The Firefighter's Pretend Fiancee (Shadow Creek, Montana)

by Victoria James

  “Incoming, Molly. Six-year-old little girl,” one of the nurses said, running to meet the paramedics. Molly’s heart stopped when she saw Eliza’s arm wrapped around the Elsa doll. Molly jogged alongside her as the paramedics and Faith rushed through the doors, an oxygen mask already on little Eliza. She listened as the paramedic spoke quickly, telling her what she needed to know.

  Molly leaned over the stretcher, her hand on the metal rail as they jogged to a recently emptied bay. The little girl didn’t open her eyes, but Molly spoke anyway. “Eliza, it’s Molly. You’re going to be okay, sweetie. I’m here, I’m going to help you. You’re going to be okay.”

  She looked at Faith, feeling her pain, feeling her terror. If she could have given in to her feelings she would have. She would have questioned why bad things happened to good people; she would have questioned why this woman was being forced to bear another tragedy. Hadn’t she been through enough? “She’s going to be okay,” Molly said, her voice coming out sounding strong and resolute.

  Faith nodded, crying as one of the nurses’ assistants came to lead her away so they could treat Eliza.

  Molly was about to follow Eliza when something made her turn around, and she spotted Finn. His skin was black, his hair matted to him, his eyes rimmed red. But Finn was walking; Finn was fine. Her gaze went from his grim one to the man in the stretcher he was holding on to.

  Panic set in, drowning her as she stared at Ben’s closed eyes. He had an oxygen mask around his mouth, and he wasn’t moving.

  It was too much. The lights were too bright. The sounds of metal, of people crying, moaning, were too loud.

  “Dr. Mayberry!” one of the nurses standing with Eliza yelled.

  Molly snapped her eyes open and focused on the little girl. Focus. She could focus. Focus always freed her. She had a job to do.

  Luke was suddenly beside Ben, helping them push his stretcher into a free bay at the opposite end of the emergency room. “Molly, I got him,” he said, loudly, over the noise of chaotic room. He held her gaze, and she saw the reassurance, the steely determination. She blinked, nodded, and understood the emotion in his eyes and voice.

  She looked at Finn and then Ben one more time, before she left for her patient.

  She would have to trust that Luke would save him.

  …

  Two hours later, Molly finally finished with Eliza and was pleased with her prognosis. She just finished reassuring her mother. She had to intubate Eliza, which she always hated having to do, especially to a child, but she’d had no choice. She’d been relieved that there were no third-degree burns. The specialists were now treating her and would take it from here. Faith was by her side now, grateful for her daughter’s safety.

  The ER was still packed, but the level of craziness had begun to die down. She’d asked for regular updates on Ben and knew he was going to be okay.

  “Luke!” she yelled, spotting him by the water dispenser. “How is he?”

  Luke handed her a water as well, and she downed the glass, parched after hours without a break.

  “He’s going to be fine. Imaging confirmed no internal bleeding, but he fractured a rib and femur. It was a clean break though, so he won’t need surgery.”

  She breathed a sigh of relief. “You’re sure? You consulted with Drew?”

  “Of course. He’s going to be fine,” he said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “I uh, I gotta run, Molly. Gwen just called; her brother is bringing her in. She’s in labor.”

  Molly gasped. “You’re going to be a dad,” she whispered.

  His eyes were shining. “I don’t know what happened between you and Ben, but don’t let any more time pass between you and your future. Don’t take it for granted. If you’ve got a second chance, take it and run, Molly. Believe me, I almost threw everything away.”

  She blinked back tears as she stared into his concerned eyes. “I have to go see him. Good luck. I can’t wait to meet your baby,” she whispered, touching his shoulder before walking briskly through the ER.

  She stopped outside his bay and saw Finn sitting beside his brother’s bed. She was relieved to hear Finn calling his brother an idiot. She walked in and her heart squeezed at the sight of them. They looked like hell. Their dark hair was matted and filled with dirt and sweat, and their eyes were rimmed with red.

