Hearts We Claim (Hearts of Texas #3)
1. Adam
CHAPTER 1
ADAM
The sun beats down on the shoulders of my dress blues, baking me like a potato wrapped in foil. God, it’s hot out here. And that’s saying a lot, considering it’s my day job to walk through fire.
But it’s not the weather that’s the problem, it’s the formality. These pristine white gloves, the neat rows of brass buttons down the front of my jacket, the crisply ironed pleats of my pants, and the regal Pershing cap on my head have me sweating.
I’m a casual guy. Most of the time, my job lets me relax in cargo pants and a FIRE T-shirt. But today, I’ve had to haul my dress blues out of deep storage to stand here, looking stoic and professional for the ceremony.
Rows of plastic folding chairs dot the neat lawn in front of the gazebo bandstand, which sits in the center of the park between Krause’s historic library and city hall. Friends, family, and neighbors fill the seats. Peeking out from beneath the shadowy brims of cowboy hats, moving the air with hand fans, they watch our pomp and circumstance with community pride. And there is a good reason to be proud. Today is a big day for the Krause Fire Department.
My compatriots and I stand in two perfectly neat lines beside the bandstand, while up on the platform, Fire Chief “Big Mac” McKenna announces his successor: Watts. Well, he’s Chief Watson now, but he’ll always be Watts to us. When Big Mac caved to the pressure from his wife to finally retire, there was no doubt who he and the city would name as the next chief.
Watts has worked in fire service for twenty years, he’s earned this promotion, and he's the first person of color to hold the top job. It’s big news in this small town. Dee’s fiancé, Rico, is here to report the story for the local paper, and I stand extra tall for the photos. Watts is making history today, and it couldn’t be more well deserved.
With a plaque, a solid handshake, and a hearty back pat, the job passes from Big Mac to Watts, and the community erupts in applause. Drew, Dee, and I join the rest of the fire department with loud whoops and hollers in celebration.
Once the event is behind us, and we’ve posed for photos and mingled with the attendees for a while, I pocket my gloves and tuck my Pershing cap under my arm as I find my fire crew and their families in the shade of a nearby oak tree. Watts’s wife beams at her husband as she asks if we’re coming over to their house for the pool party.
We all answer in some form of the affirmative as we watch Mateo and Aaliyah, Rico’s son and Watts’s daughter, play chase on the wide green lawn. When we split up and walk toward our vehicles, I’m already stripping out of my clothes. I’ve slipped off my jacket and tugged my tie loose before I’ve even made it to my truck. Once I get there and pop the door open, I strip out of the rest. Toeing my patent leather shoes off and slipping out of my socks, too, I stand barefoot in the street and pull off my pants. I’d worn a pair of swim trunks rather than boxer briefs under my uniform for precisely this reason: rapid costume change.
I slide my feet into an old pair of sneakers, toss my fancy dress clothes onto the passenger seat, and pull myself up on the running board to get into the driver’s seat. But when I reach for the door to pull it shut, I pause.
I’m being watched. Frowning just a little, I turn to stare at a guy who stands at the corner of Main and Vine. At his feet sits a well-behaved, large-breed dog—a pit bull lab mix, if I had to guess.
I grin at the dog, then look up and hold the man’s gaze, grinning a little at him too. He’s just watched me strip mostly naked. And, even after I’ve caught him staring, he doesn’t look away. His brilliant blue eyes—which I can see in surprising detail, even from across the street—practically gleam with humor and…is that curiosity? A small smirk stretches across the man’s handsome face, and I’m mesmerized.
Who is this guy? Krause is a small town, and you can be damn sure I know everyone here, especially a seriously fine man like this. I’m certain I’ve never laid eyes on him. I’d have remembered that mouth and the dark tousled hair. And those eyes—Jesus those eyes are like sapphires sparkling in the sunlight.
He keeps staring. And I keep staring back at him. Clearly, he’s curious, and so am I. But the connection between us is severed when he looks down at his phone and turns to answer it. Disappointment sinks into my chest, but I don’t let it linger.
Today is a beautiful day, and I’m late for a party. With a shrug, I shut the door, crank the engine, and head west to Watts’s place.
I drive with the windows down, enjoying the refreshing breeze. It’s a hot day for mid-October, but that’s never bothered me. I’m a Texas boy through and through; I can handle a little heat.
Watts lives in the newer part of town, where, fifteen years back a small development of acreages replaced an old ranch. Folks around here still call this area the “old Koenig farm” instead of its fifteen-year-old name, “Pleasant Valley Estates.” But things move slowly here, and everything that’s happened since the turn of the twenty-first century, was “just yesterday.”
Cars dot the driveway and the road around me, and I recognize most of them. All my crew mates and their partners are here, as well as a lot of folks from other shifts at Station 31 and other stations around the county.
