Page 137 of The Merry Matchmaker

Elinor turned in time to see the car, an older midsize model, and froze.

Happily for Elinor, William didn’t. Neither did Mitch, but William, with his longer legs, beat him to the rescue, grabbing her and hauling her back onto the sidewalk where they both tumbled to the ground just as Mitch got to them.

The car slid to a stop, narrowly missing one of the remaining few parked at an angle in front of the stores. A middle-aged woman jumped out and slid over to them.

“Are you all right?” she asked Elinor.

Elinor looked at her, dazed.

“She came right out in front of me. I almost didn’t see her,” the distraught woman said to Frankie.

“I know,” Frankie said. “You weren’t at fault.”

Which would have been small consolation if the woman had taken Elinor down. Thank God she hadn’t.

William got to his feet. “Can you stand, Elinor?” He reached down and held out his hand.

“I think so,” she whimpered, and took it.

Mitch got on her other side, and the two men helped her up.

The woman began wringing her gloved hands. “I’m so sorry.”

“No, it’s my fault,” Elinor stammered. “I wasn’t paying attention.”

“Are you all right?” the woman asked again.

Elinor bit her lip and nodded.

“No harm done,” said Mitch.

“If you’re sure you’re okay...” the woman began, and Elinor nodded again. The woman let out a huge sigh. “Thank God. I think this took ten years off my life. I’m on my way home right now. I hate being out in this stuff.”

Elinor wasn’t aware of her leaving. She was too busy looking adoringly up at William. “You saved my life,” she told him.

Mitch backed away and positioned himself next to Frankie, who was busy eavesdropping.

“I told him she needed a hero,” she whispered to Mitch.

“Nice of you to provide the car,” he teased, and she stuck her tongue out at him.

“Are you sure you’re all right?” William asked Elinor. “Maybe we should go over to Sips and get you some brandy.”

She nodded, and the shy-bookseller-suddenly-turned-hero put an arm around her and led her to the crosswalk.

As they walked away, Frankie could hear William saying to Elinor, “Maybe you’d better let me drive you home.”

It was a proud moment, and Frankie beamed as Elinor smiled up at him and nodded. Frankie had done all she could. The rest was up to William.

“Now that you’ve got them squared away, how about I leave Brock to close up and we grab something to eat?” Mitch suggested.

“At home. Out of the snow,” she said.

“I’ll follow you to your place.”

That sounded perfect, and an hour later they were standing at her counter, chopping vegetables for soup. After that it would be gin rummy and sidecars. They had a fire going in her fireplace, and her tree was still up, its lights softly glowing. Mannheim Steamroller was playing in the background. Outside, the snow had stopped, and the street wore a white blanket.

“This is a perfect way to end the day,” she said.

---