by K. C. Crowne
Jacklyn worked on a horse farm for three brothers – Milo, Elias, and Sawyer Bucknell. I'd met Milo once or twice and liked the guy well enough. He seemed to be a decent guy, and to have a good head on his shoulders. They seemed protective of my baby sister, and I was thankful for that. Since Mallory and I couldn't be there for her, and since our dad died, it was nice knowing she was looked after, and was in good hands. Deep down, I had hoped she and Milo – or one of the other brothers – might end up together one day. This new guy threw a wrench in those plans, however.
“Milo likes him,” she said. “Well, likes him as much as he would like any other lodger, I guess. He couldn't care less about what he thinks, personally.”
“So they don't know you're dating him?”
“Not exactly,” Jacklyn said. “I mean, technically, we're not dating. And I'm not supposed to get involved with our lodgers, but Eric is – different.”
“I see,” I said, suddenly not getting a good feeling about this. “Different enough that it's worth risking your job?”
“Please, Milo would never fire me,” she laughed.
“Don't be so cocky, sis. They've been good to you, but the rules are the rules,” I said.
I mentally kicked myself for not following my own advice in regard to Austin, but it was too late for that. At least I could try to prevent my sister from making the same kinds of mistakes I was busy making. If I couldn't be an example, at least I could be a cautionary tale.
“Like I said, we aren't dating. It's not like that. Yet.”
“Yet,” I said.
She sighed. “And you wonder why I never call you, Sarah.”
“Sorry,” I said, gritting my teeth. “Tell me about Eric.”
“What do you want to know?”
“How old is he? What's he do for a living? What's he look like? Standard fare.”
Jacklyn paused, and in that silence, I felt a bit of uncertainty in the air.
“Do you know anything about this man, Jackie?” I asked.
“I know he's handsome,” she said.
Internally, I was screaming, but I knew it wasn't fair. Jacklyn was the baby of the family, and for that reason, she'd always been a little naive and gullible. A little softer than Mallory and me. She was also a hopeless romantic.
“Okay, so what's he look like?” I asked.
“Well, he's tall, dark and handsome, of course,” she giggled like a schoolgirl.
“Of course,” I muttered. “But beyond a cliché, what else?”
“He's got a little gray at his temples, though I don't actually think he's older than thirty,” she said. “He's just – well, he's got this air about him. He's so mature.”
“You don't know what he does for a living?” I asked.
“We never talked about that,” she said.
“What have you talked about?” I asked.
“Well, he was very curious about my sisters – especially you,” she said. “I guess he used to dream of being a fire fighter himself, but he's got a knee problem. He limps, but it's hardly noticeable. I guess that's enough to keep him from being a fire fighter.”
“Might be,” I said. “Depends on how serious it is.”
“I don't know too much, just that he's really impressed by you.”
There was the tiniest hint of jealousy coloring my sister's voice. Seriously? Jealous over me? I hadn't even met the guy, probably never would. She had nothing to worry about, even if I were the type to steal my sister's love interests – and I definitely wasn't into that. That was not the kind of person I was.
Of course, I never thought I'd be the kind of person to screw my boss and one of my coworkers in less than a weeks’ time, but there we were. Anyway, there were some lines that even I would never cross, not in a million years, and trying to snake a boyfriend from one of my sisters was one of those lines.
“Well, how about you ask him more about himself? That is, if you're serious about dating him,” I said. “But talk to Milo first. Please, sis? Don't risk your job for a guy you hardly know.”
She sighed. “Fine. If it seems to be going anywhere, I'll talk to Milo.”
“Good,” I said. “Besides that, how's everything else going out on the ranch?”
“Well, one of our mares is due to give birth any day now, so that's exciting. It's keeping me busy. And I just can't wait to see the baby,” she said.
“Have you been affected by the fires at all?” I asked.
“Oh no,” she said. “They've not been big enough to cause us any problems. Just some smoke from that last one was pretty thick since it was kinda close. At one point, we thought we might have to evacuate, but they managed to put it out before it got too close.”
“Good,” I said. “You know I worry about you.”
“I know,” she said. “And I worry about you too. You do dangerous work. You and Mal both.”
