by Stone, Piper
“Shit. What the hell?” He pulled the car close to the house and peered out the windshield. At least there were no broken windows. That was a start. He killed the engine and laughed as he climbed out. Thankfully, the land surrounding the dilapidated house was exactly as described and worth every penny he’d spent. He breathed in the air and smiled. The scent of pine was a welcome change to gas fumes and fried food, a constant just outside his New York apartment .
A slight chill was in the air, a light breeze whistling through the tall trees. He shoved his hands into his pockets and walked toward the barn, imagining several horses playing inside the rustic pen. A moment of contentment turned into realization. There were months of work to do, but well worth the effort. Leaning over the fence, he shook his head. His decision had been made one late night after searching through scores of pictures on a solid, dozen websites. This had been the only place he could afford .
At least he’d worked construction for six months. Granted, that had been a hell of a long time ago and before purchasing the bar, but he still remembered. Purchasing tools would come sooner versus later. He walked around the house, crouching down more than once to study the foundation. The cabin was solid, no cracks that he could see, and the timber logs seemed to be positioned as required. He groaned as he walked back around to the front. As if he was an expert. As he climbed up the two stairs and onto the porch, the stringers squeaked and he couldn’t help but laugh. Maybe he’d learn to be a carpenter after all .
The lock was new, the door surprisingly well built from walnut, the wood sanded smooth as if the previous owner had replaced it just before selling. The moment he opened the door, a feeling of sheer peace floated into every cell in his body. This was indeed serenity .
A corner fireplace was built out of stone, a massive hearth positioned in front. The floor was wooden and recently repaired given the lighter patches of pine. A series of beams crisscrossed the ceiling, carrying the design into other areas of the house. The cabin had come furnished and the couch and chair, while old and not a style he would purchase, would do for now. He continued exploring, pleasantly surprised the kitchen was at least somewhat modern. This was a good start. After all, a home was what he would make of it. With no one to share. The thought was sobering. He was all alone, except for a dog who’d taken a love of …
Landen shook away the thoughts. There was too much work to do to lament on what might be or what shouldn’t have been. There was little else, a bedroom holding a modest size bed frame and nightstand, an office with nothing more than two bookcases and a bathroom that well, worked. When he flushed the toilet, he dropped his head. Okay, so his first order of business. All in good time .
His mind racing with possibilities, he walked out onto the back deck, gripping the railing. He had a bird’s eye view of the mountains and a rolling path of grass leading down in a short slope. From where he stood, he could hear the sound of water, rolling and tripping over what had to be rocks. This was a place his father would love .
Time to get settled in. Then he’d face Shannon and pick up Jace. He smiled, realizing he missed his little buddy. At least he’d have some form of company .
* * *
L anden stood outside Ziggy’s for at least ten minutes, leaning against his car and watching the comings and goings of men and women hungry for a good time. It was nights like this, unsure of what he was walking into, that he wished he hadn’t given up smoking. Almost burning up his apartment had been a damn good reason to quit. Still, he needed a boost, maybe in his ego or his self-confidence. Either way, he was hanging back as if he’d find the right words. There was nothing he could say that would change the night before. Or the electricity shared between them .
He glanced up at the crystal clear sky, stars brighter than he’d ever seen them. There were too many lights in New York, but here, even with the flashing lights of Ziggy’s and the constant traffic, he could pick out the constellations. Just like when he was a kid. Even the glowing moon seemed closer, brighter. Some called this God’s country. He could certainly see why .
Kicking his heel against the pavement, he shoved his hands into his pockets, chastising his thoughts and his ridiculous fears. He sucked in his breath and walked toward the front door. Perhaps he hadn’t paid attention before, but the sights, sounds and smells were all inviting. Ziggy’s was lively, crowded with families and friends, eating and drinking. Everyone seemed to be having a good time. The stage dark, as if there’d be no entertainment tonight, but the music playing from what had to be speakers in every corner of the room was jazzed. Country music with a rock beat .
He milled through the crowd, his stomach growling given the wafting scent of grilled burgers and barbeque. This was the first time he realized he hadn’t eaten since yesterday and even then, not much. Shannon was nowhere to be seen and there was no one he recognized, including Riker. Still, he had to eat .
“Welcome to Ziggy’s. Would you like a table ?”
The hostess suited the establishment. Dressed in blue jeans and a Ziggy’s tee shirt, her smile seemed genuine. “The bar’s fine .”
“Have a good time .”
Nodding, he scanned the entire place before heading for the bar, finding one of only two open seats. The vantage point allowed him to see a solid two thirds of the oversized room .
“Whaddya have?” The bartender eased a coaster down onto the bar .
“A Budweiser and a question .”
“Shoot.”
“Any smokejumpers here?” Landen asked .
The bartender nodded toward the back. “A few of them are gathered in the extra room over there .”
“Thanks.” He peered at the open door and craned his neck but was unable to see anyone inside. As he waited for his beer, he tapped his fingers on the bar. If they were going to work as a team, they had to be a team. He would find a way to break the ice sooner versus later .
