And the first person he saw was Tank. “Hey! They told me at your work that you’d gone to a doctor’s appointment.”
“I did, but it’s so late that there’s no point in going back. Why are you looking for me?”
“I told you we had something to discuss.”
The big man frowned. “I remember that, and I know what you want.”
“I guess she told you?” Ross asked, and Tank nodded.
“Yeah. Come in here. We really do need to talk.” With Tank leading the way, Ross followed him to the break room in the station. He found it odd that so many of the guys were there in the middle of the week until he remembered everyone was helping to prep for a cleanup day when they had an hour or two to spare. As soon as the two men stepped into the room, it was obvious everyone else could read Carly’s brother’s face, because the room cleared until it was just the two of them. “Have a seat. Want some coffee?”
“Nah, but thanks.”
“Mind if I have some?”
Ross shook his head. “Nope. Go right ahead.” He waited as Tank poured a cup and returned to the table. “This seems pretty serious.”
“It is. It’s very serious.” Tank sat there, both hands cupping his mug and his eyes staring into its deep brown depths, then let out a huge sigh and turned his gaze upward to Ross. “She told you about her ex-husband and the sheriff, right?”
Ross nodded. “Yeah. I’m not afraid of them.”
“Well, you should be.” He watched as the big man unfurled himself in the chair until he was comfortable. “They will make your life a living hell.”
“And they can bring it.”
“Dub-step, you don’t understand. Hell, they’ll commit some crime and frame you for it. That’s what they do. They’ve done everything they can to keep anyone and everyone away from Carly, and I’d hate to see something happen to you.”
Ross couldn’t believe his ears. “You really think that would happen?”
“Oh, absolutely. There’s only one thing, one weapon, I’ve got against them. Just one, and it’s against the sheriff. I’ve never used it. I won’t. That is, unless I know Carly’s with the right guy. Then I’ll pull out all the stops.”
“How will you know she’s with the right guy?” Ross couldn’t wait to hear the answer to that question.
“Several ways. The first one is by coming to talk to me before taking the relationship to the next level.” The little smile that tugged at the corners of his lips didn’t match the sadness in his eyes. “The other one is something that I won’t like, but I know it’s necessary.”
“What’s that?”
“Taking her away from here.”
Okay, I must’ve heard him wrong. “You want her to leave?”
“No. I don’t want her to leave. But it’s the only way she’ll ever have any peace from these guys. That, or I’ll have to kill them. Then she’ll have no peace because I’ll be in prison. No, getting out of Tarpley is her only hope, and I’m not sure even that will work, but it’s her best shot.” He sat for a minute, staring into his cup again, and Ross waited for the other shoe to drop.
But it didn’t. Instead, Tank looked straight into his eyes and asked, “So, if this thing between you goes anywhere, are you willing to take her back to Kentucky with you?”
Ross shrugged. “I dunno. She told me straight up that she’s never leaving here. Sure, I’d be glad to take her if we make something of this, but she’s pretty much told me that’s not an option.”
Tank’s eyes closed in a slow blink that Ross interpreted as frustration, or maybe resignation, as he nodded. “If you get something going with her and that’s an option for you, just let me know. I’ll talk to her and it’ll become an option for her too. That’s a promise I can make to you that I’m pretty sure I can keep.”
“Fair enough. So are you giving me your blessing?”
Tank let out a little chuckle. “Yeah, I think I am! Look, Ross, you’re a stand-up guy. I like that. I’ve known all the McEvers my whole life, and they’re great people. I won’t lie to you—after you told me you needed to talk to me about Carly, I had some friends do a little checking on you. They couldn’t find one bad thing about you. Do I like the idea that my little sister might be the widow of a firefighter while she’s still young? Of course not. But there are millions of women out there who lose husbands to car accidents, sports accidents, shootings, muggings, natural disasters, the military, terminal diseases, you name it. And from what I can tell, if there were a firefighter I’d bet on to stay alive because he knows his shit, it would be you.”
Ross grimaced. “Didn’t work out so well for me last time.”
