Yum.
Not yum. Friends.
Besides, she was still mad. She stepped back.
"Can I carry that for you?" His low voice flowed over her like a caress, making her hips ache.
Tilting her head far back, she scowled at him. Damned corner of his sexy mouth twitched. Yeah. He was so busted for making fun of her.
"Fine." With one fluid motion, she slid the bag off, picked up a little momentum, and swung it into his rock-hard gut, triggering a muffledoof. She brushed her hands together. Good.
Ignoring the raised brows and whispers behind hands of the medical assistants and nurses, Mariah hurried out the side door and into the cold dusk. The frigid air smelled of impending snow.
"Where's your car?"
"Truck," he muttered.
"Okay."
"It's Eric's and it's not fancy."
"Who needs fancy?"
As they approached the old, beat-up Ford, her heart sank. She'd need a rope ladder to get into the passenger seat.
He opened the door. "Jump," he said.
"What?" She gave a lame bounce with her feet, and his hands clamped around her waist, lifting her in a smooth motion into the truck. Then the satchel hit her in the gut.
Oof.
He grinned as he closed the door.
Well played.
He climbed in with ease and pulled out of the parking lot.
"Do you know how to get there?" she asked after he steered the vehicle away from town.
"Unfortunately, yes."
"I know Hank Brand kidnapped Sara and Zach, so it's understandable that you don't like him. Hank disappeared, didn't he?"
"Yeah."
"But what about the rest of the Brand family? Izzy seems really nice. And her mom is kind of... interesting."
He snorted. "Let's see. You've met Wyatt, and he's a real piece of work, as you well know. He was tormenting Shelby a few weeks back. If he's switched over to bugging you full time, let me know and I will put a stop to it."
"Pretty sure I can handle Wyatt Brand."
He snorted again.
As the truck rolled down the highway, Vaughn flicked his eyes to her and back to the road. "What skills exactly do you have to handle someone like Wyatt?"
She crossed her arms. "I know you aren't making fun of me."
"How could I?"
