by Amie Denman
The brothers, Richard and Oliver, were the first to arrive. “Got me out of going to church with my wife and in-laws,” Oliver said when Tony thanked them for showing up early. “We started going to her church after we got married a few months ago, but I haven’t gotten used to it yet. Even my in-laws couldn’t complain I was missing the service when they learned what I was doing instead. I think they believe I’m going to be some kind of hero,” Oliver said with a wry smile.
“You never know what the day will bring,” Tony said as they walked into the station where the overhead garage doors were already open. Their footsteps on the concrete floor echoed through the quiet station. “Since you two are brothers, I’m going to assign you to two other brothers working this morning. My cousins Tyler and Kevin Ruggles. They give each other crap, but they’ve always got each other’s backs.”
“Heard that,” Tyler said, coming around the back of the fire truck with a cup of coffee in his hand. He set the cup on the silver running board and held out his hand. “I’m the good brother, Tyler.”
They shook hands as Tony introduced Tyler to Richard and Oliver. “I’m taking this truck today, and I hope my baby brother gets stuck with the rescue truck this week. Whatever poor sucker gets that one has to take every single piece of equipment out and test it. After the hydraulic jaws failed last week, we don’t want to take a chance on anything else.”
“I’ll do that one.”
Tony and the other four men turned and saw Laura behind them.
“Bad deal,” Kevin said, coming out of the bunk room. “If I heard you right. I’ll work with you, but I suggest we grab either the tanker or the grass fire truck. It’ll leave you more time to practice with the ladders and get comfortable carrying stuff up them.”
“I can climb a ladder,” Laura said. “I clean out the gutters on my parents’ two-story house three times a year and carry all the yuck down in a bucket.”
Kevin shrugged. “We can do the rescue truck, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“I’ll work with Laura on that one,” Tony said.
He saw Laura’s quick glance and wondered what she thought of his offer. He didn’t know himself why he had offered, except that he often did the hard jobs as a way of showing leadership. He wouldn’t let Laura gut out the worst job without him. If his conscience said he was wrong to want to help and protect her, he reminded himself he would have and should have done the same for any of the new recruits foolish or dedicated enough to grab the toughest job.
“If you’ll set up the ladders and help the volunteers take turns practicing,” he said to Kevin, “when you get done doing a truck with one of these guys.”
“That’s a way better deal,” Kevin said. “No offense, Laura.”
She smiled at her future brother-in-law. “None taken. But it’s going to be hard to make you look like a hero when I tell my sister this story.”
Kevin laughed. “She was going to find me out eventually. Probably better before the wedding.”
Tony found the clipboard for the rescue truck and gave it to Laura. “I’ll be over in a few minutes after I assign everyone a partner.”
He was glad the main attack pumper was in the way and he couldn’t see Laura as she went to the rescue truck on the other side. One by one, all the volunteers arrived and Tony found them partners. Some of the trucks were easier to inspect than others, and that would mean more time on the ladders for those trainees. How confident was Laura in her ability to climb and carry heavy equipment? For that matter, he thought, as he looked at all the other members of the class, how confident were any of them?
It wasn’t about the physical demands of the job. Firefighters and rescuers could be affected by tragedies on the job and in their personal life. No one was immune to trauma, and he wondered how the loss of her brother in a fast-moving forest fire would affect Laura if she was faced with her own fire. Would her past endanger her or someone else? It was his job to keep everyone safe, and allowing himself to care about her in a different way from the other firefighters could end badly. He reminded himself that Laura Wheeler was just another one of the firefighters under his command.
When everyone was assigned, Tony ducked around the main pumper and found Laura with the hood up on the rescue truck. She was standing on the front bumper leaning into the engine as if she was searching for something.
“It’s on your right. Yellow,” Tony said. He stood on the driver’s side with his hands on the edge of the hood. He wanted to jump in and check the oil himself.
“Found it,” she said. Tony handed her a shop rag. She appeared to know what she was doing. She replaced the dipstick, reported the level of wiper fluid was fine, tugged on the belts and hopped down from the bumper. She wiped her hands on the rag and cocked her head as she looked at him.
“Items one, two and three out of five thousand,” she said, smiling.
“I think there are only five hundred things on the check sheet,” he said. “I tried to condense it so I didn’t scare people away.”
Laura picked up the clipboard and ran her finger down the list. “You didn’t have to offer to help me after I’d opened my big mouth to take the worst job.”
“It’s a big job, but not a terrible one. And it will be good experience for you to see everything we have in case we’re out on a run and it’s needed. Besides, you gave me an opportunity to look like a good leader by jumping in and getting my hands dirty.”
“You are a good leader,” Laura said.
Tony hated to admit how flattering her words were. There was something about her that made him want her admiration.
“I’m a work-in-progress like everyone else,” he said.
“But you must be a pretty good work.”
He shouldn’t let her assessment of his merits affect him, but he’d have to be a stone statue not to enjoy her matter-of-fact approval. He’d heard it from other people, but coming from Laura, it felt especially nice.
He had to be careful of that feeling.
