by Liz Botts
Will chuckled. Charlotte loved the rumble she could hear and feel deep in his chest. "That's sort of how I feel. They think that they can't handle two young children. We still need to work out all the details, but it looks like I've got three kids now."
His choice of wording couldn't have been intentional but it stopped Charlotte cold. He had referred to the children as his alone. The slight hurt. Charlotte couldn't deny that. Even if Will had meant nothing by it, the lighthearted, warm feeling she'd had a few minutes ago had vanished.
Her mind started to race. Had he brought her out here to finally talk about the custody issue with Lexi? Since he hadn't mentioned it in so long, Charlotte had assumed that he'd dropped the lawyer. Perhaps she'd been wrong. She couldn't catch her breath; a tight band wound itself around her chest, squeezing ever tighter. Will's arms suddenly felt suffocating. She pushed them away.
"I… I need to get inside."
Stumbling slightly in her haste to get away she tried to block out Will's confused voice as he called her name. All thoughts of sharing her feelings about him and this place fled. Survival mode kicked in, walls went up, and Charlotte shut down. She felt like she always had when she'd been sent to a new foster home. Attachments caused pain. Just when she had gotten used to the idea of opening herself up to others, had allowed herself to hope for a family, it all came crashing down around her. And never before had she allowed herself to feel so deeply for a man. Now she knew why.
****
Will ran a hand along the back of his neck as a cool wind whispered around him. He stared at the screen door as it bumped softly into place. What had just happened here? He retraced the conversation in his mind. All they had talked about was his permanent guardianship of Sierra and Shane. He thought she'd be ecstatic over the news. Every time the kids' grandparents came to visit with them, he sensed her tension, her hesitation. He knew how much she loved those kids. So what was the problem?
Somewhere out in the woods a coyote howled. The eerie yodel sent a chill along Will's spine. Just yesterday this woman had dissolved into a puddle of passion in his arms. He chuckled in spite of his confusion. Kissing Charlotte just felt so right. Everything about being with her felt right. With her and the kids, he finally felt like he fit somewhere. The five of them were a family. He'd been skirting the issue of his deepening feelings for her for far too long. He assumed that had something to do with her sudden departure.
The moment was gone, ruined. He could have confessed everything to her in the soft June night. The stars sparkled brighter now. Will wondered idly what sort of summer it would be. They needed a rainy one after the last few years of drought. Despite the fact that his teaching at the Institute took up most of his professional time, he still had a vested interest in the ranch, no matter what his father might think. Walker had just been talking the other day about the need for a month of good heavy soakers every afternoon. Will couldn't remember the last time they had rain like that.
As if the cosmos had heard his thoughts, lighting flashed on the horizon. Will watched the pink-tinged glow illuminate the western hills. He wished Charlotte had stayed out here to see it. This was just the sort of thing that she loved.
Kicking the porch post with his boot, Will sighed. There was clearly a reason he had screwed up his first marriage, and hadn't had a serious relationship since. He was lost so deep in thought that when the front door banged open again, he jumped.
"Hey, Dad, can I ask you a question?"
"Sure, Lex. What's up?"
His daughter frowned up at him as she leaned against the porch rail. In other circumstances he'd have smiled to see how much she mimicked him.
"What'd you do to Charlotte?" Lexi crossed her arms in front of her chest.
"Nothing. We were just talking, and…I don't know. Why?" Will felt the fluttering of nerves in his stomach. He had never been that kind of guy until he had a family.
"She's in her room crying." Lexi's accusing stare made Will feel guilty, but he still didn't know what he had done wrong.
"I'll go talk to her," he said, feeling hazy all of a sudden. He groaned. The feeling always preceded a migraine. The stress of the situation must have been his trigger. He dropped a kiss on his daughter's head, and hurried to the kitchen to take some pain medication. With any luck he could head it off before it got too bad.
