“Wait for backup,” she added in a useless whisper.
He dove into the icy water, and the harsh splat his body made hitting the surface drove a physical pain into the dead center of her gut. She heard him grunt out loud.
The white sedan pitched again, dumping Jana into the water as she let out an abbreviated scream. Josh battled the current, struggling to reach her.
Sesty hopped up and down. The current was too swift! They were both going to drown right before her eyes. No, no, please God, please God, no!
A wail of sirens cut the air.
Help was on the way.
But too late?
Jana had disappeared from view. And Josh? He plunged beneath the surface where Sesty had last seen her assistant.
She chewed her fingernails, searching the black water for any sign of them in the headlight beams, and counted off the seconds—one, one thousand, two, one thousand. It felt like a year.
In a stream of strobe lights, fire trucks and ambulances blasted to a halt behind the Camaro. Instantly, firemen flowed around her, just as Josh broke the surface of the water, Jana clutched in his arms.
O NCE HIS FEET touched the ground, Josh’s throbbing knee would not support him. He stumbled with Jana in his arms, pitched forward. A fireman took the terrified girl from him and Josh slumped sideways in the water, the wrenching pain in his knee setting his nerve endings on fire.
He’d known the second he hit the water that the impact reinjured his healing knee, but the adrenaline pumping through his body prevented him from thinking about it.
Until now.
Two firemen had hold of him and were dragging him to an awaiting ambulance. Sesty hovered behind them, her face sickly pale.
“How’s Jana?” he croaked.
“Looks like she has hypothermia,” said one of the firemen. “She was on top of the car for over an hour in freezing weather and then in the water. It was damn foolish, jumping into a raging current like that, but if you hadn’t . . .” He shook his head.
Josh winced when the firemen boosted him into the ambulance. Winced again when the awaiting paramedic guided him to lie down on the stretcher.
“You’re hurt!” Sesty exclaimed climbing up beside.
“Ma’am, please get down,” the paramedic said gruffly.
“It’s okay,” Josh said. “She’s with me.”
“Don’t get in the way,” the paramedic cautioned her, and reached for a blood pressure cuff.
It was only then that Josh realized his body was shaking so hard the paramedic could hardly get the cuff wrapped around his arm.
“What’s wrong with him?” Sesty asked the medic, anxiety twisting her pretty face into a mask of worry.
“Hypothermia is a concern. We’ll know more when we get him to the hospital.”
He must have dozed off, Josh realized, because the next thing he knew he was in the emergency room. His soaking wet clothes had been stripped off of him and a pile of heated blankets stacked atop him. Sesty stood at his side, holding his hand.
“What happened?” he asked.
“You blacked out there for a while. They said it’s not uncommon in cases of hypothermia.”
“Jana?”
“She’s going to be okay. You saved her life, Josh. I never thought I’d say this, but I’m so glad you’re a daredevil. Given the circumstances, most people would not have jumped into that water to save her.”
“I just acted on instinct. Didn’t give it a thought.”
Sesty squeezed his hand. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Hey, hey, don’t cry.” He reached over to wipe a tear from her eye, and his knee kicked up a protest. He fell back against the pillow. Dammit.
“I’m just relieved you’re okay.”
“Did you hear anything about the tornado?” he asked, changing the subject, unable to look at her misty eyes or, hell, he might get choked up himself. “How much damage was done?”
“We were lucky,” she said. “A weak tornado touched down on ranchland north of town. Twilight had some trees knocked down from high winds and the flash flooding, but
He dove into the icy water, and the harsh splat his body made hitting the surface drove a physical pain into the dead center of her gut. She heard him grunt out loud.
The white sedan pitched again, dumping Jana into the water as she let out an abbreviated scream. Josh battled the current, struggling to reach her.
Sesty hopped up and down. The current was too swift! They were both going to drown right before her eyes. No, no, please God, please God, no!
A wail of sirens cut the air.
Help was on the way.
But too late?
Jana had disappeared from view. And Josh? He plunged beneath the surface where Sesty had last seen her assistant.
She chewed her fingernails, searching the black water for any sign of them in the headlight beams, and counted off the seconds—one, one thousand, two, one thousand. It felt like a year.
In a stream of strobe lights, fire trucks and ambulances blasted to a halt behind the Camaro. Instantly, firemen flowed around her, just as Josh broke the surface of the water, Jana clutched in his arms.
O NCE HIS FEET touched the ground, Josh’s throbbing knee would not support him. He stumbled with Jana in his arms, pitched forward. A fireman took the terrified girl from him and Josh slumped sideways in the water, the wrenching pain in his knee setting his nerve endings on fire.
He’d known the second he hit the water that the impact reinjured his healing knee, but the adrenaline pumping through his body prevented him from thinking about it.
Until now.
Two firemen had hold of him and were dragging him to an awaiting ambulance. Sesty hovered behind them, her face sickly pale.
“How’s Jana?” he croaked.
“Looks like she has hypothermia,” said one of the firemen. “She was on top of the car for over an hour in freezing weather and then in the water. It was damn foolish, jumping into a raging current like that, but if you hadn’t . . .” He shook his head.
Josh winced when the firemen boosted him into the ambulance. Winced again when the awaiting paramedic guided him to lie down on the stretcher.
“You’re hurt!” Sesty exclaimed climbing up beside.
“Ma’am, please get down,” the paramedic said gruffly.
“It’s okay,” Josh said. “She’s with me.”
“Don’t get in the way,” the paramedic cautioned her, and reached for a blood pressure cuff.
It was only then that Josh realized his body was shaking so hard the paramedic could hardly get the cuff wrapped around his arm.
“What’s wrong with him?” Sesty asked the medic, anxiety twisting her pretty face into a mask of worry.
“Hypothermia is a concern. We’ll know more when we get him to the hospital.”
He must have dozed off, Josh realized, because the next thing he knew he was in the emergency room. His soaking wet clothes had been stripped off of him and a pile of heated blankets stacked atop him. Sesty stood at his side, holding his hand.
“What happened?” he asked.
“You blacked out there for a while. They said it’s not uncommon in cases of hypothermia.”
“Jana?”
“She’s going to be okay. You saved her life, Josh. I never thought I’d say this, but I’m so glad you’re a daredevil. Given the circumstances, most people would not have jumped into that water to save her.”
“I just acted on instinct. Didn’t give it a thought.”
Sesty squeezed his hand. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Hey, hey, don’t cry.” He reached over to wipe a tear from her eye, and his knee kicked up a protest. He fell back against the pillow. Dammit.
“I’m just relieved you’re okay.”
“Did you hear anything about the tornado?” he asked, changing the subject, unable to look at her misty eyes or, hell, he might get choked up himself. “How much damage was done?”
“We were lucky,” she said. “A weak tornado touched down on ranchland north of town. Twilight had some trees knocked down from high winds and the flash flooding, but
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