Without waiting for a response, he slanted forward and captured her mouth with his, kissing her soft and slow. A heady dizziness spread through her as if she’d jumped onto a spinning merry go round at the park. The promise for something more than just a few stolen kisses and pretty words swirled around her. Taylin knew that for the first time in her life, she was falling in love.
“All right,” she said against his mouth. “You win.”
He pulled back, and she saw a storm of emotions in his gray eyes. “Taylin, I don’t want to stop you from pursuing your dreams, but I do want you to know where I stand.”
She suppressed the urge to ask him to expound further. He might not be able to physically run away, but she didn’t want to scare him off with talks of marriage and children. “Thank you.” She brushed her lips across his. “I’m glad to know I have options.”
Luke gave her one more lingering kiss. “Can we talk about those options?” He winced and gripped his knee. “Maybe just not now.”
Taylin wished she could do something to ease his pain. She had one more Midol pill she could give him. “Definitely later.” She found the container of pills and offered the last one to him. “I wish I had something to help with the inflammation.”
“I’m grateful for this.” He took the pill and swallowed it with a sip of his dwindling water bottle.
By the time they finished their meager supper, the storm had abated somewhat. Any hope Taylin had for a last minute rescue vanished along with the day. The interior of their shelter became so dark they could no longer see one another. They talked for a little while about their families and what their favorite vacations were, but when Taylin asked Luke more about camping, he was slow to respond and she could tell he needed to rest.
She didn’t press him, and it wasn’t long before he’d drifted off to sleep. Although she was exhausted, Taylin doubted she’d be able to sleep. Closing her eyes, she leaned her head against Luke’s shoulder and listened to his deep, even breaths. The next thing she knew, Luke was nudging her awake.
“Taylin, I think I hear a helicopter.”
It took a few seconds for her brain to comprehend his words. Then she heard the distinct sound from the blades slicing through the air. In her haste to get outside, she inadvertently jarred his knee.
Groaning in pain, Luke clenched his jaw and held onto his knee protectively.
“I’m so sorry,” Taylin said. “What can I do?”
“I’m okay.” He swallowed and gestured with his head. “You’d better get out there so they can see you.”
The noise grew louder, so Taylin only hesitated a second before exiting their shelter. She ignored the destruction surrounding their little shelter and scanned the clear sky, hoping for a glimpse of the helicopter. As the sound intensified, Taylin glanced down at her yellow poncho. It was muddy and a little tattered, but hopefully they’d be able to spot her among the trees.
The thumping grew louder, and she caught sight of the machine coming toward her. Taylin lifted her arms up and began frantically waving them. “Hey, we’re over here!” she yelled, even though she knew they couldn’t hear her.
The helicopter didn’t slow down and passed over her so quickly she was sure they’d missed her.
“Hey, y’all! We’re over here!” she hollered out in a desperate attempt to get it to notice her.
She started to run in the direction of the helicopter when it made a wide sweep and turned back toward her. The big machine gradually decreased its speed and then hovered over her. A guy wearing a helmet and mirrored aviator sunglasses smiled at her and gave her the thumbs up.
He turned and spoke to the pilot, and then the door slid open and a man in a green jumpsuit stepped out onto the metal runners. He steadily descended to the ground using a long cable. When he twisted from the movement, Taylin read the logo printed boldly on his back, declaring he was part of the search and rescue team for the sheriff’s department.
As soon as his feet hit the ground, he unhooked himself from the cable. Turning, he grinned and lifted his hand to wave at her. “Are you Miss Taylin Nichols?”
“Yes, sir,” Taylin said, suddenly very aware of how disheveled she must look. The guy had the bluest eyes and was kind of cute.
He pressed a button on the mic he wore on his suit and confirmed he’d found their target.
“Well, Miss Taylin, I’m Clay, and you have a lot of people worried about you.” His smile disappeared as he looked around her. “We had reports you were with a Mr. Luke McKay.”
“I’m right here,” Luke said, scooting out of their shelter.
