Epilogue
Kincaid Greene
“Hey, man.” Hudson clapped me on the shoulder as he stopped beside me. “Want a beer? It’s open bar,” he added with a brow waggle.
A chuckle rustled in my throat. “Crazy, really.”
“It’s not like Fireweed Industries doesn’t have money to waste,” he pointed out. “So far, they only had a soft launch for this place. This is the official opening,” he pointed out.
“I even heard of Fireweed Winery & Brewery in Minnesota. It’s a national name,” I replied.
“It’s the biggest name in Alaska when it comes to any kind of corporation. They were ahead of the curve when it came to the whole craft beers and wine thing. Anyway, how are you liking it here so far?” he asked.
I paused before nodding. “Love it. I’m used to long winters, so I’m not worried about that. It’s damn pretty country too.”
Just then, Parker Reeves approached.
“Ah, here’s the man of honor,” Hudson said.
Parker, another firefighter on the hotshot crew I’d taken a position with recently, paused beside us, looking bemused. “You don’t need to overdo it,” he teased. This event was to honor Parker and his fiancée, Luna.
“Dude, you have a love story for the ages,” Beck Steele commented as he stopped beside our group.
I’d quickly discovered Beck, a firefighter on another crew in town, was deeply in love with his wife and totally into everyone else being in love.
“For the ages?” I prompted.
Beck nodded, his gaze sobering. “Totally, man. They met one day when they were both in high school, walked on the beach and kissed. And, here we are now. How much later?” He paused, glancing toward Parker.
Parker’s lips curled in a bemused smile before adding, “It’s been a little over a decade.”
“And, you didn’t even know her name back then,” Beck added.
Parker chuckled. “I do now.”
“It was fate,” Beck said, his voice full of teasing conviction. He swung his attention to me. “What about you, Kincaid?”
“What about me?” I countered.
“I know you’re new to the area and from Minnesota, so you can totally handle winter here. But what’s your status? Girlfriend? Wife? Boyfriend? Husband?”
A laugh slipped out. “Uh, none of the above.”
“What brought you here?” Beck asked.
“On my mom’s bucket list to live here again.”
“Really?” Hudson chimed in.
“Yep. She was in the Coast Guard when she was younger and stationed nearby. She always wanted to come back. So here we are.”
“You are a good son.” Beck’s normally teasing gaze was somber.
“Well, I try,” I offered with a light shrug.
“How’s your mom doing?” he asked.
“Uh…” I paused, because that was a loaded question. She was okay, but she had lupus and was dealing with a cluster of medical complications as a result. But that was a conversation for another day. “She’s good,” I said simply. She was in spirit, and that was really all that mattered.
“Excellent. Well, when you meet, I don’t know, the man or woman of your dreams, let me know. I’ll give you all the advice you need,” Beck said.
Parker rolled his eyes, hard. “You know, Beck, you’re not the only guy here who’s a family man and happy about it.”
“Beck’s the office gossip, always in everybody’s business,” Hudson interjected dryly.
Luna approached, and Parker immediately curled his arm around her shoulders, snugging her against his side. He leaned close to give her a lingering kiss. The love between them practically shimmered in the air around them.
I wasn’t prone to being a corny, romantic guy, but in this moment, there was no doubt these two were happy together.
Conversation floated around us with congratulations to Parker and Luna punctuating many comments.
The event in question had been thrown by the fire station, the crews all pitching in together with a big assist from Fireweed Winery because they were having their grand opening and thought it would be perfect to celebrate a couple’s engagement.
I loved Willow Brook and Alaska so far. I was even more pleased to be on the crew.
When you’re a hotshot firefighter, you learn there’s a certain mindset required.
It takes a lot of nerve and a lot of confidence, and sometimes that could translate into arrogance, which wasn’t healthy for the work.
The tone set here didn’t brook that kind of attitude.
Everyone had each other’s backs, and I liked it.
I still wondered if my mother’s hopes for our move to Alaska would ever come to fruition. But that was also a topic for another day, or rather, a question. One that had feathered in the back of my thoughts for most of my life.
“Hi guys,” a voice said, and I glanced over, my gaze locking with a stunning pair of hazel eyes set off by glossy dark bangs framing the waitress’s pretty face.
It wasn’t as if I hadn’t seen a beautiful woman before, but this one elicited a startling jolt. My thoughts swirled with curiosity, but all she was doing was checking to see if we needed any drinks.
TORI SHACKLEFORD
The pace that evening at work was busy on steroids. For the most part, the eddy of customers flowed around me like an orchestra. Until one moment. I was stunned into silence when I locked eyes with a man, one I’d never seen before. Shaggy, honey-brown hair, rich cognac eyes.
Of course he was a firefighter. There were a surplus of them here in Willow Brook.
I wanted to know his name, but I was working. When I hurried by him later, he caught my eye again and his lips quirked at the corners. My belly responded with a spinning flip followed by a shimmy.
A few days later
I sat down on a large boulder, letting out a happy sigh. It was just me, myself, and my ancient dog, Bella. She promptly began sniffing everything she could, every grain of sand, every rock, pieces of seaweed, the ocean water lapping at the sand, the air, all of it.
“Home,” I said aloud.
Willow Brook was home, along with Alaska and this little spot on the beach here. When I was a little girl, my mom used to take us here for walks, for frolicking, for clam digging, and more.
Looking for a distraction, I leaned down, scooping up a piece of lava rock.
These were my favorite rocks. They were lightweight, as if they’d been dropped here from another galaxy.
This one was a deep burgundy color on one side that transitioned into black on the other.
