He nodded. “Both of them are doing just fine,” he said. “That’s why I was delayed in finding you. When we left the scene, I went back to the station house to get cleaned up, then I went by your place.”
“You did?”
“When I couldn’t reach you by phone, either your cell or the landline at the house, I started worrying. I did a swing by Manna but they said you weren’t on the schedule for a couple of days. I tried calling you again. And then I called Spring.”
“Oh, dear.”
He chortled. “Yeah, you could say that.”
“So that’s how you found me out here. I was wondering.”
“Yep.”
“She made me promise something that, at the time, didn’t make much sense. I didn’t understand,” Cameron said.
“I guess you’ve already figured out that Spring is something of a protective bird when it comes to her little sisters.”
“Loud and clear,” Cameron said.
“So, what did she make you promise?”
“That I would be gentle with you.”
A shadow of a smile creased her lips. “But she didn’t tell you why.”
It was not a question. She knew that her sister would not have betrayed a confidence, and in hindsight, Cameron could appreciate that. At the time, though, while he was going out of his mind with worry when he couldn’t reach Summer, he thought Spring was just giving him a hard time because she wanted to give him grief.
Now he knew that Dr. Spring Darling wasn’t being difficult. She was, in her own way, warning him that Summer was having a rough time of it because of the anniversary of her husband’s death. Little did Cameron know that he had unintentionally added to Summer’s angst and fear today. Her anxiety, well-placed, had prompted her to retreat to a place where she felt safe. Even if sitting on the top edge of an old silo did not rank up there with the most relaxing of spots for quiet contemplation.
“When Spring assured me you were all right, I went to the hospital. They were just finishing up with Jose Garcia who was being treated and released.”
Summer gasped. “Jose? From Station One?”
Cameron nodded. “He’s okay, Summer. Trust me. He’s back at home now. The emergency room doc told me Jimmy Armstrong, the other injured man, is going to be okay, too, but they are keeping him overnight for observation. He had some smoke inhalation and some second-degree burns that they want to keep an eye on before letting him go home. But he’s going to be fine.”
Cameron grinned. “And knowing Jimmy, he is going to milk this for the next six months with the ladies. He’s from Station Three, so I don’t think you’ve met him. He’s a good man.”
“I’m glad the guys who were injured today are okay.”
“Me, too,” he said. “The investigation is going to take a while. There was evidence of arson.”
“Who would do such a thing?”
Cameron shook his head. “I don’t know. But that’s what we’re going to find out.”
They fell silent for a moment, then, he said softly, “Summer?”
She cast inquisitive eyes at him.
“I’m glad you love me. I love you, too.”
Her eyes filled with tears. “Don’t cry,” he said, gently thumbing away the moisture.
His gaze dipped to her mouth.
“Cameron?”
He answered her question by sealing his mouth to hers in a kiss filled with all the love and tenderness that he felt toward her.
Cameron was the first to, reluctantly, pull back.
“Summer, can we continue this on the ground?”
Chapter Twenty-One
The next day traffic was heavy in Durham, with people headed home from their jobs in the Research Triangle area. Cameron had asked her to accompany him to the lawyer’s office. He’d already had one shock that day. The safe deposit box at Mickey Flynn’s bank held important papers and bank books. The balances were staggering.
Mickey had lived a simple life. With no family to care for, he’d invested his income over the years. His investments had done well and he’d left it all, his house, his vehicles and his money, to Cameron.
“You all right?” Summer asked.
Cameron glanced over at her. “I’m not sure. We were close, but I had no idea.”
“That he viewed you as the son he never had?”
Cameron nodded.
“You’re a very wealthy man now.”
“Why do I get the distinct impression that that amuses you?”
“Because it does,” she said.
Cameron had taken off his suit jacket. It hung from a hook in the backseat and he’d unbuttoned his white shirt and rolled up the sleeves.
Summer was glad to see him at least look more relaxed than he obviously felt.
“Uh-huh,” Cameron said, obviously distracted.
“Cam?”
He kept his eyes on the road. Summer’s own gaze followed his, but didn’t see anything amiss.
Summer glanced at him. “What’s wrong?”
Cameron nodded with his head. “Look at that car. Up ahead on the left. The blue sedan to the left of the yellow cab. It’s been weaving. They’re gonna cause an...”
Before he could get the word accident out, the vehicle about five cars ahead of them that he’d been watching crashed into another then flipped over.
“Hold on!”
Cameron made several defensive turns to avoid hitting anyone or being hit.
Terrified, Summer braced one hand on the dashboard and clutched her seat belt strap with the other.
Cameron brought the car to an abrupt halt in the median. The sharp braking propelled Summer forward, but her hand was braced on the dashboard. Her heart was beating rapidly.
“You okay?”
“Uh-huh,” she managed after a few stunned moments.
“Call 911,” Cameron barked.
He was on his way out the door before Summer opened her eyes to discover they hadn’t been hit.
