Read Online Marriage: Impossible (Voretti Family Book 1) by Ava Blackstone - Free Book Online Page A

stuck in here. Want to stop for a hike?”
    He stomped on the accelerator. “Not right now.”
    “Only for a few minutes.”
    They didn’t have a few minutes. Didn’t she understand that? “I don’t want to be late.”
    “We won’t be.”
    “Yes we—”
    “Pull over!”
    “I’m not stopping to take a goddamn stroll when—”
    “No—there’s something wrong! Stop the truck.”
    She was right. That telltale wobble was back. “Shit. Not again.”
    He guided the truck into the closest turnout.
    It took all of five seconds to diagnose the problem. The left rear tire was flat. Again. The idiot at the shop had put the new tire on the right and the patched tire—which still had the slow leak—back on the left.
    “We have another flat?” Keri came up behind him, bringing the scent of sunshine and happiness. Everything he didn’t deserve.
    “No. We have the same flat.”
    “But…I don’t understand. What happened?”
    Simple. He’d been too distracted by Keri to keep an eye on the mechanic. “Never mind. I’ll take care of it.”
    He dug out his phone and dialed the tow company. After five minutes on hold, listening to a cheesy dance song that made him want to punch someone, he finally got through to a human and explained the situation.
    “Where’d you say you were?” The guy asked.
    “Highway 395. Half way between the 89 and the 108.”
    “You’re really in the middle of nowhere, aren’t’cha?”
    “No kidding.”
    “Hold on, now. No reason to get your panties in a bunch.” The guy laughed at his own joke while Sean did some deep-breathing exercises.
    “I can send a truck, but it’s gonna be a while. All my guys are out right now. And you are in the middle of—”
    “Nowhere. I know.”
    “You want me to send a truck or not?”
    “Yeah. Send a truck.”
    “Okay. I’ll have someone out in about two hours.”
    Sean’s carefully regulated breathing devolved into a wheeze. “Two hours ?”
    “Minimum. Hope you’re comfortable.” The asshole disconnected on a laugh.
    Shit . Two hours.
    But what choice did he have? The compact spare tire would’ve been adequate to get him to a garage a few miles away, over slow city streets, but not over fifty miles of highway. Not with Keri in the truck.
    Too late. You’re going to be too late again.
    “Sean. You need to calm down.”
    “I am calm!”
    “You’re breathing funny.”
    “No, I’m not.” He was. Like a rubber band was squeezing his lungs.
    He looked away from Keri, at the rocky crags and mountains that surrounded the highway. He wanted to be out there, hanging on to the edge of a cliff by the tips of his fingers, the only sound in his head the rough beat of his heart.
    “I think we both need to work some energy off,” she said. “Sounds like we have some time until the tow truck comes, so let’s take advantage of it.” She pointed at a rusted sign a few feet past his front bumper.
    Willow Junction Hot Springs Trail. Two miles. Strenuous terrain .
    “Doesn’t a hike sound good?”
    It wasn’t bouldering or skydiving, but if he could work his body hard enough, that voice inside his head would have to take a rest.
    His ribcage squeezed tighter around his lungs, and he made up his mind. “All right.”
    He was counting on a steep climb, but the trail started out flat. If he’d been on his own, he would’ve sprinted, but ditching Keri would be a dick move.
    “Don’t let me hold you back,” she said. “I’ll catch up with you at the springs.”
    “It’s okay. I’d rather hike with you.” The words came out automatically, but they were actually true. The steady cadence of her footsteps soothed him, and the soft lilt of her voice made him smile. Being close to her centered him better than an adrenaline rush ever had.
    They wound through a grove of pines. Highway sounds were replaced by their footsteps, the soft rushing of a nearby creek, and a blue jay’s caw. Dappled sunshine fell through the pine needles, and Keri