hand to her forehead. “I didn’t hit my head. I’m just not sure how long I was hanging upside down.” Chandra ran her fingers through her hair, which was still a little wild. Pieces of glass fell from it. “I just need to get my things and call my family.”
“My cousin owns a couple body shops. He’s got a guy in the area. The tow truck should be here any minute.” Julian placed a hand on her arm, hoping to calm her. She seemed panicked about not being able to locate her phone. “But if you need to call your family, you can use my phone.”
“Thanks. I—” Chandra frowned midsentence. “I...I don’t remember any of their numbers.”
“Are you experiencing any nausea, double vision or ringing in your ears?” Julian pulled out his phone, his heart rate accelerating. “If so, I’m calling an ambulance right now.”
“I don’t remember their numbers because I never dial them. They’re saved in my cell phone.” Chandra placed a hand over his to prevent him from making the call. “Please don’t make a fuss—this is embarrassing enough.”
“What happened exactly?”
Chandra’s eyes widened and she glanced around at the open fields. “Did you see that mother bear and her two cubs?”
“I didn’t.” He still wasn’t convinced she wasn’t suffering from a head injury.
“They were there—I assure you. My phone rang and I glanced down to see who it was. When I looked up again, there were freaking bears crossing the road. I tried to go around them, but I lost traction on the shoulder and ended upside down in this ditch.” Chandra folded her arms. “Those damn bears owe me a rental car.”
“Yeah? Well, good luck with getting them to pay up.” Julian was dirty, tired and hungry. He needed a steaming shower, a hot meal and a warm bed. Yet he couldn’t help being amused by this woman who was gorgeous, even if she was a little worse for wear after her tumble down the hill. “I’ll help you up to the road. We can wait in the truck until the tow truck arrives. Once your rental car is out of the ditch, we’ll retrieve your things.”
“I’m sorry if I’m grouchy right now. I just can’t believe this happened. I’m usually so careful when I drive.”
“The important thing is you’re all right.” Julian held his hand out to her. “Come on. The hill is less steep up there. It’ll be easier for you to climb up it in those boots.” He regarded her feet, clad in a pair of sexy black leather boots that had done things to him the moment he’d seen her prancing through the airport in them.
Chandra took his hand and they climbed back up the hill. She stomped the mud from her boots, and he helped her inside the truck, thankful his cousin had been overly cautious and had covered the floor and seats in several layers of heavy plastic.
But his clothing was soaked through with mud. He doubted the plastic would be enough to protect the newly recovered leather seats.
“This is a customer’s truck. I’m transporting it for my cousin, so I can’t get it all muddy,” Julian said. “I’m going to grab my luggage and change into some dry clothes.”
“Of course.” Chandra raked her fingers through her damp hair and fanned her shirt, stained with coffee. “I promise not to look.” One corner of her mouth curved in a sexy smirk.
It was the most Chandra had flirted with him since they’d met, but he tried not to read too much into it. He cleaned his hands on a rag, then dug into his bag for clean T-shirts and sweats.
He opened the truck door and handed her a long-sleeve gray shirt bearing a blue bison and the name of his alma mater—Howard University—in bold red. “In case you’d like to get out of that sticky shirt. I won’t look either. Promise.”
“Thanks, JB.”
Julian stripped down to his boxers and kicked off his muddy shoes and socks. He dropped the wet, dirty clothing and shoes in a plastic bag. Then he tugged a long-sleeve navy blue Howard T-shirt over his head. He pulled on gray sweats, then slipped on his Adidas running shoes.
“You good?” he called before approaching the driver’s side.
“All changed,” Chandra replied.
Julian climbed into the driver’s seat and couldn’t help smiling. She looked great in his old college T-shirt, despite it being too big for her.
Chandra shoved the sleeves up. “Much better. Thanks.”
“And you’re sure you’re—”
“I’m fine. Really,” Chandra insisted. “Like I said, my pride is more hurt than anything else.”
“Could’ve happened to anyone.” He nodded toward the rearview mirror. “Here comes the tow truck driver now.”
Julian turned the idling truck off and they both hopped out. Once the rental car was out of the ditch, they retrieved her belongings. She called the rental company and they arranged for the tow driver to return the car to Knoxville.
“I know you’re probably tired and your family is expecting you,” Julian said while Chandra was on hold with the rental company. “I’d be happy to drop you wherever you need to go. You can arrange to have them deliver a car to you later.”
Chandra frowned, her adorable nose scrunching. “You’ve already done so much for me. I don’t want to impose any further.”
“I’m headed to Magnolia Lake, about half an hour up the road. How far do you need to go?” he asked.
“I’m headed there, too. To this address.” She held up her phone.
“I know the area. It’s on the way into town.” Julian rubbed his beard. “There are mostly farms and ranches out there, on the outskirts. It’s on the way.”
Chandra’s dark brown eyes flickered with amusement. “I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but haven’t I caused you enough trouble for one day?”
“Maybe I needed a little adventure.” Julian shrugged, his hands shoved into the pockets of his gray sweats.
Chandra gave him a reluctant smile. But when the operator returned, she made arrangements for a car to be delivered to her in Magnolia Lake.
Julian grinned. He hadn’t asked Chandra for her number when they’d parted on the plane. But fate had given him another chance. This time, he’d definitely shoot his shot.