Her bottom lip wavered, and I took a slow, measured step toward her. “I fell,” she admitted before an ugly sob shook her body.
Chapter three
Grace
Ididn't know what was worse, the throbbing pain in my ankle or the fact that the hottest man I’d ever seen in my life was standing in front of me and I looked like I’d been hit by a truck.
“You all right there, miss?” he asked, a twang to his voice that made me forget about my bloody knee.
I stared at him like an idiot. I didn’t have words. When he stepped toward me, I blurted out, “I fell,” like a bumbling fool.
“You look like you’ve made a bit of a mess there,” he confirmed, pointing at my leg.
No shit, Sherlock. It might look bad, but I could pretty much guarantee that it hurt more.
There was something about him. I don't know if it was the way he blundered and looked like he’d been the one knocked on his ass or the fact that his aviators hid his eyes, but I was intrigued. If I was smart, I would’ve been scared, but instead, I was intrigued and needed to know more.
He stepped toward me, and I straightened my spine. I stood as tall as I could while balancing on one leg and trying not to fall on my ass. Again.
“What are you doing all the way out here this time of night? It’ll be dark soon,” he pointed out the obvious.
“I was supposed to be home by now, but … well, I fell, and it’s taking a lot longer to get back than it should.”
“I could give you a ride,” he offered, pushing his hair off his forehead.
Gabriella would kill me if I got in the car with a stranger, but the more I considered his offer the better it sounded. Getting a ride with a sexy stranger was better than hobbling home in the dark where I could get eaten by a wild animal or freeze to death. It wasn’t like I was dressed to spend the night exposed to the elements.
“You can call someone and give them my name and license plate if it makes you more comfortable. My mama would have my hide, God rest her soul, if she knew I left a beautiful woman alone to fend for herself.”
That got my attention. “I’m not some damsel in distress,” I snapped harshly, immediately regretting my tone.
He just grinned making his adorable dimples pop. You know the ones that made smart girls do dumb things? Dumb things like climb in a sexy stranger’s truck without so much as asking his name.
Before common sense kicked in or I started to listen to Gabriella’s nagging voice in my head, he helped me into the cab of his truck. When he leaned across and pulled the seatbelt overme, making sure I wasn’t going anywhere, I almost groaned. Part of me wanted to kick and scream and remind him that I wasn’t a toddler, but kicking and screaming probably wouldn’t help me prove my point. Instead, I waited until he shut the door and rounded the hood before I looked around.
His truck wasn’t messy, a bit dirty with mud on the floors and a sweatshirt tossed on the back seat, but it was the smell that I couldn’t place. It was something completely masculine and honest and I could see myself becoming addicted.
He swung up into the cab and fired up the ignition. “Where to darlin’?” he asked, I swooned.
“Wait!” I cut him off before the wheels started rolling.
“What’s wrong?” he replied, panic in his voice.
“What’s your name?” I asked slightly embarrassed. I probably should have asked before I climbed into his truck, but better late than never.
He chuckled. A low rumbling sound I knew I could get used to. “Name’s Cole. Cole Flanigan,” he replied, stretching his hand out to shake mine.
“Nice to meet you Cole. I’m Grace Hamilton,” I confirmed, placing my palm in his. His huge hand dwarfing mine.
“You too Grace. Now, where are we headed?” he asked again, pulling his hand back.
“Do you know Sweet Dreams B&B?”
“Georgia’s place?”
Of course, he knew Georgia. Everyone did. She was never backward in coming forward, and if she got one look at this guy, I’m sure she’d be introducing herself.
I deflated.
