Read Online Yule Tidings by Savannah Dawn - Free Book Online Page A

roads were slick and she couldn’t slow down.  It seemed like she spun forever before landing in the ditch on the right side of the road. Anne sat, stunned.  She wasn’t entirely sure what to do at first.  She’d never hit a deer in her life.  She turned off the engine, though it seemed to be running fine.  Anne pulled on the door handle, but the door refused to budge.  She pushed harder, but she couldn’t break it free.  She had a moment of panic before unhooking her seat belt to crawl to the passenger side door.  She squeezed past the steering wheel and pushed at the door.  It didn’t open.  No surprise; she’d forgotten to use the handle in her panic.  Anne made herself breathe more slowly.  Calm down she told herself.  She pulled on the handle and pushed at the door.  It opened with ease.  She climbed from her car, stepping down into the watery ditch.
                  Anne’s head ached and it was difficult for her to move the left side of her body.  She barely noticed as icy water seeped through her shoes and slacks, soaking her legs up to her knees as she climbed out of the ditch to the road.  She groaned morosely when she realized that it was too dark for anyone to see her or the car.  She stumbled back down to the car, slipping and sliding the entire way to turn on the four ways.  She tried to reach the flares in the trunk, but she wasn’t able to get around the car without practically climbing a tree.  Since she was already wet and injured, she wasn’t willing to attempt the feat if it wasn’t absolutely necessary; she was hoping someone would drive by soon.
                  Anne scurried back up the ditch to the road when she heard the sound of a vehicle coming closer.  She couldn’t tell what direction the car was coming from and in her haste to receive help; she bounded onto the road in a rush.  The truck, it turned out, was heading directly for her.  She actually stepped into the road, waving her arms frantically until the driver slowed down, pulling over about ten feet behind her.  When she saw the driver climb down from the cab she almost regretted hailing him down for he was a formidable man indeed.  He stood at least six feet tall, broad shouldered, and burly.  He had a gnarled beard covering his face.  The only feature she could discern from his visage was his faded dark eyes.  She couldn’t make out the color, dark brown or black maybe.  He looked gruff in his heavy flannel jacket, unzipped to show a filthy work shirt of some kind.  His pants were caked with an unusual muddy substance that seemed clumped and dried onto the legs, and thick black leather gloves covered his immense hands. 
                  “Thank you for stopping,” Anne said nervously.  “I hit a deer,” Anne indicated her car in the ditch, as if the man couldn’t see it from where he stood, about five feet away from her.  She was shivering from cold and fear as she said, “do you think you could pull me out, or call the police for me?”  It occurred to her that she was completely at his mercy.  He could choose to help her or hurt her and no one would ever know.  At this particular point in her life she doubted any of the kids would notice she was missing, and her work would probably assume she was flexing her time in the morning to make up for working late.  She would be missing for hours or days before anyone called the authorities.
                  The man looked from her to the car.  He hadn’t said a word since he’d stopped.  Anne jumped when he finally spoke, his voice deep and gravelly.  “Get in my truck.  You’ll catch yer death standing out here, soaking wet, in this cold.”  He didn’t bother watching to see that she did as he bid, but started looking over her car.
                  Anne didn’t see where she had much choice but to obey the man.  She was freezing.  Her side hurt, she couldn’t feel her feet,