Stranger in Cold Creek Read Online Free

her face, then felt the sting as John pressed the hot cloth to her head wound. She sucked in a quick breath.
    â€œSorry,” he murmured. “At least you’ve stopped shivering.”
    So she had, she realized. She felt steadier also, her vision less off-kilter. The mental fog was starting to lift, as well.
    â€œI don’t know if I’d have survived out there without you,” she admitted, the words strangely reluctant to pass her lips. She’d been self-sufficient since she was quite young, the result of losing her mother in childhood. Her father had worked long hours, keeping the hardware business running through good times and bad. She’d learned early how to take care of herself. Accepting help from others wasn’t something she’d ever done easily.
    But she owed John Blake her life, even if she still had questions about what he might be doing in town. He certainly hadn’t been the person firing shots at her from the highway. He’d come perilously close to getting shot himself. She’d been looking right at him when the bullet hit the back door right beside him.
    A few minutes later, he withdrew the bloody washcloth from her head.
    She tried not to cringe at the thought of help arriving soon. Her practical side told her she needed medical attention, especially given her memory loss. She’d have told any other accident victim to let the paramedics do their job, wouldn’t she?
    But she sure as hell wasn’t going to enjoy her colleagues poking and prodding her as if she was an ordinary civilian involved in an MVA. She was one of them, damn it.
    And she wanted to be the one who investigated what had happened.
    â€œThey’re not going to let you investigate your own case, you know.” The knowing look in his eyes made her feel as if she’d been laid bare, all her secret thoughts on display.
    How the hell could he do that? He didn’t know her.
    She grimaced. “I know that.”
    â€œAnd while I’m sharing unwanted news with you, you should do whatever the paramedics say you should do.”
    â€œI’m fine.”
    â€œYou’re not.” He leaned closer. She couldn’t stop herself from meeting his gaze. “I spent time in the hospital not long ago. I felt like a specimen under glass. People wandering into my room all hours, poking this and drawing that. Hated every minute of it. So I know how you’re feeling.”
    She nodded, then regretted the movement as her head spun for a couple of seconds. “They’re going to want to bus me to Plainview for observation.”
    â€œMaybe you should let them do that.”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œThat’s a pretty good knock on your head.”
    â€œI probably have a slight concussion. But I’m clearheaded now.”
    â€œClosed head injuries can be unpredictable,” he warned. “You have someone who can watch you? A husband?”
    â€œMy dad,” she answered. “He’s probably already closed up shop and headed home. I’ll get one of the guys to take me there.”
    â€œSo, no husband?”
    She looked up at him, surprised by the interest in his voice. “No husband.”
    His gaze held hers. “I’m not exactly known for my good timing.”
    She couldn’t stop a smile, though it made her head ache. “Clearly.”
    â€œSo we should probably just forget I asked that question.” He looked toward the front door. “Do you hear any sirens?”
    â€œNot yet.”
    â€œShould we?”
    Good question. “How long ago did you talk to the station?”
    He looked at his watch. “Twenty minutes. He said backup was already on the way, so it might be a little longer than that.”
    It took about ten minutes to reach this part of Route 7 under good weather conditions. “The snow’s probably slowed them up.”
    He gave a quick nod and fell silent, his expression hard to read. She