by Jill Sanders
“Where are you going?” He nodded to the car.
“Edgeview. I need a few things for the apartment.”
He nodded and wished more than anything that he could go with her.
“Hi,” she said, smiling over his shoulder. He glanced over and frowned.
“Remember Jeff? Jeff was just going inside to pay.” He glanced back at Jeff who just rolled his eyes, nodded, then smiled.
Abby smiled. “You look all official.” She ran her fingers over his heavy coat.
He glanced down and realized he’d just attacked her at a gas station in full uniform. Then he glanced down at her button-up top and worn jeans.
“You look sexy as hell.” He smiled and ran his hands over her tight bottom. “I like the look.”
She giggled. “It’s called sloppy shopping attire.”
He smiled.
“When will you be available for… dinner?” The last was said in a breathless tone that sent his pecker into overdrive.
He felt his eyes water and wished more than anything that he could jump in her car and go back to her place now.
“Two weeks. Two long, lonely, miserable weeks.”
She frowned. “Where is Lady staying?”
“At the firehouse. You should come down for a visit sometime. After all, you did play a role in helping us out with the new place. Of course, it’s not done quite yet. But the least I can do is show you around the first station.”
She nodded. “I’d like that. I’ve never been to a firehouse before.”
He smiled. “Then it’s settled. How about Saturday at noon? That way I can show you around and we can have lunch at the same time.”
She smiled and nodded. “I’d better go.” She tipped her head to behind them, where two cars were waiting for the gas pumps.
“See you then.” He placed a soft kiss on her lips and then watched as she drove away.
“You, my friend, have it bad,” Jeff said, slapping his shoulder.
“Yeah.” He frowned a little as her car disappeared around the corner. “Yeah, I do.”
They spent the rest of the day cleaning and checking equipment. It was one of the suckiest jobs in the house, but everyone had to do it at least once a year. It just so happened that his and Jeff’s names had come up this time.
It usually took two full days to do the job, but they managed to finish everything in just one day. Maybe he was working off the extra boost that kiss from the gas station had given his system.
By the next day, it had worn off and he was in a foul mood. It probably had to do with all the dreams he’d had of Abby that night. He wanted to hold her, see her, kiss her so bad that even texting her wasn’t satisfying him.
The only thing that kept his mind from her was staying busy, and the following days were busy ones. It was the week leading up to Labor Day weekend and they always had calls about campfires in the state park, which was packed with families for the holiday.
When Saturday rolled around, he had to text Abby and call their lunch off since he was still out on a call at the park. Why people disobeyed the warning signs was beyond him. If it said no campfires, then it meant no campfires.
Even though they had gotten some rain last week, the ground was still too dry to allow for even the smallest of fires.
When they finally made it back to the house, it was almost dark. He knew they would be called out a few more times during the night, especially since they hadn’t stopped all week.
As they pulled in, he smiled when he noticed Abby’s new car parked in the visitor’s spot.
“Looks like your lady’s here,” Roger said, smiling at him.
“Shut up,” he said, but since he couldn’t stop smiling, it didn’t hold any weight
After removing his gear, he walked into the kitchen area to find Abby holding Lady on her lap and laughing at something the chief was saying.
“Hey.” He glanced between them and sat down. Instantly, Lady jumped into his lap and started their ritual of kissing.
“Does she do that every time?” Abby asked, smiling.
“Yeah.” He chuckled. “It’s like I’ve been gone for years, every single time.” He smiled as the dog settled in his lap.
“I brought you all some dinner.” She nodded towards the large covered containers over near the stove. “It’s probably still hot.”
“Did I hear someone say hot food?” Two of his crew walked in and made a beeline towards the containers.
“I brought enough for everyone.” She smiled over at him. “I saved you a plate. It’s in the oven,” she whispered.
He pulled her closer and kissed her. “Thank you.”
The chicken, potatoes, and slaw were perfect. He knew she’d gotten it all at Patty’s, but it was the thought that counted.
“Walter was telling me about your first week on the job,” she said as he shoveled the hot food into his mouth.
He rolled his eyes. “Of course he was.” He glared over at his chief.
“Did you really roll down a hill that was on fire?”
His eyes met his chief’s and he smiled, remembering that day. “Yup, sure did.”
***
Abby had never felt more comfortable around a group of men in her life. She’d also never laughed as hard as she had that evening.
Lane’s supervisor, Walter Strike was a funny man. When she’d first arrived to the firehouse, he’d taken the time to walk her around and show her everything, including all the trucks, crew quarters, and the training yard.
After Lane had eaten his entire plate of food, he walked her to her car and pulled her close until she wished he didn’t have to spend the night in a dorm room full of men.
“Thanks for bringing the food.” He smiled down at her, sending shivers running up her spine.
“You’re welcome.” Her arms were wrapped around his shoulders, feeling the heat from his body next to hers.
“God, I wish more than anything that I could go back to your place with you.” He rested his forehead on hers and she sighed.
“Ditto.”
He chuckled and glanced around. “Maybe we can sneak a few moments.” He took her hand in his and pulled her around the building quickly.
