by Susan Stoker
He obviously hesitated too long, because for the first time, she looked away, her words tumbling out fast.
“Never mind. Forget I asked. Just blame it on adrenaline. I’m sure you’re already taken. I mean, why wouldn’t you be? You’re beautiful.” Then her eyes slammed shut. “And now I’m mortified.”
“It’s not you, Koren, I just—”
He was interrupted by two paramedics pushing a gurney. “Hey! Your ride to the hospital is here!” one of them said lightly.
Taco backed out of the way and watched as they lifted Koren onto the gurney. They carefully rolled her to the side and removed the backboard, handing it back to Taco. As they worked to buckle her in, Taco stepped up to the gurney, placing her purse between her lower legs.
Her eyes caught his for a second, before she looked away once more. “It was nice to see you again, Taco, despite the circumstances,” she said somewhat formally, and with none of the flirtatious undertones she’d had earlier. “Thanks for getting me out of there.”
“You’re welcome. Koren, I—”
“Taco!” his chief called out. “Need you over here!”
Taco gestured that he’d be right there, and by the time he turned back around, Koren was halfway to the ambulance.
Running a hand over his short beard, Taco swore. Then, spinning on his heel, he rushed over to where his chief was standing to see what else he could help with.
Chapter Two
Two hours later, Taco paced the fire station. They’d cleaned up the rest of the accident scene and when Koren’s car was being put up on a tow truck, he’d once again realized exactly how lucky she’d been. By all rights, she should be dead. Most of the time he took accidents in stride. Death was as much a part of his daily routine as life. But something about seeing that mangled piece of steel sitting on top of the truck bed had made him anxious.
“Hey, Taco. Thanks for taking my shift last night. I owe ya.”
Taco turned to face his friend. He looked at his watch and realized it was noon. “Sure thing, Slick. Anytime. How was the recital?”
“My baby girl was a star,” Slick said.
“Uh-huh.” He grinned. Of course he would say his daughter was awesome, even if it turned out she had absolutely no grace or rhythm whatsoever.
“Anyway, I heard about that wreck this morning. Sounded nasty.”
“It was.”
“But the vic’s okay?” Slick asked.
Taco nodded, but suddenly he felt uneasy. Was Koren okay? She seemed to be at the scene, but he knew more than most that sometimes after a bad wreck, a person could be walking around one minute and fall over with their heart not beating the next.
Taco made a split-second decision. “Have a good day,” he said as he quickly headed for the door.
“See ya,” Slick called out, but Taco wasn’t listening.
He climbed into his older-model Chevy Silverado pickup truck and turned right out of the fire station, heading for the hospital.
Taco knew he was acting out of character, but he couldn’t get Koren’s face out of his mind. What if she had complications from the accident? What if she had a spinal injury? What if she was alone and scared? He didn’t know anything about her, but he couldn’t just go home and not find out how she was doing.
The drive to the hospital seemed to take forever, and Taco worked himself up thinking about everything that could be wrong with Koren. He hadn’t had a chance to really look her over. She could have broken bones or maybe even a head injury. She hadn’t felt any pain, but that could’ve been adrenaline. Were her legs broken? Her ankles?
He parked and jogged into the emergency room. He went right up to the reception desk and luckily recognized the nurse working there.
“Hey, Maria,” he said as genially as possible.
She looked up. “Hi, Taco. It’s good to see you.”
“Same. It’s been a while. So…I’m here about a patient who was brought in a few hours ago.”
She raised her eyebrows in question.
“Koren Garner. She was in an MVA, I was first on scene.”
“Ah, yes, Koren. I believe she’s still here.”
“Here? As in, the emergency room?” Taco asked incredulously. “She hasn’t been transferred up to a room yet?” He’d been hoping to get Koren’s room number out of the nurse. He didn’t know what to make of the fact that she was still there. It could be good or bad.
“I heard you say my sister’s name…is everything all right?”