  “I’m getting some water,” Finn said, standing slowly, wincing. “Unless there’s a vending machine filled with beer.”

  She smiled. “Sorry, I can put in a request. But…go home. I’ll stay here with Ben.”

  He gave her a nod, his eyes serious. “Don’t tell our mother. Once he’s been released I’ll let her know.”

  “Of course.” She said it without looking at Ben. Maybe she was afraid he’d tell her to leave, or maybe she was afraid she’d lose it right then and there. Finn looked over her shoulder at his brother and nodded. “Okay. But uh, be good to him. That idiot saved a little girl’s life tonight. You can piss him off tomorrow,” he said with a small smile before disappearing back into the ER.

  She turned slowly to face Ben and the moment she did, she felt tears well in her eyes. He was a disaster. Her gorgeous, perfect Ben looked as though he’d walked through hell. His hair was matted down, filthy, his face black. “Hi,” she whispered.

  “I look worse than I am,” he said, his voice hoarse.

  “You’re actually pretty bad. A broken leg and rib.”

  He shrugged then winced with the movement. She approached him and carefully placed her hand on his dark one. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’m sorry for not being as strong as you, for being a coward.” She stopped speaking and attempted to regain her control.

  “Don’t,” he said, wincing again and coughing. “Don’t apologize to me; don’t say you’re not as strong as me. You’re the strongest person I know. You’re the most beautiful person I know. I’m hoping to hell you’re saying all this to lead up to something big.”

  She was smiling through her tears and leaned down, carefully smoothing the hair off his forehead, needing to touch him. “I love you, Ben. I’ve always loved you. For me, it’s always been you and…thanks for holding on, for believing in me. And for the record, I was going to tell you that I’m not just telling you this because you’re in the ER.”

  “I thought it was the uniform that got you in the end. Women really like it,” he said, managing to give her an adorable smirk before coughing.

  “Ha,” she laughed, without an ounce of insecurity. “The uniform is good, but you don’t need a uniform, you never have. You were everything to me. You still are. You set the bar, and no one has ever been able to come close. You’ve always been the man I wanted, in my dreams, in reality. I just…don’t give up on me. I’m trying. I will try. But I will not run. Never again, Ben. You…I love you so much. So, if you can forgive me for leaving you…twice…then, I want to start over with you,” she whispered, leaning close.

  “I love you, Molly. I will walk with you, and we’ll figure it out together. I know what it’s like to lose someone you love. I’ve grieved for my father. I cried for him. I would have walked through hell to save his life if I could have. I would have done anything to prevent him from dying, from missing out on living out his life and being with us. I would have done anything to keep my mother and little brother from going through the pain of burying the most important man in our lives. And then I grieved you, Molly. I grieved the end of our future. I let you shut me out; I took your word for it. And then you came back, the answer to my prayers—only a decade later. And hell, as much as I didn’t want to fall in love with you again, I realized I had never stopped loving you. When you told me…the truth…I didn’t know how the hell I’d get over that, how I’d live with the rage, the guilt, the sorrow, and I realized the only way was with you. I won’t lose you again. You are my life. You’ve always been my future, so if you need to run, if you need to get the hell out of this town to be whole, then I’ll run with you, baby. To hell and back, I’ll go anywhere
with you.”

  She was crying when she kissed him, knowing he always spoke the truth.

  “One more thing before you make me forget what I was saying; I’d get down on one knee again for you, as many times as it takes.”

  She framed his face with her hands and kissed him again. She knew Ben was one of the good guys, she knew there were good guys, and there were good people. And she knew that despite her relationship with Faith, there were good people in Shadow Creek. She knew that with Ben by her side, she could start her life over again here. With her sisters, with Ben’s family, with Ben. It had taken her nine years to come home, to find her way back to Ben, and he’d made her whole again. Home was with him.

  Epilogue

  “Smile for the camera,” Ben said, lifting his phone and moving his head beside hers.

