Fire on the Mountain

by Christelle Mirin

  As Bobby angled the cruiser through the trees, branches sometimes scraping against the side of the car, he wondered who in the world lived up here. This place was not only secluded, he doubted it was on any map. The driveway climbed up the mountainside then suddenly the trees opened up to reveal a clearing with a small log cabin nestled in the center. The pickup truck was parked sideways in front of the cabin and there was a small red Mustang parked to the side.

  Bobby shoved the gear shift into park and exited the cruiser, parking his hat on his head. He looked around at the place. It was beautiful, if you liked the cabin on the mountain sort of thing, which he did. His gaze travelled to the front porch, just visible beyond the truck. Shifting his tool belt, he began walking toward it.

  “I told you, I’m fine!” The female voice issuing from inside the cabin carried through the screen door just as Bobby mounted the front steps of the porch.

  “You’re not fine, Rose. There’s a fire on the mountain.” Bobby recognized this voice. It was Johnny Gayheart, the driver of the pickup.

  “I’m not leaving, if that’s what you’re suggesting,” the woman called Rose responded.

  Bobby took a deep breath. Was he going to walk in on a domestic dispute in the middle of a forest fire? He shook his head, steeling himself for battle, then rapped on the wood frame of the screen door. “Hello in the house,” he called, and took a step back, hooking his thumbs in his belt.

  “Who did you bring with you?” Rose asked.

  Then Bobby heard determined footsteps heading for the door. Two seconds later, a short, blonde woman looked up at him through the screen. Her big blue eyes widened, looking him up and down. “You brought the sheriff?”

  Bobby stifled a smile while he gave her a moment to look him up and down. Once her eyes settled again on his face, he removed his hat and held it in both hands in front of him. “Yes, ma’am. I’m Sheriff Bobby Shepherd. I followed Mr. Gayheart up here. He said he had to check on someone due to the fire on the mountain.”

  Her eyes flashed, then narrowed. With one push, she opened the screen door and stepped out onto the porch. Stopping directly in front of him, she tilted her head back to look up at his face. “There’s no problem here. You can go on back down the mountain and tend to your business.”

  God, she’s something to look at. Bobby felt something shift inside of him, a niggling little feeling not unlike when his foot fell asleep. Only this feeling was traveling through his whole body.

  Looking down at her, he couldn’t help but acknowledge the immediate attraction he felt toward her. She must be about five-foot-two, barely coming up to his chest, but the way she stood there with her hands parked on her hips and her pert little mouth pressed into a thin line, this girl looked full of fire herself. Her cheeks were flushed pink and her breasts rose and fell beneath the tight pale blue t-shirt she wore tucked into skin-tight jeans. Her blonde hair brushed her shoulders, slightly mussed, but he knew if he ran his fingers through it, it would feel like fine silk.

  Sheriff Bobby Shepherd had a feeling if he touched her, he’d go up in flames. Clearing his throat and almost afraid to speak, he met her gaze with his practiced calm one. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but I’m not going anywhere.”

  Chapter Three

  Rose Bloom couldn’t believe what was happening.

  First, she had smelled smoke and it was getting stronger, though still seeming far off. Then Johnny had come bursting through her door, babbling something about getting her out because there was a fire. Now, she had Sheriff Bobby Shepherd, the sheriff of Racy County, staring down at her from where he stood on her front porch.

  And holy smokes, if she wasn’t so nervous about a sheriff being here on her property, with her still chugging away back in the woods, she would give in to the urge to get to know this striking man a little better. He towered above her, his warm brown eyes sparkling though his expression was one of authority. He had a strong chin and short blondish hair, with shoulders that were wide and looked strong. Dressed in his uniform, he was a fine figure of a man. She glanced down at his left hand. No ring.

  Taking a deep breath to clear her head, she wet her lips. “You really don’t have to worry about me, Sheriff. I am fine.”

  “You may be fine right now but Johnny there is worried you may be in some danger.” The sheriff glanced up over her shoulder.

