12-Alarm Cowboys

by Cora Seton

  He wished he could say he was half as honorable. Oh, he’d not acted on his feelings. Titan hadn’t said a word or made a move to give anyone reason to believe he thought of Makenna Wade as anything more than a friend and the wife of his Captain. But he was no angel. He was as far from perfect as a man could be. For he might not show his emotions outwardly, but what he felt in his heart was a different story.

  Ironically, tonight he was being recognized as a hero. Titan shifted in his chair, wishing he was anywhere else but here. He didn’t deserve this recognition. Hell, he’d just been doing his job. Titan fought the urge to glance at her over his shoulder. Fuck! He knew she was here, he was as aware of her as any man could be of the woman he loved.

  Leaning forward, he stared at the green tiled floor. The members of his unit sat around him, occupying the complete second row at the community convention center. When the overhead lights dimmed, he groaned. He’d be so glad when this ordeal was over.

  “Ladies and Gentleman, please join me in welcoming Mr. Kyle Chancellor, the esteemed Governor of the great state of Texas.”

  To a rousing round of applause, the young dignitary made his way to the podium, acknowledging the introduction made by the Master of Ceremonies. He held up his hands, quieting the crowd. “Thank you very much. I appreciate you coming out tonight. The communities in Hays County have come through a trying time in the last few months. They have risen on the wings of hope from the pits of sorrow and devastation. We mourn those we have lost and rejoice over those who were saved. Many people stepped forward to come to the aid of their fellow man. If it were not for those who placed their lives on the line, who went beyond the call of duty, we wouldn’t have as much to be thankful for today as we do. The Memorial Day floods will not be soon forgotten, nor will the heroes who went the extra mile to help those in need.

  “Today we honor one of those heroes. Yes, saving people is his job. But this man worked tirelessly. He placed the welfare of others above his own, time and time again. It is my pleasure to present this award to an individual who lives in such a manner as to be an example to us all. The words engraved on this plaque epitomize an attitude of servitude.” Governor Chancellor bade the man of the hour to step forward. “It is with great pleasure that I present this humanitarian award to Firefighter Titan Sloan.” As one, the audience began to cheer and clap. Once more Kyle Chancellor asked for attention. “I’d like to read you the inscription.” He cleared his throat. “I Am My Brother’s Keeper. To real-life hero, Titan Sloan, who chooses every day to stand in the gap between danger and those who need to be saved.”

  With a deep breath, Titan rose from his seat and ascended the steps to the stage like he was heading to the guillotine. Accepting the plaque, he smiled and shook the governor’s hand. “Thank you, sir.” He could feel himself blushing. Putting himself in harm’s way was a picnic over facing a room full of strangers and a gaggle of reporters. It was a wonder his family wasn’t here. If they hadn’t been on a trip to Europe with his sister, the whole Sloan entourage would’ve been in the front row.

  The guys smirked at him while his Captain shifted uneasily from one foot to the other. He didn’t act pleased, for some reason. Well, Titan wasn’t really pleased himself. Someone else should be receiving this award, like Damien. The Captain was as much of a hero as Titan, probably more. And he knew many of the community thought he should be standing up here on this podium in Titan’s place. And Titan would’ve been fine with that. He didn’t like the attention, and he wasn’t much for giving a speech. Titan did the best he could with the three sentences he’d memorized. “I’m privileged to be able to help people and I don’t do it alone. We’re a team and we train for this every day. I only wish we had been able to do more.” Whew! He hurriedly stepped back from the microphone and held the wooden and brass plaque over his head. As always, he searched the crowd.

  Looking for her.

  For just a heartbeat, their eyes met before she glanced away quickly. Titan couldn’t breathe. His heart hammered in his chest.

  Down in the audience…Makenna watched Titan Sloan with pride. He was one very special man. During the time she’d known him, he worked tirelessly, giving a hundred and ten percent. His ‘save’ ratio was one of the highest in Texas. That was why she’d nominated him for this award. As secretary of the VFD, it was her prerogative. He deserved it. She just hoped Damien never found out what she’d done or that would be another sin she’d have to pay for.

