“Yes and no.” The conversation she’d had with her parents had been short and brief. She’d assured them that she was fine, and she really was. Her plan was to go back tomorrow afternoon for her scheduled shift. She’d visit Cerise in the morning but she didn’t need any time off.
“Did you want them to visit?” he asked and she examined the question closely. Had she wanted her parents to come out?
Yes. Yes she would have.
Nadia wanted to show them around the cute house she shared with Cerise. Show her parents the state of the art facility she worked in. Prove to them that it wasn’t a hick town. That it wasn’t a one building hospital and she hadn’t made the biggest mistake of her career. Oh, they hadn’t come out and said it to her face, but she knew they thought it.
One of the reasons she’d taken the job was because of the opportunity to work with more serious cases than the vomiting adults and children she would’ve likely dealt with in Boston. Her diagnostic skills had improved in the six months she’d been in Kerrville and she could admit to herself that she really liked living in a small town. Kerrville had everything she needed and if she wanted to go to a bigger city San Antonio and Austin were just over an hour away. She loved Boston, but the traffic and cost of living was getting so out of hand. If she hadn’t been living at home, she’d be living in a small one bedroom apartment, probably not in a good part of town.
“I take it from your silence that you don’t have a great relationship with your family?” Buff asked when the silence dragged on between them.
“It’s not that, it’s just, I’m enjoying finding myself out of the shadows of my brothers and sister.”
“Sounds like there’s a story there.”
Nadia laughed softly. “Isn’t there with every family?”
“Yeah, I suppose so.” Buff glanced at his watch and Nadia didn’t want him to go. She wanted him to stay a little longer.
“Can I get you another drink?” she asked in the hopes he’d say yes.
Her heart dropped when he shook his head. “I’d like to but I can’t. I need to get back to the ranch. Dawn comes early and I need to catch up on what I didn’t do today.”
Guilt hit her, the reason he hadn’t been able to work today was because of her. She walked over to him, went up on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. “Thank you for giving up your day today and looking after me. You didn’t have to.”
Buff slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her close to him, she relished the way he held her. “It wasn’t a hardship.” He leaned down and captured her lips for a sweet kiss. His mouth moved gently over hers. Not demanding her to deepen the kiss, but letting her know he cared, even if it was only a little bit.
He pulled away before she was ready for the kiss to end. “Have dinner with me tomorrow night.”
“Yes.” Her response was immediate, but then her brain caught up with her impulse. “Wait, I can’t. I have to work the afternoon shift.” Disappointed replaced her joy at Buff wanting to see her again.
“You have a dinner break, right?”
Nadia laughed. “Theoretically, but it’s the ER, it doesn’t necessarily work to a schedule.”
“I suppose. How about lunch then? Before you go on shift.”
The fact he wasn’t giving up had to mean something, didn’t it? A guy who wasn’t interested would’ve just given-up and decided it was too hard to organize something with her erratic schedule.
“That would be great, I don’t have to be on shift until two, so lunch will work. But how about your schedule. Can you do it?”
Buff reached out and brushed his fingers down her cheek again. God, she was really coming to love that gesture from him. “For you I can.”
Her heart did a little giddy jump and her inner girl was clapping her hands in delight. “Where shall we meet? It will be easier if we arrive separately so that I can then go to the hospital and you can get back to work.”
“Okay, I’ll text you where we’ll meet.” He suggested and pulled out his phone, fiddled with it and then held it out toward her. “Why don’t you put your number in and then I’ll text you and you’ll have mine.”
She reached out and took his phone, their fingers brushed and he kept hold of the device for a heartbeat longer before releasing it for her. Nadia looked down and saw that he had his contacts app opened. Quickly she added her name and number. The temptation to put a heart emoji after her name was high but she controlled it. Maybe she’d put a heart emoji after his name in her contacts.
The next day, Buff sat in the passenger seat of the fire truck as they hurtled down the highway to deal with a fire. The bad weather from the previous couple of days had cleared and the hot weather had returned with a vengeance.