Will grimaced as he headed down the hallway. He was relieved that the younger two had gone to bed without much fuss. He knocked on Charlotte's door, and leaned his head against the smooth wood. A sniffle was all he could hear. He hated that she was crying, and he hated that Lexi seemed to think that he was responsible for it. There was no way he could be, though. Wouldn't he have known if he was the cause of her pain?
With a groan, Will knocked again. Trying to figure Charlotte out was making his head hurt more than the migraine. "Charlotte? I think we need to talk."
Silence followed his request. Will sighed, and turned around to lean on the door. He sank to the floor, and placed his head on his hands. A wave of nausea rolled over him, and he prayed the medicine would take effect soon. He couldn't think straight anymore. The thoughts that he'd had out on the porch, about discussing his feelings, their future, fled. Survival mode kicked in.
Will had always prided himself on being in control, especially after his debacle with Mary. Years of carefully crafted restraint had been undone in four months by one amazing woman and three sweet children.
"Dad?" Lexi's fearful voice drew him out of his pain induced haze.
"Down here, Lex." He called, his voice sounding rough and raw.
Lexi sprinted into the hallway, and skidded to a stop in front of him. The look of alarm on her face got Will to his feet faster than he could have imagined, especially with a migraine.
"What's wrong?" His voice cracked.
Taking a deep breath, Lexi said, "Uncle Walker's at the door. Some lightning struck in the south pasture. There's a fire. He told me to get you."
Charlotte's door opened. "A fire?"
Lexi nodded, her dark hair flying across her face. Will caught Charlotte's gaze, and his heart ached when he saw the red-rimmed eyes. Despite the strangeness of these emotions for him, he wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss away the sadness.
"I'll go find out more from Walker," Will said softly. Charlotte nodded, and reached out for Lexi, who went gratefully into her embrace.
Will hurried toward the front door. When he stepped out on to the porch the acrid odor of smoke filled his nostrils. Will flinched as the smell made his temples throb and his stomach heave. Walker's face was drawn, his mouth set in a grim line. His brother didn't need to say a word to understand the gravity of the situation.
"Where did it strike?"
Walker half-turned and tipped his head toward the south pasture. Staring out into the dark night, blacker now that the stars were obscured by the clouds, he thought he could make out a plume of smoke against the inky sky.
"How far do you think it is?" Will choked on the smoke rapidly filling the air.
With another frown, Walker gazed out into the night as well. "As best we could tell, it's about three-quarters of a mile south of the ridge."
The words hit Will hard as if each one were a punch to his gut. "That close?"
"Dad already called the Volunteers, and put a call in to Rapid. Wyatt went to get the tank truck. Are you up for this?" Walker's voice cut through Will's cloud of pain.
"Of course. What kind of question is that? I have to help Charlotte get the kids up and out. Is Mom going into town? They could all go together." Will didn't wait for Walker's answer. He turned back into the house just as the squeal of tires over gravel alerted Will to Wyatt's arrival.
Will rounded the corner into the hallway to find Charlotte still hugging Lexi. They turned toward him, questioning looks on both their faces. When he met Charlotte's gaze, he knew that she understood the seriousness of the situation.
"What do we do?" Her voice was completely calm but Will notic
ed the way she sunk her teeth into her lower lip after she finished speaking.
"Pack an overnight bag. Lex, go do the same. I'll get Sierra and Shane's things together. My mom will take you guys into town." Will turned on his heel and hurried toward the little ones' room.
Charlotte caught him by the elbow right before he opened the door. "And what are you going to do?"
He looked down at her, the pain of his migraine receding slightly at the look of intense concern in Charlotte's eyes. Despite the fact that they'd never had a talk about their feelings, he knew she cared about him. Just the way he cared about her. The realization startled him, even though he had felt it for a long time.
"I'm going to fight the fire."
"What?" Charlotte pressed a hand over her mouth and stepped back.
"I'll be fine. My brothers and I, we're all trained as volunteer firefighters. It made sense when we were younger. The nearest fire department is in Spearfish. All Mountain View has are volunteers. You need to get these kids somewhere safe. Take care of yourself and them. I'll be fine." He reached out and cupped her cheek with one hand.
