Songbird (A Sinclair Story #1) (3 page)

The
gym bag was thrown out into the snow first, and Melodee followed. The cars had
come to a stop against a collection of large tree trunks. She stared at the
other smaller sedan. It was not on its roof anymore, but there didn’t seem to
be a panel that wasn’t severely damaged. After the warmth of the car, the icy
air took her breath away, and despite the fact that she didn’t have time to
stop, she couldn’t leave without checking if the other occupants needed help.
Scooting along the snow with the gym bag she reached the driver’s window. All
she could see was long brown hair. The woman was face down on the steering
wheel.

“Hello.”
Melodee tapped on the window, shouting to be heard over the raging winds. “Turn
your head away if you can.”

Taking
off her jacket, she wrapped it around her hand and smashed the corner of the
window furthest from the woman. She pulled the rest of the glass out. After
shrugging the warm coat back on, she reached through to check for a pulse. One
touch of the cold skin told her it was too late to offer any assistance to the
young girl. From the side she looked no older than sixteen. Damn, two deaths
here tonight.

Melodee
was just turning away when a small whimper froze her to the spot. Her gasp was
audible as she caught sight of something she’d missed before, a black baby seat
tucked into the right corner of the back seat.
 
Dropping the bag, she dived around the car, and as luck would have it
the door closest to the baby opened without effort and Melodee found herself
captured by a pair of massive blue eyes. Her heart skipped a beat, how was the
baby so calm, she should be screaming her head off after that crash. Her
calmness gave Melodee a sense of kinship. She, too, stayed composed in tense
situations.

“Hello,
sweetheart, you’re okay. I’m going to get you out.” She started chatting,
praying the whole time that the little girl with the mass of dark curls was
okay.

“Holy
shit. What happened?”

A
male voice had her spinning to fall in a defensive stance in front of the girl.
Out of the snow stepped a god damned Greek god or something. He was massive,
towering over her. His hair was white blond and cut short, but with enough
height to give it style. His unbelievably chiseled and handsome features were
registering concern and horror as he plowed through the deep snow. His eyes
were aqua; their color shone in the dying light.

“Is
anyone hurt?” he said, almost at her side. The baby was whimpering again, but
Melodee wasn’t sure if he was a threat yet, so she couldn’t turn back to check
on her.

“Is
that Doug’s car?” he choked out, his eyes flicking toward the SUV across from
them. And then as his light, blue-green eyes focused on her, she knew that this
was Doug’s friend. The one he’d died trying to get to.

Chapter 2

Nathan huffed as he shoveled
another layer of snow off the front porch of the log cabin – though calling the
three story, two thousand square feet property a cabin was kind of a joke. Only
a Sinclair would refer to it as such. It belonged to him now, part of a massive
trust from his grandparents. It was the reason he was here and not at Justin’s
club opening in Manhattan. With the massive storm moving in, his gramps would
have expected him to lock everything down. He’d loved this farm. Nathan’s
brothers of course were supposed to be meeting him here, but so far not one had
arrived. Assholes were probably busy with their full social calendars. The
Sinclair’s did nothing by halves. And while Nathan was taking a break from all
the shit in his life, the four brothers generally rained terror down on
Syracuse.

And speaking of late, where the hell is Doug?
Nathan glanced down at his watch. He hadn’t expected
his teammate to blow him off. He was supposed to have been here thirty minutes
ago with some supplies. It had been a last minute decision to come to Gramps’
land, so Nathan hadn’t had a chance to grab anything.

Leaving
the massive wraparound porch, he was heading in to drop the shovel off with
Miguel, the groundskeeper, when a faint crash rang through the trees. Despite
the storm raging around him, the distinct sound of glass and metal colliding
was heard and could only mean one thing. Nathan took off through the trees. He
knew this property as well as any place he had ever lived, and the crash had
sounded from the south embankment. This wouldn’t be the first time cars had
lost control in a storm and crashed down onto his property.

It
took him about ten minutes, slipping and sliding his way along. He pulled his
cell out, but the storm seemed to have knocked out all reception, so he
couldn’t call for help. There was a lot of natural forest on this property, and
with all the snow it took real effort to run through without disappearing into
a snow drift. Luckily, he was well over six foot and his basketball skills were
coming in handy. He jumped over a fallen log before diving under an overhanging
branch. He rounded the corner and the scene came into focus. Two cars were
strewn across a snow mound, anchored by trees which had broken their fall.

“Holy
shit. What happened?”

