Rescuing a Damsel in Distress

This story is pure fantasy, though don't we all have them that we wish would come true?

Just a little warning, the hot stuff doesn't happen till the end of the story.

I hope you enjoy it.

*****

I was running late, not that I had anywhere particular to be. I was heading home after an excursion into Philadelphia, one of my least favorite places to go.

I was feeling a bit irritated because it was raining, no, let me correct that, it was pouring, like monsoon pouring. The cats and dogs had long ago given way to hippos and elephants if you catch my drift.

I guess in hindsight you could say that was a good thing because I was driving much slower than I normally would have been given the situation. That would be me trying to get away from Philadelphia as fast as possible. Did I mention it was one of my least favorite places in the whole world.

I guess the only thing I was happy about was that it wasn't snow. Don't get me wrong, I love snow. My mother always said it's because I was born during a blizzard, but that's another story.

Like I said, I was glad it wasn't snow because there was a good possibility it could have been snow, it being late November, a couple days before Thanksgiving as a matter of fact and while I love snow and can drive well in it, it's dealing with all the other yahoos that drives me crazy.

Fortunately with as late as it was and the weather, traffic was light and that allowed me to see a car on the side of the road with its flashers going. If I had been driving my normal speed, I would have been by it before I could have reacted.

What caught my eye was the person standing beside the car, kicking it.

I slowed as I approached the car and its obviously irritated driver. My headlights caught her, and it was obviously a her from the way her clothing was plastered to her body. I also noticed the hood of the car was raised as I drove passed.

I saw her waving her arms frantically and watched in the rearview mirror as she yelled something and looked dejectedly as I passed.

I pulled over and ended up about one hundred feet past her. I backed up till I was right in front of her car. Before I could grab the rain jacket I keep in the back seat because I'm involved in a K-9 Search and Rescue Team, I heard a knocking on the passenger side window.

I lowered the window and she sobbed, "Thank God you stopped."

In the dark it was hard to see her, other than the fact she was soaked to the skin.

"Get in," I told her.

She hesitated, probably giving me a dubious look but in the dark I couldn't really see her face.

I rolled my eyes. "We can talk much more comfortably with you out of the rain," I urged her.

When she still hesitated, I said, "I promise I'm nothing but a good Samaritan," a bit cheekily.

That seemed to do the trick as the door opened and she got in, the overhead light illuminating her.

That's when I got a better look at her. I gave her a look that was partially amused and partially sympathetic. She looked like a drowned rat.

Let me take that back. A drowned rat would probably have looked better than she did.

She had on a large floppy hat, but it was made out of some kind of mesh material and had done nothing to protect her from the deluge. With the amount of water that had poured on and through it, it hung limply on her head. Her makeup was streaked down her face, comically so. You know like in one of those B rated flicks.

Though it didn't really hide how beautiful she was. The next thing I noticed was her eyes were red and puffy and I realized not all the droplets running down her cheeks were rain, she'd obviously been crying.

The final thing I noticed before the door shut and turned off the light was she was shivering, quite violently.

She flinched when I leaned over a little toward her but I gave her a warm smile. "Relax," I told her as I reached behind the seat she was in and grabbed a small wool blanket I carry.

"Here, this should help," I said reassuringly as I handed her the blanket.

In the dim light from the dash lights I saw her relax as she bundled herself up in the blanket.

"Thanks," she whispered, her teeth chattering.

I turned the heat up full blast and I saw her give me a small smile.

While I waited for her to get herself together, I reached in the back again and grabbed a towel. Yeah, I got a lot of crap back there, like I said, I do Search and Rescue so I have a ton of stuff in the car at all times.

She smiled appreciatively as I handed the the towel but then hesitated in using it.

"What?" I asked, wondering what she was thinking.

"It's white," she replied worriedly.

"Don't worry, I keep them for my dog," I reassured her.

She gave me a wide-eyed look of horror.

"It's clean," I replied, rolling my eyes.

"But my makeup," she protested.

I rolled my eyes again. "Don't worry about it. I'll just steal another one the next time I stay at a motel," I teased lightly.

I saw her lips quiver as she fought a smile but she eventually lost and giggled softly.

