[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.He was grimacing and his blue eyes were filled with concern.His wet hair was plastered to his head andhe was soaked through, but he seemed oblivious to the rain.He carried her swiftly, surely, to his car, a squat, bulbous-shaped candy apple redPacer which was parked on the shoulder of the road."Lincoln," Vanessa whispered and clutched at his shirt with fingers that felt as if they'd turned to icicles.She burst into tears.He deposited her in the front bucket seat of his car, then went around to the trunk and returned a moment later with a dark gray blanket."I've alwayskept a first aid kit and a blanket in the trunk,"he said, "but this is the first time I've ever had to use either of them."He leaned inside to wrap the blanket around her.The coarse wool was scratchy and rough, but Vanessa clutched it as if it were the finest cashmere.She was crying and shivering and couldn't seemto stop."Vanessa, the truck driver who was behind you on the ramp witnessed the accident, too, and has radioed the police on his CB," Linc told her.She glanced out the window and saw another man standing beside the car; he said a few words to Linc.She remembered seeing the lights of the truck behind her on the ramp, and with that memory came another, of the terror she'd felt when sherealized that she had no escape from the oncoming car.Linc climbed into the driver's seat beside her and silently placed a box of tissues in her lap."I I can't seem to stop c-crying," she managed tochoke out.It was difficult to talk and cry at the same time, and she was vexed with her tears that were falling as relentlessly as the rain outside."I n-never cry," she felt obliged to add.It was true, she'd never been one to resort to tears.The closest she'd come to crying as an adult had beenwhen she'd learned that Troy Timmons, a man she had wanted to be more than a friend, was gay and would never hold the place she'd created inher daydreams for him.But even then she'd controlled herself and hadn't given in to tears.How she longed for a little of that rigid self-control now, asthe tears continued to stream involuntarily from her eyes."You have a right to cry.That fantastic car of yours is a smashed-up wreck and this old heap doesn't have a scratch on it." Linc's voice was soft andgently teasing."There's no justice on the roads,"he added with a wry shake of his head.Vanessa thought of all the wisecracks she'd made about his car, all the uncharitable and petty thoughts she'd had about it, and cried harder.Thesmall car was spotless and well kept, she noted through her tears.Maybe Linc was as fond of it as her brothers were of their exotic sports cars.And she had made fun of it! It was bright red, she reflected, a rather dashing color for a somber actuary.Maybe Linc had always wanted a sportycar and choosing the candy red color was as close as he'd been able to come to his dream.The thought set her off in a fresh bout of tears."It's not an old heap!" she sobbed."I love this car.""I think you're getting hysterical," Linc said dryly and drew her into his arms, no mean feat as the gear console was between the bucket seats."Nobody loves this car.I hate it myself.Its the car that won't die and I can't justify getting rid of it while it's still in perfect shape.""You're being so nice to me and I was so bitchy about your car." Vanessa gave a miserable little sniff."I don't deserve it.""Vanessa, what you didn't deserve was to be hit by some drunken idiot in flagrant violation of the law."His arms tightened possessively.She closed her eyes and leaned against him."I'm a mess," she said miserably."I can't stop crying and I can't stop shaking.What's wrong with me?I don't usually fall apart like some kind of of nervous weakling.""There's nothing wrong with you, Vanessa.You've had a bad scare and the crying and shaking are very normal reactions.It's perfectly all right tofeel both nervous and weak after what you've been through.Don't be so hard on yourself, honey.""My brothers would be appalled if they knew how scared and weepy I've been acting.I never behave this way in front of them.They ""Vanessa, you shouldn't have to prove how tough you are to your own family.Families are supposed to offer support and comfort in times of stress.How can they do that if you insist on maintaing a facade of false bravado?""A Ramsey isn't weak," Vanessa said earnestly."Daddy always says that we Ramseys cheerfully an-nihilate the weak and uncertain.""Well, I don't," Linc said soothingly."So you can be as weak and uncertain around me as you need to be.And I won't report you to your brothers," headded, stroking her wet hair with his hand.She'd spent her life striving to be strong, proving she wasn't the weak little girl her parents seemed to expect her to be, afraid that if she gave ineven once, she would be mired forever in a helpless, passive role.And now Lincoln Scott was granting her a li-cense to be weak and she didn't feelthreatened, only comforted, Vanessa reflected thoughtfully, as she luxuriated in the strength of his arms.It was a relief to cede control to someoneelse for a little while.If that someone was Lincoln.And only Lincoln.Somehow she knew that he wouldn't use her temporary weakness against her.There was a knock at the window and Linc rolled it down."Hey, Linc, the cops are here," said the truck driver."Thanks, Harry." Linc turned to Vanessa."I'm going to talk to the police now, Vanessa.You stay here.I don't want you to go back out in the rain.""How did you know the truck driver's name was Harry?" she asked quizzically, more interested in that fact than the arrival of the police.Linc smiled."We both were bemoaning the fate of that fabulous Ferrari Testarossa.Created an immediate male bond between us."She smiled [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]