The Two of Us

by Victoria Bylin

  Shouting and bouncing on her feet, Lucy pointed at the fire. Jake couldn’t make out the exact words, but he heard Mia’s name and realized with a sickening chill that she was trying to save the dogs.

  Crazy woman! He charged full speed toward the burning building, blocking memories of Connie as he ran. He couldn’t hear a thing except his own breathing, but his vision stayed sharp. Halting briefly at the door, he peered through the acrid smoke. There was Mia, close to the flames, shoving aside tools before dropping to a crouch. Jake yanked the extinguisher out of the clamp, charged forward, and sprayed down the wall closest to her.

  “Mia! Get out now.” He’d drag her out by her hair if he had to. He’d do anything to keep her safe.

  “I almost have her—”

  “Get out!”

  “It’s Fuzzy. She’s hiding.” Mia flung a shovel out of the way. “I can see her.”

  The flames danced to the side and shot back up the wall. White paint bubbled in front of his eyes, and the putrid air assaulted his lungs. The back door to the kennel was fully engulfed. He sprayed foam until the extinguisher gave out. Dropping it, he turned to Mia just as she stood up with Miss McFuzz clutched in her arms.

  He grabbed her by the elbow, covered his mouth with his sleeve, and half dragged her past the stalls and out the main door. Eyes stinging and lungs on fire, they sped into the yard. At a safe distance, they both stumbled to their knees, hunched over, and coughed up smoke.

  Safe . . . Mia was safe. But Jake felt no relief, only a numb awareness of the low-pitched siren of a fire truck pulling into the driveway. Two men in turnout gear jumped off the sides, the captain barked orders, and the firefighters unwound the hose.

  Jake staggered upright, offered his hand to Mia, and helped her to her feet, the dog still clutched against her chest. When she rested her head on his shoulder, he drew her close and pressed his cheek against hers. She reeked of smoke, a smell that would haunt his dreams forever, but her body remained perfectly still. Not a shiver. Not a tremble. He knew how adrenaline worked. In about five minutes, she’d be a mess.

  Lucy ran up to them with Claire, Frank, and Pirate flanking her, and let out a shriek. “Mia! Are you nuts?” She yanked Mia from his arms and tried to hug her.

  While Frank and Jake traded a look, Pirate plastered himself against Jake’s side, refusing to budge until Jake reassured him.

  “I’m fine. Here.” Mia shoved Peggy McFuzz into her sister’s arms. “Take Fuzzy inside.”

  Lucy gaped at her. “Come with me. You need water or—or—oxygen or something.” She spun around, searching until she spotted the fire captain. “We need an ambulance!”

  Jake interrupted. “Lucy, stop.”

  If his words reached her ears, they didn’t reach her brain. “I can’t believe this. Mia could have died. The house could have caught fire—”

  “Stop,” Mia murmured. “Please.”

  “But—”

  Pulling Mia back against his side, Jake stepped in. “Lucy, take Pirate and Miss McFuzz into the house. Take Claire too.” It was an order. A polite one, but still an order.

  Lucy chomped hard on her lower lip, looked at Mia, then back at Jake. “All right. But—but you take care of her, okay?”

  “I will. I promise.”

  After a shaky sigh, Lucy headed for the house with the dogs and Claire. With Mia safe and still holding herself together, Jake surveyed the action in the yard. The fire crew was dousing the last of the flames, and Frank had rounded up the rescue dogs. Everyone could manage without him while he took care of Mia.

  He nudged her toward the barn with the pinball machines. “Come with me.”

  “But the fire—”

  “Is being handled.”

  “The dogs—”

  “My father knows what to do.”

  “Lucy—Claire—”

  “Everyone’s fine, Mia.” Except you. “I want to talk to you for a minute.”

  Before she could protest again, he led her into the barn. The only light streamed from a window high in the front wall. After the heat and brightness of the fire, the chilly darkness soothed his skin and eyes. Leaving the door wide, he guided Mia into the shadows.

  She turned to him, stunned and glaring. “Why are we here? What is it? I don’t—”

  “Go ahead,” he told her. “Cry.”

  “What?”

  “Cry. I know you want to.”

