Page 47 of Silver Hills' Christmas Miracle

“Thank you,” Kitty said quietly as I pulled the car to a stop in front of the manor. “For saving my life.”

I turned off the engine and faced her. “You don’t have to thank me for that, Kitty,” I said quietly. “If you ever need me to save you, I’m there.”

“It’s not your job anymore, though,” she replied.

“And?” I tutted softly behind my teeth. “My feelings for you were never linked to my job. You need me for anything, I’m one phone call away, okay? No questions. I’ll always be here for you.”

Tears began to sparkle in her eyes and she nodded. Her fingers curled as if she were fighting the urge to reach out to me.

The last thing we needed was someone nosy catching a glimpse of Kitty and me being close. It was already a risk driving her from the hospital after what Samuel had said, but I wanted her with me for as long as I could have her. There was no telling when I would see her again.

“Do you think there’s a chance you can fix things with my dad?”

My mouth slanted. “Your father isn’t doing a lot of listening right now,” I murmured. “So I can’t say. I’m not saying I won’t listen if he reaches out, but he’s not my focus. You are.”

Her tears threatened to spill over. “Christmas is next week and I feel so un-festive.”

“A barn collapse might do that,” I replied. “But it’s there. You’ll find it.”

“Can you come in with me?” She pressed her hands flat to her thighs. Her request seemed to be a way to stretch out our time a little longer. “I don’t think Dad is home.”

I felt uncertain, and I could already see how this could be a very bad idea.

“Please?” Blinking away the tears, Kitty collected herself the best she could.

“Okay.” I nodded. “It’s probably best that I at least see you inside with your ankle. Don’t need to be accused of ditching you when you were in need.”

We both chuckled and climbed out of the car. I was by her side quickly, and I offered her my arm to lean on. She took it with a grateful smile. Thankfully, the swelling around her ankle sprain wasn’t that bad, but she was still tender if she walked for too long.

“When do you get your bandages off?” Kitty asked, eyeing my hands as we slowly walked up the steps to the manor.

“Later this afternoon. Which I can’t wait for. These bandages aren’t restrictive, but I hate the feel of them whenever I’m trying to do something. It almost feels like they’re getting in the way and I don’t have full control.”

“I get that.” Kitty knocked briefly on the door, and it swung open. The doorman held it open, looking surprised to see me, but he didn’t say a word.

“I think for the Yuletide Ball, I’m wearing flats.” Kitty winced as her ankle wobbled. “Heels are dangerous.”

“I agree. The next time you end up under a collapsed structure, flat shoes will definitely increase your survival odds,” I murmured.

“You think?”

“Survival one-oh-one.”

“Ahh.” As we walked the hallway, a staff member suddenly came sprinting down toward us crying wildly. She stumbled to a stop when she saw Kitty and tried to greet her properly through the tears, but it was a shambles.

“What’s the matter?” Kitty asked, hurriedly leaving my arm and going to the crying woman. “What happened?”

“I’m sorry,” she sobbed. “Your mother is on the warpath and I just… I’m sorry!” With that exclamation, she carried on running and disappeared toward the kitchen.

Kitty stared after her in shock, then looked at me with wide eyes. I shrugged. I hadn’t been here in two days so I had no clue as to the state of things.

“I guess we'd better check that out.”

I braced myself internally as we headed toward the rear ballroom, where her mother’s sharp yelling could be heard even when we were several rooms away. We passed a couple more very stressed-looking staff members all lost to their own tasks to pay us no heed.

Stepping into the ballroom, my breath caught in my throat and Kitty tightly gripped my arm. “Oh, my God.”

Mrs. Morgan had been very busy in the two days I was absent.

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