She buried her face into the towel and wiped her face vigorously. She didn't do a half bad job of it, though there was a streak down from the one eye onto her cheek.

She jumped a little when I reached across but settled quickly when all I did was flip open the vanity mirror on the visor in front of her.

She immediately leaned forward and inspected her face in the mirror, frowning when she saw what she'd missed. Folding the towel to a clean spot, she finished cleaning her face off, drying it in the process.

As she leaned back in the seat, I took another good look at her, liking what I saw even more.

I've never been a big fan of makeup on young women, especially when they over apply it and I thought she looked much better without it, not that I said anything to her.

That was when I thought she looked like someone I should know, but I really couldn't place her and no name came to mind so I just shrugged it off.

She twisted and sat back in the corner of the seat and door, maybe to put more distance between us or maybe just because it was easier to talk while facing me instead of turning her head constantly.

I saw her glance at the towel as more water slowly dripped down from her hair onto her face as if she was trying to find a clean spot. Rolling my eyes I grabbed another towel from behind the seat and handed it to her.

She gave me a soft smile in thanks and wiped her face.

"Do you know anything about cars?" she asked quietly.

"These new ones? Yeah you put gas in them, turn the key and go," I teased. "If they break, I take em to the shop."

"Damn," I heard her whisper more to herself as she stared down to the space between us.

I could see she was thinking about something.

"Can I give you a lift somewhere?" I asked with what I hoped she'd interpret as a friendly smile.

When she looked back up at me, it was with a really sad look. "I, ah . . . where are you headed?" she asked so softly and sadly it tugged at my heart.

"I'm just heading home," I replied with an apologetic shrug.

A small rueful smile graced her face and her eyes looked even sadder. "Home," she whispered, so softly I barely heard as she once more gazed into the space between us.

Her eyes lifted once again, a hopeful look in her eyes but as they met mine, she quickly looked away, appearing sad once again. Her lips had parted like she was going to say something but then snapped shut like she had changed her mind.

I waited for several moments to see if she'd change her mind, the only sounds were the soft strains of the CD I had playing but that was pretty much drowned out by the sound of the rain pounding on the roof and hood of my car.

When she didn't say anything I shook my head, silently making comments about stubborn women, no matter how good looking they were.

"Just ask," I huffed, rolling my eyes even though I tried hard not to.

I was surprised by the look on her face when she looked back up at me. It was part hopeful but also fearful, something I didn't understand.

"I, ah, was wondering . . . I shouldn't impose. . . the thing is . . . but I really shouldn't . . ." she rambled.

"Excuse me," I interrupted. "Try not to over think it and just ask," I said with a slight chuckle.

She gave me a small smile as she blushed. "Would it be possible for me to impose on your hospitality?" she asked shyly, her eyes bright and glistening for the first time since she'd gotten into my car.

I guess I gave her a shocked look. Not that I was adverse to the idea, it's just she took me totally by surprise.

"I saw her face drop as she misinterpretation my reaction and she looked down between us again and started to apologize.

I cut her off. "Sorry, you just took me by surprise, that's all," I explained compassionately.

I was glad when she looked back up at me, looking hopeful once again.

"I'll warn you, the accommodations won't be very luxurious and if you can put up with my dog and two cats, you're more than welcome to come home with me," I replied.

The smile she gave me made me feel like a million bucks and warmed me up inside.

"I think I can live with that," she giggled, her smile growing.

I glanced out the back of my car at hers. "Is there any luggage or anything you need?" I asked.

"No, no luggage but I left my purse on the front seat," she replied. She glanced out the window at the pelting rain and sighed.

"I'll get it," I offered, being the gentleman I am.

She looked at me horrified. "But I'm already soaked," she protested.

"Women," I thought.

I reached into the back once again and grabbed the rain jacket I keep there. "I'll be fine," I said as I struggled to get the jacket on in the confines of the car.

Once it was in place and I pulled the hood up, I opened the door and dove bravely into the maelstrom. I was fortunate that the rain was coming from my back so my face didn't get soaked as I made my way to her car.

