“Come on, Ford,” the guy says and the dog bounds over to us.
He jumps up into the cab and the man slides me in next to him.
“I just need to get your car up on the bed. Give me a few minutes,” he says and I just nod.
Before he closes the door, he leans over me and cranks the heat all the way up, aiming all of the vents my way.
“Thank you,” I say and he just nods.
A headache forms behind my eyes and I wonder if it’s from the cold or if I had hit my head during the accident. I feel around but there are no noticeable bumps anywhere. The guy slams the passenger door and I wince. Ford curls up on the bench seat next to me and I pet his head when he rests it in my lap.
I watch out the back window as the man hits a few buttons and gets my wrecked car loaded onto the flat truck bed. Some of his dark brown hair is peeking out from beneath the hood of his jacket. It looks like maybe it’s in need of a cut, the ends are a little shaggy.
Between the snow and the thick layers of clothes, it’s almost impossible to see him. The only thing that’s clear are those green eyes. He finishes up with my car and a second later, he’s slipping into the cab next to me.
Snow dusts the shoulders of his coat and his hood and I reach over to aim some of the heating vents back his way but he stops me. His fingers are strong but cold as they meet mine and my eyes jerk to his.
“We’re not going far. I’ll be alright,” he says and I just nod.
“I’m Beau, by the way.”
“Holly,” I say and he gives me a small smile as he shifts into drive.
Ford’s tail wags as he starts the truck and heads down the road.
Three
Beau
* * *
Holly is practically sitting in my lap as we make our way slowly down the road back toward the shop. She’s shivering, so I know that she’s only sitting this close to try to get warm. Ford is happily sitting next to her, his tail wagging as he stares out the window.
“You should have been dressed warmer,” I say and she winces.
I realize that maybe that came out harsher than I intended.
“I know, I should have grabbed another sweatshirt or an extra pair of socks when I stopped for dinner. My heat has been on the fritz for a while and it went out today,” she admits and I hear the steering wheel creak under my hands.
I don’t like the idea of her driving around in such an unreliable car. Her accident could have been a lot worse and I send up a silent thank you that I was able to get to her before she froze to death.
“What were you doing driving around in that death trap?” I ask.
“I’m headed to Wisconsin to start a job. I was hoping to get there early and be able to celebrate Christmas there but I guess that won’t be happening.”
“What’s the new job?”
“I just graduated with a Bachelor’s in Accounting. I’m starting at this new hipster bakery that’s opening up.”
“What’s a hipster bakery?”
“Like a modern bakery but they make a lot of new foods. So think giant donuts, freeze dried drinks. Stuff like that.”
“Hmm,” I say and Holly laughs, her arm brushing against mine as I turn onto Scrooge’s Alley.
“I just live around the corner. I’ll let you warm up at my place, it will be warmer than the shop, while I take care of your car. Then I can drive you over to the bed and breakfast in town. If that’s okay with you?”
“Yes, thank you,” she says as I pull into the shop's parking lot.
“Do you think that you’ll be able to fix my car?” She asks me and I turn to look at her.
“I think so. I can get it running. Fix some of the dents. It won’t be pretty, but it will be able to run.”
“That’s all I need,” she says with a smile as I shift into park.
I help Holly down from the cab and Ford jumps out after us. I tuck Holly into my side and we hurry across the road and up the front porch steps. I open the door and usher her inside.
The place is dark and I spend a few minutes flipping on the lights and showing her around.
“I don’t use the upstairs much but feel free to use the bathroom or whatever. There’s clothes in my bedroom down the hall there,” I say, pointing her to the room at the end of the hall. “I’ll get some fires going too and hopefully you’ll warm up soon.”
“Thanks. For all of this,” Holly says and I nod once before I head past her and down the hall.
It takes me a few minutes to get a fire going in my bedroom and another one in the kitchen. I make sure that they’re both well stoked before I head back to the front door. Holly watches me and I nod toward the bedroom.
“There’s blankets and stuff. Help yourself,” I say before I step outside and head across the street.
It doesn’t take me long to get Holly’s car off the tow truck and into the garage. I push her car into a bay and take a quick look at it. There are scratches, dents, broken windows, and that’s just the stuff that I can see. She said that her heat wasn’t working and I’d bet her tires and brakes are needing to be replaced as well.
I don’t like the idea of her driving this car, especially while she’s traveling alone. I don’t like the idea of her leaving in it even more. There’s something about Holly that has me feeling things that I’ve never felt before.
I need to get her away from me ASAP.
I head back across the street and into my house. The lights are all still on and the fire is still going in the front room. I just need to find Holly and get her across town and checked into the bed and breakfast. Then I’ll only have to talk to or see her when I have her car fixed.
I don’t see her in the kitchen or the guest room so I head down the hall to my room. I push the door open and freeze.
Holly is curled up in my bed. Her hair is wet so she must have taken a shower and she’s dressed in one of my work shirts and a pair of my socks. She’s spread out across my bed, her hair fanned out over my pillow and my dog curled up next to her.
She’s also fast asleep.
I pause in the doorway. Do I wake her up and drive her across town to the bed and breakfast? It’s so late and she looks so peaceful sleeping that I hate to wake her up.
With a sigh, I cross the room to the bed and tuck my blanket tighter around her. Ford watches me for a second before he burrows closer to her.
“Traitor,” I whisper at him and he snorts at me.
I turn the lights out and head back down the hallway. Looks like I’ll be sleeping on the couch tonight. Surprisingly, I’m not mad as I turn off the house lights and lay down on the couch in my living room.
Four
Holly
* * *
I wake early the next morning and find Ford in bed next to me. I remember taking a shower and borrowing some of Beau’s clothes and then I must have fallen asleep. I’m surprised that Beau didn’t wake me up.
Ford whines and I pet his head, scratching his ears.
“Do you need to go outside?” I ask him and his ears perk up. “Alright, let’s go and find Beau too.”
I slip out of bed and pad over to the door. The house is quiet and the only light is coming from the sun outside. The sun that is just starting to rise and I walk quietly into the living room.