Flirting with Destiny

by Christyne Butler

  Not telling her about taking the physical had felt wrong, but he didn’t want to upset her, especially if he didn’t pass. When he did, she’d been the first person he’d shared the news with, even before his teammates. He’d expected her to be upset, but she’d surprised him by congratulating him with a big hug and a kiss.

  After making sure he wasn’t actually competing.

  “Hey, Murphy!” Zip called out to him from the area set aside for the Destiny Fire Department’s team to stage their equipment and get ready for the individual challenges that were happening first. “Get your head out of the clouds! We start in less than an hour.”

  By the time the day’s schedule allowed for a lunch break, Dev was dirty, sweaty and tired, but he felt great.

  The Destiny team was kicking butt all over the place and he’d had a hand in helping his crew earn their solo achievements. Zip had finished with the best time overall, taking the individual award, but he hadn’t beat Dev’s total time from last year.

  Nope, that record still stood and, yeah, Dev had to admit he felt proud of that fact.

  There wasn’t time for him to find Tanya or his family during the break, but they’d known that when the competition officially started.

  Not that he didn’t wish he could sneak away—

  “Murphy.”

  He looked up from where he was double-checking the relay team’s turnout gear—every member was expected to don a full set including jacket, pants, boots, gloves and helmets—to find the chief standing in front of him.

  “Smitty made a mess of his ankle during his last event. He’s over at the medical tent getting checked out, but I doubt he’ll be able to compete this afternoon.”

  Dev’s heart rose into his throat, even though he knew what the chief was going to say next.

  “Osborne is going to be his replacement.”

  Dev nodded, turning his attention back to his prep work.

  “If anyone else goes down, I’m going to need you to step up,” the chief continued. “You ready for that?”

  He was ready to jump in now, but the order of the alternates wasn’t his choice. “Yes, sir.”

  The afternoon got underway and by the time the final team relay event was being prepped, a race that included all the individual challenges combined, everyone was running on pure adrenaline. While one of the other events was still going on, Dev and Zip got the necessary equipment in order.

  “Hey, Murph.” Zip tapped him on the arm. “The chief’s on his way over.”

  Dev glanced up and saw him, but kept on working. “Yeah, so?”

  “He’s got a clipboard in his hand.”

  Refusing to allow himself to even consider the possibility, Dev tamped down the excitement racing through his veins. “Like I said, probie, yeah, so?”

  “So I already signed my form, old man.” Zip grinned. “He must be looking for you.”

  He was.

  Another member of the team had been hurt in the last event, called Tug of War, where five members pulled a fire apparatus a set distance using a fire hose as a rope. Destiny had finished a respectable second, but now they were one man down for the relay.

  Dev signed the waiver, asked about what position he’d take and then shook the chief’s hand before stepping away to make a phone call.

  He had to tell Tanya what was happening before she heard his name announced as the teams were called into place.

  He found her in the favorites list on his cell phone and hit the button. It took a couple of tries before the call finally went through.

  Geez, she was less than a football field away, but it suddenly seemed like she was...

  On the other side of the world.

  “Hey there.” Her sweet voice filled his ear. “You calling to check in?”

  Dev pulled in a deep breath, and faced the viewing stands. He knew where his family was sitting, but he couldn’t see them. “Having a good time?”

  “We all are. This really is an amazing competition.”

  “It’s about to get even more amazing. The team needs me.”

  There was a long pause, broken only by the crackling noise of static, making him wonder if she was still there. “Tanya?”

  “So what are you doing?”

  “It’s the last event, the team relay. There are five separate sections to the race. Each is timed and in the end the times are compiled to find the winner. I’m going to be doing the Hose Advance Evolution.”

  “I have no idea what that means.”

  She could have read about it in the program, after they hung up, but something told Dev she wanted him to explain it to her. “It’s the second to last section. I first have to race through a set of orange cones and do my damndest not to knock any over. Then I need to pick up the nozzle end of a charged one-and-three-quarter-inch hose—”

  “What does charged mean?”

  “An active hose, filled with water,” he quickly explained. “I drag it seventy-five feet to a designated mark on the pavement, open the nozzle and hit the target.”

  More silence on her end.

  Dev had no idea what Tanya was thinking. He wanted to see her face-to-face. Her being okay with him doing this meant everything to him, but there wasn’t time.

  “Well, I guess I’ll just say good luck.” Her voice wavered a bit, but Dev couldn’t tell if that was her or the lousy connection they had. “And, please, be careful.”

  “I will. I’ll look for you afterward in the winner’s circle when this is all over, okay?”

  The phone went dead and the call abruptly ended. There was no time to call her back.

  Dev joined his team as they gathered in the staging area. They watched the other teams that went ahead of them, comparing notes and prepping for their turn.

