When We Burn (The Blackwells of Montana #1)

Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

brIDGER

G oddamn, I’d like to punch the motherfucker who’s decided to torch my town. The cabin was a complete loss by the time we got on the scene, so our main concern now is protecting the hundreds of evergreens from the sparks coming off the structure.

“Continue soaking that side,” I tell my guys. “And get those walls pushed in.”

As the structure collapses, we want it to fall inside of itself so the flames don’t spread any farther. Our primary goal here is to keep it all contained.

“Where are the owners?” I ask Jones. We’ve worked together for years, and he’s the best at pulling information.

“They live in Texas,” he says. “I have a call out to them, but had to leave a message.”

“Whoever did this didn’t want us to find it quickly. He could have lit this whole fucking mountain on fire, and there are homes just over that ridge.”

Jones nods grimly as we watch the team use long poles to push the outside walls toward the inside of the house. There’s a big plume of smoke, and flames dance high into the sky and then calm down again as the fire continues to smolder. Ash and smoke hang heavy in the air.

“He uses the same accelerant every time,” Jones reminds me. “Always gas, always around the front door. He leaves the cans, for Christ’s sake. He’s not being exactly stealthy about it.”

“No, but the fire is burning away any prints he might have left. I know we have to leave the investigation to the experts, but it’s fucking annoying to be on the outside, cleaning up this asshole’s messes.”

“That’s all we can do,” Jones reminds me, patting me on the shoulder. “We need to make a statement to the media, Chief. Residents need to be vigilant because he’s hit homes with people inside.”

“I know.” I pull my hand down my face. “We’ll make a statement in the morning and make sure it’s in all the media and on our socials. I want this asshole caught.”

I can tell that the fire is losing its edge. It’s calming down, and I don’t have any more concerns about the surrounding trees and woods, but we’ll keep dousing it to make sure no remaining embers creep away and start another fiasco.

This many fires in less than two weeks is unheard of in this town. We may have calls for small fires, but not usually a complete loss like this, not this many in such a short period of time. We take way more ambulance and accident calls than we do house fires.

Not that we can’t handle them, but our community doesn’t usually have to deal with it. I like keeping it that way. Who the fuck is this guy? Why is he doing this? How do I catch him?

When I turn, I see that Chase Wild’s finishing up with his guys, bagging the gas cans that were left at the front door, taking down information.

There isn’t much more they can do until the fire is cold.

“That fucker,” Chase grumbles when I join him.

“My thoughts exactly. Any leads?”

He shakes his head, his mouth set in grim lines, as he watches the destroyed building. “He thought he was sly with this one.”

“Keep an eye out at the ranch,” I tell him, and his cold eyes turn to me. “I’ll be telling Holden and my brother the same things. Obviously, this guy isn’t sticking just to town, and this is the fourth fire in two weeks.”

“All of the ranches have excellent security and cameras,” he says.

“Yeah, well, maybe we up that security. I wish I could do that for every building in town. But I can’t, so you have to get this guy under wraps.”

“We’re working on it.” He nods once. “There’s going to be a meeting this week with the concert people in charge of security for that show at our ranch. I’d like you there. ”

“I’ll be there. Just text me the information. I’ll be bringing Jones and a few others with me so we think of everything.”

“Sounds good to me. There’s nothing more I can do here tonight. I’ll come back out tomorrow.”

I nod, clap him on the back, and then return to my guys.

“We have this, Chief,” Jones says. “Go home and get some sleep.”

“I’ll be in the office by nine,” I reply. “I appreciate it.”

I’ve been on the scene for four hours, and rather than wake the whole house up when I get home, I swing by the station to take a quick shower. It’s after midnight when I get home.

Ready to climb into my bed and curl up around Dani, I let myself in quietly and toe off my shoes, set my keys and wallet on the table by the door, and then make my way down the hallway. But when I peek into Birdie’s room, she’s not in her bed.

With a frown, I cross to my room and find both of my girls fast asleep under the covers, and the scene sends a jolt through me so swift that it knocks me back a step. Birdie’s on the edge of the mattress closest to the door, turned toward me, her little hands up by her chin as she sleeps.

Dani’s in the middle of the bed, curled up around my daughter, hugging her close to her front. Her nose is in Birdie’s hair, and seeing the two of them together like this makes me perfectly aware of two things.

One, I’m completely in love with Dani Lexington .

And two, I’m never letting her go.

As quietly as possible, I shed my uniform and pull on a T-shirt before I climb in on the other side of the bed and slip in behind my girls, wrapping an arm around them.

