by Freya Barker
“I’ll take a beer,” Pen answers.
“I’ll get some water in a bit.”
Evan doesn’t seem pleased with my answer and gets to his feet. “Take a load off, Tahlula. I’m getting drinks. Moose? Another one?”
Pen grins at me from Moose’s lap where she ended up, when Evan disappears inside. “Let me guess, he’s become even more protective now that you’re pregnant, right? I’ve seen it with friends of mine who are expecting.”
I guess it makes sense they would think that, but it might get uncomfortable if I don’t set her straight right away. “Actually, Evan and I haven’t known each other that long.”
“Gotcha.”
I’m grateful for the easy way she seems to skip over what that implies, without giving me the third degree.
Evan returns with drinks and I note he put ice and a slice of lemon in my glass of water. Thoughtful.
“What time are you guys supposed to report tomorrow?” he asks the couple.
“Seven thirty at Fire Station Fourteen. We’re supposed to tag on with one of their crews,” Moose responds.
“It’ll take you about twenty minutes from here.”
“Shit!” I jump up, spilling water all over myself. “What time is it?” I ask, brushing at my T-shirt, which is now plastered to my front.
“Going on seven,” Evan is the first to answer. “Are you okay?”
“I’m supposed to be dropping in at a book club meeting. I forgot all about it.”
“Tahlula’s an author,” Evan clarifies to the others, adding with some pride that hits me like a warm balm, “She’s a New York Times best seller.”
“No shit? That’s amazing. I love reading, do you think they’d mind if I tag along?” Pen asks, taking me by surprise. I take too long to answer and she draws the wrong conclusion. “I’m sorry, I realize I’m putting you on the spot. Forget I—”
“No, not at all. Please, I’d actually love for you to come. I was a little nervous about meeting a bunch of strangers.” I’m not lying. Before Detective Blackfoot showed up this afternoon, I’d been agonizing over what to wear. Well, I clearly can’t wear a wet shirt. “I just need to throw something dry on.”
I dart inside, straight to my bedroom, to grab a clean top from the closet, changing quickly. My boyfriend jeans and the bohemian top hide most of my belly. I do a quick check of my hair in the mirror and slip into the hallway, where I bump right into Evan.
“You startled me.” I barely get the words out when I’m in his arms, his mouth taking mine in a kiss that has me panting for air in seconds. “What was that for?”
“Been waiting to do that since I left here on Sunday.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, and when I was imagining my lips on you, we didn’t stop there.”
“Evan…”
His arms squeeze tighter around me, and I feel the evidence of his arousal press against my stomach. “It sucks I have the kind of job where lack of sleep can get me, or worse, other people, hurt, because otherwise I’d be waiting up for you to come home. Fair warning though, the first chance I get…” He drags a finger down my collarbone and chest, tracing the swell of my breasts until goosebumps pebble on my skin. “…I’ll want to taste every inch of your beautiful body.”
My skin is still buzzing from his touch, and the promise of his words, when Pen and I drive off five minutes later. It’s a miracle I remembered the small box of signed books I had ready to bring.
-
“You made it!”
The moment we walk in, Marya jumps up.
In addition to her and Kerry I count four more women. The cozy seating arrangement has been expanded with a few camping chairs to facilitate everyone.
“I hope you don’t mind I brought a friend. This is Penelope.”
“Not at all,” Kerry says, smiling as she joins us. “The more the merrier. I’m Kerry, it’s nice to meet you,” she adds for Pen.
“Likewise.”
“Come in, let me introduce everyone.”
“Penelope Turner?” A woman with fiery red hair and funky red glasses pushes out of a camping chair when we approach the group. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Before Penelope has a chance to answer the other woman is hugging her.
“Sophie told me you’d settled in here, but I never expected to run into you. We’re actually here volunteering to help with the wildfires for the summer. Moose is here too.”
The other woman throws her head back and laughs heartily. “You and Moose?”
