Page 7 of Love in the Storm

Now was a bad time to realize his hand still had blood on it. He pulled it back and wiped it on his shirt, but the red just smeared. “Don’t call 911. Call Jameson Ford. He’s in my contacts.”

She did as he asked and lifted the phone to her ear, pushing her wild hair out of the way.

“Put it on speaker,” he said, pointing to the counter.

She did as he said and pointed to the stool. “You need to sit down.”

Asa chuckled. She was bossy. This was going to be fun.

Jameson answered on the fourth ring. “Hey, man. You okay?”

Asa rested his head in his hand, and the sharp pain reminded him of the gash. “I’ve been better. You on duty?”

“Just got called in. Why?”

“I had a wreck way out on North Bend. There’s a tree blocking the road, and I doubt anyone is getting out here anytime soon.”

“You would be correct. How bad is it?”

“A cut on my head. Some bruises. Not an emergency.”

“It looks bad,” the woman cut in.

“Who’s that?” Jameson asked.

“Lyric Woods,” she said. “We’re stuck in a cabin on the mountain, and I need someone to walk me through how to help him. He’s losing a lot of blood.”

“I can do that,” Jameson said. “Tell me about the cut.”

Lyric stepped closer to study the wound on Asa’s head. Her eyes were as dark as her hair, and her nose was thin and straight. She wasn’t wearing a lot of makeup, but she had a natural beauty that would make anyone look twice.

Lyric. It was a unique name, but it tugged on the edges of his memory.

A small wrinkle appeared between Lyric’s brows. “It’s about two inches long and kind of open.”

“It’ll probably need to be stitched,” Jameson said.

Asa turned his attention to the phone. He needed to look at something besides Lyric while she scrutinized him. “That’s not happening anytime soon. What can we do right now?”

“I’ll ask you some questions. Lyric, can you let me know if the answers are correct?” Jameson asked.

She looked up and nodded confidently. “I can do that.”

After dozens of questions and assessments, Asa was beginning to fidget. He needed to call his mom and Jacob and let them know what happened.

A vehicle door slammed on Jameson’s end of the line. “I’m at the station, and they’re already running calls like crazy. We’ll be out there to get you as soonas we can get those roads cleared. Hang tight and call me or one of the other EMTs every so often to check in.”

“Thanks, Jameson,” Lyric said sweetly. Somehow, she’d befriended him during the short phone call.

“Anytime. Seriously, get in touch with Noah, Lucas, or Travis if you can’t get me.”

“I’ll make sure he checks in with someone,” Lyric promised.

Was she his caretaker now? Not that Asa minded much. She was sweet, and he’d have to be blind not to notice she was gorgeous. If he had to wreck on the side of a mountain, this was the best he could have hoped for.

They disconnected the call, and Lyric breathed a sigh of relief. “It sounds like you’ll live.”

“Thanks. I didn’t even catch your name before the call,” Asa said. “Apparently, manners are the first thing to go after a head injury.”

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