Bear Heat: BBW Fireman Bear Shifter Romance (Firefighter Bears Book 1)

by Becca Fanning

  McCready sighed and leaned back in his chair. “Look,” he said, spreading his hands out as if to say things were out of his hand. “Things are changing around here – and not for the better. Now that the Chief is out of commission, they’re changing for the worse. I’m sure you heard some of what we, uh, talked about in here earlier?”

  “I know it’s not good. That’s enough for me. That’s all I need to know.”

  “That’s good,” Peterson finally piped up. His voice was deep, matching his massive size. “Look, what the Sarge here is trying to say if what you did was right, as far as we’re concerned. It was the right thing to do to help that little girl, but…”

  “But?” Sam prompted. He felt like he’d done the only thing he could do. If they were going to ask him to step aside and let that little girl watch her mother’s unconscious body be wrestled out of her mangled car, he wouldn’t. He wouldn’t be part of this. He thought the Forest was better than this.

  “There are some in the department…”

  “Haley?” Sam shot.

  “Don’t overstep,” Peterson warned him. “He’s a good man. An excellent firefighter. But he’s tough to get along with and he goes by the books.

  “Look, you did well. You did right by us. By McCready, by me, by the rest of the guys – even if Haley won’t admit it. But with the new change in leadership, with what kind of stuff Sharp is suggesting, someone who doesn’t follow orders to the T stands a good chance of being cut.”

  “Even if it’s the right thing?”

  “Especially if it’s the right thing,” McCready said. He leaned forward. “Listen. You know why we don’t accept many recruits? It’s because we only take the best of the best. And not just the best, you understand. We pick guys that are right for the job. What you did was right for us.”

  “But with Sharp and the new bigwigs in charge, they won’t appreciate someone who doesn’t follow orders. They’ll cut you just to cut you.”

  “I’m under the impression they want more recruits to be accepted to the Forest,” Sam said. When McCready shot him a glare, Sam quickly said, “Lucky guess.”

  “They want the right recruits accepted, and their version of right is different than ours. We want people with integrity. They want someone to put on a good public face.”

  “Politics,” Peterson interjected.

  “Rawls did a good job of keeping the politics out of the Forest. He knew how to keep the bigger fish up the food chain happy enough, or at least to the point where they wouldn’t interfere. Now that he’s gone…”

  “But he’ll be back,” Sam said. Neither of the men had a response to that.

  “I’m going to tell you this, Carver. You’ve been doing well,” McCready said. Sam opened his mouth to say thanks but McCready cut him off with, “Others have been doing good, too, so don’t let it get to your head. And it’s not guaranteed you’ll even make it another day here. But I’d hate to see you scrub out just because you did what was right and it wasn’t what the new higher ups wanted. Be smart.”

  Sam just nodded. He didn’t know what to say. Hearing that he could get cut at any time wasn’t what was bothering him. He was bothered by the knowledge that everything around the Forest was going to change, and he, unfortunately, was in the middle of it.

  “We’re going to be doing a dinner tonight. Any of you recruits is welcome to stick around. Ortega’s already in the kitchen.”

  “I’d like that,” Sam said – and not just because he had no food at home and barely had ten bucks to his name.

  “Well, get out and meet some of the other guys. It’ll be a while,” Peterson said. Sam got up and headed towards the door. “Good job, rook.”

  Sam nodded again at the two men and left McCready’s office. He made his way down the hallway past a few offices that had long been closed down and then out into the bay. There were a few other Shifters there, including one he’d noticed before that looked absolutely dangerous. His golden eyes were startlingly bright, his body was huge, and a few days’ worth of growth covered his face and chin.

  “Going out?” Sam asked. The man nodded. Sam thought for a moment and said, “It all happened so fast. We were just along for the ride, but it felt – it felt like that’s what I was supposed to be doing, you know? It felt like the reason we’re here.”

