Page 4 of The Last Resort
He nodded at her head. “That’s a nasty cut on your face,we should get that looked at. I think you might need stitches or at least a few bandage clips.”
A drop of blood dripped from her brow, stirring Rachel from her dream state. “No. No, I just …”
Huh. What was I going to say?
Not only was this stranger a fully-fledged hero, but he was also handsome as sin. Behind the black rims of his designer specs were a pair of dark brown eyes. The kind that made grown women go weak at the knees. Not that Rachel’s legs were doing all that much to help her stand upright, they were still made of Jell-O.
Oblivious to her thoughts, he pointed at her left leg. “You’ve also cut your jeans up a bit. I really think we should do something about getting you some proper medical attention before we leave the airport building. How about we go back inside and see if we can get someone at the information desk to help.”
We. She really liked the way, he kept saying we.
Rachel glanced down and let out a sad sigh. There went her last good pair of designer jeans. And she didn’t want to think about how much scrubbing the blood stains currently decorating the front of her pale hoodie would need in order to get them out.
I’m a mess. But at least I’m alive. Just.
Her hero’s kind offer for them to go and seek medical assistance was well out of her means. Bleeding to death on the roadside was about all Rachel could currently afford.
“I’ll … I’ll be fine. Thank you so much for saving me. I can’t imagine what would have happened if the cart had got out onto the road.”
Rachel fished in her pocket and pulled out a clean tissue. She tentatively dabbed at her head with it. If she had let the luggage cart go, and it had hit someone’s motor vehicle, theresulting lawsuit would have been the cherry on the top of the crud muffin that her year had been so far. Anyone who tried to sue her would have been wasting their attorney’s time.
She winced.Ouch. That smarts.
“Look, my Jeep is in the parking lot so I can go and get it, then take you to the local hospital. It’s no trouble,” he offered.
Must not incur legal or medical bills. No job. No money.
Sensing that her airport hero wasn’t about to take no for an answer, Rachel wracked her brains for a way to make her escape. If she didn’t come up with something quick, he’d soon be carrying her across the road and to his car. She’d be at the hospital amassing a huge medical bill in no time.
The thought of cars and parking lots finally triggered her brain.Kellie.
“I have someone coming for me,” she hurriedly offered. With her mind finally clicking back into gear, Rachel rummaged in her purse and pulled out her cell phone. Her hands were still shaking from the adrenaline rush as she hit dial on her sister’s number.
“Hey, Rach. I saw your flight had landed. Are you clear of the baggage carousel yet?”
“Hi, sis. Yeah. I am. Um … I’ve just taken a bit of a tumble, so could you come to the front of the arrivals entrance and pick me up?”
“Are you alright?”
“Just a scraped knee, a banged head, some blood loss, and the destruction of my pride. Oh and my jeans will need stitching. All in all, nothing to worry about. A nice man saved me from rolling out onto the road and getting hit by the airport bus.”
The sound of Kellie starting the engine of her car was music to Rachel’s ears.Phew.“Jeez Rach, you are in the wars.I’ll be there in just a minute. I’m in the Elk Lot, so I’ll be approaching you from the right.”
Relieved, Rachel hung up. She turned and gave the stranger a final smile. “Once again, thank you for saving my life. My sister will be here very soon to collect me. No need for a hospital visit, I’m sure she’ll have a Band-Aid or three at home.”
The phone call to her sister seemed to finally do the trick. Her hunky hero let go of her arm. As he backed away, he bent and picked up a chocolate colored leather overnight bag. Rachel took in the stamp markings on the side.Aspinal of London. Handcrafted full-grain leather bags like that didn’t come cheap.
Maybe he really was one of those Hallmark heroes. The secret small town millionaire who’d made his fortune selling Christmas trees. Or cookies.
“Just as long as you are safe,” he said.
“Yeah. Thanks to you, I’m still in one piece. Well mostly.”
Her head and knee throbbed, but she didn’t want to keep him any longer. If he’d just arrived in Aspen, he probably had other things to do today, apart from saving damsels in distress.
“At least let me help you with your suitcase, it looks broken.”
Rachel’s gaze landed on the case that had hit her. It had a large head-shaped crease in one side. And was that a broken hinge?Great. But that’s my problem to deal with, not his.