“Speaking of Mallory, have you talked to her lately?” I asked.
Jacklyn laughed. “Yeah, right. She's too busy with her boy toys at the moment,” she said. “I don't know the last time she came up for air.”
“That's what I thought,” I chuckled. “I need to call her too, and we all need to make some plans for the holiday..”
“Maybe so. Lecture her on her life choices for a change.”
She tried to sound light about it, but there was some bitterness in Jacklyn's voice, and it hurt to hear it. I knew both Mal and I were hard on her – I knew that sometimes we could both be a bit too hard. It was only because we cared about her though. We only wanted the best for her.
Jacklyn was still fairly young when we lost our dad, and sometimes it felt like Mallory and I had raised her ourselves. Maybe it was wrong, but I knew both of us kind of thought of her as our child. It was hard to imagine Jacklyn as an adult even now. She was in her twenties, but I pictured her as the precocious twelve-year old who rode horses and drew hearts in her notebook still.
“You know we only do it because we love you,” I said.
“Yeah, yeah,” she muttered.
There was some talking in the background. The voice was muffled, but familiar – Milo. Jackyln put her hand over the phone and talked to him in the background before coming back on the line.
“Hey, I've gotta go,” she said. “We're all going to grab a bite to eat.”
“Have fun and tell Milo and the guys I said hi.”
“Will do, sis.”
She hung up the phone, and I laid there, feeling even further away from her than I did before our call. I'd hoped that by talking to her, I'd feel more connected to her. Closer. I missed my sisters. It was about time we got together again – and soon. One way or another, we'd have to make time.
I sat up in bed and reached for the glass of water I kept on the nightstand. My throat was parched, but the glass was empty. With a sigh, I pulled myself up and out of my bed and walked into the kitchen. I grabbed some ice from the freezer and turned on the faucet, holding my cup beneath it. I was waiting for the glass to fill up, and it took me a moment to realize there was no water coming out.
“Shit,” I muttered.
I tried twisting the other knob and got nothing. Thinking maybe our water had been shut off, I went into the bathroom and turned on the faucet. Water came out like normal. I tested the shower. It was fine too. Back to the kitchen, I tried the sink again, and still, nothing came out.
Fuck. If I called the management company, I knew they'd get to us sometime this week. Since it wasn't an emergency and Christmas was just around the corner, I also knew they'd take their damn sweet time getting around to us. We could technically live without a kitchen sink, I guess – except for doing dishes. It would be inconvenient, but it wasn't like we had much of a choice. I jotted down a quick note for Nora and went back to bed, cursing my luck under my breath, as I slipped underneath the covers.
The next day would bring another early shift, so I prayed it wouldn't be another sleepless night. My mind kept replaying everything that had happened over the past few da
ys. It had been a wild and crazy, but somehow good few days filled with very unexpected pleasures and fun.
My body tingled as the memory of those pleasures revisited my mind, and I found myself more focused on Wes.. It still didn't feel real. Had I really fucked two of my coworkers in the last week? The sweet ache between my legs answered back, “Yes, yes, you did and it was damn good too.”
Austin
Sarah had avoided me like the plague for the past few days. Not that I blamed her, given how we'd left things between each other at her place. Because I felt awkward and truthfully, like a giant piece of shit, I hadn't gone out of my way to talk to her either. I figured it was better that way. Working with her would be weird for a while. Especially since the guys she ran with were some of my closest friends. I'd fucked up royally, and I was paying for it by having to deal with the awkwardness at work.
I arrived early the next day. Troy and Luke were finishing up with some maintenance on the truck, and a few other guys were still waiting for the shift change, playing cards. They waved at me as I walked into the station. I waved back, but then I caught sight of someone sitting off to the side by themselves. Owen. He was on the floor, by the box with the cats, and I had to resist the urge to walk over there to check on the welfare of the kittens. When he saw me, he stood up and rushed over.
“Can we talk?” he asked me.
Sighing, I motioned for him to come into my office. Shutting the door behind him, I dropped down into my chair. Files were stacked high on my desk, making me groan as I stared at them. It was that time of year, inspections of the facilities and supplies, to make sure we were up to code on everything and functioning efficiently.