  The screen door creaked behind her, Johnny stepping out on the porch and placing a hand on her shoulder. “I want you to get in that truck and let me take you down the mountain,” he said, squeezing her shoulder.

  Rose could hear the sirens of fire trucks down on the road. Looking down toward the driveway, she waited. The trucks couldn’t be seen from the porch but she listened as they went on past her driveway, the siren echoing off the trees. “See,” she said, turning toward Johnny. “They went on by. I’ll be okay staying right here.”

  “How do you know? That fire could spread quicker than lightning.” He dropped his hand from her shoulder.

  Why was he pushing this? She couldn’t leave, not with a fresh batch of moonshine percolating away back in the woods. Especially when there was a sheriff standing on her front porch that mind find the still and then she’d be in trouble. “I have to stay here, you know that.” She frowned at him. “I’ve got to prepare in case the fire does come this way. I can’t leave the cabin.”

  He let out a belabored breath. “You’re not coming with me, are you?”

  She shook her head. “No.”

  Johnny looked at the sheriff. “I’m sorry to have dragged you up here. You see how stubborn she is.”

  The sheriff chuckled, the sound seeming to roll over her back and down. Rose swallowed thickly. What was it about the sheriff that incited her to want to know him better?

  “That she is,” the sheriff said, shifting his feet. “Looks like if she won’t leave, we’re both going to have to stay here and help her.”

  Rose whirled around. “I don’t need your help. Really. I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.” God, his lips look so kissable.

  “Rose, have some sense.” Johnny stepped forward to stand beside her. “If the sheriff wants to stay, we can use his help in case the fire comes close.”

  She looked between the two of them. They both looked determined and she doubted if anything she said was going to sway their decision to stay here and help her. She threw her hands in the air and grabbed the handle of the screen door. “Well, I guess I’m stuck with you both. I’m going in to put on some coffee and find my boots.” With that, she ripped open the screen door and stomped into the cabin.

  Walking to the cupboard, she chewed her lip. What the heck was she going to do if the sheriff decided he wanted to track the scent of wood burning and ended up at her still? The screen door creaked, the two men entering the cabin. Rose rubbed her hands on her jeans and reached into the cupboard to get out the coffee.

  “I think once we have a cup of coffee, we should go out to the well and fill up everything we can find, just in case,” Johnny said, pulling out a chair at the table to sit down.

  “Don’t you think we should do that first, before we have coffee? After all, we don’t really know how close the fire is.” The sheriff sat down at the table also, placing his hat on it.

  Rose turned to them after she got the coffee under way. Wow. She could wake up to this sight every morning. Johnny, sexy as ever, and the sheriff all decked out in his uniform, both of them sitting at her kitchen table. A stray thought entered her head. Wonder what that man can do with his handcuffs.

  “Maybe you’re right,” Johnny said, agreeing with the sheriff.

  “I can go out to the barn and get some old jugs,” Rose offered, coming to stand behind one of the chairs and placing her hands on the top of the back. “Have you heard anything on your radio, Sheriff? About where the fire is, I mean?”

  He looked up at her. “You can call me Bobby. And yes, I did hear a bit about it while we were talking. Seems it’s a mile or two on up t
he road.” The static from his radio crackled and he placed a hand over the microphone. “I don’t think it’s a threat just yet but we’d better be prepared.” He stood, pushing his chair back. “I’m going to go on outside and radio in my location.” Placing his hat on his head, he walked toward the screen door. “I am looking forward to that cup of coffee after we finish though.” With that, he headed out onto the front porch, the screen door slamming behind him.

  Rose turned to Johnny. “Have you lost your mind?”

  “What?” He got up from his chair and moved around the table to stand in front of her.

  “Bringing him here. You know I have a still hidden in the woods. What the heck are we going to do if he finds it?” The fear of Bobby finding the still jitter-bugged in the back of her mind. She wasn’t afraid of the feel of handcuffs around her wrists but she didn’t want to go to jail again. She’d done a few days in jail in her youth, always for something stupid and wild. Twice, actually. But now, at her age, she didn’t want to be locked up in a cell again.