She saw a blur as he popped the trunk, grabbed something and ran toward the accident scene.
Summer sat in her seat, shaking—trying to get a grip on what had just happened.
Accident.
Cameron had seen it coming.
Fire.
That’s all she saw, all she registered. Flames shot from beneath the vehicle that had crashed, causing the accident. She clenched her eyes closed, imagining the body inside the burning car being engulfed in flames, the driver unable and incapable of doing anything except feeling a horrifying pain.
But it wasn’t Garrett in that car. This was not the fiery crash that killed him.
It was Cameron.
Cameron, she thought in a panic.
He’d run toward the danger.
Lord, keep him safe, please.
Now the roadway was jammed with stalled cars. Several people rushed toward the accident scene. Some with cell phones held out like urban paparazzi, but others like Cameron blasting the flames with fire extinguishers they’d pulled from their own vehicles.
She saw him directing some of the other Good Samaritans toward the spots that would enable the passengers to be rescued.
In the distance, Summer heard the blare of emergency sirens. Already, help was on the way.
“Call 911.”
He’d asked her to do one simple thing. But she hadn’t managed to summon help. She hadn’t dialed 911. She hadn’t responded.
All she’d done was panic.
She lifted an unsteady hand to her face, still watching as Cameron handed off his fire extinguisher to another man then scrambled on the ground to... She leaned forward, trying to see what he was doing.
It looked like sawing.
; Sawing?
The knife! He always had a Swiss Army knife with him. Suddenly what he was doing on the ground made sense. Cameron was cutting through the seat belt to free the driver.
Two other men helped another occupant of the vehicle to safety and away from the burning car that crashed.
Cameron remained alert, swinging into action when and where it was needed. With no consideration of his own safety, he moved to help others.
Peace, even in the midst of the horrific scene, enveloped her.
Fear had kept her bound, had momentarily paralyzed her. But God’s love, His grace and His mercy would always be there, waiting for her to embrace the gifts of the Father. Those gifts were peace, comfort and an assurance that God was the one in control...of all things.
Even an accident on the road.
The Lord had sent a hero into her life. One who fought the Lord’s battles on an uncommon ground.
“Thank you, Lord,” she said again.
Summer smiled, even as she opened the passenger door and went to the trunk. She had teased him about his go bag and the storage box of supplies in his trunk. But they were there for a reason. Cameron had water and blankets and probably a heavy-duty first-aid kit and other things that might assist with accident victims. She grabbed the items and ran forward.
A man and a woman were tending to a nearly hysterical woman when Summer approached with bottles of water and twisted the cap on one of them.
“Here,” she said as she sat on the ground beside the woman and took her hand. “Try to take a few sips.”
“My mom! My mom’s in there.”
“They’re getting her out,” Summer said, surprised at her own calm given the situation. Indeed, Cameron and two firefighters were pulling the driver to safety even as they watched.
Firefighters were on the run, hauling hoses to douse the remaining flames. Onlookers continued to record the unfolding drama with smartphones and tablets.
Cameron glanced up for a moment.
When he spotted Summer, his brows lifted in surprise. He mouthed, “I love you.”
“Love you, too,” she said back to him.
A moment later, Cameron was back in the fray, directing an EMT, doing what he’d been called to do.
Epilogue
When the second Sunday rolled around the following month, Cameron knew what to expect at Lovie Darling’s house. He and Summer usually attended Sunday worship services together at The Fellowship, but on the second Sunday of the month they were at First Memorial Church of Cedar Springs in the pew he’d come to recognize was the Darling family’s row.
He had a standing invitation to dinner at Lovie Darling’s home and was looking forward to again sharing a meal with Summer’s family.
Today brought two additional guests to the table, one of which surprised him.
The Reverend Doctor Joseph Graham, pastor of First Memorial, was already in Lovie Darling’s cozy parlor when Summer and Cameron arrived.
“Ladies and gentleman,” Cameron said, holding Summer’s hand out as if in presentation. “May I introduce you to the new volunteer coordinator at Manna.”
Summer accepted congratulations from her family and pastor.
“So you’ll be running the place now?” the Reverend Doctor Graham asked.
“Just the volunteer part and, of course, the meals. I told the board I wasn’t qualified to head up a non-profit, but that I did have coordinating skills that could be put to good use. They’re going to search for a director who will be responsible for everything else.”
“Congratulations, dear,” Lovie said, giving Summer a hug.
The minister leaned in toward Cameron. “I see it takes a Darling to get you to First Memorial at least once a month,” Doctor Graham said, teasing him.
“I enjoy the services you have,” he said.
The minister chuckled and dipped his head toward Summer. “So you say.”
“Reverend Graham, don’t tease the boy,” Lovie Darling said, walking her daughter back to Cameron. “He’s a delightful dinner guest.” She winked at Cameron.
