by Kathryn Shay
What could he say? Truthfully he was glad she’d showed up. And also glad she’d let him have his solo pity party. Because he’d found out it wasn’t what he wanted this year.
She came inside, whipped off her coat, beneath which she wore a fuzzy white sweater. Hmm.
His eyes narrowed on her chest. “You don’t have a bra on, do you?”
“Nope. No panties either.”
“You don’t play fair.”
Instead of answering, she crossed into the living room, to the TV, picked up the remote and turned the machine on to DVR. Then she pulled a disc out of the bag she carried. Sliding it into the player, she went to the couch, sat down and patted the seat next to her. He joined her and turned his attention to the screen. Her face came on. He was charmed by the freckles, the wide-set, hazel eyes, the riot of curls all over again.
“Merry Christmas, Nick. I want all your Christmases with me to be happy. So I’m giving you this gift. You’ll know why.”
A photo of a fire truck in front of a high rise came on. Engine 21. FDNY. His old house, his rig. The camera, from a TV crew he guessed, panned in close and he could see billowing gray smoke and flames licking everywhere. Nick came running out of the building with a baby in his arms. The parents, who’d already been rescued, rushed to him and grasped on to their child.
Switch to another screen: I’m April Cunningham. I’m the baby that Firefighter Nick Evans rescued fifteen years ago on Christmas Day.
Nick said, “That was the day after…”
Stacey nodded.
The young girl continued. “Your girlfriend’s making this tape for you and I want you to know, Firefighter Nick, I’m alive, well and planning to go to Harvard Medical School in two years. If I ever have a baby, I’m naming him Nicholas after you. Thanks for saving my life. You moved away fast, so we never got to thank you properly.”
Another screen came on. The front of Joshua House. “How did you…?”
“I said, hush. Just watch.”
Next, the video showed him and Kelly and four girls, ages ranging from twelve to sixteen, making dinner. “Papa Nick,” one said. “You put didn’t put enough salt in the enchilada mix.” A second one turned around and smiled at the camera. She was beautiful.
“Tell me why it’s good to have Papa Nick here, Mia.” The voice was Stacey’s.
“Because he shows us not all men are monsters.”
Nick swallowed hard. Reaching out, he took Stacey’s hand and held it tightly.
The third clip was of a little old woman. She looked familiar, but Nick couldn’t place her. “Hello, young man. I’m Mrs. Boynton. You saved my cat from a tree ten years ago. Lots of men wouldn’t pay any attention to me; I’m old and cranky. But you did. You got Mindy for me. What you probably don’t know is some days, the only reason I go on, is because Mindy is here with me. Don’t know what I woulda done if I didn’t have her.”
“She was a crusty old broad,” Nick said hoarsely.
Then the captain from his first firehouse appeared. “Hey, Nicky, I hear you’re a captain now. Remember what a pistol you were? Always getting reprimanded for staying too long in a fire. Most times, you got people out the others didn’t, but I still had to put letters in your file and suspend you once.” He looked dramatically from side to side. “Don’t tell anybody, but if I was in those situations, I would have done the same.”
“You bastard. You used to scream at me for those things.”
“I can’t wait to tell Riley and Lisa Beth about this.”
He shook his head.
Another clip was a live shot from the news. It showed Nick shimmying down an elevator shaft in a harness. The camera was at the top and a reporter spoke. “Here’s one of America’s Bravest on a daring rescue in a faulty elevator. The danger is that the lines holding the car in place are frayed and could break at any time. Nick Evans volunteered to go down.”
The reel went on showing him coming back up with…ah, now he remembered. “He was the Senator from New York.”
“I know, Stacey told him. “He’s Secretary of State now. Maybe someday he’ll be president of the United States.”
Nick got the point.
Embarrassed, he watched as newspaper clippings came on screen. They were recent. Above and beyond the call of duty: Firefighter catches arsonist. Another read, Train tracks accident goes bad. America’s Bravest to the rescue. The close-up was of Nick—his head bloody, picking up the woman who’d fallen from the platform.
