Chapter One

For the first time in years Cassie Gambol felt as if she wasn’t being watched. She couldn’t remember the last time that had been true. But as she drove down Main Street in tiny, way off the map, Petal, Georgia, her muscles relaxed just a bit.

It was Friday night yet most of the businesses along the street were closed but for the restaurants and what looked to be a bar or tavern. The place was pretty quaint. Definitely not Los Angeles. But that was okay. It was off the beaten path and that’s where she needed to be.

The last thing she needed or wanted was for Terry to find her. Ever. She planned to keep her head down and get on with her life. Because she was alive and that wasn’t something she’d take for granted ever again.

While she was stopped at a red light, she looked down to check the address she’d written down. She had no clue that the giant Cadillac was heading right for her until it rear-ended her, slamming her car into the intersection.

Muzzy but rising back toward full consciousness, Cassie did a mental inventory of her body. Everything seemed to be in working order. She could move her fingers and her toes. Great, teach her to relax her muscles.

The airbag deploying kept her from getting her head split open by the steering wheel, a good thing because she was pretty sure her skull had taken all it possibly could. Still, as she began to regain her senses, she knew she’d be bruised and sore as hell in the morning.

Cassie opened her eyes. The bag lost air and she was able to turn her body enough to see the group of people running from the bar toward the intersection. Oh, special. One of them was a cop. She hoped like hell those new documents Brian had given her a week before would hold up. The social security card and driver’s license were legit but the rental documents and that kind of stuff were based on faked information.

Get yourself together, Cassie, you’ve dealt with cops before. Just keep it simple. She gave herself a mini pep talk as she took in the freakishly tiny woman with the huge hair standing next to the car wringing her hands.

“Oh my lands! Honey, are you all right?”

Cassie blinked several times to see if she was hallucinating or not but the woman was apparently real.

“Momma! Damn it, I told you a hundred times to stop putting on makeup while you drive,” the cop, a very big man, hissed at the tiny woman with giant hair and four inch heels.

“Shane, we can deal with that later.” One of the other bystanders, clearly related to the cop, peered into the car, opening the door carefully. “Miss? Are you all right?”

Could the situation be any more ridiculous? Twenty seconds after she’d driven into town and she got rear-ended by a pixie with aspirations to drive NASCAR. Of course the tiny woman in the giant car had to be related to the giant cop. And the giant cop was droolingly sexy. Yes, her libido which had died years ago chose to come back to life at that very moment. A strange giggle tried to escape her belly.

The guy standing at her car door smiled at her as he looked her over carefully. “I’m Matt Chase, a firefighter and paramedic here in town. I’m just going to look you over to check for injuries, all right?”

Blinking slowly, she licked her lips and nodded. Gentle hands felt her head and neck, flexed her fingers and arms. He turned her toward him and checked over her legs and ankles. The experience was far from unfamiliar and the old fear began to well up. She hoped he took her trembling hands as shock from the accident.

“I’m all right. Just a bit shaken up.”

He looked up, as though startled by her voice. “Can you stand?”

“Let’s see.” She took the hand he offered and stood, unsteadily at first but it wasn’t very long until she was much stronger and didn’t need to lean on the car. “Yeah, apparently so.”

“Do you know your name?”

Her old one and her new one. “Yes, I’m Cassie Gambol.”

“I’m glad you’re okay, Cassie. I’m afraid your car isn’t so all right. I called a tow truck to take it to Art’s. He’s the mechanic here in Petal. He’ll get to you first thing.”

“No thanks to Mario Andretti there.” Cassie turned her gaze toward the tiny woman.

“Oh honey, I’m so sorry. It’s totally my fault.” The woman at least had the decency to really look upset about it.

The giant groaned. “Ms. Gambol, can I get a statement and your insurance information for my report, please?”

“For cripe’s sake, Shane. Let’s at least get her into The Pumphouse so she can sit down and get a drink of water.” Matt rolled his eyes.

“Why aren’t you asking Crash there for her insurance info?” Cassie motioned at big hair.

“Believe me, miss, I know her information.” The giant heaved a put upon sigh.

The tow truck arrived.

“Can we get anything out of your car for you?” Cassie turned to find a smiling redhead. “I’m Maggie Chase.” She pointed at the hottie firefighter and the giant. “Their sister-in-law.”

“I’m supposed to meet my new landlord in about ten minutes. I need my purse and that bag on the floorboard on the front seat. Oh and I have a few suitcases in the trunk and my overnight case.”

Maggie turned and waved at the assembled men. “Get to it. Put it all in my car. I’ll run her where she needs to go.” She looked back to Cassie. “Well, isn’t this a wonderful welcome to Petal. Where’re you meeting your landlord? I’ll get you there in time if he’s here in town.”