  “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. Besides, I didn’t bring him here. He followed me when he caught me speeding to get up here to you.”

  She shook her head and brushed her hair back from her forehead. “Let’s just cross our fingers, then. Come on. I could use some help getting those jugs out of the barn.”

  Johnny followed her out the side door to the small barn behind the house. Rose wished she wasn’t so sweaty and dirty but she hadn’t expected company at this time of day. She hoped this was all over and done with before Boone Handshoe came to pick up his order of shine. At least she had it all boxed up. She could always tell the sheriff it was homemade jams and jelly. But then, when Boone pulled into her driveway, he might see the sheriff’s cruiser and take off back down the mountain, afraid of getting busted himself.

  Opening the barn door, she stepped into the dim interior. Before she could take two steps, Johnny grabbed her from behind and whirled her around. Capturing her mouth, he kissed her stormily, sending her thoughts to flames of another kind. When he finally let her come up for air, she placed her hands on his chest and pushed. “We’ve got things to do, Johnny,” she said breathlessly. Pulling out of his embrace, she took a step backward. Her body had instantly come alive under his assault and blowing out a long breath, she fought it. “What possessed you to do that anyway?”

  “I love you. The thought of losing you has clouded my mind ever since I heard the fire was up here on Rich Mountain.” He stepped forward and touched her cheek. “I couldn’t stand living if I lost you.”

  Warmth swelled within her, his words going straight to her heart. “I love you, too, Johnny. I’ll show you how much. Later, that is.” She moved away, heading into the old stall where she kept her empty jugs. They were nothing more than five-gallon water jugs she used at the still but if they filled enough of them with water, they might have a chance if the fire came to close. She bent down and picked up two, tucking one under her arm. “Grab a couple. You know my garden hose isn’t that long and we might need these.” Picking up one more in her other hand, she moved out of the stall to let Johnny inside.

  Trudging across the back yard, she headed in the direction of the hand pump. It was in the side yard, hooked up to her well, and she used it quite often. The water was crisp, clear and very cold. She loved drinking it, the slight tang of iron giving it a little bite. She’d never be happy with town water. She’d stay here in this little old cabin until the day she died, if she had her way about it. It was home and there was no place like it. Priming the pump with a few downward strokes on the handle, she wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. There was no way the sheriff could possibly think she was a “looker”, not in the state she was in right now. Then she chided herself for even thinking about how she looked at this moment. It was most definitely not the time.

  “Here, let me help you,” the sheriff, Bobby, said, coming up beside her. He took over, pumping the handle under water ran into the half keg she kept sitting underneath the spigot.

  Rose straightened, noticing he no longer wore his hat and the sleeves of his uniform shirt were rolled up to his elbows, revealing his forearms which were muscled and covered with a light down of blond hair. “Thanks,” she said, stepping back to give him room. She quickly grabbed a jug and held it beneath the flow of water. It splashed up, wetting her t-shirt and taking her breath with its chill. She gasped, pulling the material away from her skin.

  “I’m sorry,” Bobby said, his eyes meeting hers. Then his gaze moved downward, grazing her breasts before coming back up to her face.

  “Not your fault.” Rose pulled the now-full jug from under the steam of water and turned to place it on the ground. She slipped, her shoes sliding on the wet grass.

  Before she could go face first to the ground, strong arms grabbed her and twirled her around, pressing her up against a massive, hard chest. “Oh!” she cried, looking up to find herself well within kissing distance of Sheriff Bobby Shepherd’s delectable mouth.

  A faint smile graced his lips but he didn’t loosen his grip. “Think you can stand now?” His voice was soft and lulling.

  Rose felt slightly faint. She didn’t know if the heat of the day had finally gotten to her or the flash of electricity that had passed between her and this towering man had went directly to her brain. Whatever it was, she wanted more of it. He had swept her off her feet with one touch. She’d never experienced anything like it, except for when she was with Johnny. “I-I’m not sure,” she murmured, grasping his bulging bicep.