“Stacey, this is too much. Please…”
“There’s only one more.”
A crystalline shot of a Hidden Cove Lake with the sun glistening off the water. He recognized Hale’s Haven, the camp for kids. Nick was seated in a chair by a campfire, with a seven year old in his lap. He held the little boy, who was dozing off as Nick told him a story. Before the kid’s eyes closed, his said sleepily, “Daddy.”
Nick’s eyes filled, and he heard sniffling next to him. “He’d just lost his father in a bad fire,” Nick told her. “He was so sad, I made it my mission that week to alleviate some of his grief.”
Stacey sniffled. “I know, Megan told me when she gave me this footage taken by the camp photographer.”
Without saying more, she clicked off the video and the TV. For a minute, he sat there, thinking about all he’d just seen on the tape. Then he turned to her. “How long have you been gathering this?”
“Since the Christmas party for the kids.”
“That was fast.”
“Are you mad at me?”
“I hate accolades, fan fair.”
“You don’t think you deserve them. Because of what you did on Christmas Eve a long time ago. In case you didn’t catch it, this all happened after that day.”
“I understand.”
He stood and pulled her up.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“I have to move before I start bawling like a baby.”
She looped her arms around his neck. “Don’t be mad. I love you so much, Nick…”
“I know. You want me to love myself as much as you do.”
“That’s right. Will you at least try?”
He glanced at the TV. Then back to this wonderful woman who’d given him so much. Including optimism for the future. He pulled her close and whispered, “Okay, honey, I’ll try.”
-THE END-
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The Hidden Cove Firefighters
After the Fire
On the Line
Nothing More To Lose
America’s Bravest
It Had To Be You
Chasing the Fire
http://www.KathrynShay.com/Hidden-Cove-Firefighters/
Wyoming Wildflowers: The Beginning by Patricia McLinn
Copyright 2013 Patricia McLinn
Cover credit: Original painting by Catherine E. Batka
Almost An Angel by Judith Arnold
Copyright 2013 Barbara Keiler
Cover Credit: Barbara Keiler
Flashover by Kathryn Shay
Copyright 2013 Kathryn Shay
Cover Credit: Patricia Ryan
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Meet the Summit Authors
The Summit Authors are eight of today’s most successful, innovative independent authors. All of our members have written for top New York publishers and achieved national and international recognition. Our bestselling, award-winning novels include contemporary, historical, and paranormal romance, women’s fiction, and mysteries. To keep up with all of our latest books and exciting new projects, visit www.summitauthors.com
Patricia McLinn is a USA Today bestselling author of 30 “powerful, compelling” contemporary romances cherished by readers worldwide for their memorable characters, sensuality and emotional intensity. There are more than 4 million copies of her books in print. www.PatriciaMcLinn.com
Judith Arnold is a USA Today bestselling, award-winning author of more than 90 novels, with more than 10 million copies of her books in print. Her writing has been called "enchantingly charming," "quietly lyrical," and, according to Publishers Weekly, "scrumptious." www.JudithArnold.com
Kathryn Shay is a USA Today bestselling author and has more than 5 million copies in print of her 48 published novels. Her contemporary romances have been serialized in Cosmopolitan magazine and featured in The Wall Street Journal and People magazine. www.KathrynShay.com
If you enjoyed these stories, check out these other great books:
Patricia McLinn’s Wyoming Wildflower series:
Almost A Bride
Match Made In Wyoming
The Heart Remembers
http://www.patriciamclinn.com/patricias-books/wyoming-wildflowers/
Judith Arnold’s The Daddy School books:
Father Found
Father Christmas
Father of Two
Hush, Little Baby
Somebody’s Dad
http://www.juditharnold.com/the-daddy-school-books/
Kathryn Shay’s The Hidden Cove Firefighters
After the Fire
On the Line
Nothing More To Lose
America’s Bravest
It Had To Be You
Chasing the Fire
http://www.kathrynshay.com/hidden-cove-firefighters/