Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
N othing could have brought Aaron’s mood down after that picnic.
After Beth left a few hours later, he rushed around and completed his chores and cleaned up from lunch.
He was still riding the warmth of her smile, the way she had laughed so freely, the way she had screamed his name and begged him, which had all made him feel lighter than he ever had.
She had left something burning in his chest, something that stayed even after she drove away.
A few hours after sunset, he sat back in his recliner, a ball game on low volume, the dog sprawled at his feet.
Every so often, his mind drifted back to Beth, how the sunlight had caught the loose strands around her braid, how she had looked in that dress.
Beautiful, yes, but more than that—safe, content.
It was the first time he had truly seen her relax.
The dog lifted his head, ears twitching, just before Aaron’s phone rang on the table beside him. He glanced down at the screen. Brett.
“Hey,” Aaron answered, his voice casual as he muted the game. “Are you watching the game?”
“Aaron.” Brett’s tone was anything but casual, and he was instantly on guard. “You need to get down here. Beth’s building is on fire.”
The words hit like a gut punch. Aaron shot upright so fast, the dog had to scramble out of the way. “What?” he practically screamed into the phone.
“I was heading home and there’s smoke everywhere. I don’t know where Beth is. I’ve called 911. They’re on their way. I keep trying to call Beth, but she’s not answering.”
“I’m on my way.” Aaron didn’t wait for any more details. He hung up, shoved his boots back on, and was halfway to his truck before the screen door swung shut behind him.
The drive was a blur. All he think about was Beth, her wide brown eyes, her braid slipping loose, her soft laughter. The thought of her trapped in that building had his hands tightening on the wheel until his knuckles went white.
His place was usually ten minutes away from hers.
He made it in six. His chest was pounding in rhythm with the sirens that he could hear wailing in the distance as he arrived and parked next to Brett’s truck.
Brett was nowhere to be found. He headed towards the stairs just as Brett came rushing out, holding something small in his arms.
“Beth?” he cried out. Brett stumbled on the last stair, and Aaron grabbed them both and dragged them away from the growing flames.
“What in the hell were you thinking?” he barked at his friend, but he was very thankful he’d gotten there in time.
Especially after he pulled the wet jacket from Beth’s unconscious body and noticed the cuts, bruises, and burn marks on her skin.
With shaky fingers, he felt for a pulse while Brett coughed next to him. He found a faint one just as the paramedics rushed over and started helping them.
They were pulled further away from the building. Beth was given oxygen, which helped her wake quickly.
“Ian.” Her first words sent a wave of red anger over him. His fist clenched as he stood there, frozen in place while Beth was wheeled into the back of an ambulance.
When the sound of the sirens had disappeared, he finally moved. He was stopped by Brett’s hand firmly on his shoulder.
“Don’t,” his friend said firmly. “Let the police handle it.”
“Like hell I will,” he growled out. “Like they’ve handled him over the past five years?
” He turned on Brett, ready to fight his friend off.
He stopped in his tracks when he noticed how scorched he was.
There were white bandages covering Brett’s hands and one over his left eyebrow.
“Your wife is going to kill me.” He sighed and glanced around.
In the ten minutes it had taken for them to stabilize Beth and haul her away in the back of the ambulance, almost every single person who lived in Pelican Point had come out onto the street and was watching the old book store and Beth’s apartment go up.
He scanned the crowd, and his eyes landed on the man he wanted to kill. He was dressed in all black, hiding behind two older women who were standing on the corner.
“He’s here.” He turned away before Ian’s eyes could connect with his own.
“On the corner, no don’t look,” he warned Brett.
“Behind Lucy, the librarian, and Carol, the line cook.” He closed his eyes.
“Where in the hell is the chief of police?” He glanced around and when he spotted Todd Rowland, he marched over with Brett on his heels.
“Ian Thorne, he’s standing on the corner behind Lucy and Carol, over there.” Todd glanced over his shoulder for a brief moment. The man’s eyes were shadowed by his hat.
“Yeah?”
“Beth confirmed it was Ian,” Brett supplied.
The man frowned. “What was Ian?”
“The man did that.” Aaron motioned towards the fire.
Todd glanced over his shoulder again and then quickly back at him. “Mrs. Thorne?—”
“She’s not Mrs. Thorne, she’s Beth Ellison,” Aaron practically shouted. “They’ve been divorced for almost five years.”
