Hard to Resist - By Kara Lennox Page 0,4
determination that she hadn’t let go of the panicked kitten when he scratched her.
With a pang of remorse, she wondered where the kitten was now.
The resident, whose name tag identified her as Dr. Shinn, gave Kat a reassuring smile. She’d been good with Samantha. “Your daughter was slightly disoriented when they brought her in. I want to run a couple of tests and make sure she didn’t suffer any lasting ill effects.”
Kat nodded. “Whatever you think is best.” She had health insurance, but it wasn’t a great policy. The deductible was sky-high and she’d probably end up owing thousands, but she couldn’t worry about that. She and Samantha were alive, they weren’t seriously injured; that was what mattered.
A volunteer had scrounged some clothes for Kat—a T-shirt, ill-fitting jeans and a pair of loafers about ready for the trash bin.
Kat had nearly refused. Memories welled up, awful images of the church ladies who used to bring her cast-off clothes and tut-tut at her horrid apartment. But sanity had prevailed. She couldn’t remain barefoot and in a smoke-blackened nightgown.
“We can monitor Samantha in the E.R.,” Dr. Shinn continued. “No need to formally admit her.”
“Can I stay with her?”
“Of course. I’ll see if I can find a cot for you.”
Kat nodded her thanks. Everyone had been so kind—the doctors and nurses, the gorgeous Latino paramedic who could have charmed the stripes off a zebra… And the firemen who’d saved her and Samantha.
One fireman, in particular, who’d lifted her up as if she weighed nothing.
Her thoughts had turned to her personal hero, over and over, during the night’s ordeal. She and Samantha would have succumbed to the smoke in another couple of minutes, if they hadn’t been dragged to safety. She remembered how strong his arms had been as he’d swung her up; how deep and reassuring his voice had been as he’d told her Samantha was safe and everything would be okay. His face had been obscured by an oxygen mask, but he had the kindest brown eyes she’d ever seen.
She had no idea what his name was.
True to her word, the resident found a cot and an orderly dragged it into Samantha’s treatment room. Exhausted and aching from her deep coughing, Kat curled up under a thin blanket, but she didn’t sleep. She listened.
Earlier, Samantha had struggled for every breath. Now, however, she sounded normal and she’d fallen asleep.
Samantha had been so terrified when she’d woken Kat in the middle of the night. The smoke alarm was buzzing, and Kat, who slept like a stone, hadn’t heard it. By then, the apartment was filled with smoke and the sounds of approaching sirens. Every fire-safety tip Kat had ever heard flashed through her mind, but all she could think about was escape. Get to the door. Get out.
They would have gotten out in plenty of time, too, if Samantha hadn’t suddenly remembered Bashira, the stray kitten they’d taken in only a week earlier. Precious minutes had passed as they searched, finally locating the terrified animal under a bed.
By then, the smoke had grown thick and the air hot, and as she’d struggled for breath, Kat had become confused. She encountered walls in unexpected places, then tripped over a chair. She remembered collapsing, hearing Samantha’s terrified cries and groping for her daughter. As the flames danced in her peripheral vision, she remembered praying—not for salvation but that their deaths would be quick.
They’d been so amazingly lucky the firefighters had found them in time. She had to focus on that, rather than on the fact that she’d lost all her material possessions. Things could be replaced.
The door opened and Kat sat up suddenly, realizing she’d been dozing and reliving the fire. She expected to see another nurse or doctor, there to check vital signs. Instead, she saw a tall man with sandy blond hair and almost impossibly wide shoulders standing uncertainly in the doorway. He wore a charcoal gray T-shirt and faded Levi’s, and at first Kat thought he must have entered by mistake.
Then she saw the eyes and she realized this was one of her rescuers, the one she remembered most clearly. Her heart jumped as she got her first good look at him, freshly showered and out of his fireman gear.
“How’s she doing?” the man asked in a low voice, so as not to wake Samantha. She appreciated this courtesy. Samantha had been scared and fretful each time she woke up in this strange place.
“She’s going to be okay.” Kat rose from the