Read Online Hell on Wheels: A Loveswept Classic Romance by Karen Leabo - Free Book Online
Authors: Karen Leabo
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right away.”
“Timing chain? That sounds serious. How long will it take to fix it?”
The young man laid the form on the table in front of her. “If the parts are in stock, we should have it ready by late this afternoon,” he said proudly.
Victoria didn’t give him the reaction he’d been looking for. She frowned, sighed noisily, then looked at the estimate. Roan read it upside down—a couple of hundred dollars plus change.
“If you had it towed to the dealership, you could get the work done under warranty,” Roan pointed out.
“That would take too much time,” she said. “It’s okay, I can cover it.” With a fatalistic shrug she signed her name to the form. The young man tipped his hat and left.
“Well, that blows any chance we had of catching up to the bad weather,” she said dejectedly. “Damn, what luck. What lousy luck. This is the best-looking weather day I’ve seen in a long time, and we’re stranded in Haynie, Oklahoma.”
“Maybe we’re not as stranded as we think we are,” Roan offered. “I’ll bet we could borrow or rent a car from someone around here, just for the afternoon.”
Victoria looked hopeful for a moment before she slumped again in defeat. “No, I wouldn’t want to do that.”
“Why not?”
“Too risky.”
“Risky how? We’ll make sure the car has insurance.”
“Well, of course. But we can’t just take off after tornadoes in some strange car with no communications equipment.”
“It’ll have a radio. And we can bring the phone.”
“Absolutely not.” She looked down at her computer screen again, indicating the subject was closed.
Roan was intrigued with her stubbornness. What was the big deal about borrowing a car and trying to drive to where the action was? It was the kind of thing he did all the time.
“Don’t you think you’re being a little overcautious?” he ventured to ask.
“No.”
“Well, I do. I think you rely on all your electronic gadgetry like a crutch.”
“Humph.” She unwrapped one of the peppermints the waitress had left with their check and popped it into her mouth.
Roan leaned across the table until his chin was almost resting on the top of the computer screen. When Victoria refused to acknowledge him, he reached around the computer and nudged her chin upward with one finger.
She looked up, her hazel eyes snapping with irritation. “What?”
“What about the romance of the sky?” he said in a provocative whisper. “What about the thrill of the chase, the challenge of facing the unknown?”
She stared at him, as if mesmerized by his voice. With their gazes locked and their mouths within inches of touching, Roan had a brief, insane notion that they might actually kiss. Then Victoria abruptly jerked away from his touch, shuttering her eyes.
“The unknown can kill people,” she said curtly.
Her words had a chilling effect on Roan. He immediately backed off and did not mention borrowing a car again. She was right. When people took the elements too lightly, when they casually messed with something they knew nothing about, they could die. He better than anyone understood that.
Victoria’s eyes were crossed and her fingers cramping from so much time at the laptop computer. Roan had long since grown bored. He’d paid their bill and stepped outside to smoke, much to Victoria’s relief. She needed a few minutes to pull herself together.
She hadn’t meant to snap at Roan. But the idea of chasing tornadoes with nothing but a phone and a radio scared the bejeezus out of her. Tornadoes weren’t always visible from a distance. An HP storm—high precipitation—could be wrapped up in rain. Without the benefit of the ham radio storm spotters and the up-to-the-minute Weather Service bulletins, she and Roan could drive right into the middle of a tornado and never see the danger until their car was in the top of a tree.
She shivered at the thought, then reminded herself she had nothing to worry about. She and Roan were
“Timing chain? That sounds serious. How long will it take to fix it?”
The young man laid the form on the table in front of her. “If the parts are in stock, we should have it ready by late this afternoon,” he said proudly.
Victoria didn’t give him the reaction he’d been looking for. She frowned, sighed noisily, then looked at the estimate. Roan read it upside down—a couple of hundred dollars plus change.
“If you had it towed to the dealership, you could get the work done under warranty,” Roan pointed out.
“That would take too much time,” she said. “It’s okay, I can cover it.” With a fatalistic shrug she signed her name to the form. The young man tipped his hat and left.
“Well, that blows any chance we had of catching up to the bad weather,” she said dejectedly. “Damn, what luck. What lousy luck. This is the best-looking weather day I’ve seen in a long time, and we’re stranded in Haynie, Oklahoma.”
“Maybe we’re not as stranded as we think we are,” Roan offered. “I’ll bet we could borrow or rent a car from someone around here, just for the afternoon.”
Victoria looked hopeful for a moment before she slumped again in defeat. “No, I wouldn’t want to do that.”
“Why not?”
“Too risky.”
“Risky how? We’ll make sure the car has insurance.”
“Well, of course. But we can’t just take off after tornadoes in some strange car with no communications equipment.”
“It’ll have a radio. And we can bring the phone.”
“Absolutely not.” She looked down at her computer screen again, indicating the subject was closed.
Roan was intrigued with her stubbornness. What was the big deal about borrowing a car and trying to drive to where the action was? It was the kind of thing he did all the time.
“Don’t you think you’re being a little overcautious?” he ventured to ask.
“No.”
“Well, I do. I think you rely on all your electronic gadgetry like a crutch.”
“Humph.” She unwrapped one of the peppermints the waitress had left with their check and popped it into her mouth.
Roan leaned across the table until his chin was almost resting on the top of the computer screen. When Victoria refused to acknowledge him, he reached around the computer and nudged her chin upward with one finger.
She looked up, her hazel eyes snapping with irritation. “What?”
“What about the romance of the sky?” he said in a provocative whisper. “What about the thrill of the chase, the challenge of facing the unknown?”
She stared at him, as if mesmerized by his voice. With their gazes locked and their mouths within inches of touching, Roan had a brief, insane notion that they might actually kiss. Then Victoria abruptly jerked away from his touch, shuttering her eyes.
“The unknown can kill people,” she said curtly.
Her words had a chilling effect on Roan. He immediately backed off and did not mention borrowing a car again. She was right. When people took the elements too lightly, when they casually messed with something they knew nothing about, they could die. He better than anyone understood that.
Victoria’s eyes were crossed and her fingers cramping from so much time at the laptop computer. Roan had long since grown bored. He’d paid their bill and stepped outside to smoke, much to Victoria’s relief. She needed a few minutes to pull herself together.
She hadn’t meant to snap at Roan. But the idea of chasing tornadoes with nothing but a phone and a radio scared the bejeezus out of her. Tornadoes weren’t always visible from a distance. An HP storm—high precipitation—could be wrapped up in rain. Without the benefit of the ham radio storm spotters and the up-to-the-minute Weather Service bulletins, she and Roan could drive right into the middle of a tornado and never see the danger until their car was in the top of a tree.
She shivered at the thought, then reminded herself she had nothing to worry about. She and Roan were
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