“Yeah, I’m Jacobs now.”
“Well, alleluia. Took you two long enough.”
I’m trying to keep everyone straight as Kerry makes introductions. Bella is Kerry’s sister-in-law and a paramedic, Jen and Sandy are nurses at the hospital, and Autumn—the redhead—works in research and is married to none other than Detective Keith Blackfoot. She also apparently knows Penelope and Moose.
“I was supposed to call you,” she says apologetically, “but my little one’s been under the weather and I’ve had my hands full.”
“That’s okay. Hope he feels better.”
“He’s fine now. We’ll need to set something up for later this week. Keith tells me you’re six months along? So unfair; I was already blimp-sized and you’re barely showing.”
“You’re pregnant?” Kerry’s sister-in-law, Bella, pipes up. Apparently she has a little one as well.
For the next twenty minutes the conversation turns to babies, until Kerry calls the group to order and the discussion focuses on In Flagrante Delicto. I’m secretly thrilled everyone seems to have enjoyed the story, and they voice their appreciation when I produce the signed books.
Two hours later—when some of the women start heading home—it feels like I’ve made myself some new friends. Kerry invites me back for their next meeting in a month, pushing a copy of the book they’ll be discussing then into my hand.
“This was fun,” I admit to her.
“You sound surprised.”
“I’m not usually that good socially.”
“Then you hide it well,” she says with a grin. “You were a hit.”
I hug her and Marya, thanking them for the invite, before Pen and I head out.
“So you with Evan,” Autumn, who walks with us to the parking lot, probes. I’d almost forgotten Evan mentioned having more than a passing interest in her when she first came to Durango. “Keith says he’s smitten.”
I can’t help the nervous chuckle that escapes me. “I don’t know about that.”
“The man is nuts for you,” Pen contributes before turning to Autumn. “You should see the way his eyes devour her. He can barely take them off her.”
“I recall you and Moose looking at each other like that when you thought no one would notice,” Autumn points out.
Pen waves her off. “Ancient news.”
“I’m glad for him,” Autumn directs my way. “Evan deserves to be happy. Glad for you too, because he’s one of the few good ones.”
“It’s all still new,” I remind them. I’m not even sure what it is between us yet.
“Judging from the way his eyes followed you when we left,” Pen shares. “It won’t be new for very long.”
Evan
“I remember that look.”
I turn to Moose, who casually sips his beer.
“Which one is that?”
“The one that shows a battle raging between wanting to chain her to your side but needing to give her space. Been there, my friend, and not that long ago.”
“Penelope is the ‘American Princess,’ isn’t she?”
I thought I’d recognized her name but wasn’t sure until just now. I’m sure every firefighter in this country is familiar with the story of the woman who spent months in the hands of ISIS before she was rescued and returned stateside.
Moose nods to confirm. “Fucking killed to keep my distance while she found her own way. Was worth it in the end, though.”
“Tah
lula carries some baggage, I guess we all do to some extent, but what has me concerned is a series of recent, disturbing events that seem to have her at the center.”
Moose sits forward in his chair, his elbows on his knees. “Like?”
I tell him about the fire and the body found, about her missing agent, and the stalker she came to Durango to escape.
“You think they’re all linked?”
“Hard not to. She’d never admit it, but I’m pretty sure she’s thinking it too. I want nothing more than to throw myself down as her protector, but something tells me she wouldn’t appreciate me barging in and taking over. It’s a precarious line to balance. Having you guys stay with her is peace of mind for me, but also for her, I suspect.”
I end up having one more beer with him, the conversation venturing into shoptalk mostly, before I head out. I’d much rather stay and wait for the women to get home, but I know I wouldn’t be doing much sleeping. As soon as this fire is under control, and I’m back to a more predictable schedule, I plan to spend a lot of my free time with Tahlula.
Most of it in her bed, or mine, if I can help it.
