Chapter 4

4

WALKER

T here are some perfect moments in this world. Drinking an amazing cup of coffee just as the sun is coming up over the side of the mountain. Diving into an engine repair that you think is going to take three days, and then finding out it can be fixed in under an hour. Shooting the perfect combo and sinking two balls at once to win the game.

But nothing compares to the feeling of Jocelyn's lips against mine. Her soft, delicate body in my arms. Every little gasp and airy moan as she clings to me. This sweet girl makes me feel like a real man. She's the only reason I came into existence. I'm already sure of it.

As our kiss becomes deep and hungry, I find myself thinking about those fantasy movies where mythical creatures only have one fated mate.

Jocelyn is mine.

There are only two possible issues as far as I can see. One, I'll need her to choose to live here on the mountain. Two, I might have to toughen her up a bit. She's so delicate and sweet. I wouldn't want her to think life is too harsh up here for her.

My hand slides over the perfect curve of her hip before inching up to her waist. Her soft lips against mine and the taste of her mouth make me think of spring flowers and honey.

My hand inches up, teasing her ribs just under her breasts until she nods, with the faintest, "Mmm-hmm."

I love that we can read each other's signals already. Underneath the sweater and blanket, but over her dress, my palm skims across her breast, caressing gently as she melts against me. "I swear I'll get you to dinner in just one more minute," I groan, as she half giggles, and then snuggles closer.

I shouldn't be touching her like this yet. Shouldn't be kissing her so hard. I can't help it. As our mouths collide, my passion becomes almost rough as any thoughts of stopping start to drift away…

And my phone rings.

Jocelyn jumps back, looking guilty.

"I'm so sorry – I have to take this." I can see from the screen that it's Clark, a local carpenter and friend of mine. I hit the button to answer as Jocelyn awkwardly scrambles off me. "Hello?"

"Hey, are you downtown?"

"Not too far away. Why?"

"My cousin Artie just called. He cut himself making dinner, and wanted me to run him to Jonah to see if he needs stitches. But I'm out at the lumberyard in West Stoneburg with his parents, picking out wood for their new cabinets."

"Seatbelts on," I murmur to Jocelyn, as she buckles herself in. "They're out on River Road near the bluffs, right?" I say into the phone.

"Right. Sorry to bother you, Walker, but?—"

"No problem. I'm already on my way."

I throw the car into gear and start driving at a solid clip. "Did you catch the gist of that?" I ask Jocelyn.

"Yeah." I glance over to see her lovely, shy smile. "I understand…Mr. Unofficial Town Ambulance Driver."

I smile. "This should just be a run to see Jonah, so it won't be that far."

I phone the clinic, but there's no answer. Then I try Jonah's direct line. Still nothing. So I call the so-called OHV hotline, aka the red phone in the lobby of City Hall, where there's always someone who knows what's going on.

"Heya, it's Jerry."

"Hey Jerry, Walker. I'm going to be running in a kid that probably needs stitches. Is Jonah in the clinic?"

"Sorry, no. He's picking up supplies at the hospital."

"Shit," I mutter half under my breath. "Okay, thanks. I'll run Artie straight to the hospital then."

As we approach the house, I reach out to squeeze Jocelyn's knee. "I'm really sorry about this. Artie is around sixteen. I've only met him a few times, but he's a good kid. We can pick him up, then I can drop you back downtown or whatever if you don't want to make the hospital run with us."

"Well, let's see how he is first." She's already folding up the blanket, taking off her sweater and rolling up the sleeves of her dress. "Maybe it's just a paper cut or something."

Artie is sitting out on the front porch looking very pale, with a couple of dish towels wrapped around his hand.

Oh.

It's…definitely not a papercut.

Shit. If we were in any of my other vehicles I'd have a complete first aid kit with me. Not that just a bandage would help right now.

Jocelyn flies into high gear. "Walker – your belt. Now." In seconds she has my belt tightened around Artie's arm just above the elbow and has re-wrapped the dish towels to apply pressure to the cut. She didn't even flinch when she took them off long enough to glance at it.

"It's not that bad," she tells Artie with a reassuring smile. "Just a couple of stitches. But I know it's a bit of a shock, which is probably why you feel a little woozy. Let's get you to the doctor."

