ROMANCE: Tumble Into Love: A Diamond Creek Alaska Novel, Contemporary Romance (Diamond Creek, Alaska Novels Book 5)

by Croix, J. H.

  Travis snored nearby while James breathed steadily in the quiet night. The sky was so clear out here it was breathtaking. The smoke was in the distance now, its haze no longer fogging the view. Stars appeared so close, it was as if he could reach out and touch them. He heard a rustling sound and slow footsteps through the burned landscape. He glanced around and saw the shadow of a moose walking on the far side of the stream, the landscape of its home devastated by the fire. Moose thrived on healthy forests. Most of the moose from this area would move to nearby sections of forests. He watched the moose’s shadow approach the stream and pause for a drink before lifting its head and turning curiously in their direction. He waited quietly as the moose stared at him in the dark before finally turning away and continuing to follow the stream bank in the direction where the forest was untouched by the fire in the distance.

  He couldn’t sleep for thoughts of Risa. He needed to find a way to tell her how much she meant to him. Problem was, this was uncharted territory for him. He’d grown so comfortable in the life he’d carved out for himself—a life that didn’t involve emotional entanglements and certainly didn’t involve putting his heart on the line. But the idea of letting her slip away was terrifying. She was everything he hadn’t even known he wanted. Intelligent, kind, funny and so damn sexy it robbed him of his senses. The mixture of bold and vulnerable she carried was intoxicating—so genuine and sexy it took his breath away. And he’d left with the intent to wash her out of his mind. Instead, she’d burrowed in under his defenses and he couldn’t shake free, nor did he want to anymore. And for now, he had to wait through the night and hope he could call her in the morning.

  ***

  Risa sat in Darren’s living room with Hallie, Ethan and Jack. After she’d arrived at Darren’s house to discover Hallie frantic because she hadn’t received the daily call Darren promised her when he got in, Risa had decided to stay with her. She didn’t want Hallie to worry alone. After Ethan called to check on her, he and Jack had driven over to Darren’s house with pizza from Glacier Pizza, her favorite local pizza place.

  They’d finished eating hours ago. Darkness had fallen. Stars winked bright against the bare sky, and a half moon glittered above the mountains, the water in the bay shimmering in its bright light. She and Hallie were seated together on one side of the sectional while Ethan and Jack sat on the other corner. The television rumbled while Jack dealt cards. He and Ethan had insisted they were staying to force her and Hallie not to obsess about Darren when there was nothing else to do. Hallie had been able to get information from the station that Darren was on one of the teams that hadn’t reported in, but they confirmed he was safe and waiting with his team until daylight to be flown out.

  Risa wasn’t satisfied with that answer. It helped to know something, but the anxiety knotted in her chest and stomach wouldn’t ease until she knew for certain he was out of the fire zone. She glanced up when Jack said her name.

  “What?” she asked.

  He rolled his eyes. “Your turn.”

  “Oh, right.” She quickly laid a card down.

  Hallie glanced at her and over to Ethan and Jack. “So, I told Risa she needs to tell Darren how she feels? Don’t you think?”

  Ethan chuckled. “Honey, we suggested that weeks ago. Risa seems to be taking her sweet time with it.”

  Risa glared at him. “I wasn’t sure how I felt. Now I’m a little more sure, but I still don’t know what Darren thinks. I mean, he didn’t even bother to tell me about this trip ahead of time. He left me a message the night before he left town.”

  Doubts were hunkered down in her brain. Her feelings had already run roughshod over her intellect when it came to Darren. His strong, quiet, reserved routine didn’t help her feel more confident. Here she was obsessing over his safety, almost out of her mind with worry and for all she knew, he wasn’t even thinking about her.

  Hallie wagged her finger at her. “I already told you I know Darren. He’s got it bad for you. Seriously bad. He needs something to shake him up enough to stop being so careful.”

  Risa took a sip of water and set the glass down on the coffee table with a sigh. “Right, well I just don’t want to be the idiot again.”

  Ethan and Jack collectively sighed and turned their eyes to her. Ethan spoke. “I met Darren and while I won’t claim to know him the way Hallie does, he’s no Brad. Brad was a shallow fool. Whatever happens with Darren, he’s not out to treat you like that. I know it.”