They didn’t stop until he pushed her lightly up against the back wall of the training building. The three-story building was made of strong wood and smelled faintly of smoke. But, with Lane’s mouth covering hers, she wasn’t focused on the damp smell of burned building behind her.
His hands roamed over her hips as his mouth took her deeper into darkness. Her heart rate spiked and she felt her hands gripping his shoulders so she wouldn’t melt against him.
“God, I needed this. Needed you,” he said as he ran his mouth down the column of her neck. “You’re an adrenaline rush.” He chuckled softly against her hair.
“Tell me about it.” She smiled and pushed her fingers into his hair. “I can’t seem to calm my heart down when I’m around you.”
His smile was quick. “I like feeling your pulse kick.” His fingers brushed the side of her neck softly. Her eyes closed and she rested her head back on the wood.
“I never thought…” She opened her eyes and met his blue ones, staring at her in question. Shaking her head slowly, she smiled. “I haven’t felt like this…”
She watched that smile form again and was mesmerized by the small dimple near the side of his mouth. Running her finger over it, she glanced up to see his eyes turn to flame just before he covered her mouth with his again.
More than half an hour later, they walked back around the building, hand in hand. Her hair was messed up from his hands, but then again, so was his.
“Will I see you tomorrow?” he asked, pulling her into his arms again at her car.
She nodded. “I’ll try to swing by after work.”
He smiled and kissed her once more.
On her short drive home, she couldn’t stop herself from smiling. Her lips still vibrated from his. When she pulled into her parkin
g spot, she noticed an older woman getting out of her car and spotted Angie, Lane’s sister, getting out of the other side.
“Hi,” she called out and watched Angie’s face light up.
“Abby!” Angie rushed over to her, holding a large bag, which hung off her shoulders and looked like it weighed a ton.
Abby took the girl’s hug and enjoyed every moment. “Hi.” She smiled over at Lane’s mother. “I’m Abby Taylor…” All of a sudden, she didn’t know what else to say. I’m the woman sleeping with your son? I’m the woman who was just ravished by your son behind the firehouse? Clearing her throat, she tried to smile. “I met your daughter Angie in Sara’s Nook.” She held out her hand and wished more than anything that she’d taken a good look at herself in the mirror before she’d gotten out of the car. Surely, her hair was still standing up and her chin was probably a little red from Lane’s kisses.
“Hi, yes, you’re seeing my son, Lane. I’m Laura Austin.” The woman smiled and held out her hand for Abby to shake.
Abby nodded and added. “I hear that you’re the mayor of Pride, as well.”
The woman nodded. “A role I sort of fell into.” She sighed and ran a hand over her daughter’s hair.
Abby chuckled, feeling her nerves return. “I just delivered some dinner to Lane and the guys at the firehouse.”
“Oh?” The woman smiled and then glanced at Angie, who had pulled an iPad out of her bag and was playing a loud game on it. “I bet the guys enjoyed that. They’ve been real busy lately since it’s been dry.” She shook her head. “No matter what we do, campers are always starting fires.” She nodded towards her. “I hear you’ve started work with Todd Jordan.”
She nodded. “So far, it’s my dream job.”
“That’s good. It’s about time that man had some help.” She shook her head. “That whole family is full of overachievers.” She chuckled. “I wouldn’t doubt it if someday Lacey replaced me as mayor.”
Abby smiled and then glanced over as Kelly walked out of the store and lit up a cigarette.
“Let me know if that one gives you any problems.” Laura whispered and then took Angie’s hand in her own. “Well, we’d better do our shopping before it gets too late.” She nodded towards her. “It was a real pleasure meeting you.”
“Bye.” She waved to Angie, who was still holding onto her iPad but waving with her free hand.
She watched Kelly puff smoke out as the pair walked by her, then Laura said something to the woman and she dropped her cigarette and followed them into the store, but not before giving her a glance that could kill. Abby smiled and nodded to the woman like she hadn’t noticed the look.
Chapter Twelve
Abby had never really felt lonely before. Most of her life, she’d had Jenna a few steps away. But the entire next week that Lane worked, she kept trying to find reasons to stop by the firehouse. She’d even delivered food to the guys there three times. Each time they begged to have her back. She’d joked with them all and had become friends with a few of the guys. Especially their chief, Walter. She really liked the older man, who reminded her a lot of her father.
But in the evenings, when she wasn’t trying to come up with an excuse to visit the firehouse, she was alone. In her apartment. Bored. She re-watched a ridiculous number of the episodes of Lost and Orange is the New Black. She tried to finish reading some of the books she’d bought during her last trip to Edgeview, but she just couldn’t get into anything at the moment.
She spent most of her mornings across the way at Sara’s Nook, chatting with Sara, who was pregnant and due in a few months, or her sister Becca. She and Becca seemed to get along the best and she found herself going over there more often when she knew her new friend was working. She’d met a lot of other people in town in the little shop and enjoyed getting to know them all better.
She talked to Jenna. A lot. Actually, they had video called each other almost every other day.
