Riley's Rescue (Last Chance Book 6)

by Lexi Post

Snatching up his t-shirt he wiped his face to the sultry sound of Riley’s laughter. It filled his heart to hear it. Keeping the dog under one arm, he held out his other to his woman. “Let me show you around our place.”

  She took his arm and gave Copper a pet. “We’d like that. We’d like that a lot.”

  Epilogue

  Riley softly smiled as the car meandered through the back roads northwest of Prescott, towering pines giving the roads a magical forest quality. In less than a month, her whole world had changed for the better. More like it got flipped upside down!

  Instead of rambling about alone in the world avoiding relationships of any kind, she had a man who loved her, a dog who couldn’t be more than twenty-feet away from her, a horse that was loyal to her, and friends at Last Chance. Though she technically still worked there, even that relationship had changed.

  And now she had a family.

  “Does that smile mean that meeting my family wasn’t the ordeal you’d expected it to be?”

  She looked over at Garrett as he drove. “I know you told me they’d be happy to meet me, but they weren’t anything like I expected. Your dad, is well, I’m surprised he ever retired from the fire department. He has so much energy. He reminded me of that firefighter, Mason, who pulled me from the mine.”

  “I never thought about it, but there is a bit of resemblance in personality. Might be why, in my time at the station, we always got along. Though you must admit, my dad has more hair.”

  She laughed. “Yes, he does, and he’s very handsome with that white at his temples.”

  He glanced at her. “I guess handsome runs in the family.”

  She squeezed his thigh. “Don’t be getting a big ego on me now. Besides, I haven’t met your brother yet, so I’m not sure.” She smirked. “Actually, I was just thinking that you take after your mom. Now I understand why you can be a cowboy and yet still respect my abilities despite being a woman.”

  “Despite?” He lowered his brows.

  “Yes.” She waved her hand. “I know you told me your mom was the rancher, but I didn’t really believe it until now. What a kick to see her running the whole show, and your sister makes a great manager.”

  “They have that place running like a well-oiled machine, but I still don’t understand why you say I respect your abilities despite being a woman.” He slowed the truck and turned onto a smaller road, the pavement barely hanging on.

  He wouldn’t understand. Her military experience had made her expect certain attitudes from men, resentment, indifference, distrust. Though there had been those who respected her, they were few in numbers.

  “What are you thinking?”

  Somehow, he always knew when to interrupt her thoughts. “I’m thinking that your upbringing may make it hard for you to understand what it’s like to be a woman in a male-dominated career.”

  “How can you—”

  “Wait, I wasn’t finished. I think this because you grew-up respecting your mom and her leadership. Many men don’t have that at such a young age, so even if they want to, even if they have to, taking direction from a woman is hard.”

  He grinned. “So you’re saying I’m unique.”

  She snorted. “In more ways than one. Your most unique quality is that you can put up with me.”

  He chuckled. “There is that.” His smile suddenly left and the truck rolled to a stop in the middle of the road.

  “What is it?”

  He pointed to the left. “That’s where we were staging for the fire. It was right here where I saw the little girl in her family’s car.”

  She looked around. They were in the middle of nowhere, the closest town miles away. They hadn’t seen another car since two roads back. She hoped that didn’t mean what it seemed to mean. “Are you sure this is the spot? I know it’s been five years, but this doesn’t appear to have been burned.”

  He put his window down letting the fresh air in, which was much cooler than the Sonoran Desert. They could hear birds, but little else. It was peaceful.

  “The fire didn’t reach here while I was working it. From what my team told me, it continued north.”

  Copper stuck his nose between Garrett’s seat and the window.

  For some reason the dog loved it when the truck windows were down. Supposedly that was normal. “And you never asked them about the community of shacks?”

  He shook his head. “You’re the only one who knows what motivated me to risk my life that day. If the fire had jumped the break, which it could if the winds picked up in the right direction, then there’s another road about seven miles east as the crow flies that would have been the fallback position. After that was a full town.”

  “Did the town burn?”

  “No.”

  If she had been seriously wounded trying to save another soldier, she would have to know if it had been worth it. Hell, even when she wasn’t injured and helped a soldier, she damn well made sure she found out if the man made it. “Okay, I had to face my fears in that shitty old mine. It’s time to face yours.”

  His hands gripped the steering wheel like a man holds a grenade when the pin has been pulled, but he didn’t say a word.

  “You said you never checked because you feared your sacrifice was in vain. What if it was? What if all those shacks are gone when we get there?”

  “Eight.”

  “Eight what?

  Shacks.” He swallowed hard, his Adam’s Apple giving away his tension.

  She wanted to help him like he’d helped her. She wasn’t as good at it, but she was learning. He had been both calm and at times commanding. “Okay, say all eight shacks are gone, burnt to cinders. What then? Will you give up on life? Will you stop working on your home? Will you kick me out?”

  He snapped his head around to look at her. “No.”

  She’d hoped she knew the answer, but it was reassuring to hear. “We would have never met if you didn’t try to save those buildings. You would have still been up here or out of state fighting wildfires, while I worked at Last Chance.” She felt the blood drain from her face. “I would have been alone in that mine.”

