Chapter 30
Colton
The Dodge’s air conditioner fought a losing battle against the late August heat as Ace drove and Colton rode shotgun to the Rocky Mountain Brewery in Anaconda. Both men had checked out of their hotels, gear bags thrown in the truck bed, ready to head home after weeks of fighting fire.
“Can’t wait to sleep in my bed,” said Colton.
Ace drove with one hand, drumming his fingers on his knee, never one to hide his feelings. He wore them like a neon sign.
“Spit it out,” said Colton. “I can tell somethin’ is buggin’ you.”
“I want to ask Kylie to marry me.” Ace patted his shirt pocket. “Before you say anything, this isn’t impulsiveness talking. I told you I planned to marry her. And I meant it.”
Colton recalled his wrecked friend standing outside, hands on the wall of the Command Center, saying Kylie was The One for him. He’d empathized with Ace then, recognizing how much Kylie mattered to him.
“When you know, you know.” Ace’s mouth tugged up. “She trusted me with parts of herself she’d shown no one. I refused to walk away.”
“Yeah, I get that.” Colton had similar thoughts about Deanna. Their limited time together had carried the heft of a lifetime. She’d be flying to McCall tomorrow. He hadn’t even had time to show her his ranch south of Butte. Fire duty had a way of snatching time from the things you wanted to do.
“You think I’m crazy rushing into this?” asked Ace.
“What I think doesn’t matter. What I know is, love doesn’t follow timelines.” Colton gave him a sideways glance. “Why don’t you try living together first? You know, in a regular day-to-day life setting during the off-season. See if you get along.”
“I know we’ll get along.” Ace reached into his pocket, withdrew a blue velvet box, and flipped it open. “Bought it yesterday at Copper City Jewelers in Butte.”
“Wow!” The sparkle in the afternoon light looked like a big-assed diamond to Colton. “Cripes, Ace. This must have cost your entire fire season salary. You’re really doing this? But you hardly—”
Ace cut him off. “I know, I know, we hardly know each other. But we’ll fix that. And yeah, I’m really doing this.” He shoved the box into his shirt pocket. “What about you and Deanna?” Ace pulled into the brewery lot and cut the engine.
“Not marriage,” said Colton. “Can’t put the cart before the horse. I hope to continue what we started, though.”
“She’s a good woman.” Ace wouldn’t say it if he didn’t mean it.
“I plan to suggest she transfer to the Missoula Smokejumper Base. Since Butte is only two hours away, we could date like normal people.” Colton chuckled. “Well, as normal as firefighters can get, anyway. Come on, let’s go inside.” Both men headed into the restaurant.
Inside, the end-of-fire wrap-up party had kicked into full swing.
Deanna and Kylie had hitched a ride with the Aurora Crew in their transport vans, and the crew commandeered the back section of the brewery, their laughter carrying over the music.
Deanna stood with Kylie near the bar sipping Cokes, both women glowing with exhaustion and relief.
“Sky King and Ace! Tanker pilots are the actual heroes!” shouted Westlake. “Get them a brew!”
Colton held his hand up in a stop motion. “Not for us. Hittin’ the road after this.”
“Then get them a Shirley Temple!” Westlake had stepped out from under his IC responsibilities, ready to celebrate.
Colton moved to Deanna and spoke low into her ear. “Fair warning. I have an announcement to make.”
“You won the fire lottery?” She grinned, smelling of shampoo and body wash. He wanted to bury his face in her hair and never come up for air. He would do that later.
Tara clinked a fork on her glass. “Does anyone have anything to say since we’re all here?”
“Yes, ma’am, I do,” Colton called out.
The room hushed and turned toward him. “A few weeks ago, I met this intrepid smokejumper who was obstinate, reckless, and believed herself to be bad luck. She ended up driving me insane. But in a good way.”
Westlake took a pull on his beer. “Insane is a relative term.”
Blushing, Deanna fist-bumped Colton’s arm in mock indignation. He loved it because she had a tough time accepting compliments. It was high time her co-workers gave her credit, and high time they knew who she really was.
“Tanker pilots are so romantic!” Ripley called out, drawing laughter at her irony.
“But seriously, this woman saved lives without blinking.” Colton turned Deanna to face him, her face still pink. “Deanna Brooks, I’m officially proclaiming my love for you. The messy parts, the heroic parts, and the stubborn parts.”
Deanna’s jaw went slack as applause and cheers broke out.
“What do you have to say for yourself, Deanna?” yelled Kylie from across the room at a table with Ace. She bugged her eyes out at her, pointing to Colton with a tell-him-dammit-or-I’ll-kick-your-ass look.
“I love you too, Sky King,” she said. “So much, in fact, I’m blown away by it.”
Colton turned toward the room of firefighters. “She told me this before, but I was a gomer and didn’t return the sentiment.” He turned to her. “Well, I’m tellin’ you now.”