  “I—I—” Blinking hard, she pressed the back of her hand to her mouth, collected herself, then spoke with a warble. “There are things to do. I can’t cry now. I just—” Can’t. She ducked to hide her face, hunching forward as her body succumbed to a violet shudder.

  Jake clasped her shoulder with one hand and tipped her face up with the other. She blinked furiously, but tears spilled down her cheeks in crooked streams. In the next breath she slumped into his arms. “I was—I was . . .”

  “Scared.”

  “Yes.”

  “But you didn’t think about it then.”

  “No.”

  He held her even tighter, kissed her temple. “You did what you thought needed to be done.”

  “You understand.”

  “All too well.”

  Trembling now, she clenched the front of his shirt in her fists and buried her face in the crook of his neck, sobbing.

  He pressed his lips to her smoky hair, then to her temple. When she whimpered, he kissed the salty tears on her cheek. Savoring the ability to be strong for her, he dropped soft kisses on her face, the corners of her mouth, until his lips completely covered hers. When she kissed him back, he enjoyed every taste, every sweet tremble, until her body stiffened and she leaned back.

  Her hands still clung to his shoulders, but she looked down, hiding her face from his gaze. A squeak pushed out of her throat. Pulling back even more, she covered her cheeks with both hands, then looked up with her red-rimmed eyes. “What—what just happened?”

  Jake knew exactly what had happened. They’d been hurled from the safety of friendship to the brink of being in love. Knowing Mia, she’d retreat with the full force of her will, so he offered the simplest answer he could. “We kissed.”

  She gaped at him. “Good work, detective. But that’s not what I meant. Why did that happen?”

  Because I’m falling in love with you. The words dangled in his mind like a sun spinner, glinting in the direct light but fading at the next turn. Was he ready to fall in love? The answer was yes. But could he give Mia what she needed? And what about Mission Medical and her plans for the future?

  Her eyes pleaded for an answer, so he told her the truth as he knew it. “The fire made you stare death in the face. It affected me too. That kiss was us fighting back.”

  “Is that all?”

  “No.”

  “Then what?” Her voice cracked on the last word. “I can’t do this, Jake. I fly to Dallas next week for the panel interview. If I get the job, I’ll leave Echo Falls permanently. I’ve made a commitment to God and myself. Being anything more than friends would be too . . . too much.”

  Too dangerous. Too intense. Too real. The problem was obvious to him. While Jake thrived on a challenge, Mia needed an escape valve.

  He laid a hand on her arm. “Right now, the fire chief needs to talk to you, so here’s the plan.” Mia liked plans, and so did Jake. “You go to Dallas and kick butt on that interview. When you get back, we’ll talk about what just happened.”

  “That sounds good.” Her voice came out steadier. “But, Jake, there’s something I have to say.”

  “I’m listening.”

  She took his hands in both of hers. Squeezing hard, she raised her face to his. “Walking into that fire couldn’t have been easy for you. Thank you for riding to my rescue.”

  “No white horses, please.” He was an ordinary man, not a mythical knight in shining armor who never fell off his horse.

  “I know.” Her mouth settled into a gentle curve. “You were doing what had to be done. But I stil
l appreciate it. I was so focused on Peggy McFuzz that I lost track of the flames. If you hadn’t pulled the extinguisher—”

  “I’m just glad you’re safe.” He wanted to forget the what-ifs, so he let go of her hands and motioned to the door. “Let’s talk to the fire crew.”

  When they emerged from the barn, Jake squinted against the sun. The fire was out except for a few embers. Two fire fighters were hosing down hotspots, while Frank and the captain, a man named Wayne O’Keefe, waited by the truck. Deputy Brian Ross, also responding to the 911 call, was with them, his black-and-white cruiser parked to the side.

  Captain O’Keefe made sure Jake and Mia were both unharmed, then he focused on Mia. “What can you tell us, Ms. Robinson?”

  She described hearing the dogs, running into the kennel, and seeing the space heater next to a flaming box of rags. Jake and his dad traded a sad look. The evidence pointed to Claire and an Alzheimer’s mistake.

  “Frank!”

  They all turned to the house and saw Claire hurrying down the steps with Lucy behind her.

  “Frank!” she shouted again. “The dogs are loose! We need to find the dogs.”

