true story

The light turned red. Kate wasn't paying attention and slammed on her breaks just in time, avoiding a collision with the back of the fire truck in front of her by just a few feet. Embarrassed by the near miss, she glanced up to see who had witnessed her almost-accident. To her chagrin, the back door of the fire truck was open, and a tall, handsome man was peering down through the windshield of her small blue station wagon. Kate felt color creep up her neck and spread across her face, turning her alabaster skin a deep, rosy pink. The fire man was dressed in soot covered overalls, and his face was smeared in ash, but his dark blue eyes flashed above his sensitive lips and strong, chiseled jaw line. His eyes locked on Kate's and she felt herself melt as he drew her deeper into his gaze. For once in her life, she hoped that the red light would last forever, that time would stop at the intersection of 14th and Columbia Road. He took a step closer and his lips parted into a shy smile that spoke more than any words ever could. As suddenly as it turned red, though, the light changed to green, and the old fire truck roared ahead. The handsome man's blue eyes filled with panic as he lost his balance and pitched toward the open door of the truck. He grabbed for anything he could find to steady himself, but his hands found nothing and Kate watched as his muscular frame flew closer and closer, almost as though he was moving in slow motion, flying toward the hood of her still stationary car...

Kate lives in reality, though, so it was no surprise that the handsome man's buddy grabbed the back of his coveralls at the last possible second, pulled him into truck, and slammed the door shut. For a moment, Kate glanced at the hood of her car, where her true love had almost lain. She could almost feel the warmth of his skin under her hand, which she would've run along his face to immobilize his c-spine and check for pulses. She thought of how his strong chest would've given beneath her palms as she initiated chest compressions, how his flashing blue eyes would've found her face first as he climbed his way back to consciousness. The car behind honked, waking Kate from her reverie. She shifted into drive and turned toward home, where she sat down and immediately began work on her next romance novel Love's Blazing Fire.