The peaceful backdrop of Flathead Lake, Montana only added to her initial fears. A bird skimmed over the water, a dog ran along the lake’s frozen shore with a huge stick in its mouth, dragging it through the icy sand. Where had all the bustle of traffic and people rushing past gone? This calm made her feel itchy and ready to implode. Had she really agreed to commit to this place for the next six months? Where was the sound of the city that soothed her? The constant rush of bodies around her that made her blood flow, made her feel alive?
“What possessed you to make such a ridiculous offer to your sister? Your big ego, that’s what! You can’t let a chance go by to prove how good you are, how well you can cope. Maybe this time, you’ve taken on more than you should have, Bella Moore. Serves you right if you don’t last the week.”
“Always talking to yourself like that?”
Bella jumped, spun around to the voice. The teen from last night sat on his bike outside her white picket fence, staring at her over the manicured lavender bushes. She gulped down a breath and tried to steady the sudden rush of fright. The place was far too quiet for her liking.
“You scared me half to death!”
He threw his bike down and grinned. “Sorry. Granddad asked me to come down and see if you needed anything. Make sure you found the coffee and the stuff he left for you in the refrigerator.”
“Oh, he did? That’s very sweet. Thank you.”
“Dad said you’re going to be running the restaurant now that Penny’s left.”
Bella frowned. She’d proffered her services, and now there was no getting out of it. After seeing the joyous look on Mari’s face when Bella made the offer, how could she back out now without causing her sister more stress? She’d had enough over the last couple of years losing her husband and making the move to try and reconnect with her foster family. Bella didn’t need to change her mind and let her down. “Yes, I did. At least for now anyway. Mari might decide to close it down and renovate before I head back to the city. Who knows?” A seaplane droned overhead and she watched as it turned around, skimmed over the still water and landed, sending ripples across the surface.
“Cool. Thank goodness for that. I was kinda worried there for a minute but looks like you’ve saved us. Sunday is our only night eating out and it’d be painful to miss out.”
“Saved you? Painful? I don’t understand.” She walked closer and leaned on the gate, watching the puff of icy breath each time he spoke, intrigued as the grin spread on his face.
His hair was a little long around the ears and hung in his eyes but he tossed it back with a practiced flick of his chin, the grin still firmly in place despite the chill in the air.
“Dad.” He rolled his eyes as if he was sharing a secret code for parenthood blunders, one he fully expected her to understand.
At least that was what she thought he was doing; she could well be wrong, considering her lack of teenage knowledge.
“He was at dinner last night when you came in. Tall guy, quiet, looks a bit like me but not as good-looking. See, Sunday night is our thing as a family ever since Mari bought the hotel. We eat there just so we get something different from steak. It’s all Dad knows how to cook, you know? Gets kinda boring after a while.”
“Really? At least he tries, I guess. Your mom doesn’t like to be in the kitchen, I gather?” This kid was cute and easy to talk to. Probably frightfully honest too by the sound of it.
“She died when I was eight. Dad and I moved in with Granddad so I wouldn’t be alone when Dad was at work. Like after school and stuff.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”
“Nah, it’s alright. Not like we tell everyone we meet. Anyway, now that you’re taking over the restaurant, we won’t have to suffer steak on Sunday nights as well as every other night. Works for us. And Dad’s idea of dessert is a tub of ice cream with a couple of Oreo cookies. At least Penny tried different stuff like last night. That was the best dessert she’s ever made and I really liked it.” He tilted his head, gave her a squinty look. “You do desserts, right?”
“Of course.” Bella smiled. “Glad to be of service.” She held out her hand. “My name is Bella.”
The teen reached over, grabbed hers and gave it a quick shake.
“Cory Woods. My dad’s Jake and you already met Granddad.”
Jake. The guy with the brooding good looks from last night that hardly spoke a word when they were introduced. She remembered him more for his silence than anything else, mainly because his father was so outgoing. “Yes, Mari introduced us but we didn’t really get to talk.”
“Nobody does with Granddad around.”