Jenna seemed a little unhappy, but so far, she hadn’t been able to get anything about it out of her cousin.
“I just miss you,” was all she would say when Abby asked her what was wrong.
“You could always move in with me, here,” Abby teased.
Jenna would sigh and change the conversation to her work or family.
Abby found it harder and harder to be so far away from her family, but since her job and things with Lane were going so well, she was adjusting. Better than Jenna was, from the sound of it. Maybe a small day trip would do the both of them good. Maybe Lane would like to go with her.
She had arranged to meet at him at the new firehouse so he could show her around the place. The first thing she noticed was that it was a lot smaller than the other fire station.
“It’s just a sub-house,” he said, taking her hand. “The old place will still be the main fire station for Pride. This one is mainly for the state park.” He nodded up the hill. “We’re on the other side of town and when we get called out to the park”—he shook his head—“cutting through town takes some time. Besides, Pride has grown so much in the last few years, we needed another station.” He sighed and started walking towards the large, open garage doors.
“Will you work at this one?” she asked as they stepped into the empty building.
He shrugged his shoulders. “Probably. Chief hasn’t told anyone his plans yet.” He nodded to the left. “There will be an office back there for the chief in charge.”
She stopped and looked back to the area where a rough-in room was being built. “Who decides on that?”
He smiled. “The town will vote on a list of candidates.”
“Have you thought about running?”
***
He started to chuckle, but then stopped. “I’m not…” He shook his head. Hadn’t he thought about it since he’d first heard they needed a second station? He’d dreamed about being chief since he was a kid but hadn’t dared to get his hopes up. Smiling down at her, he shrugged his shoulders. “I haven’t decided yet.”
She smiled as she walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “You’d be perfect. Your degree would help with running the place, and from what I’ve seen, the guys love you.”
He nodded and held onto her. He loved looking into those emerald eyes of hers. Especially when she was looking at him like he could walk on water. “I’ll think about it. We still have a few months to go before this place will be ready.”
He glanced around. He loved stopping by whenever he could to see the small changes. He’d helped Walter pick out the equipment for the new place and could imagine where everything would be eventually.
As he walked her around and showed her the place, he kept her hand tucked in his, wishing more than anything that he could have just one evening off that week to be with her.
When they stood by her car again, he pulled her close and kissed her until he felt like he’d be able to make it through one more night without her next to him.
“When’s your shift change again?” She smiled up at him.
He chuckled. “Not soon enough.”
“Oh, I ran into your mother and Angie the other night.”
He smiled. “Mom said something.” He frowned a little also, remembering what his mother had told him about how Kelly had acted.
“What?” She frowned a little, matching his.
He shook his head. “You’ll let me know if Kelly acts up again?”
She chuckled and nodded. “Really, now that I know about her, I think I can handle it. Besides, it seems like everyone in town is making sure we’re never alone like that again.” She laughed. “Last time I was in the store and it was just Kelly and I, it took all of four minutes until Lacey showed up. The woman wasn’t buying anything, just walked around the store with me, chatting, while I got everything. Then she stood at the checkout line and watched Kelly closely.”
He smiled. “That woman has a sick sense of timing.”
She giggled and then nodded towards the firehouse. “Tha
nks for showing me around.”
He pulled her closer. “Thanks for coming. I really miss you.” He leaned closer and covered her mouth with his. “Hanging out with the guys for two weeks can be… formidable.”
She laughed. “From what you were telling me, it can also be hazardous to your health.”
He laughed with her. “Only when they get on one of their prank streaks.”
She smiled. “Jenna and I went through that as teenagers. We tried to pull everything we could think of on our other cousins.”
His eyebrows shot up. “There are more of you?”
She laughed. “Eric is two years younger than us.” She shook her head and he saw love flood her eyes. “He and his younger brother Jason were easy targets since they were so gullible.”
He smiled. “I have a younger cousin who fits that bill as well.” He shook his head remembering the fun times he’d had pushing all of Reba’s buttons.
Abby rested her head on his shoulder as her fingers played over his back. “I’ve missed you.” He heard her moan a little and felt himself grow hot with need.
“I’ve never really had a problem with the two week shifts. Until now.” He pulled her face up to his and watched those sweet lips of hers. “Now I just wish I could go home with you and hold you all night.”
Sighing, she pulled him down until their lips met.
***
For the most part, work kept her busy during the next few days. Todd was feeling more confident about her abilities and was giving her a full workload.
She enjoyed spending hours engrossed in numbers. Sometimes she would even forget about lunch and just eat a snack at her desk. Early Wednesday morning, Katie knocked on her door.
“Hey,” she said, leaning against the door. “What a night.” Her new friend moaned and rolled her head back and forth, loosening her shoulders.
“Oh?” Abby smiled when she remembered that Katie had talked about going on a first date with a cop from Edgeview. “How was it?”
Katie smiled and rushed forward. “Perfect.” She sat in the chair in front of her. She rested her elbows on the edge of her desk and sighed. “I really think this is the one.”