Taco turned around to see a tall man with dusty-blond hair. He was standing with his arm around a slender red-haired woman.
“I hope so. I’m Taco, and I was the first firefighter on scene today. I just wanted to check on her.”
The man held out his hand. “It’s good to meet you. I’m Koren’s brother, Liam. This is my wife, Kelle.”
Taco shook both their hands…and couldn’t figure out why he felt somewhat disappointed that Koren wasn’t alone. It was crazy. He should be glad she had family here. But a part of him had wanted to be the knight in shining armor swooping in and making everything better for her.
Stupid…so stupid.
Then another couple came up behind Liam and Kelle.
“Who’s this?” the man asked.
“His name is Taco, and he helped Koren at the scene,” Liam said.
The second man held out his hand. “Thank you so much. I’m Carter, Koren’s other big brother. And this is my wife, Robin.”
Taco shook their hands while mentally shaking his head. He shouldn’t have come. Koren was obviously in good hands. She had her family.
Just then, Robin glanced over his shoulder before breaking away from their little group and rushing toward the double doors that led to the back.
Taco turned to stare in the direction she’d gone.
Koren stood there with an older couple he could only assume were her parents. There were also two other women with them too. Robin walked backward in front of Koren, speaking in low tones.
“You look surprised,” Carter said. “I take it you didn’t think she’d be discharged already?”
“Definitely not. If you’d seen her car, you wouldn’t think so either,” Taco said.
Kelle visibly shuddered. “I seriously can’t imagine how in the world she managed to not only survive, but how she escaped with only a few cuts and bruises.”
Then Koren was in front of him. She was wearing a pair of scrubs that were a little too tight. Her hair had been brushed and Taco wouldn’t have known she’d been in a horrific crash only hours ago if it hadn’t been for the slight black eyes.
“Hey,” he said, suddenly feeling awkward.
“What are you doing here?” Koren asked with a tilt of her head and her brows drawn down in confusion.
“I wanted to make sure you were all right.”
“I’m okay.”
They stood in the middle of the waiting room, surrounded by her family, just staring at each other.
“I’m Gavin Garner, Koren’s father,” the older man standing near her said. He didn’t offer his hand.
“And I’m Deena, her mom,” offered the pretty blonde at his side. She smiled at him, keeping one hand on Koren’s arm.
“Nice to meet you both,” Taco said politely.
“And I’m Sue, and this is Vicky,” one of the younger women said. “We’re Koren’s best friends. Thank you for what you do, and for coming by to check on her.”
Taco felt ridiculous. Of course she had people who cared for her, who would be at her side in the hospital. Her friends had probably rushed to the ER the second they’d heard about her accident.
He dropped his eyes and took a step back. “Well, I just wanted to make sure you were okay,” he said again. “Take it easy for a while. You might feel all right now, but your body was put through the wringer. You’ll feel it in a couple of days.”
“Taco?” Koren asked.
He took another step back and looked around, not meeting h
er gaze, trying to figure out how to extricate himself.
“Hey, everyone, can you give me and Taco a moment?” Koren asked her family and friends.
Damn. Now Taco couldn’t just turn around and leave. He watched as her brothers frowned, her friends smirked knowingly, and her parents simply looked concerned. But dutifully, they all stepped away.
Koren rolled her eyes and gestured for Taco to follow her over to an empty part of the waiting room. Reluctantly, he followed her until they were alone.
“Hi,” she said with a small smile.
“Hey,” he returned.
“Thanks for coming by to check on me.”
Taco shrugged. “Sure. The hospital was on my way home.” That was a lie. It was actually in the complete other direction.
“Oh. Well, I appreciate it anyway,” she said.
“It looks like you’ve been well taken care of,” he observed.
Koren smiled. “I called my mom and told her that I’d been in a little fender bender, and within half an hour, word had spread that I was on my deathbed and voila, everyone showed up.”
“You were lucky,” Taco said, not ready to joke about the accident yet.