“Hey, you’re gonna get hurt. It comes with the territory. And yeah, you could’ve died. So could the guys who pulled you out of there. But you didn’t die, and you’re going to be able to go back to work. I know you’re frosted right now that you’re on the DL, but that’s temporary. You just got into a jam. You know what they say: ‘Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment.’ We live and we learn. I’m sure you learned something from that.”
Ross snorted. “Honestly, I’m still trying to figure out what it is!”
“That’s okay. Next time you’re presented with a situation like that, it’ll become crystal clear. In the meantime, you’re here. You’re interested in exploring a relationship with Carly and, based on what she’s said, the feeling is mutual.”
That made Ross perk up. “What did she say?”
“She basically said she’s going to jump your bones first chance she gets.” Ross had to believe he looked as startled as he felt because Tank started to laugh. “Hey, listen, I don’t mince words, and neither does my sister. If she’s intent on getting involved with you, there’s nothing in this world that could stop her except you. And if you told her you didn’t want to see her, she’d be crushed. Her confidence in herself as a deputy is solid. Her confidence in herself as a woman is shot. If you wreck what little is left, I’ll―”
“You don’t have to worry about that. She’s smart, funny with a great sense of humor, and holy shit, she’s hot,” Ross said, then realized who he was talking to. “Sorry. Guess you didn’t want to hear that.”
“Eh, it’s okay. My sisters are pretty girls. She may be my sister, but I’m not blind to that. Any man would be lucky to have her. I think fuckstick Eric figured that out too late, but that’s his problem. Although he’s made it hers.”
“So you have something that can stop the sheriff?”
“I’m pretty sure it can, but I need to keep it in my pocket until it’s really, really necessary.”
“And if I see it’s really, really necessary, I’ll be sure to tell you,” Ross promised.
“Good enough.” Tank stood, so Ross did too, and then the big man stuck his hand out. When their palms met, Tank’s fingers closed tightly around Ross’s hand. “So yes. You have my blessing.”
“Thanks. For what it’s worth, I’ve gotten kicked around too. I’m no stranger to that. And there’s no way in hell I’d do something like that to Carly.”
“I believe that or I wouldn’t be shaking your hand right now!” Tank laughed and winked at Ross.
Well, Ross told himself, I think it’s a go!
Chapter 5
“Here ya go.” Carly took the plate her brother handed her and sat down on the edge of the porch.
“Oh! Meatloaf! Thanks! You know how much I love it,” she said and reached up to take the fork from Tank’s hand.
“Yep. And green beans and mashed potatoes.”
“I’m not taking this plate home. I’m eating it right here. I’m starving!”
“Then let me get you some tea. Be right back.” The storm door closed behind him as Carly took a bite of the meatloaf. God, it was just the right balance of sweet and spicy, with plenty of onions and green peppers in it. As she chewed and savored it, she heard him step back out onto the porch. “Here ya go.”
“Thanks.” One
swig of tea and she went back to the meatloaf, wondering as she chewed if he had more. “Why do you suppose we sit out here instead of going inside?”
“Because this is Texas. Porch-sittin’—it’s what we do,” Tank said with a laugh.
She was about to ask him if he had more meatloaf when he sat down beside her on the edge of the porch and announced, “Ross came by to talk to me today.”
Carly almost dropped her fork. “Oh?”
“Yeah. We had a little talk.”
She could feel her blood pressure shoot up. “Tank, if you said anything that―”
“Relax, hellcat! I didn’t do anything to scare him off. Matter of fact, I told him I’d welcome him seeing you. He’s a good guy.”
She side-eyed him. “You had him checked out, didn’t you?”
That made her brother laugh. “Whaddya think? Of course I had him checked out!”
She rotated and tipped her head to stare at him. “When do you plan to let me grow up?”
He shrugged. “I thought I already had! I mean, you’ve got a job where you get shot at. I sure as fuck wouldn’t have chosen that for you!”
“Well, thanks for that, I think.” Carly went back to eating, then stopped again. “So can I assume you told him he’s free to see me?”
