“I told you, trouble finds me.”

  “I think you helped more than you brought it on us. If wasn’t for you, we’d have the entire community trying to evacuate the fairgrounds and take shelter in Jane’s basement. She doesn’t have room for that.”

  “We still haven’t gotten everyone under cover.”

  “We will. How’d you know before the Doppler radar did that it would change directions and head for us?”

  “Gut feeling. I’ve learned not to ignore my instincts.”

  Lightning flashed in the sky and thunder rumbled.

  “That’s some gut.” Telephone poles whizzed by as he picked up speed. Yeah, he was a little pissed at Tyler and his friends for being asses, but nobody deserved to be trapped in weather like this with nowhere to go.

  As they pulled up near the group huddled around the cooler, the drops of rain became a downpour. Tyler’s Ford sat bogged down to its belly on the once volleyball court and wouldn’t be going anywhere until they got a tow truck or tractor to pull it out.

  Jake threw the Chevy into park, hopped out, and opened the cap. “Get in!” The group already hustled to grab their stuff and escape the weather. The wind picked up, sending the rain horizontal. They stuffed their cooler and chairs inside and climbed into the bed. Gina lifted her foot to step up and stopped, setting it back down. She crossed her arms. “There isn’t room.”

  Jake peeked in. Plenty of room. “We don’t have time to argue about this. Get in.”

  “I’m not riding back there.” She sniffed and put her shoulder to him.

  Jake sighed. The storm intensified. They needed to get moving. He couldn’t stand out here arguing with her, taking a chance lighting—which flashed across the sky—might strike him. Boom. The ground shook. Yeah, not the best idea. “Fine. Get in the cab.”

  Gina smiled and brushed past him, heading for the driver’s side.

  “Get in on the other…of course, you’d ignore me.” Jake groaned, shut the cap, and followed Gina, who had climbed into the front and somehow managed to shove Quinn over against the passenger-side door.

  “She said you put these on her in bondage play the day we met. That you’re seeing me on the side?” Quinn lifted the cuffs.

  “It’s not like that. We’ll talk about it later.” Jake put his pickup in gear and headed for Jane’s. He’d be damned if he let Gina jack up his chances with Quinn. He’d explain, but in a better setting, without a third party to fuck things up worse.

  “Why not now?”

  “Because now isn’t the best time for this. We’ll talk later.”

  Quinn tossed his cuffs into his lap, narrowly missing his tackle.

  “Watch where you’re throwing those,” he snapped.

  “Watch where you’re leaving them.”

  “Enough. I said we’d talk about this later.”

  Gina crossed her arms over her chest, smirking, not saying a word.

  Chapter Six

  The wind was howling by the time they reached Jane’s spread. The middle-aged widow stood in the dooryard, the wind whipping through her hair as the sky overhead churned like a pot of boiling green sludge. A windmill inside her corral squawked, the tin paddles spinning as fast as they could go. The storm moved in fast and hard. Not a hint remained of the sunshine from less than an hour before.

  “What are you doing out here, Jane?” Jake eyed the intensifying weather.

  “Derek hasn’t made it back from the south pasture. I can’t take cover until I know he’s safe. He called me ten minutes ago. He should have been here by now.”

  The maelstrom picked up and large drop of rain hit the back of his neck. “Yeah.” Jake studied the wall of clouds, getting splattered a couple more times. “Take my friends down into shelter. I’ll go get your boy.”

  Jane nodded and motioned for the group to follow. Gina and Quinn remained behind, glaring at each other.

  “I don’t have time for this, ladies. Go with Jane.”

  “I’m going with you.” Quinn walked away from Gina, who grabbed her arm.

  “Not without me, bitch,” Gina snarled.

  “Let go of me.”

  “Make me, cunt.”

  “Shit. Knock it off,” Jake said. Before he could get to them and pull them apart, Quinn hauled off and punched Gina in the nose, dropping her to the ground.

  “I said to get your hand off me,” Quinn grunted.

  Gina climbed to her feet, cupping her nose. Blood spurted from between her fingers. “You saw that sheriff. I want to press charges.”

  “Not now, Gina. I really don’t have time for this. Both of you get your asses in Jane’s basement and stay there—away from each other.”

  Quinn lifted her chin and gave him a sharp look. “I told her to get her hand off me.”

  “Quinn.”

  “I know. I know. I shouldn’t have done that.”

  “Go with the rest of the group. We’ll settle this latter. I have a job to do and don’t need anyone else to worry about. Go.”

  “No, we’ll settle this now. I’m going with you. We need to talk.”

  “No, you’re not.” Jake moved for his truck. As he climbed in, the passenger-side door slammed and Quinn buckled up. “What did I just say?”

  “I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you over the wind.”

  “You heard me fine.”

  “Did I?”

  “Get out.”

  “No. Not until we talk. Am I just a summer fling to you?”

