Riding Against the Wind

A Saturday night out goes sideways when Zane Walker discovers a naked man hiding in the weeds along the side of the road on his way home. Zane doesn't know how the guy got there, but it's obvious help is needed. Zane takes him to the Bar RC Ranch, confident his foreman will know what to do. Weston Allen doesn't remember much, especially how he ended up along an empty stretch of highway in the middle of the night. When a pickup stops and the driver offers help, he's not at all sure it's a good idea, but he gets in the truck with the stranger not knowing if he'll be left worse off than before. Weston's journey through a dark tunnel isn't easy, but Zane is a light to lead him back to a new life he never knew he wanted with a cowboy at his side. ____ ____ ____ Riding Against the Wind is the sequel to Ride Your Luck. This modern-day cowboy romance may contain triggers for some individuals. It is intended for mature readers. ____ ____ ____ "Okay, then." He swung me up into his arms as if I was no more than a rag doll and carried me to his truck. I knew then he was too strong for me to fight against and win. He guided my hand to the bedrail on the pickup as he carefully set me back on my bare feet. "You just hold on tight to that for a second while I get the blanket from behind the seat. We wouldn't want Mrs. Caver to be out early and spy your bare ass, or more, now would we?" I didn't care who saw me in this condition at this point, but I murmured the correct reply. "No." He spread the blanket over the passenger seat and got a firm grip on my elbow. "See if you can get a foot on the running board and push up to get on the blanket. Now, if I give your butt a shove, don't take offense. I'm just trying to give you a boost." I started to shake. I'd be confined in the pickup with him, a total stranger. Was his kindness merely a ruse? My knees threatened to buckle but he caught me before I could hit the ground. "Come on, brother. You can do this. At the end of this trail are a bathtub full of hot water, a soft bed, food, and coffee. Yep. Coffee. Nectar of the gods. And once Cookie gets a look at you, I bet a big plate of flapjacks will land on the table in front of you. All you need to do is get in the rig so I can drive us home. You good?" I so badly wanted to believe him. What if he was telling the truth? Was it possible he would take me to safety? Taking a deep breath, I mustered every ounce of strength I had left to pull myself up into the cab of the truck and collapse against the seat. "There we are. Good job." He reached over me and pulled the blanket around my lap, then folded the other edge over the top. "That should keep your boy bits safe from prying eyes until we get you to the ranch, and start to get you warm. We'll have to see where Mr. Carver says you'll go." Panic beat at me, my voice was so weak and I couldn't seem to catch my breath. "Go? Go where?" He patted my thigh. "The ranch house or the bunkhouse. Now you sit still." With that, he closed the truck door and trotted around to the driver's seat. Within seconds, the pickup's engine ground out a steady purr as he accelerated back onto the highway. "You're lucky I spotted you, cowboy. How'd you end up out here in the middle of nowhere buck naked? Did you have the date from hell, or what?"