by Marilyn Kensington
Cassie sobbed even though she knew it wasn't helping with her predicament. Something was wrong with the car, but she didn't have a clue about what it could be because her dad always took care of her auto maintenance. She had slipped out in the middle of the night a couple of days ago without telling her parents where she was headed, and now that she was stranded, she missed them terribly.
Cassie imagined that her mom and dad must be frantic to know what had happened to her, but because of the way she had let them down, she wasn't ready to face them until she got her life back under control. She began cursing herself for getting off the Interstate, and the few drivers that sped by her seemed like they were in a hurry to be somewhere else.
She had no idea where the nearest town might be, and just as she was giving up hope, she saw a white pickup truck slowing down as it pulled up behind her car. Cassie's first reaction was relief, but it was quickly followed by one of apprehension as she realized that the person stopping might not necessarily have good intentions. Things were so isolated that she could be in real danger if the person stopping wanted to make trouble.
The look of the man getting off the truck and heading toward her car didn't ease her fears. As she turned to get a better look, she realized he was big. He had to be over six-feet tall, and the t-shirt he was wearing showed off his muscular shoulders and arms. Cassie's first impression was that he was 'hot', but the dark glasses he was wearing gave him a sinister look that filled her with a premonition that something bad was about to happen.
Although the day was already starting to get hot, Cassie raised the driver's side window, leaving only enough space so that she could talk to the stranger making his way to her vehicle. When he came up to her car, he removed his sunglasses with one deft motion and smiled as he said, "Hi, I'm Rick. Do you need some help?"
When she heard the stranger's friendly voice and looked into his deep blue eyes, Cassie quickly decided her fears were silly, and she hit the button to lower her window. "Oh thanks so much for stopping. I've been here a while, and everyone seems to be in such a hurry, I didn't think anyone would ever stop. Something's wrong with my car, but I don't know what it is."
"Go ahead and pop the hood and I'll take a look for you."
Cassie pulled the latch under the left side of the dashboard, and since she felt safe with Rick, she got out of the car. As she watched him working under the hood, she said, "I'm sorry for being so rude. I didn't introduce myself, but my name is Cassie."
"Glad to meet you Cassie, even if the circumstances aren't the best.
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