  “It’s handled,” he called to her.

  “The dogs are out!”

  “No, honey. They’re in the garage.”

  “There was a fire,” Claire said in the same tone. “The dogs are out. We need to find the dogs.”

  Lucy caught up to Claire and hooked an arm around her waist. “The dogs are safe. Let’s go look at them.”

  Claire blinked, but her confusion didn’t clear. She looked at Lucy as if she were a stranger, then at Jake. “There was a fire—”

  Jake hated Alzheimer’s. Hated it. He hated fire, fear, and everything in between. Tonight he planned to murder a punching bag.

  When Lucy and Claire were out of earshot, Captain O’Keefe and Deputy Ross both turned to Frank. The fire captain took charge. “Do you think Claire got mixed up and turned on the heater?”

  “I’m sure of it.” He looked ten years older than he had an hour ago. “While you and your crew were putting out the fire, I asked Lucy if Claire had been alone at all.” He focused on Mia. “In no way does this reflect poorly on Lucy. We all know what it’s like to watch out for Claire.”

  Jake reached for Mia’s hand but focused on Frank. “What happened?”

  “Shortly before Mia arrived, Lucy needed to use the bathroom, so she sat Claire in front of the television. When she came out, Claire was in the kitchen.”

  “Lucy must have been in the bathroom awhile,” Deputy Ross remarked.

  “It doesn’t matter,” Frank said. “Lucy does a great job. When she came out, the back door was open but the screen door was closed. Claire was safe, so she didn’t think anything more of it.”

  Wayne looked as troubled as Frank. “I’m sure you’re taking steps to protect her as well as yourselves.”

  “Every single day.” Frank nodded to include Jake. “We stopped at Westridge this morning. There are only four people ahead of us on the waiting list, but it could be weeks or even months before there’s an opening.”

  Deputy Ross paused in a respectful silence, then took out a notepad and clicked a ballpoint pen. “You’ll need a police report for the insurance claim.”

  Jake dreaded the hassle, but his father disliked paperwork even more than he did. “Dad, I can handle this. Why don’t you check on Mom?”

  “Thanks. She’s going to need some extra attention.”

  As Frank left, Captain O’Keefe glanced at the two fire fighters stringing yellow hazard tape around the smoldering ruins of the kennel. Jake recognized Tom Olander, a guy he knew from high school, and Kevin Romano, a new recruit and a gym addict with cut muscles and a low sports car doomed to get stuck in the snow.

  The fire captain excused himself to assist his men, leaving Jake and Mia with Deputy Ross.

  “Just a few more questions for Mia,” the deputy said.

  When she raised her chin and nodded, almost childlike with her eyes wide and serious, Jake rested his hand on her back. Claire wasn’t the only woman who needed a little extra TLC today. So did Mia, and Jake was both honored and determined to be the man to give it to her.

  Chapter

  15

  When Mia walked into the office on Monday morning, Kelsey welcomed her with a grin and a phone message from Carl Dixon, the editor of the Echo Falls Gazette. Carl wanted to interview Mia about the fire for Friday’s front page.

  Some people thrived on attention, but Mia didn’t enjoy the spotlight at all. Yesterday at church, Lucy had bragged to everyone about Mia and Jake saving the dogs. The hugs and questions exhausted her, and deep down she felt undeserving of the praise. She might have saved the dogs, but Jake had saved her. Only he knew that she’d fallen apart in the aftermath of the fire.

  And only Mia knew that she’d fallen apart after that kiss.

  That night, she had hugged Henrietta while pondering the emotions coursing through her. Her feelings were like the Echo River at flood stage, eroding some shores and building up others. Like Jake had said, she would give Mission Medical her best shot. But could she do that when her heart was torn between her feelings for him and keeping her promise to God?

  Kelsey dropped back into her seat at the computer. “I hope you don’t mind. You had a cancellation at eleven, so I told Carl to come then.”

  “That’s fine,” Mia replied, though she would have preferred catching up on the day’s notes.

  “I feel awful for the Tanners.”

  “So do I.” Especially for Claire. With the kennel destroyed, Jake and Frank had called Love-A-Dog Rescue headquarters and asked them to pick up all the dogs except Peggy McFuzz. They were keeping Fuzzy for Claire, who had never been without a dog in her life. The two of them needed each other.

