A Cowboy Firefighter For Christmas (Smokin' Hot Cowboys 1)

by Kim Redford

  “Okay, for now.” He didn’t mean that either, but he’d play by her rules till he found a way to persuade her to substitute his for hers.

  “How ’bout those directions?”

  “Coming right up.”

  With Trey navigating, Misty backed out of her parking space and drove down Main Street to the end of Old Town.

  He pointed right. “Take Cougar Lane. You’ll see the fire station on the left.”

  She drove a short distance, and then parked in front of the large silver building with a bright red roof, five bay doors, and one regular door. Festive white lights twinkled along the edge of the roofline. “It’s modular.”

  “We get most of our funds from donations, fund-raisers, and grants. That means we put our money in rigs, not bricking the outside for curb appeal.”

  “It’s a sturdy-looking structure.”

  “New, too. Took us five years to put together enough dough to build it. We still use the original station for the older rigs, but it’s at a separate location.”

  “Impressive.”

  “All volunteer staff.” He opened his door.

  “Including the mouser?” She pointed toward the front of the station at a gray cat with gold eyes sporting a red bow around his neck. “Is he a Hemingway, too?”

  Trey chuckled. “That’s Ash. He’s got the regular number of toes. Still, nothing gets past him even when he’s duded up with a red bow around his neck.” Trey watched the fire station cat stretch, give their vehicle a slit-eyed look, and saunter around the side of the building and out of sight.

  “He’s gorgeous. I adore cats. They’re so beautiful and intelligent. I’m really impressed Ash hasn’t torn off that ribbon.”

  “Wouldn’t dare. Hedy’s word is law. Ash proudly wears costumes for all the holidays.”

  “Maybe I can see Ash up close later.”

  “Sure.” He opened his door. “Hedy’s most likely in the office. Wait here. I’ll be right back.”

  “You don’t need to go with me to the B&B.”

  “I want to introduce you to Ruby.” He stepped outside, opened the back door, and picked up the bag of evidence. Not that he thought it’d help much, but there might be some type of residue on the fabric.

  As he started toward the office, the door banged open. Hedy zoomed outside in her power wheelchair. She wore her steel-gray hair in a single plait down her back. Her sharp brown eyes missed nothing.

  “Not hurt, are you?” she called.

  “No. Caught the fire in time. Kent’s watching the pasture for possible flare-ups.”

  “Good.” She quickly motored over to him. Rudolph the Reindeer’s red nose blinked on and off in her earrings and necklace. She held up a bright yellow T-shirt. “Sakes alive, put this on and cover up your nakedness. A lady could happen by.”

  “You’re more than enough lady for me.” He grinned as he exchanged the garbage bag for the Wildcat Bluff Fire-Rescue T-shirt with a crimson Firefighter-EMT logo. “My shirt’s in that bag. I used it and those towels to put out the fire. Consider it evidence.”

  “Fat lot of good that’ll do.”

  “You never know.” He quickly pulled the T-shirt over his head, smoothed it over his chest, and tucked it into his jeans. Guess it made him halfway respectable.

  “Who’s the gal?”

  “Come over and meet our latest hero.”

  When they reached Misty’s side of the SUV, she opened her door and stepped out.

  “Misty Reynolds, this is Hedy Murray. She owns the store you admired in Old Town.”

  “I’m so pleased to meet you,” Misty said. “I can’t wait to see inside Adelia’s Delights.”

  Hedy chuckled. “Hope you like the store. Fact of the matter, I like to stay busy. Keeps me out of mischief. I’m glad to make your acquaintance, too.”

  “I deputized Misty as a Wildcat Bluff Volunteer Firefighter.”

  “Deputized! Ain’t no such animal.” Hedy snorted, rolling her eyes. “But we can use all the volunteers we can get.”

  “She’ll be helping out while she’s in town.”

  “Staying long?” Hedy asked.

  “Not too long. I’m here on vacation,” Misty said.

  “Where are you staying?”

  “Twin Oaks B&B.”

  “Good choice. Not that the hotel isn’t prime territory. Lots of folks stay there, too.”

  “It looks wonderful.”

