âIâm not going anywhere. Iâm a man of my word.â
She met his gaze. âSomehow I knew that.â
âNo matter how long it takes, Iâm not leaving you.â Austin knew even as he made the promise that there would be hell to pay with his family. She started to turn away.
âOne more thing,â he said. âDid your sister have a key to this house?â
âNo.â Realization dawned on her expression. She shivered.
âThen there is nothing to worry about,â he said. âTry to get some sleep.â
âYou, too.â
He knew that wouldnât be easy. An electricity seemed to spark in the air between them. Theyâd been through so much together already. He didnât dare imagine what tomorrow would bring.
New York Times bestselling author B.J. DANIELS wrote her first book after a career as an award-winning newspaper journalist and author of thirty-seven published short stories. That first book, Odd Man Out, received a four-and-a-half-star review from RT Book Reviews and went on to be nominated for Best Intrigue that year. Since then, she has won numerous awards, including a career achievement award for romantic suspense and many nominations and awards for best book.
Daniels lives in Montana with her husband, Parker, and two springer spaniels, Spot and Jem. When she isnât writing, she snowboards, camps, boats and plays tennis. Daniels is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, Kiss of Death and Romance Writers of America.
To contact her, write to B.J. Daniels, PO Box 1173, Malta, MT 59538, USA, or e-mail her at [email protected]. Check out her website, www.bjdaniels.com.
Chapter One
Snow fell in a wall of white, giving Austin Cardwell only glimpses of the winding highway in front of him. Heâd already slowed to a crawl as visibility worsened. Now on the radio, he heard that Highway 191 through the Gallatin Canyonâthe very one he was onâwas closed to all but emergency traffic.
âOne-ninety-one from West Yellowstone to Bozeman is closed due to several accidents including a semi rollover that has blocked the highway near Big Sky. Another accident near West Yellowstone has also caused problems there. Travelers are advised to wait out the storm.â
Great, Austin thought with a curse. Wait out the storm where? He hadnât seen any place to even pull over for miles let alone a gas station or café. He had no choice but to keep going. This was just what this Texas boy needed, he told himself with a curse. Heâd be lucky if he reached Cardwell Ranch tonight.
The storm appeared to be getting worse. He couldnât see more than a few yards in front of the rented SUVâs hood. Earlier heâd gotten a glimpse of the Gallatin River to his left. On his right were steep rock walls as the two-lane highway cut through the canyon. There was nothing but dark, snow-capped pine trees, steep mountain cliffs and the frozen river and snow-slick highway.
âWelcome to the frozen north,â he said under his breath as he fought to see the road aheadâand stay on it. He blamed his brothersânot for the storm, but for his even being here. They had insisted he come to Montana for the grand opening of the first Texas Boys Barbecue joint in Montana. They had postponed the grand opening until he was well enough to come.
Although the opening was to be January 1, his cousin Dana had pleaded with him to spend Christmas at the ranch.
You need to be here, Austin, sheâd said. I promise you wonât be sorry.
He growled under his breath now. He hadnât been back to Montana since his parents divorced and his mother took him and his brothers to Texas to live. Heâd been too young to remember much. But heâd found he couldnât say no to Dana. Heâd heard too many good things about her from his brothers.
Also, what choice did he have after missing his brother Tagâs wedding last July?
As he slowed for another tight curve, a gust of wind shook the rented SUV. Snow whirled past his windshield. For an instant, he couldnât see anything. Worse, he felt as if he was going too fast for the curve. But he was afraid to touch his brakesâthe one thing his brother Tag had warned him not to do.
Donât do anything quickly, Tag had told him. And whatever you do, donât hit your brakes. Youâll end up in the ditch.
He caught something in his headlights. It took him a moment to realize what he was seeing before his heart took off at a gallop.
A car was upside down in the middle of the highway, its headlights shooting out through the falling snow toward the river, the taillights a dim red against the steep canyon wall. The overturned car had the highway completely blocked.