The Tycoon's Perfect Match by Christine Wenger Page A

her way.”
    Brian nodded. “Where can I park? Give me a spot nearby, in case we need to use this van for transport.”
    â€œPark in front of the Pine Cone Restaurant.” The fireman blew his whistle and motioned for Brian to go through.
    Brian drove very slowly past the accident scene on their left. Mari could see the bus leaning on its side against a wall of rock, just as Brian had said.
    Glass sparkled on the road like chips of ice, and she hoped that none of the occupants had been hurt by flying shards.
    As they passed the big silver bus, she noticed the passengers being unloaded from the emergency door in the rear. There were many volunteers, and more were pulling into the parking lot of the Pine Cone Restaurant and running to assist.
    Brian parked the van on the side of the road at the edge of the lot opposite the bus, near the trolley. “Let’s go.”
    He took her elbow and headed for Sam, who was fielding questions, pointing and directing people.
    Sam nodded to both of them as they approached. “There are no real serious injuries from what we can tell, but a lot of bumps and bruises. Some cuts.”
    â€œGood. Where do you need us?” Brian asked.
    â€œBrian, you help unload the bus.”
    â€œYou got it.” He turned to Mari. “See you later.”
    â€œOkay.” Mari watched Brian jog off with an easy gait. His long legs made short work of getting to the bus, and she couldn’t help noticing the way his jeans hugged his rear.
    â€œMari?”
    Sam’s voice broke through her fogged senses, and she was glad that it was dark so that Sam couldn’t see the heat on her cheeks.
    â€œThere are blankets in the white utility truck over there.” She looked in the direction where he pointed.“Please pass them out to the people on the trolley. It’s getting colder and foggier out here. A replacement bus is on the way, but see what else you can do to make everyone comfortable. The Pine Cone Restaurant is making coffee. Maybe you can help pass that out, too.”
    â€œWill do,” Marie said, jogging to the white truck. She opened the back end of the vehicle and found several stacks of what looked like green wool army blankets heaped on the shelves. Climbing into the truck, she pulled down two stacks and carried them toward the trolley.
    The trolley had open sides, and consisted of about thirty rows of wooden benches. It had a roof and was hooked to a big pickup truck.
    She got right to work, passing out blankets and making several trips for more. As volunteers arrived, she sent them for blankets and gave them instructions. Most of the seniors were taking the accident in stride, making it seem like a big adventure. Some were complaining of the cold. She tucked more blankets around them.
    She caught glimpses of Brian as he helped the men and women off the bus. Those who seemed to be the most fragile, or the most upset, he escorted himself to the trolley and handed them over to her.Mari noticed that Brian had the unique ability to joke, tease, calm or comfort depending on the personality of whoever he was with.
    The bus was finally empty, and Melanie was backing up the huge Hawkins’s Garage tow truck. Jack and Brian sprang into action. They made hand signals to Melanie and did something with chains and hooks. Mari could tell that they’d grown up around a garage—they didn’t waste a motion, and knew exactly what they were doing.
    Somehow, with all the volunteers and professionals, chains and cables, the bus was righted.
    The bus driver drove it to the Pine Cone and parked it while the trolley full of former passengers cheered and clapped.
    At one point, Brian sought her out and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her to him. “Great job, Mari,” he whispered into her ear. “Thanks for coming out to help.”
    She felt flush with pleasure at his words, but then she centered herself. She was only passing out