I glanced around at the growing crowd. Most of them had phones in their hands.
I gave a rueful wave to them. So much for anonymity.
CHAPTER FIVE
Daphne
Despite my protests, one of the Sisters shoved me into the back of the ambulance with Travis. “Up you go, dear.”
The other took my suitcase and George. “We’ll meet you there,” she said, giving me a finger wave.
“Careful with my cat,” I called out as the EMT was closing the door. “He can be a really—” The door shut with a bang. “—naughty kitty.”
I had no choice but to take a seat on the bench next to Travis.
The man was distractingly handsome with his tousled dark hair, chiseled features and a muscular, well-proportioned body. I couldn’t believe the Sisters thought we weretogethertogether. Okay, so I’d kissed him. I mentally slapped a hand to my forehead while trying to stay outwardly calm. Ugh. WhatwasI even thinking? I was thankful, yes, but a simple handshake would have been sufficient.
“Sorry ‘bout that,” he said. “The Sisters can be pushy sometimes, butthey mean well.”
“As long as they don’t try to take George out of his carrier. He’ll scratch the hell out of them. Theheckout of them,” I corrected since they were nuns.
A dimple formed on Travis’s cheek. “Trust me. They’ve dealt with worse. They taught me in Sunday school.”
I laughed, appreciating the levity after almost getting killed, then cast a wary glance at his leg. “Does it hurt a lot?”
He shook his head, a muscle ticking in his jaw. “All of this is just an overreaction, but that’s what you get on Darkaway. People nosing into your business, thinking they know what’s best for you.”
“Doesn’t seem like an overreaction to me. You got hurt and could’ve been killed.” Had he really braced his hands on the hood of his car, thinking he could stop it?
“Nonsense,” he said, rolling his eyes like it was no big deal.
His gaze swept over me as if he were seeing me for the first time. Acutely aware of our close proximity, I felt the little hairs on my arms prickle. I hoped I didn’t look as disheveled as I felt after a day of traveling and being windswept on the ferry deck. Then I remembered Portia’s offer to fix my appearance and realized I probably did. Oh well. I wasn’t here to impress anyone. Although damn, why did he have to be so incredibly hot?
“You’ve...uh...got a pen mark there,” he said, pointing to my face.
Of course, I do.I licked my thumb and rubbed my cheek. “Here?”
“A little higher.”
I followed his direction. “Here?”
His brows drew together. “You got it. Most of it, that is.”
The ambulance lurched forward, and the paramedic, a short man with rather pointy ears, squatted down in front of Travis. “Got yerself into a wee pickle, aye, Mr. Monroe?”
“It appears so.” Travis gave me a little side-smile that turnedthe butterflies in my stomach into jumping beans. “Call me Travis, though. Mr. Monroe is—was—my father.”
The EMT reached for the storage bins to the right of the bench and rummaged through the drawers. “I was sorry to hear of your old man’s passing. The whole town was. The memorial service was very moving.”
“Don’t be sorry,” Travis clipped out. “But I appreciate the sentiment.” The way he said this made me think he didn’t care much for his dad. Had his father been a deadbeat dad like mine? I wondered.
The ambulance felt like it was moving at a snail’s pace. Or a slow-motion ocean liner making a turn. Maybe they sped only when someone’s life was on the line. When we went over a bump, I had to grab a nearby handle to keep from bouncing clear off the seat. I looked back to see that Travis’s cowboy boot had been removed and one muscular leg was bare all the way past his knee. I glanced around to see what the pixie-ish EMT had used to cut Travis’s jeans but saw nothing. The guy must be fast and efficient—he’d already put it away.
“So ye were driving, aye?” the man asked, carefully attaching a brace to Travis’s knee. “I thought ye flew yer float plane back to the island whenever ye visit. At least, that’s what the Daily Epitaph says.”
Travis pointed a thumb over his shoulder. “I did, but it’s being serviced on the mainland right now. Haven’t been able to find a place up in British Columbia that I like as well as the one near Seattle. Figured that since I’m staying on the island until after the White Wolf Moon, it was as good a time as any for its annual maintenance.”
The EMT perked up. “Ye’ll be here for Monsterval? That’s fantastic, mate!”