Landen paid for the beer and left his seat, moving with purpose toward the extra room. When he was just outside the door, he heard at least two recognizable voices and sucked in his breath. Tapping on the door, he walked inside .
There were five men inside and only one nodded as if okay at his interference .
“What’s he doing here?” Boone asked, his eyes narrowing .
“He certainly wasn’t invited,” Antonio snorted and looked away .
Riker stood and walked in his direction. “He’s one of us or have you forgotten ?”
“He has a lot to learn.” Boone swirled his beer on top of the table .
“Oh Christ. He made a friggin’ mistake. Let it go, for God’s sake,” Tyler said as he rose to his feet, acknowledging Landen with a respectful smile .
Stoker remained silent, his eyes never leaving Landen .
“No big deal. I can leave.” Landen stood his ground though, even taking two steps inside .
Riker seemed to ignore them, tipping his beer as he moved closer. “Find your place ?”
“Yeah. A lot of work to be done. I’m not much of a carpenter, but I guess I’ll learn.” Landen took a sip of the cold brew .
“Stoker’s a carpenter. A good one. Aren’t you, buddy?” Riker tipped his head in Stoker’s direction .
Stoker seemed to be debating his answer. “I can swing a hammer. Where’d you get a place ?”
“Off Shore Road. Next to the mountains.” Landen’s voice held no inflection .
Rising to his feet, Stoker wrinkled his brow. “Cabin? Seen better days? Old barn that looks like it should be burned to the ground?” He grinned when he noticed Landen’s hesitation. “I know the cabin and it’s not five miles down from mine. The place has been empty for almost two years. Unfortunately, the family didn’t have a bite on it until you came along and there was no money to really fix it up .”
“Well, I can understand. I like it. Place has character .”
“I bet,” Stoker said as he laughed. “Look, I’ll help you fix it up. From what I remember, good bones about the place
. Just needs some time, maybe some money .”
“He’ll be too busy learning the ropes to fix up a house,” Antonio said without looking in their direction .
“Giovanni, last time I checked we weren’t in freaking high school. Cut the crap. You’re not all that.” Riker’s voice boomed in the room .
“Ooohh!!” Boone whistled .
“Boys. Keep it down in here.” Shannon came into the room, a smile on her face, a tray full of drinks. She stopped short when she noticed Landen, her smile fading. “I see you’ve figured out the group. I knew you’d land on your feet. Men like you always do .”
The words were cold. Biting. Her eyes held no light, no sign of the woman he’d spent the night with. “Shannon. Nice to see you .”
“Yeah. I bet. I still have your dog, you know the one you claim to give a shit about?” Shannon plopped the bottles on the table, using enough force, foam spewed out over two .
Wincing, Landen had no idea what to say. “Is he here ?”
“No! He’s not here. He’s at my house, my house, resting. He doesn’t seem to be bothered that you haven’t come to claim him. I guess he realizes you’re just a player.” The words spewed, she jerked around to face him, a smirk on her face .
“Shit,” Tyler mumbled under his breath .
Riker shot Landen a nasty look .
“I picked up the keys for my place. I can get him now, if you want.” Every word coming out of Landen’s mouth was stilted .
“Now? Are you kidding me? You’ll have to wait until I’m available. Leave your number with the bartender and I’ll call you at some point.” She shook her head as she walked out of the room .
“Cold breeze in here,” Boone said .
“Frigid if you ask me,” Tyler added .
No, this wasn’t the way things were going to go. Landen took long strides, following her until she disappeared into a shadowed hallway next to the bar. He caught her arm, pulling her to a hard stop. “Shannon. Wait. We need to talk .”
“Talk about what?” she hissed between clenched teeth. “About the fact you just left without saying a freaking word? Or the fact you left without asking me if I could look after Jace ?”
“Look, I — ”
“Maybe, we should talk about the fact the damn crap should never have happened in the first place.” Exasperated, she yanked her arm away and pushed him back. But she didn’t leave .
Landen crowded her space until the scent of her perfume, exotic and full of spice, made his cock twitch. “I never meant to hurt you, not with what we did or with leaving. You were sleeping, and I was very late. I left Jace because well, you two were getting along so well and I…” His words trailing off, he knew he wasn’t making enough sense or explaining his actions .
“With what we did? You mean fucking? You didn’t hurt me with that, Landen Whatever Your Name Is. We’re adults. We knew what we were getting into. I didn’t expect love and trust me, there will be no relationship, but a gentleman isn’t a coward .”
The words hit him harder than a stinging hand. And at that very moment, he never wanted a woman more than he did this spitfire. Fear trickled into his system. What could he offer her? “You’re right. I was a coward and I’m sorry .”
Her face held surprise, albeit briefly before the fury returned. “Then get out of my way. We’ll just forget what happened. Leave your number and you can come pick up that sweet, beautiful dog tomorrow. Even though he deserves a better daddy.” Scooting to the side, she walked stiffly away .