The room erupted in cheers as Deanna embraced him and gave him a kiss. Tara gave her a thumbs-up, while the rest of the Aurora Crew applauded.
“I made it public so we can’t back out,” he said, low in her ear.
“I’ll get you back for that later,” she breathed back at him.
“My turn!” hollered Ace. “Only I have a question instead of an announcement.”
He motioned for Kylie to stand. She knew he was up to something but wasn’t sure what, judging by her bewildered expression. “What are you doing?”
When Ace dropped to one knee, gasps circulated, and the room hushed.
“Kylie Sumner, you saved my life when you helped me after I crashed my plane. You made me want to be with you.” He held out the ring box. “I know we haven’t known each other very long. But I also know I can’t live another day without you. Will you marry me?”
“Guess she fell for her knight in shining Nomex!” Ryan called out, which brought laughter all around.
Kylie’s face registered shock, then deer-in-the-headlights. Her mouth fell open as she stared at the ring, then at Ace’s hopeful face. Her eyes flicked to Deanna, who nodded encouragement.
Colton studied her expression to get a read which would win out—shock or anger. Maybe both. For Ace’s sake, he hoped this ended well.
“What in the world? You’re doggone right, we barely know each other!” blurted Kylie. “I don’t even know your favorite color!”
Ace looked as though he’d been gut-punched and shot a panicked look at Colton.
“It’s red,” Colton called out, doing his best to help.
“See, your best friend knows, but I didn’t. Of course it’s red. Tanker pilots,” she lamented, rolling her eyes. “Can’t love ’em, can’t live without ’em. But hot damn, I do love this one!”
She launched herself at Ace. “Yes, you crazy pilot, I’ll marry you! In front of all these people, yes, I’ll marry you. I must be out of my mind.”
“Most guys would just send flowers,” someone shouted from the back.
“Yeah, but she never would’ve remembered me,” Ace hollered back to more raucous laughter.
“Whew,” Colton breathed, the brewery erupting in whistles and a “Kiss!” chant.
Ace obliged, dipping her backward into a kiss.
“That’s one way to sweep a girl off her feet.” Westlake clinked his bottle with Colton’s Shirley Temple glass. “Every fire season, someone always hooks up.”
“It’s the adrenaline rush of dodging the grim reaper after every fire,” intoned Deanna.
“Smoke gets in your eyes . . .” crooned a male voice, laughter breaking out around the room.
“Disasters have a way of showing us what really matters,” Tara chimed in.
Ace turned to Kylie. “I’m thinking we’d get married in the air.”
Kylie stared at him. “What, like skydiving? I’d be up for it if the wedding party could skydive in!” Kylie added, getting into it. “Full dress uniforms under the jump suits!”
“Drones can deliver the rings!” Colton tossed out.
“Sorry, I have no desire to jump out of a perfectly good airplane,” countered Ace.
“We’ll get married in an air tanker. Colton will pilot us, and Westlake can marry us.
” He waggled his brows with a grin. “We’ll have automatic blessings from the Big Guy upstairs, since we’ll be closer to heaven at ten thousand feet! ”
Colton blew out a laugh. What a ham. He had to hand it to his buddy. He was creative, all right.
Deanna cracked up, tears rolling. “Please tell me you’d serve tiny bags of pretzels and a plastic glass of Sprite to your guests for your airborne reception,” she gasped between peals of laughter.
“Hell, we ain’t animals. We’ll get those mini pretzels like they serve on Alaska Airlines,” Ace said solemnly. “I have a buddy who flies for them. He’ll set us up.”
They were all laughing, people calling out suggestions.
“Afterward I’ll feed Kylie margaritas. They’re her favorite,” said Ace. “Because as we all know from the Joe Nichols song, ‘Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off.’” He jumped his brows with an impish grin.
Every guy in the room whistled and whooped.
“Now you’re talking!” Ryan elbowed Tara, who laughed along with everyone else.
“Hate to be a Debbie Downer, but it’s go time, boys and girls,” announced Westlake. “Aurora Crew, your rides are here. Your flight to Fairbanks leaves in three hours from the Missoula Smokejumper Base. Don’t worry, I’m picking up the tab.”
All hurried to say their goodbyes, along with promises to see each other next fire season. Hugs all around, with playful threats of bodily harm if anyone got left off the guest list for Ace and Kylie’s wedding.
As the Aurora vans drove off, Deanna stood in the parking lot with Colton’s arm around her.
“See you two tomorrow in Missoula,” said Kylie, as she and Ace climbed into his beefed-up Dodge and took off.
Ace had shuttled Colton to the airfield for his pickup while the party wound down.
Colton motioned to his truck. “Ready to go? I’m takin’ you home, woman.” He shot her a wolfish grin.
She laughed, narrowing her eyes. “Trying to seduce me, Sky King?”
“Every chance I get, baby.”