He made a minimum of two trips to the gym every week and considered himself strong, but opening his door still took every bit of his strength. He hurried to close it before the wind could tear it off.
Shielding his face with his hands, he walked against the steady gusts until he reached the stranded vehicle. He knocked on the driver’s window. “Anyone in there?”
The window rolled down. A frightened woman stared at him. “I thought I’d die out here.”
“Are you okay?” He peered inside for any sign of injury.
“I ran out of gas. I’m so stupid.” Her voice reached a panic level. “The kids fell asleep, and I didn’t want to wake them, so I planned to stop at the next exit, but I didn’t know this storm was coming, and my phone’s not getting any signal.”
“Few of us expected this, ma’am, but it will be okay.”
“Would you be able to bring us gas or call a tow truck?”
He moved his head side to side. “No tow truck’s going to make it out in this weather—I do some towing with my brother’s business from time to time.”
“Can you bring us gas? I can give you money.” She reached to the passenger seat and grabbed her purse.
“Once I make it to town, there’s no coming back. It’s not safe.”
“I can’t stay here. We’ll die of hypothermia.”
“I’m headed to Jasper Lake, and I can take you and the kids there in my truck. We’re only a few miles away.” He swallowed a groan. Rescuing a mom and her children wasn’t on his agenda for the night, but he couldn’t leave them stranded. If it were Tanya and Lacy, he’d want a kind Samaritan to help them.
“But I don’t know you. And how will I get back to my car?” Her face turned ashen, paler than it already was from the initial fright.
Under normal circumstances, she’d have valid points, but she couldn’t stay here, and he told her so. “My name is Landon Reeves from Maryville, Pennsylvania. No, you don’t know me, and my word means nothing to you, but I can promise you I won’t harm you. You can’t stay here and wait out the storm. As you said yourself, there’s a good chance you’ll die.” He shivered, and only the good manners Gran taught him kept him from rushing her. “The only other option is for me to call someone when I get into Jasper Lake, but as Ialready said, the chances of anyone making it out in this are slim, and you’ll be putting them at risk.”
“I guess I don’t have much choice.” She unbuckled her seatbelt and turned off the car.
“Do you need help with the kids? They’ll have a hard time walking in this wind.” He blinked away the snowflakes in his lashes.
She turned her neck and addressed the children in the backseat. “Dex and April, I want you to gather your bag and toys. This nice man is going to take us to the nearest town where we can get some help.”
“But he’s a stranger, Mama,” the little girl protested.
“Not to me, he’s not.”
Landon couldn’t help a small smile. He’d heard Tanya tell Lacy a few small fibs a time or two for her own sanity and protection. It must be a parent thing.
“But I heard you. You told him you don’t know him.”
She raised her shoulders, giving Landon an apologetic shrug and mouthed,I’m sorry. “That’s because I couldn’t see him very well at first, sweetheart, but once I got a good look at him, I realized he’s an old friend.”
Placated, the little girl decided Landon was safe. “Will there be food? I’m hungry.”
“I don’t know, but we really have to move quickly.” The lady darted her eyes to the layer of snow growing thicker by the minute.
Landon stepped in to help. “I have it on good authority there will be cookies, but if we don’t get there soon, they’ll all be gone.”
April tried to unbuckle her car seat. “Come on Dex, let’s hurry.”
The mom got out of the car, struggling to open and close the door like he had. “Thank you.”
“I’ll carry the boy if you want to help your daughter.”
“I appreciate it.” She finagled her kids out of their seats, and they all fought the wind and snow.
He lifted the kids into the cab of the truck, then assisted their mom, whose name he still didn’t know. Once he made it to his side and sat in the driver’s seat, he started to ask but stopped. He didn’t want April asking any more questions or getting scared that they were with a stranger.