  When the time came, Dev donned his gear, glad he’d been working out with it during the past couple of weeks of training. A cheer went up from the crowd as he took his place and the names of the members of the Destiny team were announced. The bell sounded, and less than three minutes later it was over.

  He’d done it.

  His time for his section put him in second place, but it was high enough for the Destiny Fire Department to be declared the overall winner.

  It took another hour before the awards ceremony, and Dev tried to call Tanya a few times, but finally gave up. After collecting their trophies, the team was surrounded by family, friends and well-wishers, but the only person Dev wanted to see was Tanya.

  His brothers and parents found him in the crowd and everyone offered their congratulations, asking him how he’d managed to get on the field. He quickly told the story, noticing right away that both Tanya and Mac were nowhere to be found.

  He finally pulled Liam to the side, demanding to know where Tanya was, even as a sense of dread filled his chest, which only grew when his brother told him.

  “Why the hell is she going to Chicago today?” he demanded. “Her flight to London doesn’t leave until Tuesday night.”

  “According to Mac, she’s leaving tomorrow night instead.” Liam crossed his arms over his chest and stared at him. “I guess because no one was smart enough to ask her to stay.”

  Dev realized at that moment how badly he had screwed up.

  He never would’ve asked Tanya to give up her plans in London, but he’d never made it clear how much he wanted her to come home to him after her time there was done.

  Or that he planned to join her.

  He reached again for his phone, but deep down he knew this wasn’t something he could fix with a simple call.

  He needed to get to Chicago. Needed to be at the international terminal when Tanya got there.

  No, he needed to be there before she arrived, if he was going to have any chance at all to make this right.


  * * *

  As Tanya made her way through security at O’Hare International Airport, there was only one thought on her mind: how leaving Destiny—leaving Devlin—was the hardest thing she’d ever done.

  She’d taken the coward’s way out Sunday afternoon, but watching Dev in the challenge, watching him win, had made her realize that if she’d gone to him afterward, she never would’ve left him, never would’ve left Destiny.

  She loved him.

  She loved his family, the town, the friends she’d made and the private dream she’d been nurturing for a while about returning after her schooling was over to start her own business.

  Mac hadn’t been happy when she’d insisted on them leaving the competition, but he’d done as she’d asked and drove her back to the cabin to pick up her suitcases, which she’d already packed. She’d loaded them into her car and drove off. She figured she’d be halfway to the airport in Cheyenne before Dev even had a chance to find out she was gone.

  Now here she was at another airport even farther from Destiny. After making it past the X-ray scanner at the security checkpoint, she gathered her things, taking special care with her Stetson. She knew it looked a little out of place here in Chicago, but she didn’t care.

  Her hat was her last link to Dev, and she cherished it.

  Setting it back on her head, she slipped on her shoes, put her laptop back in her carry-on and headed for her gate.

  The international terminal was a buzz of activity, with people of all nationalities heading in all directions. She truly was excited about London and once she got there, got settled and started her classes, the ache in her chest would lessen a bit.

  At least, she hoped so.

  Of course, it wouldn’t go away entirely. That was impossible, as there was an empty spot there now. She’d left a piece of her heart back in Destiny, and maybe someday...

  Refusing to allow herself to make any decisions yet, Tanya reached her gate and searched for a seat along the aisle facing the windows as there was still an hour to go before she boarded.

  “Excuse me, miss.”

  The pretty British accent made Tanya smile. She turned and found an equally pretty airline hostess standing there. But what caught her eye in the crowd at the gate counter was a dark Stetson that stood out among the ball caps and naked heads.

  Could it be?

  “Are you Miss Reeves?”

  Tanya nodded, unable to take her eyes off that hat.

  “If you’ll come with me, please.” The hostess stood to one side and directed Tanya toward the counter. “We need to speak with you about your reservation.”

  “About my—” The employee’s words finally registered. “Is there something wrong?”

  “If you’ll just follow me.”

  Tanya did as she was asked, the crowd parting for her as she walked. She tried to keep that familiar Stetson in sight, but after skirting around a busy toddler and his harried mother, she looked up again and the hat was gone.

  She pulled in a deep breath and willed the tears to hold off until she could find out what was wrong and get to the privacy of the ladies’ room.

  Her willpower disappeared, her eyes filling up as she got to the counter and found Dev standing there, a huge bouquet of yellow roses in one hand, his hat in the other.

  “Oh, honey, please don’t cry.”

  Too late. The sound of his voice opened the floodgates. She clasped her hands to her mouth, trying to hold back her joy and shock at seeing him right in front of her.

  “What are you...” She dropped her hands, pressing them to her chest, and tried again, this time forcing her words to come out louder than a whisper. “How did you get here?”