“She threw up,” Dani whispers and then kisses Birdie’s head, and I hug them both against me a little tighter. I hate that I wasn’t here to take care of them. “But she’s okay now. How are you?”

“I’m just fine, sweetheart.” I kiss her hair and then brush her strands back, exposing her neck, and press a kiss there, too, breathing her in. “Go back to sleep.”

She wiggles against me and sighs. “Okay.”

God, this feels so fucking good. It feels right, having them together like this, tucked up against me where I can keep them safe.

I loved having Dani on the ranch with us today. Even with her meltdown, it was the best day that I’ve had in a long while. But I’m mad at myself for not anticipating that it might have been too much for Birdie.

After a few months of my daughter acting like a normal, healthy kid, it’s easy to forget that there could be days like this, and I need to be more watchful. But I’m glad that Dani was here to help Birdie.

I gently kiss her neck once more, enjoying the way her soft skin feels against my lips, and then I lie back on the pillow and surrender to sleep.

Two days later, Birdie wakes up with the sniffles.

“Shit.” School is a cesspool of germs, especially early on in the year like this, but I have the meeting regarding the Sidney Sterling benefit concert today, and I can’t miss that. So, I do what any single dad would do in this situation.

I load my kid up with medication.

She doesn’t have a fever, and once the children’s cold medicine kicks in, she seems to be pretty normal, sitting at the island, eating her breakfast.

“How do you feel, peanut?”

“Better,” she says. “My nose isn’t running anymore. I don’t want to miss school. We’re doing D words today, and I’m taking in my stuffed dog, Ralph.”

“I know. You can go to school, but if you start to feel worse, you need to tell Miss Dani, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Do you like her, baby?”

“Miss Dani?” She pops a blueberry into her mouth. “Yeah, she’s a good teacher.”

“Do you like her when we’re at home? When she spends time with us?”

Birdie nods and reaches for another blueberry. They’re her favorite right now. “She’s really nice, and she helped me when I was sick, and doesn’t talk to me like I’m a baby.”

I smile and take a sip of my coffee. “I like her, too. In fact, I’d like for Dani to spend a lot more time with us. What do you think about that?”

“Like, she can come over for dinner and stuff? ”

“Sure, she can do that. What if sometimes she wants to stay the night like she did the other night when you got sick?”

She nods. “Yeah. She’ll sleep in your bed?”

“Yes, baby, she’d sleep in my bed.”

“Can we all sleep in your bed?”

I laugh at that. Birdie used to love to sleep in my bed with me, and she still does when she’s sick like the other night, but I do not want to get back into that habit.

“You know that you’re supposed to sleep in your room, in your big girl bed. But if you’re ever sick or scared, you can always come to me. You know that.”

“Okay. Does this mean that she’s your girlfriend? Are you going to kiss and stuff?”

Surprised, I blink at my daughter. “How do you know about that?”

“Daddy.” She rolls her eyes at me, and I suddenly flash forward to when she’s a teenager. “I’m not a baby. Grown-ups kiss and stuff.”

“I will probably kiss and cuddle with her. And you might see that sometimes.” I swallow hard, suddenly uncomfortable with this conversation. “But that’s because we care about each other.”

“Okay.”

It’s as simple as that. She goes back to eating her breakfast and presses play on her tablet to watch her cartoon, not seeming concerned about anything else. But then, she hits pause again and looks stricken.

“What’s wrong?” I ask her .

“What about Pickles? If Miss Dani stays here at night, Pickles will be alone and scared.”

I laugh and walk around the island to kiss her head. “We’ll bring Pickles, too.”

“And she can sleep in my bed,” she announces. “So she’s not alone.”

“I think that’s a good idea. Now, finish your breakfast so we can get you to school.”

Birdie seems to be feeling even more like herself when we reach the school, and I walk her to the door, where she hurries in without hardly giving me a second glance.

Dani’s standing on the sidewalk, as usual, and she’s smiling at me as I cross to her. I’m in my uniform today because I have to go to the office from here, and her gaze eats me up, from head to toe.

“Are you salivating, kitten?”

She laughs and doesn’t flinch or try to pull away when I drag my knuckle down her cheek and then lean in to press my lips to hers, just for a moment.

“You have a big head,” she says, and when I simply smirk at her, those eyes go wide and her cheeks burn up. “You know I didn’t mean that. ”

“Later, I’ll ask you to be more specific.” I chuckle and take her hand in mine, threading our fingers together. “Birdie had a sniffle this morning, but I gave her some meds, and she seems to be better.”

Dani frowns. “Oh, no. I’ll keep an eye on her. Hopefully, the medicine lasts until the end of the school day. Poor little thing.”