“I know,” she whispered. “Believe me, I know. All sorts of things went through my head in the seconds before my car slid under that tractor trailer.” Koren put her hand on Taco’s arm. “One of which was regret that I’ve always been too passive. I never speak up for myself or what I want. But I’m sorry for embarrassing you by doing so,” she told him.
Taco knew exactly what she was talking about. “I’m flattered.”
She blushed and huffed out a breath. “Right. Anyway, thanks again for checking on me. I’m fine. Maybe I’ll see you around sometime.”
She turned to walk away, but Taco’s hand shot out and touched her upper arm. He didn’t grab her, ever aware that she was probably sore and stiff from the accident.
“Yes,” he said simply.
Koren’s questioning gaze whipped up to meet his.
“I’d love to go out with you sometime,” Taco said, clarifying. “And my hesitation wasn’t because of you.”
“I don’t want you to say yes because you feel guilty or obligated,” she responded.
“I’m not, I swear. It’s just…the last woman I went out with pursued me, but it was for pretty nefarious reasons. She turned out to be a psycho serial killer.”
Koren gasped. “Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
“I’m so sorry! If it makes you feel better, I’m not. A serial killer, that is. I’m super boring and average. I can’t stand to even kill the flies that somehow always find their way into my apartment. And once I found a nest of baby mice under my dryer. Sure, they were cute and all, but baby mice turn into adult mice, which aren’t so cute or nice. I had to call Liam to come and get them out, and to set the traps for the adults. And when those were caught, my brother had to come back and get those too.”
Taco smiled briefly, then sobered. “You look a bit like her. Blonde hair, blue eyes…I just… You caught me by surprise. I’ve been taking a break from dating, and I wasn’t sure what to say—”
“I get it,” Koren said. “I do. And it’s okay. I completely understand. Just chalk it up to me almost dying.”
Without thought, Taco reached out to gently cup her cheek in his hand. “You didn’t let me finish.”
“Sorry,” she whispered, standing stock still and staring up at him.
“I’d decided not to date for a while…but there’s something about you that I can’t resist. You’re funny, brave, and you make me laugh. There I was, hunched over in your wreck of a car, and I was laughing. That’s never happened to me before. I’d love to take you out, Koren. But I’ve got some baggage. You’re going to have to cut me some slack if I get weird on you.”
“I understand,” she said again. “And for the record, I’ve got two overprotective older brothers who would like nothing better than to see me become a nun, and two best friends who think I’m over the hill and have signed me up for every dating site known to man.”
“I’ve tried my hand at a few of those,” Taco said with a smile. “Can’t say they worked out for me.”
“Me either.” Koren smiled. “But hey, maybe there’s something to this connecting-with-a-hot-fireman-by-wrecking-your-car thing.”
“You’re the first woman I’ve ever even considered dating after meeting her on the job,” Taco told her seriously.
“Well, technically we didn’t meet on the job. Quinn introduced us in the grocery store, so it’s okay.”
When he didn’t say anything, her smile dimmed a bit. “Like I said. Don’t go out with me because you feel sorry for me. I’m perfectly happy with my life. I don’t need a man, I’m capable of paying my own bills, changing my own lightbulbs, and last week I even replaced the bobber thingy in my toilet. All by myself.”
“Baby mice?” Taco teased.
She grimaced, but said, “I’ve got two brothers for emergencies.”
“Right.” He took a deep breath. “You scare the shit out of me,” Taco admitted.
“Me? I’m completely harmless.”
He snorted. “You have no clue how wrong that statement is.”
“Koren?” Carter called out. “You probably should get home to rest.”
She rolled her eyes again.
Taco realized his hand was still on her cheek. “You’re really all right?” he asked, knowing his time with her was almost up. He caressed her jaw with his thumb.
“Yeah. The doctor said I would be sore for a while, and I’ve got these nice black eyes forming, but I’m okay.”
“I’m glad.”
“Me too.”
