Snow Angel Cove (Hqn) Read Free Page B

that had hit Eliza Hayward in the past hour when the woman who had first come out of the store to help after the accident approached him.
    She was young, he could see now, no more than twenty-seven or -eight.
This
was the new mayor of Haven Point?
    “You’re Aidan Caine, aren’t you?”
    She said it bluntly and without any of the kind of embarrassing awe he sometimes encountered. In fact, her voice and expression were completely devoid of any kind of warmth.
    “I am, yes. I’m afraid I didn’t catch your name.”
    She wasn’t overtly hostile but there was definitely a coolness in her tone and expression. “I don’t think I told you. I’m McKenzie Shaw. That’s my store over there. Point Made Flowers and Gifts.”
    Was she trying to drum up business? This really wasn’t the time.
    “I like your Christmas tree,” Maddie said.
    The woman smiled at her with considerably more warmth than she had shown Aidan. “Thanks, honey. If you come in with your mom, I’ll give you an ornament made out of a pinecone. I make them myself.”
    “Wow! Thanks,” Maddie said.
    “You’re welcome.”
    Ms. Shaw turned back to Aidan. “I’m also the newly elected mayor of Haven Point and will take office in January.”
    “So you said.”
    “I apologize again on behalf of the town for the poor road conditions,” she said stiffly. “You can be assured, it won’t happen again.”
    Was she afraid he would pursue legal action against the town? The fault was entirely his own. If he had been driving a vehicle with better tires, this wouldn’t have happened. He was already planning on purchasing an additional vehicle besides the ranch Suburban and pickup truck—one with excellent tires—that he could leave at the Lake Haven airport and use for ground transportation on future visits.
    Before he had the chance to tell her that, a police officer approached them. “I’m Officer Bailey with the Haven Point police department. I understand you were the driver of the vehicle that struck Mrs. Hayward while the light was red and she was in the crosswalk,” she said sternly.
    “Yes,” he answered. By her unfriendly tone and set jaw, he had to wonder if he was going to end up behind bars over this whole thing. He wasn’t sure the town even
had
a jail but he had a feeling he was about to find out.
    “I saw the whole thing from my shop window, Wyn,” McKenzie Shaw said. “He wasn’t speeding and definitely tried to stop in time.”
    He blinked, shocked by the would-be mayor’s unexpected defense.
    “It’s that stupid patch of black ice,” she went on. “How many times have I tried to get the road department to lay down extra salt solution there?”
    “Plenty,” Officer Bailey said. “Regardless, it’s still considered a failure to yield situation. I’m going to need to see your license and registration.”
    “You know who this is, don’t you, Wyn?” McKenzie said, giving him a significant look.
    The police officer—who looked only a few years older than the new mayor—gave a shrug. “Sure I do. No matter what Mr. Caine might think, owning half the town doesn’t give him any special privileges, as far as the law is concerned.”
    Why the hell were all the women in this town pissed at him? This was only the second time he had even stepped foot in Haven Point. What had he done?
    “I don’t expect special privileges,” he insisted.
    “Good.” She smirked. “Then you’ll understand that I have to give you a citation with a hefty fine.”
    “Absolutely,” he said, with a coolness to match hers.
    “Mr. Aidan! Where are they taking my mama?” Maddie spoke in a frantic voice, adding several progressively more insistent tugs on his shirt for emphasis.
    While he was talking to the new mayor and the police officer, the EMTs had started to load the stretcher into the back of the ambulance, he realized.
    “Where is the closest medical facility?” he demanded of the two women.
    “Lake Haven Hospital,” Officer Bailey