12-Alarm Cowboys

by Cora Seton

  One man tripped and went down at the same time as the roof caved in, pushing the flame-engulfed walls sideways. Burning lumber crashed down on top of the firefighter, trapping him beneath.

  Men shouted and ran toward the flames.

  On reflex, Kinsey took several steps in that direction when a hand reached out and snagged her arm.

  “Kinsey, don’t.” Brenda stood beside her. “They have the training and know what they’re doing. You’d only be in the way and possibly cause more injuries.”

  Brenda was right. But standing back and watching was almost more than Kinsey could bear. What if the man beneath the rubble was Becket? Or if he was one of the firefighters racing into the blaze to save the trapped man. They could be burned severely, or suffer from smoke inhalation. Or die.

  The men holding the hose trained the water on the wall of boards covering the downed man, extinguishing the flames. Men nearest raced in and lifted the still-smoldering boards while others dragged the injured firefighter from beneath.

  Kinsey let go of the breath she’d been holding. But the danger wasn’t over. The fire still raged in the barn, and the man who’d been trapped wasn’t moving.

  Paramedics took over. They removed the man’s helmet, checked for a pulse, slipped an oxygen mask over his face, and rolled him onto a backboard. Once secured, they lifted him into the waiting ambulance and drove out of the barnyard.

  “Who was it?” Kinsey whispered, her knuckles pressed against her mouth.

  “Here come some of the crew,” Brenda said. “They’ll let us know.”

  A tall, broad-shouldered man tromped toward them, his face and suit covered in soot. Kinsey could tell it was Becket by the way he swaggered. She ran forward and threw her arms around him. “Becket. Oh, thank God.”

  He caught her in his arms. “Hey, hey,” he chuckled. “I’m okay, but I could use a drink.”

  Kinsey spun and filled one of the cups. “Who was injured?”

  Becket accepted the water and swallowed it quickly. “John LaRue.”

  Her heart pinched. “Little Johnny? The boy who chased me around the playground when I was in grade school?”

  Handing her the cup, Becket winked. “He’s twenty-four, and a damned good firefighter now. I have to get back.” He cupped her cheek and stared into her eyes.

  For a moment, Kinsey thought he might kiss her. She leaned toward him, but she caught herself before her mouth met his. Shock made her take a step backward. “Be careful.”

  Becket turned and walked back to the inferno, his form silhouetted against the orange and yellow flames.

  Kinsey pressed her fingers to her lips. Hell, she’d caused him enough trouble already, she didn’t have to add starry-eyed groupie to the list. She had no business kissing or flirting with any of the Grayson men. They’d all been good enough to give her a place to stay. The very least she could do was to stay out of Becket’s way and, for her own sake, refrain from kissing him.

  Chapter Five

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  Two hours later, nothing much was left of the barn but a pile of ashes and smoldering timbers. Due to the firefighters’ persistence, the house remained unscathed, and the Welsh family still had a home to sleep in, for what was left of the night.

  Tired and thankful no one else was hurt, Becket stripped out of his protective gear and tossed it into the back of his truck. He still reeked of smoke, but he felt a thousand pounds lighter.

  Chance, Rider, Nash, and Lily looked all done in, their shoulders drooping.

  Lily waved to Becket. “I’ll ride back with Chance.”

  Which left Becket alone with Kinsey in his truck. He was finding that alone with Kinsey was not a good thing. The more he was around her, the more he wanted to hold her, touch her, and kiss her pretty pink lips.

  He found himself hoping she was well and truly over Massey, so Becket could have a chance with her. How long did women take to get over a bad relationship? He wasn’t sure he could put off kissing her for much longer.

  Kinsey joined him at the truck after helping Mrs. Welsh and the other ladies put away the jug of water, cups, and the folding table. Knowing she was there had filled him with a bigger sense of purpose and comfort. Whenever he looked back at the ladies gathered around the table, he knew she was safe. If he’d left her behind at the ranch house, he’d have worried, thus taking his attention away from a dangerous situation.

