clutching a life-sized teddy bear he’d won, with him posturing like a complete idiot.
Jack had been fielding calls and texts all damn day long—except from the one person he wanted to hear from, of course.
Leah, who was still avoiding him like the plague. She’d always been good at lying low when she wanted, and clearly that was her modus operandi at the moment. Unfortunately for him, she was going to get away with it now that he was on rotation for three straight days.
He and Kevin entered the station at seven in the morning to the sound of applause, which startled Kevin into barking like a maniac.
Jack set his hand on the dog’s head and gave his shift crew a long look. “Never mind the assholes, Kevin.”
Kevin quieted and sat, glaring at the crew for startling him.
No one looked apologetic. There was senior firefighter Ian O’Mallery, and Sam and Emily—both five-year veterans—one of whom was always partnered with their rookie Tim, also present. And then there were two paramedics, Cindy and Hunter.
All still grinning at Jack.
“Lieutenant’s gotta girlfriend,” Cindy sang. She’d made breakfast and was dishing out egg sandwiches.
Jack snatched one and scowled. “Don’t believe everything you see on Facebook.”
“How about everything we see with our own eyes?” Tim asked. “’Cause I saw you two at the pancake breakfast.”
“Yeah?” Ian said, curious as a sixteen-year-old girl. “What did you see? Anything good?”
Tim shook his head. “I saw that I’ve got more game than our LT. And I’m pretty sure I have a shot at his girl too. She smiled at me. She’s got a really hot smile.”
“Which reminds me,” Jack said. “You’re heading to the senior center in fifteen minutes for their fire extinguisher training.”
Everyone laughed but Tim, who scowled. “Hey, I’m tired of being the dickhead who gets all the grunt work.”
“Then don’t be the dickhead,” Emily suggested and handed him her empty plate.
“Oh hell no,” he said. “I’m not doing dishes again. Hey!” Tim called after her as she walked away.
“New guy always does dishes,” she called back.
Their day started with a woman who’d run her car into her own mailbox and gotten trapped, and ended with rescuing a stoned-off-his-ass guy from up a tree—not that they ever figured out what he was doing in the tree.
The next morning, they were woken by a two-alarm fire, and everyone hit the trucks.
At the scene, Tim fought to the front to jump down first, but Ian grabbed him by the back of his shirt. “Remember this time, you’re still on probation. Stay back. Observe.”
“Come on,” Tim said. “You all take turns being point. Let me do it for once.”
“No.”
The convenience store attached to the gas station was on fire. The building, as old as the rest of town, ignited.
Ian and Emily—with Tim allowed to shadow and assist—rescued two smoke-dazed victims from the store before it was fully engulfed—the clerk and a customer. But when everyone looked around, only Ian and Tim had come out. No Emily. Then they all heard the alarm bell on her gear going off. Her breathing apparatus was running out of air. She’d gone to a window to try to get out, but her air pack was stuck on the window seal. Jack got to her, yanking her out from the outside.
“Close call,” Emily said when the flames were out, giving Jack a big thank-you hug from her perch on the back on the ambulance, where she was being treated for a few second-degree burns on her knees.
Too close. He was still sweating.
During the pickup, Jack made his usual walk around the site and found a vagrant in the back of the building, huddled between a smoking shrub and a concrete pillar, suffering from a minor head injury. They treated him at the scene, and then he was transported to the hospital.
Deputy Chief and Fire Marshal Ronald McVane was about a decade past retiring, but still sharp. He was on site taking pictures and making a
Jack had been fielding calls and texts all damn day long—except from the one person he wanted to hear from, of course.
Leah, who was still avoiding him like the plague. She’d always been good at lying low when she wanted, and clearly that was her modus operandi at the moment. Unfortunately for him, she was going to get away with it now that he was on rotation for three straight days.
He and Kevin entered the station at seven in the morning to the sound of applause, which startled Kevin into barking like a maniac.
Jack set his hand on the dog’s head and gave his shift crew a long look. “Never mind the assholes, Kevin.”
Kevin quieted and sat, glaring at the crew for startling him.
No one looked apologetic. There was senior firefighter Ian O’Mallery, and Sam and Emily—both five-year veterans—one of whom was always partnered with their rookie Tim, also present. And then there were two paramedics, Cindy and Hunter.
All still grinning at Jack.
“Lieutenant’s gotta girlfriend,” Cindy sang. She’d made breakfast and was dishing out egg sandwiches.
Jack snatched one and scowled. “Don’t believe everything you see on Facebook.”
“How about everything we see with our own eyes?” Tim asked. “’Cause I saw you two at the pancake breakfast.”
“Yeah?” Ian said, curious as a sixteen-year-old girl. “What did you see? Anything good?”
Tim shook his head. “I saw that I’ve got more game than our LT. And I’m pretty sure I have a shot at his girl too. She smiled at me. She’s got a really hot smile.”
“Which reminds me,” Jack said. “You’re heading to the senior center in fifteen minutes for their fire extinguisher training.”
Everyone laughed but Tim, who scowled. “Hey, I’m tired of being the dickhead who gets all the grunt work.”
“Then don’t be the dickhead,” Emily suggested and handed him her empty plate.
“Oh hell no,” he said. “I’m not doing dishes again. Hey!” Tim called after her as she walked away.
“New guy always does dishes,” she called back.
Their day started with a woman who’d run her car into her own mailbox and gotten trapped, and ended with rescuing a stoned-off-his-ass guy from up a tree—not that they ever figured out what he was doing in the tree.
The next morning, they were woken by a two-alarm fire, and everyone hit the trucks.
At the scene, Tim fought to the front to jump down first, but Ian grabbed him by the back of his shirt. “Remember this time, you’re still on probation. Stay back. Observe.”
“Come on,” Tim said. “You all take turns being point. Let me do it for once.”
“No.”
The convenience store attached to the gas station was on fire. The building, as old as the rest of town, ignited.
Ian and Emily—with Tim allowed to shadow and assist—rescued two smoke-dazed victims from the store before it was fully engulfed—the clerk and a customer. But when everyone looked around, only Ian and Tim had come out. No Emily. Then they all heard the alarm bell on her gear going off. Her breathing apparatus was running out of air. She’d gone to a window to try to get out, but her air pack was stuck on the window seal. Jack got to her, yanking her out from the outside.
“Close call,” Emily said when the flames were out, giving Jack a big thank-you hug from her perch on the back on the ambulance, where she was being treated for a few second-degree burns on her knees.
Too close. He was still sweating.
During the pickup, Jack made his usual walk around the site and found a vagrant in the back of the building, huddled between a smoking shrub and a concrete pillar, suffering from a minor head injury. They treated him at the scene, and then he was transported to the hospital.
Deputy Chief and Fire Marshal Ronald McVane was about a decade past retiring, but still sharp. He was on site taking pictures and making a
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