Charlotte laid her hand over his. "Promise?"
Will felt his throat close around a lump of unshed tears. "Promise."
****
Charlotte's hands shook as she put the keys into the ignition. The smoke from the fire hung heavily in the air making her eyes water, even in the confines of the truck's cab. Shane had managed to doze back off in his car seat, but Sierra clung to Lexi's hand. Karen patted Charlotte's arm.
"They'll get the fire under control quickly. It isn't even at three acres yet. Bill and the boys have all been trained in proper technique to fight these fires, and the professionals from Rapid City will be here soon." Karen kept her voice at a low, calm tone, but when Charlotte glanced over the lines creasing the older woman's eyes were a giveaway for her worry.
"Have you ever had a fire this close to the ranch?" Charlotte asked, forcing herself to focus on the road in front of her so her gaze wouldn't be glued to the rearview mirror.
Karen nodded. The movement in Charlotte's peripheral vision made her jump. She righted the truck quickly.
"Years ago when the boys were small, we had a similar lightning strike in the west part of the ranch. Burned forty acres north and west of here. I'm sure you've noticed that there are dozens of fires in the Hills every year. With the pine beetle infestation and the drought, this year will probably be the worst in years." Karen sighed.
"I've never had to evacuate before," Charlotte said. "Even when there was that fire in Rapid City a few years ago. I was far enough away not to be affected by it."
"Is Dad gonna be okay?" Lexi's voice sounded tiny and terrified as it drifted from the back seat.
Karen turned in her seat. "Of course, sweetheart. We'll go stay with my friend, Maggie. You kids can get some sleep while we wait."
Maggie greeted them with a mixture of warmth and worry. Charlotte realized that the Mountain View phone tree had been hard at work. She had never experienced such camaraderie. That was just another reason she didn't want to lose the ranch as home.
The next few hours passed in a blur; Charlotte's stomach tightened with worry at each tick of the second hand. Finally she laid her head down on the rough wood dining room table, and fell asleep. Her rest wasn't peaceful, and some hours later she woke with a start as a door slammed.
Charlotte quickly wiped her eyes to rid them of the bleariness as she blinked into the bright light of the kitchen. Her neck and shoulders ached. It took her a moment to realize where she was, but when it all came rushing back to her she felt the fear again. What if Will got hurt? She had never told him how she felt about him, about their family, about their future. Why had she left so much unsaid?
Yes, words could hurt, and she had been wounded when he said that the children were his, but to close herself off from him had been unwise and childish. She could see that now. Her past had held her back for so long, and she couldn't let it anymore. If she got a chance to tell Will how she felt, she would take it in a heartbeat.
When she had met Lexi, Charlotte had felt her life begin to change. A family had been born that day. The fact that Will was part of that family along with Sierra and Shane… well, that just made the world a sweeter place. Her heart had opened in ways she had never allowed herself to be open. The day the two of them started to rely on one another as partners, she knew she had found her forever. And she suspected he felt the same way.
She heard Karen's voice from the next room, followed by a deeper voice that she recognized as Bill's. Her heart started to race, and the staccato pulsed loudly in her ears. If Bill was there, maybe Will was on his way. With shaky limbs, Charlotte unfolded herself from the kitchen chair. Several joints cracked as she stood up, making her wonder what time it was.
Hurrying into the living room, Charlotte saw a grimy Bill hugging his wife. Karen turned and gave Charlotte a shaky smile.
"We're lucky," Bill said. "A unit from Rapid City got here quick. The boys are all washing up, and heading over here now. The fire's pretty much out. Hopefully we'll be able to go home soon."
Charlotte felt her eyes well with tears. She blinked hard to keep them from falling. When she heard footsteps on the front porch, Charlotte nearly broke into a run. She crashed into Walker as she pulled open the screen door.
