TAILS OF LOVE by Lori Foster and Friends

TAILS OF LOVE, A Charity Anthology featuring stories from Lori Foster, Stella Cameron, Sue-Ellen Welfonder, Kate Angell, Sarah McCarty, Donna MacMeans, Dianne Castell, Patricia Sargeant, Ann Christopher and Marcia James.

From Seeing Eye dogs to the cat who cuddles in your lap, animals are there for us in more ways than we can count. Helping us get through the day with a wag of the tail and a tilt of the head, they let us know that someone is on our side—no matter what. They also have an amazing ability to break down barriers between people; bringing families and loved ones closer, and giving strangers an excuse to strike up a conversation. In Tails of Love, each writer draws from her own unique perspective on our loyal friends—exploring the many mysterious ways they bring love into our lives.

Ten stories that celebrate our animal friends, by bestselling and award-winning authors. All Author and Agent proceeds from sales of the book will benefit the AAF - Animal Adoption Foundation - a no-kill animal shelter in Hamilton, Ohio.

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Excerpt From Lori Foster's MAN'S BEST FRIEND

Her heart lurched as she stared at the small creature with large, glistening eyes. Shaking from cold and unease, she immediately went to her knees on the gravel and pulled a small flashlight from her bag. Shining it at the critter, she found herself face to face with a sodden puppy of indiscriminate breed.

“Oh, baby.” Erin held out a hand. “There, there, it’s okay. I’m sorry if I hurt you,” she whispered. “I didn’t see you hunkered down there.”

The ball of wet, matted brown fur watched her from worried dark eyes. Whimpering, hopeful but afraid, it inched a little closer.

Very slowly, Erin got off her knees and went into a crouch. “It’s all right, baby. You look as cold and miserable as I feel. Come here, now. We’ll get warmed up together.”

The dog’s fur was filled with mud and possibly unspeakable things, like ticks and fleas. But what the hell, she wasn’t in much better shape herself now that the rain had soaked through to her skin and she’d fallen on the gravel lot. She pulled the little bundle up close and cradled it in her arms.
The puppy couldn’t weigh more than three pounds and had the distinct look of neglect about it. In the three years she’d been working with the park, Erin had seen and rescued plenty of wild animals. But never before had she encountered a pup.

Not being a dummy, she wondered if someone had left the animal there, and if the creep was still around.

The little dog shivered in her arms and laid back its ears in a beseeching way. Holding it close to her chest, Erin unlocked her car and slid inside, then closed and locked the door. Relieved for that much security, she decided to take the dog to her apartment and see what she could do about making it comfortable.

She put the key in the ignition, turned, and...
Nothing.

“Crap.” Her battery had died? Truly nervous now, she dug out her cell phone. “It’s okay, sweetie. We’ll be fine, I promise.”

But when she opened her phone and the light came on, she said, “Crap times two.” The battery was all but dead. For only a second, Erin flopped her head back against the seat and groaned. Stupid, stupid, stupid. She had to hurry and call someone, or she’d be stranded here alone for the night.

The dog licked her chin in encouragement, and after a pat meant to reassure, she tried calling her brother.

No answer. Jerk.

He was probably out having a great time somewhere. Not that he could have known she’d need him, but still...

Though it was summer, the freezing rain and cooler night temps sent shivers racing over her. Who to call?

One look out the window and she knew she couldn’t bother her folks. Not only would they have been in bed for hours, but she didn’t particularly want either of them to be out driving in this horrible storm.

As to friends... well, she didn’t have any super good friends who wouldn’t mind venturing out late on a rainy night to save her socially dysfunctional butt.

That left her with only one choice: Gary Rutledge.

Never mind that Gary was probably asleep, or with a woman, or that she’d been avoiding him for a few months now. Erin thought of the last time he’d called, how frustrated he’d been that she claimed to be too busy to see him.

They both knew it was a lie. Only she knew why she lied.

But damn it, what she wanted and what he wanted were worlds apart. His life was already too full to add a serious romantic relationship, and she cared too much about him for anything less. She had enough problems in her life without fostering a deliberate heartache.

But even if he wanted what she wanted, he had big plans ahead and she didn’t want to get in the way of those. And, when she was totally honest, his newfound popularity and social standing intimidated the hell out of her.

Lightning crashed across the sky, followed by a deep belch of car-jarring thunder. The pup yelped pitifully. Erin jumped. “Wow,” she said as she stroked the animal to calm it. It whined and tried to burrow under her arm. “Yeah, yeah,” she told the dog. “I know. It’s time to suck it up and make the call. I’ll do it right now.”