  When the audience rose to give him a standing ovation, she joined them, clapping for a man whose very nature defined the term hero. Makenna couldn’t help but notice the admiring glances he received from many women. Even now they were devouring him with their eyes. She tried to quell the wave of jealousy mounting within her, an emotion she had no right to entertain.

  Fighting the desire to reveal how she felt, Makenna forced herself to look away. Instead, her gaze landed on her husband. Thanks to him she couldn’t lean back in the theater style seat. Instead, she sat on the edge and leaned forward. He’d whipped her with his belt last night. Her back was striped like a Christmas candy cane. All because he hadn’t been pleased over what she’d prepared for their supper, which was his fault since he refused to give her enough money except to buy the cheapest cuts of meat. So, her roast hadn’t been melt-in-your-mouth tender. He’d upended his plate on the floor and when she’d tried to clean it up, Damien had jerked her to her feet and dragged her to their bedroom. Oh, she hadn’t gone willingly. Makenna struggled and fought with every ounce of strength she possessed. Her husband hadn’t carried her to their bed because he wanted sex. No, he’d torn her shirt from her body, held her down and beat her till his arm was tired and she was barely conscious from the pain.

  During the early days of their marriage, his behavior had shocked her so much that she’d taken whatever he dished out. In her naiveté, she thought she loved Damien and doing as he said, being the dutiful wife and pleasing him would somehow make him love her back. Only that hadn’t happened. If anything, his behavior had grown worse—more unreasonable, his temper so short that any little thing could set him off in a cloud of rage.

  How she wished her life was different. While the governor had been singing Titan’s praises, she’d pretended that she belonged to him. If he only knew how she dreamed of running to him, throwing herself in his arms and begging him to help her.

  But she couldn’t.

  No, she had to bide her time until she had a plan, one that would put no one else in jeopardy. The only problem was, she had no idea what that plan would be. Keeping her eyes downcast, she scribbled on the program, over and over—MTF, MTF. Her husband, who was sitting beside her, glanced down, then looked away. Once he’d asked her why she kept writing her initials again and again. Makenna Tess Flynn was her maiden name. She’d told him with head held high that she wished she was single again. He’d just sneered, never questioning her words. What she’d said hadn’t been a lie. She did wish she’d never married. But that wasn’t what she was thinking when she wrote the initials. To Makenna, the letters MTF stood for Makenna and Titan Forever, a silly childish game she played with herself, but it made her feel better. As she sat there and doodled, she was ultra-aware when Titan left the stage and returned to his place.

  Finding his seat next to Jericho, Titan got through the rest of the ceremony. Even though it was uncomfortable, he was in the same room with Makenna and that meant this was a time to be cherished. Afterward, they would all go out for drinks and he would sit across from her and pretend he was just a friend.

  That was all he’d ever been.

  Makenna Wade was a lady. She’d no more betray her marriage than she would rob a bank. So, Titan’s love went unrequited. He watched from the sidelines while the woman of his dreams made a life with another man.

  Before he knew it, the ceremony was over and he was up with the crowd, moving out of the packed community center into the night. “How does it feel to be a hero?” a reporter asked, pushing
a live mic in his face, a bright light from the television camera blinding him.

  “I was just doing my job, ma’am.” Titan blinked, trying to see an avenue of escape.

  “Leave the man alone,” Damien said, coming to his rescue. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.” Together the members of the Hays County Volunteer Fire Department headed to their cars and drove out of town toward a nearby tavern. They served an area of Texas known as the Devil’s Backbone. The Backbone was a rugged portion of the Texas Hill Country known for its rolling hills and sweeping valleys dotted with oak, juniper and cactus, where the Balcones Fault reared up dramatically separating the Blanco and Guadalupe river basins. As Titan drove his black Dodge Ram across the serpentine edge of the Backbone, he couldn’t help but note his surroundings. The caravan passed several vineyards, one owned by a friend of his. They also passed his ranch.