  Hallie nodded emphatically, though she had no idea who Brad was. After a few more minutes of this, Risa managed to outlast them and the conversation moved on. She eventually nodded off on the couch, the last thought on her mind was Darren—wondering how he was doing out in the backcountry in the chilly fall night.

  Chapter 23

  Dawn followed the sun as its rays spread from behind the mountains. Frost coated the ground, making the burned landscape look ghostly with a soft fuzz of glittery white atop the charred surface. Steam rose in the air as the sun crested the mountains and hit the frost, quickly melting it. A mist floated as far as the eye could see as the sun rose further in the sky. Darren had never managed to fall asleep and stood to stretch and look around. When Travis had woken for his round of watch, Darren had shaken his head and told him it was no bother. He’d known he wouldn’t be able to sleep—not with his mind circling on Risa and those long moments when he’d raced back into the house for the little girl. He was chilly and stiff from the night. Sleeping bags had been dropped with their supplies, so he quickly rolled up the one he’d rested in while he watched the night go by. He could no longer see the fire in the distance, only lingering streaks of smoke along the horizon. Risa had drifted in and out of his thoughts throughout the long night. This morning, he was determined to call her as soon as he could, so he could hear her voice. He had far more to say than that, but he hadn’t quite sorted that out.

  He tugged his phone out of his pocket and strode to a small rise nearby, hoping he could get some phone reception. The icon on his screen indicated no reception…still. With a sigh, he put his phone away and walked to the stream, splashing cold water on his face. He turned to look over at Travis and James, both zipped tight in their sleeping bags and dead to the world. He started organizing his gear and had a snack bar while he waited for them to wake up. He figured there was no sense in forcing them to get up when they had nowhere to go until the helicopter arrived. When he heard the muffled sound of the radio, he sifted through Travis’ bag and pulled it out.

  He confirmed their location and received notice that the helicopter was estimated to reach them within a half hour. Travis lifted his head, his eyes bleary. “Did I just hear we’re about to get picked up?” he said groggily.

  “Half hour. I’d say it’s time to rise and shine,” Darren replied.

  Travis promptly fell back with a groan, but immediately sat up again, shaking his head sharply. Darren walked over and shook James to wake him. They were ready to roll by the time they heard the helicopter in the distance. When he climbed aboard, Darren leaned back with a sigh in his seat and accepted a thermos of coffee handed over by one of the pilots. After a few sips of bracing black coffee, he thought he could make it through the day. His mind may not have been able to turn off last night, but his body was exhausted.

  When they landed at the closest helipad in Kenai, they were shuttled over to the staging area on the outskirts of the area where the fire had started. Tents fluttered in the chilly breeze with breakfast set up at a small buffet. After piling his plate high with eggs, bacon and toast, he sat down at a long table and finally checked his phone. Still no reception. He knew Hallie would be worried because he’d assured her he’d call every night he could. She knew to check with the station if she didn’t hear from him, but he could only hope she’d gotten the word that he was safe and sound. He also hoped she’d have called Risa. It bothered him that he hadn’t spoken to Risa the night before he left now. When he’d left the message, he’d felt re
lieved that he could just tell her he’d be out of town for a few days. He’d hoped it would shake the spell she’d put him under. Now he only hoped his carelessness hadn’t pushed her further away. She was skittish enough as it was.

  Most of their crew had returned, but they found out that one team remained unaccounted for—including two full-time firefighters from Diamond Creek and another back-up firefighter like him. Unlike his team, no one had been able to reach this team yet. The helicopter that had been intended to pick them up and changed routes had done a fly over yesterday evening with no sign of them. Darren’s stomach knotted while he waited with the rest of the crew. He was friends with every one of the guys, but he knew the full-timers were really tight. It was how he was with his police partners. When you faced danger every day and had to count on each other, the bond was strong—whether it was ever expressed in words or not. Not knowing where these guys were was tearing at the heart of this crew.

