Chapter 4
BEAU
“What’s up with your eye?” Coop asks the next morning at the fire station.
I’m slouched back on the couch in the break room with a bag of frozen peas pressed to my face and a kitten in the crook of my elbow. “Is it that bad?”
He winces when he gets a good look at it. “Not sure you’re gonna make this year’s firemen’s calendar with that shiner.”
“Thank God for small mercies. If I have one more grandma come up to me and try to set me up with one of their offspring…” Sharp nails claw their way up my pant leg, and I reach down to pick up another furball.
“Had to bring these guys in with me. The chief said it was fine as long as they stay in here.”
Coop peeks in the box. “Guess the cat distribution system knows how to pack a punch, huh?” The other two are curled up in a giant box that has a cat pillow, litter box, food, and water. He takes the dark tabby who just crawled up my leg.
“You want one when they’re old enough? I can’t keep four cats.
” The fluffy orange kitten in my arm purrs, and I snuggle the baby to my chest. “Okay, I might keep this one. Fireball here is pretty fucking cute.” Plus, she doesn’t like anyone else, and it kinda makes me feel special that I’m her person.
“Sorry. Can’t. My girlfriend’s allergic.” He puts the kitten back with the others. “So what happened with your eye?”
I debate whether to explain what really happened because I hate adding any fuel to this fire, but Coop isn’t a gossip, so I relent. “It met up with Trig McAllister’s fist at the Alamo Tractor Supply.”
“No shit. I thought that family feud stuff was old. Like your grandfather shot their grandfather or something.”
Coop moved here a few years ago, so he doesn’t know all of the history. “Close. Their great-great-great-grandfather shot ours, and then every generation since then has had a beef. It’s dumb stuff.” Though it has gotten bloody from time to time.
The alarm rings, and the kitten scrambles off my lap. Coop and I haul ass to the fire truck, and once Mel and Loving have joined us, I call out the details. “Fire at the high school in one of the bathrooms.”
“Two calls there in two weeks,” Coop says as he flips on the siren.
“Kids do dumb shit around Halloween.” My mind immediately goes to that night at the Devil’s Den.
I was an idiot for sneaking in there to gamble and an even bigger idiot for making a move on Honey.
That night flipped from being one of the hottest of my life to a nightmare.
If Trig and Cash ever found out I messed around with their little sister, they’d bury my body in a shallow grave.
I’d probably do the same if the roles were reversed.
When we reach the school, the students have evacuated to the parking lot. The principal tells us the sprinklers flipped on and put out the fire, but state law still requires us to check out the situation and make sure it’s safe before students return to the building.
Mel handles the main alarm while Loving checks on the utilities to make sure no gas lines were affected. After I turn off the sprinklers, Coop and I check out the boys’ bathroom.
I point at the charred metal trash can. “We’re lucky that contained the problem.”
He dumps out the contents and, after a moment, he holds up what looks like a cigarette butt. “Maybe a kid decided he’d had a rough day and needed a cigarette break.”
“Hopefully, this was an accident. It’s the possibility of arson that troubles me.” I glance at the brick walls, which would’ve contained this fire for a while had it taken us longer to respond.
We head out to talk to the staff. “Sorry we made a mess in there, but it’s safe to go in now.” After I explain what we found to Principal Erickson, she waves the students and teachers back in, and we pull aside the kid who discovered the fire. It’s Keith Jenkins, one of the newspaper students.
“I was working in our office over there.” After he pushes up his glasses, he pauses to point. “Our door was open, and I smelled smoke.”
I take notes for my report. “Did you notice anyone coming in or out of there?”
“No. I mean, who pays attention to people taking a leak?”
Good point. “Thanks. If we have any more questions, I’ll be in touch.”
As we’re wrapping up, I spot my brother Maverick, who’s the new head football coach here after a serious injury his rookie year in the NFL.
“Look at you. Being all heroic.” He smirks.
“Shut up. I used to change your diapers.” I fold up my notepad and shove it in my pocket.