  He fought the urge to put on his blinker and bow out of the festivities, leaving the group of his fellow firefighters to go indulge without him. There was always work to be done at home. He had several knives forged to finish in his blacksmith shop and when he got time, he had some horses to shoe. But not tonight, tonight he’d go out with his friends. There was a chance he’d get to share a few words with Makenna and that would make it all worthwhile.

  When they pulled into the rugged tavern, he knew the place would be full of regulars throwing back beers and telling lies. Bikers. Ranchers. Working men. They were all his friends. As soon as he opened the door, he could hear the live music of a local band. Todd Snider used to play the Backbone Tavern, but he hadn’t been there but a few times since he’d made it big.

  Once inside, he was greeted by Miss Velma, a spry octogenarian who worked the bar. “What you drinking, Titan? Whatever it is, it’s on the house.”

  “Thanks, ma’am. Everybody else drinks on me tonight,” was his response as the waitress set up a table for them all. The Devil’s Backbone Tavern didn’t carry his drink of choice. Titan was a wine connoisseur, information he didn’t openly share with his beer-drinking friends. “I think there’s a dozen of us at least, maybe more.” Titan gestured to his buddies as they filed in. Ronan, the youngest member of their group, was with a petite blonde from Marble Falls by the name of Chastity. Titan smiled, thinking she was with the wrong guy if chastity was a virtue she valued. Dallas was with his regular lady, and Maverick living up to his name was alone. Blaze entered with a war whoop. He had a temper as hot as the fires he fought. He’d just broken up with his fiancée, so tonight he was palling around with Montana, the guy who drove their big rig. Both men surveyed the room, they were on the prowl. Hotshot came in next with his arm around a curvy little ginger from San Marcos. Titan hadn’t learned her name yet. And lastly came their fierce leader with his arm around…someone else other than Makenna. He was whispering in the brunette’s ear, who turned to smile at him broadly. Titan’s blood pressure spiked. What the fuck? The slinky vixen winked at Damien and headed toward the restrooms. Behind them, still in the doorway stood Makenna, looking a bit lost. Damien didn’t turn back for her, he just raised his hand in greeting to several at another table and let her make her way in alone.

  That would never do. Titan threw caution to the wind and moved to go to her rescue. “Come on in, Makenna, what’s your pleasure?” Titan held her chair. If she belonged to him, he would carry her around on a feather pillow if she so desired.

  “A coke will be fine. Thank you, Titan.” She smiled hesitantly. When he looked at her questioningly, she further explained. “Alcohol makes me drowsy.”

  “That’s right, Makenna needs to stay away from drinking. Mixing alcohol with medication is never wise.” This came from Damien as he came back to the table to drain his own glass. She didn’t argue, she just looked embarrassed.

  “Okay,” he assured her, “one cola coming up.” Now, he was worried. Was she sick? What kind of medication was she taking? He’d ask if he got a chance. As far as he was concerned, there wasn’t anything wrong with Makenna that a divorce wouldn’t remedy. As he made his way to the bar, he realized he was playing waiter just for her. Well, dammit, he didn’t care. He also imagined what it would be like having her nestle up next to him after a margarita, all warm and cuddly. “Give me a coke, Velma.”

  She poured one and presented it to Titan with a wink. “I’ll be over to get the other drink orders in a jiffy.”

  Titan nodded. “Thanks, none of us will be having more than one. We’re on call.” With that, he took off, hoping no one else would see through his actions, especially Makenna. When he set the drink in front of her, she’d taken off her wrap and he noted she was wearing the pretty black dress she usually wore. No one else probably noticed. It wasn’t his way to normally be cognizant of fashion, but he paid attention to every detail about this woman. Even that she seemed to have only one outfit she wore out on the town. He thought about the week before, when he’d seen her shopping at Goodwill. Maybe Damien had debts no one knew about. Oh well, caring for her wasn’t his privilege—no matter how much he wished it could be.

  “Thank you, Titan.” She gave him a quick smile, wishing she could tell him not to be disturbed by Damien’s behavior. Anytime his attention was off of her and on someone else was a mini-vacation. She wasn’t jealous at all. In fact, she prayed her husband would fall in love with someone else and decide to move on. Unfortunately, she served a different purpose than his bimbos.