  “Quinn.”

  “I asked a question.”

  “No. You’re not.” Rain and hail pelted the windshield and hood. They stared at each other. She knew damn good and well he didn’t have the luxury of time to take this discussion further, and from the expression on her face, he’d have to pry her to get her out of his truck. “Keep your eye on the sky. I doubt we’ll see anything—but with your luck, I don’t want to take chances. We’re cutting across the pasture to where Derek last called from. Hang on.” Jake put the pickup in gear and tore across the yard, past the clothesline and an old-fashioned well, complete with a little house and bucket, straight for an opening in the fence and shot through an auto gate.

  Halfway through the field, Jake spotted a bright red ATV parked under an old cottonwood. The kid waved his hands in the air, and Jake gunned the truck for him. He pulled up beside the teen. “Get in. Your momma’s worried sick.”

  Derek nodded and ran around the truck, opening the door and scrambling inside as Quinn unbuckled and slid over, clicking the middle belt shut over her lap once again. She narrowed her eyes as she stared through the windshield. “Jake.”

  First things first. Jake turned to Derek. “You know better than to take cover under a tree like that. Good way to get hit by….”

  “Jake!”

  “What?” He growled and glared at her.

  Quinn pointed forward. “That.”

  “Oh, hell.”

  “Dude.” Derek pulled out his cell phone. “That’s some rad shit.”

  Rad shit? Not exactly the words he’d use. Colors swirled inside the funnel. Bits and pieces of debris. An old banner with a beer advertisement slapped the windshield, sticking to the glass. He recognized it from the fairgrounds. “You’re a damned magnet for these things. Hold on!”

  Wood, tree branches, shingles, and bits of metal slammed into the pickup and the whole rig began to rock, the leaf springs squawking in protest of the abuse. Jake threw the old Chevy into reverse, pushing the pedal to the floor. The tires spun on the wet grass for a second and caught, thrusting them backward across the field. The truck picked up speed, going about as fast as it could in reverse, but the tornado continued to draw closer.

  The beast roared so loud, he couldn’t hear the rev of the engine or when a two-by-four cracked the passenger-side window and bounced off without coming through.

  He couldn’t take his eyes off where they were going, to see if they were okay. He certainly couldn’t hear their answers if he asked. The banner peeled away from the windshield, clearing his view, but Jake didn’t have time to get his old truck going the right way. The twister drew closer, almost on top of them.

  The front end of the pickup lifted, stopping their retreat. “Ah, shit.” Seconds later, they left the ground and began to spin. Around and around, they went. Derek, who hadn’t buckled in, hit the dash and then landed in their laps. Quinn grabbed a fistful of the kid’s shirt, shoved him back in the seat, and locked his belt on, proving she could think in a stressful situation. His kneejerk reaction certainly saved him. Faster they moved, forced back in their seats from the centrifugal motion. The truck bucked and they went nose up, the rotation like a carnival ride, whirling them across the ground on the tailgate.

  And then the funnel dropped them, rolling them across the pasture six times before they landed on their tires. Intact. Alive. In one piece.

  A miracle.

  Holy shit. Jake blew out the breath he’d held and watched the storm lift into the sky. Everything went silent. Not one word or plop from a raindrop. Not even the wind dared to howl through the cracked glass. His heart pounded like a drumroll. He opened his mouth, but his brain hadn’t caught up with his speech center.

  Finally, after taking several more seconds to collect himself, he broke the silence. “What the fuck was that?” Jake gripped the wheel, his knuckles white, realizing he hadn’t let go through the entire ordeal. He loosened his hold and his fingers tingled. “What the fu—”

  “One heck of a ride. Wait until I show my friends at school what happened.” Derek rubbed his forehead where a bump rose, but proudly held his phone up. “I got most of it on video.”

  Jake stared. The kid had filmed it? “We’re lucky to be alive, and you were more concerned with recording…?”

  “Well, yeah. That was some sick shit when the tornado started to spin us. I couldn’t keep the camera steady.”

  “Yeah.” He shook his head. The kid reminded him of someone else who liked to film the damn things. Speaking of which. “You okay, Quinn?”

  “Yes.”

  Jake wanted to hug her for surviving, but throttle her for putting herself into danger. People didn’t survive encounters like the one they’d just gone through. Ever. They had a better chance of winning the lottery. Yet, for some reason, they had. Thank God. “Don’t you ever get another wild hair like that and follow me again. When I tell you to get to shelter, you get your ass to shelter. I’m the goddamned sheriff here. It’s my fucking job, not yours.”

  “You don’t have to yell, Jake. I can hear you fine.”

  “I’m not yelling!” He snapped his mouth shut; he had indeed been screaming at the top of his lungs. Pissed. “You could’ve been—”

  “I could have been killed? I’m not the only one here, Jake. I couldn’t let you go alone, not when you were mad at me. I did that once before with someone I loved, and it didn’t end well. Never got to say good-bye and our last words were the wrong ones. I couldn’t let it happen again.”