She’d ask Gary for help, but keep things cool and detached. Somehow.

Cooing to the dog, she dialed his number.

On the third ring, Gary gave a low, sleepy “Hello?”

Well hell. She’d sort of hoped against hope that he wouldn’t be in bed already, but it was obvious that she’d awakened him.

Erin cleared her throat and without meaning to, asked, “You alone, Rutledge?” If he was with another woman, she’d damn well crawl home in the storm before admitting she needed his help.

“Erin?” New awareness chased away the slumber in his tone. Voice now firm and demanding, he said, “What’s wrong?”

Her phone gave a series of near-silent beeps, indicating an impending disconnect from dead battery. Jostling the pup to keep it still in her lap, panicked at the idea that her phone would die any second, she rushed into speech. “I need you, Gary. I’m at the park, in the north lot, and everyone else is gone. Bring some towels. Maybe a blanket and –”

The phone blinked off.

Erin stared at it in horror, then let out a long breath.

Had she said enough?

Had he heard her location?

If so, surely he’d play white knight. Surely he’d understand the seriousness of what she asked.

Surely he’d come alone, and not force her to ride back with whoever his current bed-warmer might be.

Rain lashed her window and lightning again lit the area, stretching ominous shadows and amplifying just how alone she was. If Gary didn’t show up, she supposed she would have to start walking. That’d take at least an hour just to get to the main thoroughfares, and the park roads were dark and narrow and... well, scary. But she’d do it if she had to.

Hugging the dog, Erin wondered how she always got herself into these fixes.

She needed to get a handle on her work schedule.

She needed a new car.

Hell, she needed a new life.

Cracking the window to hear any sounds that might be unfamiliar to the surrounding woods, Erin waited. The pup whined in confusion and discomfort. She felt like joining in.

After ten minutes that felt like an hour, headlights shot into the parking lot and a sleek, sporty car crept in. Hope mingled with nervousness, but she’d just have to trust that it was Gary. If not, she might have a bigger problem than she wanted to contemplate.

Silhouetted by his own headlights, the driver got out. Moving toward her in the darkness, he looked big and powerful. His car idled in the silent lot.

Erin swallowed.
He wore a long windbreaker with the loose hood pulled up, hiding his features so it wasn’t until he’d strode right up to her car and his gorgeous face was there against the window, frowning in concern, that she knew it was Gary.

Her knees turned to Jello.

He looked relieved to see her, but also a little pissed. Brown eyes narrowed, rain dripping off his nose, he said, “Open up, Erin, and start explaining.”



Seeing Erin, sodden but safe and sound, helped a little, but Gary’s heart still thumped in residual fear. Getting a “save me” late night phone call from her was not his idea of fun.

He’d called her right back, but she hadn’t answered, and he’d thought the worst.

Now, knowing she was okay, he felt like yanking her petite ass out of the car and shaking her. She’d taken him from a sound sleep to a panic in a nanosecond. For too long now she’d been dodging him, making him nuts, and then to hear her on the phone, so late at night, with not much more than an “I need you” demand... Well, she’d better have a good explanation.

He waited, getting more soaked by the second while she appeared to gather some things in the seat beside her. Without a word she put up her window, opened her door and stepped out to shove a squirming, frightened pup into his arms.

Brows lifted, Gary asked, “What’s this?”

“A dog.”

He was in no mood for her unique brand of sarcasm. “I can see that, smart ass.” Gary automatically opened his windbreaker and held the dog to his warm chest. Muddy paws and a muddier belly scuttled in close, no doubt ruining his shirt. Poor little thing. “Where’d it come from?”

Erin kept her head down and closed her car door. “I found it when I got off work.”

“Which was when?”

“Should’ve been hours ago, but...” She shrugged. “Since I lock up the place, I stayed longer to get some stuff done.”

She still wasn’t looking at him, and Gary didn’t like that. “Why didn’t you answer me when I called back?”

“Dead phone. I guess I forgot to charge it.” Then, defensively, she said, “I’m lucky I got through to you before it went entirely kaput, or I’d have been walking home.”

When lightning splintered the black sky, following by several cracks of thunder, Gary took her arm and steered her toward his car. “Not real smart, Erin. You shouldn’t be out here alone.”