  Becket wasn’t certain how soon Dillon would be served with the restraining order. From Kinsey’s accounting of her past experiences, the man wouldn’t let her go easily. “Sorry, I smell pretty bad. Maybe you should drive while I ride in the back.”

  She laughed. “I think we all smell smoky. It’s nothing a shower and laundry won’t cure.” Kinsey climbed into the truck.

  Becket slid into the driver’s seat, started the engine, and drove off the Double Diamond Ranch.

  “How did you join the volunteer firefighting group?” Kinsey asked.

  “I told them I wanted in.” Becket shot her a glance. “Why?”

  “If I stay in this area, I want in.” She smiled in his direction. “Nothing was more frustrating than to stand back and do nothing.”

  “Yeah, but you’re so…small.”

  She straightened her shoulders. “I might be small, but I’m stronger than you think.”

  The thought of Kinsey carrying a heavy hose or charging into a burning building made Becket’s stomach clench. “It’s not easy. The PPE, personal protective equipment, we wear is heavy, even without the oxygen tanks. On top of that, the pressure from a water hose is enough to knock men as big as I am flat on my ass.”

  “Lily is a volunteer, isn’t she?” Kinsey pointed out.

  “Yes.”

  “Surely, there’s something I could do. And I’d like to be included in the training. Every man and woman who lives in a rural community needs to know how to defend their lives, loved ones, and property from fires, don’t they?”

  He nodded, a smile curling his lips. “You’re right. I shouldn’t judge the small size of the package. My father always says: where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

  “I have the will.” Her head jerked in a quick nod.

  He liked her spunk. And to think, her ex wanted to beat it out of her. Becket’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. What he wouldn’t give to pound the bastard into the ground.

  At the house, he climbed down and came around to help Kinsey out of the truck, exhaustion making his steps slower. He set her on the ground and, before he could think about what he was doing, he brushed a light kiss across her forehead. “Thank you for helping. You didn’t have to come, but I’m glad you did.”

  “I couldn’t have stayed behind, wondering what was happening,” she said, her face turned up to his. She touched her hand to his chest. “I almost had kittens when I saw that wall fall on John LaRue. For a minute, I thought you were the one trapped.”

  Becket took her hand and touched his lips to her fingertips. “Thanks for worrying about me.”

  She stared up into his eyes, heart thumping against her ribs. Then she rose on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his.

  The kiss may have been a soft brush of her mouth against his, but it was the spark that ignited the flame.

  Becket’s arms circled Kinsey’s waist and he crushed her to him, his lips coming down on hers, claiming her mouth. She gasped, her mouth opening enough for his tongue to slide inside, to twist with hers, caressing the length. He tasted smoke and a hint of minty toothpaste.

  She sighed and laced her fingers around the back of his neck, dragging him closer.

  What started as a simple thank you, exploded into something hotter, more combustible and all-consuming. The sound of a squeaky door hinge made Becket back away. He dropped his arms to his sides and stared down at her, his chest heaving.

  Kinsey raised her fingers to her lips, her eyes round, her erratic breathing making her chest rise and fall rapidly.

  “Becket? You out there?” Li
ly called from the back porch.

  Thankfully, the truck blocked her view of him doing something he should never have done. “I’m here,” he responded, stepping into view. “What do you need?”

  “Could you make sure the chickens are locked in the coop? I thought I saw something moving around when we came in. If it’s a coyote, I don’t want it to get to the laying hens.”

  He lifted a hand in a casual wave. “Will do.”

  “Thanks.” Lily reentered the house and closed the door.

  “Do you need help checking on the chickens?” Kinsey asked.

  Her voice was low, gravelly, and so sexy, Becket’s groin tightened. “No,” he said, firming his resolve. “You should go inside.”

  Before I kiss you again.

  She started to turn away, paused, and touched his arm. “That shouldn’t have happened.”

  “Hell, yeah. But I’m not sorry it did.” He brushed a strand of her hair back behind her ear. “I can’t take it back.”

  “Nor can I.” Her chest rose and fell on a sigh. “But I can’t let it happen again.”