13
Evan
The sound of chainsaws fills the air and for the first time in days I can see a sliver of blue sky. My eyes are burning and my lungs feel raw from almost three consecutive days in the field, but with the latest push we finally have this fire under control.
We’re just checking for hot spots and clearing any remaining vegetation to prevent possible flare-ups when I hear Hog yell behind me.
“Watch it, Cheddar!”
A loud crack sounds and before I get a bead on what to watch for, I’m knocked down.
“Jesus, don’t move.”
I blink a few times to see Blue hovering over me, her hands probing my head. “I’m fine,” I croak, trying to sit up.
“Hate to break it to you, but you’re not,” she says sternly, pressing a hand in the middle of my chest to keep me down. “That tree knocked your helmet right off and you’ve got a good-sized gash on the side of your head.”
I shake the gloves I’m still wearing off, reach up, and encounter blood covering the right side of my face. “Just tape it up.”
“Don’t be an idiot,” Cap barks from behind her. “You were out cold. You know the protocol. Besides, that tree almost took your ear off.”
“What?” My hand immediately reaches up but Blue clamps her hand on my wrist and forces it back down.
“Stay still,” she enforces. “Sumo’s on his way with the backboard. Once we have you stabilized and in the ambulance, we’ll have a look at that cut.”
The next few minutes I see different concerned faces hovering over me, while Blue asks me whether I know what year it is and the name of the president.
Then Sumo is leaning over me, strapping a neck brace on me.
“Have mercy. Didn’t think you could get any uglier, Cheddar.”
“Fuck off,” I fire back, making him grin.
“At least he hasn’t lost his winning personality,” he smirks up at Blue. “Let’s roll him.”
Cap, Hog, Sumo, and a guy from Station Sixteen, who was working nearby, carry me out of what’s left of the forest strapped to a backboard.
“Want me to call your ma?” Cap asks, when I’m shoved inside the waiting ambulance.
“No. I don’t want to freak her out for nothing. I’ll go see her later.”
Thankfully Sumo is driving, which means Blue is in the back with me. I don’t think I’d be up to his brand of humor right now. My head is starting to throb, and I close my eyes against the harsh lights of the ambulance.
“Don’t go to sleep,” Blue mumbles, as she wipes the worst of the blood and grime off my face.
“I’m not. My eyes are burning and the lights are bright.”
“Gotcha. Just keep talking to me then so I know you’re still with me.”
“What happened out there?” I ask.
“Hog miscalculated the smoldering tree he was taking down. The fire weakened the trunk and it toppled before he could finish his notch cut. In the wrong direction.”
Not the first time that’s happened, but I’m sure Hog is feeling like shit right now. “Not his fault.”
“I know, but I’m sure it’ll help if you tell him yourself at some point. He’s beating himself up over it.”
When we pull into the ambulance bay at the hospital, Hog is already waiting, walking beside me as they roll the gurney through the sliding doors.
“Sorry, man,” he says, wincing when he looks at me.
“Knock it off. Shit happens. It’s my responsibility to always be aware of my surroundings, and my head wasn’t in the game. Been a long couple of days, my friend.”
“Still…”
“You should go home. Get some rest,” I suggest, as they start wheeling me into the ER. “But first wash that stink off you, Hog. You reek.”
“No worse than you, asshole,” he fires back, but he does it grinning.
-
“That’s twenty-eight.”
The doctor is putting the final staple in my scalp. Apparently I had a sizable laceration that left a flap of skin covering part of my ear.
“Thanks, Doc. Am I good to go?”
“Eager much?” He gives me an admonishing look. “You first responders are all the same. Fine, you know the drill. Make sure you have someone around for the next twenty-four hours or so and wait a couple of days before you get your head wet. I’ll see you back here in ten days to get those staples out. Give us a minute to get your paperwork ready.”
I’m pretty sure someone is out there who’s able to give me a ride home.
