by Codi Gary
Wes scowled darkly, as if she had asked the wrong question. “No…it was in the Bear Mountain Moments section.”
How in the hell had the newspaper found out about it?
“I haven’t decided. I have until today—”
“But you were going to decide without talking to us?” Cal said.
“You two are grown-ass men, and only come back to visit a couple times a year! Why would I consult with you about what I do with my life?”
They both actually looked hurt.
“’Cause we’re family,” Wes said.
Cal nodded. “And we thought once we were out, we’d come back here and settle down. We figured you’d be here, too.”
Penny was so overcome, she couldn’t speak for several seconds. Finally, she sniffled, “That’s really sweet.”
Her brothers shifted in their seats, as though they were uncomfortable with her obvious display of emotions.
“Besides, if you sell the house then we’ll have nowhere to crash when we’re on leave,” Cal said. “And we’re too broke to afford a hotel.”
Penny laughed. “That’s what I was waiting for.”
Wes put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “Joking aside, sis, it’s your decision. But this place won’t feel like home without you.”
Penny stared at the two e-mails from San Diego Zoo and Yellowstone while her finger hovered over the green Call button on her phone. After she’d talked to her brothers and heard how frustrated they were about her desire to leave, she was really having her doubts. Hell, even Allie had been disappointed to hear that Penny was considering taking a job in San Diego.
Plus, Penny knew how Hunter felt about her leaving. And Trent.
Trent was really special. He’d become this supportive, bright spot in her life. Someone who could make her smile and laugh, even when she didn’t want to. He wanted her to stay for him.
And Hunter had said that Bear Mountain wouldn’t be the same without her. That he wouldn’t be the same without her around.
But ultimately, it was up to her.
What did she really want?
Penny glanced around the room at the old pictures of her family before it had been damaged by loss.
It wasn’t beyond repair though. She and her brothers had survived. They could care about other people, even love…
She pressed the button on her screen and waited for Hunter to pick up.
It went straight to voice mail, and before she lost her nerve, she started talking.
“Hey, it’s me. I wanted to tell you that I loved all the flowers. Call me when you get a chance.”
She hung up and the next phone call was a little harder. Speaking to the director at the San Diego Zoo and giving up the position she had coveted for so long was tough, but she ended the call feeling lighter. Freer.
Who would have thought staying in Bear Mountain would have made her this happy?
Chapter 17
It seemed the summer fire season had jumped into full swing. Since Trent had left lunch with Penny and her brothers, the calls hadn’t stopped. Now, he and the rest of the Bear Mountain Fire Station pulled up outside the Dormans’ home, just after eleven at night. Smoke was billowing off the back side of the house and the flames had almost fully engulfed the lower level.
“What’s the plan here?” Trent asked. “How many inside?”
Chief Whitaker pointed toward the fire truck. “We’re getting the ladder set up, but we’re going to have to break that window. Virginia was the one to call 911. Her daughter, Molly, and she woke up to the smell of smoke and the fire alarm blaring. Virginia ran upstairs to get her, and she and Molly got stuck. Her window doesn’t open, and—”
The sound of breaking glass and something flying through the upstairs window exploded above them. Glass scattered to the ground, and Virginia stuck her head out. “Help us, please!”
Trent nodded. “Looks like it’s open now.”
The chief grunted, but Trent could have sworn he saw his lips twitch, like he was trying not to smile. “Smart-ass. Grab the ladder. Go be a hero.”
“Yes, sir.” Trent and several other firemen set up the ladder and Trent was the first one up. Once he reached the top, he called out, “Hey, Virginia, I’m going to get you out of there. Hang on.”
He gingerly stepped onto the roof, walking slowly. He got to the window and cleared the rest of the glass off the sill. The room light was on, illuminating the woman and her daughter. Virginia was in her late twenties, and wearing an extra-large T-shirt and pajama pants. He could see her daughter huddled at the end of the bed with her head on her knees, her small shoulders shaking. Trent’s heart squeezed.
“It’s going to be alright now. Okay, one at a time.”
Virginia picked up her daughter from the floor and handed her through the window to him before stepping out.
“Watch out for the glass.” As he helped them across the roof, the give of the shingles made him nervous.
He’d just gotten them to the edge when he felt the roof give beneath him. Then he was falling through. A short, raw pain shot up his leg and the rest of his body until, finally, he jolted to a stop.
Virginia cried out and reached for her daughter who was still in his arms. He handed her off to Virginia, trying to process what had happened. The two clung together.
His leg. It had gone through the roof. And he could still feel the wood splintering around his thigh.
It was going to cave.
“Virginia, I need you and your daughter off this roof now.” He smiled at Molly, encouraging her as she stepped toward the ladder a few feet away. “You can do it, sweetie.”
The girl glanced at him fearfully before letting her mother go and grabbing the top of the ladder. Virginia was shouting down that he’d fallen through, and he then heard another crack.
“Get off the damn roof!” he hollered.
They had just disappeared over the edge of the ladder when the roof gave way beneath him. Trent was falling.
Chapter 18
Hunter raced to the pit, waiting for the ambulance that held the injured firefighter. The minute those double doors opened and they wheeled the gurney inside, he knew it was Trent. His stomach twisted.
