On The Right Track
A 1Night Stand Story
Barbara Elsborg
Smashwords Edition
Copyright © 2011 by Barbara Elsborg
ISBN: 978-1-61333-177-4
Cover art by LFD Designs
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Published by Decadent Publishing Company, LLC
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~Also by Barbara Elsborg~
Chosen
Chapter One
“Shiiiiiit,” Hollie wailed as her car skidded on the snowy road.
What to do? Brake? Not brake? Steer into the skid? Out of the skid? She’d been following the tire tracks of another vehicle ever since she’d left the main road, but the snow had suddenly come down so hard the wipers couldn’t cope, and now she’d lost the line.
A snow-laden hedge loomed in the windshield as her car slid sideways, and Hollie panicked. She wrenched the wheel in the other direction, only to find the car skating backward toward a wall on the opposite side of the road. Another wrench at the wheel and by some miracle her car did a complete revolution and slipped back into the grooves worn by the only other idiot out in this weather. After a wobbly slide, her vehicle stayed in the ruts and she groaned with relief.
This had to be one of the stupidest things she’d ever done. Once she’d seen the weather forecast, she should have cancelled. Instead she’d driven a hundred miles on New Year’s Eve in an unreliable vehicle with no heating, watching conditions worsening around her. She should have turned back when there had been room to maneuver; now she had no choice but to keep going. The only consolation was that at the end of this road, assuming she had the directions right—and Hollie didn’t want to even contemplate otherwise—awaited a luxury hotel, warm bath, bottle of chilled champagne, and hot sex.
The only catch? She had to survive the journey.
Actually, that wasn’t the only catch. Hollie had gone off the idea of hot sex a while back. When she’d set off from her London home, she’d never been more excited in her life, but there was a big difference between fantasy and reality, and the closer she drew to her destination, the more nervous she became. What the hell had she been thinking, registering with Madame Evangeline’s matchmaking service?
Well, she’d been thinking of meeting a tall, fair-haired hunk who’d actually want to go to bed with her and not one of her friends—although she hadn’t invited any along to test that out—a guy who was organized, urbane, and prepared to deal with any crisis life threw at him. He’d have a great smile and lovely manners, and he’d make Hollie feel special, if only for one night. She wanted to be swept off her feet by a man skilled between the sheets who’d show her what she’d been missing and more importantly, kick-start her into getting her life back on track.
Now she was thinking mistake, big mistake, huge mistake. One perfect night with a perfect guy wouldn’t make her world turn again. The only person who could make that happen was her.
She slithered around a corner to find herself heading for a stationary vehicle smack bang in the middle of the road, hazard warning lights flashing dimly through the falling snow.
“Oh God.”
Braking was so instinctive, her foot slammed down before she registered it was the wrong thing to do. The front wheels locked and the back of her car skewed round.
“No, no, no, no, no.”
No one was listening. As she slid toward disaster, Hollie clung to the wheel and closed her eyes.
When Nick heard a vehicle approaching, he was struggling to shovel snow out from under his front tires using a plastic lid he’d broken off a tool box he’d never used, and cursing the fact that he’d even gotten out of bed this morning. Now help was on the way. Thank Christ for that. Getting stuck in the middle of fucking nowhere had not been in his plans. But when he looked up over the hood, melting snow dripping into his eyes, it wasn’t the snow plow he’d hoped for, or even a smug local resident out in his four wheel drive, but a little red car that was traveling sideways straight toward his BMW.
He threw himself to one side, hoping to land out of the danger zone. As he hit the hedge, snow cascaded over his head and shoulders, and the sickening crunch of metal kissing metal filled the air.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
He brushed the snow from his face and chest, pushed himself up, and shuddered as icy liquid trickled down his back. The thin jacket he’d pulled on over his sweater offered little protection. He’d already wrecked his leather shoes and now his pants were soaked, too, not to mention the fact that his new BMW had been dented by an idiot.
In an instant, Nick shifted from cold and bad-tempered, to freezing and furious. He slipped and slid to the back of his car and groaned when he saw the damage. He stared at the driver of the vehicle plastered against his and saw worried eyes gazing back at him from beneath a bright pink hat. A matching scarf covered the bottom of the face he assumed belonged to a woman. His anger dissipated.
He shuffled around to the passenger door and wrenched it open. “You okay?”
“Yes. Sorry,” mumbled a muffled voice.
“Christ, it’s colder inside this car than out.”
“Heater’s broken.” She pulled the scarf from her mouth and Nick’s gaze locked onto a pale face with rosy cheeks.