I wrap an arm around him to help him into the backseat. When he's not looking at us, Jocelyn catches me eye and shakes her head. "It's bad ," she mouths. "We'd better hurry."

She climbs into the back seat with Artie, who looks like he's about to pass out. Jocelyn just smiles brightly, buckling them both in while I put the convertible top up for better aerodynamics, not to mention safety considering the speed at which I'm about to drive.

By the time I'm backing down the driveway, I can see in the mirror that Jocelyn has already arranged his arm on the rolled-up blanket, applying consistent pressure to the cut. "Hey Artie, what's your favorite subject in school?" she asks him.

He's barely spoken beyond mumbles up till now, but looks up at her curiously. "I like science. Especially biology."

"Cool. So you know how the heart and lungs are all interconnected, right?"

"Yeah…"

The second I'm on a larger road, my foot hammers down. I would never ordinarily drive this fast with a teenager and – hopefully – my new girlfriend in the car. But I don't like the color of Artie's cheeks, and Jocelyn did say to hurry.

"Well, if you lower your heart rate, but keep it very steady, you lose a bit less blood," she says brightly, as if she were telling a funny story. While I keep my eyes on the road and drive as if the Devil himself were on my heels, she teaches him a breathing technique to calm his heart rate.

By the time we roll up to the hospital in almost record time, Artie no longer looks like a wax mannequin, and they're discussing crazy anecdotes from their respective science classes.

A nurse is waiting with Artie's mom at the Emergency drop off, and they take him in to get patched up right away. Taking Jocelyn by the elbow, I guide her to the nurses' station. They've all seen me rushing people here over the years.

"Disinfectant wipes?" I ask.

One of the nurses smiles at me in greeting, then her gaze catches Jocelyn's wide eyes and drops to her bloody hands. "Oh, sweetie – come with me."

They disappear into a side room for a few minutes, then Jocelyn comes out, scrubbed clean and drinking a can of ginger ale. "She's a bit rattled," the nurse murmurs. "Rest and a snack, okay?"

"I'm on it. Thanks."

Once we're back at the car, I wrap an arm around her, cuddling her soft body to my side. I can feel that she needs a few moments of silence. Stillness. After a minute, she takes another sip of ginger ale, then nods decisively. "Thank you," she whispers.

"Thank you , sweetheart. That was incredibly impressive."

"What was?"

"The way you just jumped in and took control."

"Oh. Yeah. I had to take a bunch of first aid courses when I was a babysitter. I didn't even think about it."

"I didn't know about lowering your heart rate to slow down any bleeding."

She smiles sheepishly. "I have no idea if that's true. It's probably a load of hooey. I just had to give him a task to focus on to distract him from the pain. Feels logical, right?"

Staring into her lovely blue eyes, I feel another wave of passion washing through me. This time it isn't physical. It's completely mental. Even though she's delicate, Jocelyn can kick ass when she needs to. Which means she's a mountain woman at heart, even if she doesn't realize it yet.

I kiss her forehead, and we start heading back toward Old Hemlock Valley.

After a few minutes, she leans over to check the speedometer. It makes me chuckle. "Yes, I'm careful to go precisely at the limit or just under it for an hour after doing a speed run. Have to re-calibrate."

"Like how they don't let race car drivers drive regular cars?"

I laugh again. "Something like that."

This time she's the one to reach over and squeeze my hand. It feels like a perfect little moment, like she's becoming comfortable with me.

"So, where would you like to go for dinner?" I ask. "It's not too late to turn around and head back to West Stoneburg."

Her head shakes, sending her auburn hair fluttering around her cheekbones. "To be honest, I could use a bit of quiet time. Is that okay?"

"Of course. If you need to be alone, I can drive you home. Or if you want to come to my place, I could make you dinner." I mentally scan the contents of my fridge. "I think I have everything for chicken fajitas?"

She smiles brightly. "Sounds perfect."

As I drive slowly to my house, I realize we're going to be all alone. Yet I have no intention of doing anything worthy of the "dirty boy" cracks I've heard all my life. My only thought is to comfort Jocelyn after her stressful ordeal.

And to start showing her that my feelings are kicking into high gear as much as my souped-up cars.