Page 14 of Stalked for Christmas

Luke stops his truck behind me and rushes toward the car. “Are you guys okay? Don’t move. We need to assess everything first.”

“No. I mean, yes. We’re fine. We barely hit the tree, but did you see the size of that bear? I thought they hibernated this time of the year.”

He opens the back door and leans into the car, talking to Josh before he lifts him and carries him back to his truck. When he returns, his attention is set on me.

“Any pain anywhere?”

“No. Really, I’m good, but did you see the size of that bear? I’ve lived up here my whole life and I’ve never seen a bear this late in the season.”

He nods, lifting me up out of the car as though I’m light as a feather. “I did. There are some bears causing trouble up here lately, especially up near the lodge. They tried a trap, but it didn’t work. There’s talk that on the state level they might make an exception to allow someone to hunt that bear. Usually, it’s best to leave animals like that alone since it impacts the ecosystem so much, but if he continues to cause damage, the state might make an exception.”

“I hope my car crash doesn’t tip them over the edge. I don’t want to be the reason they kill a bear.”

He sets me in the truck and kisses the top of my head. The kiss shakes me out of my daze and back into the fantasy that caused the crash.

What the hell is wrong with me? Why can’t I stop wanting this green-eyed giant? Clearly, he’s only trouble in the waiting.

Chapter Six

Luke

“This is the perfect excuse,” I say shutting the truck door to round to the driver’s side. “I can call my daughter and let her know you had an accident and can’t make it. Easy and done.”

“You could’ve done that before. Besides… I’m fine. The car’s the one that needs help.”

I stare toward her, then back toward Luke. “No. We aren’t taking any chances. I’m going to call Dr. Thorpe and have him take a look at you guys.”

She huffs loudly. “The air bags didn’t even deploy. We’re fine… really. You should see your daughter.”

“I will. She’ll come by the house later. Right now, we should get you two checked out.”

Her gaze snaps toward mine. “Look, I’m really counting on having Christmas day off. I’ve already told Josh. I can’t—”

“You’re good.” I reach my hand toward hers and make things even more awkward than they already are. “The day is yours.”

“The day can’t be mine unless I hold up my end of the bargain. It was a deal.”

“It was a ridiculous deal. I should be giving you Christmas off to spend with your family.” The words stick in my throat and come out in a pattern of weird choking noises. I need to get more comfortable with kindness.

“Seriously?” She smiles, though it looks reluctant. “Had I known it would be this easy, I’d have run my car into a tree weeks ago.”

“Well… you’re welcome… I think. You can thank me by making sure the codes are all logged before the new year.”

She nods and stares out the window, dragging in a breath before turning toward me. “What happened with your daughter’s mom? You know all this information about me, but we never talk about you.”

“I should probably call Tinley and let her know we won’t be there. I don’t want her waiting around for us.” I dial the number, avoiding Mae’s question. It’s a question I’ve avoided with everyone, not just her, and I plan to avoid it for as long as I possibly can. The phone rings and my sweet daughter answers quickly.

“Hey, Dad! Y’all close? I can’t wait to see you.”

“Same, sweetheart. Little change of plans, though. Mae nearly took a bear out a few minutes ago and ran her car into a tree. I need to sit up at their house and wait for Dr. Thorpe to stop by and check her and Josh out. Do you want to hang at the house, and I’ll be back in a bit.”

Tinley laughs. “No way, Dad. I know how important this woman is to you. I’ve spent the last four months hearing all about her favorite color, how you love watching her read at night in the recliner by the fireplace, the way she—”

“I, ugh…” I have nothing to say, but this isn’t a conversation I want to be having out loud. Watching Mae read at night is something I’ve done from the tree line. It’s creepy that I talked about it. Hell, I don’t even remember doing that.

“What?”

“Nothing.” I swallow hard and flick on my blinker toward Mae’s cabin.

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