Nothing Short of a Miracle Read Free

and sent up a prayer that things would work out somehow. Heaven only knew she didn’t need anything else to go wrong right now. What she needed was nothing short of a miracle.
    Crunch!
    Gabriella’s car jolted forward. Once again her head swung forward then slammed back against the headrest. She held her breath, stunned.
    “Isn’t anyone up there listening?” What if I’d been killed like Karen and Tom? Who would take care of Nina? What if Nina had been injured?
    “Dear, Lord. Let Nina be okay.”
    She wiped at her tears that had a mind of their own as they trailed down her cheeks. Once again she leaned over the back seat to make sure Nina was safe. Her niece’s pudgy cheeks were smooth and rosy, her lower lip snug against the top lip fluttered, then settled with a soft sigh. Gabriella took another deep, steadying breath. More tears sprang to her eyes.
    Gabriella scanned the intersection. Aside from the vehicle that had just rear-ended her, the street was quiet, empty. Light snowflakes drifted down in lazy swirls. Gabriella turned the motor off, unfastened her seatbelt, and stepped from the car. Her legs buckled. A pair of strong arms caught her before she hit the pavement.
    Gabriella looked up to find a pair of dazzling ice-blue eyes glaring down at her. His touch sent a warm jolt up her arm. She looked down to where firm, very strong, well-manicured hands gripped her coat sleeve. She shuddered. She gulped in the cold winter air, let it out slowly, and stepped back against the car for support. She looked up at him—he was standing much too close. His rugged good looks had her body temperature rising despite the cold winter air. She must have hit her head on the steering wheel harder than she realized if she was this affected by a complete stranger.
    Oh, my God, did she just hear bells ringing in the distance? Or were they in her head?
    She blinked and shook her head. Puffs of wispy snowflakes floated down around them as if they were standing in a snow globe. Gabriella craned her neck back to get a better look at the stranger. And met those dazzling periwinkle blue eyes. A tuft of dark curly hair stuck out from beneath his hunter-green baseball cap. His compressed lips hinted at dimples. Dazed, she felt suspended in time.
    “What do you think you’re doing slamming on your brakes like that?” he demanded, shaking her out of her disconcerting thoughts.
    The enchanting cocoon of the moment dissolved in an instant. His tone reminded her of Charles.
    “God, lady, you could have gotten hurt if I hadn’t been paying attention.”
    He let go of her arm and whirled around toward the rear of her car. Her knees gave out. She leaned back against the car for support wishing he was the one holding her steady. What was it with him? One moment he supported her, and the next he practically threw her aside.
    Her gloves still on the passenger seat, Gabriella tucked her hands inside her coat pockets. The man slid his tall frame in between their vehicles to assess the damage.
    “My, God.” he moaned, and clapped his hand to his forehead. “ Look .” he said, pointing to the front fender of his silver Mustang.
    Gabriella, her knees cooperating at last, walked to where he stood and checked out the alleged damaged to his car. She didn’t see a thing.
    “ A dent. Lady, I just paid good money to refurbish this baby and now look what you’ve done. If you weren’t so irresponsible, this never would have happened.”
    “Me?” she squeaked, her back straight, her eyes wide. “No way. You slammed into me. And there is no dent, so don’t you go turning the tables and blame me for your reckless driving.”
    She swiveled around to check out her own bumper and froze. “Holy crap. Look what you’ve done to my car. I’m the one with a dented back end.”
    Gabriella approached him and pointed her finger at his chest. Never one to strike another person, the strongest urge to do just that bubbled up inside. She held back, took a deep