Deliverance at Cardwell Ranch
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B. J. Daniels
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17.8K
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25
When deputy sheriff Austin Cardwell rescues a woman in the worst blizzard in years, it's only the beginning. The dark-haired beauty has no memory of who she is and who — or what — she was fleeing. But she's terrified of the stranger who shows up at the hospital, claiming to be her husband. Convinced that the mystery woman is in grave danger, Austin refuses to let her out of his sight. As desire builds between them, she seems ready to trust him. From Cardwell Ranch to the snowy wilds of Idaho, Austin vows to uncover her identity… before her past destroys any hope of a future.
Chapter One
Snow fell in a wall of white, giving Austin Cardwell only glimpses of the winding highway in front of him. He’d already slowed to a crawl as visibility worsened. Now on the radio, he heard that Highway 191 through the Gallatin Canyon—the very one he was on—was closed to all but emergency traffic.
“One-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.”
Great, Austin thought with a curse. Wait out the storm where? He hadn’t 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. He’d be lucky if he reached Cardwell Ranch tonight.
The storm appeared to be getting worse. He couldn’t see more than a few yards in front of the rented SUV’s hood. Earlier he’d 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.
“Welcome to the frozen north,” he said under his breath as he fought to see the road ahead—and stay on it. He blamed his brothers—not 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, she’d said. I promise you won’t be sorry.
He growled under his breath now. He hadn’t been back to Montana since his parents divorced and his mother took him and his brothers to Texas to live. He’d been too young to remember much. But he’d found he couldn’t say no to Dana. He’d heard too many good things about her from his brothers.
Also, what choice did he have after missing his brother Tag’s 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 couldn’t see anything. Worse, he felt as if he was going too fast for the curve. But he was afraid to touch his brakes—the one thing his brother Tag had warned him not to do.
Don’t do anything quickly, Tag had told him. And whatever you do, don’t hit your brakes. You’ll 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.