I walk around to the back of the house, letting myself through the gate and heading toward the chatter of revelers and the squeal of children. Watts’s backyard is lovely, the reason they bought the house. Wide and private, it’s ringed by spindly oaks and mesquite trees, and at its center, the crystalline water of a swimming pool glimmers in the sun.
As an adult, I know I should head over to where the grownups have gathered around the grill and cocktail table to chitchat. But my inner child can’t pull his attention from the sparkling water or pass up the opportunity to make an unforgettable entrance to the party.
From a good fifty feet away, I take off at a sprint across the lawn. At the last moment, I leap into the air, pull one knee to my chest, and, with a Braveheart battle cry, execute a perfect cannonball, coming down with a massive splash.
When I pop back up, I’m greeted by the sounds of applause and excited squeals from the kids dog-paddling around me in the pool. I give everyone a big dumb grin and announce, “Let the party begin!”
Several adults point out that the party already started without me, but the kids are delighted by my entrance. Mateo and Aaliyah and their friends swim around me, asking how they can do cannonballs as big as mine. I use the opportunity to impart some wisdom. “You’ve gotta grow big and strong like me,” I flex a bicep to demonstrate, “so eat all your vegetables. Got it?”
The kids crinkle their noses at the thought of vegetables and chatter among themselves, comparing the strength of their little arms. I swim to the ladder to hoist myself out, only just now realizing I forgot to take off my shoes before diving in. Thank the baby Jesus I left my phone and wallet in the truck.
As for my sneakers, they’ve been through worse. I kick them off and leave them in the sun to dry. Shaking the water out of my curly hair like a shaggy dog, I wiggle my fingers in my ears to unclog them. Drew has pulled a beer from the cooler and offers it my way, so I walk to him and gladly accept. We clink bottles as I take my place among the adults.
“Girl, you should see him. I was like, ‘you can check my pussy anytime,’ ” Chloe says to Dee with a laugh shared between them, and Drew, Rico, and I all turn to stare, wide-eyed.
“What?” Drew asks for everyone, but mostly for himself and his sole claim on Chloe’s pussy.
“The new vet. I took Bodhi and Utah for their shots on Thursday, remember?”
“Yeah, and what does that have to do with checking your pussy?”
Chloe laughs and throws her arms around Drew’s neck, teasing as she says, “Bodhi is your pussy, and Utah is mine, and when we get married, they’ll be our pussies.”
Drew smiles wide. He does that every time she talks about the wedding and marriage. I never would have pegged Drew for a romantic, but he’s such a smitten kitten when it comes to Chloe.
Then Chloe tacks on, “Also, the new veterinarian in town is sexy as hell. I invited him to our wedding, so you’ll get to meet him soon.”
Drew’s smile sinks into a frown, and Chloe giggles as she kisses his sour puss away.
Rico glances over to Dee. “Have you invited him to our wedding too?”
“Not yet, but I will. Gives me another excuse to watch him play with our pussies.”
Rico laughs, and the two happy couples get cuddly with their canoodling. It’s been a few months since Drew and Chloe and Rico and Dee got engaged in a dual dancing proposal, which I helped choreograph, and I could not be happier for them. But, sometimes it’s difficult being the odd man out. Forever the single guy, the gay guy, the sidekick, and friend.
I wander to where Watts is explaining the best way to grill burgers.
“You want your meat juicy, don’t you?” Watts sounds like a drill sergeant as he breathes down the dude’s neck. “So don’t press them too hard.”
“Nothing better than juicy meat,” I quip as I approach and give the guy a proper once-over as he cooks the hamburger patties to Watts’s exacting specifications. He looks to be in his early twenties, slightly taller than my six-foot-two frame, and built like he lifts a lot of weights. He’s handsome without being pretty and flashes a drop-dead gorgeous dimple in his cheek when he looks up and smiles at me.
Watts sees me, too, and raises his beer to clink against mine as I join them. “Rooster, meet Knox County. He’s your new crewmate.”
“Knox County ?” I ask, amused by the name.
“Rooster?” Knox counters.
Fair point. I run my fingers over my damp red hair, and he nods, understanding. People have been calling me Rooster since I was born with a head of red curls. My hair isn’t carrot-colored these days, more of a deep burnt-umber shade, and I keep my tight curls cut into a wide, low-maintenance mohawk so it doesn’t slow me down when donning my bunker gear. Still, it’s never difficult for people to understand where the nickname comes from.
“Welcome,” I say to Knox, and we clink bottles. I could ask him more about his own name, but I’ll save it for our next shift. “Guess I’ll be seeing you at the station tomorrow.”
With another nod, we all turn our attention to the grill and talk about the weather. No shop talk for now; there will be plenty of time for that when he’s learning the ropes on the job.