She looked whole, but when I pulled her in for a hug, felt her soft, strong body, breathed her in, I knew the truth of it.
“Fuck, sweetheart. You scared the shit out of me.”
“Me, too.” Sam stood beside us, ran his hand over her hair.
“Yeah, well, I scared the shit out of me, too,” she added, then burst into tears.
I cupped her head, pulled her in tight. Leaning down, I kissed the top of her head and just held her. All around us, things were happening. Boone carried Locke in his car seat toward Sam’s truck. Sutton’s SUV pulled up with another right behind. He, Lee, Riley and Cord piled out of the first, Wilder and King from the second. None looked happy, their eyes taking in the scene, searching for their woman. I knew the urgent feeling.
Boone pointed toward the SUV and they headed that way, long legs eating up the distance. I could see the women within, most likely staying warm and out of the way. And Kady with Cecily. Jamison had his arm wrapped around Penny and followed Boone. A tow truck pulled up, the engine rumbling, diesel fumes filling the crisp air. A state patrol officer waved him closer.
So much was going on, but all I cared about was Natalie. The guys were all here and could take care of their own women.
When her crying jag tapered off, she pulled back, wiped her face. “Sorry, I guess the adrenaline bled off.”
Sam pushed her hand away and wiped the tears himself, then took her from me. Hugged her. “That must have been scary. Pretty amazing driving.”
She laughed. “My stepfather taught me how to drive. Forced me to learn how to handle the snow, bad weather and rough conditions. At the time, I hated every second of it, but I guess I need to call and thank him.”
Archer came over and looked from Natalie to me. I nodded, telling him she was doing okay. He didn’t look too happy. His hands went to his hips. “You said the tire just blew out, Natalie?”
She nodded, then pointed. “Over there, just before the turn.”
I could see skid marks on the road behind the SUV, saw where she’d been aiming when she turned into oncoming lanes. I could see there was nothing beyond the guardrail, that if they’d gone over, they’d all be dead.
Archer’s jaw clenched and he held something up.
I frowned. “What the fuck is that?”
It was a small piece of dark metal with three spikes. A weird triangle.
“A caltrop. A tire spike.”
Natalie took it from Archer. It was small enough to fit in her palm.
“Careful. They’re really sharp,” he warned. “I found it down by where you said your tire blew,” he added, pointing around the bend.
“What?” Sam all but shouted. He stepped away, went around in a circle, rubbed the back of his neck. “Are you saying that was in the road?”
Archer took it back from Natalie, shrugged. “I only found the one and it was on the shoulder. It could have been there for a while. Who the fuck knows.”
“That isn’t a teenage prank,” I added, pointing at the spike. Cops used it to stop car chases.
Natalie stilled. Her breath puffed out in little clouds. “I didn’t see anything and I was focusing really hard on the road, too. It was snowing like this.” She glanced up at the gray sky, the light flakes. “Not too hard, but lower down it was raining. Being from Boston, I know how to drive in bad weather, but I’ve never driven such a big SUV. God, that thing was really hard to stop.”
Archer gave her a reassuring smile. “You did good. Real good.”
“She’s been out in the cold for a while. Can we get the ladies out of here?” I had no interest in remaining a second longer than necessary. Archer knew where to find all the women if he needed to question them. Hell, he had one of them in his bed. elThe state patrol could handle the tow truck. As for the SUV, I didn’t give a shit about it. I doubted the other men did either.
“Definitely. Why don’t we all catch up tomorrow at the main house?” Archer asked. His radio squawked. “I think we’re going to all need some quiet time with our women.”
I glanced at Sam, who nodded and shook Archer’s hand.
I readily agreed, then took Natalie’s hand, walked to Sam’s truck. The guys were carrying the last of the shopping bags and coats from the damaged SUV, loading them in the back of Wilder’s ride. The women and babies were tucked into the three vehicles. We were all free to go. I had no interest in seeing this section of road ever again.
Sam pushed up the center console and I helped Natalie in so she sat between us in the front. I didn’t want her any further away and I secured her seatbelt myself. In the backseat were Penny and Boone, the car seat between them. Penny was looking down at Locke, smiling as she gave him a pacifier. Boone nodded and Sam didn’t wait any longer.
We drove back to town. I held Natalie’s hand the whole way. I didn’t think I would ever let go.