The Firefighter to Heal Her Heart

by Annie O'Neil

  “Why don’t I make us dinner tonight?” If he wanted to talk, she’d obviously listen, but something told her it might take a while. At the very least, he could chill out and let her be there for him.

  He turned, slowly running a thumb along her jawline, as if tracing it gave him strength. “No, darlin’, not tonight.” He bent down and planted a soft kiss on her lips. A kiss so gentle she could’ve sworn she could float. A kiss so perfect it soared well out of “just friends” territory. Just as the whole world around her began to disappear he pulled back, nodding at the devastation of the high street. “I’m afraid I’ve got something else I have to do.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  “HELLO, SON.”

  “Hey, Dad.”

  Scintillating start to a life-changing moment.

  Jack covered his eyes, squinting against the late-afternoon sun to look up at his father, stationed at his usual post on the veranda. Rocking chair? Check. Steaming cup of coffee by his side? Check.

  “What did I do to deserve the pleasure of Fire Brigade Captain Jack Keller all the way out here at our humble vineyards? Come to check our extinguishers?”

  And we’re off! Thanks for rubbing salt into the wound.

  “C’mon, Dad, I was hoping we could have a talk.”

  His father’s tone remained defensive. “Forgive me for being surprised, son. It’s not like we’ve seen an awful lot of you since you’ve been back in the Valley.”

  “Fair enough.” And it was.

  Either-or. That was how he did things. And now the tactic was isolating him from everyone he cared about. If he didn’t get his life in order he’d never be in a place where he could have—well, it all. Friends, family, loved ones...Liesel. Accident cleanup had kiboshed his plans to see his father straightaway and it was probably just as well. It had given him clarity. Perspective. And not just about his father—about Liesel, as well. In the days following the crash, it had become as clear as day to him that life with her as a friend was— It just wasn’t good enough. He now understood firsthand how frightening it was to think of losing someone you loved in a dangerous situation.

  He shook his head as he clumped up the steps and joined his father on the veranda. No wonder his father hated his life in the CFS—he was terrified of losing his son.

  “This chair all right?” Jack pointed to the Adirondack-style chair next to his father.

  “Suits me fine.”

  They were perfectly situated to look out on the sprawl of vines and outbuildings sloping down to the river’s edge. It was beautiful. It was home. He wanted Liesel to see all this, love it as much as he did. He could sit here all day if...

  “Well? Cat got your tongue? I need to get over to the shed and service the harvesters.”

  Jack took a sidelong look at his father. He wasn’t really the mean old curmudgeon he was playing to Jack now. He was a good man. A traditional man who wanted the very best for his family, and he’d been dealt a raw deal.

  It had been a long time ago, some twenty years now, when Jack’s mother had died in the fire. She had been the love of his father’s life. He’d never once hinted at remarrying. She had been his father’s one and only and she was gone. Until now, Jack had felt he’d been on a quest to make up for it. And failing. Now he realized that by trying to make up for it he’d been making things worse. Only problem was, it had turned out his professional passion really was in the CFS. The trick was to find a balance.

  He took a deep breath and lifted his chin in his father’s direction.

  “How’s everything going with River’s Bend?”

  Not neutral territory, but it was a place to start.

  “Your sister’s keeping everything in order. Could do with a second pair of hands, though.”

  A compliment for Becca. That was a change. An insult for him. The usual.

  “Dad, I want to talk to you about something. About the CFS.”

  “What about it?” His father’s mouth thinned and his gaze stayed fixed on the horizon.

  “I think I have a pretty good idea now why you’re so dead set against me being in it.”

  “Oh, you think you’ve got it all figured out, do you?”

  “No, but I’ve got a pretty good guess. I’ve done some soul-searching lately and I have a feeling my joining the CFS was about the cruelest thing I could have done to you after losing Mum.”

  He watched as his father registered what he was saying.

  The scowl on his father’s face deepened then relaxed a hair.

  “Dad, listen to me.” He pulled his chair around so that he faced his father. When he felt he had his father’s reluctant attention he continued, “We’ve got to lay this to rest. I know you think I’m full of extremes and that my world is black and white, but since Mum died...” He took a ragged inhalation and continued, “Since I ran round the barn that day, I swore I would dedicate my life to making it right. Turning inaction into action. And after years of hard work and training, it turns out I’m not just good at it but I love it. It’s work I was born to.”

  “So what is it you want me to say? That I support you? I think you’ll find I have been supporting you.”

  “By making me choose between the farm and the CFS?”

  The scowl returned. “Am I meant to congratulate you for choosing a life in the CFS over the generations of hard work and development that went into creating all of this?” His broad hand indicated the hectares of old vines bursting with fruit. “All of this—” he punched each of the words out as if they were weapons “—ready and waiting for you on a silver platter.”

  His father stared at him glassy-eyed. Jack couldn’t tell which way the conversation would go.

  “I just want you to be safe, son!”

  Jack reached across and took what was now an old man’s hand in his and gave it a firm squeeze. God, he’d been an idiot. An idiot not to see a father’s desire to keep what remained of his family safe and secure after such a horrible accident. It was the same thing Liesel had said. “What we need to figure out now is how you’re going to forgive me. If you’re going to forgive me.”