“Yeah, no kidding.” Her short dark hair was plastered to her head, and rain water dripped over her face. As they walked back to his idling car, she hoisted a bag over her shoulder. “I’m sorry for the inconvenience, but –”

“Forget about it.”

She started to say more when she saw the Audi and froze. “No, you didn’t.”

“Didn’t what?” Gary hauled her the rest of the way to the car and opened the passenger door for her.

She didn’t want to get in. “You drove your new Audi.”

Now she hated his car, too? “So?”

She put her hands to her head and stood there in the pouring rain. “So it’s a fifty thousand dollar car and I’m wetter and muddier than the dog.”

He smiled. “I can see that.”

Finally she looked at him - but it was with wide-eyed horror. “I can’t ride in there!” She pointed at the front seat of his Audi TT interior. “I’ll ruin your leather seats.”

Icy rain made its way down the back of his neck. “The leather’s treated. It’ll be fine. Now get in.”

“But... I’m muddy.”

Impatience had him nudging her along. “The car can be cleaned.” As she gingerly seated herself, Gary stared down at the top of her head and, feeling provoked, said, “You can help me with that on your next day off. Okay?”

Her gaze clashed with his, but only for an instant. “Uh, sure.”

So much enthusiasm. He shook his head and put the pup in her lap. “The towels are there in the seat if you want to wrap him up.”

“Him?”

Gary helped her to get settled. “He’s definitely a boy dog. You didn’t notice?”

She made an incredulous sound. “I was a little preoccupied imagining some whack-job who might have left the puppy there as a way to booby-trap me in the dark and deserted woods.”

Smiling, Gary reached in and pushed wet bangs out of her face. She looked... adorable. Like a cute drowned rat. “Not too farfetched, really.”

When she gave him a doe-caught-in-the-headlights look, he shut the door and ran around to the driver’s side. Once inside, he stripped off the soaked jacket and stuffed it behind his seat. “You have to be more careful, you know.”

“I know.” She kept looking around the car with awe.

“It’s just a car, Erin.”

“A car that costs more than some houses.”

“Hardly.” He smoothed his hands over the wheel. “It was an indulgent buy. Don’t make me regret it, okay?”

Carefully removing her soaked sneakers and putting them on a towel on the floor, she asked,

“How could I make you regret it?”

“I’ll explain later.” She looked cold so he adjusted the heater. “How’s the pooch?”

“Sleepy, I think.” As dry as Erin could get him, the pup curled up, propped his little furry chin on her thigh, and dozed off.

Gary propped his hands loosely on the steering wheel and watched her care for the dog. He liked the profile of her slender nose, her stubborn chin, the way her short dark hair curled when wet. He liked her gentleness as she comforted the dog. Hell, he more than liked everything about her, and had for some time now.


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UNWRAPPED by Erin McCarthy, Donna Kauffman, and Kate Angell

UNWRAPPED - A Christmas Anthology

From the streets of Chicago to the back roads of Kentucky to the wild dunes of a Scottish isle, mistletoe and mischief are this season's hottest gifts...

BLUE CHRISTMAS by New York Times bestselling author Erin McCarthy

While a blizzard blankets the world outside, Blue Farrow burrows into the arms of her highway hunk at the No Tell Motel. The road might be closed for dangerous conditions, but the couple navigates their own Kentucky Christmas curves. Nice and oh-so-naughty, Blue and her man open up to each other as they keep the Yule log burning.

SANTA IN A KILT by USA Today bestselling author Donna Kauffman

The wind-whipped December sands of the isle of Kinloch invigorate Kira McLeod as she sets out to tame rugged Shay Callaghan, a Scottish bachelor as wary of a wedding ring as a snowman is of the hot sun. It'll take all the wiles of the canny islanders to weave a perfect Celtic Christmas for all.

SNOW ANGEL by National bestselling author Kate Angell

Snowed under in Chicago, free spirit Allie is trapped in Dutton's department store on Christmas Eve when the lights go off and the holiday romance heats up. Our snow angel finds herself face to face with the dashing Aiden, the heir to the retail riches and her host for a night of winter wonder.
 

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Chapter One

"Santa can suck it." Blue Farrow kept an eye on the highway and tried to hit the buttons on the radio to change the station. She was going to grind her teeth down to nubs if she had to listen to Christmas songs for another twelve hours. It was like an IV drip of sugar and spice and it was making her cranky.

Was she the only one who thought a fat dude hanging around on your roof was a bit creepy? And why were those elves so happy in that Harry Connick Jr. song? Rum in the eggnog, that's why. Not to mention since when did three ships ever go pulling straight up to Bethlehem? She wasn't aware it was a major port city.