“Well, tell your granddad thank you. I’ll have a coffee and then get to the hotel. See you around, Cory.”
“Bye.” He climbed on his bike and pedaled down the road and skidded into a driveway a few hundred yards down.
*
Jake climbed into his truck just as Cory came hurtling into the driveway. The boy’s cheeks were flushed with the cold and a huge grin spread across his mouth. “What’s happening?”
“Nothing. Granddad asked me to check on the new lady and see if she needed anything.”
“Good. I’m sure it won’t take her long to find out where things are in town. I’m off for my shift. Don’t forget to clean your room up before you go to school.” He started his truck.
“She’s going to take over the restaurant. She told me so, guess you were right then.”
And this is the reason you’re looking flushed with cheeks the color of ripe beets when I thought it was the weather? “That’s good then. Sounds like you’re going to still be able to go out for dinner after all. Let’s hope she cooks as well as Penny does.”
“Yeah. I guess.”
“Okay, have a great day, Cory. I’ll see you tonight.”
“See ya, Dad.” Cory ran up the path and slammed the front door behind him as Jake reversed out of the driveway. He glanced in his mirror toward the pink cottage but couldn’t see anyone. Whatever this woman’s claim to fame was, she seemed to have made an impression on his son. Hopefully she could cook as well as Penny. Last thing Jake needed was someone else ribbing him about his limited repertoire, so it was probably a good thing she’d arrived when she had. It wasn’t as though they starved exactly. His father could cook but wholesome food wasn’t his forte. He preferred frozen pizza and pies. Not the kind of food Jake wanted his son growing up eating every day.
Jake’s day consisted of paperwork and more paperwork and since he was the fire chief, it was his job, he found himself stuck in his office most of the morning. He glanced at the clock when his stomach rumbled and thought it was time to find something to eat. The fire station bells drowned out the groans of hunger.
He grabbed his turnout gear and helmet from the peg by the truck and jumped in as his driver, Ben, gunned the engine. “The Lake Hotel. Kitchen fire. That place will go up like tinder, Chief. So old and dry, all that timber.”
“Crap!” Jake’d been thinking about the hotel off and on all morning. Funny this should be happening now, just when he thought his only night out had been saved by the newcomer to town.
Jake flicked the switch and the lights and siren started, clearing their way for the short drive to the hotel.
First impression as they drove up was relief. No flames, no smoke that he could see. With any luck it would be contained to one area with minimal damage. He jumped from the truck as soon as it stopped, eyes scanning the back of the hotel for plumes of smoke. Luckily there were none here either.
He grabbed his axe and instructed his junior to pull out the hoses. “Ben, find the gas, turn it off. Then grab your extinguisher, follow me. Aron, get the hoses out, wait for my signal but be prepared. This old place is so flammable. It won’t take much for it to get out of control.”
Jake ran toward the hotel, the acrid smell of smoke already heavy in the back foyer. Mari ran out of the bar, calling to him. “Kitchen, Jake. My sister Bella’s in there.”<
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“Is there anyone else in the hotel? Noah?”
“No. He’s at school and the bar staff haven’t arrived yet. Just my sister. Get her out, please.”
“Get out and stay out until I tell you any different.” He pushed her away from the door and pulled down his mask, heading for the kitchen. Smoke billowed out as he pushed through the door, the sound of choked coughing guiding him toward the new chef. Jake found her, fire extinguisher in hand, sagged against the prep counter.
He grabbed her despite her weak protests and threw her over his shoulder. Ben hurried in behind him, sent a stream of foam over the stove, knocking back the last licks of flame.
“Bella!” Mari grabbed at her as Jake set her down away from the hotel on the grass by the edge of the car park.
He rolled Bella over on her side, checked to make sure she was breathing. “Are you okay?”
She coughed then inhaled gulps of fresh air before looking up at him. Soot smeared her pale face; her eyes were huge and streamed tears down her cheeks leaving trails to her chin.