  Granville’s eyes snapped to attention.

  “Is that what you think? That I despise you?”

  “It’s been a little difficult to believe otherwise, Dad. The last thing I’ve felt here is welcome.”

  “Of course you’re welcome. This is your inheritance! I wanted you and your sister to be able to raise your families here, just as your mother and I did, until...”

  Jack flinched. At the rate he was going he would never have a family. He’d been sure he could have had a ready-made one with Liesel. One they could add to and make bigger and more rambunctious than the trio they could be now. If she would have him. He wasn’t so sure he deserved her faith—her love.

  He watched as his father’s hand ran along the horizon. “Son, this is your history! My history and your grandfather’s! And you just want to throw it all away on sorting out other people’s problems. Putting out other fires that will never ever bring your mother back. Can’t you see I didn’t want that for you? A life reliving the horror of her death each and every single day? I wanted you to focus on the winery so you could let go of the past, have the future I’d built for you!”

  “I would love to be part of the winery’s future, Dad—but I can’t give up the fire service.”

  “Well, it doesn’t take a brainiac to figure that out.” His father sat back in his chair.

  Jack shot him an inquisitive look.

  “Don’t think I haven’t heard about all your heroics on the radio. That’s why I’ve sent those checks over to the CFS.”

  “What?”

  “You don’t think I’d just let my only son come back to rescue a two-bit fire station and not get some support from his old man?”


  Now it was Jack’s turn to swallow a heavy wave of emotion.

  “That was you?”

  “’Course it was! Who else do you think wants that place as well equipped as it can be? I’m not having you run round in a half-clapped-out tin pot! If my son’s going to run a fire station, he’s going to run a proper one. You’re a Keller. We don’t do things half-baked.”

  His father loved him. Had been there for him. Jack pulled his father out of his chair and hugged him. Tight.

  “I don’t know what to say, Dad. I really don’t—other than thank you.”

  He felt the hug being returned. “Well, why don’t you make your face a bit more of a familiar commodity out here in return?”

  He was welcome at River’s Bend. Could things really change in an instant? A life, a future here at the station was something he hadn’t let himself consider. Jack’s mind flooded with a wash of possibility. There was so much to consider he fell into a stunned silence.

  His father gently pushed him out of the hug. “Why don’t you go on in the kitchen and get something cold to drink, son? You look a bit parched. Clearing up that mess in town must be tough work.”

  “How d’you know?”

  Granville pushed himself up out of his rocker and nodded his head in the direction of a radio sitting on the window ledge. Of course. What Granville Keller didn’t know about Engleton wasn’t worth knowing.

  “Have a nosy in the fridge, too. After you get something to eat, maybe you can give me a hand with one of the harvesters. I’ve got to replace some old valves.”

  “That’d be great, Dad. I’d like that.”

  * * *

  “So, you think they’d go for it?”

  “We’ll do everything we can!” The chirpy Murray Valley hospital rep gave Liesel a hug right there in the middle of the busy ED. “We need the Engleton CFS as much as you need us. We’d be delighted to help.

  “That’s great. I’ll just jot down all of the details for you and we’ll see you on Saturday night, then.”

  “Running a CFS recruitment stand doesn’t sound like the most fun way to enjoy the Harvest Festival. Are you sure you’re going to be able to do it all on your own?”

  Liesel waved away the rep’s concerned expression. “Don’t worry, I’ve got a couple of spare pairs of hands in town to help and it’s not as if I won’t benefit from more people on the crew.” And Jack.

  She waved goodbye to the rep, scooped Liam up onto her hip and took a last look at the buzzing ED. Yup! It still gave her a buzz. Truth of the matter was, since the Great Grape Spill, as she’d been calling it, she hadn’t been able to keep away from the hospital. She’d been popping by for the past week after school to check up on Marilyn, her patient from the crash. A full examination along with some dedicated rehab and she was going to be fine. She’d suffered a lot of bruising but no permanent damage. The same was true of the rest of the victims of the spill. Everyone who had sustained some sort of injury looked as if they’d come away from it largely unscathed.

  Joke names aside, there were still a lot of serious issues to be dealt with. The wrecked shop, the burned-out milk bar. Thank goodness the haulier was from a reputable company and had been fully insured. It might take a while for everything to come out of the wash, but once it did Engleton and her residents would be all right.

  Especially if her plan worked.

  She took a glance at the wall clock above Reception. Time to get a move on. She’d promised the volunteers down at the station some freshly baked muffins in exchange for keeping the recruitment stand at the Harvest Festival a secret from Jack. Just a few more days and he would know she was well and truly going to be there for him.

  She didn’t know if grand gestures were his thing—but it was time to show him she meant to battle her demons head-on. He had been open and honest with her about his life so it was time to lay her cards on the table. She loved Jack and wanted him to be in her and Liam’s lives. Better to enjoy life day by day and as fully as possible than to live her life in fear. Fingers crossed, Jack still had room for her in his life.