Yep. She was feeling in total harmony with Scrooge. "Bah, Humbug," she muttered when her only options on the radio seemed to be all Christmas all the time or pounding rap music.

Blue had never been a big fan of Christmas, never having experienced a normal one in her childhood since her flaky mother (yes, flaky considering she'd named her daughter after a color) had done Christmas experimental style every year, never the same way twice, disregarding any of her daughter's requests. The trend on feeling tacked onto her parents' Christmas had continued into Blue's adulthood, and this year she had been determined to have a great holiday all on her terms, booking herself on a cruise with her two equally single friends. She had turned down her mother's invitation to spend the holiday with an indigenous South American tribe and her father's request to join him with his barely legal wife and their baby girl, and instead she was going to sip cocktails in a bikini.

Maybe.

The road in front of her was barely visible, the snow crashing down with pounding determination, the highway slick and ominous, the hours ticking by as Blue barely made progress in the treacherous conditions. Planning to drive to Miami from Ohio instead of flying had been a financial decision and would give Blue the chance to make a pit stop in Tennessee and visit her old friend from high school, but the only thing heading south at the moment was her vacation. It was Christmas Eve, her cruise ship departed in twenty hours, and she'd only made a hundred miles in six hours, the blizzard swirling around her mocking the brilliance of her plan as she drove through the middle of nowhere Kentucky.

She was going to have to stop in Lexington and see if she could catch a flight to Miami, screw the cost. Not that planes would be taking off in this weather, but maybe by morning. If she flew out first thing, she could be in Florida in plenty of time for her four o'clock sail time. All she had to do was make it to Lexington without losing her sanity from being pummeled with schmaltzy Christmas carols or without losing control of her car in the snow.

When she leaned over and hit the radio again and found the Rolling Stones she nearly wept in gratitude. Classic rock she could handle.

But not her car. As the highway unexpectedly curved and dipped, she fishtailed in the thick snow.

Blue only managed a weak, "Oh, crap," before she gripped the hell out of the wheel and slid sideways down the pavement, wanting to scream, but unable to make a sound.

She was going to die.

If there hadn't been anyone else on the road, she might have managed to regain control. But there was no stopping the impact when she swung into the lane next to her, right in the path of an SUV. She wasn't the only idiot on the road and now they were going to die together.

Blue closed her eyes and hoped there were bikinis and margaritas in the afterlife.


Santa was the man. Christian Dawes sang along to the radio at the top of his lungs, the song reminding him of his childhood, when he had listened carefully on Christmas Eve for the telltale sound of reindeer paws. Tossing the trail mix out for the reindeer to chomp on, putting the cookies on a plate for Santa, the magic and wonder and awe of waking up to a ton of presents, those were some of his best memories.

Someday when he had his own kids, he'd create all of those special moments for them, but right now Christian was content to play awesome uncle, arriving on Christmas Eve loaded down with presents for all his nieces and nephews. His trunk was stuffed with spoils, and he'd brought enough candy to earn glares from his two sisters and potentially make someone sick. But it wasn't Christmas until a kid stuffed his face with candy then hurled after a session on the sit and spin. That's what home videos and infamous family stories were made of.

Unfortunately the lousy weather was slowing him down on his drive from Cincinnati to Lexington. He'd left work later than he'd intended anyway, then by the time he'd hit Kentucky, he'd been forced down to thirty miles an hour because apparently the road crews had taken the holiday off and had decided not to plow. He hoped his family wasn't holding up dinner for him at his parents' house.

If he wasn't gripping the steering wheel so hard he would call someone and let them know he still had a couple of hours ahead of him, but he had no intention of reaching for his phone. A glance to the right showed a car next to him, but other than that, he could barely see the road in front of him. He needed Santa to dip down and give him a lift in his sleigh or it was going to be midnight before he arrived.

What he didn't need was a car accident.

In his peripheral vision, he saw the car next to him slide, spinning out so fast that Christian only had time to swear and tap his brakes before he hit the car with a crunch and they went careening towards the guardrail. When his SUV stopped moving a few seconds later, despite his efforts to turn the skid, he had the other car pinned against the railing.

"Shit!" Christian turned off his car and leaped out, almost taking a header in the thick snow, but terrified that he'd injured someone. "Are you okay?" he asked, yelling through the howling snow as he peered into the driver's side window.

