The tires gave out a hot screech as he came up behind the Chevy, the truck’s massive bumper growing closer and closer still as the smell of burning rubber hit the air.
Come on…stop, stop, stop…
Crack!
The sound, accompanied by the slightest jolt, told Burke that he hadn’t missed the bumper completely. He’d nicked it, just barely. A curse slipped through his clenched jaw as anger tightened his frame from head to foot.
Concern had gone right out the window. Now he was just pissed. How hard could it be to just drive in a straight line without swerving all over the place? How hard could it be to just get out of the way before slowing down so much that you cause an accident?
Burke took the car out of gear, cranked the parking brake, and shut off the engine. After climbing out of the car, he hurried to survey the damage. The shiny grill showed the slightest dent, indicating where he’d nicked the truck’s bumper.
A dozen possibilities came to mind as he considered how to address the driver.
Hey, buddy, try getting a driver’s license before getting behind the wheel next time.
Or,You’ll be glad to know that I’ve called the authorities and told them to bring their handcuffs—one of us is gonna end up in them.
Gravel crunched beneath his boots as he marched toward the driver’s side window, the wordswhat the freak is wrong with you, man?taking the lead.
He peered through the glass, ready to take in the face of his offender, when the sight of curly blonde locks caught his gaze. Okay, so it was a woman. He calmed down a notch as he folded his arms across his chest and waited for her to exit the truck.
She didn’t.
In fact, the woman had turned in the seat and was focused on something beside her. Sparks of irritation flared as he balled his hand into a fist. Yet just as he readied to tap the glass, a sad sounding whimper stopped him cold.
Crying.Great, she was crying.
His readied fist hovered less than an inch from the window as his shoulders slumped. His irritation level might not be as high as it was, but it hadn’t dwindled much either. Maybe he should walk away, not get involved.
Before the thought could even take root the woman darted a look over her shoulder. At the same time, she flung open the door and cracked him right in the shin. The sharp and sudden pain had him stifling another curse.
Geez, was this lady trying to kill him?
“Sorry,” the woman sobbed as Burke cupped his shin with a hand. Blood seeped through his suit pants and onto his palm. He glanced up, summoning something other thanyeah right,and met eyes with her at last.
Wide green eyes, long lashes that were wet with tears, and flushed cheeks that glistened as she pushed an unruly lock from her face.
His breath hitched.Whoa.She was…stunning.
“She’s dead,” the woman sobbed.
Burke leaned far over to see what she was referring to. He caught sight of a shallow box first, the corner of a flannel blanket within, and then came a sight that made his stomach churn—a calico paw.
He groaned and pulled away.Shewas the country woman he’d feared affecting, and the cat he’d hit was her something warm to cuddle up to.
“Who does this?” she asked with a sniff. “Who just carelessly runs over a soft, beautiful creature like this and then leaves it on the street to die?”
Burke took his hand off the wound and straightened up. “It was…probably killed on impact,” he pointed out, but the woman was already hunched over the poor thing again and wiping at tears.
The sight, combined with her broken cry, tangled Burke’s emotions into burning knots in his gut. “I, um…I don’t think you’re in the best condition to be driving right now,” he said softly. “How about I call you a tow truck and take you home myself?”
“It’s Frank,” she said with a sniff.
Burke’s brow furrowed. “The cat is?”
“No, the towing guy. He’s nice and everything, but he overcharges because he’s the only one within miles who can do it.”
“I don’t mind paying. Please, it’s…” Why were the wordsthe least he could doready to roll off his lips? She was the one who’d turned this moment into a living hell. What hadhedone?