  He let go of the steering wheel and pulled her to him. “Don’t even think about that.”

  She took a deep breath, his comforting embrace always a balm to her ruptured psyche, but she could handle the “what if,” since it hadn’t actually happened. She pulled away. “I’m okay. It was just a thought. But it didn’t happen that way. Why? Because you needed to get away from up here, to start a new life. So whether those shacks are still there or not, has your life been a nightmare?”

  “At first, yes, but I understand what you’re saying.” He hesitated, then he gave her a lopsided grin. “In other words, it doesn’t matter if they still stand or not.” He stepped on the brake and put the truck into reverse.

  Oh, no. He wasn’t getting out of it that easy. She grabbed his arm. “Whoa there, cowboy. I need you to step back and bring out that brave firefighter I know is hiding somewhere in there.”

  “Hiding? I’m not hiding. You just explained why this is a wasted trip.”

  She pointed up the road and took command of the situation. “Garrett, you put this truck back into drive and get your tail up there or you’re cleaning out the head for the rest of the year. I’m not having any soldier going AWOL on my watch.”

  He let out a deep breath. “Yes, ma’am. You’re right.” Slowly, as if against his will, he changed gears and started the truck forward at less than 20mph.

  It was on the tip of her tongue to give him a hard time about driving like an old man, but she reconsidered. He was doing what he promised. If he could have patience with her, she could have patience with him.

  They continued for almost half a mile before he spoke. “Here’s the beginning of the firebreak.”

  She looked out the front windshield to his side of the road which had brightened considerably. There was nothing but weeds and grasses and a few short shrubs from the road to about four hundred feet into the
forest and then it looked like an abandoned nightmare.

  Once towering ponderosa pines were skinny black sentinels ready to fall, some already leaning on each other. At their base were green shrubs, bushes, and tiny trees, seemingly oblivious to the threat of the delicate monsters above them.

  They continued slowly up the road, the bird song having stopped. The burned landscape seemed to go on forever, but that may have been because he drove so slow. As far as she could see, the black burnt wood covered the landscape, most standing straight like soldiers at attention but many others littering the forest floor. The heat of the fire had to have been intense.

  “If they are still here, they should be around the next bend on your side of the road.” Garrett’s voice was low, his dread clear.

  She held her breath as she strained to peek between the trees on the right side of the crumbling pavement of the road. Halfway through the curve, she saw a wood wall. Please, let it be part of a building and not the remnants of a fire.

  The truck rolled ahead revealing a full structure and then another. There were even cars parked outside them and children were climbing a tree in one of the yards. She let out a breath and gazed at Garrett.

  His face remained serious as he took in every detail.

  The years since the fire had added three more homes from what she could see, though calling them “homes” was being generous. It looked like a refugee camp in the middle of the towering evergreens. She understood now, why this had been so important to him that he’d risk his life.

  A ball rolled into the street in front of them and Garrett stopped the truck. The young man chasing it also stopped at the side of the road. Copper barked.

  “That’s not for you.“ Garrett waved the boy across. “Go ahead.”

  The young man gave him a wave and grabbed up what looked like a dodge ball. He returned to a common area, if pine needles could be called that, and what appeared to be a game of soccer with two carboard boxes set up as their goals.

  She put her hand on his thigh again and smiled. “They’re all here.”

  He nodded. “They are. And then some.”

  A knock on her window startled both her and Copper, who ran across the backseat to her side of the truck and barked again. Turning, she found a middle-aged man in a Phoenix Suns t-shirt standing there. She put her window down, and he set his hand on the door. “You folks lost?”

  She smiled at him. “No, sir. We just wanted to see how the forest looked after that fire five years ago.”

  The man shook his head. “I was here for that one. They had us all evacuate. Never thought I’d see this place again.” He jerked his head toward the small community. “Some of them don’t know how lucky we were. Those Hot Shots came in and kept that fire back there.” He pointed to the other side of the street, looking at it as if he still couldn’t believe it had stayed away.

  She smirked. “So they’re responsible for saving your homes?”

  The man returned his attention to her. “Damn straight they did. Not just our homes but our lives. These are all we have. When they made us evacuate, we went to a shelter. My wife, Elli, spent the whole day and night praying for us and the firefighters. I was more worried about what happened when they closed the shelter, and we had to find somewhere else to live. I can’t thank those Hot Shots enough.”

  Pride filled her for what Garrett had done. “As a matter of fact, you—”

  “You can be assured they know.” Garrett interrupted. “That’s their job to protect people and save property if they can. I know they are happy to do that. So you were able to move back. Did everyone?”

  The man nodded. “We had nowhere else to go. You could have blown me over with a dust devil when we found this place still standing.” He shook his head again as if he still had a hard time believing it. “Me and my wife, we’re on social security now and we could move into town, but this is home. Where are you folks from?”

  Garrett replied. “I’m living in the north valley in Wickenburg.”

  “And I’m an Army brat, so I guess you could say I’m from everywhere.”