He
stepped forward and a flash of movement caught his eye. It was a woman crouched
in front of an open car door, her expression fierce. Nathan froze, his eyes
locked on the stunning vision she presented. He’d known his share of women:
models, celebrities, even royalty, but he’d never seen anyone as gorgeous as
her. Shoulder length, with bangs that framed her delicate features, her black
hair contrasted to her porcelain skin and the snow around her. Her large eyes
were blue, dark, almost a sapphire color, and she was tiny. But it wasn’t so
much her beauty which stood her apart, it was the calm inner strength she was
radiating. To Nathan that level of self-confidence was as sexy as hell. He
shook his head, pulling his focus from the woman and back to the accident.
People might be injured. Now was not the time.

“Is
anyone hurt?” he asked, unable to stop himself moving closer to her. As he
stepped into a clear space he noticed the other car on its roof. It looked a
lot like Doug’s SUV.

Shit
.
His friend drove like a daredevil with a death wish, not one ounce of
self-preservation. “Is that Doug’s car?”

She
still hadn’t said anything and her focus had not wavered off him once. He
stopped as a whimper sounded from behind her.

“Does
anyone need any help?” he tried again. “This is my property.”

Finally
she shifted, straightening a little. “Doug’s friend, right?”

Nathan
ground to a halt as the lyrical tones of her voice washed over him. Damn, what
the hell was wrong with him? Massive car accident in front of him, and still,
all he could think about was how sexy she was. He again forced himself to
focus.

“Yes,
I’m Nate.” He heard the whimper again, followed by a distinct cry. “Is that a
baby?”

He
tried to keep the horror from his voice. The storm was worsening and he had to
find out how many needed help. She turned her back on him then, leaning into
the backseat. She had to stand on tiptoes to reach, but without much effort
emerged with a baby in a car seat.

“I
don’t want to take her out until I can assess for injuries.” Her voice remained
soft and calm as she shifted the car seat. “Can you look in there for a diaper
bag?”

Nathan
moved forward to assist, but the entire time his curiosity burned. He’d been
around the block a few times. People rarely surprised him. Mostly they were
assholes, he accepted that. Hell, most of the time he was an asshole. But she
was different. For one thing, judging from the cut across her eyebrow, she had
been in the accident. He had seen the path of destruction the cars had cut as
they plunged over the embankment from the main road above, and yet she showed
not one sign of distress, no panic or shock. If anything she seemed to be
assessing the situation and dealing with each matter as it arose. He knew that
had she been a typical college girl – like the ones who annoyed the shit out of
him every game night – she’d be curled up on the ground having a hysterical
meltdown.

As
he moved into the open doorway, his eyes flicked to the young woman face down
on the steering wheel, feeling grief for the life lost and sympathy for the
tiny baby. She’d lost her mother tonight. He knew what that felt like, even
though his mother was technically still alive. Trying not to disturb the body,
he rummaged through the car, his huge frame having difficulty maneuvering
around the crushed sedan. Finally he found, wedged under the crumpled front
dash, a plastic bag with a small pack of diapers and one tin inside.

“This
is it.” He emerged holding the two items out for her inspection. She was about
five feet away, having moved into a slight alcove formed by the snow. It was
allowing a little protection from the storm.

“It
will have to do,” she yelled over the wind howling through the gully. “He’s
dead,” she said, halting Nathan on his way to Doug’s car.

He
glanced back but didn’t stop. He wasn’t a man to just take someone’s word.
People lied. It took thirty seconds from when he reached the window to realize
she was right. Doug’s head hung at an angle that didn’t look natural, and his
body was still. Grief and guilt rose up in Nathan, and in that moment he was
glad his teammate’s eyes were closed. Doug might have been a loudmouth, but he
was a good guy deep down and they’d been friends since freshman year.

“I’ll
come back for you, buddy,” Nathan said, having to clear his throat. He should
never have asked Doug to come out in the storm.

“We
need to move now.” Her voice came from close at his back. Nathan jumped as he
swung around. He thought he caught flickers of sympathy in her gaze, but she
was difficult to read.

“I’m
sorry about Doug, but this little girl needs to get to safety.” Her sapphire
eyes shone in the dying light. “Tell me there’s a cabin or something close by.”

“Yes,
it’s about a half-a-mile through those trees.” He pointed the way he came. “Let
me carry the baby. The snow is pretty deep in places and you might not have the
height.”

She
hesitated. He could see her eyes darting around as she took in the masses of
snow piling around them. Finally, she held out the black car seat for him to
take.

“Be
careful with her,” she warned. “She’s fallen asleep. I’ve checked her the best
I can inside of the seat and she seems to be okay. But we really need to move
quickly.”

