Only Her Smokejumper Firefighter - Cami Checketts Page 0,17

to be halfway through the pass now. Halfway from never returning to Ren again. That brought the tears back full force. She lifted her hand to try to press the moisture from her eyes.

The mountain road turned sharply to the right. The road was shadowy and dark, not catching the morning sunlight with the jagged mountain peaks on either side. She turned the steering wheel, but the car didn’t obey. The tires skidded on black ice and she slid off the road, plowing into a deep embankment of snow.

Mavyn jerked forward, but the seatbelt caught her. Luckily, she hadn’t hit hard enough to deploy the airbags. She gave a loud grunt of frustration, put the Tahoe in reverse, and pressed hard on the gas.

The wheels spun, but the vehicle didn’t move.

Ah, no. She’d never driven in snow. How did you get traction in this freezing fluff? She pulled the gearshift into drive and pressed on the gas and then jerked it into reverse and did the same, thinking maybe she could rock it out of its hole. Back and forth, over and over again. Nothing. She tried several more times before slamming the Tahoe into park, burying her head on the steering wheel, and letting the stupid tears come all over again.

Maybe Ren was right. Maybe God was directing her life and would take her back to what she longed for: Ren. Maybe He wouldn’t let her run away.

She gave a harsh laugh. This had nothing to do with heavenly intervention and everything to do with her not knowing how to drive on stupid icy roads in stupid remote Montana while she cried her eyes out.

She looked at her phone. No service. Of course there was no service. She was stuck in the middle of a stupid canyon in the stupid middle of nowhere.

Shutting the car off, she grabbed her large purse and the keys and stepped out. It was even colder in the canyon than it had been back at Grams. A fierce breeze bit at her cheeks as if trying to strip the flesh away. Her purse was too heavy on her shoulder. If a car didn’t come soon, she had a long walk back to Mystical Lake and hopefully a tow truck to pull her car out. The other side of this canyon didn’t have a town for over twenty miles, so Mystical Lake and back to Ren was her only option. That shouldn’t make her so happy.

She pulled her laptop from her purse and hid it under the seat. She hated to be without it, but carrying it would get annoying quick. She slung her purse across her chest, pushed the lock button, then dropped her keys in her purse pocket. Pulling her sweatshirt hood on and tying it as tight as she could to protect her face, she tugged her sleeves over her exposed hands, clutching the ends in her palms to keep them there, and started walking down the canyon road. A car would come along or she’d reach the end of the canyon and get service. If heaven cared at all, it would be someone going to Missoula who would give her a ride and she could leave the stupid Tahoe in the snowbank. At this point, she didn’t care what the rental company charged her for having to tow the Tahoe back to Missoula.

She barked another harsh laugh. Heaven hated her. It would be hypocritical to start begging for help now when she hadn’t turned to Him since she was eighteen. Even if a car came along, they’d only be going toward Mystical Lake. Her heart hopped at the thought of seeing Ren again, him warming her up in those burly arms of his. She hung her head and shuffled down the icy road. Her dreams had never come true before, and this icy experience was nothing more than a nightmare.

Ren watched Mavyn leave, feeling like she was ripping his heart out all over again. He was despondent and unhappy as he stormed around the house. He’d felt as strongly as any impression he’d ever received that he should tell her their Father above would bring her back to him. He also knew he had to let her leave. Now he was questioning that impression and hating himself for not pinning her down and demanding they talk everything through… after he kissed her thoroughly.

Why would the good Lord tell him to let her go? Why couldn’t Ren have said something or the