Marry Me at Christmas (Fool's Gold #19)(55)

The meeting was called to order. Dr. Galloway put on her reading glasses and opened the folder in front of her.

“We’re going to have both the potbellied pig and the fainting goat at the Live Nativity,” she stated. “Unless the goat can’t handle it. No one wants to see the poor animal so terrified it keeps fainting.”

“I do,” Eddie murmured.

“Is someone going to be on hand to take the goat home?” Madeline asked.

“May Stryker has volunteered to wrangle the goat.” Dr. Galloway frowned. “Is that the right word? Wrangle? Or do you do something else with a goat?”

“In some parts of the world, they put them in stew,” Gladys offered.

“I’m ignoring you,” Dr. Galloway said without looking up from the papers she was studying.

“You always do.”

Jonny leaned toward Madeline. “You gotta love this,” he murmured. “It’s classic.”

“Somehow it’s all going to bite you in the butt,” she whispered back. “I can practically guarantee it.”

Thirty minutes later all the last-minute details for the Live Nativity had been arranged. Jonny and Madeline walked outside. The temperature was still unseasonably warm. Snow melted everywhere and the streets were wet and muddy.

“When it freezes, the roads are going to be a mess,” Madeline said.

Jonny leaned in and kissed her. “Then we’ll make sure when that happens you’re out at my place. You know, so you’ll get stuck again.”

“I like how you think.”

Before she could say anything else, they were both distracted by the sound of spinning tires. She turned and saw that Eddie and Gladys were stuck in the muddy slush. Their big sedan sat with spinning tires.

Eddie rolled down the driver’s-side window and waved them over.

“Jonny, you’re going to have to push,” she said. “Say when and I’ll give her the gas.”

Madeline fought against a feeling of dread. She just knew that somehow this wasn’t going to end well.

“Be careful,” she told Jonny.

He nodded and walked toward the old car. He checked each of the tires. As he bent low over the front driver’s side tire, Eddie got out her cell phone and angled it so she could snap a picture.

“Seriously?” Madeline called. “You can’t give it a rest?”

“I’ve seen his butt naked,” Eddie yelled back. “It’s worth a picture or two.”

Madeline wasn’t sure if Jonny was listening to the exchange or not. She supposed he was used to being ogled. He walked back to her and took off his jacket, then pointed at the car.

“Can you get her to focus? There’s no way I can push her car free if she’s not giving it some gas.”

“I’ll do my best.”

She draped his jacket over her arm, then walked toward Eddie. “You have to pay attention.”

“No, I don’t. He’s a hunky man.”

“You’re stuck and, unless you want to stay here, you need to help.”

Eddie looked from her to Jonny, then sighed heavily. “All right. We do have our Christmas bowling league party to get to.”

Gladys took her cell phone and Eddie waved at Jonny. Madeline stepped back.

“They’re ready,” she called.

Several people had gathered to watch. A couple of guys joined Jonny at the back of the car. They lined up to push the big sedan away from the muddy curb. Madeline took a step back, then another. Her foot slipped on a patch of slush just as Eddie hit the gas and the big sedan shot forward and veered sharply to the left. Madeline saw it coming and knew she had to get out of the way, but she was still busy falling.

“Stop the car!” Jonny yelled, lunging for her.

He grabbed, she tried to stay on her feet, but the car kept coming and then Jonny shoved her hard. She slipped and skidded before falling into a pile of wet snow. Her body registered the cold and damp, but she ignored that. She spun and saw Jonny lying partially under the huge sedan.

“No!” She scrambled toward him.

Eddie had already stopped the car and was opening her door. The guys who had been pushing were rushing to Jonny’s side.

“I’m fine,” he said as he started to slide out from under the car.

“You’ll want to wait for the ambulance,” one of the men said.

“Does he need CPR?” Gladys asked as she came around the front of the car.

Madeline reached him. “Are you okay?”

He nodded. “Nothing’s broken.” He started to stand up, then winced and swore.

“What is it?” Madeline demanded, terrified of what had happened to him. “Is it your back? Your legs? Are you bleeding?”

From several blocks away came the sound of a siren. Someone had called 9-1-1.

Jonny groaned. “It’s not that bad. Seriously.”

“Too late,” she told him. “The cavalry is coming and you’re simply going to have to deal with it.”

* * *

The good news was the EMTs had agreed to transport Jonny to the hospital without sirens. This despite Eddie and Gladys offering to lead the way. Fortunately, Madeline had told them they’d done enough damage for one day. The two old ladies had retreated to their bowling holiday party, leaving Jonny to deal with the humiliation of being taken to the emergency room in front of half the town.