Light the Fire (Jackson's Hollow #1)

Chapter 10

They made it out of the woods in record time, and Ryker headed straight for her little SUV. "Do you have your keys?"

"Yeah, but my license is inside."

"I have mine," Ryker said. "Besides, you shouldn't drive with that ankle."

"It's my car," she said as he walked up to it on the passenger's side. Oh, heck no, she could drive. She would just be careful.

Ryker set her down in a way that almost seemed reluctant and then grabbed the passenger door handle. "I know it's your car."

"Then I'm driving."

"I could pick you up and carry you there."

Jo snorted. "Yeah, okay, Superman. I'd love to see you try."

Ryker took a step closer to her. "I'm not kidding."

"And I'm not kidding about driving my car."

"And what if you can't hold down the brake?" Ryker raised his eyebrows. "Or you can't switch between the gas and brake fast enough?" He frowned. "You've already made it clear that you're trouble. How much trouble do you want to be?"

"Jerk." Jo crossed her arms and leaned her weight against the car, keeping it off her injured ankle. Oh. She looked over his shoulder at a point in the distance and then sighed. "Don't think I'm always going to say yes. I'm only saying yes this time because it makes sense since you're forcing me to go to a clinic."

Ryker held out a hand for the keys, and she fished them out of her pocket and tossed them at him. He swiped them out of the air and smirked. "I would never think that."

Jo narrowed her eyes at him and got into the car while he went around to the driver's side. He had to slide the seat most of the way back in order to get comfortable. He apparently caught her smirking, because he smirked right back. "Apparently a kid last drove this car."

Man thought he was clever. Jo rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, short jokes, whatever," she retorted. She was not short. She was perfectly average. He was the one who was freakishly ginormous. Hopefully this mountain water wouldn't make her start sprouting up like a beanpole.

He smirked and started reversing the car before turning to head up the gravel driveway.

Jo grabbed a pen from the cup holder and threw it at him--unfortunately, he had quick reflexes and quickly leaned back, allowing it to sail right passed him and through the window he'd rolled down. Ryker stopped the car and they stared at each other for a second.

"I know, Mr. Park Ranger, littering is a terrible crime, I'll go and get it," Jo grumbled, reaching for the door handle.Ranger Ryker. Idiot man. He should have let the pen hit him. But before she could open the door he was already out, and back in a few seconds. Wow, he hadn't even had to spend much time searching for it.

"I've already made clear my feelings about you walking on that ankle," Ryker reminded her before she could say anything as he got back in the truck. She noted that he put the pen in the door pocket on his side of the car where she couldn't reach. Okay, maybe not a total idiot.

Pressing her fingertips to her temples, Jo wondered what exactly had happened to her day. What had happened to her life. None of this had been in the cards a few years ago. She never would have thought she'd be moving to her grandparents' old house in the middle of nowhere and getting dragged through the woods by a gung-ho wannabe future park ranger. Jo suppressed the urge to giggle at the sudden image of Ryker in one of those big floppy hats.

"What's so funny?" Ryker said, surprising her. He better be keeping his eyes on the road. Even though they technically weren't on the road yet.

"Nothing," Jo said airily. She changed topics before he could dig further. "So you seem to know all these trails and roads pretty well. Lived here your whole life?"