“Then I better keep earning it,” he said. “We’ll start on the driver’s side and pull out all the extrication equipment. Airbags, hydraulic jacks, saws and all kinds of things that can destroy a car in a hurry if you’re trying to get someone out.”
“Is this truck mostly for car accidents?”
“Often. We usually roll it along with the ambulance when we get called to an accident if we have the manpower. We use it for fires, too. When we get inside, you’ll see extra air tanks and supplies for containing hazardous materials. We also keep bottled water and some food in here.”
“In case there’s no one available to bring you coffee in the middle of the night,” Laura said. Her voice was soft and Tony saw a hint of the vulnerability he’d noticed the previous summer. “My sister told me about her adventure with Jane the night that Kevin saved the family’s cat.”
Tony vividly remembered the house fire a few doors down from Nicole’s place. A family had lost their home but not their lives that night. He’d seen many nights like it, but what he remembered most was Nicole and Jane showing up out of the darkness with coffee and blankets. Despite her brother’s death by fire, Nicole had come to help. Tony realized what strength that must have taken, and he wondered if Laura had the same—or even greater—resilience.
“Those are the best nights,” Tony said. “And Kevin got way too much credit for saving the cat. He found it hiding under the truck after the fire was over, but the family considered him a hero.”
Laura laughed and rolled up one of the doors and started at the bottom, pulling things out. “Should we just do one cabinet at a time in case an emergency comes in?” she asked. “I’d hate to have everything dragged out all over the floor if somebody gets in an accident.”
“Good plan,” Tony agreed.
As Laura took each item out, she checked it against the list on the clipboard. She
had to ask what some of the tools were for, and Tony took his time explaining. Truck inspection followed by breakfast was usually over in a few hours, but he had all day and seeing each piece of equipment for himself was a good idea. He had the ultimate responsibility for everything that happened and every life that was jeopardized by equipment or training failure.
They moved on to the second cabinet, and Tony stepped away for a moment to check on how things were going. His cousins had helped while he was preoccupied with the rescue truck inspection. Kevin gave him a questioning glance. “You didn’t have to take a truck, and I’ll be glad to finish that for you if you want. Mine won’t take long, and I know you’re anxious to supervise the ladder training yourself.”
“It’s okay,” Tony said. “If I do it myself, I won’t have to try to read your lousy handwriting on the logs.”
Kevin laughed. “Suit yourself.”
As Tony walked back to where Laura knelt on the station floor surrounded by equipment and tools, he didn’t think he was suiting himself. It would be a lot easier to keep his distance from Laura. He felt as if he had to tread carefully, knowing what had happened to her brother...even though she had signed up for this job. Rather than say the wrong thing, the safer bet would be to say as little as possible.
But he couldn’t do that. Being a leader meant he had to be as involved with his people as much as keeping them safe required. And he had to keep Laura safe—for her family who had already suffered a loss to the fire service.
CHAPTER SIX
LAURA LOOKED DOWN from the top of the ladder. With her elbow hooked over the rain gutters hanging off the roof of the Cape Pursuit fire station, she took a moment to enjoy the view of the ocean beyond the neighboring rooftops.
She also needed a moment to catch her breath after carrying a heavy length of fire hose up twenty feet. Gavin had timed her ascent, and he gave her a thumbs-up when she reached the top.
“Ten seconds,” he called from the ground. “Not bad for a rookie.”
“What’s good for a rookie?” she asked.
“Twelve,” he said, grinning and shading his eyes as he looked up at her. “You’re making the rest of your class look bad. You’ll have to sleep with one eye open if you make enemies.”
“Luckily, I’m not sleeping with any of you,” Laura yelled down.
Tony stepped out of the fire station just as she spoke. He looked from Gavin to her and back to Gavin, his expression stony.
“Volunteer slumber party at my house,” Diane said. “I told you guys I was an empty nester. I’m warning you, I like to stay up late baking and you can’t say no to my rhubarb pie without offending me.”
Laura shot Diane a smile of appreciation at her attempt to knock down the awkwardness hanging like smoke in the air.
“Let’s try climbing ladders while wearing turnout gear,” Kevin said. “It’s a hot day, and it will be good experience for you to see what thirty pounds of heavy clothing and an air tank will do to you. Adrenaline helps, but those extra pounds remind you fast that they’re there.”
Laura climbed down the ladder using a steady motion, always keeping one hand on a rung. She knew the ladder rules from her book and it was reiterated by Gavin that they were important, and the deliberate motion also helped focus her mind. She had a strong goal for the first time in two years, and she wouldn’t let anything derail her. Even the strange feeling in her chest when she was alone with Tony, talking with him as if he was just a man and she was just a woman.
But they weren’t. Their relationship had to be strictly business.
As she had inspected the massive rescue truck with Tony, she had chosen to consider it a giant utility closet on wheels to make it seem less intimidating. Would she learn to use all those tools in only six weeks? Although she wouldn’t admit it even to her sister, Laura worried she would face off with an emergency she was unprepared for, and it was wrong to put her desire to add meaning to her life by serving others in front of the responsibility she was taking on.