  “Darn tootin’.” Hedy backed up. “Pleasure. Got to get back to the phone lines. See you two later.”

  Trey watched her zoom inside the station before he and Misty got back into the vehicle.

  He glanced at Misty. “Before you ask, Hedy was a hell of a horsewoman. Champion barrel racer. Now, she never misses a local rodeo. She’s been confined to a wheelchair since her favorite palomino threw her. She cursed her bad riding, not her horse.”

  “What a shame.”

  “Nope. That’s what comes from riding horses. You’re going to get stove up one way or another.”

  “Worth it?”

  “You bet.” He chuckled. “Now she pretty much uses her skills to train cats and firefighters, too.” He figured a city gal like Misty probably couldn’t understand the love of horses. Not yet anyway. Start her out on something smaller, if not easier, like cats. “Head on down Cougar Lane.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to stay here?”

  “I’ll catch a ride at Ruby’s back to my place.”

  “Do you want me to take you?”

  “Thanks. But it’s too far out of your way. I’m finally going to give you a chance to check in and catch your breath.”

  “A shower is at the top of my list.”

  He laughed, running a hand through his hair. “Mine, too.”

  She joined his laughter. “I bet anybody we meet will agree about our showers.”

  “Let ’em complain. We’re heroes.”

  He held up his hand for a high five. When she responded, he felt her touch like fuel to a flame.

  Chapter 5

  “Twin Oaks Bed & Breakfast is up on Cougar Knoll.” Trey gestured down Cougar Lane. “Just keep going and you’ll get there.”

  “I see what you mean about the houses.” Misty drove slowly to take in the view. Most of the large homes were set back from the road on an acre or perhaps two. She admired a Spanish hacienda with a red-tile roof, a pink brick single-story ranch with a silver metal roof, a white antebellum with wide columns soaring from the portico up to the second story, and a multicolored pastel Victorian. All were beautiful. They also had Christmas decorations prominently displayed so people driving by could enjoy the designs from country-style painted wood to city-bright plastic and neon. She couldn’t help but think how much Aunt Cami would have enjoyed seeing these houses.

  “Twin Oaks is special,” Trey said. “Nobody much wanted to deal with those ten acres on the outskirts of town. Rocky ground with little natural beauty except for two ancient oak trees. The natural spring was there, but it had been boarded over and people had mostly forgotten about it.”

  “I liked the look of the hotel in town.”

  “You won’t be disappointed in Twin Oaks, not now.”

  “Why’s that?” Misty didn’t say it, but she couldn’t be disappointed at the moment. All she had to do was glance Trey’s way and see the twinkle in his eyes as he held back the details of what she was going to experience. She tried not to smile too much or he’d get the idea she was much more interested in him than she should be on such short acquaintance. Yet she wondered if she had already given herself away.

  “Jake Jobson is why. He moved here and married Gladys Sundown of a local clan. Jake had been a Seabee—U.S. Navy Construction Battalion—in the Pacific Theater in World War II. He was crazy about designing and building stuff. In the eighties and nine
ties, he spent his retirement years creating Twin Oaks for Gladys, the love of his life.”

  “Will I get to meet Jake and Gladys?”

  “It’s a shame, but no. They passed on a few years ago. I don’t know what they’d think about Ruby—that’s their daughter—turning the place into a B&B. They were private folks. But everybody is sure glad she did. It’s a great setting for weddings, reunions, getaways.”

  “Now I can’t wait to see it.”

  At every turn, Misty kept being surprised. She also felt a little embarrassed at her earlier attitude. She’d arrived without much expectation for the area and the people. She should’ve known better. Texas was big enough that there was a huge variety of terrain and residents. Cindi Lou was right. She needed to get out of the city more and start living life to its fullest. She glanced at Trey again. She bet he lived his life to the fullest every single day. Maybe she could learn from him.

  “We’re coming up on the property. Wait till you see what Jake did with all those pesky rocks.”

  She gasped in surprise. “That fence is a work of art.” She drove past an amazing rock fence scalloped from rock post to rock post with a rope of twinkling blue lights strung along the top.

  “Jake washed and sized every one of those rocks before he cemented them together.”

