âRight now I canât remember a time when I spent a day with not a worry in the world,â Slade said.
The weariness in his voice beckoned Elizabeth forward. âItâs been a while for me, too.â Even as a child sheâd never felt totally free to be herself, to enjoy life without a concern. The thought made loneliness creep into her heart.
He rotated his chair around. His gaze snagged hers, intensity in his gray eyes, and something elseâvulnerabilityâthat reached out to her. Linking them. Her pulse reacted by speeding through her. She didnât want anything to happen to him or Abbey.
âI guess thatâs a price we pay when we grow up.â He cocked a corner of his mouth in a half grin that faded almost instantly. âBut my daughter shouldnât have to worry about it quite yet.â
The appeal in those startling eyes, storm filled at the moment, touched a place in her heart that she kept firmly closedâhad for years.
âWatch out!â Slade Caulder said through clenched teeth, gripping the door handle on his SUV. Why had he allowed a sixteen-year-old with a permit to drive? Only a few more miles to the ranchâthankfully.
âDad, I saw him coming out. Iâve got everything under control.â
When he noticed Abbey sliding a glance toward him, his heart rate shot up even further. âKeep your eyes on the road.â
âIâm gonna ask Gram to take me driving next time.â
âNo.â Although he wished he could let his mother-in-law take over teaching his daughter to drive around Dallas, he wouldnât. It was his job.
The car gained speed. âDonât go over sixty.â
âIâm not. I have to practice going highway speed. Quit worrying about me.â
Yeah, sure. She might as well ask him to quit breathing. It wasnât going to happen. Abbey was all he had. At least this was an almost-deserted stretch of road.
Thud! Bam!
A blowout?
Suddenly the car swerved to the right toward the ditch along the highway. He lurched around and glimpsed the color leaching from Abbeyâs face. Her knuckles whitened as she fought the shimmying steering wheel.
âDaddy!â she screamed above the thumping sound followed by a whomp. âI canât controlâ¦â
âTake your foot off the gas. Put the brakes on. Get off the road.â He schooled his voice into the calmest level he could manage. He desperately wanted to change places with his daughter, but knew he couldnât.
The rougher terrain along the shoulder alerted him right before the car plunged into the ditch, heading toward a tree growing in it. Slade twisted toward Abbey, but the seatbelt retracted, immobilizing him like a prisoner. The air bags exploded outward, slamming into him. His breath whooshed from his lungs.
Blackness swirled before him. He fought to stay conscious, but his eyelids slid closed as the darkness rushed at himâ¦
Pain jolted Slade back from the void. He opened his eyes to a fine powder dancing in the air about him, choking him. He coughed but his body protested the sudden movementâa deep, throbbing ache spread out from his chest. As he raised his hand to his head, a hissing filled the air, vying with the sound of the engine running. Pushing the deflated air bag back, he tried to straighten but couldnât. The seat belt trapped him. His heartbeat thundered in his ears.
Suddenly, a thought drove the daze from his mind. âAbbey!â he called out, but she didnât answer.
Adrenaline pumped through him. He jerked his head toward his daughter. The action sent the world before him spinning and forced him to close his eyes for a few seconds. But the need to make sure his daughter was all right overrode everything. Alert, totally focused on Abbey, he squashed his own pain.
A tree limb, having smashed through her side window, pinned her against her seat. Her head tilted to the side, blood streaming down her face from multiple cuts. Panic battled to take over Slade. He tried to thrust the limb out the hole in the window so he could get to his daughter better. The branch refused to dislodge.