Everything happened so fast after that. Another search and rescue member named Mickey hoisted Taylin inside the helicopter while Clay stayed with Luke. Glancing out the open door, she pulled the blanket tight around her as she watched Clay secure the straps over Luke in the rescue basket. After hooking the cable to the litter, he gave the thumbs up to his team member perched on the runners. Both Clay and Luke were lifted up. Clay jumped inside and secured the litter on the runner of the helicopter.
The helicopter ride was quick. Taylin learned that she and Luke had only been a little over a mile away from the resort. As the helicopter landed in the parking lot of Harmony Springs, Taylin noticed several news vans from various networks also parked there.
While two paramedics assisted Clay to transfer Luke from the litter to a gurney, Mickey helped Taylin out of the helicopter. Several reporters hovered as close as they could get, trying to get Taylin’s attention.
“I’m so relieved y’all are okay,” Jennifer said, rushing forward to hug Taylin. “I didn’t sleep at all last night because I was so worried.”
Rick stood next to Jennifer and gave Taylin a brief hug. “Glad y’all are safe.”
“Thanks.” She pointed to the camera he had slung around his neck. “Too bad you and your camera didn’t come along. The video of the tornado we witnessed would’ve gone viral.”
“Seriously? Y’all were right in the middle of it?”
Before Taylin could fill him in on the details, Clay, along with the two paramedics, rolled Luke’s gurney to a stop.
“Dude,” Rick said, coming over to shake Luke’s hand. “What happened to you?”
“A horse rolled over top of me and then a tornado hit.”
Jennifer rushed forward. “I’m so sorry, Mr. McKay. You have a free night stay with your pick of amenities whenever you feel up to it.” She glanced over at Taylin. “You too, sweetie. And I promise not one camera will follow y’all around.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” Luke said. “A soak in one of your mineral pools would feel like heaven right now.”
That made Jennifer light up like one of the resort’s jack-o'-lantern on display in the lobby. “Wonderful. I’ll be sure and follow up with you once you’re done at the hospital.”
“Do I really need to go to the hospital?” Luke asked Clay.
“Of course you do,” Taylin said before Clay answered. “You know they need to check your ribs and your knee out.”
“Don’t worry, Luke. Your girlfriend can ride with you,” Clay said with a wink.
One of Rick’s eyebrows lifted up. “Girlfriend?”
Luke only grinned and took Taylin’s hand in his. “I guess let’s go then.”
Rick chuckled and took the lens cap off of his camera. “Let me get a few pictures of you two to put in your scrapbook.”
“But I look horrible,” Taylin said.
“No,” Rick said, lifting up his camera. “You look like you just survived a tornado.”
He took a few quick shots before the paramedics declared they needed to get them to the hospital.
“Hey, did the horses make it back okay?” Luke asked before they left.
“Yes, they were a little battered, but Oscar said they’ll be just fine with some TLC.” Jennifer reached inside her purse. “I almost forgot. Oscar found your phone in the saddlebag.” She handed it to Luke.
“Thank you.” Luke sta
rted to slide it into his pocket, but even that movement hurt him. He handed it to Taylin. “Can you hold on to this for me?”
“Sure.” She put the phone inside her backpack and held on as the ambulance started to move out.
Because of road closures from downed trees, the ambulance took them to a smaller hospital about twenty miles away. Luke was given something for pain that made him pretty groggy.
The ER doctor checked out Taylin while Luke was taken to radiology for x-rays of his knee and chest. While she waited for him to come back, she used Luke’s phone to call her parents. They were relieved to hear she was okay. Apparently they’d been notified early this morning about Taylin’s disappearance. They had been trying to get to the resort all morning long, but couldn’t get through due to the road closures. They would come to the hospital just as soon as the road cleared.
Taylin wondered if Luke’s parents had been notified as well, but since there weren’t any missed calls from them, she assumed they remained unaware.
A nurse came in and offered Taylin a set of scrubs and a package of blue hospital socks. “Hey, I thought you might want to change into these while you wait.”
“Thank you so much,” Taylin said. “Do you know when Luke will be done?”