  “Beautiful. Did he plant all those trees, too?” Misty pointed at the neat, orderly rows of green pine trees on the property.

  “Sure did. He told me he liked the peace. He built a brick-and-wood bench beside the pond just so he could sit and listen to the wind whisper through the pines.”

  “He sounds like a romantic.”

  Trey chuckled. “Maybe he was. He was tough, but he had a soft side, too. He always called Twin Oaks his little love nest.”

  Misty laughed in delight. “What a great guy.”

  As she drove up to the B&B’s entrance, she saw an arched black metal sign overhead that read “Twin Oaks” entwined with the silhouettes of two oak trees. Another long rope of twinkling blue lights highlighted the sign. She turned in past twin rock buttresses that curved outward from the fence on either side of the entry and drove onto the estate.

  “Plenty to do here in season. Basketball. Tennis. Swimming. Golf.” Trey pointed ahead. “You can park by the white board fence that encloses the horse pasture behind that red barn.”

  She drove across dry grass, pulled up to the fence, and stopped her SUV. She sat still for a long moment as she listened to the wind whisper through the trees. She gazed at the imposing house that rose in planes, angles, and sharp roof lines. Red brick. Green trim. Slate-gray shingles. Three-car garage. Extra parking for guests by the tennis court. Beautiful in its stark simplicity and welcoming ambiance.

  “Looks like Jake built a multilevel Midcentury Modern house in the eighties.” She turned to look at Trey in astonishment.

  “Sure did. He was a young man based in California during World War II when he first saw that style. Remained his favorite architecture.”

  “I can’t wait to see inside.”

  “Not disappointed?”

  She glanced into his bright hazel eyes. “Impossible. You’re right. This is a special place. I’m glad I’m staying here.”

  “Good. Come on. Let’s get you settled in.”

  She got out, picked up her laptop in its case from the backseat, and slid the strap of her large handbag over her shoulder as she walked to the rear of her SUV. Trey was already there waiting for her. When she opened the back and started to pick up her bags, he grabbed the heaviest right out from under her hands.

  “Let me do like my mama taught me and act the gentleman.” Trey easily lifted her two cases. “It’s enough for you to handle your laptop and whatever else is in that giant bag.”

  “Thanks. Always the question for men, isn’t it? What do women put in their handbags?”

  “Scary thought. Don’t want to know.”

  She joined his laughter and locked her SUV. They were some distance from the house. She walked beside him across dry grass to a two-story pergola outlined by twinkling blue lights with a green picnic table on each level. The redbrick pergola appeared to be the viewing stand for the tennis court enclosed by a high chain-link fence.

  “Jake really was a visionary, wasn’t he?” She gestured around as she walked across the cement court.

  “And he did the work himself. Bit by bit.”

  “Even more impressive.”

  At the front of the house, she noticed sliding glass doors under a covered entry porch. A silver-and-blue wreath hung on each door. White poinsettias with green leaves brightened a redbrick planter. A huge oak tree, with the trunk wrapped in silver and blue tinsel and lights, cast the area in shadow.

  Misty heard a meow and glanced up. Bright blue eyes in a white face with a black mark across the nose stared down at her. She smiled at the cat on the roof. Another beauty. She might as well start taking lots of cats in Wildcat Bluff for granted like everybody else.

  Trey walked over, patted the oak’s trunk, and looked up. “Meet Big John. Big Bertha is on the other side of the house. Jake built between them so if lightning struck, it’d hit the trees.”

  She followed his gaze upward. High above, the center trunk was gray, lightning blasted, but the tree was a survivor. New branches had grown tall and strong around the storm damage.

  In Wildcat Bluff, everything appeared intensely alive, even in winter. Creativity, happiness, and love of life were obviously nurtured here. Misty felt a little like Big John, damaged by life’s storms but still strong—and still growing—just like Aunt Cami had always wanted for her.

  “Welcome to Twin Oaks Bed & Breakfast!” The sliding glass doors snapped open. A lithe woman in jeans, a red top, and black cowboy boots stepped outside. She wore her dark hair straight and blunt-cut at her shoulders. She’d tucked a white poinsettia bloom behind one ear.

