How to Save a Life Read Online Free Page A

her as if she knew what exactly I was saying.
    Sheridan held her hands up in surrender, looking a bit lost, “Um…ok. Let me rephrase that, how am I supposed to get up in this big ass, black truck?" She then raised her eyebrows as if daring me to give a rebuttal.
    I let out an exasperated sigh. It wouldn’t do me a damn bit of good to get frustrated. Taking off my baseball cap and running my fingers through my short cropped hair, I further thought about how this wasn’t the best idea. Replacing my hat, I went up behind Sheridan and grasped her around her waist. Hearing her sharp intake of breath, I wanted nothing more than to continue to hold her in my embrace.
    Alas, I thought better of it and hoisted her up into my truck, being cautious of her foot.
    Rounding the back of my truck, I had to stop at the tailgate to take a deep, cleansing breath. It would be my last one for a while since her scent would be filling my truck and house.
    How would I be able to resist her while she was in my personal space?
    Not wanting to be gone too long for her to get suspicious, I easily lifted myself into the driver’s side seat and fired up The Beast.
    I spent all of my extra time now working on my truck, which between becoming a paramedic, working at Ray’s Garage on the side, and being drummer for The Nation’s Capital, it didn’t end up being much. But it beat sitting in an empty house, well empty except for Sadie. I found that if I sat for too long my mind would wander to things that I had no control over. So, I made sure to keep busy.
    When I moved to Brown County three and a half years ago, the first thing I did was buy a house and worked round the clock fixing it to my liking. Living in a house that I remodeled with my own two hands gave me a sense of satisfaction, knowing that I did it without having any input from a woman was refreshing.
    Glancing out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sheridan slumped in her seat with her elbow perched on the door frame, looking out the window.
    It bothered me that I actually wanted to know what she was thinking about. What was going on in her head at this exact moment? Was she thinking about me? What was she running away from? She couldn’t fool me, I knew she was running from something or someone.
    Giving my undivided attention back to the road, I had to uncurl my hands from the death grip they had on my steering wheel. I was anxious and nervous, and those weren’t two emotions I liked feeling. Pissed, complacent, moody, those were feelings I could handle, all the others that actually made you feel were unchartered territory for me now.
    I decided that I shouldn’t be an asshole and at least try to engage in some kind of conversation. There was one thing that occurred earlier that had been constantly on my mind.
    “Who or what is Pate?"
    Sheridan whipped her head around so fast she could’ve actually gotten whiplash from the sheer force of her movement. I chanced a glance in her direction to see the horrified expression on her face. “Why did you ask that?" There was even a tremor in her voice.
    “You were whimpering in your sleep saying ‘No, Pate,’ so I was just wondering who or what Pate was." I answered while shrugging one of my shoulders.
    “Oh… Nothing, it’s nothing. Don’t worry about it." She turned back to where she was looking out the window, but this time she was chewing on a fingernail.
    Alright then, I guess simple conversation was off of the table. Just as well though, I might end up saying something I’d regret.
    An overwhelming vanilla aroma assaulted me. Her scent had already seeped into the cab of my truck, home could not come any faster.
    Taking a liberal whiff, I wanted to commit her fragrance to memory, I wanted more.
    Shaking my head, trying to get rid of the nonsense that kept popping up in my thoughts. It’s because you are so close to her, just keep your distance but not enough to be considered inhospitable and things should be alright.
    I had to get