A Hero's Christmas Hope (Holidays in Heart Falls #3) - Arend, Vivian Page 0,2

one of the best people to act as first responder at the scene.

Still, no matter his training, the sight of a bloody handprint on the inside of the driver’s window shot adrenaline through his system. He peered inside and spotted a single figure slouched behind the wheel, motionless. “Hey. I’m here to help. I’m going to open the door—don’t move.”

A woman groaned loudly then swore as the cold wind whipped into the passenger space. “Dammit, that hurt like hell.”

The deployed airbag was one clue, but Ryan wasn’t going to make any assumptions. He pressed a hand to her shoulder to keep her in place. “Don’t move for a minute. Let’s make sure it’s safe to get you out of there.”

“Ryan?”

Her voice sounded far too familiar, and the fact she knew his name meant he needed to take a closer look. But first— “Don’t move means your head as well. You’ve been in a car crash. You might have a neck injury.”

“I didn’t crash,” she insisted. “But holy hell, that airbag packs a punch. My teeth feel like they’re loose. Is my wrist still attached to my arm? My fingers are numb.”

He made sure the car was solid before doing anything else. It was firmly wedged in position, so he leaned in to do a quick check on the woman’s neck and shoulders. That put him face-to-face with a bleeding nose, reddish-brown hair, and a pair of familiar bright-green eyes.

“What are you doing, Madison Joy?” Ryan asked without really expecting an answer, but she gave one anyway.

“Bleeding?” She ran her tongue over her teeth. “Yay for safety systems, but damn it, my nose hurts.”

Her voice had gone nasal as the swelling accelerated. Ryan eyed the inside of the vehicle, but the lack of any other damage plus the position of the car seemed to follow her claim of not having any impact injuries. “Let’s undo your seat belt and get you out of there.”

“My hero,” Madison mumbled. “Back up a bit so I can swing my legs out. Then you can give me all the help you want.”

The tattered remains of the airbag were pushed aside, and Madison twisted toward him with a groan. She offered her right hand, cradling her left against her chest, and an instant later, she was standing, Ryan’s arm around her back.

She swayed briefly, but he held her in place until she patted his arm. “Just a bit of a head rush. Honest, nothing hurts too bad except for not being able to take a deep breath. And my wrist feels as if it was stepped on by an elephant. They weren’t lying when they said those damn airbags can be nearly as dangerous as being in an accident without them.”

“I don’t think your nose is broken,” Ryan told her. “But we’ll get them to take a look at it in Emergency. Your wrist as well. Arms and wrists are the other things that usually get damaged.”

She snorted then groaned. “Ouch. Remind me not to do that again.” She touched her nose gingerly then attempted another tentative body shimmy. “I think my ribs are okay. The boobs, on the other hand, are feeling rather tender. Like after a good old groping.”

It was Ryan’s turn to snicker, guiding her back up the embankment toward his truck. “I’ll take your word on that.”

“Hey, a good groping can be a lot of fun,” Maddy insisted. “Fooling around with an airbag, a little less so.”

The wind was shrieking by now, but Ryan took his time. He got her safely to the side of his truck and into the passenger seat. He buckled her up before closing the door.

By the time he got behind the wheel, Madison had flipped down the sun visor and opened the mirror and light to examine her face. “Well, shit.” She turned to face him, her pale skin nearly grey under the feeble interior light. Blood from her nose had smeared her cheeks, turning her into a rather gory sight. Still, she managed a smile and, in a perky voice, announced, “Hi, Ryan. I’ve come for a visit.”

“Seriously?”

“I would’ve called, but then it wouldn’t have been a surprise.” She made a horrible face, wiggling her jaw before reaching up to double-check her front teeth. She glanced at him. “You surprised?”

“A little. A lot.” Ryan carefully pulled out onto the highway. “Hospital?”

She took a deep breath then wiggled in her seat. “I assume you’re still first-aid certified. So am I. I do not have any broken ribs.