Page 35 (2/2)

But now she couldn’t iine her life without hih when she angry Not to ht she was too tired to take another step He was there for her unlike anyone else in her life

It wasn’t like Gizmo to take off and not listen to her She supposed that between the long flight from the States and then the intermittent snoers that they’d been cooped up inside for too long

The blast of a horn shattered the silence

It was followed by the sound of skidding tires

A high-pitched squeal confirmed Serena’s worst fears

Her heart leaped into her throat as she came to a stop

A loud thud reverberated through the air And then the crunch ofdown to her ne boots

A whole host of frantic thoughts sprang toshock quickly passed and she put one foot in front of the other All the while, she struggled to edy that undoubtedly awaited her

As if on autopilot, she cleared the overgrown path She scanned the quiet road Her gaze latched onto the back end of a dark sedan Inwardly she cringed

And to n of Gizmo

Orto any sense of hope She held her breath and listened for a bark—a whi There were no puppy sounds

Please let Gizmo be safe

Steaine compartment of the crashed vehicle The driver’s side was bent around a cluster of trees Serena’s aped Was that the reason Gizmo didn’t respond? A sob rose in her throat Was he pinned in the wreckage?

Tears pricked the back of her eyes Please, say it isn’t so

Moisture dampened her cheeks She swiped at the tears For a normally reserved person who only cried on a director’s cue, Serena wasn’t used to a spontaneous rush of e she couldn’t just stand there, she sed hard and thenwhat she would find

On legs that felt like gelatin, shethe driver’s-side door was pinned by a tree trunk, she approached the passenger side and yanked open the door

A snapping and popping sound eine what that n of fire

Not finding any flaet a better look There in the driver’s seat was a ainst the seat His eyes were shut His dark lashes and brows gave his face a distinctive look There was so familiar about him, but in her frantic state, she couldn’t et this man to safety in case his car went up in flames

Even though she’d played a nurse once in a movie, she didn’t know much about first aid The movie had been a stalker/thriller type The medical aspects were minimal She reached for the cell phone in her back pocket She pulled it out, but there was no signal This wasn’t good—not good at all

“Therethere was a dog”

The deep h he was still dazed She glanced up to find a pair of dark brown eyes staring back at her Her heart lodged in her throat Was it wrong that she found his eyes intriguing? And dare she say it, they were quite attractive They were eyes that you couldn’t help staring into and losing yourself

The ure out what had happened And then he started to roan of pain immediately followed

“Stop,” Serena called out “Stay still”

Thethe matter with me?”