Still, the drive home from the airport tried his jolly. He thought of all his careful preparations, the turkey and fixings, the tasty snacks, and the eggnog in the fridge ready to pour in the cut-glass bowl and spike. He’d even made Aunt Molly’s favorite fruitcake, with extra candied cherries, that they all teased her about but secretly nibbled on when they thought nobody was watching.
The limo he’d hoped to fill with his loved ones handled well on the slippery roads, but as he turned onto Main Street, he began a slow slide. So late on Christmas Eve, the streets were empty of people, thank heavens, but he’d rather not end up in one of the storefronts if possible.
His calm disappeared at the sight of one woman in a nightgown crossing at the corner, holding her coat bundled up in front of her. Struggling to regain control of the long car before it slid into her, he didn’t have much time to wonder why she would be out in this weather in her nighty. Maybe too much eggnog? But drunk or not, she didn’t deserve to be flattened by a stretch limo on Christmas Eve.
Charles gripped the wheel and worked the brakes as she turned and stared right at him, her frightened face lit by his headlights.
He wrenched the wheel to the left, and the car slammed into the curb. Angry and terrified, he leapt out and stomped up to her. “Are you all right?” Of course she wasn’t all right…but he had to know…. “Did I hit you?”
Long blonde hair straggled around pale cheeks and wide eyes as she still clutched her coat. She was in shock. He’d nearly killed her. Grasping the fabric, he tried to pry it free, but she held it tighter.
“No, let go,” she choked out.
Up close, he could see dirty streaks all over her long white nightgown. She wore one slipper, the other foot bare on the icy pavement. “You’ll catch your death. Why won’t you put your coat on?”
Teeth chattering, she stammered out, “Th-the kittens. They’ll freeze.”
Kittens?
“Then at least get in the car.” Charles guided her to the passenger side and opened the door, urging her into the seat. Closing the door behind her, he moved around to the other side and climbed in.
Turning on the overhead light, he took in the surreal sight before him. And the smell of smoke. “Were you camping?”
Dark-blue eyes blinked, but they looked glazed, dull. “In this weather? Do I look crazy?”
“You were out in the cold on Christmas Eve in your nightgown, wearing one slipper and holding a coat full of kittens. If you aren’t crazy, you are doing a darn good imitation.” He chuckled, trying to put her at ease. “Maybe I should take you to the ER? I think the highway is still open enough to get to the hospital, or I can call 911?”
She sniffed, and tears rolled down her cheeks. “Don’t bother calling 911. The fire department is probably still spraying water on my place.”
He waited, but no more explanation came. In shock. “Your house is on fire?”
“My house, my business, my everything.” Shifting the coat to her one arm, she swiped at the tears. “So am I crazy? No, but I probably will be soon.”
“At least you got your pets out.” Charles reached for the coat, and, when she tugged it away, he offered a gentle smile. “It’s nice and warm in here. Don’t you think we should make sure your kittens are okay?”
“They aren’t my kittens.” Finally, she allowed him to take the coat and open it. Three sets of dark eyes peered up at him. “I found them outside in the alley.”
“In the cold?” He stared, appalled. “They could have frozen to death.”
Lifting one into her lap, she stroked the tiny, shivering furball. “Worse than that, they were right behind my restaurant, which was on fire. I-I can’t think about it.” Her teeth chattered harder. “I can’t seem to get warm either.”
Charles cranked the heat higher. “Where would you like to go?”
She shrugged. “Nowhere. I’ve been back in town a short time. Maybe the bus station. If you’ll allow me to use your phone, I will call my friend Tabbi and ask her to buy me a ticket online, and I’ll get on the next bus.”
An image of her sitting on a bench at the bus station in her sooty nightgown, with one bare foot and a coat full of kittens filled his mind. No. Just no.
“Listen, it’s Christmas Eve. I don’t know the schedule, but with the predicted blizzard, I don’t think there will be another bus tonight.”
“I just moved back last year, and most of my friends are long gone to the big city, like I was.” She shrugged. “The only people I know in town anymore are my staff, and I don’t want to ruin their Christmas by telling them their jobs are gone, burned into ash. The bus station will be warm; we’ll be fine.”
He shook his head and put the limo in reverse, pulling it off the curb. “I don’t think they will let you on a bus without at least two slippers. And a proper kitten carrier. Why don’t I take you to the mansion, and we can weather the storm together.”