  “Well, thanks to my brothers, your grandfather and a few friends with private planes, I landed in the Windy City a couple of hours ago.” He grinned. “You moving up your departure date took the idea of driving here out of my hands. Besides, I hope to—”

  “Wait a minute.” She cut him off. “You flew here?”

  “Destiny to Cheyenne to Omaha to Chicago.”

  After Dev had read the official report, they’d talked about the accident in more detail, and he’d mentioned his decision not to ever fly again. As far as Tanya knew, the closest he’d come to being in the air since then was the day he’d climbed inside the family’s helicopter and sat there, alone, for hours, trying to come to terms with his demons.

  He hadn’t made any decisions that day, and she had to respect his process for finding his way back to what he loved most.

  To hear he’d taken what sounded like three separate flights to get here...

  “Why?” she finally asked. “What are you doing here?”

  “Hopefully fixing the biggest mistake of my life.”

  His words caused her heart to race. Maybe that part of her wasn’t so empty, after all. “What mistake is that?”

  In three strides Dev was right in front of her, so close she could smell his woodsy cologne and see the bright blue of his eyes. She had to tip her head back to look up at him, loving the certainty in his gaze.

  “I love you, Tanya. I’ve loved you from the moment I saw you and I don’t mean just a couple of months ago.” His words were low, but a hush had fallen over the crowd, making it easy for everyone to hear him. Especially her. “I fell in love with you one special night ten years ago, but I wasn’t ready for you back then. I wasn’t ready for the kind of fun and passion and warmth and security you’ve brought into my life.”

  “You’re ready now?”

  “Yes. Spending the past few weeks with you, keeping my feelings bottled up because I thought that was what was best for you, for me...for us...was my first mistake. The second was letting you leave Destiny without telling you how important you are to me and how much I want you in my life.”

  He handed her the roses. “Please tell me I’m not too late.”

  Tanya took the flowers, and when his hand brushed against hers, she grabbed hold of him, loving the relief now shining in his eyes.

  Would it still be there after she told him what she had to say?

  “I feel the same way about you, but I have to go to London, Dev. I’ve worked too hard, come too far...in every way, to pass up this chance.”

  His smile grew as he reached into his suit jacket and pulled out an airline ticket holder. “I know that, honey. I would never ask you to give up your dream. I just want the chance to share it with you. If you want me there.”

  “But your family...your job...”

  “My family is behind me, behind us, one hundred percent, and I can do my job from a flat off Trafalgar Square just as easily as I can from the home office. I’ll be traveling back and forth, spending some time in Scotland, too...if you’re still looking for a roommate?”

  Tanya smiled. “You know, I thought about giving you a week before I called to tell you that you’d better be waiting for me when I came back to Destiny.”

  That charming grin of his creased his handsome face. “You planned to come back to me?”

  The crowd broke into cheers as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her until she was breathless.

  “I love you, Devlin Murphy. I love you with all my heart,” she whispered against his lips when she able to speak again. “No matter where I am or where I go, I will always be yours. You and I were destined to be together.”

  And all it had taken was returning to a town whose very name held the promise of forever.

  * * * * *

  Don’t miss Dean Zippenella’s story,

  the next installment of

  USA TODAY bestselling author

  Christyne Butler’s

  WELCOME TO DESTINY series.

  Coming soon from

  Harlequin Special Edition.

  Keep reading for an excerpt from A
FAMILY, AT LAST by Susan Crosby.

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  Chapter One

  Karyn Lambert took yet another look at her rearview mirror. No doubt about it. She was being followed. Maneuvering her Beetle through heavy 6:00 p.m. traffic on Santa Monica Boulevard, she changed lanes—and so did the black SUV that had been tailing her since she’d left Disneyland an hour ago. And now, as she was pulling up at Sprinkles Cupcakes to pick up a well-earned red velvet treat, she had to make a decision. Go to the bakery’s cupcake dispenser as planned and see if the guy in the SUV followed—or lose him in traffic?

  Karyn inched past the bakery. All the street parking was taken. She weighed the risk of the parking garage nearby and rejected it after another quick glance at her mirror. Headlights and Christmas lights created a dark, distinctive silhouette of the driver.

  “Man Wearing Cowboy Hat, you are following the wrong girl.”

  This was Karyn’s turf. She knew how to zip through the side streets of Beverly Hills efficiently. It didn’t take her long to leave the SUV in the dust and make a quick retreat to her Hollywood duplex, its garage tucked in the rear. She’d never been so grateful for that privacy before.

  Grabbing her packages, she rushed upstairs to her unit, let herself in and slammed the door shut. She left the lights off, set down her bags on the kitchen table, then waited in the dark for fifteen minutes, going from window to window, peering through the blinds. Finally she turned on the living room light and sat on the sofa, her legs bouncing. Why would someone follow her? In the land of Hollywood-star wannabes, she was the least likely person to stalk.