Page 8 of Big Temptation (Single Dads of Big Wood #1)
CHAPTER 8
JACE
I sat at the table and stared at the cards in my hand, but my mind was a million miles away. I kept replaying my interaction with Delaney this morning. The way she looked up at me and smiled. The way her hand felt covering mine. The way she told me to notice Wren, like she cared about me and my daughter more than she should.
“You in?” Brody asked, elbowing me in the ribs.
“Folding.” I tossed my cards onto the table. Luck definitely hadn’t been on my side. The stakes were never big during our weekly games, but my cards were killing me. It didn’t help that images of Delaney kept running through my mind.
I sat back and watched Tucker bluff his way through the hand. Thunder shook the house, and a flash of lightning lit up the dark sky outside.
“Thought the storm was supposed to slide past us,” Walker said as he shuffled the cards.
I’d thought so too. We got our fair share of summer weather, but usually we knew when it was coming. I pulled out my phone and tapped on my weather app. A line of red spread over the screen, indicating Big Wood was about to be in the middle of the storm.
“Wish I could get paid to be wrong all the time,” Walker commented. “At least we don’t have anywhere to go tonight. You know you’re all welcome to crash here with the kids.”
“In that case, anyone want another beer?” Brody asked, already getting up from the table to head toward the refrigerator.
It wouldn’t be the first time we’d stayed over at one of the guys’ houses after poker night. My kids were just as comfortable at Walker’s as they were at home. Maybe even more since he had a bigger TV.
“How are things going with your new hire?” Tucker asked, not even bothering to hide his smile. “I couldn’t help but notice your picture with her hanging on the wall at the Hog & Hickory.”
“You and everybody else,” I mumbled. Seemed like there should be more important things for the folks in Big Wood to worry about than my love life, but rumors had been flying since Delaney made a name for herself at the hog call competition.
“Anything you want to talk to us about?” Tucker teased. “The two of you looked real cozy in that photo.”
“Give it a rest.” I clenched my jaw and looked around the table at my closest friends. They’d been there for me through everything. If it weren’t for them helping me figure out how to put the pieces of my life together after my ex walked out, I probably would have tucked tail, moved back to Texas, and begged Mama Mae to help me raise my kids. Still, I wasn’t ready to talk to anyone about the thoughts I’d been having about Delaney.
Brody sat back and cocked his head. “Don’t tell me you haven’t thought about it. This woman was practically made for you. She likes playing in the dirt, cooking out on an open fire, and probably gets off to the sound of cicadas.”
“Keep it down. My kids are in the other room,” I said.
“Yeah, your kids who are both head over heels for that woman,” Brody added, though he did lower his voice a notch. “What’s wrong with taking a shot at happiness? How long’s it been since Michelle walked out?”
“Can’t we just play poker?” My shoulders sagged.
The three of them stared back at me. Waiting. Stubborn motherfuckers.
“Sure. Delaney looks good on paper,” I started.
“Looks pretty damn good in person too,” Walker joked.
He was right. The curvy brunette with the wide brown eyes had me on edge since the day we met. I didn’t have to admit it. The guys already knew. “She works for me. Just the thought of making any kind of move could get me fired.”
“So, you have thought about it.” Brody practically crowed.
“Technically, she doesn’t actually work for you. She was hired through an education grant.” Tucker shot me a knowing grin.
“Fine. But technically, she’s also just here for the summer. No sense investing any effort into something that would be over before it even started.” I had them there. Nobody could argue with me that Big Wood, Tennessee was the location of someone’s dream job.
“Maybe that’s what you need. Something just for the summer to get you out of the eight-year funk you’ve been in.” Walker leaned forward.
I shook my head, already thinking of logical reasons why that would never work. My phone buzzed on the table. Grateful for the distraction, I grabbed it, surprised to see the number of the park office on the screen. I pushed back from the table and stepped into the hall for a bit of privacy.
“Ramsey here. What’s going on?” I kept my voice even, though I immediately knew something was wrong. Had to be if someone was calling from the office this late.
“We’ve got a staff member on the south outer trail who hasn’t checked in yet,” Janice said.
Before I even asked, I knew it was Delaney. The knot in my gut told me so, but I needed confirmation. “Who is it?”