The fire they were being called to was in a different part of the national reserve where the large fire they’d worked on in March occurred. This time he didn’t think they were going to be rescuing a woman who’d been kidnapped by a serial killer/hunter.
When he was called on jobs adrenaline jolted through him. With fires, he didn’t have to worry about slipping into a PTSD attack, he’d never had one before and he hoped he wouldn’t now or in the future. Medical situations, like after the tornado, had the ability to trigger him, but Pops always kept him close. But Pops was out looking for Elena who’d gone missing the night of the tornado and Justice McAlester was taking his place. Justice was ex-military like him, and she’d been a firefighter in the Army. He always enjoyed working with her.
Perhaps Nadia was right, he should go speak to someone about them, again. The Army had given him a card of a specialist after he was discharged. He’d gone a couple of times, but, he could admit to himself, he’d been stubborn and hadn’t been open to help. Now, though, he felt differently about it and was ready to talk through his issues.
“You okay, Buff?” Tank looked over at him from where he sat in the driver’s seat.
“Yeah, fine. Just thinking.”
“Thinking about anyone in particular? Maybe a certain ER doctor from Kerrville?” This came from Dirty-D who was behind him.
Buff flipped him off. “No. Just cause all of you guys are blissfully happy, doesn’t mean I’m heading down that road.” Although that wasn’t entirely true. After his military discharge, he figured he’d be better off alone. But if he could imagine spending a future with someone it would be Nadia. After all, she was the reason he’d been thinking about going to get some help. But wasn’t he getting ahead of himself though? Being called out on the job had meant he had to cancel their lunch date. She hadn’t responded to his text so he had no idea if she’d seen it already or was mad at him for cancelling and refused to respond.
While he didn’t know Nadia well he didn’t think she would be that petty, she was a doctor, she knew how unexpected emergencies could come up and derail plans.
“You could do worse than her,” Short Shit commented. “You deserve happiness just like everyone else. You may not think so, but you probably more so than others. You’re not meant to be alone, Buff.”
Buff didn’t know what to say. Was Short Shit right and he deserved happiness too? And what did his team mate mean by saying he wasn’t meant to be alone? That truly made no sense to him, but he couldn’t think about it now, they’d arrived at the fire and he needed his focus on that.
“Shit, this looks almost as bad as the one in March,” commented Tank.
There were a few other fire trucks scattered around the parking lot. At least there weren’t any police cruisers or FBI trucks like there had been in March. This was a straightforward fire and he could cope with that.
They all hopped out of the truck, donning hats and jackets. On a hot Texas summer day, like today, the gear they had to wear was stifling, but Buff knew that not wearing it wasn’t an option.
While they collected their equipment Justice strode over to the command leader to find out where they would want the team.
Buff checked his gear and looked up to find Dirty-D watching him. “
What?” he asked.
“Nadia.”
Buff controlled the urge to roll his eyes. “What about her?”
“She’s a nice girl, I don’t want to see her hurt.” Dirty-D wasn’t being anything but protective of his friend and work colleague. Buff could respect that, but he wasn’t a teenage kid whose hormones were raging out of control.
“Neither do I, so you don’t have to worry. Okay.” He stared down his teammate. Dirty-D didn’t back down and they probably would’ve still been at it if Justice hadn’t chosen that moment to walk up to them.
“I don’t know what the fuck is going on between the two of you, but quit it. We’ve got a job to do.” Justice growled.
Buff kept his gaze on Dirty-D. “We’re fine, Justice. Dirty-D was just looking out for a friend and while I appreciate the concern, he doesn’t have to worry.” He reiterated what he’d said to the man a few moments ago.
Dirty-D nodded as if he finally believed what Buff was silently saying to him. He turned to Pops. “Yeah, we’re fine.”
Blowing out a breath, Buff straightened his jacket and checked the strap on his hat was secure. “Where do they want us?” he asked her.
