Kian (Undercover Billionaire, #1)(48)

Ugh. She didn’t want to go there. Her fingers tightened around the steering wheel, to the point that her knuckles turned white. She took in some calming breaths, knowing she couldn’t get upset and start making mistakes while driving. She reduced her speed since no one else was around. It might even be safer for her to just pull over. Her mind was focused on just about everything except for driving.

But there wasn’t any other traffic on the road. She’d only passed a couple of vehicles in the last hour. She’d turned around a while back and would be in town soon enough. Lily had gotten plenty of sleep. Maybe the two of them would make a trip to the bakery. With all the stress of the last week, Roxie was burning plenty of calories and could totally afford to eat some sugary delights.

Roxie saw movement out of the corner of her eye and realized too late that a yearling was bounding right into the road, straight in her path. Slamming on her brakes, Roxie swerved to the left, the rear of her car fishtailing as the front tires caught the gravel on the side of the road.

The deer was on the road, staring at her in horror. Their eyes met, and Roxie silently pleaded with the animal to move, but it didn’t listen, and her front corner bumper slammed into the poor animal, sending it forward. Her car came to a screeching halt on the side of the road, and Roxie’s heart was now lodged in her throat.

Her entire body trembling, Roxie pulled all the way off the road and killed her engine. Turning to check on Lily, she let out a relieved breath when she saw her niece shift in her seat, then rest her head comfortably again and start snoring. The impact had been minimal and had shaken Roxie up far more than the damage it had caused.

She still had to make sure everything was fine, though. She needed to stop trembling before she left the safety of her car. All she could think about was Kian telling her how unsafe her car was if she were to get into a wreck. Well, she’d proven him wrong. Both she and Lily were just fine, and they’d just had a minor accident.

Of course, she’d barely clipped the deer and had been going only forty-five, but still, the car seemed to be holding up well. Adrenaline was flowing through Roxie’s veins as she gazed at her niece a few more moments while concentrating on her breathing.

Finally, Roxie emerged from her car and felt tears sting her eyes when she saw the yearling lying on its side, its legs moving in a running motion as it tried to right itself. Blood oozed from its shoulder, but she couldn’t tell if anything was broken. The sound it was making was enough to make her sob, but she tried desperately to hold it together.

It was just a baby, and it was hurt. She couldn’t possibly just leave the young animal there to suffer, but there was no way she’d be able to put it out of its misery. She didn’t have it in her. She paced in front of the deer that appeared to be terrified, and she felt a tear slip free.

She had to call the game department or roadkill services. But it wasn’t dead yet. Could someone help it? She felt terrible she hadn’t managed to avoid the beautiful creature. Looking back, she saw that Lily was still sleeping in her car seat. Roxie didn’t have to rush off. She needed to call someone.

Without giving it much more thought than that, Roxie lifted her phone and dialed Kian. He was going to think she was crazy, but she didn’t care. If he could help the animal, then she’d take a little taunting. She didn’t want to be responsible for the kill. It was a senseless death.

Kian didn’t say hello when he answered. He never had been the greeting type of person. It was something she remembered from the many times she’d called him while they were dating. He always answered the phone as if they’d been having a conversation and he was simply continuing it. Surprisingly enough, his greeting helped to calm her.

“I was just going to dial you and see if you and Lily wanted to get lunch,” he said.

“I’m out on the county road about fourteen miles in, and I hit a deer. It’s still alive and needs help,” she replied. The panic rose as she said this.

Kian was quiet on the other end of the line, and she wondered if he’d heard her. He had to act fast if they were going to save the deer. They didn’t have time to ask and answer questions. She really wasn’t sure what he could do about it, but this was reminding her of how she had always turned to him whenever she had a problem. It had been like that for years, and when she didn’t have him anymore, she’d been lost for a while.

Heck, maybe, for that matter, she never had truly found herself again. Roxie wasn’t sure. And thankfully, her mind was occupied, and she didn’t really have time to think about it right now.

“Are you and Lily okay?” he asked, and that was when she noticed the panic in his voice. He’d been taking his time to control it.

She heard movement and then his vehicle start up. “Yes, we’re fine,” she said, her voice growing more urgent. “But the deer isn’t.”

“I’m calling the ambulance, and then I will call you right back,” he told her.

“No!” she yelled, not wanting him to hang up.

“What?” He sounded confused. “I’m on my way, but we need to get the ambulance out there.”

“No, I swear Lily and I are fine. It was only the corner of the car that clipped the deer. We didn’t even feel the impact. Lily is in her over-the-top-safe car seat, and my seat belt held me tight. I might have a bruise or two on my chest, but other than that, I’m fine. I need help with the deer,” she repeated.