arms thrust inside and he grabbed around her waist, hauling. A part of her brain registered it had to be bad if he wasn’t taking his time. Her heart in her throat, she angled over and gripped his shoulders. In a bumpy, painful drag, she was up and out of the car.
Cradled against David’s chest. She gave herself three seconds to sigh in relief before she looked over his shoulder.
Oh God.
The wreck was worse than she thought. A trio of mangled cars wrapped around one another like a bad game of Twister. Smoke poured from the hoods of all three. Cars were parked willy-nilly on the highway with people talking on cell phones and helping the others in the accident. A teenage girl stumbled from one car, cradling her arm. An elderly couple walked away from the other car, seemingly unharmed, but the chaos in front of her still scared her.
She’d caused this. She didn’t know how she’d lost control of her car, but there was no denying her memory. She’d been at fault.
Her breath hitched.
David looked down at her, concern in his deep blue eyes. “Did I hurt you? Do you think you can stand?”
“I can stand.” Her teeth chattered. “I’m totally fine.”
“You look it,” he said wryly, setting her on her feet by his Scout parked on the side of the road.
“You’re a crappy liar.” She held on to his hands to make sure she didn’t stumble, the world still spinning.
“That was sarcasm.” He stared into her eyes and checked the back of her head. “As soon as the police finish filling out their report, we’re going to the ER.”
Not again. She’d had enough of hospitals to last a lifetime—when her father died, then her husband. “I just want to finish here and go home.” She turned back toward the car. “I should get my purse and my briefcase. They’ll need my insurance information. And I don’t want to lose the picture Ricky drew for me.”
“I’ll make sure they get them out before they tow the car.”
“Provided it doesn’t blow up, you mean.”
He cradled her face in his broad hands. “I’m just glad you’re okay, and I intend to make sure you stay that way. Your head has been bashed around twice now. We’re not taking chances. Once the tow truck arrives, we’re leaving for the hospital, and then you’re coming home with me.”
“
We
are going to the hospital?
We
are going home together?” Where the hell had he gotten that idea? She grabbed his wrist and pulled his hand away before she did something silly—like lean into him. “What makes you think you get to make these kinds of decisions for me?”
“And what makes you believe you’re thinking clearly now? You’ve had a break-in and a car accident in two days.”
“So I’m having a really crappy run of luck. I’ll lock my doors better and take a cab to work.” She bit her lips to keep from losing her cool. What was it about this man that got under her skin? “Thank you for your concern. But I’ll be fine.”
“Odds are, you’re right and I’m worrying for nothing.” He stepped closer, crowding her and heating her at the same time. “But are you willing to put your son and grandmother at risk based on odds?”
Her head snapped back. “You really know how to go for the jugular, Major.”
“Maybe I should have been a lawyer, too.”
And still his argument took root. Fear pushed through the numbed feeling she’d had since the accident. Her mind and her senses turned sharper. The scent of smoke on the air, the wail of sirens in the distance, all reminded her of how fragile life could be.
She couldn’t afford to take chances, her son couldn’t afford for her to take the risk. “Fine, you win.”
Nodding tightly, he opened the passenger door on his Scout. “Wanna sit down before you fall down? You can chew me out all you want on the way to the emergency room.”
* * *
“Thanks for letting us descend on you like this, Madison.” Sophie dropped her son’s overnight bag on the double bed four
Cradled against David’s chest. She gave herself three seconds to sigh in relief before she looked over his shoulder.
Oh God.
The wreck was worse than she thought. A trio of mangled cars wrapped around one another like a bad game of Twister. Smoke poured from the hoods of all three. Cars were parked willy-nilly on the highway with people talking on cell phones and helping the others in the accident. A teenage girl stumbled from one car, cradling her arm. An elderly couple walked away from the other car, seemingly unharmed, but the chaos in front of her still scared her.
She’d caused this. She didn’t know how she’d lost control of her car, but there was no denying her memory. She’d been at fault.
Her breath hitched.
David looked down at her, concern in his deep blue eyes. “Did I hurt you? Do you think you can stand?”
“I can stand.” Her teeth chattered. “I’m totally fine.”
“You look it,” he said wryly, setting her on her feet by his Scout parked on the side of the road.
“You’re a crappy liar.” She held on to his hands to make sure she didn’t stumble, the world still spinning.
“That was sarcasm.” He stared into her eyes and checked the back of her head. “As soon as the police finish filling out their report, we’re going to the ER.”
Not again. She’d had enough of hospitals to last a lifetime—when her father died, then her husband. “I just want to finish here and go home.” She turned back toward the car. “I should get my purse and my briefcase. They’ll need my insurance information. And I don’t want to lose the picture Ricky drew for me.”
“I’ll make sure they get them out before they tow the car.”
“Provided it doesn’t blow up, you mean.”
He cradled her face in his broad hands. “I’m just glad you’re okay, and I intend to make sure you stay that way. Your head has been bashed around twice now. We’re not taking chances. Once the tow truck arrives, we’re leaving for the hospital, and then you’re coming home with me.”
“
We
are going to the hospital?
We
are going home together?” Where the hell had he gotten that idea? She grabbed his wrist and pulled his hand away before she did something silly—like lean into him. “What makes you think you get to make these kinds of decisions for me?”
“And what makes you believe you’re thinking clearly now? You’ve had a break-in and a car accident in two days.”
“So I’m having a really crappy run of luck. I’ll lock my doors better and take a cab to work.” She bit her lips to keep from losing her cool. What was it about this man that got under her skin? “Thank you for your concern. But I’ll be fine.”
“Odds are, you’re right and I’m worrying for nothing.” He stepped closer, crowding her and heating her at the same time. “But are you willing to put your son and grandmother at risk based on odds?”
Her head snapped back. “You really know how to go for the jugular, Major.”
“Maybe I should have been a lawyer, too.”
And still his argument took root. Fear pushed through the numbed feeling she’d had since the accident. Her mind and her senses turned sharper. The scent of smoke on the air, the wail of sirens in the distance, all reminded her of how fragile life could be.
She couldn’t afford to take chances, her son couldn’t afford for her to take the risk. “Fine, you win.”
Nodding tightly, he opened the passenger door on his Scout. “Wanna sit down before you fall down? You can chew me out all you want on the way to the emergency room.”
* * *
“Thanks for letting us descend on you like this, Madison.” Sophie dropped her son’s overnight bag on the double bed four
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