The
tiny face was barely visible under the blankets that were secured around her.
She snuffled a few times in her sleep. Nathan pulled the precious bundle closer
toward his body. The woman reached down and picked up the plastic bag and a
bulky looking gym bag he hadn’t noticed before. He was pretty sure it was
Doug’s old one that he used when he went to the track.

“I’m
Melodee,” she said as she straightened. “Are you sure you know where you’re
going? I don’t like the thought of walking further away from the main road.”

Melodee
. The name took him by surprise. But it suited her.

“Trust
me, I basically grew up roaming this property, I’ll get us to the cabin.”

She
stared at him for an extra beat before nodding her consent.

It took them fifteen minutes
to get back through the trees. The snow was at least half-a-foot deeper and a
few branches had come down in the wind. Trying to wade through without
disturbing the sleeping baby was a challenge, but he was always up for those.
Finally, he could see the edge of the cabin.

“It’s
just over there,” he yelled into the wind, pointing.

He
caught Melodee’s nod, but she didn’t reply. He was impressed. He was six feet
three; she had to be at least a foot shorter, but had had no trouble keeping
pace. In fact, during their journey she’d showcased some pretty impressive
gymnastic skills, using branches and logs to aid her journey. He’d thought she would
need his help a lot, but not once had she looked to him for assistance.

It
was pretty dark out now despite the fact it was only lunchtime, but he couldn’t
see any lights from the cabin.
Power must
be out
. The emergency generators would keep the essentials going, but he
didn’t have them set for all the lights. It was more important to stop the
pipes freezing over. Cutting a path across the field, they finally reached the
outer verandah. The door was easy enough to shift open, and warmth encased him
as he stepped inside and waited for Melodee to join him. There might be no
power, but the fire was roaring in the front informal lounge room.

Miguel
stepped in from the side door which led to the stockyards. “Nate! Thank God,
I’ve been searching all over for you.” He did a double take as he noticed
Melodee.

Nathan
cleared his throat. “Miguel, this is Melodee, she was in a car accident. I went
to help when I heard the crash.”

The
older man rushed forward, concern etched on his Asian features as he captured
her hand. She looked uncomfortable but didn’t pull away.

“You
poor thing, are you okay?” He led her toward the huge beige couch. He wasn’t
much taller than she was. “Sit down, let me check that cut on your face.”

She
reached up a hand to feel along her cheek, before wincing as she came to the
gash on her eyebrow. It was as if she hadn’t realized she was injured until
right then.

“Thank
you, but I’m fine.” Her voice was firm. “We need to check the baby.” She
untwisted her scarf and dropped off the heavy coat, leaving herself clad in a
white long-sleeved, ribbed tank. It hugged her curves, right down to the soft,
form-fitting jeans. With effort Nathan pulled his eyes from her.

The
baby was starting to stir again, little cries were emerging. Melodee was at
Nathan’s side in no time. He couldn’t believe how quickly she moved. She held
out a hand and he passed the black car seat over to her. She showed no strain
as she lifted the heavy carrier and moved silently toward the warmth of the
fire. Placing it gently onto the ground, she started to remove the layers of
blankets.

“Hello,
sweetheart, you’re such a good girl. Yes, you’re okay, little one.”

Nathan
could hear her low murmurs as she ran her hands along the baby. Her examination
was thorough, starting at the crown of her head and moving to the tip of her
toes.

“Are
you a doctor?” Miguel asked. He was crouched close by, probably hoping she
would need assistance. He had more energy than two men and hated to do nothing.

She
looked up, her stunning features softening, the sapphire blue of her eyes
shining in the firelight. She shook her head, the straight black hair flying
around her face. Nathan had to stop himself also moving toward her. Something
about her drew him in and destroyed him inside.
Damn.
He did not need to start caring about a woman he’d just met.

“No
formal training.” She shrugged. “But I have a lot of field experience.”

Nathan’s
brow furrowed. What did that mean?

Reaching
in, Melodee unbuckled the clasp across the baby’s chest. She lifted her out of
the seat and Nathan moved forward to help. He reached for the warm, thick throw
which sat across the back of the couch and draped it over the rug in front of
the fire. Melodee smiled her thanks as she laid the tiny child onto the soft
surface. The little girl was dressed in some type of single piece jumpsuit with
lots of complicated buttons up the front. With ease, Melodee released the
clasps and freed the kicking legs.

“Can
you pass me a diaper, and I’ll need a few cloths with warm water.”

As
Miguel stood to get the cloths, Melodee halted him with one hand on his arm.
“And to save time, also some boiled or filtered warm water to make her a
bottle.”

“I’ll
be right back,” Miguel said as he hurried off.