A distant glow caught her eye as another car approached. She held her breath, watching as the low headlights drew near. Josh’s ancient hatchback came into view, and she felt a rush of relief. He slowed and rolled past her, his taillights glowing as he pulled onto the shoulder.

“That’s him!” Macey slammed the trunk with maybe a bit too much force in her hurry to put some distance between them. “Thanks for stopping!”

She strode toward the Toyota as the driver’s-side door opened. Josh didn’t get out right away, and she quickened her pace. Why hadn’t he parked closer?

She glanced over her shoulder as the stranger trudged back to his truck without a backward glance.

“What the hell happened?” Josh asked as he got out.

“I had a blowout.”

“How?”

“No idea. Maybe I hit something in the road.”

Relief filled her as she took in Josh’s familiar appearance—the ponytail, the scruffy goatee, the green army jacket. She reached up and hugged him.

“You okay?” he asked, clearly caught off guard. She wasn’t a hugger.

“Fine. Thanks for coming.”

He looked over her shoulder. “Who was that?”

“Some guy.” She glanced back at the pickup as it pulled onto the highway. Shuddering, she watched it speed away.

“Shit, Mace.” Josh walked toward her little blue Honda. “It’s completely flat.”

“That’s what I told you.”

“We’re going to drown out here trying to change this.”

“We can’t.” She strode past him. “The spare’s flat, too. Here, grab a bag. You can give me a ride.”

She opened the back door and reached for one of the two black duffels.

“You’re just going to leave it overnight?” he asked.

“I don’t know yet, but I’m definitely not leaving ten thousand dollars’ worth of equipment on the side of the road.”

Together, they hauled all the luggage to his car. He popped the back hatch, and they managed to squeeze everything inside. Then she went around to the passenger seat, where she shoveled fast-food bags and empty cups onto the floor.

“This is a pigsty,” she said as she got in.

“Thank you, Joshua, for coming to get me in the middle of a thunderstorm,” he said.

She yanked the door shut. “Thank you.” She sighed. “I owe you.”

“I’ll add it to your tab,” he said, starting the car. The engine made a little coughing sound before coming to life.

Macey grabbed a Dairy Queen napkin from the cup holder and squeezed rain from the ends of her hair. Josh looked over his shoulder, but the duffels blocked his view. He used the mirrors to check for traffic as he pulled onto the highway.

“You think there’s a towing place open this late?” Macey asked.

“Who knows? You could look.”

She used her phone to do a search.

“You’re on Blue Heron, right?” he asked.