  By early afternoon, there was still no word. Rescue crews were out there tracking where the fire had moved to try to assess where the team was. Darren and the rest of the Diamond Creek crew weren’t cleared to return to the field and would be sent home this afternoon. Darren had managed to get to a brief moment of crappy reception by standing on top of one of the trucks. He’d left Hallie and Risa messages. He’d radioed to the station and asked them to call as well.

  Hours later on the ride home to Diamond Creek, they received a call reporting that the missing team had been located. Two of the guys from the team had gotten caught off guard when the wind changed direction. Both survived, but one was in bad shape. They’d been driven down into a small valley by the fire, which is why the helicopter hadn’t seen them yesterday evening. The only one who wasn’t injured had remained with the team to do what he could to stabilize them with emergency medical supplies. All three had been picked up and flown to the hospital in Anchorage for clearance.

  As Darren rode home with Travis, Travis glanced over, his eyes assessing. “So did I hear you ask the station to call Risa?”

  Darren shrugged. “So what?”

  “Since when was Risa so important that she lands on the list of family for updates?”

  Darren shifted his shoulders and rolled his head from side to side, easing the tension in his neck. He glanced out the passenger window. Cook Inlet stretched ahead in the view, the mountains rising tall on the far side. Gulls coasted in the soft breeze over the water, which glittered under the bright sun. With a sigh he looked back at Travis whose gaze was on the road again.

  “Since I can’t seem to get her out of my mind,” Darren said bluntly.

  “Does this mean you two are serious because I gotta give it to you if you are. You have seriously played your cards close. I knew you were into her, and I’d heard here and there you two were sort of seeing each other, but that’s about it.”

  Darren chewed on the inside of his mouth and considered Travis’ words. He had played his cards close to his chest. Because he hadn’t wanted anyone, including Risa, to think too much of his actions and read into them.

  “How about this? We haven’t been serious in the sense that we’ve discussed it, but spending the night in a burned forest puts things in perspective. I can’t stop thinking about her, so I figure I’d better face the fact that I’d like to make it serious.”

  Travis nodded, smiling wryly. “Fair enough.”

  They were quiet after that, and they rode home to Diamond Creek through a glorious fall afternoon, yellow birch leaves floating in the wind. Thrumming in the background was the underlying fear and concern for how the rescued crew members were faring.

  ***

  At the gallery, Risa entered inventory pricing on a spreadsheet, losing focus repeatedly as her mind wandered to Darren. After she’d woken this morning on Darren’s couch, Risa had joined Hallie for coffee and then headed home to shower and change. Ethan and Jack were already at the gallery when she arrived, busy planning and cleaning up from the opening event. Risa had failed miserably at keeping her thoughts off of Darren. He’d left a message this morning when she was in the shower, reporting through a poor, broken connection that he was back at the base camp and would call later when he had a better connection. Knowing he was safe seemed to only stir the stew of her thoughts.

  Shortly after his message, she’d received a message from the fire station that he had reported in and would be returning from duty this afternoon. The message had indicated he’d requested she be contacted for updates due to his poor connection. She was restless and had trouble concentrating. So, he couldn’t be bothered to actually let her know his plans other than a passing phone call, but now he wanted to make sure she was kept up to date. She’d spent the night worrying about him, wondering if she had the courage to talk to him about how she felt, and now she could barely consider it. Her nerves were worn thin and frazzled by a poor night’s sleep.

  Risa went through the motions of work, somehow managing to talk to customers though her mind was only half present. Ethan and Jack left for lunch, and she sold a few pieces. The most recent customer had left when the doorbell chimed. She glanced up to see Emma and Trey entering the gallery, Stuart walking between them.

  “Aunt Risa!” Stuart raced to her, colliding with her in an enthusiastic hug.

  “Hey buddy!” Risa swept him in her arms for a kiss, quickly setting him back down. She looked up to Emma and Trey. “Hey there, glad you could make it.” She gestured around the gallery. “Take a look around. Where’s Janet?”

  Trey tugged her in for a quick hug. “We dropped her off with Hannah for the afternoon.” He glanced around. “It looks great. How’d last night go?”