The major impact of his SUV's front end had been in the backseat and trunk, so he hoped if there was an injury it wasn't serious. But with the snow smacking him in the face and the window plastered with wet flakes, he couldn't really see anything.

He knocked on the glass and when it started to slide down, he sighed in relief.

"Are you okay?" he said again now that the person in front of him could hear him.

"Are you okay?" she said simultaneously.

He nodded.

She nodded.

And Christian became aware that he was staring at the most strikingly beautiful woman he'd ever seen in his whole life.



Chapter Two

Blue sat in her car chest heaving, nodding rapidly to the man staring at her in concern as she tried to calm down. She was alive. Not dead. Everything on her body was intact and she had no pain.
"I'm fine. God, that was scary. I'm sorry, it was my fault, I skidded."

He leaned forward into the window, his face coming inches from hers. "Say that again, the wind is really howling."

"I said I'm sorry," she repeated loudly, suddenly aware that the guy she'd collided with was damn cute.

Wearing a knit winter hat and a camel colored jacket, he looked very rugged and outdoorsy, his chin sporting some scruff that matched the color of his coat. He had deep brown eyes and when his mouth spread into a grin, he had a warm, crooked smile.

"Well, you don't have to yell at me," he said, tone teasing.

Blue felt her heart rate returning to normal and at his words she felt her shoulders drop in relief. She laughed. "Okay, I'll leave that to your wife."

It was a comment she would have made to any man under the circumstances, but she had to admit she was a little curious what his answer would be.

"No wife. No girlfriend. No one at all to yell at me."

Yes. Not that it mattered. At all. But she could hear the flirt creeping into her voice. "Then I guess this was a thrill for you."

He laughed. "Totally. I'm going to move my car then we'll just have to back yours up, okay? Let's see if we can get you back on the road."

Right. The car accident. The fact that he was standing in the middle of a blizzard. Her crunched vehicle. Those were relevant. Not his dimples or broad shoulders.

"Okay."

"Wait for me to move before you try to back up."

Blue became aware that her teeth were chattering. "Got it." As soon as he walked away, she rolled her window back up and turned up the heat. She wasn't wearing a coat and it was finger-numbing, nipple-raising cold outside.

For a split second as he pulled his SUV back onto the road in front of her, heading in the correct direction, Blue wondered if he would just take off and leave her there. But her cynicism, while well honed, didn't even last a full minute before it was obvious he was walking back to her car, pulling gloves onto his hands. His bottom half, which hadn't been visible before, was just as hot as the top. Those were nice jeans, hugging in the right places.

Blue hoped there would be a multitude of smoking hot guys on the cruise because her sex drive had kicked into high gear for whatever reason.

"Okay, try to back up and I'll guide you," he said when she rolled her window back down.

She did, and her tires just spun in the snow. "Damn." She leaned her head out. "How deep is it?"

"Pretty deep. And you can't rock it because you're halfway through the guardrail. If you accelerate too hard you could go off the cliff."

Yeah, no thanks. Blue frowned at her steering wheel. This complicated things. She tried to reverse again, but her car spun ominously to the left.

"You need to get out of the car. This is looking dangerous. We'll call you a tow."

Leave it to her to screw up a vacation by nearly driving off a cliff. Turning her car off, silencing John Lennon mid-lament, she grabbed her purse and her jacket and pushed the door open. She wasn't wearing appropriate shoes. She had wanted to be comfortable so she was wearing zebra print ballet flats with jeans, a vintage Motley Crue T-shirt and a funky red scarf. Her jacket was a thin black velvet designed for indoor use more so than out. This was going to suck. A lot. Much more than listening to Santa and his ho ho hos.

The wind slapped her in the face as she pulled on her jacket and tried to button it. After a few seconds, she realized it was futile and tried not to whimper as snow cascaded over her mostly bare feet. Her nose instantly froze, her shoulders hunched in revolt, and her jeans decided at that moment to slid down, allowing her midriff to be pummeled by wet fat flakes.

At least her companion was looking at her in sympathy. "Come sit in my car while we call somebody."

By the time they hiked the twenty feet to his car and Blue slid into the passenger seat, her mouth was stuck open as little gasps of horror escaped. Her entire body felt like someone had repeatedly stabbed her with a million sharp pins. Her companion had turned his car off in the interim so it wasn't really any warmer than it was outside, but at least there was no wind and no snow smacking her in the face and torturing her feet. She stomped her shoes to remove the excess snow and tried not to whimper.

