Chapter 5
Chapter Five
RYKER
SEPTEMBER
I stare across the group of people and shake my head at my cousin Lance, who also happens to be my lieutenant. He’s insisting I participate in the elementary school fire safety day.
“You’ll be in full gear, with your mask on and air tank, so the kids can hear what you’d sound like in the event they had to be rescued. I’ll be there too, but as you’re the rookie this year, you’re the star of the show. It’s tradition.” He chuckles, enjoying every bit of this.
“Yeah, whatever.” I’m distracted when I spot Rowdy, my other cousin, walk out of the bay and approach his woman. I can’t believe Rowdy finally settled down. His girl, Coral, is cute and reminds me of Lyn.
Ever since the morning I woke up alone, I’ve been looking for her. I go to the store and scan the aisles, hoping to spot her long blond hair. I can’t stop wondering what happened to her. When I talked to Gus about her, he seemed protective and only said that if he were younger, he’d take a chance on her. I wanted to drag his old ass across the bar and deck him, but I didn’t.
“Want to go to the bar tonight?” Flora asks me, and I shake my head.
That’s something else that’s changed. I haven’t been to the bar much since the night with Lyn. I paid Gus and the bouncer to let me know if she returns, but I haven’t gotten a call. Part of me wants to ask my brother, Logan, if he’d run a search for her, but without a last name—and the fact I want to keep our night to myself—I won’t do that.
Besides, Logan’s been helping Rowdy with issues Coral is having, and I don’t want to distract either of them. Rowdy looks like he could be our brother instead of our cousin. It probably has to do with the fact that our fathers were identical twins.
A group of single girls who just showed up wave at me, and I turn my back on them.
“Nope, not interested.” I walk into the station and check my schedule before making an exit. I’m not interested in any of the local girls anymore, and I don’t want a one-night stand. I think that last one broke me.
When I pull up to my house, tucked away in one of the corners of the massive acreage that makes up our family’s vineyard, I see my little sister’s car in the driveway. It can mean one of two things: she’s in trouble and doesn’t want anyone else to know, or she’s using my dock by the small pond out back. It’s one of the few on the property, but mine is the best. I have it set up for water games and fun. I usually throw parties here all summer long, but this summer, I haven’t felt like it.
It could be because I’m working two jobs now, but it could also be because I’m just not in the mood. As soon as my boots step onto the deck, I hear her.
“Down here,” she calls, and I head to the lower level that opens up close to the water’s edge and the dock. She’s lounged back in one of the chairs with a glass of wine. Maybe I shouldn’t have given her a key, but Isa and I have always been close. Our older brother’s job was to keep the boys away by beating them up, while mine was to soothe Isa and reassure her everything was okay.
I can tell she hasn’t been up to the parents’ place yet by the tank top and shorts she’s got on. Dad would freak out if he saw that much of her legs on display. Her shorts are tiny, and honestly, I’m not too happy about them either.
“What the fuck are you wearing, Isa?” I bark at her, and she rolls her eyes.
“When did you become the monk?”
She calls Logan a monk. Since his engagement failed and he ended up becoming a single dad, he hasn’t slept with anyone.
“When you dress like that, I will be.” I wave at her.
“Jeez, get over it.” She sighs deeply, and I plop down in the lounger next to hers, taking the wine glass from her.
“How much have you had already? You know you can’t drink yet.”
She huffs. “I’m less than two months from my birthday. Give it a break. Besides, it’s too late.” She reaches over the side of her lounger and pulls up the empty bottle of wine. “I’ve had plenty.”
“What’s going on, little sister?” I take a sip of the wine. As the sweetness of the grapes bursts on my tongue, an image of Lyn fills my mind.
“I think my friend Meadow is in trouble.”
“This that girl you befriended at school?”
“Yeah. Her brother called her. He’s gotten mixed up with a bad crowd, and now they’re coming around our place and causing issues.”
“I’ll drive down to campus in a couple of days and help you out.”
She reaches across the space and pats my arm. “You’re the best big brother. Not a monk at all.” Her speech is starting to slur.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Come on.” I stand and reach down, lifting her into my arms to carry her to the spare bedroom.
“You’re so sweet. You should meet my new friend, Lynae, except she has more secrets than the monk does. I know she’s hiding things from me. She was married before and says she won’t do that again. But I think if she met the right guy, she’d give it another chance.” She giggles as she settles into bed and passes out. I set up Tylenol and water for her on the nightstand before heading upstairs to the main floor.
I grab a bottle of water from the fridge and take a big gulp. As I look around my house, I realize how much it’s set up as a home. It just needs a family. The thought bothers me because I never wanted a family until now. Until that night with Lyn.
