Free Cowboy Who Came For Christmas (Harlequin Romance) by Lenora Worth

terror. He stepped forward, his gun still drawn. “If he’s still here, he must be the dumbest criminal ever. Now I’m stuck here until I can get these replaced.”
    Which meant she’d be stuck with both of them. Sophia didn’t know what to do now. How could she stall telling Adan the truth while Joe Pritchard stalked her at the same time?
    “Do you think he’s in the truck?” Sophia asked, her hands automatically clinging to Adan’s heavy canvas jacket. Dumb or not, this man
was
still dangerous.
    “I don’t know,” Adan whispered. “But it would bring him some shelter. I don’t get why he let the air out of the tires, though.” He edged into the snow-covered woods. “Could be an ambush.”
    Sophia hoped not. If Adan got shot, she’d be out here on her own with a killer. A killer who was no doubt looking for her. She shuddered as memories rushed through her mind like a howling wind.
    Sophia watched the truck for signs of life. “Did you lock it?”
    He kept his eyes on the truck. “I don’t remember. I hit the embankment and tried to back up but I spun deeper into the snow and mud. Then I got out of the truck to see if I could dig away some of the slush. That didn’t work, so I started walking.” He checked his pocket. “I have the keys.”
    “Click your key fob and see,” she suggested, hoping no one was inside that truck.
    Adan pulled her into the woods on the level side of the road. “Stay here,” he said. “I’m gonna move closer and try the locks. If anything happens, you run back to your cabin, you hear?”
    “I’m not leaving you,” she said, surprised that she’d blurted that out. But she wouldn’t leave him. Not if a crazy criminal was in that truck. Especially since she was the reason Joe Pritchard was here.
    Adan gave her a stern glance. “Just do it, Sophia.”
    She stood behind a snow-encrusted pine sapling, thinking she should have brought her shotgun. What if Adan got hurt and she tried to make a run for it? She’d be killed.
    Adan crouched low and made his way toward the truck then used his key fob to hit the unlock mechanism. Sophia heard a distinct click and breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe Joe Pritchard had moved on.
    But when a dark head popped up, she gasped. “Adan!”
    Adan went down low and hurried to the passenger side of the truck. “Come out with your hands up!”
    * * *
    A DAN ’ S ADRENALINE HIT a rush as he hastened to open the door of the truck. “Out of there, right now.”
    “Okay, okay.”
    He blinked and slowly stood up. “Who are you?”
    A young woman with dark brown hair uncurled out from under the old army blanket he kept in the drop seat of the truck. She wore a black nylon coat with a fur-trimmed hood, tall boots and jeans.
    With her hands up, she dropped to the ground and immediately started shivering. “Don’t shoot me, please.”
    Adan lowered the gun. He could hear Sophia hurrying toward them, but he made sure he was still between this stranger and Sophia. “Who are you and what are you doing in my truck?”
    The girl’s big brown eyes widened in apprehension. “I... I hitched a ride from Hot Springs but...uh...the driver let me off at the foot of the mountain. I had to walk the rest of the way and I was so cold. When I saw this truck, I... I crawled inside and fell asleep.”
    Adan’s gut clenched again. Did everyone on this mountain lie and withhold information? The girl kept glancing at her feet and refused to make eye contact with him.
    Sure there had to be more to her story, he checked the surrounding area, halfway expecting Joe Pritchard to charge out of the woods. “Are you sure that’s all that’s going on?”
    The girl’s scared expression turned into a scowl. She glanced around, her gaze darting here and there. “Why would I lie? That guy was a jerk and I wanted out of his stinky car.”
    “How’d you get in the truck?” Sophia asked, her gaze darting from the girl to Adan.
    “The door was open.” She pointed to the