Mari grabbed her sister’s hand and Jake stood to get her oxygen from the truck when she gasped out a few words. “I’m fine.” She coughed again, a rasping sound that ended with a gulp of suppressed tears.
Jake hurried to the truck and back and knelt down with an oxygen mask in his hand. He slipped it over her face, made sure it fitted properly before turning on the tank. “It’s okay to be upset. I see it all the time, people crying in relief when they’ve survived a fire. You’ve inhaled plenty of smoke.” He held her wrist, checked her pulse while he decided whether or not to take her to the clinic for David to check over. Ben came out, gave him the thumbs-up, and returned his fire extinguisher to the truck before he ambled over.
She pushed her hair back from her face and spoke through the mask. “I’m not upset. I’m really annoyed.” She wiped the tears from her face, coughed again, pushing the mask from her mouth.
Jake shared a worried glance with Mari when she coughed again.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to take it out on you. I cannot believe anyone could treat a kitchen like that. That stove was disgusting. Not a wonder it caught on fire.” She leaned over the grass, a coughing fit taking over again.
Ben crouched down beside Jake. “Grease fire, Chief. I think the stove is past saving. Sorry, Mari. Everything else looks fine though. Might take a bit of elbow grease to clean the smoke away but once the chief checks the kitchen out, I think he’ll agree with me.”
“I don’t care about the stove. I only care that my sister is okay.” She leaned in and tucked a strand of hair around Bella’s ear, cradled her cheek as she gasped for air. “You sure you’re alright, honey? I can take you to the clinic and get you checked out. You sound terrible.”
Bella smiled, took her sisters hand. “I’m fine. I flicked off the gas as soon as the grease caught alight and got most of the fire out before our heroes here arrived. Thank goodness the fire extinguisher was working or things might have been a bit different.” Her breath rattled, her lungs full of smoke still.
Bella tried to calm her breathing. She needed to be checked out even though he figured she’d protest.
Jake shared a glance with Ben. They were often called heroes but to them it was a job. A job they loved. So engrossed in his own thoughts last night, he hadn’t taken much notice when Mari’s sister had come into the restaurant apart from the scream of joy from Noah. Petite like her sister, Dakota, but that was where the similarity ended. Dakota was blonde and bubbly. Bella had dark, sultry looks and it would seem a firecracker temperament to match. Lucky for her, she knew her way around a kitchen fire. Mari would have been devastated if the hotel had been blazed to the ground. She’d put so much work into it already.
“You sure you’re feeling okay?” Jake helped Bella to her feet when she struggled to get up on her own.
She wobbled and he grabbed her, held her close. Before she could protest, he scooped her up and carried her over to an outdoor setting where he placed her down on a chair.
“I think you should go and get checked out just to be on the safe side.”
“I’ll take her right now if you wouldn’t mind taking her to my car, Jake. I’ll grab my keys. Can I go inside now?”
Bella protested, her voice wheezy. “Stop! I’m fine. Just a little light-headed is all.” Her sister ignored her and ran into the hotel with Ben in close pursuit.
“I suggest you let her take you to the clinic, if only to make her happy. You inhaled a fair bit of smoke which can be dangerous. We’ll stay here and make sure the fire doesn’t start up again and by the time you get back, hopefully I’ll have confirmed the source of the fire and see if you can have access.”
“Of course we can have access. You just let Mari back inside now.” She rubbed at her eyes, trying to stay the tears she couldn’t hold back.
“Sure I did but that was to get her keys and Ben was with her so I doubt there was any danger. He wouldn’t have let her in if that was the case.”
Mari came running out and headed to her car. Jake lifted the protesting woman up and carried her to the vehicle, depositing her in the front seat.
“Thanks, Jake. You don’t know how glad I am you were on duty. It could have been so much worse if the flames had managed to take hold before Bella put them out.”
“It could but your sister seemed to have it pretty much under control. See you both soon.” He slammed the door and watched as they drove out before he followed Ben back into the hotel.
