He didn’t answer, so I yanked on the buckle at my left hip and tried to disengage the lock. It didn’t accomplish much. The buckle didn’t budge, and the belt tightened over my body, biting into my shoulder and making me whimper in pain.
“Here, let me help.” My head jerked to the right, and I was stunned to see a man crouched down next to me. I had no idea where he came from, or how he’d opened the door without me hearing anything. I must have been more out of it than I’d realized because he was less than a foot away from me.
His piercing green eyes were locked onto my face, and it felt as though he could see straight into my soul. My heart started to race, pounding so hard I wouldn’t have been surprised if it had burst through my chest. It could have been because of the adrenaline rush from the accident, but it also might have been due to the fact that the man reaching for the buckle to release my seat belt was incredibly gorgeous. His dark hair and tanned skin were a stark contrast to the pale green of his eyes. Although he wasn’t standing, I could still tell he was tall, and his muscles strained against the sleeves of his winter coat.
“Wha—” My question turned into a gasp when he slid one arm around my back and the other under my upper thighs to tug me out of the car.
“It’s okay. I’ve got you,” he soothed, carrying me down the street toward the diner. His deep voice felt like a caress across my skin, sending shivers down my spine. My reaction to him was overwhelming and completely out of character for me. I’d never felt this kind of instant attraction to anyone else, and I wasn’t sure if it was somehow partly due to me being vulnerable after the accident. As ridiculous as it sounded, maybe slamming into that pole had made me more open to being attracted to a man. I didn’t know how else to explain it when I’d never been drawn to a man like this before.
I leaned my head against his shoulder and breathed deep, his masculine scent filling my lungs. There was a hint of pine, which made me think he smelled like Christmas—only better because it was mixed with something purely masculine that sent my already befuddled senses reeling. I was acting so out of character; I was starting to wonder if I’d hit my head during the crash or something.
The man strode past the diner and shifted his hold on me to open the door of a big, black truck parked a few stores down. He’d carried me all that way without breaking a sweat, and I was awed by his strength.
He was incredibly gentle as he placed me on the seat and leaned close. He scanned my face and body, his green eyes filling with concern as he asked, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I think I’ll be fine.” I lifted my arm to touch my right shoulder, pretty sure it had been badly bruised by the seat belt. I quickly regretted the action, and when I cringed in pain, he wrapped his fingers around my wrist and lowered my arm to my lap.
“Let me check that for you,” he offered, his thumb stroking the inside of my wrist.
“Okay,” I agreed softly even though I didn’t want him to move his hand because the way he was touching me felt so good.
I held still as he carefully pulled my coat to the side and tugged the neckline of my sweater out of the way. His touch was tender as he glided his fingers over my collarbone. “It doesn't look swollen, which is a good sign when you could’ve ended up with a broken bone. You'll probably end up with a bruise, and the pain will be worse in the next couple of days. Then you should feel better by Wednesday or Thursday.”
“It sounds like you have a lot of experience with injuries. Are you a doctor?”
“No, but I've had more than my fair share of bruises and broken bones,” he chuckled and shook his head. “I guess I skipped over a step when I hauled you out of that car. I’m Zeke Blakesley.”
“I’m Allegra Hale.” I offered him a shy smile. “Thanks so much for stopping to help.”
“Do you hurt anywhere else?”
I shifted in the seat and took stock of how I felt. “No, I just have some aches and pains but nothing else major.”
“Good, I hate the thought of you hurting.” He put my sweater and coat back in place before strapping the seat belt over me.
After he stepped back, I was able to see down the street to the crumpled car. “What about the driver?”
“I’ll call 911 now,” he offered, glancing over his shoulder. “I can see him moving, so he must not be hurt too badly.”
My eyes narrowed as I tried my best to focus on the driver, but he was just a blur to me. “You must have really good eyesight.”
“Better than 20/20,” he confirmed as he pulled his phone out of the front pocket of his jeans. He swiped at the screen to make the call to emergency services before closing the door and striding around the truck. When he finished talking to the operator, he climbed into the driver’s side and started the engine.
As he backed out of the parking spot, I asked, “Shouldn’t we wait for them to get here? Maybe go check on the driver?”
“She said the ambulance would be here in a few minutes and didn’t ask me to wait for them,” he explained, heading down the street in the opposite direction of the wreck.
The motion of the car freaked me out a little—probably because I’d just been in a crash—and I squeezed my eyes shut. “I guess if you’re sure I won’t get in trouble for leaving, it’s okay for us to go.”
“You don’t need to be worried. I won’t let anything happen to you,” Zeke promised, reaching out to lace his fingers through mine. “My only concern is your safety and well-being.”
I was so out of it from the accident—and distracted by my overwhelming attraction to him—that it took me until he pulled into the driveaway of a house that I didn’t recognize before I realized he’d headed in the opposite direction from my college campus. “Where are we?”
“My house,” he rumbled as he climbed out of the truck.
I stared at his prowling form while he rounded the vehicle to open my door. For the first time tonight, I realized I was in what many would consider a dangerous position—alone with a strange man. “You do realize that bringing me here instead of asking me where I want to go could be considered kidnapping, right?”
4
Allegra
Considering the accusation I just tossed his way, Zeke’s reaction wasn’t what I was expecting. His green eyes lit with humor, and his lips curved up in a sexy grin. “I wasn’t trying to be funny.”
“I know you weren’t.” He pulled a black wallet out of his back pocket and flipped it open with a flick of his thumb, flashing a shiny badge my way. “But I don’t think I’ll run into any issues with the Stewart PD.”
I reached out and traced the metallic surface with the tip of my index finger. “You’re a cop?”
“Not just any cop. I’m the town sheriff,” he corrected.
“Which town?” I wasn’t sure where we were, but I knew we weren’t in Stewart anymore.
“Timber Ridge,” he answered as he lifted me out of the truck.
“Timber Ridge?” I echoed softly, my eyes widening in surprise. I knew the name, but the girls and I had never headed this way before.