Page 6 of Condor’s Vow

“Exactly. Do you want to grab some food?”

Hattie smiled. “Sure.”

Hattie felt a delicious shiver run down her spine as he placed his hand on the small of her back in both a proprietary and protective manner. If it had been anyone else but Clay, she’d have made a snarky comment, but for some reason, she liked it. Hell, who was she kidding, she’d liked him before and it seemed six months hadn’t changed that.

Hattie grabbed a plate and loaded it with potato salad and slaw and then held it out to Cruz who dumped a piece of steak and some chicken on top with a wink. Moving toward a couple of chairs by the window, she and Clay ate in silence for a bit.

Hattie saw the thumbs up she was getting from Mack and Mickie in the corner and frowned at them, nearly getting caught when Clay looked up.

“Everything okay?”

Hattie felt the heat crawl into her cheeks and cursed her pale skin. “Yeah, sure. Just a work thing.”

“So why emergency medicine instead of, say, pediatrics or geriatrics?”

Nobody had asked her that before, but she didn’t need to think about it; she knew why. It was ingrained in her soul. She chewed her steak and swallowed before answering. “I have two older brothers, Martin and Todd. When Todd, who is five years older than me, was seventeen, he was in a car accident. If it hadn’t been for the emergency services getting him out of that car, and the doctors and nurses in the emergency department working so fast and thoroughly, he would’ve died. I can’t stand the cold, so being an EMT was out. The next thing was nursing.”

“You sound like you love it.”

“I do. You get to make a real difference at a time in people’s lives when they need you most, but it’s also the camaraderie and family you get from it. Like today, for instance. I met Mack when Cruz brought her in after her attack. We became friends because who couldn’t be friends with Mack. I already knew Dax and Quint and Calder to a degree, and nearly all the guys from Station Seven.”

“Yeah, I get that, and now you know me too.”

“Yes, I do.”

“Listen, this may seem a little forward, but would you go out to dinner with me? I meant to ask you before, but then life got crazy, and I didn’t know how to just rock up and ask you out.”

“Umm, not sure. What’s your idea of a good date?”

“Hmm, how about horseback riding and a picnic instead of dinner at a restaurant?”

Hattie was teasing him, and she liked how he didn’t get irritated by it, plus she fancied the pants off him. So why not? What did she have to lose? Oh, yes, her heart. This man with his sense of humor, protective instincts, and flawless manners could be hazardous to her if she wasn’t careful, but then life was for living, not watching from the sidelines. “Well, how can a girl refuse that.”

They exchanged numbers and set up something for the next weekend. Both she and Clay understood it was subject to change with their jobs being what they were, which was only another tick in the pro column for him.

He offered to drive her home, and but she had her car, and Hattie almost laughed when he offered to follow her home to make sure she got there safely. She reassured him she had managed so far and would text him instead. That seemed to appease the overprotective male.

She didn’t mind it, even quite liked that he cared, but she was an independent woman and wouldn’t allow herself to become lost to any man, no matter how cute he was.

Hattie walked into her two-bedroom home and locked the door, setting the alarm before she made herself some sweet tea and kicked off her shoes, curling them under her on the couch. She brought up Clay’s number and texted him.

Hattie: Home safe and sound, no bogey man in sight.

Clay: Good to hear. Hope you locked up.

Hattie: Yep, locked tighter than a duck’s butt.

Clay: I’m not even going there.;)

Hattie: I had a lovely time today.

Clay: Me too, can’t wait for our date.

Hattie: Me either

Clay: Sleep well, Hattie.

Hattie: You too x

Hattie threw the phone down beside her and fought the smile and the bubble of excitement. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d liked a guy so much. In fact, she wasn’t sure she had. Not even her ex-boyfriend had affected her as Clayton East did, and that was both exhilarating and scary.