After scrutinizing the smoke damaged kitchen, he agreed with Ben. “Stove is ruined but it’s probably a good thing the fire was contained to such a small area.” He stood with hands on hips and studied the walls, the smoke shadowing the corners and staining the light fittings. “They’ll need to get an electrician in to do a safety check first before I give them the okay to operate again but I think a good clean, a new stove and it should be fine to go.”
“Yep. You want to do the fire report or shall I? They’ll need it for insurance, I suppose.”
“Add it to my list for tomorrow. I’ll get it done as soon as I can. Mari will want to send it off to her insurance company.” He walked through the rest of the hotel, noted no damage anywhere else and even checked upstairs in Mari’s apartment. Bella must have been quick to attack the blaze for there to be no smoke through the air conditioning ducts. “I’ll wait for them to come back. You take the truck and Aron back to the station, do the hand over. I’ll radio control that I’m staying then find my way once Mari comes back. Give her the news.”
“Righto, Chief.”
Chapter Three
The following morning Bella surveyed the mess. What a way to start the new project – by setting the place on fire. Even though it wasn’t her fault, it was hardly the start she was hoping for. The only bonus had been being rescued by the hunky fireman. She’d found herself struggling from the smoke inhalation and seeing his gorgeous blue eyes hovering over her hadn’t helped matters any.
The embarrassment of it all. She, who’d risen so far in the last couple of years, setting fire to a kitchen. Unheard of. If word got out, she’d be ridiculed, it would be in all the gossip magazines. Bella could see the headlines now. That would go down well with the studio. Bella shuddered, imagining the fuss that would cause even though it wasn’t her fault. Nobody ever admitted to something like that. She stared at the smoke-stained walls. So much had changed in such a short space of time. Not having control killed her.
Mari walked in, faltering when she spied Bella. Her usually calm appearance slipped, annoyance tugging at the corners of her lips. “What’re you doing here? I told you to sleep in today and I’d see you later once I had Noah to school. The doctor might have given you the all clear but still…”
“I couldn’t sleep. Wanted to see how much damage had been done, since you wouldn’t bring me back here yesterday. See if we could salvage anything.” She ran her finger over the work prep area and grimaced. Soot made the
grime seem even worse than it’d looked before.
“Jake said everything is fine apart from the stove.” Mari relaxed and gave her a smile.
“Oh, thank goodness someone agrees. That ancient piece of machinery was diabolical. It worked but, seriously, that was a horrid relic that’d seen better days.”
Mari tapped her foot.
Bella stopped and stared. “Sorry. Me and my big mouth.” She strode over and hugged her sister, embarrassed at being caught out voicing her true opinion. Again! She needed to remember to filter her words. “It’s not that disgusting, not really. It’s just old and now it’s unserviceable. Things are different now, streamlined to make chefs work easier. This place is behind the times. Sorry, I hate being picky but you asked.”
Mari patted her on the back. “Joking. I know this place is a nightmare and I wanted to redo it anyway. Part of the long-term plan but I wanted to get a feel for the place before I spend all Rake’s insurance money.” She glanced at the charred stove. “That belongs in the deepest gully I can find but, sadly, Penny wanted to keep it so I went along with her. She was used to the old relic and horrified I wanted to change things. I wasn’t prepared to lose my chef the minute I walked in the door. Figured it was better to tread softly until the locals got to know me and I’d made my mark.”
“You wanted to? You’re not just saying that?” Things looked brighter by the minute.
“Yeah I want to but—and it’s a big but—I may have to get new plans drawn up, get permission if I want to make structural changes and that’s going to be hard to keep the restaurant afloat while I’m doing it. Not that there’s much chance of that now but see my dilemma?”
Bella chewed on her lip. “Yeah.”
“To tell the truth, I don’t even know what I want to do in here. So the question is, do I close down for months on end, completely rip this out and replace it or do I do it in stages so there’s a workable kitchen? I mean, is that even possible? You’d know more about that side of things than I would. The restaurant is a big part of the income for the hotel. Not sure I want to lose that now that I have the customers coming in regularly.”
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