Harlequin Romance March 2021 Box Set Cara Colter (the mitten read aloud TXT) 📖

Maybe he wasn’t a complete jerk…

She stared at him, mesmerized by the crystal clarity of his eyes and the genuine concern in them. “I—I…”

“Did you hit your head?” he asked, leaning toward her. “I don’t see any blood from here, but you might have suffered a concussion.”

“I—I—No.” She blinked up at him.

His frown deepened. “You might be in shock and can’t remember. I think it’s best if I take you to the hospital immediately. Your car will have to stay here until you can get a tow tomorrow. I doubt anyone would come out now in this weather.” He stepped closer to peer in through the opening, surveying her as if he were looking for signs of broken limbs. “Does it hurt anywhere? Your neck? Chest? Legs?”

The warmth of his breath fanned her face. For a moment all she could process was the emerald brilliance of his eyes. And then she heard him asking her again if she was hurt.

“No, no, no.” Ronnie shook her head and then winced. “But I have a headache.”

“Which is why you need to get checked. You might have hit your head when you spun out, and can’t remember, which is common with head trauma… Thank goodness your car didn’t flip over,” he added huskily. “What did you say your name was?”

“I didn’t.” Ronnie hesitated. Why would he want to know that? And then it hit her. Of course; he was wondering if she was suffering from a concussion. “Veronica,” she said. “Or Ronnie.”

“Okay, Veronica or Ronnie. It’s not nice to meet you under such circumstances, but it’s still nice to meet you. My name is Redmond. Or Red,” he said with a smile.

She blinked, and the sudden image of him in a Viking warrior tunic and chain mail ignited a swirl in her stomach. Maybe Erik the Red was one of his ancestors… Ronnie shook her head and met his gaze, her cheeks flaming with the realization that he had noticed her lingering gaze.

“Your eyes look a little glassy,” he murmured. “We’d better get you to a hospital and make sure you’re okay.”

“I—I don’t need to go to the hospital. I need to call my—my—”

“Husband,” he finished for her. “Of course. But let me get you in my truck and you can call from there. And warm up. I’ll have to clear the snow around your tires first, though. And from the looks of it, I may have to carry you over…that is, if you allow me to…”

Ronnie felt her cheeks tingle. Surely she could manage to trudge through the snow on her own.

As soon as Ronnie rolled up the window, he used his gloves to brush off enough snow to allow him to open the door. It made a crunching sound from the built-up ice along its edge. She shifted in her seat to ascertain if she could walk to the truck herself, but realized that the depth of the snow and the quickly darkening sky would make it very difficult. At least there was already a path made by her apparent rescuer.

She had no choice but to trust this stranger. And let him carry her to his truck.

She swiveled in her seat, grabbed her handbag and one of the book bags and hooked them over her right shoulder.

“That’ll be an extra freight charge,” he said, his tone serious.

Ronnie’s jaw dropped. “You’ve got to be kidding.” Her brow furrowed at the teasing look in his eyes. She was not in a joking mood.

“Did you actually believe me?” he chuckled.

“Well, I don’t know you, so I wouldn’t know if you were joking,” she returned coolly. “And I’m not in the habit of jumping into a stranger’s arms, either.” She gestured toward the snow. “But I can see I’d be swimming in the stuff if I don’t take you up on your offer, which is really the least you can do.”

He looked at her quizzically. “I’m not sure I follow you on the last bit, but you can clarify it in my truck. In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve been getting pelted. I feel like I’m about to become an ice sculpture.”

Ronnie’s mouth twisted, and she bit back the reply on the tip of her tongue.

“Okay, you can shift your body into my arms and put your arms around my neck. Let me know if anything hurts, all right?”

Ronnie shifted slightly and felt his arms immediately slide under her legs to support her weight. She managed to click the door lock on the key before she felt him straighten. Her arms instinctively flew out and up to entwine themselves around his neck. As he began taking big strides back toward his truck, she automatically pressed her head against his chest to shield her face from the elements. She closed her eyes and a shiver of relief ran through her. His broad chest was like a protective wall shielding her from the forces of nature. A wall softened by a big warm comforter.

It was an odd feeling, that of being protected. Taken care of…and by a complete stranger. From the crunch of his every step, Ronnie realized that the drop in temperature had caused the top layer of snow to become hardened with the freezing rain. The roads would be like a skating rink. And the country roads would surely be worse.

How would he be able to get her back to Winter’s Haven?

Her eyes flew open when he stopped. She felt an unexpected sense of disappointment when he set her down on the shoulder of the road, a couple of feet away from the passenger door of his truck. She shot a glance at the road. Very little traffic, and the cars that were there had all reduced their speed. She eyed his truck. He had left it turned on, so the windows would stay defrosted, and it thrummed like a sleeping monster. Its wheels came up to her waist, but Ronnie still had doubts that it could