I popped the door open and leaned in to grab her purse. I couldn't but help notice the rental contract sitting on the console as I grabbed it. As I was straightening up I hear the dulcet tones of her cellphone from the depths of her purse.

Being the gentleman I am, I stuffed her purse under my jacket to keep it from getting soaked.

I ran back to my car, hunched over not only because of her purse but also in an effort to keep my face from getting drenched.

I opened the door and threw her purse in, then in a nifty little move developed by years of practice, I slid the jacket off as I sat down in the car, barely getting wet at all.

I slammed the door shut and carefully placed the jacket in the back, not wanting to spray my companion.

As I straightened out I noticed she had grabbed her purse. "Your cell was ringing when I grabbed you purse," I informed her.

She just nodded, looking decidedly unhappy.

"I couldn't help but notice the rental contract on the seat. Weren't they able to offer any help?" I asked tentatively.

Her unhappy look turned much darker as she scowled. "I called and they told me because of the weather that their service people were backed up and it would probably be an hour or two before they could get out to help me," she spat angrily.

I winced sympathetically and since we were all set, slid the car into gear and pulled back out onto the highway.

I glanced over at my companion as I saw her lean back into the seat and tuck the blanket tighter around herself.

We'd only been back on the road for a couple of minutes when her cellphone rang again.

I heard her huff in annoyance and for a moment I thought she was going to ignore it. Then she huffed again as she grabbed her purse and took out her phone. She glanced at the screen and she stared at it angrily.

I kept glancing back and forth from the road to her, captivated by her actions.

She kept staring at the phone like it was offending her someway. As she stared at it, it stopped ringing and she sighed and laid back against the seat again, the phone in her hand, dropping into her lap.

Not a minute later it began ringing again. She pulled it up and glared at the screen and then in a move that blew me away, she opened the window and threw the phone from the car.

She closed the window and relaxed back into the seat, glancing at me, giving me a sheepish look.

I just smiled back and shrugged. It was her phone and if she wanted to throw it away, far be it for me to comment.

When she saw I wasn't going to say anything, she smiled and laid back in the seat, tucking the blanket up under her chin and sighed.

I noticed she was still shivering slightly and I hoped she wasn't becoming hypothermic. I really didn't relish the thought of rushing her to the hospital, the paper work would be a killer.

Fortunately the rain let up a little and I was able to pick up the speed, even so it was close to an hour before I pulled into the drive before my home. It's what they now term a "manufactured home", what I called a trailer.

Glancing over I noticed my companion had drifted off to sleep. "We're here," I said softly as I gently touched her arm.

She awoke in a near panic but then calmed as she took in her surroundings and she gave me an apologetic smile.

"We're here," I repeated, returning her smile.

She went to open the door but I stopped her. "Wait a moment," I said. I got out and opened the back door and pulled out a large golf type umbrella. I opened it and walked around to her side of the car.

She smiled at me as she got out, appreciating that she didn't have to get any more wet than she already was.

It was a short walk to the canopy that covered the patio and small deck in front of the trailer.

As we got to the door, I paused. "Prepare yourself," I cautioned with a smile.

She gave me a quizzical look and then I opened the door.

My bloodhound, Ethel was laying on the couch, her head toward the door. At first she just kind of raised her eyebrows at me in her normal enthusiastic greeting whenever I'd been out and had to leave her home.

Then she noticed I wasn't alone and she bounded off the couch and came charging over, a distance of all of six or seven feet. Her tail was wagging a mile a minute and she was whimpering and crying, eager to greet our guest.

I tried to intercept her but she slipped by me and jumped up with all of her one hundred pounds slamming our guest backwards as Ethel's paws landed squarely on her shoulders.

"Bad Girl," I shouted as I pulled Ethel back.

Ethel dropped to the ground but then as if on a trampoline, she bounced right back up, with her nose catching our guest under her chin, causing her head snapped back.

I yanked Ethel back hard, "Bad Girl!" I scolded her again.

I was surprised when I heard our guest giggling instead of crying out in pain. I glanced at her and though she was rubbing her chin, she had a brilliant smile on her face as she continued to giggle.

"Sorry about that," I apologized with a wince. "This over rambunctious attack dog is Ethel," I said as an introduction.