“Yes. I did. Although I get the distinct impression Dub-step doesn’t need my permission. He’d just power on through my barricades.”
“Hmmm. A man who’d fight for me. I like it.” She took another bite, then stopped cold. “Dub-step? That’s his nickname?”
Tank laughed loudly. “Yep!”
“Why?”
He shook his head, still laughing. “For that, baby sister, you’ll just have to ask him!”
The big station cleanup day was Saturday, and Ross was determined to help. Unfortunately, he’d had to resort to using his cane that morning because his leg was hurting like crazy. “Probably bad weather coming,” Michael had told him, and he knew that to be true. The bruising had all gone away, but that crack in his femur? Yeah, he knew it was still there.
“So here. This is a good job for you,” Pops said and handed him a clipboard. “As people bring equipment in, check it off. We need to see exactly how many we have of what. As soon as all that’s done, we’ll inspect them. Can you give us input on that too?”
“Sure. I know what to look for. We’ll just go through everything and see what you can and can’t use.”
And the “can’t” pile was growing. The guys kept bringing stuff in and as he looked at it, Ross could tell it needed to be tossed. By the time they got done, they were going to have little to no equipment, but that was okay. The community party had raised a lot of money, and it was better to do without than to have equipment that couldn’t be counted on in an emergency. He knew that all too well.
They’d gotten almost everything on tables in the break room and Ross had gone through all of it when Pops stuck his head in. “How’s it looking?”
“Not too good,” Ross answered honestly.
“That’s okay. I’ve got a surprise for everybody, so it’ll be okay.”
“What’ll be okay?” a female voice asked, and Pops turned as Carly walked in.
“Tossing old equipment. What are you doing here?” Pops asked and gave her a hug.
“Just came to see what everybody’s doing. Tank around here somewhere?” she asked, but Ross knew she was using her brother as a smokescreen.
“Yeah. Upstairs. Want me to tell him you’re here?”
“Nah. I’ll go up there in a few minutes.”
“Then see ya later, sweetie.” Pops disappeared and Carly smiled.
“What are you doing here?” Ross asked her.
She had a coy little grin on her face. “Came to see if you’re ready for tomorrow.”
“Oh, absolutely. Sitting on ready and waiting on go.”
“Good. I’ve about got everything packed. Tomorrow it’ll just be my toiletries and stuff like that, and I’ll be ready to walk out the door.”
“I talked to Michael. He said you’re welcome to park your car in the barn so nobody can see it.”
“Thanks. I appreciate that.” She seemed to be at a loss for words, and Ross couldn’t figure out what was wrong until she said, “I guess you’re probably not used to a woman being so forward. I hope that doesn’t turn you off.”
A little chuckle escaped his throat. “Actually, I find it a huge turn-on!”
“It doesn’t make me a slut in your eyes?”
That floored him. Why would she even think that? “Absolutely not. The foundation of a good relationship is communication, and you don’t seem to have a problem communicating. I like that. Besides, I don’t think having a healthy sexual appetite makes a woman a slut, Carly. So many women are so repressed that finding somebody who’s not is a very big deal. I hate that reality TV shit, but I do think it’s helped make women more open about their sexuality, and I’m all for that.”
“Then it’s not going to scare you off if I tell you I can’t wait to get you alone?”
“Scare me off?” Ross laughed aloud. “Hell no! I can’t wait to get you alone either!”
“Good.” She gave him that winsome little smile again. “I should probably go, but I just wanted to stop by and see if you were here.”
“You’re not going up to talk to Tank to keep Pops from asking why you were here?”
“Nah.” She turned to leave, then stopped and looked over her shoulder. Something about the way she stood there made Ross’s dick tingle. “We spend this weekend together, they’re all gonna know soon enough. Bye, babe.”
“Bye, beautiful. Talk to you soon.” He grinned as the door closed behind her, then let out a big sigh. Ahh, Carly Cross. She was the kind of woman he’d wanted to find all along. Maybe his ship had finally come in.
