He marched to the driver’s-side door and plopped behind the wheel. “Where’s your car?”
“Near the chapel somewhere.”
He glanced at her. She sat like a stone, her gaze fixed on the road. Her voice sounded flat.
“Put on your seat belt.”
Her hands shook as she followed his order.
He shifted into drive and rolled forward. When he’d located her car and determined it wouldn’t block traffic, not that there was much out here, he pointed his Jeep toward home. There hadn’t appeared to be any damage to the vehicle, so she hadn’t run off the road. What he could see of the tires hadn’t given the impression she’d had a flat. Maybe the battery had died on her.
She started to shake. The adrenaline he’d heard in her voice when she called was wearing off. Not to mention she was likely freezing. He turned up the heat and drove a little faster.
He didn’t ask any more questions. She didn’t ask where he was taking her. Shock, he supposed. But from what?
She didn’t utter another word until they arrived at his house. “I apologize for the trouble.”
“Not a problem.” He braced for Angie’s attack as he unlocked and opened his front door.
As he’d anticipated, the dog reared up to greet him. “Hey, girl.” He scratched her head and ushered her down. He glanced at his guest. “She’s harmless, but a little aggressive with her curiosity.”
Sarah Newton blinked, still looking damned dazed.
“Down, Angie,” he ordered as he opened the door wider for Newton to enter his domain. He swiped the wall switch, and the lamps on either side of the couch illuminated.
Angie wagged her tail and smelled their guest’s sneakers. Newton stared at her as if she was an alien life form.
Kale closed the door and cast around for what to say next. He didn’t bring strangers home too often. How about never?
In fact, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a female in the house who wasn’t his dog, his mother, or his sister. He tried to visualize his place as she would see it. Not exactly rustic, but definitely on the ordinary side.
Like everything else in his life.
“I should have brought my gloves.”
Startled from his ludicrous musings by her odd statement, he looked her over again just to be sure he wasn’t missing something that required immediate medical attention. “You’ve lost me.” He dragged off his coat. “What about—”
She reached toward him, turned her hands palms up. The red marks on her palms looked like burns. “I should have brought my gloves,” she repeated.
“How did you do that?” He reached out, inspected the marks more closely. Her hands were like ice. Angie, hearing the tension in his voice, barked. “Settle down, girl.”
“The vines.” Newton exhaled a shaky breath. “That’s how I broke my fall.”
He shook his head, totally confused. “You’re going to have to start at the beginning.” She opened her mouth but he stopped her. “First, we should get you warmed up.” What was wrong with him? She’d stood out in the cold inadequately dressed for God knows how long. “Take off your coat.”
She looked as puzzled as he felt, but she did as he said. He pointed to the couch. “Sit. I’ll be right back.”
He strode to his bedroom, Angie on his heels, and gathered a wool blanket and down comforter and a couple of pillows. By the time he reached the living room once more, Newton’s teeth were chattering. He swaddled her in the blanket and ushered her down onto the couch.He tucked the pillows behind her and tugged off her sneakers. Her socks were wet, so he pulled them off, too.
“Down, girl,” he scolded as his curious companion attempted to sniff his guest’s half-frozen feet. “I’ll get you some dry socks.” When he’d covered her with the down comforter, he snapped his fingers for Angie to come and hustled back to his bedroom for socks.
Angie trotted alongside him as he returned to the living room. “Put these on.” He tossed the socks to Newton. “I’ll make some tea.”
Backing slowly toward the kitchen, he was almost afraid to take his eyes off her. She was too quiet. Her movements mechanical. Definitely out of character. What the hell had happened to her out there?
“Come, girl.” He patted his leg and Angie joined him at the stove. He checked the kettle and turned on the burner beneath it. His mom had sent over chicken and sausage gumbo that he hadn’t bothered eating tonight. Newton looked as if she could use a few good meals.
As soon as he had her warmed up, he would have some answers. If Mayor Patterson learned that she had been running around in the middle of the night—without Kale—he would not be happy. He didn’t even want to consider what the chief would say.
