Home > Stuffing Her Stocking

Stuffing Her Stocking
Author: Shaw Hart


One

 

 

Beau

 

* * *

 

I scowl at the heavily falling snow. It’s already freezing outside, well below zero, and I’m exhausted. Business has been steady with me checking out cars, changing oil and filters for the people who are headed out of town for the holidays.

I never leave.

There’s nowhere for me to go. I was raised by my dad after my mom died when I was just a little kid, but he passed a few years ago. He left me the Mistletoe Mechanic Shop which is the only reason that I am still in this god-awful town.

I mean seriously. Who names a town Christmas?

I didn’t always hate the holiday. I even liked living in Christmas, Michigan. It was a small town but the people were friendly and kind and it had everything that I needed.

It was after my father passed that I started to resent all of the Christmas cheer. Maybe it’s just because I’ve spent the last few years alone, or maybe I’m just turning into a cranky old man. Can that happen when you’re only twenty-eight?

Ford, my rescue mutt starts barking, his eyes trained outside of the big bay door into the night. I don’t know how he can see anything with how fast the snow is coming down but whatever he’s looking at, it’s captured his attention.

He’s a mix of a German Shepherd and some kind of Terrier. He had been just a little puppy when he had wandered into the shop one night. I found him curled up in a pile of my dirty rags the next morning. I had gone around town, trying to find who he belonged to but no one ever claimed him, so I adopted him.

I leave him to watch the night as I finish closing up the rest of the shop. It’s late, close to 9 pm and I’m ready to head across the street to my house, grab something to eat and take a shower before I pass out.

I switch off the lights, double checking that the back door is locked even though I know that no one will be breaking in here. I hit the button to close the big bay door and it’s almost shut when Ford darts out.

“Shit! Ford!” I yell, charging out the front door after him.

I hear the crash as soon as I step outside. The squealing of tires and the crash of breaking glass and metal being bent. I’m running after Ford before I can even process it.

I live on the edge of town and it’s pitch black between the streetlights. Luckily, the crash isn’t that far from my shop. I use the flashlight on my phone to light the way and I slide to a stop when I spot the tire tracks, veering down the hill on the side of the road.

It looks like the car slid on the ice and they skidded off the road. The car is down at the bottom of the hill, wedged between a grouping of small trees. They’re lucky that they didn’t hit it head on. Ford is already at the driver’s side of the car, barking and I hurry down the small hill after him.

The snow is still coming down hard and I shiver even in my Carhart jacket. My hat and gloves are back home. I didn’t think I would need them since I was just supposed to be walking across the street to my house.

I stop outside the car and try the door but it’s dented in. I run around to the other side and jerk open the rear passenger door.

I can’t see the girl's face but I can hear her as she groans and raises a hand to her face.

“Are you alright?” I ask and the woman nods, still rubbing her forehead.

“Sit tight. I’m going to go get my truck and get you out.”

She nods and I’m about to close the door when Ford jumps inside and crawls up to the front seat.

“He’s friendly,” I say, waiting to see how she reacts to my big dog cuddling up next to her.

“I can see that,” she says with a small laugh as Ford practically crawls into her lap.

Her voice has my cock stiffening in my jeans and I’m so shocked that I almost fall over on my ass. It’s twenty below, this woman was just in a car accident and I’m getting a hard on? What the hell is wrong with me?

“I’ll be right back,” I say as I see Ford cuddle closer to her.

The woman wraps her arms around Ford, giggling as he gives her face kisses. Jealousy has my hands tightening into fists and I have to give myself a shake. Am I really jealous of my dog?

As I turn and jog back to my shop, I realize that I just might be.

 

 

Two

 

 

Holly

 

* * *

 

It’s freezing.

The heat in my car has been on the fritz for a few weeks and it finally gave up the fight this morning. I had hoped that I would be able to make it to Wisconsin before nightfall but traffic and a stop for dinner that took way too long has me behind schedule.

When the sun set, the temperatures seemed to plummet. I could practically see my breath in the car as I was driving and I had been shivering so bad that my teeth clattering was all that I could hear. Maybe that’s why I lost control of the car. I could barely feel my fingers, much less right the car when I started to slide off the road.

It all happened so fast. One second I was debating if I should stop in this town or if I could make it a few hundred more miles. The next thing I knew, I was slowly sliding down to the bottom of the hill, and that man and his dog were here.

The dog is curled up in my lap and my fingers dig into his soft fur more as I use him to help keep me warm.

Headlights cut through the back window and I twist in my seat to see a tow truck parked at the top of the small hill. The dog's tail starts to wag and I realize his owner must be coming back down.

“I’m going to tow you out!” The man yells outside the back window and I hear something metal being attached to the back of my car.

A few minutes later, my car is being pulled backward. The metal of my car drags against the trees and I wince when I hear the grating sound. It takes a few minutes but soon my car is back up on the road.

I’m almost afraid to get out and see the damage. I have a feeling that I’ll be using up the last of my savings buying a new car to get me the rest of the way to Wisconsin.

My head is pounding as I try to open the driver’s side door but it’s jammed shut. The dog jumps into the backseat and I wince as I crawl over the center console and into the backseat with him. I’m reaching for the car handle when the door opens and I look up into the face of the most handsome man that I’ve ever seen.

His bright green eyes remind me of glowing Christmas lights and I’m pretty sure I just gape at him for a few minutes.

“Are you alright? Maybe you shouldn’t move. I can call 9-1-1 if you need me to,” He offers, concern filling those green eyes.

“No, I’m fine. Just a little shook up,” I say as I slip my hand into his and let him help me out of the car.

It’s pitch black outside and the snow flurries are already covering the tire tracks. For the first time, I realize just how lucky I am that someone found me. I would have been lost and freezing out here, and that’s only if I could have figured out a way to get out of the car in the first place.

“Thanks for getting me out,” I say but my teeth are chattering so much that I wonder if he can even understand me.

“Let’s get you warm,” the man says and I nod.

I can’t seem to get my feet to move though. My arms wrap around my waist and I hear the man let out a curse before he swoops me up into his arms and hurries over to the cab of the truck.

Hot Books
» House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City #1)
» A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire
» From Blood and Ash (Blood And Ash #1)
» A Million Kisses in Your Lifetime
» Deviant King (Royal Elite #1)
» Den of Vipers
» House of Sky and Breath (Crescent City #2)
» The Queen of Nothing (The Folk of the Air #
» Sweet Temptation
» The Sweetest Oblivion (Made #1)
» Chasing Cassandra (The Ravenels #6)
» Wreck & Ruin
» Steel Princess (Royal Elite #2)
» Twisted Hate (Twisted #3)
» The Play (Briar U Book 3)