I lightly tossed it back and forth in my hands before setting it down on the boulder, planning to take it home with me.
I sat on that boulder for a little while, savoring the salty air and the birds chattering above the shoreline before I called Bella back.
She was mostly deaf, but if I managed to make eye contact when I said her name, she came right over.
She was a medium-sized brown dog with a half-tail.
The vet said something must’ve happened to her tail, but she didn’t know what.
Bella was my shadow, my soul dog. She went everywhere with me and was as loyal as a dog could be.
Just as I got in the car, I heard a buzzing sound and glanced over to see some kind of wasp flying straight for me.
I yelled and swatted at it, but it zoomed right back and stung me just above my collarbone.
“Asshole!” I pointlessly hollered.
A few minutes later, I was driving back toward Willow Brook, toward home. The last thing I recalled was Bella letting out a sharp, unexpected bark. I woke up to the sound of the tail-end of my own yelp.
“There she is,” a rumbling voice said.
I fought through layers of confusion and tried to drag in a deep breath, but my throat felt unbelievably tight.
“Take it easy,” the voice said. “You’re in the middle of an anaphylactic reaction.
The antihistamine shot should be taking effect.
Give it a few minutes, and you’ll be able to breathe a little better. ”
I dragged my eyes open and looked around wildly. I felt funny all over, and my throat was itchy and scratchy.
“Your dog is a good girl,” the man said when I finally managed to focus on his face.
Holy wow. Even though I was half out of it, I knew a handsome man when I saw one. This guy was all handsome. His concerned brown eyes held mine. “How are you doing?”
My mind distantly clocked that I’d seen him at work the other night. He seemed professional. He was kneeling in the open driver’s side door of my car with what appeared to be a bag with medical supplies on the ground.
“Did I pass out while I was driving?” I took another breath and discovered the tightness was loosening in my throat. I got more oxygen this time, and the fog in my brain started to clear.
Bella was beside me, her chin on my thigh. “I’m guessing you got stung by something.” He lightly tapped his fingertip right where that stupid wasp, or whatever, had stung me.
“Yeah, right before I got in my car. I’ve been stung before,” I said slowly, as my thoughts started to organize themselves a little more coherently.
“Most people don’t have a reaction until their second sting,” he said. “You slid off the road and your dog here started barking up a storm. I had my windows down nearby and heard her.”
“Oh,” I said brilliantly. “Are you an EMT?” I asked another moment later.
He was tucking things away in his bag. His gaze lifted to mine again.
Although, apparently, I had almost just died from anaphylactic shock, my belly did a little swoop when his rich chocolate gaze snagged mine.
His shaggy brown hair fell over his eyes.
He had a straight nose, strong cheekbones that angled down to molded lips, and a square jaw with a little dimple at the base of his chin.
His lips kicked up at one corner and, holy hell, another dimple peaked out. “I’m a hotshot firefighter, not officially an EMT, but we all have first responder training, kinda part of the job.”
My lips still felt a little funny, and I pressed them together quickly, relieved that the numbness and tingling were starting to wear off. “You can’t throw a rock in Willow Brook without hitting a hotshot,” I managed to tease.
He chuckled, and the sound spun through me, turning my belly in another dizzying flip. “True,” he said as he tipped his head to the side.
He leaned back, and I was abruptly disappointed to have him move away from me. “Are you leaving now?” Alarm shot through me with dizzying anxiety on its heels. I had just passed out in my car by myself with my dog.
“I’m not leaving,” he replied, his tone easygoing. “You shouldn’t drive for a while. Also, when you drove off the road, you collided with a boulder.”
“What?” I shook my head, trying to think. “Is my car okay?”
“Mostly. You have a small dent in your bumper, but you also have a flat tire and a bent rim. I’ll give you a ride. To be on the safe side, we should probably take you to the hospital to get you checked out.”
“Oh, no, no, no.” I waved a hand, the motion wobbly. “I’m fine, right? You gave me a shot, and I’m all set,” I protested.
“Am I gonna have to be official and insist?” He looked genuinely concerned, his gorgeous brown eyes studying me.
I let out a sigh. “No, I’ll go.” Bella nudged my knee with her nose, and I absently stroked her head.
Eventually, he helped me out of the car. It was not a bad deal to have his strong hands guiding me up and out. He kept an arm around my shoulders to help me walk up the slight incline to his truck.
Bella was practically glued to my calves. He insisted on lifting me into his passenger seat and buckling me in. Maybe it was because I was a little out of it, but when he leaned over to buckle my seatbelt, I almost kissed him.
Once I was situated, he opened the back door and lifted Bella into the back. She immediately poked her head in between the seats and licked my elbow.
He chuckled. “She takes good care of you.”
“Bella is my family,” I said simply as I leaned over and gave her a kiss on top of her head.
His lips quirked at the corners. “Good to know her name.”
I tried to carry on a conversation on the drive to the hospital, but I was still hazy. I learned his name was Kincaid. He’d recently moved to Willow Brook when he accepted a position on one of the hotshot crews here. He was from somewhere in the lower 48, but I couldn’t remember where.
We got into a little standoff at the hospital when he wanted to put me in a wheelchair and wheel me in. I refused. “No.”
When his lips twitched at the corners, I felt all tingly inside.
Without a word, he curled around my waist and walked me inside. When we stopped in front of the circular desk, a familiar face looked up at me. “Tori!”
“Holly?”
Holly grinned. “I heard you were back in town and that you’ve been working at Fireweed Winery, but I haven’t seen you.” Her eyes shifted to Kincaid. “Is she okay?”
Thank you for reading Luna & Parker’s story!