“Shannon. What we shared was special. Nothing will ever change that. You allowed me to be myself for the first time in years and for that I’ll be grateful. You’re an amazing lady. Never forget that.” He waited for a few seconds, as if she’d turn around and perhaps they could be friends. When she didn’t, he walked out of the hallway, his heart aching .
“What in the hell was that?” Riker growled, stopping him just inside the bar .
“Nothing.”
“I know Shannon a hell of a lot better than you do. That was personal. What did you do to her ?”
Landen exhaled. “I made a mistake .”
Riker sucked in his breath. “Let me tell you something, and these are my rules, but you need to be damn clear about them .”
“Hey!”
The scream was loud, full of terror .
“What the hell?” Landen asked as both men took several strides around the bar .
“Bad accident. The… there’s a car outside. On fire! People are inside .”
“What?” Riker took off running .
Landen followed closely behind, pushing aside several customers .
Riker threw open the door and they rushed outside
“Where?” Landen yelled. He ran toward the front of the parking lot. Across the busy street were two vehicles. Slammed together, crunched metal and glass were strewn across the street. Horns beeped from every direction as drivers maneuvered to avoid the wreck. The second car was crushed on the left side, including the driver’s door. He continued to jog forward, noticing smoke coming from under the center of the car. “Shit!” Then there was a single flame, licking up from the other side .
“The damn thing will blow. We have to get to them.” Riker zoomed ahead, jumping in front of several cars .
“Call 9-1-1!” Landen exclaimed, hoping someone would hear, as he stepped off the curb, avoiding an oncoming car. Weaving and dodging, he held out his arms until he could dash toward the accident .
They both reached the car on fire at the same time. Riker tried the door, cursing. “Damn it .”
“The damn gas tank is going to catch on fire. We don’t have much time.” Landen panted as he swung into action, noticing there were at least two other people in the second vehicle .
“Let’s kick out the windows .”
“Get the others out of the other car. I’ll work on the windows!” Landen commanded as he peered inside the car on fire. Both the driver and a single passenger were unconscious, the passenger no more than eight or nine years old. The driver was slumped over to the side. Smoke rolled from the engine, spilling out over the frame of the car. The driver’s door would be the sole entrance. “Fuck me. Fuck me!” As he took a giant stride backward, he was vaguely aware Riker was working to free the other victims .
Screams came from several areas as bystanders swarmed the scene. But none of them tried to help .
Every muscle electrified, Landen took a leap, kicking out. Both feet slammed against the glass. He heard the sound of cracking as he dropped and rolled. Scrambling to his feet, he cursed seeing the unbroken glass. He stumbled back, giving himself more room then took off. This time, his feet hit smack in the middle, creating a cracking hole .
From somewhere he heard approaching sirens but there was no time to wait. Flames licking up from underneath, a mere foot from the tank. Landen yanked off his jacket, wrapping the leather around his hand and used his fist as a battering ram. When the glass finally broke free, he scrambled to remove the fragments, coughing as thick, black smoke swallowed the entire front of the car. No longer able to see clearly, he reached inside, smacking his hand until he found the door handle .
The damn thing was jammed. Reaching inside, he fumbled to release the seat belt. The heat was suffocating, creating strings of sweat rolling into his eyes. He held his breath and felt around the driver. Thank God, the steering wheel wasn’t jammed against the woman’s torso .
“Ohh!” she moaned .
“Stay still. Going to get you out of here.” There was a snow ball’s chance in hell .
Whoosh!
He could hear the fire sizzling through plastic, eating its way toward a cataclysm .
“Mommie!”
The choked voice was almost inaudible, but the little boy’s echo rang loud and clear in Landen’s ears. He wrapped his hand around the woman and as he backed out, shards of glass raked down his back, digging into his skin. Ignoring the pain, he used his upper body strength to pull again,
this time the momentum freeing just enough .
Arms wrapped around his legs, tugging them to safety. “Landen !”
Stoker panted as he eased the injured woman from Landen’s arms .
“Take her,” Landen said then coughed. “There’s… a little boy… still inside .”
“You can’t. The car is ready to blow.” Stoker warned .
“Boone, go help Riker get those people to safety!” Antonio directed .
Landen pushed off the pavement with one hand until he was standing. “Get everybody back!” Just as he dove back in through the window, fire trucks roared down the road. He was going to have one chance at saving the terrified little boy. He fought to breathe, to be able to see through the smoke, his hand smacking against the seat until his fingers grabbed onto material. Saying a silent prayer, he hoisted the boy up and over the seat, past the steering wheel to the window. Then out .
A thick covering was tossed over Landen. He wrapped both arms around the crying child and …
Boom!
The force of the blow knocked him back a solid ten feet .
“Weaver!”
“No!”
Landen kept his eyes closed as he was shoved backward, skidding along the pavement until he hit an object with a hard thud. His ears were ringing but he could hear footsteps racing toward him. “Please. Please God. Please .”
“Jesus Christ. Landen!” Boone yanked the covering and dropped to his knees, his eyes full of concern. “We could have lost you. Goddamn you !”
“I’m fine. I’m just fine. But…” Tossing the rest of the blanket from around him, he began to shake seeing the boy still in his arms .