Page 5 of A Moon Lake Christmas Hero

“My heart.”

He sighed.

Then, I heard the engine of an approaching vehicle.

It skidded to a stop, and three men hopped out. All three of them rushed towards me.

“Erin?”

I nodded. Then the tears clogged my throat and blurred my vision.

JAMES

The relief and anguish I felt when I saw her standing at the side of the road was disconcerting.

I wasn’t happy about Alan hiring her, hadn’t been fully convinced we needed her on our payroll.

But in the end, I trusted Alan.

He was the one taking care of people’s health around Moon Lake. He was the one with the boots-on-the ground knowledge, and one thing I’d learned in my years in the military: it was to trust the guys on the frontline and to support them to the best of my abilities.

And my role now was similar. I was just the mayor of Moon Lake, trying to keep our flourishing little town just like that. Flourishing.

So when our town doc needed support. That’s what he got.

I jumped out and glanced at the old Toyota Corolla in passing on my way to her. The firefighter in me made a quick assessment. We were off the street, so we didn’t need to create a traffic control zone. The car was now wedged against the metal guard railing which separated the vista point from the water’s edge. No visible leaks, so no danger to the environment. Minimal damage. Except for the windshield, and probably the side I couldn't assess just now.

Though the car must’ve been barely drivable even before its encounter with the guardrails. What a piece of junk.

No wonder the brakes failed.

My eyes went from the sorry excuse of a car to her.

Number one priority: Life Safety.

She was dirty, bloody, and white as a sheet. And the prettiest young woman I’d ever laid my eyes on.

And trust me, I’d seen a lot of women dolled up to the nines. But not one of them could even come close to her.

Her strawberry-blond hair was pulled back into a loose and slightly lopsided topknot.

Her eyes were wide, and tears glittered in her surprisingly dark lashes.

The tank top she wore might’ve been white at some point but was soaked with dirt and blood now. Why the fuck was she wearing a tank top when it was freezing cold?

And the way she cradled the small dog wrapped in a padded jacket in her arms against her chest?

Heart-wrenching.

“Richard, can you take the dog?” I ordered once I reached her, naturally taking charge.

Richard nodded and approached her.

For a second there, it looked like she wouldn’t let go. So I stepped up and cupped her cheek, demanding her attention. “It’s okay. We got you. We’ll take care of everything, okay?”

I waited until she nodded through watery eyes. “You can let go now. I got you.”

Then I nodded, and Richard carefully lifted the dog out of her arms.

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