  * * *

  “What are you doing down here?”

  Not quite the greeting she’d been hoping for... He did look happy to see her, those blue eyes of his bright with surprise. It was hard to see him hold himself back from her when all she wanted to do was give him a hug and a kiss. Well, a lot more than that—but they were in public.

  Liesel held up the plate of warm snickerdoodles in response. “Want one?”

  “Love one.” Jack took a cookie but kept his gaze fixed on Liesel. “How’s the little man?”

  “Well! He’s well.” Missing you almost as much as I am. “Busy! I never knew a two-year-old could have such a full social schedule.” She laughed to fill the awkward silence. “I suspect you are, too.”

  “Not half!” Jack swept a hand through his hair. It took all her control not to do a follow-up caress. He looked tired. She hadn’t seen him in over a fortnight and if she were a betting woman, she would’ve laid money on the fact he had been putting in twelve-hour-plus days. Maybe she should just tell him now she wanted to help, wanted to be there for him. Why keep it a secret?

  “The high street is a mess. It’s going to take a lot of work to get it back together, not to mention we’re heading into peak fire season.”

  “Well, if anyone can make a bad situation good, you can.”

  “Jack! Mate!” one of the volunteers called out from the station house. Liesel watched as Jack’s body went taut with attention. “Someone’s just rung in a bushfire over at Cooper’s Pass. Ready to saddle up?”

  “Liesel...I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t worry. I understand.” She did, too. If there was a medical emergency she would’ve been running by now. Now wasn’t the time to tell him he’d helped her find the strength to believe in love again. To believe taking risks—no matter how scary they were—was worth it. “I’ll just pop these in the kitchen for when you lot get back. See you at the Harvest Festival?”

  “I’d like that.”

  From the look in his eyes, she could tell he meant it. And that was enough to help her believe she was doing the right thing. At the very least, if Jack decided he only had time and energy for the CFS she would have been honest with him. Played her true hand. And honesty was vital.

  * * *

  “Mate, are you ready?”

  “Sorry?” Jack looked up from the telephone receiver at the volunteer leaning into his office.

  “It’s getting on for seven o’clock. We got to get the rig ready for the festival.”

  Jack felt his forehead crinkle in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

  “The rig, you know...” He watched as the volunteer clapped a hand over his mouth. “Forget I said anything. Uh...wheels up in ten minutes, all right, Captain?”

  “Sure thing.” Jack shook his head in confusion. The guys had all been a bit weird around him the past few days. He knew he wasn’t a master at reading body language but it was hard to miss the sotto voce conversations, the sidelong glances.

  He pushed himself up from his desk and tried to shrug it off. The past forty-eight hours had been a whirlwind and there was no doubt he’d been in his own world for most of it. Ten minutes? Right. Better get a move on.

  * * *

  Liesel could hardly believe her eyes. River’s Bend Winery was absolutely beautiful. It was hard to believe she’d lived in Engleton almost a year and hadn’t been out to see this place yet—it was amazing. She and Liam stood hand in hand, trying their best not to gape at everything.

  A few days after the crash River’s Bend Winery had announced its decision to volunteer its tasting rooms as the location for the Harvest Festival, rather than it being held in the main street, where it had originally been scheduled. By the looks of things
, the winery had pulled out all the stops. Fairy lights swirled around a parade of gum trees leading up to the property. Bunting was strung along the veranda of the tasting room—an incredibly beautiful structure in its own right. A massive marquee, complete with an expansive dance floor, was floodlit and already thick with revelers.

  The lawn had several huge vats with little staircases leading up to them where punters could kick off their shoes and enjoy a bit of their own winemaking. Local artisan cheese, sausage, bread and cured olive makers had set up a long stream of trestle tables and enormous washtubs filled with ice showed off wines from across the valley.

  River’s Bend management had made it clear one and all were welcome. So that was why she’d made the telephone call. If they were about community, they were about the CFS.

  She gave Liam’s hand a little tug. It was time they manned their stand—the Community Fire Service recruitment and baked goods stand. Her oven had been working overtime the past two days as she’d baked up more cookies, cupcakes and other delectables than she had in her entire life at one time. A few of the emergency staff at the hospital had said they’d share the roster with her to help raise money and recruit volunteers for the Engleton station.

  It had taken all her powers of secret-keeping in order to not spill the beans to Jack. Being friends was tough, but watching him struggle was harder.

  * * *

  Her heart rate slipped up a notch when she saw him arrive amid a throng of firemen. They may have all been wearing the same uniforms, but no one filled it better than Jack Keller. In the slick black lines of the suit, he embodied the role of Engleton CFS Station’s brigade captain. The commanding officers at HQ in Adelaide would’ve been impressed. She couldn’t believe the pride she felt swelling within her. He was an amazing man. A small twist of pain began to tighten within her.

  The time they had spent together over the past few months had filled her with such happiness. Her son had grown in confidence—and he wasn’t the only one. She was a changed woman. She could feel it in her very core. Elements of the old Liesel had definitely come back—but the woman she was now? Fun, confident, a nurse, a mother. He’d made an impact. A big one.