  She loves me? He blinked.

  “Jake, did you hear anything I said?”

  “Yeah, I did.” He blinked. “Did you just say you love me?”

  “I….” Her mouth dropped open. “Didn’t mean.”

  “Then what did you mean?”

  “I…like you.”

  “That’s not what you said.”

  “I know what I said, and I also know maybe I’m not ready to lose someone again.”

  “Does this mean you’re leaving?”

  Quinn closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “No. Yes. I need to get my head clear, and maybe getting away from here will help.”

  “Are you leaving because of Gina?”

  “I think we’re moving too fast. I mean, Gina said you had your hands all over her the day we met, and….”

  “And?”

  “Maybe you should go back to her.” She blew out a breath and opened her eyes. “My head is too messed up for this.”

  “For what? Making a little room in your life for someone else?”

  “I did that once, Jake. Didn’t turn out so great. And you talk about making room, but you keep secrets. Your community doesn’t want me in their little club, and you can’t trust me enough to tell me what the big deal is. And then there’s Gina.”

  “I never did anything with Gina. Call that incident a weak moment brought about by over two years of loneliness. She’d worn me down, and you saved me when you sped by that day. I almost made a big mistake. Almost—but didn’t. Please, hear me out. I ended up with the right woman.”

  Someone cleared his throat. “Dudes, this is touching and all, but I kind of have to get back to the house to let my mom know I’m okay. So, I’m just going to hop out now.” He cranked the cracked window down and climbed through when the door wouldn’t open, leaning in after he exited. “Nice meeting you, Quinn. Don’t be too hard on Jake. He’s a good guy—deserves someone nice in his life.” He grinned at Jake. “Gina? Dude….” With a shake of his head he walked away.

  Quinn giggled.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “Dude…?”

  Jake chuckled. “Yeah. So, can we start over again?”

  Quinn put her hand out. “Nice to meet you, my name is Quinn. Now this is the part where you do a face-plant in my….”

  Jake leaned in and captured her lips.

  Epilogue

  Two months later…

  Quinn ran her fingers down the metallic-flecked paint of her new baby, admiring the high-gloss finish.

  “You, know. You jacked this thing up too high. I might have to detain you until your rig is street legal.”

  “Seriously, Jake? There are no restrictions on lifts in Wyoming, and my vehicle isn’t over fourteen feet high. You better give me a better excuse to keep me from leaving.”

  “Want to play cops and robbers?”

  “Sounds intriguing. So, I get to cuff you?”

  “I’m the cop.”

  “Maybe I want to be the cop.”

  “My uniform is too big for you.”

  “Then I’ll only wear the shirt and hat—maybe just your belt and hat.”

  Jake groaned. “When you put it that way, I can’t say no.” He eyed her vehicle. “So….”

  She raised her brow.

  “You going west now?”

  “I thought I’d stick around, maybe buy a house.”

  “Or you could move in with me.”

  “We agreed I should stay in the guesthouse to appease your mother, who doesn’t like us shacking up, but if I’m going to be around a while, I really need to get my own place. I want folks to know I’m a part of this community now, and I have no intention of going anywhere.”

  “You really mean it?” His eyes sparkled with mischief, making her wonder what put the devilish glint there.

  She smiled and leaned in, catching his lower lip in her teeth and giving the tender flesh a tug. “Maybe the sheriff would like to help me pick out some furniture?”

  “Maybe the sheriff could buy the house with you and share what he has? I got a big bed and this great table that also serves as a convenient bottle opener.”

  “Why, Jake North, are you asking me to shack up with you? Oh, the rumors that will spin. Your mother is going to have a seizure and sic the pastor on us again.”

  “Actually.” He dropped down on one knee and pulled out a box from his pocket. “I’m asking you to stick around forever. Will you do me the honor of becoming Mrs. North?”

  “Yes.” Her heart began to race. “There is nothing I’d love more—well, other than to be the cop.” She grabbed his cuffs from his utility belt and slapped one on his wrist and the other on her own. “You have the right to remain mine.”

  “Always.” Jake captured her mouth, sealing the deal.

  ~ABOUT THE AUTHOR~

  D. L. Jackson is a writer of urban fantasy, science fiction, military romance and erotic romance. She loves to incorporate crazy plot twists, comedy and the unexpected into her worlds. As a U.S. Army veteran, she naturally adores men in uniform and feels the world could always use more. She does her part by incorporating as many sexy soldiers in her novels as she can. When she isn't writing or running the roads, you can often find her online chatting with her peers and readers. Grab a cup of iced coffee, pull up your virtual chair and say hi. She loves emails and blog visits from her readers.

  You can visit D.L. at:

  www.authordljackson.com

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