“What happened?”
“He fell through the roof of a home that was on fire. Possible broken leg and burns. BP 150 over 90.”
Hunter wasn’t worried about the elevated blood pressure. It was typical for pain and panic to cause it to skyrocket.
“Trent,” he said, addressing the man calmly. “You’re going to be alright.”
Trent gave him a slight smile, his face blackened and the oxygen tubes in his nose rising with the lift of his lips. “What’s up, Doc?” he rasped.
“If it hurts to talk, don’t.” Hunter and Enrique started stripping him gently, and he saw a burn on Trent’s arm that would need to be debrided and cleaned.
“Let’s get him some pain meds on board!”
Trent grabbed Hunter’s arm and squeezed it. “Will you have somebody call Penny?”
Hunter fought back the spike of jealousy. “Sure, but what about family?”
“The closest thing I have to it is the guys at the station and they’ll be out there waiting already. Penny’s the only one who won’t know. I want her here.”
As Trent passed out, Hunter flashed back to the time when he’d thought that he and Allie Fairchild would work out. But when his best friend, Dex, had almost died, Allie had realized she was in love with Dex. It had been disappointing, but now Hunter knew he hadn’t ever been in love with Allie.
If Penny found out Trent was hurt, would it trigger her to make a choice?
Would that choice break him?
Hunter turned to Mike, one of the firemen standing in the doorway. “Call Penelope Davis and let her know that Trent Bush has been hurt and is at the hospital. Tell her to come quickly, but let her know he’s going to be fine.”
After Penny got the call that Trent was hurt, she’d lef
t work and rushed over to the hospital. Actually, rushed was an understatement; she’d almost hit warp speed.
When she got there, she was escorted to the waiting room, which was filled with the firefighters who weren’t needed at the scene and several girls Trent had dated in the short time he’d lived here. Apparently, there were no hard feelings between them, or they wouldn’t have been sitting there crying their eyes out.
Darynda Martin, one of the other firefighters, waved Penny over. Penny took the empty seat next to her, relieved to see a familiar face. Darynda and Penny had gone to high school together. Darynda had left to join the air force, but when she’d come back to Bear Mountain, their friendship hadn’t seemed to change.
“Have you heard anything yet?” Penny asked.
“Not besides the initial reports. He fell through the roof when he was getting Virginia Dorman and her daughter to safety, and now he’s suffering burns and a possible broken leg.”
Penny released a shaky breath, a tear sliding down her cheek. Hunter had told Mike to tell her he would be fine, but things happened.
Please, please let him be alright.
Darynda took her hand with a squeeze. “I wouldn’t worry about Trent. He’s too tough to let a few bumps and bruises get him down.”
Penny laughed a little, but when Allie came into the room to hug her, Penny’s silent crying turned to sobs.
“Hunter’s got him. You know how good he is.”
Penny did know. If anyone could put Trent back together, it was Hunter.
Hunter walked down the hallway to the waiting room and the first thing he spotted as he stepped inside was Penny, who had her head buried in Allie’s neck while she was holding Darynda’s hand.
His heart shattered into a million pieces at the sight. It felt as though someone had come up and throat punched him.
“Doc, what’s the word?” Darynda asked, drawing every eye in the room to him.
Hunter cleared his throat, trying to fight past the pain. “He’s stable. He’s got some second- and third-degree burns and he broke his left leg, but he should recover with only a few scars.”
“Thank goodness,” one of the firefighters said. Relief eased throughout the room.
“Can we see him?” Penny asked.
Hunter met her gaze, and nodded slowly. “In a few hours. I’ll have one of the nurses let you know.”
People were slapping him on the back and thanking him, but he couldn’t seem to look away from Penny, who was hugging Allie and Darynda. Was she relieved because her friend was okay?
Or had she realized Trent meant more?
Chapter 19
Finally, Penny followed Nurse Matthews into Trent’s hospital room a few hours later. The minute he saw her, he gave her a groggy smile.
“Well, hey there, kitten. Come to make sure I’m still kicking?”
“Among other things.” She sat down next to the bed and took his hand in hers. “You scared a lot of people.”
“Yeah? Who showed up? Any women who wanted to make me feel better?”
Penny rolled her eyes. “Please don’t make me hit you in your weakened state.”
“Hey, give me six to eight weeks and I’ll give you all the satisfaction you could want.”
“Will you shut up?” She wiped at her wet cheeks with one hand, sniffling. “This is serious. If I’m going to stay here, I’m going to need you around to annoy me and occasionally give me really good advice. So you need to take better care of yourself.”
“I give good advice? Like what?”
“Well, you’re the one who said I should give you a chance, and look? I got to see what an amazing guy you are.”
“That sounds a lot like I’ve been friend zoned.”
“Trent—”
He covered her mouth with his hand, sucking in a breath as he winced. “Shit, that hurt.” He took a deep shaky breath and slowly removed his hand. “I really like you, Penny.”
His honest, frank admission twisted her heart guiltily.
“I like you, too,” she said softly.
“But not enough.”
Penny’s vision blurred again, wishing she could give him a different answer.