“It shouldn’t be long, sugar, but I’ll let you know if he’s been delayed.” She handed Taylin a cup filled with apple juice. “The kitchen is preparing a tray for you. Once Mr. McKay is cleared to eat, we’ll make sure he gets something too.”
“Thank you.”
Taylin took several long swallows of the juice before going into the private bathroom to change out of her dirty clothes. Her beautiful riding boots looked terrible and were scratched and muddy. She peeled off her socks and replaced them with the blue socks. The scrubs were a little big, but they were clean and dry.
She groaned when she looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair looked like she was working on dreadlocks, and her face was smudged with dirt. Unable to do anything about her tangled hair, she washed her face.
A hospital tray was waiting for her on the bedside table. Suddenly very ravenous, Taylin lifted off the lid that covered the plate and inhaled the delicious scent of bacon, eggs and hash browns. Taylin ate almost everything on her plate, leaving only a few of the hash browns.
Since Luke hadn’t returned, she went back inside the bathroom and used the complimentary toothbrush and paste to brush her teeth. It felt great to have clean teeth again.
As she exited the bathroom, two orderlies wheeled Luke back into the room.
“Hey,” she said to Luke as the two hospital workers transferred him to his bed. “How are you doing?”
“Good.” He winced slightly as he settled in the bed. “The pain’s not as bad.”
“Right.” She wanted to go to him, but wasn’t sure what her role was. While the paramedic had called her Luke’s girlfriend, and he hadn’t denied it, she still was hesitant to act like a girlfriend.
As soon as the orderlies left, Luke held out his hand to her. “How about you? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Taylin took his hand and loved when he curled his fingers around hers. It was a very boyfriend like thing to do. “A little tired and in serious need of a shower.” She sat down on the edge of the bed.
“You look beautiful.”
She laughed. “You’re such a liar. I’ve already looked in a mirror. I look terrible.”
There was a brief knock before the doctor stepped inside the room, followed by a nurse. “Go ahead and order Mr. McKay a tray,” he said to the nurse. Then he turned toward Luke and Taylin. “X-rays all look good. No broken ribs. The knee is swollen, but no torn ligaments that we can see right now. You’ll need to follow-up with an ortho doc in a few days once y’all are back in Mitchel Creek.”
“Thank you,” Luke said. “When can we go home?”
“I’ll write the discharge orders, but you can’t leave until we get a new splint on.” He winked at Taylin. “By the way, you did a fantastic job, young lady.”
“Thank you.” Taylin gave Luke’s hand a gentle squeeze. “How about his head? Does anyone need to stay with him tonight?” The cut on his head hadn’t needed stitches, but the doctor had used butterfly bandages to help it heal.
“It’s a mild concussion so it’s up to you, Mr. McKay. Y’all know the risk factors: lethargy, vomiting or increased headache pain. Tylenol should help with the pain, but you need plenty of rest over the next few days.” The doctor and nurse left them alone, promising to get the splint on as soon as possible.
“Come here.” Luke tugged on Taylin’s hand, bringing her close enough to kiss.
She sighed against his mouth, relieved Luke hadn’t retreated once they’d made it to safety. The worry about their developing relationship disappeared as she eagerly returned the kiss. Her head spun as the pressure on her mouth increased. She lifted her hand to Luke’s face, loving the rough feel of his whiskers against her palm. She thought she heard the door open, but at the moment didn’t care who caught them kissing. Until a familiar voice said, “Do you mind tellin’ me why you’re kissin’ my daughter?”
Chapter 18
Luke ended the kiss abruptly and watched Taylin hop off the bed and rush into the arms of the man standing inside the hospital room.
“Daddy!” she squealed. “You made it.”
“Yes.” He glared at Luke. “And just in time to catch you kissin’ a man I don’t know.”
Taylin giggled and released her father. “Daddy, this is Luke McKay. Luke, this my daddy Charles Nichols.”
“Hello, sir,” Luke said, holding out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.” Charles’s eyes bored into Luke, and he wasn’t sure if the man was going to shake his hand or belt him in the mouth.
Finally, Charles leaned over and grasped Luke’s hand firmly. “Just because we’ve been properly introduced doesn’t mean you can kiss my daughter again.”
