Page 6 of Wolf's Midlife Baby

“Sure thing. Just no more diving into the river. Doctor’s orders,” Dawn said with a wink as she pulled back the curtain.

Holly stepped out next to the nurse’s station, clutching her paperwork and a bag that held her wet bathing suit. Her swim shoes hadn’t dried out yet, and they made squelching noises as she worked her way through the ER. She headed toward the exit sign, realizing she should’ve asked Dawn if she could borrow a phone. All of her stuff was still back at the Tubular River Tours rental office, her phone and keys stashed safely in a locker. As she dodged past someone in a wheelchair, she realized that even if she borrowed a phone, she didn’t have anyone to call. Dahlia’s number was in her phone, but she didn’t have it memorized. She couldn’t easily use a rideshare company without her phone, either. Even if she called a cab, she had no way to pay them until she went inside the rental place and got her wallet.

She turned around to see if she could find Dawn again. Maybe she’d have some ideas.

“Holly.”

His voice easily broke through the chaos of the busy emergency room. Holly turned, finding Pierce standing in the doorway as if he’d always been there.

“Are you all set?” he asked. His deep blue eyes skimmed down to her scrubs and then quickly back up.

“You’re still here?” she asked, suddenly feeling breathless even though she’d been given a clean bill of health. “I thought you left.”

“No. I just wanted to step out and let you have some privacy for all that.” He gestured vaguely toward the curtained partitions behind her. “I wasn’t just going to leave you.”

“That’s really kind of you.” She walked with him out into the waiting room. The automatic doors slid open, blasting them with a hot gust of air as they stepped into the circular driveway where vehicles could bring patients right up to the building. “I was just trying to figure out how I was going to get out of here.”

“Complimentary service of the Pierce Westbrook Cab Company, of course.” He once again swung open his passenger door for her and even held out his hand to help her up.

Her inner bear went wild as his strong but gentle grip easily guided her into the seat. A hot firefighter who was also a nice guy and a gentleman? It was almost too good to be true, even though she was experiencing it all personally. Too bad she had to almost drown to find him and that he lived on the opposite side of the country.

“Where can I take you?” he asked as he started up the engine.

Why was it so intimate just to be in a vehicle with him? It felt like they were the only two people in the world and that there was far less distance between them than the wide truck cab allowed. She studied his profile for a moment, enjoying the slope of his nose, and then reminded herself that she was on a work trip. “The tube rental place. I’d look up the address for you, but I have to get there first to get my phone.”

“No problem. I know where it is.” Pierce easily backed the truck out of its spot and headed out onto the road. “I think I’ve got most of the town memorized at this point.”

“I suppose you would. There’s no time to sit down and play with navigation when you’ve got to put a fire out.” Despite everything she’d been through, her mind suddenly started playing with Pierce’s job as an article. He’d joked about helping an older man with his pilot light, but he’d done just as much good with that little task as if he’d extinguished a fully engulfed structure. His job was truly about community, a far more selfless position than most people had. There were plenty of senses to explore, too. The crackle of flames, the smell of smoke, the feeling of heat…

“Tell me more about what you do,” Pierce said, interrupting her thoughts. “I know you said you’re a journalist, but do you write about anything specifically?”

“Lots of things, really. For me, it’s more about finding the stories no one realizes are there. For instance, a big event that brings a lot of visitors to a small town would be the sort of thing that any basic news outlet would talk about. I’d want to see it from behind the scenes, from the perspective of a small business owner who’d been thinking about closing their doors for good before the sudden influx of tourists. It’s even better when that business owner is the kind of person who invites you up to their apartment above the store to have a cup of tea and shows you the old advertisements from when her grandfather opened the place.”

Pierce smiled. “That sounds rewarding.”

“It can be. Sometimes, it’s hard to find the right story. Plenty seem like they’ll be something, but then they turn out to be duds. That’s life, though.”

“I can’t argue with that. What else do you have going on besides writing? You know, besides tubing.”

She laughed. “I’ll never live that down.” Was he trying to ask if she was seeing anyone? She wondered the same thing about him. The guy was probably about her age, early forties or so. She didn’t see a ring on his finger, but that didn’t mean much. Not everyone went straight to the altar the moment they met someone, and she had no doubt the local women were coming up with ways to set their kitchens on fire so that he’d come bursting through the door.

“Well, we’re here. I’ll come in with you in case they need any information from me since that Kevin guy wasn’t too sure about me taking you to the hospital.” He parked the truck and got out.

Holly didn’t think they had any reason to speak with him, but since she found that she liked his company, she didn’t argue. She stopped at the little locker she’d rented first, fetching her keys, her original bag of clothes, and her phone. There were too many notifications to fit on the screen, and they’d collapsed in on themselves so that they only listed the number of missed phone calls and text messages.

Marshall Newman was checking in on her. Give me a call as soon as you have a chance. I just want to make sure you’re all right.

There were a few messages from Dahlia as well. Girl! You gave me the scare of a lifetime! Looks like some hunky dude rescued you, though, so maybe you planned it? I’ll see you back at the cottage unless you make other plans with him.

Holly rolled her eyes, knowing Dahlia would absolutely flip once she heard it all. Then she frowned, seeing some messages from Kyle.

You’ll have to stick with me for the rest of the trip so I can keep you safe. I tried to get to you to pull you out of the water myself, but those rapids were crazy.

There was more to his text, but she stuffed her phone in her bag.

“Didn’t miss anything too important, did you?” Pierce asked.

“Just someone asking about my car’s extended warranty,” she cracked. Kyle was a whole subject of his own, and she wasn’t going to dive into that right now. They stepped up to the window where day-trippers could rent tubes, kayaks, and life vests. “Hi, I’m Holly Brigham. I was with Kevin’s group earlier, and?—”

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