  The man looked back at his home. “You need to put down roots. It’s a good feeling.” He turned back to her. “You two figuring on driving the whole road? If you are, I hope you got a full tank of gas. That fire went on forever. Hopped this road where they hadn’t cleared further up. Not a pretty sight.”

  Shit, Garrett’s team had seriously saved the little community. She looked at Garrett who had an odd look on his face, but he didn’t say anything. She faced the man again. “No, I think we’ll drive a little farther then turn back.”

  The man patted the truck windowsill. “Good idea. Much prettier sights to see closer to Prescott. You have yourselves a nice day.”

  “You too. I’m so glad your homes were spared all that.” She pointed to the other side of the road.

  The man nodded then strolled back to where his wife had come out, obviously curious about who he was talking to.

  Riley looked at Garrett. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m very okay. Thank you for making me come here.”

  She grinned at him as the truck started forward, a little faster than before. “You didn’t want him to know you were one of the Hot Shots that saved his home. Why?”

  “I’m glad I was able to complete the firebreak, but it was a team effort. Twenty of us made that successful, not just me. It’s better that he be thankful to all Hot Shots. They put their lives on the line every time they go out. I don’t want anyone thinking of just me when they think about Hot Shots. Besides, I’m not a firefighter anymore.”

  Her heart filled with warmth for the man she’d fallen in love with in the dark. “Maybe, but you’re still a Hot Shot in my book.”

  He placed his hand on hers. “My sacrifice led me in a different direction than I expected, and I’m glad it did. I found you. I’m content that I —Holy shit.” His final word came out in a breath.

  She’d been looking at him, but at his sudden swear, she turned forward. Her heart sank at the sight. They had come to the top of a ridge where the firebreak had stopped and as far as the eye could see it was a mix of burn and new growth.

  It was a metaphor for both of them, only she had a good feeling that their growth would be a lot faster than the land before them. “I think we’ve seen all we need to see here. Let’s go back.”

  He nodded and turned the truck around.

  “Wait.” Unbelting her seatbelt as he stopped, she got out and closed the door behind her to keep Copper inside. She stepped to the side of the road.

  “What is it?”

  She smiled and called over her shoulder. “It’s life.”

  The other truck door closed and Garrett joined her. “Where?” His gaze was on the horizon.

  She pointed to the hundreds of wildflowers dotting the ground at their feet. The unusually wet summer had been kind. “There. See him. It’s a bee. Oh, and there’s another one.” As she scanned the pretty yellow blooms, she found more bees. “My mom used to say that where there are bees there is life because they pollinate the plants.”

  Garrett put his arms around her from behind and rested his head on her shoulder. “If they are up here, I’m sure they are all over this terrain. It’s taking time, but years from now, you won’t even know there was a fire here.”

  She leaned back against him. “And maybe in those years, our pasts will be the same, still there, but from which our life can bloom.”

  He turned her in his arms. “Is my soldier waxing poetic?”

  She grinned. “Oh, for shit’s sake, don’t count on it.”

  He laughed. “Good, because I’m terrible at poetry.”

  “I don’t need someone who understands poetry. I just want a handsome, hot, firefighting cowboy who promises to always come to my rescue.”

  His grey-blue eyes softened as he gazed at her. “I promise. And will you always come to my rescue?”

  At his words, her love for him seemed to fill her whol
e body. “I promise.”

  A bark from inside the truck had them both turning. She chuckled. “I think that means that Copper promises, too.”

  He looked back at her. “Then I guess that makes us a unit.”

  A new unit. A new family. A new life. “Absolutely.” Wrapping her arms around his neck, she sealed their promises with a kiss.

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  To see where it all began, read on for an excerpt of Cowboy’s Match (Poker Flat #2) Cole and Lacey’s story.

  Chapter One

  Cole Hatcher ignored the yellow and orange streaks of the Arizona sunset and focused on the same colors rising from the burning building as flames moved with the breeze. He spoke into the radio. “Move the two and a half inch to the northwest corner.”

  Two firefighters lugged the hose toward the base of the fire at the edge of the partially constructed building. Not more than fifteen feet away was a pile of old barn wood just waiting to ignite.

  Stepping back toward the engine, Cole received a nod from Mason, the fire engine monitor, before speaking into the radio again. “Tanker, is the dry hydrant hooked yet?”

  “Almost.” The reply was not the answer Cole wanted. They would need more water than an engine and tanker could provide, and the chance of the winds picking up once the sun disappeared were better than a horse getting loose through an open gate.

  As if on cue, the whinny of several frightened horses in the nearby barn caused him to tense. There was no way he would let the fire spread that way.

  The radio clicked before a firefighter’s voice came through. “We’re hooked.”

  Cole breathed easier. As long as he had water, he could put this baby out. “Good. Stay with the tanker. I’ll need someone to come over here and grab the one and a half inch with Clark.” He watched as Clark unwound the hose, already heading toward the construction site that hid behind the smoke and flames of the fire’s onslaught.

  Glancing back to where the tanker was parked thirty yards away, Cole swore. “What the hell?” Coming up the hill along the dirt road his trucks had just rolled in on, were at least a half dozen golf carts filled with naked people.