  She eyed him. “Since when do you take selfies?”

  He raised his beer so that it fit into the shot. “Oh, since Finn texted saying they got an early snowstorm, and you and I are lying on a beach. Remember my plan to torture Finn?”

  She laughed and he snapped a photo and then lay back on the beach towel, pulling her into him. “I actually don’t think you should torture him anymore.”

  “What? Why? There is no other way for us. I wouldn’t know what to do.”

  She smoothed her hand over her husband’s taut, tanned stomach. “Technically, if it weren’t for him, we might not be back together.”

  He stilled, his beer halfway to his mouth. “Omigod.”

  She laughed. “I know.”

  He put the beer down and turned to look at her. She pulled his sunglasses off his face and kissed him, never missing an opportunity. True to form, he kissed her back with the same passion as their first kiss. He rolled over and covered her body with his and then pulled back, bracing himself on his forearms. “We can deal with the Finn problem in two days when we go back and not a day earlier. Maybe I’ll tell him he doesn’t have to build me that deck. I did get the promotion to fire chief in six months…it might not be cool. Nah. No need to go crazy just because we’re happy.”

  She laughed again. Happy. Happier than she’d ever been in her life. She hadn’t thought this was in the cards for her ever again. She had never known a happiness like this before. True to his word, he’d accompanied her to therapy. She’d found a wonderful therapist and knew that her journey might be lifelong, or it might end earlier, but she knew that it was something that she could live with now. Ben made her feel as though they could overcome anything.

  Their wedding ceremony had been just the two of them on a small island in the Caribbean. She had explained to her family that they didn’t want a big traditional wedding, that they just wanted something quiet and together. Everyone said they understood, and they promised to celebrate when they returned. “Have you ever not worked this long in your adult life?” Molly asked Ben.

  “Never. Almost two weeks of no working. I didn’t think I’d know what to do with myself. I now realize, I was completely mistaken,” he said, kissing her again.

  “I know. A part of me never wants to go back, and the other part can’t wait to start our life officially as Molly and Ben Matthews.”

  He smiled at her. “Me, too. Maybe the renovation plans will be finished when we get back, and we can get started on the addition in the spring.”

  She nodded, a thrill of anticipation running through her. They had decided they wanted to add on a joint home office space along with two more bedrooms and another bathroom. When their contractor, Jack Bailey, had suggested the extra rooms, they had both agreed. Ben hadn’t said anything to her about how they were going to use those rooms, and she hadn’t felt pressure, only the rush of hopeful anticipation. Those two extra rooms were sort of like an unspoken promise of fulfilling dreams they’d shared a long time ago. “I can’t wait to see them,” she said.

  His eyes were solemn as he reached out to cup the side of her face. She turned her head to kiss the palm of his hand. “Me, too. Are you sure you’re okay with postponing Doctors Without Borders? I don’t want you to give anything up,” he said.

  She nodded. “I know you don’t. I don’t see it as giving something up. I have time for that. I’ve put my work first for so many years. It’s time I put myself first and that means being with you. Spending as much time as I can with you,” she said, leaning forward and kissing him again. She couldn’t wait to start a new routine when they got home. They both had a lot on their plates, and they had decided to head up the fundraising campaign for the Shadow Creek Women’s Shelter that needed rebuilding.

  When his phone rang, he laughed. “I’m pretty sure that’s Finn’s nasty reply.” But his brow furrowed when his mother’s picture came up on his screen.

  “Mom?”

  He paused, his face turned white, and he sat up. Molly held on to his thigh, trying to hear what his mother was saying. Ben swore under his breath and then squeezed his eyes shut. “Is he going to make it? Is he going to live?”

  Molly gasped, covering her mouth as tears filled her eyes.

  “Thank God. Okay. That’s all we need. We just need him alive; we can deal with anything else.” He hung up the phone, promising to be on the next flight out.

  “Oh God, what happened?