He cranked on the car and the heat and looked at her. "Is that the only jacket you have?"

She nodded.

"Shoes?"

"This is it unless I want to change into flip-flops. I'm going on a cruise. I didn't want a bunch of winter stuff with me." Blue touched her nose. It was still there, despite her not being able to feel it.

"Here." He leaned into the backseat and rifled through a bag. He emerged with two wool socks. "Put these on."

They were like crack to the addict, dangling in front of Blue, as tantalizing as a winning lottery ticket. But it seemed really weird to take socks from a stranger. "Don't you need these?"

"They're just socks. I can get more." He gave her a look of amusement. "Just put them on. You look like a Popsicle. But a cute one."

That made a certain body part unthaw slightly. "Thanks." As she kicked her ballet flats off and bent her knee so she could drag on one of the thick socks, she added, "I'm Blue, by the way."

"What?" He looked at her, his expression one of confusion. "Don't worry, you'll warm up. I don't think you're at risk for hypothermia yet."

Blue laughed. "No. I mean, I'm Blue. That's my name." She abandoned the sock for a minute and stuck out her hand to him. "Blue Mariposa Farrow. Pleased to meet you."

Understanding hit Christian and he felt like a first-class idiot. "Oh, shit, sorry. I'm Christian Dawes. Nice to meet you too, though I wouldn't have minded better circumstances."

"No kidding. And don't worry about not catching my name. I'm well aware it's unusual. My mom was going for unique and lovely territory, but she just landed in weird."

Blue went back to struggling with his sock, and as Christian watched her long and elegant fingers, and took in that wide smile below her high cheekbones, he thought that the name actually suited her. She had black hair with blunt bangs, the sides angling down past her chin. Her eyes had dark shadow on them and her fingernails were painted a deep blue. There was something very edgy yet playful about her appearance and her expressions. He'd only spent ten minutes with her and he could already see that she emoted with exaggerated facial expressions. She did the eyebrow arch, the head tilt, and a whole variety of movements with her lips.

Lips that he wouldn't mind being on his.

"It's definitely a unique name, but it's actually very pretty. Mariposa is butterfly in Spanish, isn't it?"

"Yes." Blue finished with the socks and sighed. "Ah, that feels good. And if you think Blue Butterfly is a pretty name for a grown woman you're smoking something and I don't mean a Marlboro. It's a corny name. But I'm used to being Blue." She did a fake drumroll on her knees and grinned. "Ba dum dum."

Christian laughed. "Well, I guess my parents went for the obvious. My sisters' names are Mary and Elizabeth. I think if they could have gotten away with naming me Jesus they would have."

"See, my mom would have just gone for it. So be grateful."

He was perfectly content sitting in his warm car staring at her, but Blue pulled her cell phone out of her purse.

"I better call someone if I hope to ever get out of here."

Right. Her wrecked car. Christian picked his phone up out of the cup holder, figuring he should call his family and warn them of the delay. Except he had no bars on his cell phone. He tried to call his mom anyway but it didn't do anything. "Is your phone working?"

Blue was frowning at her own cell phone and holding it up in the air. "No. Damn, this could be a problem."

"It must be the hill messing things up." They had slid to a stop nestled in a curve where the highway had been carved out of a steep hill. Given the curve and the incline, it was no wonder Blue had lost control in the piled-up snow. Christian rolled down his window and stuck his phone out, hoping miraculously it would start working. It didn't.

"Where are we? Are we close to an exit? I guess I'll have to walk."

Christian dropped his phone back down and hit the button to put his window back up. Then he shot the woman next to him an incredulous look. "Are you crazy? You can't walk in this. And if you think for one minute that I would let you walk in this, then you have another think coming. It's probably two miles to the next exit and you're half naked."

"I'm not half-naked!" Her face scrunched up. Okay, maybe that had been melodramatic but he was appalled at the thought of her walking in a blizzard with a velvet jacket without gloves and those stupid girl shoes that exposed the tops of her feet. Sexy, yes, practical, no.

"Well, you're certainly not dressed for taking a stroll in a snowstorm. And I would be a complete jerk if I let you do that. I can drive you to the exit, it's no problem."

Her mouth opened like she was going to argue, but then she just nodded. "Okay, thanks, I appreciate it."

"I'm going to run back and grab your suitcase. You might be stuck in town in a motel overnight before they can tow your car." Seeing her about to protest, Christian argued, "And before you say you can do it, just let me do it. I'm wearing boots."

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