LITMIR.BIZ

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waved an arm. “Leave it on the side of the highway or something. It has a full tank—almost.”

      Reaching beneath her dress, she peeled off the silk pantyhose and hung them on a cactus. She shoved the key into the ignition and turned back toward the teenager, his mouth hanging open as he wrestled another cigarette out of a pack. “One more thing.”

      “Do you want me to show you how to start the bike up and keep it going?”

      “I know how to ride a motorcycle.” She tugged at the train hanging from her backside. “Could you rip this damn thing off my dress?”

      FIVE MINUTES LATER, shoeless, veilless and trainless, Callie roared north on I-25 away from Las Cruces.

      Once she got back to L.A. she’d figure out another way to save her father. She just hoped she could come up with something before Bobby hurt Dad.

      Who was she kidding? After the stunt she just pulled, Bobby might hurt her, too.

      ROD MCCLINTOCK WORRIED THE toothpick at the side of his mouth as his gaze drilled the highway, shrouded in purple dusk. The horses he looked at in Austin would be a good start for the dude ranch, but he hated incurring so much debt.

      He needed an infusion of money, land or a fairy godmother. Or maybe all three.

      Through a layer of dust, a shimmering white shape appeared on the side of the highway. Either his fairy godmother just appeared or he could use a drink.

      Easing off the gas pedal, he swerved to the left and peered out the passenger window. An old Honda bike tilted on its kickstand, and a woman in a long white dress stood beside it, waving her arms over her head.

      A couple of cars had already sped past her, and a few cars behind him slowed down to take in the spectacle. He’d let one of those drivers take care of the stranded motorist. He didn’t need any more problems in his life.

      He watched his rearview mirror as a black SUV pulled behind the woman and the motorcycle. Three men tumbled out of the car, clutching bottles. Rod made for the shoulder of the highway and threw his truck into Reverse.

      By the time he jumped out of his truck, the three men had formed a circle around the woman, the white wedding dress swirling around her legs. Her long, blond hair whipped in the hot wind from the speeding cars on the highway.

      “Hey, baby, did your groom ditch you by the side of the road or something?”

      The woman tilted up her chin, digging her fists into her hips. She looked ready to make a run at the guy.

      “Take a hike.” Rod stepped between the man and the stranded woman, jerking his thumb toward the idling SUV.

      “Are you the groom?” The moron twisted his head over his shoulder and snorted at his two buddies.

      Rod grabbed a handful of the man’s sweat-dampened T-shirt and yanked him forward. The man’s head snapped back around, his mouth slack with a dribble of beer at the corner.

      “Get moving.” Rod bunched his fist and drew it back to emphasize his point.

      The man pedaled backward, bumping into his two friends, already scrambling for the security of the car. “Sure, man. We’re not looking for trouble.”

      Only with a little blonde in a wedding dress and…bare feet.

      The men piled into the SUV and shot down the highway.

      Holding up his index finger, Rod pulled out his cell phone and placed a call to 911, giving them the license plate of the SUV. He snapped the phone shut and dropped it back into his shirt pocket. “Don’t want those guys plowing into a carload of kids.”

      She gathered her billowing hair in one hand and twisted it behind her. “Who are you, Sir Galahad?”

      “You’re welcome.”

      A pink blush washed over her cheeks beneath the grit and grime. “Thanks. I appreciate your help. I was so happy someone pulled over—until I saw The Three Stooges climb out of the car.”

      “You’re in a dangerous situation.” His gaze narrowed. “What is your situation?”

      “I ran out of gas.” She aimed a dirty, pink-polished toe at the tire of the Honda 550, but stopped short of kicking it.

      Running out of gas didn’t tell half the story of a barefoot, bedraggled bride in the middle of New Mexico. He tapped the phone in his pocket. “Do you want me to call a roadside service to bring you some gas?”

      The woman laced her hands in front of her and dropped her chin, glancing up at him through lowered lashes.

      A practiced look, if he ever saw one.

      “Not really. I was kind of hoping for a lift. It’s been a hell of a ride in this wedding gown.”

      “What about the bike?”

      She shrugged, the strap of her dress slipping off her shoulder. “It’s not mine.”

      Rod crossed his arms and dug his boot heels into the gravel. If she stole the motorcycle, he’d turn her in, too, with those jackasses in the car.

      She peered at him through the veil of hair that hung over her face, and then jerked her head up. “I didn’t steal the bike. Someone loaned it to me.”

      He cocked his head. This one looked like a package of trouble tied up with a white bow; but curiosity nibbled at his gut. He hoped to hell that curiosity wouldn’t land him in the same condition as the cat.

      “How are you going to return the bike to your…friend?”

      “He told me to leave it on the side of the road when I ran out of gas, and he’d get it back.” She nibbled at her bottom lip and crinkled her brow, as if the logic of this plan escaped even a barefoot woman standing in the middle of the highway in a dirty wedding dress.

      His gaze tracked over the motorcycle—no saddlebags, no pouch, no nothing. “Do you have a purse with you? Money? Change of clothing?”

      She threw her head back and laughed at the darkening sky. Then she doubled over, her shoulders shaking as she clutched her stomach. Was she having a breakdown?

      Rod stepped toward her, his boots crunching the gravel, and her head shot up. Tears streamed down her face, and she swept them away, creating streaks of dirt on her cheeks. But she was still laughing.

      “Do I look like I have anything? Just a few bucks and my driver’s license.” She patted the side of her breast, encased in the tight bodice of the wedding dress. “Wouldn’t want to get a ticket for driving without a license.”

      A carload of teenagers screamed and yelled out their car window, and the woman rubbed a hand across her nose. “Can we get off of this godforsaken highway now?”

      “After you.” In a grand gesture, he swept his arm toward his truck. “Where are you headed?”

      Taking a few tentative steps on the chunky gravel, she called over her shoulder, “North is good.”

      Rod resisted the urge to sweep her off her feet, which must be hurting. Better to let her tough it out than suspect him of improper designs on her. Although accepting a ride from a stranger didn’t seem to bother her.

      Reaching the truck, she grabbed the door handle before he could, and pulled herself onto the running board. Nudging her hand out of the way, he opened the door for her. She launched herself inside, dropping onto the leather interior of his truck with a rustle of silk and a soft sigh.

      By the time he slid into the driver’s seat, the woman had adjusted the seat back as far as it would go, stretched her legs out and closed her eyes.

      He studied her face in the creeping gloom, the headlights of the passing cars illuminating its planes and curves. She’d obviously ditched a wedding and, judging by her dress, it was her own. But why the full-scale flight in complete bridal regalia? She couldn’t stop to change clothes, grab

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