Cross Country Christmas by Tiffany King Read Free Book Online Page A

sit and try not to laugh with every recurring visit to the table.
    "You were no help," I chastised him as we paid the check.
    "I think her concern is sweet," he said as we both shrugged into our jackets.
    "I brought you two crazy kids a couple of coffees to go," June said, bustling out of the kitchen. "You come back and see us here in Whisper Hollow when you're not so pressed for time. Next time you'll have to try our waffles and legendary maple syrup. It's the best maple in the state," she boasted.
    "We will," I promised, even though there really wasn't a "we" when it came to Grant and me. "Thank you, June," I said, impulsively giving her a hug. Maybe it was the cheesy Christmas decorations or I was touched by how concerned she was, but I felt an odd kinship with her. It made the stay in the roach motel last night that much worse knowing we could have stayed here instead if we had known about it.
    Waving at June one last time, Grant and I left the warmth of the restaurant behind. We crunched our way to the car through the layer of snow that was effectively covering the ground.
    "Do you want me to drive?" Grant asked. The offer was sweet, but I could see him eyeing the compact space behind the steering wheel skeptically.
    "Don't worry about it, big boy. I got it," I teased, easily sliding my petite frame behind the wheel.
    "Take it slow and easy," he directed as I pulled out of the parking lot and merged onto the highway.
    I shot him a look that said I knew how to drive, even though I heeded his advice and let up on the accelerator a bit. The car still shimmied and slid on the slick highway. We didn't have a lot of weight in this small car. I let up on the accelerator a bit more as the snow fell even heavier. Our progress was slow, and I was beginning to think June was right. Only someone crazy would be driving on this road.
    Without warning, the car lost traction. I barely had time to react as we slid sideways across the highway. Luckily, no cars were coming from the opposite direction. I removed my foot from the accelerator and stayed off the brakes. Thankfully, I had some experience driving on icy roads. I knew to turn the wheel in the opposite direction of our skid to keep the car from spinning around, but as much as I tried, we continued to slide sideways and down the short embankment. The car protested with a loud grinding noise and came to a jarring halt in a narrow gully off the side of the road.

Chapter 6
     
     
    "Well, hell, that was fun," I muttered, gripping the steering wheel with shaking hands. The car was no longer running, but smoke was seeping out from under the hood.
    "Are you okay?" Grant asked. I had a strange sense of déj à vu. Just yesterday he had asked me the same question after the plane crash.
    "Yeah, but I'm starting to feel like we're in one of those Final Destination movies," I said, resting my head against the steering wheel. The vehicle shook slightly from Grant's laughter. As always, I was so glad I was here to amuse him.
    "It's not funny," I stated, although my own lips began to quirk from watching him trying to hold his laughter in check.
    "You're like the ultimate traveling bad luck charm," Grant said, between howls of laughter.
    "Me? How do you know it's not you? I've never had this much trouble getting from one place to the other before," I said as my own laughter rippled through me. I guess under the circumstances, it was good that we had a sense of humor over our experience. It would definitely give us a story to tell.
    "We better head back to Whisper Hollow," Grant said as the snow continued to fall.
    "Seriously? How far do you think we've gone?" I wasn't relishing a walk along the highway in my designer boots that were designed more for fashion than function.
    "It's probably less than five miles. If we're lucky, we can get back to town before the sun sets. Besides, what choice do we have? Look at your phone. There's no signal out here."
    Terrific. Five miles might not seem like a