  Ben looked over at her. “A floor collapsed during a rescue. He saved a kid…but…they don’t know what shape he’s going to be in when he wakes up from surgery.”

  Molly wrapped her arms around him, capturing the tremor that ran through his strong body. She pulled away, framing his beloved face with her hands. “He’s going to be fine. He’s strong. He’s stubborn. Come on. Let’s go back and find a flight out of here. I’ll call Drew Barrett on our way and see what I can find out.”

  “Molly?”

  She nodded, staring into his eyes, trying to keep her emotions in check as she saw the torture in his. “He…if he can’t work again, it’ll kill him.”

  She kissed him. “I know.”

  They stood and ran hand in hand, across the beach toward their private house in the distance. She held on to him and prayed for Finn. She held on to him and knew this was living. Being in the thick of it. Being there for triumphs and tragedies. For holding on when it felt like the entire world was slipping away.

  This was what she’d signed up for, what Ben had always known, that being with family, being with loved ones, was so much more life-giving than being alone. When the bad happened, you rallied and became the good.

  She held on to Ben’s hand, letting him lead her, finally trusting someone enough to hold on, without knowing where they would end up.

  Did you love this Bliss? Check out more of our fun and flirty titles here!

  Don’t miss more books by Victoria James! Sign up for our newsletter here.

  About the Author

  Victoria James is a romance writer living near Toronto. She is a mother to two young children, one very disorderly feline, and wife to her very own hero.

  Victoria attended Queen’s University and graduated with a degree in English Literature. She then earned a degree in Interior Design. After the birth of her first child she began pursuing her life-long passion of writing.

  Her dream of being a published romance author was realized by Entangled in 2012. Victoria is living her dream—staying home with her children and conjuring up happy endings for her characters.

  Victoria would love to hear from her readers! You can visit her at www.victoriajames.ca or Twitter @vicjames101 or send her an email at Victoria@victoriajames.ca.

  Discover the Shadow Creek, Montana series…

  Christmas with the Sheriff

  The Baby Bombshell

  The Doctor’s Redemption

  Baby on the Bad Boy’s Doorstep

  Also by Victoria James

  The Rancher’s Second Chance

  The Best Man’s Baby

  A Risk Worth Taking

  The Doctor’s Fake Fiancée

  Rescued by the Rancher

  Falling fo
r the P.I.

  Falling for Her Enemy

  The Rebel’s Return

  The Billionaire’s Christmas Baby

  The Billionaire’s Christmas Proposal

  Find your Bliss with these great releases…

  No Cowboy Required

  a Biggest Little Love Story by JoAnn Sky

  Grace Harper is a pro at handling the unexpected—which comes in handy when she inherits the ranch she ran away from years ago…along with a young, autistic stepbrother she’s never met. And because nothing ever goes easy for her, Grace finds her frustrating, sexy ex-flame, Noah, taking care of JJ. But if she’s getting out of this nowhere town, she’ll have to find a way to keep from throttling Noah—without kissing him first.

  The Bookworm and the Beast

  a novel by Charlee James

  Shy, bookish Izzy is happy to accept a job as a temporary assistant, until the grumpy author claims he didn’t actually hire her. He might be as handsome as a storybook prince, but his prickly personality and resistance to all things Christmas are sure to make for a chilly holiday season. Derek soon realizes Izzy could be the perfect solution to his interfering family this Christmas…if she’ll agree to pretend to be his live-in girlfriend.

  Four Weddings and a Fling

  a Weddings in Westchester novel by Barbara DeLeo

  Grace Bennett is determined to set a perfect example for her new wedding planning business. From now on it will take more than good looks and a charming smile to win her over. The next guy to get her attention will be sweet, dependable, and looking for something serious. But first she’ll have to survive the next couple of weeks at The Aegean Palace with swoon-worthy Ari Katsalos. Ari and Grace want very different things, but it’s getting tough to resist the powerful chemistry burning between them.