  As Mia reached for her printed schedule, Kelsey turned back to a form on the computer screen. “I’m updating some credentialing info for the practice. When’s your birthday?”

  “It’s next week.” Mia gave the date and year.

  Kelsey grinned. “So it’s the big 3–0.”

  “That’s right.”

  Kelsey stared at her. “Wow.”

  Trying to joke, Mia made air quotes. “Is that ‘wow, you look great,’ or ‘wow, you’re ancient’?”

  “Wow, as in you’re eight years older than me.”

  Mia forced a laugh. “That’s awfully close to ‘wow, you’re ancient.’”

  “At thirty? No. But . . .” Kelsey stopped and gave a shrug instead. “I don’t have a career like you do. Mostly I want a family of my own. Kids. A dog. Even PTA meetings.” She shook her head. “I wish Jake felt like I do. But he’s just so broken.”

  Mia bristled. “Broken?”

  “Yes. On the inside. He doesn’t seem to feel much of anything, except when he talks about Camp Connie.”

  Or when he kisses me. Those precious seconds were burned into Mia’s mind along with the memory of Jake saying he felt alive again—thanks to her. The effects of their kiss shimmered through her again. As many times as she had kissed her fiancé in college and later Brad, she’d never experienced the oneness she felt with Jake. She had surrendered fully to that kiss, savored it, until she realized she was melting just like Lucy. If Mia melted into a puddle, who would mop up? Could she trust Jake to be the strong man she wanted to love forever? Maybe she wanted too much from any man. Only God could love her perfectly.

  “Mia?”

  “Sorry. I got distracted.” She snatched the printed schedule off the counter. “You were talking about Jake. It’s tough. I know how it feels to be disappointed.”

  “I do care about him,” Kelsey insisted. “I’m just tired of hoping he’ll wake up and things will be different.”

  “It sounds like you’re giving up on him.”

  “I probably should, but I just . . .” Kelsey shook her head.

  Jake would be relieved if Kelsey backed down, but her wistfulness touched Mia to the core. �
��I went through two broken engagements. It was awful, but I learned something important.”

  “What?”

  “I can be perfectly happy as a single woman. My life has meaning apart from any relationship, including a romantic one. What matters more than anything is loving God and loving people. If Mission Medical offers me the job—”

  “Oh, they will,” Kelsey interrupted. “You’re great with people, and you’re smart too.”

  Mia appreciated her enthusiasm, even if it was naïve. “I hope so, but there are no guarantees.”

  “No, but you have what it takes. Me?” Kelsey pointed at her chest. “I’d be scared to death.”

  “I am,” Mia admitted. “But God has a plan for my life. And He has a plan for yours too.”

  “Do you really think so?”

  “Yes, I do.” Mia held up the schedule. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get ready for patients.”

  Kelsey swiveled her chair to face the computer. Mia walked down the hall to her office, where she pulled up the week’s calendar on her laptop. The trip to Dallas was blocked out in blue, from Thursday afternoon when she’d fly to Dallas, through Saturday, when she’d return on an afternoon flight. Rather than ask Lucy or Jake to drive her, she planned to take her own car and park in the long-term lot.

  The fact that Saturday was her birthday struck Mia as fitting. A new decade for a new phase of life appealed to her, but she had no desire to celebrate this particular birthday. With a little luck, Lucy would overlook it, and Mia would come home from the interview with news that she’d been bumped to the next step.

  The thought should have thrilled her. Instead, as she freshened her lipstick, she recalled Jake’s searing kiss and wondered if she’d ever again feel as confident about her choices as she had sounded to Kelsey.

  Sam had promised to call Lucy every night, but it didn’t happen. Like the supportive wife she yearned to be, she accepted the disappointment and stayed strong, but today had been awful. She needed to hear his voice, so she texted him to please call if he could.

  Now she was alone in their too-quiet room on a moonless Monday night. A single lamp lit her side of the bed, and her Bible was open to Proverbs 31. No way could she live up to that ideal woman, a fact she shared with God as if He were in the room with her. He didn’t talk back, of course, but praying helped.