  The man grunted and then said, “Wish I could have been here on time. Name’s John Forbes. Usually just go by John, though.”

  “Sam Carver. Sam, Carver, Carv – whatever you want,” Sam told him, extending a hand and shaking. “You did pretty well in the run yesterday. What were you, third? Fourth?”

  John laughed a deep, cheerful laugh that was so at odds with his intimidating look. “Fourth. But I wasn’t even close to you.”

  “And that other guy, Smith,” Sam said. “I think he could have outlasted me.”

  “Not a chance, Sam,” John told him, still laughing. “He was a dead man walking – he just didn’t know it yet. He had to keep running afterwards just to prove a point. But you had him, given another five, ten minutes.”

  “I appreciate the support,” Sam said. “You sticking around for dinner?”

  “Yeah, of course. Some of the other guys had to head home – family dinners, previous plans, stuff like that. But I figured it would be a good way to get to know some of the other recruits, maybe meet some of the other guys. They’re kind of – in their own little bubble, you know?”

  “Just be sure to get here early tomorrow. They had breakfast ready today.”

  At that moment, Buckner came around the engine and said, “Heard you broke some rules today, Carv.”

  “Haley?” Sam guessed.

  “Yeah, he’s cooling off, though.”

  “What’d you do? You get to help today?” John asked.

  “The woman’s husband was sick with grief. He knocked out an officer – I stepped in and held him back until more officers got there. Then I talked to her daughter. Kept her occupied while McCready and the others cut her mother out and got her into the ambulance. I couldn’t just sit there and let her watch everything happening around her.”

  John Forbes said, “Wow.” He looked impressed.

  “That’s the kind of stuff we do around here at the Forest,” Buck said, slapping Sam on the shoulder and squeezing it like they were old friends. Sam instantly took a liking to Buck – he was a good man that wanted nothing but the best for those here.

  But Sam couldn’t take part in his enjoyment. The warnings of McCready and Peterson were still floating around in his head.

  How can I do the right thing and still get punished for it?

  He thought about what would happen if he ever had to disobey orders to save someone’s life. Would they still cut him from the squad? Would his dreams evaporate as if they’d never been there?

  The thought made him sick to his stomach. He couldn’t imagine not stepping in and helping that girl.

  “You alright, Carv?” Buckner asked. Sam shook his head to clear it and gave him his best smile.

  “Yeah, just thinking.”

  “About what? You spaced out pretty good, there.”

  “Politics,” Sam answered. Both of the other men looked at him curiously. “It’s nothing.”

  “Yeah, I stay out of political talk,” Buckner said with a laugh. “You guys want to head in to the kitchen? Ortega’s about done with dinner. If you two are sticking around for dinner, that is. A couple of the other recruits are and we have plenty of seats and food. It’ll be good to get you guys involved, you know?”

  “Yeah, we’re sticking around,” John said.

  “Good, good,” Buckner said, slapping them both on the backs and grabbing their shoulders, angling them towards the kitchen.

  Inside were all of the guys – including the ones Sam hadn’t seen earlier in the morning. Buckner pointed out Graham – who had been the guy yelling about Chief Rawls in the meeting – Norris, who was one of the older Shifters in the room, and Mooney, one of the sm
aller Shifters in the room.

  There were also a few of the other recruits. Sam was disappointed to find that Smith had stuck around, as had Finch and two others that he was introduced to as Lewis Hurst and Ned Rucker. The other two seemed pleasant enough, so Sam grabbed a seat next to Hurst and across from John Forbes.

  The mood in the room, despite everything, was pleasant and jovial. There was a lot of laughing, banter, and Sam actually felt like he was part of the squad.

  Is this how they do it? How they get a feel for you? Invite you to these kind of things, even though you’re not really part of them? Make you feel at home?

  He knew he was thinking cynically, but in his heart, he knew it was true.

  It was just another test – and he didn’t intend to fail this one.

