“No,” he said, shaking his head after briefly considering her kind offer. “It’s too far.” Even as drunk as he was, he wouldn’t allow her to do that. Travelling over the mountain that separated Birch Falls from Pine Ridge could be treacherous with the un-forecasted precipitation, at least until the road crews had a chance to get out there to salt and cinder.
Mary bit her lip again. Her brows furrowed. She looked down and toed the accumulating snow. Though each action was, like her, unremarkable, he couldn’t look away. What was she struggling with, he wondered? Did she, too, have secrets that weighed heavily upon her feminine shoulders?
They stood that way for several minutes. The lot was quiet, with the muffled bass thumps of the band playing inside barely audible. Aidan discreetly leaned against the car when it felt as though the asphalt shifted beneath him. With nothing to go home to, he was in no particular hurry to leave. Maybe he would just sit in the car for a while, close his eyes and wait for things to stop spinning.
“How about coming home with me, then?” she finally asked.
Aidan’s eyes widened for a moment in surprise, then he grinned. “Are you propositioning me, Mary? Did you change your mind about that kiss?”
She flushed a darker shade of rose, but her eyes glittered. Or maybe that was just the prismatic effect of the flakes in the glow of the lamps lighting the far end of the lot. It didn’t matter; it was very pretty.
“No. I’m offering you a safe ride and a warm place to stay until you sober up enough to go on your merry way.”
He sighed dramatically. “No hook-up?”
The corners of her lips quirked, as he’d hoped. “No.”
“Ah, well,” he lamented ruefully. “It’s still the best offer I’ve had all night. I’m in your responsible hands, Mary. Be gentle with me.”
Chapter Three
In that single, unguarded moment, Mary actually felt his loneliness. It seeped into her bones more than the cold, damp flurries falling softly all around her. She shouldn’t even be thinking what she was thinking. He was a stranger who had just tried to pick her up in a bar.
Yet something in him called out to something in her, and she knew that he was the reason she’d been unable to leave the parking lot. As she sat in her Jeep Grand Cherokee, the snow had begun falling in earnest, but she was warm and cozy with the defroster on full blast. She wasn’t sure what she was waiting for until she saw the gorgeous blonde man slip into the lot from around the back.
Mary wasn’t overly religious, nor did she claim to have any psychic talents, but she did believe that things happened for a reason.
She couldn’t let him drive in his condition. He’d end up killing himself or someone else. She could go back inside and call the Sheriff, but that would just get him tossed in a holding cell overnight, and no one should start the New Year off in jail. Besides, her instincts told her that he was basically a good guy going through a rough patch. It was certainly something she could relate to, and for whatever reason, she was in the right place at the right time to help.
The parking lot was quickly becoming slick, which meant the roads wouldn’t be much better. Mary led the way to her car and opened the door, only to turn around and find Aidan on his rear end looking somewhat confused. She went back and helped him to his feet, then held his arm until he was safely inside the vehicle. After fastening his seat belt, she slipped the Jeep into four-wheel drive and carefully pulled out of the lot.
Neither of them spoke much on the way back to her place. When Mary chanced a sideways glance his way, he appeared to be dozing.
Getting him out of the car was a bit difficult in the limited space of her garage, but they were able to manage without too much trouble. He towered over her, enough that her shoulders were the perfect height for him to lean on. Wrapping one of her arms around his waist, she was able to keep him upright and moving forward. He remained quiet as she gently guided him toward the guest bedroom and eased him into a soft chair. Her big yellow Lab, Max, padded along beside them, looking both interested and curious.
“Big dog,” Aidan commented, eyeing Max warily out of the corner of his eye.
“Yeah, he’s my shadow.”
“Should I be worried?” he asked, when the dog sat down within lunging distance and focused his gaze on Aidan as if trying to decide just what part of him would be the juiciest.
“Only if you try to hurt me.”
Mary wasn’t quite certain that was true. Max was the most easy-going dog she’d ever had, but he was very attached to her. She always suspected he’d come to her rescue if need be, but that theory had never, thankfully, been tested.
She pulled down the corner of the navy blue comforter, revealing ice-blue linens beneath, then disappeared in the adjoining bathroom to return with a big fluffy towel. She dried Aiden’s hair the best she could, then patted softly around his face and neck. He had the loveliest glow to his skin, smooth and golden, almost like he’d spent a few weeks in the Mediterranean, but she sensed it was just his natural coloring.