“Sometimes, it can lead to an asthma attack. Like I said, she was fine just now. You’d never know anything was wrong, but she shouldn’t run around at recess, just to be safe.”

“I’ll make sure she doesn’t,” Dani assures me. “Her inhaler is locked in my desk. I’ll put it in my pocket and carry it on me today, just in case.”

“Thank you.” My eyes drift down to the crisp white button-down she’s wearing, those black buttons undone at the top, revealing the top of her cleavage, and the only reason I can see that much is because I’m so much taller than she is. The shirt is tucked into black slacks that hug her curves in all the right places.

I know that Dani mentioned that she’s self-conscious about her curves, but I wouldn’t have her any other way. She fits against me like she was made for me. She’s absolutely perfect.

“I should go in,” she says, pulling me out of my reverie. “You must be working today.”

“I am, but I’ll have my phone on me, so if you need me, just reach out.”

She smiles and nods. “I will, but we won’t need you. We’re good here. Have a good day at work.”

“You, too.” I lean in for one more kiss, and then I walk away toward my truck.

“Holy cow, girl, you and Bridger ?”

I glance back to see another teacher talking to my girl. Dani’s smiling wide and nodding, and pride fills my chest.

Day one of public affection was a success.

“We’ll have medical tents set up,” a man in a suit on the video call tells us.

We’re in a conference room at the police station, with a large screen on the wall showing everyone in Seattle who is in on this call, as well as those of us in this room. It’s a relief that everyone’s taking this as seriously as I had hoped.

“With how many personnel to man those tents?” I ask him.

“There will be six tents with two doctors and four nurses in each one.”

“Twelve doctors and twenty-four nurses,” I mutter. “For ten thousand people.”

“For a five-hour, at the max, event,” someone else reminds me. “The concert will run about two hours, and we’re factoring in ample time for people coming in and out.”

“Where are these people going to park?” Jones asks. “We don’t have public transportation in Bitterroot Valley, and the ranch is a twenty-minute drive from town.”

“We’ll be busing some of them in,” comes the answer. “And the Wild family has assured us that they can clear out one of their pastures for some parking.”

I shake my head and run my hand down my face. “Look, I love that Ms. Sterling wants to help our community and that she wants to put on a show for us. We don’t get opportunities like that here, and the town will go nuts. Hell, all of Montana will be clamoring to buy tickets when word gets out.”

“We’ll be controlling that, too. This concert is only open to this specific community and the surrounding areas.”

I shake my head. “You guys, this is the age of social media. Do you think it won’t spread like wildfire? This is Sidney Sterling we’re talking about. The world can’t get enough of her.”

We spend the next hour going back and forth on logistics. I appreciate that they’re bringing in plenty of medical and security help. They’re doing everything for this concert so there’s less burden on our community.

And yet, there are still logistics that sound impossible to me.

By the time we’re finished, I’m still not convinced that the event will be pulled off without a hitch, but time will tell.

Just as I’m leaving the conference room, my phone rings, and I frown at Dani’s name. She should be in class.

“Hey, sweetheart.”

“Bridger, I need to let you know”—my heart starts to gallop—“that Birdie is okay now, but she did have an asthma attack and needed her inhaler. I’ve calmed her down.”

Dani’s voice sounds a little shaky, and I’m already hot-footing it to my truck.

“Okay, baby, take a breath.” She does as I ask.

“It’s in her file that I should call you, even if she’s okay. Do you want to come and get her, or let her finish the day?”

It’s past lunchtime, with only a couple of hours of school left. “I’ll come get her. I’m on my way right now.”

“Okay, we’re in the nurse’s office. I have an aid taking care of the class right now, but I can’t leave.”

“I know. It’s okay, Dani. I’ll be there in less than ten minutes.”

I should have kept Birdie home today. I knew this was a possibility, and she’s been under the weather since Sunday night. Before I reach the school, I call my brother’s office. Blake spends a lot of time in the ER these days, but he also works two days a week at a family practice, and this is one of the days he’s there.

“Hey, Marsha, it’s Bridger Blackwell. Birdie’s having some asthma trouble today. Can Blake fit her in this afternoon?”

“Sure, he can squeeze her in, in about forty-five minutes. If you bring her on in, we’ll get her roomed and he’ll pop over to see you.”

“Appreciate it. I’ll bring her over as soon as I pick her up from school.”

“See you soon.”

After parking, I stride into the school and to the nurse’s office, which is near the main office, and see that Birdie and Dani are sitting side by side, talking.

