Chapter 11 #2
“I can’t do that. It’s better when I’m living somewhere else. My father would never let me alone.”
“I get it. I really do.” I hated him even more for what he was doing to her.
She took a deep breath and while she was studying the mountains and scenery that I took for granted, I was studying her.
Maybe she was right in that it was better she wasn’t around. Just by being here, she could easily become a distraction.
“What is that?” she asked, shielding her eyes.
“What is what?”
When she noticed I was staring at her, she grabbed my arm and pointed toward the mountains. “That. Is that smoke or just the fog?”
I was reluctant to look away, but did not only because she asked, but because of the scent I detected. Smoke. My instincts were to spin around. When my eyes focused, I could tell I was right. “There’s a fire somewhere in the mountains.”
“After the storm we had?”
“Yeah, well, there’s still dry timber everywhere based on the months without rain.” What I couldn’t tell from the wind direction was whether it was a structure fire or coming from dry debris or a careless camper.
The storm aside, it was prime tourist season with there being a dozen campgrounds around. Instantly, I was on edge.
“Does that mean you need to go work the fire?”
Her question made me laugh. “I was told by my captain to take a break.”
“What?”
“Apparently, I’m no good for the team right now.”
“Why?”
“I’m too angry to do my job.”
Sighing, she placed her hand on my arm. “Because of your grief. I’m sorry, Axe. Maybe your captain is right.”
I wasn’t in the mood to go through the merits of the situation. We were interrupted by the blast of the radio scanner I’d set up. Similar to a police scanner, it was fire department based, which included the smokejumpers. When calls were made, I was notified.
“What is that?” she asked.
“Notification of the fire.” I headed toward the door. Once inside, I was surprised to find my phone ringing. Where the hell had I left it? The squawking of the sirens had turned into the dispatcher talking about the location of the fire before I had a chance to locate my phone.
I was shocked to see my captain calling. “Captain Daughtry.”
“I know what I said, Axe, but we need you. We have a structure fire that crawled up the mountain. We’re shorthanded since half the team were called to a fire in Idaho last night. One-time shot and then you’re back on time off. Can you roll into the base as soon as you can get here?”
“I’d be happy to, Cap’n, except I have an issue. The road leading to my cabin was washed out last night.” I felt her presence and turned around to face her. She had her arms crossed, a look of concern on her face.
“Well, shit. I can have a helicopter roll to get you if there’s space to land. The location of the fire requires parachuting in.”
“Yeah, there’s plenty of flat terrain. I’m going to assume there’s space on the bird for a passenger.”
“Why?”
She stood taller, realizing what I was about to tell him. “Because I performed a rescue operation yesterday.”
“Jesus Christ. We’ll make it happen, but whoever they are will be dropped here. No babysitting possible.”
I grinned, seeing the fire in her eyes. “That’ll be fine.”
“Alright then. The chopper will be leaving in five minutes. Just be prepared to leave. I have a feeling this is going to be a bad one.”
“Yes, sir.” As soon as the call was finished, I handed her the phone.
“What’s going on?”
“I’ve been called to duty. You should probably call your dad and have him come pick you up at the base by the airport.”
“Oh, okay.” She shook her head. “Are you sure?”
“It’s my duty, Palomino Girl,” I answered while unable to keep from brushing my knuckles across her face. Damn it. What the hell was I going to do with her and with my increasing feelings?
“Aren’t there other personnel who could go instead?”
“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were really worried about me.”
“I am worried about you. Don’t do that. On top of your grief, you’re exhausted from rescuing me.”
How was it possible I hungered for her as much as I did? “Someone kept me awake.”
Groaning, the light blush on her cheeks was as adorable as everything else. “Stop it. Why are you guys so shorthanded?”
“The forestry service has yet to approve new jumpers. The firefighters in town are shorthanded as well.” I moved around her, ready to grab my go bag.
“The city council didn’t approve the funding.”
“Nope. From what I heard, your father convinced the city council to use the funds elsewhere for some land development deal. Infrastructure. We have a half dozen firehouses that need new equipment and new recruits. If you ask me, that’s why the firemen didn’t respond quickly on the day of Will’s death.
” Maybe that was too much information and second guessing, but it was widely known her father didn’t think either the smokejumpers or firefighters were worth the money spent.
“Shit. That’s terrible. I had no idea.”
“That’s because you’ve been gone for a long time.” Grinning, I grabbed a few things, ready to jog into the bedroom to change.
“Yeah, I know,” she whispered, still shaking her head as if pissed. “By the way. How are we getting off the mountains?”
“Oh, yeah. There’s something else I need to tell you. I hope you’re not afraid of flying.”