'Tis the Season: A Collection of Mimi's Christmas Books Read Free

who clearly had a great deal on his mind. Lurking behind the visible anger, she sensed worry and what looked like fear. That alone helped her to forgive his rotten attitude.
    In a placating manner that was so Sara, her hand reached out to touch his arm. “Look, I’m fine, and I’m sorry for scaring you. But I have an emergency. My car is stuck in a snowdrift around that bend, and I couldn’t get phone service there. Useless old phone that it is. I hoped that if I came to the straight stretch, I might get a signal. I guess I became so engrossed, I didn’t even notice your headlights.”
    For a moment, she didn’t think he’d accept her explanation. The man ignored her and repeatedly ran his hands through his wind-blown hair, his agitation obvious. Then, as her words registered, he grabbed her arms, she supposed to shut her up, and interrupted in a voice that normally she’d never have put up with.
    “What kind of an emergency? Late for a party?” His sarcasm grated, but before she could volley back, he continued, his voice breaking with emotion. “I have a thirteen-year-old, runaway daughter who could be roaming these woods. The silly twit has no survival skills of any sort for this kind of weath—”
    “Amy Watson is your daughter? Oh my goodness, she’s my emergency also. My dog found her in the bush, and we’ve brought her to the car, but I’m scared she’s in the first stages of hypothermia. I was desperate to get help before I run out of gas. She needs to be indoors.”
    The chauvinistic brute disappeared, replaced instantly by a frightened father who unthinkingly lowered his forehead to touch hers in a way that tore the heart right out of her. A sucker for any kind of male emotion, Sara wrapped an arm around the stranger and held on for a few seconds. Her voice gentled. “She’s fine, just a swollen ankle on top of being frightened and cold. Come with me, I’ll show you.”
    The first step she took would have landed her on her fanny without his assistance. “Dear Lord! You are a menace, aren’t you? Look! Don’t move for a minute until I turn off my car and get my medical bag. Then I’ll help you.”
    As she waited, she sifted through the pithy responses she should have made after his smart-ass remark. Instead, she said nothing and shone the flashlight to help him see his way better. On his return, she couldn’t help but notice how young he appeared and—well—dark. From his full eyebrows and longish hair, to his eyes and his heavy jacket, and when she added his personality into the mix, it looked to be a long night.
    Sara, aware her eyes were a dead giveaway to her thoughts, looked away. “I hope Amy isn’t scared with me being gone so long. She was pretty upset by the time I found her.”
    “Lately she’s become emotional over every little thing. Trust me, I know.”
    “It’s called puberty. As a doctor, I’m sure you’re aware of the phenomenon. It happens to teenage girls.” Her snippy tone came out without any thought of how it would sound to a virtual stranger. Between her and Kai, they tended to ‘dis’ each other, as he called it, ‘push buttons’ to her way of thinking, and her response had come automatically.
    His head swivelled, and he eyeballed her innocent expression before answering. “I’m an administrator, not a practising MD. But I do know what that means. And, I’ve given her a lot of slack. Obviously too much, since she thought she could pull off a stupid stunt like she did today. ”
    “I think she’s sorry for running away. She’s been frightened, and that in itself is a huge lesson.” Involved in the conversation and not paying attention to her next step, Sara, arms windmilling, instinctively grabbed at the person nearest to stop her imminent fall. Rather than stop herself from landing on her backside, she hauled him down with her.
    “Lady, you’re a hazard. It should be mandatory every time you leave your house for you to strap on a blinking yellow