Chapter Three
Kincaid
Tori let out a put-upon sigh. “I’m fine.” She thumbed toward me. “Kincaid insisted I come here. I got stung by a bee and ran into a boulder –” She shrugged as if it was no big deal that she almost went into anaphylactic shock and drove off the road.
“I stopped to check on her because—”
Before I could finish, Holly jumped in, “Of course you stopped! You’re a good man.”
“I gave her a shot of epinephrine and suggested she get cleared here.”
Holly nodded briskly, all business as her gaze swept over Tori. “That’s protocol. We’ll check you over, and we can send you home with something that’ll keep that allergic reaction from flaring back up.”
“I don’t understand. I’ve been stung before,” Tori explained.
“It’s not unusual for people to have a reaction the second time they get stung.
Come on back with me.” Holly bustled out from behind the desk just as another nurse stopped beside her.
She glanced over at the man. “Chris, remember Tori? She just moved back to town. She got stung by something, and her car made friends with a rock.” Chris snorted at that.
“You hold down the fort for a few minutes while I check her out.”
Chris brought his attention to Tori with a smile. “Hey, Tori, remember me from high school?”
Tori smiled weakly as she nodded. “I do. It’s nice to see you, Chris.”
A moment later, we followed Holly down the hallway. “This is like a reunion,” Tori murmured.
Holly tossed a grin over her shoulder, her blond ponytail swinging. “It is! I’m glad you didn’t get hurt when you slid off the road,” Holly added as we walked into an exam room. “How bad was it?” She glanced toward me.
“Her front tire kissed the boulder. All in all, just a scratch on her bumper and a bent tire rim, which created a flat tire. That’s why I brought her here.”
Holly began checking Tori’s vitals, and I took the moment to study her.
Her glossy, almost-black hair was twisted into a braid.
Several long strands had fallen around her cheeks, framing her strong, angled cheekbones.
Just beneath her mussed bangs was a pair of wide hazel eyes, green shot through with gold and brown.
It was like looking into a forest. Her skin was sun-kissed with a rosy tint to it.
Standing, she was almost as tall as me with a strong athletic build.
When Holly turned away to do something, Tori’s gaze locked with mine. In a fiery second, it felt like the air was scorched from the heat that sizzled between us. My cells spun and tightened.
Dude, now is not the time or place to get hot over this woman.
My mind had a point, but my body had a stronger opinion.
Tori carried this spark, an independence woven through with a steely attitude that revved my engine.
Not to mention, she was flat-out stunning.
She had a fresh cheeked, understated beauty.
Her strong, angled cheekbones were paired with a straight nose, almost aristocratic, and full, sensual lips.
When she held her arm out for Holly to put the blood pressure cuff on, I noticed the lines of a tattoo peeking out from underneath the edge of her T-shirt sleeve.
Holly glanced over at me. “All looks good. I’m still going to send her home with an antihistamine prescription to prevent her reaction from flaring up again. What’s the plan with her car?”
“The plan was for me to bring her here.” I chuckled. “I can take her to the pharmacy and drop her off at home. We can call the local mechanic shop to pick up your car and deal with your tire,” I said, glancing back at Tori.
Tori let out a puff of breath to blow her bangs out of her eyes. “You don’t have to do that.”
“I don’t mind at all.”
Holly smiled at Tori. “Kincaid’s a firefighter. They do helpful things like that. Plus, what else are you going to do about your car if you don’t do that?”
“I suppose you have a point,” Tori replied dryly.
Holly waggled her brows before turning to type some information into her laptop.
A short while later, after Tori had called to have her car towed and been cleared to leave, we picked up her medication at the pharmacy.
Bella’s short tail was thumping against the back seat when we turned into the driveway where Tori had directed me.
“How are you feeling?” I asked as I rolled to a stop in front of a small house.
Her eyes met mine with a sheepish smile. “I’m fine. Thank you for everything today. In hindsight, I realize this could’ve been really serious if you hadn’t gotten there as soon as you did.”
As I held her gaze, it felt as if sparks were shimmering in the air. Bella poked her head between us, licking my forearm and my chin, drawing a laugh out of me.
“Bella likes you,” Tori offered.
“I love dogs. She’s a sweetie, and I’m glad she made some noise earlier.”
“Do you live near where I drove off the road?” she asked.
“I do. I heard Bella when I stopped to check my mail.”
The urge to kiss Tori was strong, but that was fucking insane. I forced myself to climb out of my truck and fetch the bag she’d tucked behind the seat. A moment later, Bella was trotting along at Tori’s side as we walked up to the house.
We stopped in front of the door, and I glanced over. “Is this your house?”
“It is.”
It suddenly felt like a whole lot of emotions were crowding the space between us.
Tori started to say something just as a moose appeared.
It was a bull moose with a large pair of antlers.
He was snorting as he trotted by, paying zero attention to us.
Out of the corner of my eye, motion caught my attention.
Another moose barreled out of the trees so fast that Bella barked.
Tori turned, her foot slipping on the gravel. For the second time today, I caught her in my arms. Just when I wondered if we were in for a moose trampling, the pair of moose snorted at each other and raced into the trees.
Tori looked up at me. Her palm had landed right over my heart, and I had no doubt she could feel the rapid beat of it.
“Bella!” she called when Bella began to run after the moose. Her hand fell away as she stepped back.
I’d already gathered that Bella was old, but at her pace, there was absolutely no way she could catch up to those moose. Blessedly, she stopped and looked over her shoulder at Tori before turning and walking back.
Tori looked up at me one last time, her pretty eyes locking with mine. “Thank you. Again.”
“Anytime. If you need a ride to pick up your car tomorrow, just text me.”