He tucked her hair back gently. “It’s okay, kitten. I never really thought I had a chance.” His hand dropped back onto the bed and he gave her a tired smile. “Can’t blame a guy for trying though, right?”
She gave a forced laugh, following his lead. For a moment, he’d shown her his soft underbelly, and now he seemed to want her to forget about it by shifting back to his old flirty self. The least she could do was let him.
“I have a feeling you aren’t going to be sad for long,” she said. “There is a room full of women out there and I’m sure any one of them would love to give you a sponge bath.”
His laughter went to coughing and then a groan. “You’ve been hanging with me too long. I’ve been a pervy influence.”
“Maybe, but I like having you around, so take care of yourself, okay?” She leaned over and kissed him on his forehead. “Want me to send one of your groupies in next?”
“Why? You leaving me already?”
Penny laughed. “Well, now that I know you’ll live, there’s someone I have to talk to.”
Trent sank back into his bed. “Fine, go. And tell the doc I said thanks.”
Penny left the room, and went straight to the nurses’ desk. “Hi,” she said. “I’m looking for Dr. Gracin.”
“Oh, he’s gone for the night. Is there something I can help you with?”
“Um, no. When did he leave?”
“Just a few minutes ago. You can probably catch him if you hurry.”
But Penny was already jogging down the hallway to the stairwell, taking them as fast as her legs could carry her. By the time she burst out of the front, she could see the taillights of Hunter’s SUV disappearing into the night.
“Shit.”
Penny ran for her Tacoma, and pulled out with a squeal, heading in the same direction he’d gone. Since he had taken a left out of the parking lot, she figured he was heading home.
Speeding along the back road, Penny finally spotted him ahead of her and laid on her horn, flashing her lights obnoxiously. When he parked in a pull-out up the road, she squeezed in behind him and hopped out.
He stalked toward the back of his SUV and the headlights highlighted the confused expression on his face.
“Penny, what happened?”
Without answering, she threw her arms around him, squeezing her to him. “Thank you.”
He tensed against her. “What?”
“Thank you for everything you did for Trent.”
He tried to pull away. “It’s nothing I wouldn’t have done for any other patient. No need to thank me.”
She leaned back with a frown. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. You should get back to the hospital. I need to get home.”
“I’m not going back to the hospital. Trent’s got plenty of company and there is something I need—”
“I’m sure he wants you there. He asked for you.”
Penny wasn’t an idiot, but it still took her a second to realize that Hunter thought she was dating Trent.
And she laughed. “Are you seriously still jealous of Trent?”
For a moment, she thought he was going to deny it, but then…
“Of course I’m jealous of Trent! I’d be jealous of any man who has even a small piece of you.”
“Didn’t you get my message?” she asked.
“No, I left my phone at home today.”
Penny grabbed his shirtfront, still laughing with a shake of her head. “Every piece of me belongs to you. Always has. Always will.”
That seemed to give him pause, and then he was crushing her to his chest.
“I thought when he was hurt, that you’d realize—”
“Hunter, it’s you. It’s always been you.”
There was only one thing for him to say to that.
Nothi
ng. Nothing at all.
Instead, he tangled his hands in her hair and covered her mouth with his, kissing her with all the pent-up frustration and fear he’d felt. The simmering lust that had been threatening to boil over for five years exploded to the surface and he felt himself dragging her backward, his mouth never leaving hers as they found their way back to his SUV. There was a lot of fumbling and stumbling, but when he finally got the back door open, things really heated up.
Penny’s hands grabbed the front of his button-up shirt and tore it open, popping the buttons off so they pinged against the window and door of his SUV, but he didn’t care. He was as eager to feel her skin against his and proved it when he practically ripped her T-shirt over her head.
“Ow, you caught my nose,” she mumbled, rubbing at the upturned tip.
“Sorry, I’ll kiss it better.”
Her hands went behind her back. When she slid her bra straps down her arms and her breasts slipped out from the lacy white cups, his mouth dried up.
“I can think of better places for you to kiss,” she whispered.
Hunter took the hint and dipped his head, his mouth covering one tight nipple and then the other. He circled the tip with his tongue before drawing it fully into his mouth, sucking until he heard her moan huskily.
While he made love to her breasts, his hands were at her waist, trying to unbutton her pants. Her mouth found his ear and as her teeth nipped lightly on the lobe, he growled in frustration.
“Here. Here.” She pulled away and unbuttoned them for him, pushing her jeans and underwear down over her hips. And in that moment, he wished the moon was shining just a little brighter so he could see her.
“Are you going to take your pants off or what?” she huffed.
He kicked off his boots, loving the impatient tone in her voice. He unbuckled his belt as she leaned over him. The warmth of her breath and lips caressed his stomach as her fingers nimbly unbuttoned his jeans and pulled down his zipper. The cacophony of muted sounds joined his deep, rapid breathing.
Her nails scratched his hips as she helped him out of his jeans and boxers, but he didn’t have time to react before her lips were kissing the tip of his cock, making him reach for the oh shit handle as her mouth slipped down the length of him. The warm suction made his balls tighten, his toes curl, and his other hand tangled in her hair.