  “Hey, Ruby.” Trey patted the tree again. “Just introduced your new guest to your favorite guy.”

  “Did you now?” Ruby said in a husky, alto voice. “All I ask is that you don’t whisper sweet nothings to Big John so he runs off and leaves me lonely.”

  Misty laughed. “I’ll do my best not to lure him away.”

  “Thanks.” She held out a sun-browned hand. “Ruby Jobson, chief cook and bottle washer. You must be Misty Reynolds.”

  “Pleased to meet you.” Misty shook Ruby’s firm hand. She knew right away that Ruby was Country Texas by her brisk walk, humorous talk, and strong handshake. She might meet a few women like her in Dallas, but here in the countryside, most of the women would be like Ruby. Straight talkers. Hard workers. Salt of the Earth. They had a generosity of spirit that never turned anyone hungry away from the table. Misty knew she couldn’t be in better hands.

  “Heard Trey’s had you busy,” Ruby said in a typical Texas understatement.

  “All in a day’s work. Put out a fire with a towel. Drive to Wildcat Bluff with a half-naked man who has my vehicle smelling like a campfire. Meet a six-toed cat. And listen to the seductive whispers of Big John.”

  Ruby guffawed. “Sounds like you’re my kind of gal.”

  Misty appreciated the compliment. She wasn’t usually so clever with words. Wildcat Bluff was apparently having a positive impact on her. She felt more alive than she had in a long time.

  “Come on inside and make yourself at home. Trey, you too.”

  Misty stepped onto the terra-cotta tile of an enclosed breezeway. Pots of red poinsettia plants added vibrant color. The garden room extended across the house to another wall of glass with sliding doors. She could see a brick gazebo with one side built around the trunk of an ancient oak. Big Bertha. Now she could see how Twin Oaks got its name.

  In typical Midcentury Modern fashion, organic outdoors moved indoors with red brick halfway up the walls to meet bright white above and green pla
nts in terra-cotta pots below. A ceiling fan circulated air across a colorful poster of a woman on horseback framed in gray barn wood that read, “National Cowgirl Hall of Fame, Fort Worth, Texas.”

  “Wildcat Bluff cowgirls make quite a showing there,” Ruby said, sounding quietly boastful.

  “I’ve never been to the cowgirl museum.”

  “Ought to go.” Ruby swiveled toward Trey. “Got to bring this gal up to speed. You up for a trip to Fort Worth?”

  “Ask the cows.” He set down Misty’s luggage.

  “Hah! Ornery critters. They keep you hog-tied. You got to bust loose every now and again.”

  “Thought I’d bring barbeque over tonight with a mess of curly fries and fried jalapeños,” Trey said in a dry tone. “Wild enough for you?”

  “Take my pickup and go home, mouthy cuss.”

  “Need me to bring anything back from town?” Trey gave Ruby an aw-shucks look as if he were completely innocent.

  Misty wanted to laugh out loud, but instead she just shook her head at their friendly banter.

  “Thanks, but I’m all set.” Ruby put her hands on her narrow hips. “Only two other folks are staying here. Real nice couple from Houston. They own a string of antique stores in Texas, so they’re scouting around for merchandise.”

  “Nobody’s asking about water rights? Gas? Coal? Timber?” Trey asked.

  “So far, all’s quiet on that front.”

  Misty cringed. She’d met nothing but nice people in Wildcat Bluff. She wished she wasn’t with them on false pretenses. Still, she’d been warned not to trust anybody, so she wouldn’t. Besides, nice and polite could cover up a lot of sins. She’d just have to make sure they never learned about her association with Texas Timber, or at least not till after she’d completed her investigation.

  “Misty, glad you could join us,” Ruby said. “Vacationers are always good company.”

  “I’ll try not to get in your way.”

  “Not a word of it. You’re my guest and I want you to enjoy the place. Daddy built it for fun, so see if you can get stodgy Trey to let loose.”

  “I’ve been called a lot of things, but never stodgy.” Trey put his large hand across his heart as if hurt. “Just for that crack, I’m only bringing tasty barbeque for two.”