“Right.” Todd sighed. “Beth could have been mistaken. I’ll need to?—”
“To hell with this.” Aaron turned and marched across the street, his eyes glued on the spot the man had been, only he was gone. Both Lucy and Carol were eager to ask him many questions, which he ignored as he glanced around the shadows for Ian.
“Shit.” Brett sighed. “I can’t believe this bullshit.” He ran his hands through his mangled hair. “Come on. Lea and the rest of the gang are going to meet us at the hospital so we can check up on Beth.”
Aaron followed Brett’s truck to the hospital. Every mile felt slow, like he was a man running on shards of glass. The lights from the emergency entrance were blinding, washing the brick in harsh white as Brett parked in the ER parking lot.
Inside, the chaos of the emergency room made the world blur.
Nurses were rushing, monitors were beeping, and the smell of antiseptic mixed with the faint smoke clinging to Brett’s hair made Aaron’s stomach twist. He kept his eyes locked on the gurney in the hallway where she lay, waiting for a nurse to take her to her own room.
Her arms were draped across her chest, bandages and singed clothing marking the ordeal she’d just survived.
He moved over and stood next to her, her eyes moving to his for a brief moment before closing. She was covered in soot. That sexy little strand of hair that always fell out of place was burned and half gone.
Her clothes were hanging off her under the blankets that had been piled on her.
“Beth?” His voice cracked just as Lea rushed forward and, with the calm efficiency that she always exhibited, nudged him aside.
“Don’t talk,” she told Beth firmly. “Your throat will be raw.” She glanced over at him, then shouted to a nurse on duty, “I’m taking this one.
Get me a room, stat.” He stood back and watched Lea, dressed in green scrubs with her dark hair neatly tied back at the base of her neck, take over.
The woman’s hands moved with precision, checking vitals and giving quick orders to a male nurse who rushed to her side.
Brett appeared behind Aaron and took his arm, leading him down a small hallway to a waiting area. “My girl’s got her now.” He nudged him into a chair.
Everything in Aaron itched to hold her, to make sure that she was breathing easy and not burned anywhere, but as he moved to get up, Brett gripped his shoulder again, keeping him seated..
“Don’t,” Brett said firmly. “She has the best taking care of her.” He squeezed his shoulder. “I’m going to get us some coffee. Stay put.”
The coffee and the waiting didn’t stop the tension from clawing through him. The pacing seemed to soothe his inner beast, which wanted to kill Ian.
Then, like a wave rolling in, the Wildflowers arrived.
Zoey, Hannah, Scarlett, Aubrey, and Elle each carried that mix of concern and readiness Aaron had come to rely on.
They were all a little older now than when he’d first met them, each of them married and with their own families.
They had strength together and unwavering confidence.
Every one of them had their own fire, and solid loyalty to their employees.
Behind them trailed Jules, Kara, and Andrea.
Their eyes scanned the waiting room, as if looking for Brett and him.
When they spotted them, they rushed over and he could see the fear and deep concern in their eyes.
Here was love. It wasn’t the kind Beth had sought in her mother, but it was true and steadfast. Friendship.
Somehow, he knew it was stronger than any she would have found in her mother.
“Any word?” Zoey asked quietly as she sat next to him and took his hand in her own.
“Not yet. Lea’s in there—” Brett started just as his wife stepped into the room.
When she spotted everyone, her expression softened slightly, but there was no mistaking the tension in her eyes.
“She’s stable, but we’re keeping her under observation. Smoke inhalation, a few minor burns, some cuts most likely from debris. But she’s going to be okay.”
“Is she awake?” Zoey’s voice was soft but edged with the steel Aaron knew she always had when protecting the people she loved.
“I gave her something to let her rest,” Lea answered as she looked at him. “She’ll be out for the rest of the night.”
“Can I sit with her?” Aaron asked.
Lea nodded. “I’ll take you back. The rest of you, go home until the morning. There’s nothing you can do here. Go be with your families.” She nudged Brett. “I have a few words for you about running into burning buildings, again.” She pinched his arm and had him smiling.
“I’d do it again in a heartbeat,” he said firmly.
“I know.” She lifted on her toes and kissed him. “Idiot.”
He followed Lea back through the maze of doors and hallways and then stepped into a darker room filled with strange noises.