It was then I realized we had never introduced ourselves. "Oh, and by the way, my name is Steve."

Far from being put off by Ethel's enthusiasm, our guest hunched down and began to scratch Ethel's ears, something she loved and she began whining and crying again in appreciation of the attention she was receiving.

Our guest looked up at me, "I'm Bonnie," she introduced herself with a smile.

She glanced at Ethel who was forcing her head into her hands, wanting even more attention.

"Does she always greet you like this?" she inquired with a warm smile.

"Heavens no. I usually get a disdainful look that says "Oh, you've finally decided to come home again," I laughed.

"She only greets guests like this," I added, returning her smile.

"Well, we ladies hate being left alone so I don't blame her," Bonnie laughed. It quickly morphed into giggles as Ethel began to lick her face.

Though she was enjoying herself, I saw her shiver.

"You really should get out of those wet clothes and take a hot shower," I said worriedly.

Bonnie sighed but it was with a huge smile on her face. "I suppose you're right," she replied, standing up.

Fortunately Ethel seemed fine with that and she went to the door and nudged the set of bells I have hanging on the doorknob.

Bonnie looked surprised as I went over and let Ethel out. "That's pretty clever," she observed. Her surprise turned into shock as she watched Ethel charge off the deck and out into the yard, not caring in the slightest that it was still pouring.

Bonnie turned to me with a questioning look.

"Rain, sleet, snow, she doesn't care, as long as it isn't thundering, she acts like she doesn't even notice," I sighed in exasperation.

As Ethel took care of business and God knows what else, I led Bonnie through the kitchen area and down the hall to my bedroom. I silently thanked God and various other deities that I had recently straightened it out.

Though not perfect, it wasn't too bad and the bed was actually cleared off.

"I'm sure we can find you something to change into," I said as I showed her around.

She chose an old flannel nightshirt and a pair of plaid boxers and once she was set, I led her back out into the hall and showed her the bathroom.

"Let me know if you need anything and feel free to use the robe hanging on the back of the door," I instructed her.

She gave me a warm smile. "Thanks, I really appreciate your kindness," she said softly.

As she shut the door, I grabbed a couple of towels off the dryer and headed for the door where I heard Ethel bang on the door, wanting in.

While my darling girl doesn't mind being in the rain, she hates being dried off so it's always an adventure when she comes back inside.

She's actually not that bad, she just growls and grumbles as I towel her off but she wags her tail when I'm done and give her a treat.

I put on the kettle, figuring Bonnie could use something warm to drink. I briefly thought about offering her a choice of tea or hot chocolate but I wasn't sure how good the milk was so I discounted that.

I also considered coffee but since I'm not a coffee drinker, I wasn't sure where the coffee maker was. I hoped tea would be okay as I really didn't have anything else to offer.

It was about fifteen minutes later that Bonnie came padding out of the hall. She had put on the robe and she was still toweling her hair dry.

"Thank you again. I feel so much better," she smiled warmly.

"You're welcome. I'm just glad you're feeling better. I was worried that you were becoming hypothermic," I replied with a smile.

"Would you like a cup of tea?" I offered hopefully.

"That sounds wonderful," she replied giving me a brilliant smile.

She followed me into the kitchen where I'd left the kettle on a slow simmer. She watched me closely as I made the tea. Pulling two large mugs out of the cupboard, digging out the canister with the tea bags, putting them in the mugs and pouring the hot water.

The thing was, I have a very small kitchen and I was almost always bumping into her and having to hesitate a moment to let her move out of the way.

In many ways it reminded me of when I'd been married. Though we lived in a small old farm house it had a very long narrow kitchen across the back of the house.

"Sugar?" I asked, with a small grin forming on my lips.

Bonnie gave me a nod of her head.

I slid the container from the back edge of the counter forward and over to her. I saw her eyes crinkle and her lips curl up and in the soft light of the fixture over the sink, I thought she looked more beautiful than ever.

Gone were all traces of make-up and her hair was still wet but she had obviously borrowed my hairbrush because hers was now neat and straight. The light caught and flashed softly, adding a myriad of different shades of red, gold and bronze along with glinting off her eyes.