“I don’t want to go home,” Birdie says when she sees me, her little face screwed up in a scowl. “I’m fine now, Daddy, and I won’t run anymore.”

“You were running?”

Birdie looks guilty and sneaks a look at Dani, but she nods. “Miss Dani told me not to when I went outside, but we were playing tag, and I didn’t want to sit out.”

“I turned my back for five seconds to check on another student who fell,” Dani says, shaking her head and looking so guilty, it makes me feel bad for her. I want to scoop her up and hold her, and I’ll do that later.

First, I have to deal with Birdie.

“Hey, not your fault,” I say to her as I press my hand to her shoulder. “Birdie, we’re going to see Uncle Blake, just to make sure you’re okay.”

Birdie whines, but I pick her up, and she loops her arms around my neck. She’s not feeling as good as she wants me to think she is if she’s willing to let me carry her.

“I’ll come check on her when I get home.” Dani bites her lip, obviously worried. “I hate that I can’t leave.”

“It’s only a couple of hours,” I remind her and kiss her forehead. “We’re okay. I’ll text you.”

Dani nods, and I carry Birdie out to the truck, secure her in the back seat, and then drive us over to the doctor’s office.

“I want to be at school,” she says with a pout.

“Yeah, well, I want you to feel better, and what I want is more important right now.” I park in the lot, then help my girl out of her seat, and with her hand in mine, we walk inside.

“Hey, come on back,” Marsha says with a smile, gesturing for us to come through the door to her left. “We have a room ready for you. ”

Sometimes it’s convenient to be the brother of a doctor.

One of the nurses, Leslie, takes Birdie’s blood pressure, checks her temperature, and takes all the vitals she needs, and then she smiles at us as she gathers her things to leave the room.

“Dr. Blackwell should be in soon. He’s just wrapping up with another patient.”

“Thanks, Leslie.” I nod, and she leaves, and Birdie sighs as if this is the worst day of her life.

If she feels good enough to be this pouty, she’s not doing too bad.

Less than a minute after Leslie leaves, the door opens, and Blake walks inside, giving Birdie a soft smile. He’s in green scrubs and a white lab coat with his name embroidered over the chest. His stethoscope hangs around his neck. He looks tired as fuck.

“What’s up with you, wee one?”

“Nothing,” Birdie says and stubbornly folds her arms, and I scowl at my daughter.

“Just wanted to see me, huh?” Blake grins and squats in front of her. “I missed you, too, cupcake. How are you feeling, though?”

She shrugs, and I jump in.

“She woke up with the sniffles, but after I gave her the cold medicine, she seemed fine. She went to school, and at lunchtime, she was running around and had an asthma attack. Dani had her inhaler on her, though.”

“Sniffles, huh?” Blake looks at the vitals that Leslie took. “Let’s get a listen of your lungs, okay? Sit up here. ”

He helps her up onto the table with the strip of white paper along it, then tells her to breathe in and out while he moves his stethoscope around.

“You’re a little congested in there,” he says. “We’ll do a breathing treatment before you go. Let’s keep up with the cold meds every eight hours, too. She should be fine in a couple of days. I’ll swing by and listen to her lungs to make sure there’s nothing lingering. Until then, no running around. Hear me?”

“Okay,” Birdie says with a long-suffering sigh. Blake pokes his head out the door and tells someone to bring him the nebulizer.

“Thanks,” I tell my brother. “Appreciate it. She’s been lethargic again.”

“I saw that at dinner on Sunday.” He sits on a stool and sighs, examining my kiddo. “She was such a little preemie, Bridger. The lungs may always be an annoyance for her. Let’s get her recovered from this bug, see how she is for a week or two, and then we can run some more blood tests.”

“I don’t want any more needles,” Birdie whines as Leslie bustles back in with the machine to give my daughter a breathing treatment.

“I’m sorry, cupcake,” Blake says with a sigh. I know that Birdie’s illness has weighed on him. He wants to help her so badly. “We’re going to figure this out. Now, you know the drill. Hold the tube in your mouth, and take some deep breaths to get the medicine in your lungs.”

The treatments always make her shaky for a while after, but they really help when her poor lungs are working extra hard.

“How did Dani handle it?”

“She did great. I warned her this could happen this morning, and she carried the inhaler on her, just in case. I’m glad she did.”

Blake nods. “I like you two together,” he says, his voice low. “I think you’re good for each other.”

I run my hand through my hair, watching my daughter breathe with the machine. I doubt she can hear us over the noise of it. As much as I don’t need affirmation about Dani from my brother, I like it. He knows. He’s known for years that Dani has owned my heart.

“I think so, too.”