“Delaney. Looks like she signed out a radio a couple of hours ago. I was just wrapping things up before closing the office for the night and saw she never checked it back in. She’s not responding to the radio or on her cell. With the way the storm turned?—”
“I’m on it.” Forcing myself to keep my tone steady, I was already heading toward the table to grab my jacket off the back of my chair. “Go ahead and close. She’s probably waiting out the storm by that bend in the creek. I’ve never been able to get a good signal there.”
“Let me know if you want me to alert anyone else,” Janice said.
“I’m ninety-nine percent sure I know where she is. I’ll check in when I find her.” Shoving my arms into the sleeves of my jacket, I ended the call, my pulse ricocheting through my veins. “You got the kids tonight.”
Walker nodded. “Anything you need, man.”
“Thanks. I’ll be by in the morning to pick them up.” By the time I got Delaney back to her cabin, it would be way too late to drive over to get them.
“Do you need a hand?” Brody asked.
“I’m good. Just another day at the office for me,” I joked. This wasn’t the first time I’d gone after a stranded hiker or someone who’d gotten lost out on one of the trails. I knew the park trails better than the lines on my own palm. No sense in anyone else getting soaked to the skin over someone else’s bad decision.
I took a few seconds to kiss Wren and Eli goodnight. Wren snuggled back under her blanket, clearly caught up in the animated movie playing on the big screen TV. But Eli could tell something was wrong. He knew I wouldn’t be going out in a storm unless someone else was in danger.
“Be safe, Dad.” He wrapped his arms around my neck and squeezed.
“I will.” I held him a few seconds longer than usual. Then I pulled my keys out of my pocket and headed for my truck.
Visibility was next to nothing as I drove through the park gates. The rain battered the windshield, and the wipers struggled to keep up. I got as close as I could to the spot where I assumed Delaney was on the trail. Then I left the truck and headed out on foot.
Armed with an extra rain poncho, a waterproof flashlight, my radio, cell phone, and survival pack, I trekked half a mile to get to where I thought she’d be. My heart free fell when I didn’t see her crouched under the rocky overhang.
I’d tried telling myself that she was just a seasonal camp employee, but the way my gut twisted when I couldn’t find her said otherwise. I’d been lying to myself that I didn’t have feelings for her.
With the rain coming down even harder, I crouched under the rocks to try to figure out my next steps. That’s when I saw a boot print on the rocks.
“Delaney?” My voice battled with the sound of the wind as I yelled her name.
Her face appeared above the edge of the rocks. “Jace? What are you doing here?”
Relief flooded through my system. She was okay. Drenched and probably freezing half to death, but she didn’t sound like she was hurt.
“I’m the one asking questions. Why the hell did you come out here with a storm on the way?” I held out my hand to help her down from the elevated ridge.
Her boots scraped against the rocks, then she was pressed up against me. Heat rushed through my veins.
“The storm wasn’t supposed to hit us. I checked the weather before I came out here. It just snuck up on me.” She pushed away and stumbled while trying to get her footing. “You didn’t have to come after me. I would have been fine waiting it out.”
Damn, she sounded exactly like me, though I’d like to think I’d never put myself in the same situation. “You’re soaked through and the temperature’s falling. Let’s get back to the truck, and I’ll drop you off at your cabin.”
I handed her a poncho. Our fingers brushed. Not on purpose, but I felt it everywhere. She tugged it on over her head, and I got the impression she wasn’t exactly thrilled about being rescued.
It was impossible to talk on the way to the truck. Probably a good thing since it gave me a chance to calm down.
When we finally got inside the cab, I was still pissed. Both at myself for having to confront my feelings and for her for making me. But I bit my tongue as I drove through the park and crossed the bridge over the creek to get her to her cabin. I pulled to a stop just steps from the front porch.
“I would have been fine out there on my own,” Delaney mumbled. “It’s not the first time I’ve been caught by a surprise storm.”
Frustration finally spilled over. “Well, it’s the first time you’ve been caught by a storm under my watch. Maybe we do things a little differently around here, but I’m not going to leave someone I…”
Delaney looked over at me as my words trailed off. Even in the darkness of the cab I could see the way her brows knit together. “Someone you what?”
The question was simple, but the answer was so complicated. Before I could figure out how to reply, the sound of wood splintering into pieces came from behind us. I jumped out of the truck and raced toward the creek. If what I suspected had just happened, I was stuck.
She followed, stopping next to me, and we both looked out over the raging creek where the bridge used to be. The bridge we’d just driven over to get to her cabin. The bridge that was the only way for me to get back home.
It was gone.