8. Chapter 6
Chapter 6
Hunter
I t's been a week since Elena started the last fire, but I can't stop being vigilant. I check everything around the house, especially if I have to leave Evie with her. When I accused her of setting the fires to get my attention, she became flustered and then proceeded to pack her bag. I wouldn't let her leave.
Every day since, I've been teaching her fire safety as if she were a little girl who just learned about fire and the dangers around it. She's deeply embarrassed but listens intently and writes everything down in a notebook I gave her.
It's a few days before Valentine's Day, and I'm thinking of doing something special for that day. Meanwhile, I need to talk to someone about my feelings for this beautiful but dangerous woman. I have an early shift at the fire station, and when I finish, I go looking for Captain Miller.
"Captain, do you have a minute?"
"Hey, Hunter, come on in and close the door behind you."
"I wanted to ask your opinion on something."
"Is it about your little arsonist?"
I lean forward and put my hands on my face.
"I don't know what to do, captain."
"I was just kidding, Hunter."
"The problem is I don't really know if she's doing it on purpose or if she's so clumsy that she keeps setting these fires. I mean, I live in a log cabin, for god's sake."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Calm down, Hunter."
At this point, I'm hyperventilating, so the captain passes me a bag to breathe into. After a few minutes, I start to calm down. I need to tell him the real issue.
"I'm starting to have feelings for her."
"Is that so terrible?"
"It is if I have to have her wear a fire detector wherever she goes."
I laugh at the idea of Elena wearing a necklace with a fire detector on it. This whole situation is driving me insane.
"Apart from the accidents, how are you two getting along?"
"The night of the last accident, we shared an incredible kiss,” I admit awkwardly. “I've never experienced anything like it, but after I put out the fire and accused her of being an arsonist, she pulled away. She's walking on eggshells around me, and I feel the same around her."
"What are you going to do?"
"I want to do something special for her on Valentine's Day."
"You can always get her a nice bouquet at Where Hope Blossoms. Blossom will take good care of you."
"Yeah, but I'd like to take her to a fancy dinner. Have champagne and everything. I want us to start getting close again. I need it."
"What's she like with Evie?"
"She's marvelous. Evie loves playing with her. They do tea parties with all of her stuffed animals. She's really good with my daughter. I like the bond they are forging, but it scares me, too."
"What are you worried about?"
"What if Elena can't handle living in a small town like this? What if she changes her mind and then leaves us? Evie will be devastated."
The captain gives me a look that I can't decipher.
"Just Evie?"
"Do you know of a nice place where I can take her for dinner on Valentine's Day?"
"There's a little Italian restaurant that opened a few months ago, don't you remember? Gianni's?"
"Oh yeah. She loves Italian food."
"But you better make a reservation right now. It might already be completely booked." He hesitates. "Listen, I think love is worth fighting for. The universe already brought you the girl. All you need is to put in the work."
"Yeah, I guess. Thanks, Captain."
I leave the captain's office feeling more confused than when I entered. I check my phone for the restaurant's number and make a reservation. I manage to persuade the owner to help me make the night special for Elena. They have a small private room that I can use.
My next stop is Where Hope Blossoms to order roses for Valentine's Day. I let Blossom talk me into buying a small bouquet of seasonal flowers for Elena. With that done, I'm ready to go home, but I'm not really ready to deal with everything there. So I drive over to Willow Hope bar to drink my sorrows away.
The bar is relatively empty for it being late afternoon. I don't want to sit in a booth by myself. I don't want to risk being pitied by the other patrons. So, I choose a seat at the bar next to a guy in a buffalo plaid shirt—a man after my own heart.
I drink my beer and snack on some trail mix that's in the bowl between me and the stranger. There's a game on the television, but I'm not paying much attention to it.
"You a firefighter?" he asks.
"What gave me away?"
"Logo on your jacket."
"Oh, of course. Yeah, I belong to the Hope Peak Fire Department."
"Tough shift?"
"Not really."
"Then why do you look like someone kicked your puppy?"
I shrug and then decide to introduce myself. "I'm Hunter."
"Fletcher. That's curious."
"What is?"
"I come from Hunter's Peak. In Colorado."
"What are you doing all the way over here?"
"Running an errand for a friend. She lives in Woodland Falls and had me do a delivery to Perfect Brews."
"I think I've heard of Woodland Falls. Is it nice?"
"It is, but I prefer my place in the mountains. Quiet, calm, and secluded."
"Yeah, that was my life before…"
I hold back from saying her name. Yes, my life isn't quiet and calm anymore, but that's overrated.
"You don't need to tell me. It's a woman. It's always a woman."
"It is, but it's complicated."
"Isn't it always?"
"She caught me by surprise, and now she's winning me over little by little. Every layer that I get to know about her enchants me, and it's at a point that I'm starting to worry I might not be able to live without her."
"So what's the problem?"
"She's dangerous. To others and to herself. I have a daughter that I have to protect."
"You should chop some wood."
"What?"
"It's relaxing."
We toasted with our beers and talked nonsense for the rest of the evening. It's too bad Fletcher wasn't a local; I could really use a friend who wasn't a co-worker. The guys at the station just couldn't help themselves and gave me a hard time.
When I checked the time on my watch, I was surprised to see it was almost eleven. I cursed myself for leaving Evie for so long. She was with Elena, but Elena's job wasn't to take care of my daughter, even if she did volunteer for it all the time.
On the way home, my mind was still racing with thoughts of the dangerous vixen. I've been battling my attraction to her for the past week, but I'm at a breaking point right now. So many times, I've wanted to reach out and brush her cheek or tuck a strand of hair back into place. The darker parts of me desired her to be naked in my arms, moaning my name as I ravished her.
When I entered my cabin, my mind calmed somewhat, and everything seemed to be in order. I went to see Evie and found her sleeping in Elena's arms. They were in the rocking chair where I read stories to my daughter every evening. If Elena had to take Evie into her arms, it must have been because she had been fussy. It happened every so often, and the only way to get her back to sleep was to rock her in that chair.
I took Evie from Elena's arms and transferred her to her crib. Then, I carried Elena to my bed. She must be a deep sleeper because she didn't stir, just hugged the pillow next to her and kept on sleeping.
I've already given up on the couch and am now using an inflatable mattress that I borrowed from one of the guys at the station. I kept tossing and turning all night, and when I finally succumbed to sleep, it was only a few hours before I had to get back to work.
That sleep was filled with dreams of her. I keep reliving our kiss, and in that dreamscape, we're not interrupted by a damn fire. If only that were true in real life as well.