The only thing she could do was to make certain she learned everything Tony and the other firefighters said. Commitment demanded it, and she already knew the cost firefighters could pay when they were caught by surprise.
She had to be better prepared than her brother had been.
Laura watched Kevin demonstrate how to arrange the turnout pants around the boots so he could step in fast, pull up the pants, shrug into the heavy coat and be ready in just seconds. He made it look easy, but when the new trainees tried, Marshall got his foot caught and had to use Brock’s shoulder to keep himself from falling. Diane stepped into the boots, but the pants were so tall they came up to almost shoulder level.
Everyone laughed, including Tony, who had gone into the station but reemerged carrying an armload of helmets.
“It takes practice,” he said.
“And you want us to climb ladders in these outfits?” Richard asked.
Kevin nodded. “And drive trucks, perform CPR and rescue cats in trees.”
When Kevin mentioned cats, Tony glanced over at Laura and his eyes were full of laughter. Laura smiled back, enjoying the moment of camaraderie. His eyes held hers a moment longer than necessary, and she felt her cheeks heat as she quickly looked away.
“I better try this again,” Marshall said. “I can’t believe this is the hardest part of the day.”
Laura noticed that Allen didn’t join in with the self-deprecatory humor. He attacked each task as if he had to prove he was able. She thought it must be exhausting to always feel as if you’re on trial, and she’d known students who strutted and offended as a result. Maybe Allen would crack a smile when he got more comfortable. Though Skip didn’t say much, he also jumped into the boots and ladder drills as if his future depended on it. He didn’t seem as if he was trying to impress anyone. Instead, Laura saw youthful zeal. Refreshing passion directly applied.
The borrowed boots Laura stepped into were much too large, but she managed to tug on her turnout pants, buckle the coat and walk with clunky efficiency over to the concrete where Tony had laid out the helmets.
“I’ll help you adjust it so it stays on your head,” Gavin said. He demonstrated how the straps and buckles worked and helped with fittings. “It’s important to get it on securely because it won’t do you any good if it falls off.”
Laura saw Tony give Gavin an approving nod. When all eight recruits were suited up, Gavin asked for volunteers to go through the weighted ladder climbing exercise again.
Laura held up one hand. “I’ll go first and get it over with,” she said.
“You can go up the first time without the hose,” Gavin said. “It might be a good idea to get used to the feel of the boots and turnout gear.”
She considered a trial run, but she was already hot and her muscles were being taxed. She wasn’t kidding about getting it over with. “I’ll take a chance and go big,” Laura said. She slung the heavy length of rope over her right shoulder and started up the ladder. She wasn’t going to do it in ten seconds this time. Instead, she concentrated on being strong and steady so she got her classmates started off with some confidence. If she missed a rung and bounced all the way down, it might demoralize the whole group, whom she was already starting to like and feel connected with. It would also draw attention to her in a way she didn’t want.
She passed the halfway point and paused to look down through the rungs. Tony stood directly below her and looked up at her. Was he planning to catch her if she fell, or was he assessing her technique? She shifted her grip to the next rung up and tried to hang on tight even though her gloves were too big and an inch of extra fabric stuck out from each of her fingertips.
If she planned to become part of the department, she hoped one of the next phases would include finding gear that would fit. At least she was tall so the jacket didn’t hang down past her knees as it did on Diane and Brock.
/> “It’s not a test,” Tony said. “You don’t have to go all the way to the top today.”
Laura didn’t break her stride as she counted the last five rungs and touched the edge of the roof with one hand as she heard cheering from her friends on the ground.
“You can drop the hose,” Tony called. “You don’t have to carry it down.”
Laura hitched the hose up on her shoulder and tightened her grip as she backed down the ladder. She tested each rung with her foot in the bulky boot to make sure her step was centered. She would not slip. She would not falter. She would not fail with ten pairs of eyes on her.
When she put one booted foot on the concrete, she felt the weight of the hose disappear from her shoulder and she realized Tony had lifted it away.
“Nice work,” Tony said quietly so only she could hear. “That’s a lot harder than most people think, and you don’t have to prove yourself on your first try.” He smiled at her. “Pace yourself. That’s an order.”
Before she could ask him if he was going to show such concern for everyone else, Tony had moved over to the other ladder set up and was helping Marshall get the hose balanced on his shoulder.
“You have to distribute your weight,” Tony said. “I remember my first time hauling hose up a ladder at an actual fire. The ladder was wet, my boots were wet and I went for a heck of a ride. It wasn’t my finest hour.”
Okay, Laura thought. Tony’s solicitude wasn’t just about her. She took off her gloves and shoved them in the pocket of her turnout coat. It was incredibly hot on the white glaring concrete, and the heavy clothes and exertion made her feel as if she were burning up. She unbuckled her coat and swiped damp hair away from her face.
“Go inside and get something cold to drink,” Tony said, appearing right next to her. He lifted her coat off her shoulders and removed it.
“I’m fine,” she said. “I want to watch my classmates make it to the top of the ladder.”
“You will. After you get a bottle of cold water out of the fridge in the breakroom.”