R iding in the passenger seat of the firetruck on our way to the school, I look out over Prominence Point. The small town sits between Sedona and Flagstaff. As always, I think about all the times I’ve been offered positions in bigger towns, but I’ve always liked the small-town feel. I never had the desire to leave until recently. Now, I feel unsettled, and I don’t know why.
We pull up to the school, and I jump out and finish suiting up. Lance heads inside to notify the principal that we have arrived. Once I have all my gear on, I make my way to the entrance, where Lance is waiting.
Today, we go from classroom to classroom, allowing the kids to check me out so they won’t panic or run from a firefighter if there’s ever a fire. The community council and school board believe that more kids are injured while trying to escape from firefighters in full gear, especially when there’s smoke. So, we are working to desensitize the kids to our equipment. In some classrooms, the lights will be turned off or dimmed so the kids can see what a firefighter looks like in the dark with the reflectors on our gear glowing and lights blinking. They’ll also hear the sound of my PASS alarm and learn more about the equipment we use.
We’ve gone through several of the older kids’ classrooms and are now making our way to the younger ones. We start with the kindergartners, then move on to the first-grade class.
Lance opens the door, and I step into the room. The students are all waiting at their desks, arranged in groups around the bright classroom. I hear a click, and the lights go out. Some of the students scream, while others giggle.
“It’s okay. Remember we talked about this,” a soft Southern-accented voice says from behind me. It’s muffled through all my gear, but something about it sounds familiar. I want to turn and look at her, but I have to stay focused on what Lance is saying.
When my lieutenant gives the signal, I get down on my knees and begin crawling across the floor, just like we do in heavy smoke areas. I push my Halligan bar ahead of me, and when I reach the first desk, I look up at the young girl seated there. She shies away, but then hesitantly reaches out to touch my mask.
“You’re doing great, Ariel,” the woman says.
Out of the corner of my eye, I catch a glimpse of black leggings encasing shapely legs and tiny, brightly colored Converse on small feet. Something makes me want to follow those legs up, but another kid touches my pack, and I get distracted.
I continue to make my way through the room. Sometimes crawling, sometimes walking. I keep my focus on the kids and not the teacher, but when another student gets upset and starts crying, that voice of hers is back.
“Oh, Gina, it’s okay,” she says from beside me, and I turn to see beautiful amber-colored eyes looking at me through the mask. Her full lips curl into a smile. “See, Gina,” she says, reaching out to touch my mask. Long fingers on a delicate hand extend toward me, and the memory slams into my mind.
“Lyn,” I say her name, and she rears back, almost falling over.
I quickly grab for her, steadying her as I stand. I shut off my air, remove my helmet, and set it on the child’s desk before pulling off my mask and Nomex. She watches me, and when I finally see her face clearly without my mask between us, I want to yank her to me. Her mouth pops open in surprise. Her long blond hair is cut to her shoulders, falling in waves around her face.
I start to reach for her to sip from those beautiful, full lips again, but she steps back. That’s when I take her completely in. The long sweater she’s wearing fits tight to her body, showing a small swelling at her abdomen. I step back, my jaw tightening, as my eyes shoot sparks at her.
How could she keep this from me?
Lynae
I know the moment he sees my stomach. The doctor said because I’m so tiny, I’m showing earlier than some women do at nineteen weeks. Ryker is just staring at me, and I can feel the anger radiating off his body. His hair is sweaty and messy from being under all his gear. His blue eyes track every movement I make. I take another step back. When I hear the shuffling of my students, I’m snapped from the fog I was in. I have struggled with sexy dreams from our time together. I blame it on hormones, but when I’m this close to him, I wonder if I more than missed him.
“So, students, as you can see, he’s just a man like your daddies under all that gear.”
“Ms. Amberly, he knows your name.” One of my students points out.
“He does. I know Ry—” I stop and look at the name on his gear. “Mr. Murphy.”
Ryker steps close to me. “Mr. Murphy is my father. I’m Ryker to you,” he growls low enough for no one else to hear.
Murphy. The name hits me.
My landlords are the Murphys. The girl who’s becoming like a best friend to me is a Murphy too. She’s talked about her two brothers. Oh shit. One of them, the firefighter, is named Ry.
A wave of nausea washes over me as my blood starts to race. I feel faint for a moment. When Ryker reaches out and grabs my forearm, electric sparks shoot across my skin, up my arm. I yank my arm away and unsteadily make my way to my desk. I stand there for a few moments, taking calming breaths, before I turn back to the classroom. The man who walked in with Ryker, Lieutenant Courtney, approaches me.
“Are you okay, ma’am?” he asks softly, and all I can manage is a nod.
I pick up the worksheets I printed earlier and pass them out, focusing on my duties. After a moment, Ryker walks back up to me.
“We need to talk.”