“Koren.” Liam this time. “Time to go…”
Taco reluctantly dropped his hand and pulled out his phone. “Can I get your number?”
She recited it for him, and he punched it in. “I’m going to shoot you a text so you have mine too.”
“Cool.”
“Use it,” he ordered.
“Yes, sir,” she quipped.
“Time’s up,” Liam said as he strolled over. “Sorry…uh…Taco, but we need to get our sister home.”
Taco understood what the other man was doing. Just what an older brother should—making sure Taco knew that Koren wasn’t alone. That she had people who had her back. And that he’d better not mess with her. That part wasn’t something Taco could have missed.
“Of course.” Then he turned to Koren. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Thanks. Me too,” she said.
Liam hooked her arm over his and turned her toward the exit. Taco didn’t follow the entourage. He was slightly amused at the various comments he overheard, though.
“Damn, Kor. He’s hot!” Sue exclaimed.
“Please tell me he was giving you his number when he got out his phone?” Vicky asked.
“What kind of a name is Taco?” Liam grumbled.
Kelle elbowed her husband in the side and hissed, “Hush!”
Carter didn’t say anything, just eyeballed him for a brief moment before turning his back and following his sister out of the hospital.
But Koren’s mom turned right before they were all out the doors, and she gave him a subtle thumbs-up.
Taco couldn’t help it, he burst out laughing.
So far, Koren already seemed different as night and day from Jen, his psycho ex, that was for sure. He hadn’t met any of Jen’s friends, hadn’t even known if her parents were still living or not. She’d worn buckets of makeup, never had a hair out of place, and was always impeccably dressed.
Koren was like a breath of fresh air. Saying what she thought when she thought it, rocking a pair of borrowed hospital scrubs and, even with two black eyes, knocking his socks off.
Yeah, it was safe to say Taco was interested. He didn’t want to be, and hadn’t planned on dating anyone for at least ten frickin’ years, but damn. He couldn’t resist Koren.
Wavin
g goodbye to the nurse at the desk, he left the hospital feeling ten times happier than when he’d entered.
Chapter Three
Koren breathed a sigh of relief when her friends and family finally left. It was after dinner and everyone had insisted on staying to make sure she was all right.
She had a headache and every muscle in her body hurt, but Koren knew how lucky she’d been. She’d seriously thought she was a goner. The only thing that saved her was the way she’d thrown herself to the side right before her car impacted the truck.
She had a ton of stuff to do, including a call to her insurance company to see what they’d give her for her car. She also had to catch up on emails from the lost day of work.
But right now, all she wanted to do was sit on the couch for a moment and soak up the peace and quiet. She loved her friends and family. They were well-meaning and it felt great to be able to call and have them there in a heartbeat. But they were also exhausting. They’d all come to her condo to make sure she had everything she needed. Her mom had made a turkey casserole after sending her dad to the store to pick up the ingredients. Sue and Vicky had wanted to talk about the “hot firefighter” who “couldn’t take his eyes off her,” and her brothers grumbled all night about how forward Taco had been, putting his hand on her face and all.
She’d done her best to pacify everyone, because that’s what she always did as the peacemaker of her family, but inside, Koren was a mixed-up jumble of confusion and nerves. She couldn’t stop thinking about Taco showing up at the hospital. Yes, he’d said that it was on his way home from the station, but she had a feeling he’d been lying.
After she’d asked him out at the accident scene, and he’d politely demurred, she was humiliated but had figured that was that. She should’ve kept her mouth shut, but no, she had to go and ask him out like a star-struck dummy.
She hadn’t thought she’d ever see him again—and if she did, Koren had already planned to duck out of sight if possible. But then he’d shown up at the hospital, confusing the heck out of her.
At first she’d wondered if he’d assumed she’d be there pining away for him or something, or maybe pissed that he’d turned her down. And, if she was being honest with herself, she had done a little pining. But the presence of her loved ones had done a lot to pull her head out of her ass.