Chapter 7 #4
“So could I.” There was no comprehension of why I was enjoying the moment, but I was.
Especially after I’d wanted to kill him and even more important since I’d need to tell him the reason I’d arrived almost smack on his doorstep, but bantering was enjoyable.
Flirting was a welcome change. Perhaps the most fun I’d had in a long time.
“Have you ever been to Missoula before?”
“Once. A long time ago. I don’t remember much.” Thoughts of my mother drifted into my mind.
“Well, we’re known for the outdoors. That’ll be good for Damon too.”
“Um, are there bears and wolves in the woods?”
Steel’s deep breath was followed with a rough scrub of his jaw. “Yeah, lots of them. Truly vicious creatures who stalk the woods, hunting for the juiciest morsel.”
“Really?” Great. As a kid, I hadn’t been worried about beasts of the night. Now I had a child to worry about.
“Even tigers. It’s crazy how many there are.” He must have seen my look of horror because he started laughing. “We have wolves and bears, but they mostly keep to the mountains where there’s plenty of food. They don’t need to come scoping around garbage. Why do you ask?”
Shrugging, I tried my best to pass it off. “Just wondering.”
When he pressed his hand against his split lip, all I could think about was kissing the injury and making it better.
For heaven’s sake, Vi. What are you doing?
We stood where we were just staring at each other. “I should get settled. I have a lot of work to do.”
“You never said why you were here?”
I could tell him the truth right now, which I should. “Oh, I’m here for a magazine article taking pictures.” Or I could lie.
“Ah, a temporary gig. Got ya.” Now was the first time he glanced past me into the house. “Well, if you need any help, don’t bother calling Jasper. He’s a worthless son of a bitch.”
“Then who do you suggest I call?” Was I fishing? You bet I was. What exactly was going on with me? I shouldn’t flirt with him. I certainly couldn’t do anything else even if I wanted to. That was completely against the rules within the contract he’d need to sign.
But hey, he was fun to look at.
“I know my way around some tools. Happy to help. Oh, well, when my schedule allows. A lot of times I’d out for days at a time.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah, as a smokejumper, we work some pretty grisly fires including in your neck of the woods. And don’t worry. That’s where I got the bruises.”
“So you’re a hero in disguise. That’ll thrill Damon. He’s never met a real-life hero.”
Even after I’d tried to smash Steel’s face in, he’d been sarcastic if not downright amused.
Not any longer. A shadow crossed his face.
“Nah, I’m no hero, but happy to help. I’ll get going.
” He stepped out onto the porch, spinning around before hitting the stairs.
“Oh, if you need supplies for the puppy, go to Holden’s Pet Store.
Tell Roxy the owner that Steel sent you and she’ll treat you right. ”
“Thank you. The pup certainly needs to eat. He’s a skinny little boy. A regular shopping hero as well.”
“And for a vet, a buddy of mine, a Zullie, his wife is a veterinarian. She even does house calls. Just let me know.”
“Okay.” I could always enlist her help in trying to rehome Zorro. “What’s a Zullie?”
“That’s what we call the team of smokejumpers. Missoula. Zullie.” He was proud of being a smokejumper. His respect for the profession was written all over his face.
The calendar was going to be epic. I could see the dollars spent now on all the merchandise.
“Oh, that’s amazing. You have a base or something?”
“You’re definitely not from around here.
Half this city treats the Zullies like national heroes.
There are bars dedicated to us, including Ziggy’s.
Owned by a cool chick who’s married to a legend in this town and in New York City.
Anyway, I didn’t mean to talk your ear off.
But yeah, we work out of a huge hangar at the airport near the mountain range. ”
“What about the other half of the city?”
The sparkle in his eyes faded to black. “They don’t know how dangerous the work we do is, but that’s okay.”
Why did I feel like there were ghosts in this gorgeous town?
“I’d love to hear more about the Zullies.”
His face brightened once again. “Maybe one day we can grab a coffee or a drink and I’ll share a few stories. I mean if you want. Kid friendly.”
I had to laugh. He was trying so hard. “That would be great and I know Damon would love it.”
“One last tip. Head to Maggie’s Restaurant for some grub. She’s on the main drag in town. Great food, very reasonable, and you’ll get all the scoop about the best places to take photographs.”
“Excellent. Thank you very much.”
“Do I at least get a reward for being a nice guy?”
My entire body turned to molten lava with his suggestion. “What are you looking for?”
“Just your name. That’s all.”
“Oh,” I groaned, feeling like a total fool with my libido spiraling out of control. “It’s Violet. Violet Livingston.” I’d never had anyone have the kind of reaction he had to hearing my name.
As if he’d just seen a ghost.