As soon as the car stopped, Clay turned to her. “Lexi, are you okay?”
Lexi nodded, but took a moment before answering. “I think so. Are you?”
Releasing his seat belt Clay ran his hands over her face and then her arms. “Did you hit your head?”
“No, no . . . I’m okay.”
He released her belt as well and pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly against his chest. “I thought—for a second there—”
“Me, too,” Lexi mumbled into his chest, loving the feel of his strong arms around her.
He pulled back enough so he could see her face. “I can’t lose you now; I just started believing in—”
He stopped and Lexi raised her hand to caress his cheek. Me, too. “What? What did you just start believing in?”
A look entered Clay’s eyes that Lexi had never seen before. Desire laced with something else. “Me. You. Us. The whole thing. When I’m with you, I feel like I can do anything. When we’re apart nothing matters more than being with you again. I’ve been in a sleepless, nauseated, and euphoric state since we met.”
“Is that a good thing?” Lexi asked, her eyes brimming with laughter as well as tears.
“I don’t want to be your friend, Lexi. I want so much more.” His mouth closed over hers and Lexi welcomed the claiming.
It was more than a kiss. Clay used his lips, his tongue, to declare a hunger for her that would have scared her if she hadn’t felt the same for him. She opened her mouth wider to him, wrapped her arms around his neck to hold him as they explored each other with abandon.
He lifted her easily so she was sitting across his lap and ran his hands up beneath her shirt to caress her bare skin. She inched her skirt higher so less material would be between his hardness and her eager sex. They ground against each other like teenagers giving in to wild urges. He undid the first button of her shirt and kissed the skin it exposed then reached for the second.
A loud knock on the window made them both jump. “Are you all right in there? Do you need an ambulance?”
Clay eased Lexi back onto her own seat and straightened the front of her shirt before rolling down the window. “We’re okay.”
A tall bearded man who looked like he was in his late fifties peered into the vehicle. “You shouldn’t be out tonight. We’re sanding the roads but the ice is pretty bad.”
“I noticed,” Clay said dryly. “Thanks for checking on us.”
“Do you need a ride? Will it start?”
“It should,” Clay said. The engine kicked on.
“You might want to see if you can pull out of that ditch. The roads are closed so you won’t see many come by here after me.”
Clay put it in reverse. The back wheels spun, but the front made a nasty, grinding noise.
“Looks like you broke an axle,” the man said. “You’re not driving anywhere in that thing tonight.”
Clay slammed a hand on the wheel before turning back to the man and offering his hand for him to shake. “Clay Landon. Could we offer to compensate you for a ride to anywhere but here?”
“Kenny Meade. I have to finish sanding this route, but you can come along. There’s a motel a few miles from here. They should have open rooms.”
Lexi expected Clay to demand a better option, but he didn’t. He simply thanked him then turned to Lexi. “Are you comfortable going with him? We’ll grab our smaller bags and come back for the rest tomorrow.”
Lexi peered past Clay to the large sanding truck the man had driven. “He doesn’t seem dangerous.”
Clay checked his phone. “I have no service here. How about you?”
“Nothing.”
“That settles it then.” Reaching back over the seat to grab a bag, Clay said, “If he kills us, at least we die together.”
Lexi smacked him. “Stop.”
Clay rubbed his arm. “All this hitting today. If I didn’t know it was pent-up sexual frustration, I’d think you’re too rough for me.” He rubbed his chin as if putting serious thought into something. “On the other hand, rough can be nice.”
“Oh, I’ll show you rough.”
Clay laughed and opened his door. “Come on, Princess. Your new carriage awaits.”
Wedged into the front seat of the truck between Lexi and their new friend, Kenny, wasn’t the way Clay had imagined the night going, but he’d been in worse situations. Kenny on the other hand looked exhausted.
“Long shift?” Clay asked.
“Double, but I’m not complaining. You have to take the work when it’s there.”
Clay nodded and felt a bit guilty that he’d never put in a full day of work, never mind overtime. “Do you work for the state?”
“I’m an independent contractor. During storms like this there’s work for everyone.”
“What do you do the rest of the year?”
