Page 2 of How I Love You

“I don’t know if you’ve forgotten how to do your job or if you’re still givin’ me the silent treatment, but do you think you can manage to call the station and have ’em send out an officer?”

I didn’t reply; I just turned on my heel and jogged back to the nurse’s station to do as he’d so nicely asked. But I hadn’t left the curtained-off area without risking another glance at the stranger. He was still lying there, muscles taut beneath his bloodstained tee. And when I’d seen the way his murderous glare was trained on Doctor Dummy, a grin tugged at my lips. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t give me a hearty helping of satisfaction watching that much raw intensity aimed at the man I could barely stand.

And Doctor Dummy didnotlike peaches.

I picked up the receiver behind the desk and dialed the police station, wishing I was still in that ER bay. Maybe if I hadn’t been so thoroughly distracted, I would’ve jumped in and helped with the task at hand.

I bounced from foot to foot. I was just a good nurse, that was all. I was an ER nurse, in fact, which meant it was totally natural that I’d wanna get in on the action of treating a gunshot wound. They really were rare in our quirky little town, and since the guy was clearly okay, it was perfectly normal that I’d want a piece of that action.

The gunshot wound action. Not any other sort of action associated with that giant, scary guy and his strong jawline.

I was here for the blood and guts.

Why is my face on fire?

And… shoot. Now, they were wheeling him in for surgery, and considering I wasn’t a surgical nurse, it seemed I wouldn’t be getting my hands on him at all.

Fortreatment.

His stare met mine again as they pushed him along, his sharp eyes cutting through the space between us like he was still sizing me up, still lying on his side and somehow managing to look downright homicidal.

Those eyes… there was something about them. Something that made me want to get a closer look, even if it meant risking that scowl again.

But why was he lying on the bed like that, anyway? Had he been shot in the back? That would be awful. Who would do such a thing? And shoot, what if he couldn’t move his legs? What if the bullet was lodged in his spine, and he feared he’d never walk again?

My heart twisted for the scary stranger. I’d be feeling pretty murderous, too, if someone took away my ability to run around like a chicken with my head cut off. It was kinda my thing. Helpful in the ER, but not so great for small-town life since I constantly needed something to do, and this town only had so much excitement to offer. But if I couldn’t at least wander and run and explore on my own two feet, I’d be heartbroken.

“Pick up, pick up,” I muttered under my breath as I listened to the phone ring.

But then I glanced at the green glow of the digital clock on the wall and realized everyone in the dispatch center—along with various members of my family and extended family—were probably busy celebrating Adam and Paisley’s engagement. She was a dispatcher and he was a cop, and he’d planned to propose at her desk today, surrounded by their loved ones. Except for me and the paramedics who’d brought in our patient, as they were Adam’s brother and sister-in-law. But if there was one thing two fellow first responders understood, it was missing something important due to work.

There was a click midway through a ring, then Paisley’s voice came over the line. “Charlotte Oaks Police Department.”

I leaned against the counter, some of that adrenaline from almost treating a gunshot wound leaching out of me now that they’d wheeled him out of my department. “Pais, it’s Dakota.”

“Kota? What’s goin’ on?” she asked, concern replacing the measured, professional tone she’d used when she first answered the call.

The last thing I wanted her to feel was worried about me on such a happy day for her, so I rushed to relieve her. “I’m at work—wish I could be there, of course, but we’re short-staffed. Congratulations!” The second the words were out of my mouth, I gasped, my eyes nearly bugging out of my head. “Shoot, did it happen yet, or did I just ruin it?”

I twirled the landline’s cord around my finger as I waited for Paisley to tell me that she was newly engaged and that I hadn’t just spoiled the biggest moment of my friend’s life.

“You’re fine. It happened,” she assured me, a smile plain as day in her voice. “And thanks.”

I sighed in relief, my free hand pressed to my racing heart.Me and my big mouth.

Still, guilt gnawed at my stomach as I pictured the scene unfolding without me. I really wished I could’ve seen the proposal itself, but hey—at least I hadn’t torpedoed the surprise.

“Now, what’s up?” she asked, bringing me back to the reason for my call.

“I’ve got a patient who just came into the ER with a gunshot wound, so I’m callin’ it in. He’s in surgery, so I don’t know any details, but can you send someone out?”

“Sure thing. Let’s start with his name.”

His name? I didn’t know the stranger’s name, but I knew one thing—despite the scary stare and the fact that he could be seriously injured even though he didn’t appear to be in much pain—he was drop-dead gorgeous in a rogue bounty hunter kinda way.

“I don’t know his name,” I hedged with a grin, “but I can give you a description.”

There was a pause. “Um, is there a reason you wouldn’t be able to direct the officer to the right patient?” she asked with a short laugh.

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