Pinch of Naughty (17 page)

“There was a man behind me. We were both on foot.” I waved toward the street where snow already covered my skid marks.

Gable honked his horn and backed the truck around enough to shine his lights up the narrow roadway. I couldn’t see anything.

When nobody appeared, he sighed, put the engine back in park, took a flashlight with a megawatt beam from the back seat, and climbed out.

My gaze followed the light as he walked away. Whether it was Gable disappearing into whiteout or the howl of the wind making me shudder, I waited tense and worried inside the truck. I thought about the cab thief and why he was on foot. We both could have been in the taxi and not on foot. I didn’t like the idea of Gable alone out there looking for a fool.

I knew he was freezing his tail off since I’d just been out there. Darn it. I gnawed my lip, wondering what I should do. I just wanted to curl up on the leather seat and…

I drifted, thawing into a muddle of thoughts, one of them wondering if I should climb out and join the hunt. The slam of the truck door jarred me awake.

“Nobody up the first or second street. I yelled. Don’t know if they’d have heard, but they would have seen my light.”

The heater inside the cab had steadily kicked out heat, making me toasty warm. I stared blearily up at him. Yep, still had his hat on. But, he used a moment to take it off and toss it in the back.

He brushed his hand over his military-short burr and met my glance with his own obsidian gaze. I looked away first.

“You all right?”

Gable’s rumbled question vibrated through my body, sending warning signals along with something else to my brain. The console I’d been leaning against disappeared, leaving me propped against a hard body instead.

“I’m okay.” I gave no notice to the arm curled around my shoulders and concentrated on the sweep of the wipers chasing ice across the glass.

“I’ll watch,” I mumbled. I intended to stay alert and be a help to the driver.

“Suit yourself. But first, rest a minute, let your body know you’re safe.” He hitched me closer, until I felt his heat from thigh to shoulder. Then he snapped my seatbelt in place and angled my head against his chest. I inhaled his scent and closed my eyes.
Just for a moment…