  “I won’t let go until you tell me to.”

  “Maybe…I don’t want you to let go just yet,” she said.

  Chapter Four

  Bobby gazed down into the depths of those crystal blue eyes and knew he was lost.

  He wanted to kiss her, to plunder her mouth and run his hands over her lithe little body. Not now. Clearing his throat, he eased his arms from around her, taking her by the upper arms until he was sure she had her feet beneath her. Then he decided he’d take a chance. “Maybe we can continue this later.”

  She blinked, looking up at him through thick lashes. “Maybe we could.”

  “Here’s some more jugs,” Johnny said, dropping them on the ground beside the pump. “You okay, Rose?”

  Bobby released her and glanced at Johnny, noticing the frown on his face. He wondered if he had crossed some sort of boundary with Rose. After all, Johnny had been intent on getting up here to her. There seemed to be something going on between the two of them and until he found out just what it was, he’d better keep his distance from this woman. He didn’t want to step on another man’s toes.

  Something changed in his eyes, the color of them going deeper. Rose drew in a long, slow breath, forcing herself not to put her hands, or her mouth, where she wanted to right now.

  “Hey, you two, can we get back to business here?” Johnny asked, coming up beside them.

  Bobby cleared his throat. “You okay?” He brushed his thumb across her right eyebrow, wiping away what must have been sweat.

  She nodded. “I’m fine.” She glanced at Johnny. For a moment, she wondered if he was jealous of her contact with another man but that fear was quickly put to rest. He didn’t look jealous at all, just interested. Hmm. Stepping away from Bobby, she moved to grab another jug from the ground and hold it under the spigot.

  Back to the business at hand, the three of them filled twelve five-gallon jugs and began carrying them closer to the house. Rose carried two and was going back for a third when she noticed smoke floating above the trees in the western sky. She stopped and shaded her eyes with her hands. “Hey Bobby,” she called, finding it easy to call him by his first name. “How far away did you say that fire was?”

  Both men came up to stand beside her. “What do you see?” Johnny asked, squinting in the direction she was looking.

  Rose pointed. “There. Smoke.”

  “I’d better call in and find out i
f the fire department is making any progress,” Bobby said, striding toward the cruiser.

  “I should call in too.” Johnny started for the house. “Hopefully I still have a job.”

  Rose turned. “What do you mean?”

  Johnny looked over his shoulder. “I was at the station when the call came in and since I raced off to get up here to check on you, I’m not where I’m supposed to be.” He pointed in the direction they had seen the smoke. “There, with the others, fighting the fire.” He continued walking to the house without waiting for her response.

  Rose caught her bottom lip with her teeth. She hoped she hadn’t caused Johnny to get in trouble. It wouldn’t be her fault, really. She hadn’t asked him to rush up here.

  “It sounds like they’ve got the fire contained for now,” Bobby said, joining her in the side yard. “We still need to keep watch though.”

  She nodded, breaking her gaze away from the side door of the house where Johnny had entered. “Yeah. I just hope Johnny isn’t in trouble for not being there.”

  “Well,” Bobby said, looking toward the house. “If he is, I can put a good word in. Say he was working with me to secure a residence.” He looked back down at her.

  “You’d do that?” His eyes held a warmth in them, a sort of kindness. She liked that.

  “For you, and for him, yes I would.” He glanced down at his feet then back to her eyes. “I don’t know how to say this but there’s something about you. I’m not sure what it is but I want to get to know you better.” He gave a short laugh, seeming a bit embarrassed. “I’ll bet that sounds strange coming from the sheriff.”

  She felt a spark ignite inside her. “Um, I’d like to get to know you, too. Tell me something.” She moved closer. Reaching out, she gingerly touched the handcuffs that were hooked to his belt at his hip. “Do you ever use these…in a recreational kind of way?” She looked up at him through her lashes, the thought of him snapping the cool metal around her wrists causing her nipples to peak.