“Right, gather round men.” Justice commanded and once the whole team where standing together. She spoke. “The fire is sixty percent contained, so that’s a good thing. They want half of us to take the southeast perimeter to work on maintaining the firebreak. The other half will provide back up to one of the other units. There will be a changeover in about thirty minutes.”
All the men nodded and Buff was eager to get to work. He may not be able to operate on anyone at the moment, but he could still keep them safe while doing what he could with the Tarpley Volunteer Fire Department.
Four hours later, covered in dirt and soot with his feet and arms aching, Buff and the rest of the team climbed out of the truck at the station in Tarpley. It still amazing Buff that the building was still standing when around them buildings had been shredded by the tornado.
Driving back into town had been hard. The harsh reality of Mother Nature’s fury yesterday was evident in the destruction around them. The town of Tarpley was resilient and together the community would rebuild. As they’d driven down the main street, he could see groups of people still clearing remnants of house and businesses.
Right then he made a decision. “Hey anyone want to come with me to Randy’s Hellhole, see if we can help with clean up while he’s still laid up in hospital?”
Sure, his body was screaming at him that it was a completely bad idea, but his heart was telling him it was a good one.
One by one the guys confirmed they’d be able to help. Buff knew he could count on his team. They had his back when on a job, just like he had theirs. He’d even call down to the ranch and see if some of the guests wanted to help out. Given all they’d done on the night of the tornado, he didn’t think too many would say no to helping out again. It may not be a true dude ranch experience, but it was an experience of citizens helping citizens. Something everyone needed to be reminded of every now and then.
First things first though, a shower and a change of clothes. Sure he’d get dirty again, but at least he could dilute the smell of smoke lingering on his skin.
As he removed his jacket the pocket vibrated and he reached in and grabbed his phone, smiling when he saw Nadia’s name flashing up. When he’d gotten into the truck to head back to town he’d checked his phone but saw she still hadn’t responded to his message. Although the flashing three dots suggested she was responding, but after a while they disappeared. He tried not to think that that was a bad thing. “Hey Nadia, how are you?”
“Buff, I’m so sorry. I started to respond to your message, but got called away so I didn’t send it.”
Ahh that explained the lack of response. “No problems. I’m sorry I had to cancel on you.”
“Oh you don’t have to apologize at all. If anyone can understand dropping everything for an emergency, it’s me. Is everyone okay?”
Buff dropped to the bench seat and rested his head against his locker, closing his eyes, relishing the sound of Nadia’s voice in his ear. Over the phone her voice took on a sultry quality that had him wishing that he was with her right this second instead of over forty minutes away. “Yeah, everyone’s fine. I’m fine.” He answered, knowing the underlying question she didn’t ask. Following on from the thought he’d had in the truck, he needed to dig up that card and give the doctor a call. His team had compensated for his shortcomings and that wasn’t fair to them. He needed to step up and to do that, he needed to get help.
Silence stretched between them, Buff wanted to ask her out again, but he wasn’t sure if she’d say yes. Regardless of her saying she understood the reason he cancelled, it wasn’t a given that she’d give him another shot.
“Are you free to do lunch tomorrow?” Nadia asked. “I’ve got afternoons for the next week.”
Relief pounded through Buff. “Lunch tomorrow sounds good.”
“Great, so the same as what we were going to do today, you’ll text me with the details?”
“Yep.” Buff had the perfect idea for their lunch, and he hoped that Nadia would enjoy what he had planned.
Chapter 10
Nadia looked at herself in the mirror and wished Cerise was there to give her fashion advice. She had no idea where Buff was taking her to lunch. All his message said was that he’d be by at eleven and to dress casually. Casual she could do, but she’d still would’ve liked a little guidance as to whether they were headed to a restaurant or bar. With her having to work, she assumed he’d be taking her to one of the places in Kerrville. Going to Tarpley would take too long and there weren’t a lot of food places that hadn’t been affected by the tornado.