The doorbell rang and Summer excused herself from both Cameron’s embrace and the room to see to it. When she returned a few moments later, it was with Georgina Lundsford from the Historical Review Advisory Committee.
Spring joined them. “Oh, I’m so glad you’re here, Georgina. I want to show you what I found out about the firm that’s...”
Georgina held a hand up to halt Spring. “I promised your mother that there would be no talk about that development deal,” she announced.
Lovie Darling nodded. “That topic is off the table today since we want to enjoy our meal without indigestion.”
“But...” Spring sputtered. “I have...”
“Not today,” Lovie said.
“Come and get it,” Autumn called from the doorway. “And hurry up before Winter tries to mess with one of my dishes.”
Lovie, the minister, Georgina and Spring headed toward the dining room. Cameron held Summer back by hooking an arm around her waist and tugging her close to him.
“Hey, you,” he said.
She turned in his arms and smiled at him. Cameron stole a quick kiss that lingered.
“You really don’t want Winter fiddling with the food,” Summer murmured against his mouth.
“Hmm,” Cameron said as he reluctantly released her.
“Seriously, Cam. She’s likely to add ketchup to the béarnaise sauce or to microwave a soufflé.”
Cameron laughed, but said, “They’ll be fine without us for a few minutes. There’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”
She cast searching blue eyes up at him. Cameron led her to one of the loveseats in Lovie Darling’s parlor, a room he’d come to associate with scrumptious hors d’oeuvres and family. With something of a Pavlovian response, he regarded this room as the place where good things—be they food or conversation—happened before the main course.
“What’s going on with you?” Summer asked as he settled her on the cushion.
“There’s something I want to ask you,” he said.
“Okay. But dinner’s getting cold.”
Cameron chuckled. “Remind me to keep you fed from now on.”
She cocked her head at a little angle. “Cameron?”
“Do you know how much I love you?” he asked.
Her eyes widened as he lowered himself to one bended knee before her.
“I think I fell in love with you the minute you fell into my arms earlier this summer. What I’ve come to discover as I’ve gotten to know you is that not only are you beautiful, you are loving and kind and funny and gorgeous and spirit-filled and did I mention beautiful?”
She smiled. “Cameron.”
“Shh,” he said. “Let me finish. I only plan to do this once in my life.”
She grinned at him and then waved at him to continue.
“You have made me a better man,” Cameron said. “I’m not perfect. Not by a long shot. And you know I still need some, er, work, shall we say, in a few areas. But I know that with you at my side, I can be an even better man.”
He tucked his hand in his suit jacket pocket and pulled out a small dark velvet box.
Thumbing it open, he turned it to her where a diamond in an antique filigree setting sparkled. “This was my grandmother’s,” he said. “She and my grandfather were married for sixty-nine years. He died in his sleep the evening before their seventieth wedding anniversary. She was perfectly healthy but died less than a week later of what the doctors said was simply a broken heart.”
He groaned. “I’m making a mess of this,” he said. “Here I am trying to propose and I’m talking about people dying.”
“You’re doing a pretty good job, I think,” Summer
said.
His gaze met hers and there was hope and love shining in his eyes.
“The ring is old,” he said. “And old-fashioned. If you don’t like it, we can get the diamond put in a new setting or design one together.”
He took the ring out of the box and set the box on the floor. “Summer Darling Spencer, would you do me the honor and the privilege of becoming my bride?”
Tears that had already filled Summer’s eyes flowed freely. She laughed as she wiped them away.
“What is it?” Cameron asked.
“I’m glad I used the waterproof mascara today.”
That earned her a chuckle from him and then Cameron was all serious and intent again. He took her left hand in his and held the ring in his other.
“Will you marry me, Summer?”
She nodded.
Then, she said, “Yes, yes, yes!”
From across the room came applause and a sharp whistle that could only have come from Coach Autumn.
Unaware of their audience, Summer and Cameron turned to see Lovie, Autumn, Winter and Spring Darling as well as their dinner guests grinning and applauding in the open French doorway of the parlor.
“It’s about time,” Autumn said to the couple. Then to the others: “They’re engaged now. Can we eat?”
“You don’t have a romantic bone in your body,” Winter accused her little sister.
“Yes, she does,” Spring declared. “A month ago she was whining about wanting to plan a wedding. Now she’ll get to actually do it.”
Autumn rolled her eyes and just shook her head, but she looked as pleased as her sisters and her mother.
Lovie Darling was dabbing her eyes with a small lace-edged hankie.
Grinning, Cameron turned back to Summer.
“I know summer is your favorite season,” he said. “Would you like a summer wedding?
She shook her head. “No, Cam. A year is too long to wait to be your bride. I don’t need or want a big to-do. Unless you do,” she quickly added.
He grinned and looked over his shoulder. “Put that planning on a fast track, Autumn.” Then, with his attention back on Summer, he added for her ears only. “I’d haul you off to a justice of the peace right now if I could.”
The Fireman Finds a Wife Page 19