  Emma had already started meandering through the gallery. Risa updated them on the opening night as they checked out the new displays. She hesitated to explain what happened with Darren. She and Trey had yet to discuss her relationship with Darren and with Stuart here, she didn’t think it was the best timing. Their visit was a distraction, but her mind kept wandering back to Darren. As if she’d conjured him, she looked out the front window and saw his patrol car pull up out front. She’d figured he’d arrive in Diamond Creek sometimes this afternoon, but had expected a call, not an unannounced visit to the gallery. Her heart flew to her throat. She wasn’t ready to see him, not like this. Though Emma and Trey were a friendly audience, her feelings were too raw. Stuart would be a font of questions, and she wasn’t ready to fall apart in front of everyone.

  She watched Darren walk through the parking lot and up the steps. His shoulders were hunched. He lifted his head as he stepped through the door, his eyes meeting hers. Emotion barreled through her at such a force she had to close her eyes and brace herself. She’d been so scared for him, hours and hours of worry and waiting. And here he was. Safe and sound. His chocolate eyes were trained on her the second she opened hers again. His eyes held a question, but she didn’t dare do anything other than try to keep things light.

  Emma came around from behind one of the displays. “Darren! So good to see you,” she said, walking to his side.

  Darren returned her greeting, his eyes finally breaking from Risa’s.

  Trey turned from where he stood, joining Emma beside Darren. “Hey Darren!” Trey clapped him on his shoulder. “Good to see you. Heard you were up with the Diamond Creek crew at the fire and got held up last night. Can’t tell you how glad I was to hear everyone’s okay.”

  Darren looked slightly dazed, but he accepted Trey’s greeting, his smile muted. “Thanks, man. Good to be here. Wish I could say everyone’s back, but we’re still waiting for word on Ed and Mike from the hospital in Anchorage.”

  Cold anxiety coursed through Risa. Darren could have been one of those men. Instead, he stood in front of them, his eyes weary and blood-shot, the lingering scent of smoke clinging to him…but strong and safe. His eyes held deep worry and concern. She wanted to hug him close and tell him somehow his friends would be okay. But she couldn’t do that, not here. She met his eyes, tr
ying to convey her feelings in a long glance.

  Stuart slipped between his parents and grinned up at Darren. “Hey! Aren’t you a police officer?”

  Risa watched Darren paste on his public face as he knelt down and shook Stuart’s hand.

  “You smell like a fire!” Stuart exclaimed.

  “Well, that’s because I’ve been out in the middle of one,” Darren replied with a wry grin.

  This elicited a host of questions from Stuart. Risa looked on, emotions tumbling through her. She desperately wished for a few minutes alone with Darren, but she clearly wasn’t going to get them right now.

  Ethan and Jack came through the door. Ethan’s blue eyes met hers. He gave a tiny shrug and stepped to Darren’s side first.

  “Darren, so good to see you. We met your lovely sister last night. She and Risa were so worried about you. We’re glad to see you made it home safe and sound,” he said smoothly. He laid his hand lightly on Darren’s shoulder.

  Darren’s eyes traveled to hers repeatedly as he stood and chatted politely with everyone. She somehow managed to join the conversation, but she kept it brief and busied herself at the counter with pointless tasks. Between the fact that their relationship wasn’t on clear grounds and certainly wasn’t public, she felt out of place. Her emotions were roiling. Emma caught her eyes, appearing to sense her distress. Risa shook her head when Emma moved to follow her.

  Ethan excused himself and came to her side. “Dear, it’s obvious you’re uncomfortable. Shall we find a way to clear the gallery?” he asked. “I’m guessing you’d like some time to yourself with him.”

  Risa looked over at Darren. Stuart was tugging on his hand, asking him another question. Emma put her hands on Stuart’s shoulders and said something in his ear. Darren glanced to her. She couldn’t read his expression. Before she replied to Ethan, she heard Darren tell the others he had to get going. With a quick wave, he left. It took most of her will not to burst into tears. He hadn’t done anything wrong. It had simply been an inconvenient moment to stop by. With her emotions frayed, she hadn’t wanted to have a meltdown in front of her family and friends.