"Whoa, Charlotte. He's right behind me, don't worry."
She barely registered Walker's voice as she barreled out onto the porch, and ran straight into Will's arms. Though he was startled he held his balance well. Wyatt chuckled as he skirted the two of them.
"Hey, it's okay. I'm okay," Will said.
Charlotte let the dam burst forth. She buried her face in Will's chest, wrapped her arms tightly around him, and sobbed. All the worry and frustration and unsaid things bubbled out in a flood of tears.
Will just held her.
As her tears subsided, her anger flared. She pushed away from Will, and glared up at him. "I was so worried about you. I love you, and I was scared I'd never have the chance to tell you."
"I love you too."
"And, what if something had happened to you? What about the kids?" Charlotte wrapped her arms around herself, and began to pace within the small confines of the front porch.
"It wasn't that bad, and the fact that we got there so quickly reduced the severity of the blaze. I'd never do anything to hurt our family. Charlotte, I promise…"
"Wait, back up. Did you say that you love me?" Charlotte felt her heart begin to race as she waited for her response. Sweat broke out in a light layer along the back of her neck.
Will stepped closer. "Well, yeah. Of course I do. I sort of thought you might have picked up on that. I think I've loved you since that day I rear ended your car. I just wasn't ready to acknowledge it. But, I mean, we're a family. You, me, and the kids. Love is what makes a family. And I promise, I have never loved anyone the way I love you."
Tears blurred Charlotte's vision again. "I'm such a mess right now. Look at me blubbering. I just can't believe you feel the same way. I've spent so long closing myself off that I didn't even recognize happiness when it was staring me in the face."
Cupping her face in his hands, Will captured her lips in a tender kiss. As she leaned her cheek on Will's chest, she inhaled deeply. The slightly pungent scent of sweat mixed with wood smoke mingled with the lilacs growing in a nearby garden. The combination was potent, searing itself into Charlotte's olfactory memory. That moment, both sweet and tense, would forever be ingrained on her soul.
"Everything I always thought I wanted turned out to be not so important once the four of you came into my life," Will said. They stood in silence for a while longer. Then he asked, "Why were you so mad at me earlier?"
Charlotte felt her face flush with the heat of embarrassment. "You… you made a comment about how the kids were yours. Not ours. I was being silly and childish. I'm sorry. Not that it's an excuse but I think that growing up the way I did, I just
learned to expect people to let me down, shut me out, and move on without me. That's what it felt like was happening."
Will stilled. "I in no way meant that. Those three are ours. Yours and mine. We've built this family, and if you'll have me, I'd like to ask you to be my wife."
Through her wildly swinging emotions, Charlotte laughed. "Yes, I'll marry you."
****
Peeking out the window, Lexi grinned as she watched her parents kiss. That's what they were. It didn't matter if Charlotte wasn't her biological mom, she was real. And she loved them all so much. That's what really made a mom. Lexi was glad that she had met Mary, and she wanted to get to know her better. But the dream of having a family had finally come true. Sure, the family she had now didn't look like the one she had imagined back in foster care. No. This one was better. It was real.
Epilogue
Six months later…
Will ran a hand through his hair and realized it had been too long since he'd had a haircut. The surveyor's results lay spread on the table in front of him. He glanced at his watch. The men from the zoning committee would be there soon. If everything went according to plan, the dig site would be up and running as a tourist attraction by the next summer.
"Are you looking over the plans again?"
Before he even turned he felt a grin stretching across his face at the sound of his wife's voice. He relished the thought that in just a few more months they'd have a new baby to add to the wonderful chaos of the lives.
Pulling Charlotte into his arms, he captured her lips in a slow, sweet kiss. When he straightened back up he said, "Everything has to be perfect."
"The fact that this is a wooly mammoth leg bone is pretty significant. Do you think that will help the cause at all?" Charlotte stroked her subtly rounded belly absently. As usual the movement mesmerized Will to such a degree that he had to shake his head to regain his sense of equilibrium.