Dare She Date Again?. Amy Ruttan

TWELVE

       CHAPTER THIRTEEN

       CHAPTER FOURTEEN

       CHAPTER FIFTEEN

       EPILOGUE

       Copyright

CHAPTER ONE

       JUST ONE MORE training session.

      Another two months. That was it.

      Samantha Doxtator took a deep breath and looked at the roster. She only had to mentor one more paramedic in training and she could leave her Health Air training job behind and move on to their air program in Thunder Bay.

      Thunder Bay was her dream. She’d bought a house there. She’d finally give her son the life he deserved and best of all she’d be in the air, saving lives.

      She walked over to where the dispatcher, Lizzie Bathurst, was handing out the prospective paramedics’ files to their mentors.

      “Morning, Lizzie.”

      Lizzie didn’t say anything, but that wasn’t unusual for her.

      “So who am I mentoring for this last session?” Samantha asked eagerly, putting the emphasis on the word “last” as she clapped her hands and rubbed them together.

      She was so ready to move up to Thunder Bay now. Most of her family had relocated up there when her father had died. In the north, her son Adam could grow up with cousins. He’d have a yard to play in instead of a patio off a ground-floor apartment.

      Adam would be able to run and play outside, like she had been able to do when she’d been a kid growing up out in the country.

      Adam may not have his dad any more, but he’d have a great, love-filled childhood. Thunder Bay had been her and her late husband’s dream since they’d started training to become paramedics fourteen years ago.

      It had just taken her a lot longer as her training had been sidetracked when Adam had been born and then Cameron had died.

       Don’t think about that.

      Though she missed Cameron, he’d been gone for some time. She usually welcomed him into her thoughts, but not today.

      Today she had a job to do and she was going to complete it perfectly, so that her credentials would shine.

      Work and giving it her all was how she’d managed to get through the years since Cameron had died. She didn’t know any other way, or at least couldn’t remember.

      Samantha forced a smile again, trying to think about the positive. In a couple of months she’d be piloting a plane.

      “Who will be my last, glorious graduate?” she asked.

      Lizzie looked down her nose through her half-moon glasses. “‘Glorious graduate’?”

      Samantha frowned. “You’re giving me a tough one, aren’t you?”

      Lizzie grinned. “You’re the best. You can crack the hard nuts.” She handed Samantha the file, which Samantha took with trepidation. She flipped it open to read the information.

      “George Atavik. Wow, he’s a long way from home.” Samantha was impressed. They hadn’t had anyone from so far north come down this far south to take this program. “Wait, this says he’s a pilot, with a heck of a lot of air time, but he wants to work in an ambulance?”

      “I told you. A hard nut. He’s got an impressive résumé and I want him in the air. You need to convince him to take Health Land and Air’s training to become a pilot with them. I hate seeing talent go to waste.”

      Samantha worried her bottom lip. Drat. Why couldn’t her last student be an easy one? Then again, she’d never been given the “easy” ones and she couldn’t help but wonder if there was some kind of conspiracy against her.

      “Hey, you’re not sticking him with me because of our shared heritage, are you?” Samantha teased.

      Lizzie’s gaze narrowed. “Don’t play that with me. You just want someone else.”

      Samantha chuckled. “Okay, you got me.”

      “You’re the best, Samantha. You have the most experience working in ambulances.”

      “You’re just buttering me up now. You’re never this nice.”

      Lizzie grinned, one of those evil grins, and then it disappeared. “I don’t know why he won’t fly.”

      Samantha glanced at his file. “Maybe he wants to diversify. There aren’t many ambulances up in Nunavut.”

      “Health Land and Air would like him to pilot, but if you can’t convince him, we’ll take him any way we can get him. Thunder Bay is short on ambulance operators so when he gets there at the end of the course he’ll be snapped right up. By the way, you’re working solo on this too.”

      “Solo?” Samantha asked. Now she really was shocked. “Usually we work in threes.”

      “Usually, but George Atavik has experience and he doesn’t need the extra attention. Besides, as I said, you’re the best.”

      Samantha nodded. “All right. I’ll try.”

      “Don’t try. Do. Now, go out there and meet him. The new recruits are meeting their mentors now.”

      Samantha tucked the file under her arm and headed into the other room, where about ten new recruits for the advance care program were arriving and their mentors were meeting them.

      She spotted him from across the room. Well, the back of him as he was the only recruit standing by himself. The only one who looked completely at ease and didn’t seem to be giving off a nervous energy.

      “Atavik, George,” she called out.

      He turned around and she had to take a step back to catch her breath. His copper skin was flawless. He stood there dumbstruck at first as they surveyed each other, but then he smiled, and two deep dimples appeared, accentuating his brilliant white teeth.

      His dark eyes twinkled like he held a mischievous secret, one that would take some coaxing to pry from him. His short black hair was tousled up in a faux hawk. He was tall, muscular but not bulky, lean. He was in good shape and the white crisp shirt and navy blue pants of a paramedic suited him well. Samantha hoped she wasn’t staring at him with a gaping mouth.

      It’d been some time since she’d appreciated a good-looking man. A really long time. Being a single mother didn’t leave much opportunity to date.

      He walked over to her, since she hadn’t uttered a word since she’d called his name, and stuck out his hand. “I’m George Atavik.”

      Samantha licked her lips and stuck the file under her arm again to take his hand. Clumsily. “I’m Doxtator … Samantha. I’m Samantha Doxtator.”

      “Nice to meet you.” He was polite and reserved.

      Good. Maybe he wouldn’t be as difficult as she’d originally thought.

       Say something. You’re just staring at him.

      “Are we going to get started?” he asked, looking at her like she’d lost her mind.

      Samantha cleared her throat. “Sorry, it’s been a crazy day.”

      George