When he gets closer, he does a double-take. “Jesus, what happened to your eye?”
“You should see the other guy.” Wanting to change the subject, I ask him about his fiancée. “How are Baylee and Leo doing?”
The smile on his face is blinding. “They’re great. Leo’s talking up a storm, and Baylee… well.” He chuckles. “Let’s just say there’s nothing better than waking up with your best friend every morning. I’m a lucky man.”
I don’t think I’ve ever seen my brother so happy. And he was drafted by the NFL. Love looks good on him. “Glad y’all worked out your issues. I always knew you two would end up together. Just took a while for the stars to line up.”
“She’s the best thing to ever happen to me.”
First Rhett and now Maverick. They’re both head over heels in love with their gals. I’m happy for them. Perplexed as fuck how they both managed it, but glad they figured it out.
“Gotta run.” He motions down the hall. “But swing by the farm later this week. Wanna show you the swing set I’d like to build for Leo.”
“’Cause you want my help.”
“Who better?”
I roll my eyes with a laugh. “I’m all yours, bro.”
After he walks away, I turn and spot another feral kitten.
Honey jabs her finger in my chest. “Why the hell did you jump Trig? I saw him this morning at the Blackbird Coffee House, and he’s all banged up.”
Irritation makes me bristle. I cross my arms. “Let me get this straight, princess. Your brothers told you I jumped them?”
“You broke Trig’s nose.”
I maneuver her out of the rush of students who are running to their classrooms and lower my voice. “Which gave me great satisfaction.”
She growls at me, and I bite back a smile. “I thought you had some sense in you, Beau Walker, but you’re just as bad as they say you are.”
“‘They’ meaning Trig and Cash? Because those two are such upstanding citizens.”
“They never would have started something unless they were provoked.”
“You sure about that, darlin’?” I stare at her beautiful, pissed-off blue eyes.
“Why would they lie?”
Does she not know her brothers are grade-A assholes?
“Believe what you want, princess. If you really think I’m the bad guy here, so be it.
” Glancing around to make sure no one’s watching, I lower my voice.
“But if you wanted to tell me to fuck off, you didn’t need to send your brothers.
Message received, darlin’, loud and clear. ”
“What? I didn’t—”
“Sure.” I walk away.
We’re loading up outside when a student runs toward us.
“Mr. Walker!” She stops to catch her breath.
“Hi, I’m Sabrina. My teacher wants me to interview you, since you saved everyone from the snake, and you helped put out today’s fire.
Plus, I heard you adopted all these kittens when you rescued Mrs. Delgado. ”
“Whoa. That was a lot.” I chuckle.
That other kid, Keith, runs up. “This should be my story, Sabrina. I discovered the dang fire.”
She folds her arms. “It’s a conflict of interest for you to write a story that involves you, dummy. Don’t you know anything?”
I hold up my hands. “Whoa. We don’t need to argue about this.” I pat Keith on the back. “Sorry to do this to you, buddy, but I think Sabrina is right. If you write an article, it’ll be harder for you to be objective.”
He rolls his eyes and walks back to class. I turn to Sabrina. “Maybe if he’s in the article, he won’t be so salty.”
She shrugs and gets out a notebook. “His tears aren’t my problem.”
Okay, then. “So about your article. Every time the fire department is called, it’s a team effort.
A fireman doesn’t really fly solo.” Though I have to admit I like working on my own most of the time, but I don’t mention that.
“Except for the kittens. I really did adopt them. For a while at least, until the owner can get on her feet.” As I explain HIPAA laws and why she shouldn’t put Mrs. Delgado’s name in the newspaper, I spot Honey at the main entrance, watching me with suspicion in her eyes.
In another lifetime, if she wasn’t a McAllister, and I wasn’t a Walker, I’d kiss the ever-loving hell out of that woman.
But in this lifetime, all I can do is give her a cheeky wink, which makes her huff in annoyance and storm off.
See you around, princess.