  “I appreciate you,” she told Titan. Makenna wanted to say more, and it seemed so did he because he stood there, their gazes locked. Her mouth was going dry. If he stayed much longer, Damien would notice and they’d both suffer. She was just about to excuse herself to go to the restroom when one of his buddies called his name.

  “Sloan! Come sit down with me and quit waiting on tables. You’re supposed to be the guest of honor.”

  Maverick pulled out a seat next to him and Titan moved into it, grateful his friend nudged him out of the trance he’d been in. “Thanks. How are you?”

  “I’m fine. How much weight are you up to on squats?”

  “Seven-hundred-fifty,” Titan said casually, keeping one eye on Makenna, who was now speaking to one of the other young women.

  “No shit.” Maverick whistled. Several of the couples were getting up to dance and he noticed out of the corner of his eye that Damien was on the floor—with the brunette. He couldn’t help but look back at Makenna and when he did, their eyes clashed and she blushed. Titan had to hold on to the edge of the table to keep from rising to go and ask her to dance. He ought to go challenge the Captain about his actions, but that probably wouldn’t go along well with his efforts to hide the feelings he had for Makenna. Thank God, Blaze beat him to the punch. He walked up her, held out his hand and made a slight bow. To Titan’s surprise, she shook her head no, thanking his buddy.

  “Hey!” Maverick snapped his fingers in Titan’s face. “Where’d you go?”

  Titan blinked, refocusing on his friend, accepting the beer he pushed toward him. “Nowhere, it’s just been a rough couple of weeks.” He dragged his fingers through his hair, causing it to spike up. “I’ve got a fence to mend at home, my pond needs to be cleaned out. The spring has debris in it.” When he saw his friend’s eyes glaze over, he knew he’d complained enough. “Never mind, let’s drink up.”

  For the next couple of hours, he was the recipient of toasts and a couple of challenges at the pool table. He’d switched to root beer after the first drink, but even the absence of alcohol didn’t do much to lessen the level of fun everyone seemed to be having. Several times he glanced over toward Makenna and the last time he did, it was to see Damien sitting next to her, their heads close together. A pang of jealousy hit him between the eyes. If he hadn’t been feeling so low, Tammie Woods would never have got him to agree to take her out. She’d come along in all of her bleached blonde glory and draped herself over his arm like a cat in heat. He wasn’t a saint, and he wasn’t celibate, but flirting with someone else in front of the woman h
e loved didn’t feel right. No matter how off limits she was. Still, he found himself going along with Tammie’s plans.

  “You won’t be sorry, I promise.” She gave him a big wink, wetting her lips, which were painted bright red. Titan watched Tammie walk away, putting as much of a twist in her hips as she could manage. She was his next door neighbor on the south side. They shared a fence line. Titan knew she’d like to merge more than their ranches and their herds.

  When he finally returned to the table, it was to find Makenna gone. Damien was still here, which didn’t sit well with Titan. But what the hell was he supposed to do? Maybe she drove herself. She was a strong independent woman. She often came alone to their meetings, mostly because Damien was usually already at the station. Nevertheless, he couldn’t keep from walking out front, just to make sure she wasn’t standing outside alone. He wondered if anyone had even walked her to her car. There was no sign of her, so he presumed she’d headed home.

  It was summer, the night was hot. Not even the Hill Country could cool down when a Texas August came calling. Stepping out far enough into the lot, he scanned the cars. Out here, the sounds from inside the tavern were muffled. The lows of a few cattle sounded through the night and in the distance he could hear hoof beats of horses. The noise reminded him of the old ghost tale about the phantom horses that supposedly haunted the Backbone. Many had supposedly heard their hoof beats drawing close, but when they would look—nothing was there. Old-timers spoke in a hush about confederate soldiers, a Comanche raiding party, even pioneers who still roamed these hills and hollows long after they were dead and gone. Titan had never seen anything himself, but he knew people who swore they had.