The man flexed his hands on the wheel as if he didn’t want to answer, but eventually did. “I’m new to this area, so I do whatever is available.”
Clay’s curiosity was piqued, but he didn’t ask more.
The man looked over and said, “Sorry. Didn’t mean to take it out on you.”
“It’s all right,” Clay said, moved by the genuineness the man exuded. “It happens.”
“Yeah, it does.”
From beside him, Lexi asked, “Where are you from, Kenny?”
“Not far. Maine. I had a small plow business up there. Nothing big, but good money. Last year my father-in-law passed away, and my wife wanted to be closer to her mother. So here we are.” He glanced at Clay. “You English?”
“Guilty as charged,” Clay said. “Although I’ve moved around a lot.”
“I did a lot of that when I was younger,” Kenny said. “Twenty years in the Marines before I retired. Those were good years, but they don’t do much for me now. I didn’t think I’d be working this hard this late in life.”
Lexi and Clay exchanged a look.
“Enough about me, where are you two headed?” the man asked.
Lexi answered, “Stowe. The event we’re going to is actually going to donate furniture to a veteran. You should go and bring your wife.”
“Furniture for veterans doesn’t do much good if you don’t have a house.” Although the man’s tone was light, there was sadness in his eyes. “Don’t go looking at me like that. I’m not referring to me and my wife. We live with her mother for now. It’s not ideal, but it’s enough. I was thinking about some of my buddies from the corps. Not all of them are doing as well as I am. Furniture wouldn’t mean much to some of them.”
“The full scope of the fundraiser includes building housing for veterans. At least, I think that’s what Sophie said. Am I right, Clay?”
Clay felt like shit that he couldn’t remember, but if it didn’t, it would from then on. He’d make sure of it. “Yes, it does.”
“Fundraisers. I’m sure those people feel good about themselves, but do they make a difference? I know men who are fighting demons that they can’t get treatment for because some suit tells them it’s not real. I’ve got a buddy in Maine who has been homeless ever since the first year he came home. He doesn’t need furniture; he needs someone to make the government look after those who fought to defend this country. It ain’t right for people who give so much to have to wait so long to get treatment. Keep your damn couch and make sure veterans get the benefits they’re due. I don’t want charity; I just want what was promised. Sorry, I’ll come down off my soapbox now. I’m sure the event you’re going to will help a lot of people.”
r /> Right then Clay knew what he wanted his foundation to focus on. He linked his hand with Lexi’s and said, “Kenny, I’ve been looking for a consultant on a project I’m working on. If you’re interested, I’ll contact you after the holidays.”
Kenny looked away from the road long enough to assess if Clay was serious, then asked, “What kind of project?”
“The Landon Foundation is looking into funding programs to help veterans.”
Kenny frowned. “You pulling my leg?”
“Not at all.”
“I don’t believe in coincidences. You’re serious? You work for a foundation that helps veterans?”
Clay didn’t believe in coincidences either. It was right up there with a long list of things he’d always dismissed as impossible. The sun had set as the sander pulled off the main road. With no street lights it should have been dark, but the light of the moon glistened on the freshly fallen snow in an almost mystical way. A shiver ran down his spine as he remembered asking for guidance.
Was it a sign of divine intervention or a meaningless chance encounter with a man who just happened to say something that fit what Clay was searching for? Turning, Clay looked into Lexi’s eyes and could have sworn he glimpsed forever.
I love this woman.
He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it. “Lexi and I run it. It’s still in the beginning stages, but that’s why we could use someone like you. Your experiences would help us help others. It’d be a paid position, of course, and one that could be done via conference calls.”
“Hold on, you’d pay me to tell you about my friends?”
“No, we’d pay you to use what you know about your friends to build a network of support for them and anyone in their situation. I’d start you at . . .” He quoted an annual salary that had the older man’s jaw dropping open.
Hope came and went from the man’s eyes with sad speed. “That would be real nice if it happens. I’ll give you my number.”
Lexi tightened her hand on Clay’s, and her eyes filled with tears. He knew exactly how she felt, but there was no way to prove his sincerity to Kenny right then. All he could do was prove it to him later. “Perfect. We’ll contact you first thing after the holiday.”