The doorbell rang, and she gave herself one last look. Jeans, shirt and her cowboy boots would have to do. No doubt Cerise would’ve tried to get her to put on something sparkly or glittery. When Cerise got out of hospital, Nadia made a promise to herself that she’d let her friend glitterize her for one occasion.
Smiling she strode down the hall and pulled open the door, her breath catching at the sight of Buff. Heat swarmed through her and desire punched her low in the stomach. He was the quintessential Texan cowboy. Faded blue jeans that hugged his ass and strong legs, the tips of his black cowboy boots peeped out from beneath his jeans. He was wearing a red button down shirt, with the sleeves rolled up, enhancing his strong forearms. On top of his head was a black cowboy hat.
When she met his gaze, his eyes crinkled in the corner and his lips spread into a lazy grin, as if he enjoyed her appraisal.
Hey, if guys could check out women, she could totally check out Buff. “Looking good there, cowboy,” she said cheekily, licking her lips wanting nothing more than to kiss him.
Buff tipped his hat his eyes tracking the movement of her tongue. “Why thank you ma’am.” He exaggerated his Texan accent and she giggled.
A second later she was swept up in his arms and crushed against his chest. She definitely wasn’t going to complain about being held by Buff. It was what her body wanted the second she’d opened the door. His lips crashed down on hers and she wound her arms around his neck, moaning as his tongued dueled with hers.
Nadia had no idea what had come over Buff, he seemed to be different, but still the same. Which made no sense. But there seemed to be happiness in him that she hadn’t seen before. She hoped it was because of her.
Buff’s hands roamed down her back, cupping her ass, forcing all thoughts out of her mind, leaving behind awareness, attraction and desire. All things she wanted to act on. She pressed herself closer, as if she wanted to get inside of him. She jolted at the brush of his fingers across the bare skin of her back, unaware that he’d pulled her shirt from her jeans.
God, how she wanted to drag Buff down to the bedroom, rip his clothes off and have him sink into her ready and willing body. Never before had she had this intense attraction to a man. Sure, she’d experienced lust
and a desire to have sex with guys, but there was something different about what she was feeling with Buff. A deeper connection. A truer connection, perhaps. A connection that had been decided by the fates long before they’d met.
Now she really was getting fanciful. Maybe the lack of oxygen to her brain was affecting her thought processes. Still she liked to think that they were pre-destined to be together.
Buff trailed his lips from mouth, down her jawline, nibbling at the sensitive flesh between her neck and shoulder. She shuddered and bit her lip to stop the groan of pleasure from escaping.
Nadia closed her eyes and gave herself over to being held in Buff’s arms. She would happily skip lunch and feast on him instead.
“I want you, Buff.” She voiced her inner thoughts.
Buff stiffened in her hold and she mentally cursed herself for breaking the spell. A second later he relaxed and dropped his forehead to hers. “I want you too, Nadia, so much. This wasn’t what I had planned when I came to pick you up. But you look so beautiful I couldn’t resist.”
Nadia knew exactly what Buff was talking about. She’d been smitten by him the second she’d opened the door. “Well, if we’re both in agreement that this is what we want, why don’t we take this to my bedroom.” Her forwardness should’ve shocked her, she’d never blatantly come out and told a man what she wanted when it came to sex. With her past sexual encounters they’d progressed from kisses, to caresses to the bedroom. She’d always gone with the flow. Oh she’d wanted to sleep with her previous partners, but not with the strength that she wanted to sleep with Buff. Everything in her clamored to get naked with him. To trace every line of his body. Find the places that made him moan. Find out if he was ticklish around his ribs.
Most of all she wanted to connect with him in the most basic of ways, so that he wouldn’t be able to remember his life before they’d slept together.
Whoa, slow your roll, girl. We’re good, but not that good.
Fighting For Nadia (Police and Fire: Operation Alpha) (Tarpley VFD Book 6) Page 9