Jennifer’s Christmas Daddy

Chapter 1

Kaden had no idea where he was going, but wherever it was, it was going to be far away from Montgomery, Vermont, and a certain red-haired snake of a woman.

Looking back on things, he had to wonder what he’d seen in her. Sure, she was hot as fuck and had the right mixture of brat and sweet little girl that got his motor running, but when push came to shove, she wanted someone who looked good on her arm and catered to her whims.

And Brittany Carter had a lot of whims that had turned into demands when she realized how much money he had. He’d made the mistake of mentioning his family home in The Hamptons when they’d started going out.

Because he was lazy, or maybe just that stupid, he’d put up with it until she’d asked him to duck below the dashboard of his car as they drove past her friends. He didn’t want to know how she thought that was going to work since he’d been the one driving.

She’d happily sleep with him and let him spend money on her, but was too vain to be seen in public with him. He’d turned right around and taken her home, then informed her she’d have to find another human ATM.

Honestly, he wasn’t even angry anymore. Just tired and a little disgusted with the whole thing. Sighing, he turned on the four-wheel drive as the snow got heavier.

The engine groaned, making a grinding noise that didn’t bode well for his continued travels. Sputtering, the car stalled, and he eased it off the road with the last bit of inertia remaining.

Engine lights flashed as he tried to start it again, but aside from a few clicks, the car didn’t respond. Lowering his head to the steering wheel, he wondered who he’d pissed off in a previous life.

Sitting up, he tried again to start it, and to his surprise, it caught. Hurriedly, he brushed the snow off the windshield and drove back toward town. It wasn’t his first choice, but he wasn’t going to trust the car to take him any further.

Before he’d gone three miles, a deer darted in front of him, barely missing his fender as he spun the wheel to avoid it. As his car careened toward a tree, he wondered if it was possible for his day to get any worse.

He braced himself for the impending meeting with the large maple, but it didn’t help. The car slammed into the tree, throwing him forward as the air bag deployed. His head caught the edge of the door frame, and his vision swam and darkened.

Shaking away the ringing in his ears, Kaden looked outside and saw an elderly woman in a flowered dress. A large, feathered hat was perched on her gray curls, and she held gloved hands in front of her mouth. A teenaged boy, bald and ghostly pale in blue hospital scrubs, stood next to her, his mouth open in horror.

He shook his head and looked outside again, but the strange people were gone. His last thought was a prayer that they’d go find help.

***

Jennifer finished her rounds and retreated to her office, desperate for a little sleep. The boarders had settled in and were quiet, but she had three dogs and a cat still under observation after surgery, plus in the barn out back, she had a horse being treated for a laceration.

This year hadn’t been her busiest Christmas, but it was pretty close. Matt, the other vet in her practice, had a family, so she always volunteered to take the holidays. It wasn’t like she had anywhere else to go.

She had her books, a good coffee pot, and a fridge full of delicious snacks from Matt’s wife, Lorraine. That was all a single girl really needed, right? Well, aside from BOB – the trusty battery-operated boyfriend. But Bob was at home where he belonged.

She had Caleb, too. The golden retriever was stretched out on her lumpy, but surprisingly comfortable couch, his head draped over the arm rest.

“Budge up, ye great lump,” she said, doing her best Hagrid impression.

With a groan worthy of a movie star, Caleb got off the couch, his reproachful brown eyes watching her every move when she took his spot. Kicking off her shoes, she laid back and picked up her Kindle from the table. She was halfway through a book about aliens who picked human brides when the women read a specific romance the aliens had written.

The sex was filthy hot, the concept was hilarious and so fantastically out there, she was wildly entertained. There was even a disclaimer telling people to read at their own risk, and that the authors took no responsibility if they were kidnapped.

“If only,” she muttered, picking up where she’d left off. Her life was so utterly boring, she’d almost welcome getting swept away to another planet. But she’d never leave her animals—not even for cocks with very useful tentacles.

Caleb stood up and growled as he paced in front of her office door. Putting down her reader, she slipped her boots on and grabbed her coat. He’d already been out, but maybe he needed to go again.

She opened the back door and Caleb dashed out, running toward the tree line. Lights flashed in the distance, and she heard the faint noise of a car alarm.

“Oh hell.” Grabbing the keys to her snowmobile, she jogged behind the barn. She’d used it to come to work this morning, knowing the snow would be too deep to drive. It would get her to the road faster than running would, and she would need it and the travois behind it if someone was injured. She refused to consider that someone might have died in the accident.

Slapping her helmet on, she started the motor and soon was racing across the field to the road. When she reached the accident, she slowed and grimaced. The driver had probably spun out on the curve, and he’d done a number on his car.

“Hush, Caleb,” she said, quieting her barking dog as she pushed him out of the way. Peering inside, she saw a man leaning against the door, his head bleeding profusely, though he appeared to be breathing.

She eased the door open, thanking God it wasn’t locked. He fell to the side, but his seat belt kept him in the seat. Grabbing a pocket knife, she cut the straps and eased his big body to the snow.

He opened his eyes, making her sigh in relief as she wiped the blood away to check the cut. It didn’t look very deep, but might need a couple of stitches. Other, older scars marred his face, but Jennifer was more concerned with the one that was actively bleeding.

“Sir, can you hear me?” she asked.

Smiling, he lifted his hand and touched her face. “Yeah. Are you an angel?” His eyes closed and he fell unconscious.

Standing up, she put her hands on her hips. “Well, shit.”

She moved the snowmobile close enough that she could roll his big body onto the travois. Covering him with several blankets, she puttered back to the clinic, unwilling to risk bouncing him. Without a good idea of his injuries, she had no idea what to do.

His cut was the least of her worries. Sutures were easy, and he’d probably be a lot less likely to kick or bite than most of her patients. But if he was injured more severely, it would be beyond her ability.

Stopping the snowmobile by the clinic door, she pondered how she was going to get him inside and bent down to check on him. His eyelids fluttered, and she breathed a sigh of relief. If he regained consciousness, she could help him inside. “Sir, can you hear me?” she asked.

“Yeah, angel.” He grinned drunkenly and tried to sit up. “You’re awful pretty, but I don’t think heaven has this much snow.”

Definitely a concussion, she decided, trying not to laugh. “Sorry to disappoint you, but you’re still in Vermont. Let’s get you inside.”