“I cannot believe you don’t have a scanner,” Ross said for the thousandth time. Being a volunteer firefighter, any kind of firefighter, and not having a scanner was a foreign concept to him. He was pretty sure of what Michael was getting from him for Christmas.
“I’ve got my two-way radio. That’s plenty for me.” They’d planned all week to watch the wrestling match together. There were chips and dips and cookies and candy. The refrigerator was stocked with beer. Ross had walked through the store earlier and seen a giant chocolate cake. God, he loved chocolate cake! So he bought it. Between the two of them, he was pretty sure they’d make short work of it, and there’d be some left for breakfast the next morning!
“So, how do you think the cleanup day went?” Ross asked.
“Great. That grant Pops told us about will replace all the old equipment. It’s a renewable grant, so if we spend all the money, we can apply for the same amount next year. That could mean a lot of promising things for us.”
“You’re part of the San Antonio metropolitan area. I would’ve thought they’d help you out.”
“Everybody’s strapped these days. We’re pretty much on our own.” About that time, his radio squawked. “Uh-oh.”
“What are you doing for the weekend?”
“First responder duty. There are only three of us with EMT training.” He turned up the volume, and the dispatcher’s voice rang out, her words sending a tremor of pure terror up Ross’s spine.
“Nine-one-one center. All first responders, shots fired at three fifty-three Last Chance Lane. Repeat, shots fired at three fifty-three Last Chance Lane. Deputies on scene. Emergency services requested.”
Michael leaped out of his chair and took off to grab his wallet and slip on his boots. “I’m going with you,” Ross announced.
“No. You stay here. You’re not on our―”
“Fuck that shit! I’m going with you! Carly could be hurt, and I’m not sitting my ass around here!” He’d already slipped his boots on and was headed to the door, cane left behind.
“Then stay out of the way,” Michael yelled as he ran toward his pickup, Ross already yanking the locked door handle.
When they got to the station, only Short Shit had made it in. “Let’s go,” he yelled to Michael.
Michael turned to Ross. “You can’t―”
“I’ll follow in your truck. Go. Go!” The big box-back half-ton screamed out of the station, Ross in Michael’s pickup right behind it.
There were blue lights everywhere when they pulled up. By the time Ross slammed the truck into park and ran toward the scene, Michael and Short Shit were already out with their kits and running toward the center of the action. Ross knew they wouldn’t let him anywhere near, but he had to go. He couldn’t just stand there and wait.
The first good sign was the fact that he didn’t see Carly’s big SUV cruiser around anywhere, but he knew she was on duty. The second good sign was that the only law enforcement personnel down seemed to have only superficial wounds. Unfortunately, the man they’d tried to approach wasn’t quite so lucky. He was dead.
He’d gotten as close as he dared when he heard a voice behind him. “Got here as fast as I could. Status?”
She stood there right behind him, and he didn’t even think before he grabbed her and squeezed her tightly to him. “Oh, thank god. I didn’t know where you were.”
“I’m right here!” she said, giving his cheeks a condescending little pat. “Status?”
“Two officers down, but they don’t seem to be badly injured. Suspect is dead.”
“Yeah. Domestic disturbance. Anybody checked the house yet?”
“I’m not sure if―” He didn’t get the rest of the sentence out before she took off at a run toward the others involved in the scene. All he really wanted to do was follow her and keep her safe, but he couldn’t and he knew it.
As he watched, she stopped, spoke to a couple of people, then ran toward the house and knocked. When no one answered, he was shocked to see her step back and kick the door open. Almost immediately she leaned out the door and screamed, “I NEED AN EMT! STAT!” Michael leaped up and ran her direction, kit in hand.
Fifteen minutes later, the coroner’s van had pulled up and loaded up the suspect. They’d also loaded up a female from the residence, and Ross knew she was most likely the one who’d called law enforcement, but not soon enough. Another car pulled up nearby and the woman who got out … Ross was pretty sure she was a social worker. That could only mean one thing.
Fighting For Carly Page 5