Fifteen minutes later, I walk into the ER waiting room. To my surprise the first person I see is Tahlula, who is sitting next to Hog.
“What are you doing here?”
“Penelope called me.” I shouldn’t be surprised; news like this tends to travel fast. “I’m guessing since you’re walking out of here, you’re gonna live? That’s a relief.”
She’s being flippant but I can see strain in the lines around her mouth. She was worried.
“Looks like it. Nasty cut and at most a mild concussion, but nothing that will keep me down long,” I reassure her.
“Cap may have something to say about that,” Hog butts in. “He’s still up at the site. Says he’ll check in once they finish up there.”
“What did the doctor say?” Tahlula wants to know.
“The standard stuff. Back in ten days to get the staples out.”
“Fine, then let’s get you home.”
It’s cute, the way she grabs my arm and steers me toward the door.
“I see everything’s under control here,” Hog observes, grinning. “I’ll head back to the station and wait for the guys.”
I let Tahlula lead me to her Lexus and fuss over me, as she makes sure I’m buckled in.
“I’m fine, Lula,” I assure her softly, as I cover her white-knuckled hand on the steering wheel.
“That call scared the shit out of me,” she admits, staring straight ahead.
“I’m sorry about that. It’s the reason I usually wait until after I get home to let Ma know.”
“Usually?” Her head whips around and her expression is one of shock. “How often does this happen?”
I shrug. “Par for the course in this job, honey. Burns, smoke inhalation, falling debris—it happens. But if it makes you feel better, this was my first ER visit for the year.”
She pulls her hand out from under mine and hits the button, firing up the engine. “Just make sure it’s the last one too,” she grumbles, putting a smile on my face.
“You missed the turnoff,” I point out a little while later, as she bypasses my neighborhood and continues up the mountain.
“A concussion requires monitoring the first twenty-four hours,” she says without looking at me. “Unless you want to spend the night at your mother’s, either you stay with me or I stay with you. Since I have a d
og, a donkey, and guests to look after at home, it looks like you’re coming with me.”
Despite the dirt still coating my body, the bone-weary fatigue, and the throbbing headache, I grin ear to ear. “Not gonna get any objections from me.”
“Didn’t think so.”
Tahlula
He’s a horrible patient.
He grumbled when I drew him a bath, claiming men don’t bathe. I changed his mind quickly by telling him he’d be sleeping in the garage with Smokey, instead of my bed, unless he washed the fire off him. Then he balked when I insisted he call his mother to tell her where he was. He protested when I handed him Moose’s sweats Pen told me to grab him until they could pick up his stuff from the station on their way home. To top it all off, he didn’t want to take the two ibuprofen I left on the nightstand for him, and he wasn’t happy when I wouldn’t join him in bed.
I finally walked out of the room, closing the door behind me, and I haven’t heard a peep since.
Good Lord, did that scare me. I’d barely heard from him since we saw each other on Tuesday, but I knew from Pen and Moose, who did come home every night, they were close to getting the fire under control. Pen’s phone call had me running out of the house. It’s a small miracle I didn’t get into an accident, especially with that stupid pickup riding my ass all the way down the mountain.
I’m putting on some water for tea when my phone rings.
“Hey, Tahlula. It’s Autumn. Will you be home in about twenty minutes?”
“Should be.”
“Oh great, I just want to drop off those baby things we talked about. I promise I won’t keep you long.”
“That’s okay, it’ll be nice to see you. I’m just making a pot of tea.”
I found out Tuesday, I’m not all that unique having a baby at this age. Kerry had hers over forty, as did Autumn, and Bella was thirty-nine. Of course, they all had men involved in getting pregnant, but still, it’s nice to have things in common.
I’m putting the teapot and some mugs on the table when Luke growls softly moments before there’s a knock on the door. Autumn’s on the porch carrying an adorable little boy on her hip. Behind her is her husband, a serious look on his face.