“After school,” I reply, silently praying I won’t have to move again or lose the friends I’ve made over the last couple of months.
Ryker and his lieutenant leave, and I resume my class. When they head outside for their final recess, I sit at my desk and think over everything.
The past two months since I moved here have been amazing. I’ve settled into a routine. The principal wasn’t happy when I told her I’d need to take maternity leave in February, but I reassured her I would be back. My second job found out I was pregnant last Friday when I got nauseous from the smell of meat they were cooking in the kitchen. I assured them I wouldn’t be taking any time off.
I think about Ryker Murphy, and the worry creeps in that I might lose the new life I’ve started now that he sort of knows. He didn’t ask if the baby was his. The look that crossed his face wasn’t one of anger, but more of hurt.
I walk to the parking lot and spot Ryker leaning against my car, his long legs crossed at the ankles. Aviator sunglasses shield his eyes from the bright sunlight. As I get closer, he stands to his full height. He takes my large bag from my hand when I stop in front of him. I almost forgot how small and petite he makes me feel, but also safe. I never experienced that with Sayler. He had always made me feel unsettled and wary. It’s why I left the bar that night with Ryker. I trusted him already.
“How did you know this was my car?” I glance around the lot at the other staff’s vehicles.
“I have my ways.” He waits until I unlock the door then places my bag in the back seat. “Plus, I asked the principal. I’ve known her for years.”
“She shouldn’t give out personal information like that.”
“You’re right. Like I said, I have my ways.”
“Would those ways include your brother who works for the sheriff’s department?” Isla told me all about her family. I don’t have a family to talk about, but I did share a little about Sayler and his family, about my gram, and how I’d always felt like a pawn to my parents.
I watch as Ryker’s shoulders tense, and his expression hardens. “You did your research on my family before you sought me out? What do you know about us? And if you think that by accidentally getting pregnant you’ll get the vineyard, you’re mistaken. There will be a DNA test to confirm I’m the father.” His words are bitter and full of acid. I remember what Isla said, and I shake my head.
“I didn’t know your family until I moved here permanently,” I say, trying to keep my composure. “Your sister, Isla, is my friend. She told me about her two brothers—Ry, the firefighter, and Logan, the deputy sheriff. I’m not after the vineyard.” I don’t mention that I live on the vineyard. I don’t want him to think even worse of me. “This was not planned. I know the baby is yours because I’ve only had sex twice. Once with you, and once with my ex-husband. It was all my fault I got pregnant, and if you weren’t so upset, I’d explain everything. Obviously, this isn’t the time. I don’t need your money or anything else. I can take care of my baby on my own. I’ll have my attorney draw up a release of your parental rights. You won’t have to see us. I just want to continue living and working here, please. You won’t have to acknowledge us. If you want me to stop associating with your family, I will. I was looking for you, but I wasn’t sure where to start. Plus, I moved here and started working right away, so I’ve just been busy. I’m so, so sorry.” I force the words out in a rush, hoping to say it all before my heart completely shatters and the tears start to fall.
I figured he’d be upset, but to accuse me of trying to trick him so I can get the vineyard hurts. Tears clog my throat, and I push past Ryker, who just stands there, staring at me.
As I start my car, I look out the window at Ryker, still standing there, clearly processing everything I said. I barely make it out of the parking lot before the tears start to flow. By the time I reach my house, I’m sobbing uncontrollably. I’m thankful I made it home without causing an accident.
I turn off the car and press the button to close the garage door. All I want is to get inside and lie down. I’m exhausted from all the crying.
I stumble through the door into the mudroom off the garage and make my way to the second entrance of my bedroom. I fall onto the bed, curling into a fetal position. Wrapping my arms around my legs, I let the pain pour out through my tears and sobs.
I thought moving here would change everything. I thought I would have friends. I wanted to finally feel like I belonged somewhere in this world. I didn’t expect to get pregnant. I didn’t even plan it, but I wouldn’t change that night with Ryker. He made me feel things I’ve never felt before. Desired. Cared for. Even loved, I think.
All of that exploded in my face when he accused me of getting pregnant on purpose to tie myself to this vineyard. I had no idea he was a Murphy and owned it. I don’t need their money.
I don’t know how long I’ve been lying here, crying, but my head is starting to hurt. My eyes burn, and my chest aches. A pounding starts from the living room, followed by the doorbell ringing repeatedly. The sound is making my head throb more. I roll to the edge of the bed, get up, and stomp into the living room, ready to tell the jerk at the door to go away.
Through the glass of the door, I see Ryker standing there, watching me. I stare at him for moment, wondering how he found me. What is he doing here? Just as that thought crosses my mind, my vision blurs and my head starts to spin. I reach for the doorknob, but my hand doesn’t grip it. I feel myself starting to fall, my eyes fluttering closed.