“Daddy, hush up.” Taylin hugged her father’s arm affectionately. “Luke kept me safe last night.”
“I hope that’s all he did last night.”
“Charles Nichols, leave the poor boy alone.” A beautiful woman with blonde hair a shade darker than Taylin’s came through the door. “Thank you, son,” she said, smiling at Luke. “For makin’ sure Taylin was safe.”
“Luke, this is my mama, Amanda,” Taylin said after giving her mother a hug.
“Hello, ma’am.” Luke glanced at Taylin. “But I really didn’t keep Taylin safe.”
Charles raised an eyebrow.
Luke cleared his throat. “It was more like she took care of me. I was knocked unconscious and then had a dislocated kneecap, which Taylin helped reduce and then splint. She also found us a shelter and was smart enough to have brought food and water with her.”
“That’s my girl.” Charles winked at Taylin. “I told your mama and sister not to worry.”
Taylin’s forehead wrinkled. “Where is Ashlee?”
“Fixin’ her makeup,” Amanda said with a laugh. “Since y’all are on television, she wanted to look good in case they decide to interview the family.”
“We’re on the news?” Taylin moaned as she pressed a button on the side of the bedrail to turn on the television. “I’m sure I looked terrible.”
While she clicked through the channels, Taylin’s sister walked in. Luke couldn’t believe how much the two girls resembled each other.
“Tay,” she said, rushing across the room. “You’re alive!”
Taylin accepted an exuberant hug from her twin. “I am.” She sniffed. “Are you wearing my perfume again?”
Luke caught the light scent, surprised that while it was familiar, somehow it smelled better when Taylin wore it.
“Sorry,” Ashlee said, letting go. She turned and focused on Luke. This close up, he noted the subtle differences like the lighter color of blue in Ashlee’s eyes and the slight dimple in her right cheek. “You must be Luke.” She stuck out her hand for Luke to shake. “You are cute. No
wonder Taylin survived the night.”
“Um, thanks.” Luke glanced at Taylin, feeling the tips of his ears redden.
She smiled and took his hand again. “In case you haven’t guessed, this is my twin sister Ashlee.”
“Hi,” he said, wishing he’d met Taylin’s family under different circumstances.
“Hey,” Ashlee said, pointing to the television screen. “There y’all are.”
Sure enough, live footage of Taylin and Luke coming out of the helicopter appeared on the screen. The next shot was a close-up of Taylin and Luke holding hands while the paramedics prepared to load Luke into the ambulance.
“A tornado ripped through Harmony Springs, Georgia yesterday afternoon and a young couple out for a romantic horseback ride got caught in the middle of it,” the reporter said.
A few pictures Rick had taken of them at the spa flashed across the screen as the reporter continued with an account of Luke and Taylin’s stay at the resort prior to the tornado. When a picture of them at the mineral spa lingered on the television, Luke swallowed hard.
No matter how hard he’d been fighting the attraction during that photo shoot, it obviously hadn’t been too convincing. The photograph depicted a shirtless Luke intently gazing into Taylin’s eyes. He didn’t remember touching her so intimately, but one hand rested on her hip with his fingertips grazing the thin line of bare skin showing at her waist. Luke glanced over at Taylin’s father who stared at the television screen with his lips pressed tightly together.
“Wow, Tay, you look totally hot in that tankini,” Ashlee said.
The lines in Charles’s face hardened at his daughter’s comment. Before Luke could glance away, Taylin’s father leveled him with a look that indicated he’d like to have a word with him alone. He really didn’t blame the man.
“The pictures are so… lovely,” Amanda said with a hint of a smile on her lips. “Tell us again how y’all met?”
Luke’s tongue felt thick, whether from the situation or the pain medication kicking in, so he was grateful Taylin answered the question. Although what Taylin said was true, like how they’d met at work, or how Luke had helped her change a flat tire, or that they both volunteered at the youth center and together took some of the kids fishing for one of the activities, she left out the part about what a jerk he’d been to Taylin.
Just a Kiss in the Moonlight: Georgia Moon Romance Book 2 Page 17