  Brooke was shaking uncontrollably. She always did on her first day of class – and today was a thousand times worse than any other day she’d ever had.

  I’ve never taught anyone anything like this. This is absolutely ridiculous. Why me? Why did I agree to this?

  The man in front of her obviously thought the same thing. He was leaning back in his chair, arms crossed, his face a mask of anger. His sharp, golden eyes bored into her and Brooke didn’t know what to do.

  “I don’t like it,” he grumbled. Next to her, her father was sitting, though he didn’t appear fazed in the slightest. He looked almost defiant – and for that, Brooke was thankful.

  “I’ve told you, McCready. Time and time again. I didn’t decide on this. You know that.”

  “But you sure as hell are going to enforce it.”

  Her father threw up his hands, defeated. “I’ve told you this too, I don’t have a choice, Sergeant. The order came down from the higher ups.”

  “The higher ups? Christ, Sharp – you’re one of the higher ups. You have been for years. And now you’re gonna come in here with – her – and you’re going to get your paws all over the Forest and you’re going to ruin it!”

  “I’m not the one doing anything! And you watch what you say about Brooke – she’s smarter than anyone in this entire damn department.”

  Brooke blushed at that.

  McCready looked at her. “I’m sorry. That’s not what I meant. It’s just that –”

  “I’m human?”

  “That you know nothing about what it means to be part of this! I don’t give a damn that you’re human. I give a damn that we’re going to have someone – no offense – in here that’s never been out there. That’s never had to fight a fire. That hasn’t had to risk their life. And why? Because your boss has decided that we weren’t getting enough new blood in here? That it didn’t look good to the city? To those who was the publicity? It’s a farce, Sharp! Your bosses are going to ruin this department and you’re not doing a damn thing about it!”

  It had been just over a week since her father had told her he had a job for her, and the entire time, Brooke hadn’t had the slightest clue what to think.

  But she did know some things. The first was that she had no idea what she was supposed to be teaching. What Sergeant McCready had said was true; she had never been involved in a fire, she’d never risked her life to save someone else, or anything like that. The second was that she knew she would be coming into the Forest with a target on her back.

  While her father had been promoted to acting Chief – that didn’t mean she would have it easy. It was bad enough that all of these men wouldn’t respect her because she was human, they also wouldn’t respect her because she’d never been involved. They were going to be mad because she wasn’t part of the Forest – and the higher ups – her father’s bosses – were now getting their hands involved in the process of running the department.

  Without Chief Rawls around – the Forest was changing.

  Brooke felt guilty. She was part of it.

  But someone else would have been in my spot if it wasn’t me. And I needed a job. I really needed a job.

  “I’ll let Norris know he won’t be doing his usual class this year. That he’s being replaced.”

  “You haven’t told the men, McCready? You heard of this a week ago! And you’re just going to drop it on them today?”

  “I was hoping things would fall through,” McCready said, grimacing. “And I’m not the Chief. You are. It’s your job to tell them these things. I’m just here to help.”

  Next to her, her father bristled.

  “Well, Miss Slater – it’s about time for class, and you wouldn’t want to leave your students waiting,” McCready said after a long silence. Her father still looked unhappy but he nodded and together they got up and left the Sergeant’s office, closing the door behind them.

  “You okay, honey?” her father asked her.

  “Nervous. The Sergeant is right – I don’t belong here. I’m not a firefighter, I’m not a Shifter. What am I doing here?”

  “You’re going to do what you do well. You’re going to teach.”

  “I don’t belong.”

  He looked at her for a long moment and said, “You belong. You’re a teacher, and my bosses have decided that things around here are going to change. They’ve decided that we need to change things up.”

  “Is that right?”

  He shrugged his shoulders.

  “I need to go talk to some of the men,” her dad told her. “They’re not going to want me here. They want McCready to lead them.”

  “Good thing they’re not in charge.”

