Page 54 of A Very Naughty Christmas

“Come on, young’un. I’ll drive you.”

“You live in the opposite direction,” she protested with a shake of her head. “I’m good.”

“I’m not about to let you walk home in this mess.”

“You’ll be lucky to get your old clunker the four blocks you’ve got to go.”

“Hey, watch how you talk about old Jessie. She ain’t much to look at, but that old gal is reliable as the day is long and has a lot of life left in her.”

Dixie burst out laughing at that whopper. “You had to boost her off three times last week.”

“I put in a new battery the other day; she’s as good as new.”

She shook her head at the thought of climbing in the twenty-year-old Jeep. “She’s a soft top, Les, and your heater died years ago. I’ll stay warmer if I’m walking.” She was at the door before he could say anything else. “You lock up as a tradeoff.” Then she tossed him the keys and was through the door.

“You need someone to put you over his knee, girl.”

That was the second time she’d heard that this week. She laughed as she waved through the front windows. He knocked on the glass and yelled, “If you get frostbite, I’ll be the one doing it, too. So help me!”

“Love you too, Les,” she called. “Drive safe now.”

As she turned the corner heading down South 5thStreet, she braced herself against the driving wind and snow that was whipping directly in her face. She drew her thin coat closer, which couldn’t keep the frigid chill from cutting through it and the two sweaters she wore underneath, or the long-sleeved shirt she had on under her short-sleeved uniform dress. Her legs were in worse shape as the snow, already six or seven inches deep, came over the tops of her ankle boots and clung to her leggings. Thank goodness she had a pair in her locker or her skin would have been bare except for her white tights.

She pulled up her thin hood and covered her mouth and nose with her scarf as she hunched her shoulders and trudged on.

As the minutes ticked by and the snow piled up rapidly, she found battling the wind while walking in the heavy, drifting snow more difficult than she’d expected and despite the cold, began to sweat beneath her clothes. She counted off the blocks at the end of each street where she invariable stumbled slightly, unable to tell where the sidewalk ended and the street began, with the curb buried and invisible. Turning stiffly from side to side, she checked for vehicles—although no one was out, except her—and then continued on. Another block facing the wind took over ten minutes while she slipped and slid on the ice layer beneath the deep snow. She was on block number three when a vehicle pulled up alongside her.

“Get in,” called a voice over the whistling wind. She didn’t recognize the black SUV and waved it off, trying to move faster. “Dixie, get in the vehicle, before you freeze your stubborn ass off.”

He knew her. She squinted, seeing a big man with a hat drawn low over his foreheadand ears. His sheepskin collar was flipped up and covered his face except for his nose and a pair of eyes that appeared black in the dark. She didn’t recognize him or his vehicle, and shook her head, taking a step back, about to resume walking when he jerked off his hat.

“It’s Kyle, darlin’. You’re safe. Get in.”

Relief swept over her as well as a strong gust that cut to the bone. Struggling over the small mountain of snow that had been plowed to the edge of the road earlier, she reached to grab onto the open door. She missed, losing her footing in the slick, snow-packed tread marks left by a passing vehicle some time ago. Landing on her knees with a thud, the snow went up her sleeves over her mittens, sending a shiver coursing through her body.

As she reached up for the door again, a strong arm came around her waist. The next moment, she was lifted and propelled through the open door, two big hands boosting her up on the seat by the butt. Her yelp of surprise was swept away on a howling blast of wind.

After nudging her feet in, he slammed the door and came around to his side while she warmed her hands by the vent. Shivering, with teeth chattering, the full effect of her trek through the storm hit her.

The frigid air blew in as he climbed up. Once his door was shut, he looked over to where she sat shuddering despite the heat blowing on high. His long arm reached into the rear seat and brought out a blanket, which he tucked around her.

“Little fool,” he murmured gruffly. “The wind chill is less than zero. What were you doing walking? You should have stayed at the diner.”

“Wanted to go home…” she explained through frozen lips. “Needed to get home to Lucy.”

He drew back in shock. “You’ve got a daughter?”

“No, a cat. What… are… you doing… out?” Her words were broken as a shudder swept through her. Before she could think another thought, she found herself pressed against his chest as his hands roughly stroked up and down her arms and back.

“This is a poor excuse for a winter coat,” he observed, still rubbing her as he held her close.

“All I got,” her response coming between chattering teeth.

He had no comeback for that, holding her close to his body, while his big hands continued to chafe her skin through her four layers of clothes and the heater, blowing at full capacity, at last began to thaw her.

“Better?” he asked at long last.

“Much,” she said in a steadier voice. “Thank you.”

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