for us to get stuck out here in the middle of nowhere, in a blizzard. We need to get to Asheville so we can get everything ready for the wedding.”
“We won’t get stuck.” His truck handled well in the snow. Even so, had Lucas realized how hard it would start snowing, he might’ve thought twice about taking the detour.
Magnolia hugged her arms. “This place is so remote.”
“That’s the idea,” he grinned.
“You sure there’s a ranch down here?” she asked a few minutes later as they continued down the long gravel road. There was nothing but glistening snowy pastures on either side of the road.
No, he wasn’t sure of anything at this point. “I guess we’ll find out.”
They came to a gravel road that shot off to the right. “Do we take that one or stay straight?” Magnolia asked in a voice that was clearly worried.
Lucas slowed to a stop. “Let me check the GPS.” He reached for his phone, his gut tensing a smidgen. “There’s no service.”
“Seriously?” Magnolia rolled her eyes. “That’s not good. Maybe we should turn around and go back. We can’t afford to get stuck out here.”
“We’ll go just a little farther. If we don’t find it, we’ll turn around and head back to the interstate.”
She nodded, her jaw tight. Lucas looked through the snow, further up ahead on the road they were on. His pulse quickened. “Look, there’s a car up ahead.” He continued driving in that direction. They came upon not one, but two cars. A group of people was standing a few paces in front of the cars.
“Oh, good. We can ask them where the ranch is,” Magnolia said in relief.
Lucas spotted the tall, rail-skinny man first, wearing a navy coat and matching knit hat. A thickly set woman wearing a gray coat was standing beside the man, bracing herself with a walker. Flaming red curls peeked out beneath the hood of her coat. The deep red strands of her hair were a stark contrast to the glistening white dots of snow. Three teenage boys faced the couple. Something about the scene was off. The couple looked scared. At the same time Lucas heard Magnolia’s startled breath, he realized that the boy in the center was holding a knife.
“Those boys are attacking that couple,” Magnolia exclaimed in dismay. “We have to call 911.”
The sight of the boys preying on the older couple scalded Lucas’s blood. He threw the truck into park and undid his seatbelt.
Magnolia caught hold of his arm, her eyes filling with alarm. “You can’t go out there. You’ll get hurt. There are three of them.”
Lucas hated bullies with a passion. A bunch of thugs preying on a defenseless older couple was reprehensible. “Stay here! I’ll be fine.”
“No!” she protested, but he was already out the door.
His footsteps were soundless against the thick blanket of fallen snow. “What’s going on here?” Lucas demanded.
The teenagers whirled around in surprise. Their backs had been to the road and they undoubtably had not heard Lucas’s truck over the falling snow. The ones on the outside wore expressions of fright, like they might flee. But the one in the center—the ringleader—narrowed his eyes. “This is none of your business, mister. Get out of here before you get hurt.” He held out the knife, pointing it at Lucas. “Don’t make me use this.” The boy’s brazenness seemed to embolden his cohorts as they held up their fists, ready to fight.
Lucas glanced back at the couple. “Y’all okay?”
The woman nodded in the affirmative. Her expression was pinched, her eyes clouded with apprehension
“I said get out of here,” the teenager in the middle hissed. “This ain’t none of your business.”
Lucas took a quick assessment of the situation, his senses going on full alert. His pulse thrashed out a fast beat against his temples, everything coming into razor-sharp focus. He felt the cold ping of snowflakes against his warm face. He became aware of the buffer against sound that the snow created, as if the entire world were wrapped in a thick white pillow. Three against one was not ideal. Lucas focused on the main guy in the middle. He’d go after the head of the snake, and the body would fall easily enough.
His muscles pulled taut as he planted his feet, getting into a crouching position. “Come on, you little snot,” he taunted, pointing at the guy. “Me and you.”
The teenager’s face blushed a furious red as he rushed forward, intent on slashing Lucas with the knife, but Lucas