Free Connecting Strangers (Discovering Emily) by Rachel Carrington

too soon for me to know you.”
    “Everything isn’t always about time, Emily. Sometimes, just the feeling is enough.”
    “Feelings go away, Adam. They can’t always be trusted.”
    “They don’t go away if they’re real.” He brings my hand to his lips and kisses my knuckles. “And sometimes, you just know.”
    Does he know? Whatever is happening between us is intense. Powerful. But is it real? I know I can’t tell the difference between reality and a deluded sense of it.
    “You’re wondering how I know.”
    “Didn’t know you read minds, too, Sheriff.” I try to play off his words, but he’s not buying it. With a sigh, I nod. “This. Us. It’s a little overwhelming.”
    “There’s nothing saying we have to rush. Let’s just take our time.” He turns my hand over and presses a kiss to my palm.
    The warmth spreads through me like hot cocoa on a bitterly cold night. I curl my fingers around his and look out the window just as the headlights of the truck illuminate the ten mile sign to the hospital. I slide my hand out of his and resist the urge to cower by the door.
    Hospitals terrify me. The last time I’d been inside one, I’d had to say goodbye to both of my parents after a head-on collision had killed them. But Adam has no way of knowing about my revulsion unless I tell him.
    “I hate hospitals,” I whisper in the darkness. “People die there.” It sounds childish, but it’s pure honesty.
    “People get better there, too.” His response is simplistic, not an attempt to discredit my fears. Just a matter of fact addition to my thoughts. I’m learning that’s Adam.
    We drive along in silence for ten minutes before he speaks again, the sound of his voice shocking me. “Why do you hate hospitals?”
    A lump forms in my throat. I’d brought the subject up so I couldn’t blame him for asking. He knows precious little about me. An opening like that is bound to stir up the curiosity. I keep my reply as simple as possible. “My parents died six years ago. A hospital was the last place I saw them.”
    “I’m sorry.” He doesn’t pry for more information, but I’m compelled to keep talking.
    “They were on their way home from a camping trip. A car swerved into their lane, and Dad drove off the road to avoid hitting it. They went over the ridge.” I taste blood and realize I’ve bitten my lower lip. “I got to the hospital in time to say goodbye. The doctor said he thought they were both holding on until I arrived.” A tear leaks from my eye and trickles down my cheek. “There’s no way he could know that, but for a hysterical, nineteen-year-old, it helped.”
    “I’m really sorry. I know how hard that can be. It’s not the same as losing them suddenly, but I lost mine about a year apart from each other. I’d just turned twenty-five when my mom passed. My dad just stopped living after that.”
    I squeeze his hand. “It’s funny that growing up I sometimes wished they were out of my life because of all the rules. I never wished them dead, but I wanted freedom. Once they were gone, I wanted them back so desperately. It took me over a year to start functioning again.”
    “You’ve done a good job of it.”
    I take his compliment at face value. Adam isn’t the type to hand out “I just want to get into your pants” praise. But I have to tell the truth. “Not as good as I could have.” My finger traces the window. “If I’d listened to my dad, I would have gone to college, gotten a career…”
    “There’s still time for that.”
    My hands drop to my lap. This isn’t about time; it’s about what’s coming. I know I’ll never have the chance to settle down, to make a life for myself, not as long as Mark is looking over my shoulder. I left him, but there’s no doubt in my mind he’s still back there. Waiting. Lurking. He’s coming after me, and he likes that I don’t know when. I know him. My fear is what he lives for.
     

Chapter Six
     
     
    Three hours later, we