  “Okay.” Though he wanted to pull her back into his embrace, he restrained himself. “You’d better take a number for the shower. I’ll be in shortly.”

  He spun on his heels and headed for the barn and chicken house. Resistance wasn’t working for him. Which meant the farther away from Kinsey, the better.

  Grabbing a flashlight they kept hung on the inside of the barn, Becket made a perfunctory inspection of the chicken house and yard. No sign of coyotes. He shined a beam at the ground. The only prints in the dust were human. No animal tracks. As Becket made a turn around the exterior of the barn, he had the odd feeling of being watched. Shining the flashlight beam outward, he panned the surrounding corral, pasture, and outbuildings. Nothing moved, yet the shadows took on a more sinister feel.

  Becket shrugged, writing it off as exhaustion.

  Tomorrow, he hoped to hear news from Natalie about the restraining order. He almost hoped Dillon would make a play for Kinsey. Becket would love a chance to show the man what being battered and thrown around like a rag doll felt like. He’d give the son of a bitch a taste of what he’d done to Kinsey.

  Kinsey tossed and turned through the night, waking with a headache and tightness in her chest. She suspected the headache was from lack of adequate sleep and inhaling too much smoke the night before. The source of the tightness in her chest had to be what kept her from sleeping. Her girlhood crush on Becket had exploded into a full-blown ache that couldn’t be satisfied with a single kiss. Though the kiss had been hot. Really hot.

  Leaving her bed just after dawn, Kinsey dressed in the freshly laundered clothes she’d picked out at the thrift shop, brushed her teeth and hair, and headed for the kitchen. At the very least, she could make herself useful. By the time the Graysons entered the kitchen, she had coffee brewing, bacon, toast, and scrambled eggs cooked.

  A yawning Lily made a beeline for the coffee. “Smells good enough to drink.”

  “What are you talking about?” Chance entered behind her, crossed to the stove, and snagged a piece of bacon. “It smells good enough to eat.” He took a bite and moaned. “Heaven. Pure heaven.”

  “We need to keep Kinsey around.” Nash filled a plate with fluffy yellow scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast and sat at the table.

  Kinsey’s insides warmed. After living in a house where she’d been made to feel like the inferior being, she liked being surrounded by people who appreciated her efforts.

  Lily and Chance filled their plates, claimed seats around the table, and dug into the food.

  Then Becket stepped into the kitchen, and Kinsey’s pulse quickened and heat rose into her cheeks. She turned away and filled a plate for him.

  “Aren’t you eating breakfast?” Lily asked.

  With Becket’s plate in her hand, Kinsey turned from the stove.

  The cowboy stood at the back door. “Nah. I’m not hungry. I’ve got animals to feed and a fence needing mending in the south pasture.”

  “If you can wait, I can help when I get off work this afternoon,” Chance offered.

  “I don’t go on duty until five o’clock this afternoon, I can give you a hand this morning,” Nash said. “Just let me finish my breakfast.”

  Becket shook his head. “No need, it’s a one-man job.”

  “I’m working in town today,” Lily announced. “Some of the elementary school staff are conducting a Learning is Fun Day at the library. We’re expecting at least two-dozen kids. Otherwise, I’d help. I don’t know when I’ll be back. Don’t wait dinner on me.”

  Without responding, Becket left the house.

  Somewhat deflated, Kinsey set the plate of food in the middle of the table. “Y’all eat up.”

  “Aren’t you eating?” Lily asked, a frown wrinkling her brow.

  “I already did,” Kinsey lied. Her appetite had gone out the door with Becket. She cleaned the pan she’d used, wiped the counters, and left the rest of the Graysons in the kitchen.

  Kinsey hurried up the stairs to Rider’s old room and pulled on her cowboy boots, disappointed with the complete brush-off Becket had given her. She’d already decided keeping her distance was the best course of action, but did he have to be so cold and withdrawn? He’d barely glanced her way. At first she was angry, but as she descended the stairs, she had to admit, he was right. Beyond a doubt, her previous relationship was over, but she wasn’t ready for a new one.