  “Good thing,” he said, smiling and squeezing her shoulder. “You’ll do great, honey. And one more thing.”

  “What’s that?”

  “They don’t know you’re my daughter. We should probably keep it that way.”

  And with that, her father had left her, walking down the hallway.

  What a first day. For both of us.

  She wondered if her father was going to have better luck than she would. At least around here, they knew him. He may not have been loved – that much was certain – but at least they knew who he was. He was familiar. They would accept him as acting Chief eventually.

  But she didn’t know if they would accept her.

  She made her way down the hallway to the classroom. She half expected to find some dirty, unused room, abandoned except for the few weeks a year that the recruits occupied the fire department.

  But there was a man there. He was large, as most Shifters were, but had a head of gray hair and his golden eyes were just a little bit dull. He looked at her curiously as she entered.

  “Mr. Norris?” she asked hesitantly.

  “Yeah,” he answered, his voice just a little gruff and suspicious. “That’s me.”

  “Brooke Slater,” she said, holding out a hand. He took it in a firm grip.

  “Norris,” she heard from behind her. They both turned to find McCready standing there, looking a bit unhappy.

  “What’s going on, Mac?” he asked.

  “This is Miss Slater,” McCready said. He paused for a moment. “She’ll be teaching the fire safety classes this year.”

  “Say again?”

  “She’ll be teaching the class.”

  “God damn politics, isn’t it?” he growled. Brooke looked around awkwardly. “Nothing against you, Miss Slater,” he told her with his best attempt at a smile.

  “None taken.”

  “They didn’t waste any time, did they? Sharp’s probably taken over as acting Chief, hasn’t he?” McCready nodded. “Well, you did good in the week that you had.”

  “I only hope the rest of the men will take it as good as you,” McCready said. “I’m afraid most won’t.”

  “Of course not,” Norris said.

  “Slate’s getting ready to have a sit down meeting with the rest of the men. We’d better get there, help smooth things over.”

  “You go,” Norris told him. “I’ll stay here and give Miss Slater a walkthrough of the class.”

  “You sure?” McCready asked. “Because I could really use another voice of reason
in there.”

  “You can handle them, Mac.”

  The other Shifter left, looking a little dejected.

  “You can go,” Brooke offered. “I’ve read all of the old lesson plans, watched the videos…”

  He looked at her, almost like a father figure. In a way, he reminded her of her dad with those same strange golden eyes and the look of care on his face.

  “I don’t envy you, Miss Slater.”

  “Please, call me Brooke.”

  “It’s not going to be easy. These recruits, they’re good kids. But they’re not going to like this change. Half of them worship the Forest. They’re going to take it as someone messing with this ancient and perfect system. And they’ll blame you.”

  “Great…”

  “You’ll get through it. We’ll get through it,” he said, though he seemed to almost be trying to reassure himself.

  “I hope you’re right.”

  “I’ve been with the Forest since its inception. Been with other fire departments for 20 years before that. I’ve seen what happens when the political members of the department try to get their hands involved in how things are run.”

  “Not good?”

  “Not good,” he admitted. “But I’ve known Sharp – I guess that’s Chief Sharp – for a long time now. He started from the bottom. He was one of the grunts, just like us. He knows what it’s like down here. He’ll do the best he can. I know he has to play ball – but he’ll do the best he can.”

  “I hope he does,” Brooke said. She didn’t know what else to do. She felt like she was caught figuratively between a rock and a hard place – she had a job, now, but it would be teaching a group of Shifters that absolutely hated her.

  At least I have a job, she tried to remind herself.

  “So you taught before?”

  “Elementary school.”

  “It’s really no different,” Norris said, grinning. “They still act like little kids. Entitled, think they’re the most important person in the world, that sort of thing. You should fit right in.”

  She laughed and he laughed. It felt good to laugh, and it felt good to know that there was at least one other person in the fire department who didn’t completely hate her, besides her father of course.