Free Taking Chances by Jennifer Lowery Page A

whined, and looked anxiously at her as she approached.
    The man groaned, rolled into a sitting position and groaned again, holding his ribs.
    Nora stopped a few feet away, every muscle on alert.
    “Well, hell,” he said, looking at his plane, not yet seeing her. “Sorry, baby, didn’t mean to land so rough.”
    Baby? He called this neon blue hunk of twisted metal baby ?
    “I’ll have you back together in no time,” the man cajoled, still holding his ribs. “As soon as I figure out exactly where I am.”
    “On private property,” Nora answered.
    The man glanced over his shoulder, his emerald green gaze direct. He glanced at Ranger, then back to her. He was a big man beneath the bulky leather jacket he wore, but that didn’t intimidate her. She had been trained by some of the most intimidating men in the country and she’d learned not to scare easily.
    “I take it I landed on your property?” He glanced around at the damage done to her meadow.
    “I wouldn’t exactly call that a landing.”
    He glanced at her, a grin tilting his sculpted lips. “Under the circumstances I’d say it was damn close.” Blood seeped down the side of his face and his cheek had begun to swell.
    Ranger whined again and Nora sent him a warning look. The dog whined louder and thumped his tail, sending up a cloud of snow.
    “I don’t have a landline or a cell phone,” she said. “But I have four-wheel drive and a snowmobile that’ll get you to a phone and a motel.”
    He looked up at the sky. “Ice storms in Colorado can last for days. Looks like I’m spending the night here. I’m Lucas Stone.”
    Nora’s stomach clenched. “Nora Ashford. I’ll get you to town.”
    With a grunt he rose to his feet, towering over her by at least six inches. He cursed and took rapid, shallow breaths as some of the color drained from his tanned face. “Nice to meet you, Nora. But, before we do that I think we better take care of a little problem.”
    Sleet soak ed them by the second. What couldn’t wait until they got back to her cabin? “What problem?”
    He sent her a lopsided grin. “My dislocated shoulder.”
    She’d had her shoulder dislocated during a training exercise once and knew how painful it was to have it relocated. “We can’t do it here,” she said. “Can you walk?”
    He took a couple steps, favoring his ankle. “Yeah, but don’t ask me to run. These bruised ribs hurt like a bitch.”
    “We’re only a quarter mile from my cabin.”
    “I can make it, but I need a few things out of my plane first.”
    “What do you need?” She headed toward the plane, waving off his protest. He was hurt, she wasn’t; it only made sense that she go and get it. Clearly not happy with her going in his place, he relayed to her what he needed.
    “Be careful,” he cautioned as she disappeared inside. “She’s not sitting stable. She might roll on you.”
    She? He treated his plane like a woman. Ridiculous. His concern unsettled her even more. She’d always taken care of herself; she certainly didn’t need the sentiment.
    Making her way through the small plane, she found the black duffle he wanted. She leaned over to grab it. The plane rocked and launched her across the small space. Her head bounced off the wall and she landed in a heap behind the pilot’s seat. Wincing, she pushed the hair out of her face, waiting for the plane to roll again.
    When it didn’t, she grabbed the bag, hustled out, and jumped the few feet to the ground. Lucas leaned against a nearby tree, petting Ranger, who sat at his feet.
    “You okay?” he asked when he saw her.
    She ignored the question. “Up to the house, Ranger.” The dog took off running. “Let’s go.”
     

Chapter 2
     
    Pain shot through his ankle, chest, and head with every step he took. Lucas followed closely behind the woman who had come to his rescue. She pushed through the snow with purpose. Long, wavy dark hair flowed down her back beneath her knit cap and gleamed like silk