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Christ, I almost didn’t get to her in time.
Mitchell buckled himself in and stared at her in the dim red lights from the dash, the red not all that attractive of a light to shine on someone but it was easier on his eyes at night.
This woman’s skin was a rich brown with some hints of sienna. Or at least that’s what he saw. Perhaps in natural light it would look different. Not as touchable? Doubtful. Her hair had been yanked back into a tight bun and he couldn’t tell if it was perfectly straight or had waves. Some had fallen free and plastered against her face from the snow.
Not that I should be thinking about that.
“Are you okay?” He reached for her only to hesitate before actually touching her. Helping her up a hill was different than placing his hands on her in a car. He was a stranger.
She bit her lower lip and grimaced as she secured her belt without turning her head toward him. “I will be.”
I shouldn’t be thinking about how plump her lips are.
After a mental ass-kicking, he put the SUV in gear and drove off, going even slower now than he had been. Cutting his gaze to her, he noticed that she kept her face averted from him. He called 911 again to let them know she was with him. She didn’t speak, didn’t offer up her name to the dispatcher on the line, so he provided it. She huddled in the seat, pressed to the door.
He cut the call off and glanced over to her once more.
“Turn on the seat warmer. Low not high. That’ll help. How long were you stuck there? Where were you headed?” He had blankets in the back but didn’t want to stop. He could feel the wheels of his SUV spinning before they caught and it was getting hard for even him to drive on the winding mountain road.
To wherever that was going to be.
She didn’t move. “A few hours, I think. South. I was headed south.”
He frowned. That was too fucking long for someone to be out in weather like this, especially not properly dressed for it, and he turned the seat warmer on low for her. And south was an extremely vague response. A lot of places were south of Vermont.
“Why were you out here on a night like this?” He focused on the road. “Hope?”
She jerked slightly, almost as if she’d been about to fall asleep. Or maybe she had been dozing in the warmth already. “Why are you?”
Her tone was exhausted but that didn’t hide the bite of sass he heard. His involuntary smile surprised him.
“I wanted to rescue a southern lady.” He readjusted his grip on the wheel. “Took me a while to find one who likes my voice.” He wanted to make her relax. More than that, he wanted to get her somewhere he could check her over.
“Sorry for ruining your night.” Nothing but honesty in her tone.
Lights shone through the near white-out conditions, and they had to stop. They had no choice.
“You didn’t ruin anything.” Mitchell ensured his voice held no room for disagreement. The last thing he needed was her feeling worse because her car had gone off the road in a blizzard. “I’m going to see if this place has room.”
Not that we have any other choice but to stop here.
He parked in the parking lot. “You wait here. I don’t want you walking on that leg until we can assess the damage.” Even though he knew she would have to eventually, because no way could he do that in the car. The weather was getting progressively worse.
The Thrush & the Clover was an extremely popular bed and breakfast. They typically slowed down between Christmas and Valentine’s Day. However, judging from the number of vehicles in the lot, that wasn’t the case this year.
Mitchell hopped out, leaving the vehicle running, gritted his teeth against the cold, and jogged to the steps leading up to the front door. Heat rushed to meet him as he stepped inside. Then he froze.
Welcome Singles said a banner in the entryway. Holy fuck. What was this?
“Welcome to The Thrush & the Clover.” An older woman walked up. “Are you here for the mixer? This weather had a few cancellations.” A smile. “But brought others.”
“No. I’m not here for any mixer. I need to rent two rooms.”
She frowned. “I only have one room left. Can you share?”
Could they?
Sure.
Did he want to?
No!
“I’ll take it. I also need a first-aid kit or a doctor, if you have one. She was in a car accident.”
“Bring her in.” The woman rushed off. Mitchell returned to the SUV. The glow from the overhead lamp let him see Hope had fallen asleep. He didn’t want to wake her. But he had to.
