Free Getting Lucky by Susan Andersen Page A

the cargo space.
    “Oh. Okay.” Yawning, she reached for her purse with one hand and the door handle with the other. “I’ll give you some money for my room.”
    He gave a short, unamused laugh, and that was when she woke up enough to look around and realize this was no parking lot of a nice hotel, or even a cracked courtyard of the fleabag, motor-court variety. They were in the middle of nowhere.
    And it was cold. She shivered as she opened the door and chill air rushed in. Teeth chattering, she closed it again and turned to kneel on the seat, reaching in back for her suitcase. She pulled out a sweater, donned it, then gingerly climbed out of the car. “Where are we?” She heard the back hatch close and squinted to see through the darkness.
    “At a campground near Shasta.”
    “Shasta, as in the mountain?”
    “That would be the one.”
    “And we’re staying here?” She took an imprudent step forward, and her heels, not designed for their current surroundings, caught on something underfoot. She went flying.
    The free-fall sensation sent her stomach swooping toward her throat, but her tumble to the ground wasstopped when her upper arms were suddenly caught in hard-skinned hands. She was jerked upright, and her breasts flattened against rigid muscle with a force that knocked her breath from her lungs. Her chin bounced off Zach’s hard chest, clicking her teeth together.
    For a moment she simply dug her fingers into his muscular arms and clung, leaning against the comfortingly solid body propping her up. He smelled of laundry soap and man, and as she ran a quick check to make sure all her parts were still in working order, it occurred to her that being held in his arms this way felt very…safe. And warm—mercy, so blessedly warm.
    Then his hands tightened on her arms and he moved her back, holding her steady until she found her balance. “Put on some sneakers before you kill yourself.”
    Chilled again, she peered into the darkness, trying to see him as he moved away. “I don’t own any sneakers.” God, he couldn’t be serious about camping here, could he?
    “What was I thinking?” He laughed shortly. “Of course you don’t. Do you have any shoes in that bag that don’t have four-inch heels?”
    “I have a pair of sandals,” she said with great dignity.
    “You might want to put them on, then, so you don’t break your neck.”
    She turned to go back to the car, only to realize she’d gotten turned around by her near spill. “Which direction is the Jeep? And how come you can see stuff when I can’t see a blessed thing? Are you wearing a pair of those night goggles or something?”
    “No, I’ve just got excellent night vision. Take a half turn to your right; the car’s a few steps in front of you.”
    She very carefully made her way to the vehicle and almost wept with relief when she finally located the handle, opened the door, and the dome light came on. She admitted it; she wasn’t a huge nature lover. Sunsets from a deck were about her speed. She could hear a lot of rustling going on out there in the dark, and she didn’t even want to contemplate what type of nocturnal creatures might be causing it. She cast a longing glance to the keys dangling from the ignition before reluctantly giving up the fantasy they inspired of leaving Captain Commando to play soldier by himself while she flew down the highway in search of motels, hot showers, and clean sheets.
    After changing her shoes, she rummaged in the glove box, whispering a fervent “thank goodness” when she found a flashlight. She climbed out of the car and went in search of GI Joe.
    She found him stretched out on the ground in a sleeping bag and she stopped in her tracks, staring down at him in disbelief. “You’re gonna just go to sleep?”
    “Yeah. I’m beat. Get that damn light out of my eyes.”
    She ran it down the length of his sleeping bag, thinking how warm it looked. “What about me?”
    “I didn’t know you were coming