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I wonder what else he’s good at rubbing and chuckle at the thought.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
He arches his brows.“Are you sure?”
“I am.”
He gets a band-aid from the first aid kit and uses it to cover my wound.“There you go.All set.”
“Thank you.”
He smiles.“Anything for you, Little Sloane.Now, are you good to continue our meal prep, or should we go for something simpler like instant noodles?”
I swat him with a kitchen towel.“A little cut won’t stop me from cooking this meal with you.I can handle this.”
One hour later, the kitchen looks like a war zone with dirty pots and pans stacked in the sink and tomato sauce sticking to the counter, but we did it.The spaghetti smells great, and there’s not a burnt piece of meat to be found.
We’re halfway through our plates when the radio in the corner crackles to life.“I repeat, is anyone there?”White noise and more crackling interrupt part of the transmission.“Anyone?”
“What’s that?”I ask.
Maverick’s chair screeches as he pushes it backward.“The HAM radio we use to communicate with everyone on this mountain.It’s a handy tool for remote locations like ours.We have our own radio frequency.Someone must be in trouble.”
“This is Maverick,” he says, gripping the receiver in his burly hand.
“Mav, it’s Bear.”Static interferes with the clarity of the message, but we can make out enough to realize what’s going on.“…in labor and we can’t… no ambulance.The storm… damaged the telephone wires… the mountain.”
“I’m on my way.Hang tight,” Maverick says.
He turns to me, his expression is serious and focused.“Are you in or out?”
“I’m not sure.”
He runs toward the coat rack and slips on his coat.“In or out, Little Sloane.I’m leaving now.”
I push my chair back and hurry toward my coat and shoes.“In.”
Chapter Four
Sloane
“Do you think Bear and Quinn are going to be okay?”I ask.
Bear is a good friend, and I’d hate to see him or his wife—or worse, their baby—in trouble because of this storm.
“I hope so,” Maverick says, his eyes glued to the road.
The windshield wipers are working overtime but don’t help increase visibility.I don’t understand how Maverick can lead his truck through the narrow pathways without slamming into a tree from the force of the wind, but I’m glad he manages.If it were me all alone in here, I’d be terrified.I feel quite safe with Maverick behind the wheel.I know he’ll protect me in every possible way.It’s part of the reason I decided to go with him instead of staying in the cabin alone.That and wanting to be near him.
I know the storm won’t last forever.I’ll have to leave his house and return to the valley at some point.
A tree blocks the road about half a mile before Quinn and Bear’s house.
Maverick parks his truck as close to the side of the road as he can get.“We’ll have to do the rest on foot.”
I jump out of the truck.The forest ground is soaked and muddy.The icy wind beats rain into our faces, and I shiver.
