Page 201 of Santa Daddies

What the fuck did that mean?

“How long have you had your license?” he asked in alarm. Who was this woman? And why the fuck would she drive in the snow up a fucking mountain if she hadn’t been driving long?

“Oh, since I was eighteen,” she told him. “I just haven’t driven that much since. I’ll g-get out of your w-way. Really s-sorry, again.”

“Stop saying sorry,” he growled. “And you can’t drive up there. It’s dark and the storm is going to get worse.”

“I don’t have much choice. It’s only five m-miles. Not th-that far.”

She got into her car and he told himself to let her go. He’d done what he could. No reason to put himself out.

Only as she sat in the car, he got a funny feeling.

If she left now . . . he just knew she wasn’t going to make it to Caldwell’s place. And, fuck, he might be an asshole, but even he couldn’t live with that knowledge. So he forced himself to walk along the porch. Standing in front of her car, he waved at her.

She still hadn’t started the car, but he knew she could see him. Slowly, the door opened.

“Sorry,” she called out. “Just t-trying to, uh, to, well, I don’t know what I was doing . . . finding some courage? Sadly, I’m lacking in th-that area. Also, in brains and common s-sense, it seems.”

Anson scowled.

Oh, he didn’t like her putting herself down.

At all.

“Don’t speak like that,” he snapped. “And grab the stuff you need and get inside. Now.”

Turning, he limped back inside before he could change his mind.

Chapter Three

Had that just happened?

Had he really just ordered her inside and then turned away as though he fully expected her to simply follow him?

Alice felt a rise of unexpected rebelliousness.

But it was short-lived.

She wasn’t the rebellious type. Even before meeting George, she’d been a people-pleaser. The sort of person who spiraled if she thought someone was upset with her. If she did the wrong thing.

So she knew that she was going to follow him inside. And not just because he’d told her to.

But because she was freaking scared of driving in this storm, which was definitely getting worse by the minute. And it seemed she was more afraid of driving than she was of being in a cabin in the middle of nowhere with a strange man.

This could be a very stupid, terrible idea, Alice.

She seemed to have a lot of those.

Alice stared over at the front door. What if he was a rapist? A murderer? He definitely seemed grouchy.

Although that could be because you just turned up unannounced on his doorstep. Anyone would be grouchy.

Right?

What choice did she have? Could she sleep in her car? Would it be safe or would she freeze to death? She had three-quarters of a tank left. How long would that last if she left it running?

Shit. Shit. Shit.