  By the time Kinsey reentered the kitchen, she saw the other Graysons had dispersed. From the quiet in the house, they’d either left or gone outside. That gave her the privacy she needed to call Natalie and check the status of the restraining order.

  Natalie answered on the third ring.

  “Hi, Natalie, it’s Kinsey Phillips.”

  “Hi, Kinsey. I’m glad you called. I have good news and bad news.”

  Kinsey sucked in a deep breath and dropped into the nearest chair. “Go ahead.” A lump of fear lodged in her throat.

  “My contacts in Dallas convinced a judge to sign off on the restraining order yesterday. The sheriff attempted to serve Mr. Massey.”

  “Attempted?” Kinsey’s stomach sank to her knees.

  “That’s the bad news. Mr. Massey wasn’t home. When the sheriff went to the Cowboys’ practice field, he verified everyone was there but Dillon.”

  Her heart kicked up the pace, and she felt lightheaded. “Not there?”

  “No one has seen him since the day before yesterday.” Natalie paused. “I’m worried about you, Kinsey.”

  “I’m okay.”

  “Yeah, until Massey finds you. Be sure you’re with one of the Graysons at all times. Hopefully, Massey won’t try anything with others around.”

  With her pulse pounding so loud she barely heard Natalie, she thanked her and hung up.

  Needing the reassuring presence of a friendly face, Kinsey left the house and went in search of Becket. She found him working on a water trough in one of the pastures. She climbed over the wooden rail fence and dropped to the ground. “Need help?”

  “No. I’m almost done here, and then I’m headed out to mend the fence I mentioned.” He straightened and wiped his hands on his jeans. Water poured into the trough. “That should do it.”

  “What was wrong with it?”

  “The horses must have bumped the float. It was reading full all the time, so the valve wouldn’t release to refill the tank.” He turned and studied her face. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” she answered, too quickly. He must have seen the strain in her face, because he pulled her into his arms.

  “You talk to Natalie?”

  A lump formed in her throat. “Yeah.”

  “And?”

  “They couldn’t serve Dillon with the restraining order, because they can’t find him. He hasn’t been to practice in two days.” She curled her fingers into Becket’s shirt. “He’ll find me.”

  “He might find you, but he w
on’t hurt you, if I have a say in it.” Becket’s arms tightened around her reassuringly.

  She let his warmth seep into her. Just for another moment. She wanted to soak in the security his presence provided.

  He held her for a long time, then tilted her chin up and stared into her eyes. “You’ll be okay.”

  She nodded. “If you say so.”

  “You need to believe that. Until you do, you’ll always be looking over your shoulder.”

  “Wouldn’t you? I’m not a big guy, like you.” She stepped back. “Dillon weighs twice as much as I do. He could snap me in two like that.” Kinsey snapped her fingers.

  “Then stay with me. Between the two of us, we’ll keep you safe.” He kissed her forehead. “Okay?”

  Better than okay.

  She wanted to tip up her head to capture his lips. But she’d been the one to tell him not to kiss her again. With her life as messed up as it was, she had no business kissing Becket. He deserved better. Stepping back, she forced a smile. “What can I help with?”

  “I have the four-wheeler loaded up with supplies. If you’ll go get it from the barn, then we can head out to fix that fence.”

  She popped a mock salute, performed an about face, and hurried off to the barn, praying she still knew how to drive an ATV. Kinsey found it parked a few feet inside the open door of the barn. As she slung her leg over the seat, she glanced around. A prickling feeling crawled over the back of her neck. Nothing stirred in the barn. The stalls were empty, the horses turned out to graze in the pasture. Not even a barn cat came out to greet her. Still, Kinsey felt as if someone was watching her.

  Shaking it off as an overactive imagination, she turned the key and pressed the starter switch. The ATV roared to life. Kinsey released the brake, pressed her thumb on the throttle lever, and the four-wheeler leaped forward. Tools rattled in the large metal box attached to the back.

  By the time she reached Becket, she had the vehicle figured out. She pulled to a stop beside him, letting the engine idle, and started to climb off.

  “Stay.” Becket waved at her. “I’ll ride behind you.”