“Sorry, officer, I stopped for just a minute to give my eyes a rest. I won’t be parking here or anything,” she sputtered out, not bothering with so much as a glance in my direction.
I could tell she was flustered and wasn’t thinking clearly, especially if she thought I was a cop. Nothing about me screamed ‘police’. I was in a pair of lightly faded Wranglers, a grey tee shirt, and my cowboy boots. I had snagged my Stetson off the seat of the truck before exiting, and that was atop my head.
“Not a cop.” I grumbled, although gently, to not spook her. “Everything okay?”
A sarcastic chuckle escaped her lips, her head drooping slightly as she answered.
“Yep, everything’speachy.” She huffed. I could sense the sarcasm dripping thickly from her words.
A soft whimper replaced the backseat screaming; I peeked behind the driver to check it out. A little girl sat in a car seat with a light blanket over her lap. Her cheeks were flushed red and her eyes were heavy. She looked like she’d spent some time crying as well. She couldn’t have been any older than one.
“Yousureyou’re okay?” I asked again, knowing that the first answer she gave was bullshit and genuinely concerned for her and the child’s wellbeing.
“If by okay, you mean stressed, lost, hungry, tired, and an absolute wreck, yep, all good here,” she spat out with another one of those little breathy chuckles. “Sorry, that was rude. If you could kindly point me toward the nearest motel, that would be helpful.”
She looked over her shoulder at the toddler in her car seat, and the ghost of a smile graced her face.
“Oh,nowyou’re going to stop screaming? A handsome man walks over to the window, and you act like a perfect angel?” She huffed towards the little girl.
The toddler responded with incoherent babble and a whack of her pacifier that she held in her iron grip on the side of her car seat. I chuckled, dismissing the flattering remark. It was evident from her body language and facial expression that she wasn’t interested in flirting, even though the thought may have briefly crossed my mind.
“There’s a small inn about half a mile up the road right in the center of main street. They should have a room available for you two ladies.” I said as I pointed towards the road,signaling that she was to head in the same direction she was going.
“Tell Connie at the front desk that Max sent you, and she will make sure you’re taken care of. She owes me a favor or two,” I added with a sly smile.
I saw her shoulders sag in relief. Was finding somewhere to sleep the reason she seemed more at ease, or was it the fact that someone was nice to her? Her emerald eyes meet mine in the darkness. I noticed a hint of pink on her cheeks as she gazed up at me, her nighttime savior. Giving her another rusty attempt at a smile, she straightened herself in her seat and looked ready to head off.
“Thank you, Max,” she said breathily.
Hearing my name from her lips sent a zing to my senses. It had been so long since I’d been captivated by a woman, and something about her made me want to know more.
I watched as her shoulders pulled away from her ears and her hold on the steering wheel relaxed as the tension visibly released from her posture. I wondered what her story was.
Was she running from something or someone?
Was she in danger?
I dismissed the thoughts, reminding myself she was just a roadside stranger, not some damsel in distress that needing rescuing. She didn’t need saving, and all she needed was to get herself and that little girl somewhere safe to sleep. She didn’t need some random storm cloud cowboy throwing himself into the mix.
“It’s no problem…” I trailed off, realizing that I’d never gotten her name.
“Stella,” she finished for me with a gentle smile. “And the little traitor in the back seat is Charlie.” she added as she hooked a thumb over her shoulder at the now content little girlsucking a pacifier and fighting the sleep that was threatening to overtake her.
“No problem at all, Stella.” I reiterated with a wink, her name rolling from my tongue like warm honey.
Quietly tapping my hand on the windowsill, I started back towards Wade’s truck. Walking backwards so I could keep an eye on them as they pulled away. I hesitated until I could see the taillights of Stella’s car turn on and her blinker flash as she pulled back onto the roadway.
I waited by the passenger door as she eased the sedan onto the road. Gripping the handle of Wade’s truck, I yanked the door open. I popped my booted foot up onto the running board and hoisted myself into the seat.
“Everything okay?” Wade asked without even glancing up from his phone.
“Yeah, just a woman who got lost and needed some directions to The Mayfair,” I responded as I buckled my seat belt. Wade, after a subtle nod, turned the key in the ignition of his truck, and smoothly pulled onto the road.
Just the most beautiful woman I’d seen in ages and the cutest toddler in the back seat.
I shook the thoughts from my head. No use getting hung up on a woman that I’d never see again.
As he eased down into the main street, I found myself wondering if Stella made it to the inn okay. Did Charlie wake up and start crying again? Would she be around for a while or was this just a stop through for whatever she was leaving behind?