“Make it quick. I have some inspections I need to handle today,” I grumbled.
Owen didn't sit down in the seat across from me. Instead, he remained standing, his arms crossed in front of him. His blonde hair was slicked back, and he was wearing designer jeans and a very nice, expensive-looking polo shirt. Bright blue, which matched his eyes. Honestly, he didn't really look right in the house. He looked out of place, and like he didn't exactly belong. It was hard to believe he was one of us. More often than not, he looked like a prep school kid, not a firefighter.
“Why didn't Sarah and Wes get written up for disobeying your orders the other day?” he asked me.
“Really, Owen? Do you want to hash this out again?” I asked.
“Yes, because I believe it's unfair,” he said, his voice tight and petulant. “I got in trouble, and I accept that I was wrong. But Wes and Sarah didn't even get a slap on the wrist for running back into that house after you’d ordered everyone out.”
“Listen, Owen. There's a big difference in what they did and what you did,” I said, rubbing my chin. “You almost got a kid killed. They only risked themselves going back in.”
“But that isn't what matters, is it? The outcomes aren't nearly as important as the rules,” he said. “Because let's face, it was just dumb luck that they ended up not getting hurt or killed by going back inside.”
My voice rose higher as I spoke, “They made an educated guess. They saw a heat signature, and not knowing what it was, they went to investigate. They made a choice based on saving someone. You, on the other hand, broke the rules to feed your God complex, Owen,” I said, my voice growing harder and colder. “Listen, I know you want to be a hero – we all like to feel good about what we do. But there are some days where you have to sit back and let others do the hard work. And as a fucking newbie, you need to learn that there are times you need to swallow the shit and do as you're told.”
“That's not the point I'm trying to make,” he said again.
“Then what is your fucking point, Owen?” I snapped. “Because believe it or not, I've got more important things to do than try to soothe your hurt feelings,” I said.
His jaw tightened, as did his shoulders. He lurched forward, towering over the desk, a look of pure rage coloring his features. If he thought he could intimidate me, he was sorely mistaken. I stood up, and I had several inches and at least thirty pounds on the kid. Yes, to me, he was nothing but a kid. A newbie that would end up getting himself or others killed if he didn't pull his head out of his ass. A newbie I was already getting really tired of. I was probably the last person he wanted to tangle with.
“The point is, rules are rules,” he said, slamming his fists down on the table. “And we can't pick and choose which ones to follow, or who is exempt from those rules just because they're your favorites. That's horseshit, and –”
I held up my hand to stop him. “Owen, let me tell you something. In this field, sometimes you have to break the rules. Sometimes you don't have any orders to follow. Things don't always go as planned, and the world ain't fucking fair,” I said. “There was no reason for you to go into the warehouse the other day, after I'd specifically told you to stay out and control the crowd. Had there been a reason, other than your own pride and ego, maybe you'd have walked away with a slap on the wrist. Maybe less. But no, there was no reason –”
“I was going after the kid, Austin,” he said, his voice raising to match mine.
I stopped and stared at him, and his gaze narrowed. His jaw clenched, and his hands were balled into fists at his sides. I actually thought he might take a swing at me. It would be the stupidest thing he could ever do, but I thought he might give it a shot.
“Yeah, ask anyone who was there,” he seethed. “I looked away for a second, someone asked me a question, and the kid ran toward the building. I simply followed him. I didn't go in because of my pride or some need to play hero. I was trying to save that damn kid’s life! Same as Wes and Sarah.”
“Why didn't you say anything before now?” I asked him, my hands on my hips.
“Because I knew you wouldn't fucking believe me!” he shouted. “Because you don't trust me. Period. If I were Wes or Luke, or hell, even Sarah, you'd have given me the benefit of the doubt. You always give them the fucking benefit of the doubt and cut them slack I don't get. But instead of giving me a little bit of leeway, you automatically assumed the worst. Like always.”
“That's not true, Owen,” I said. “Besides, you were still responsible for everyone out on the street, regardless. Face it, you screwed up. Your intentions may have been pure, and good, but you disobeyed my orders, and put those of us inside that building at risk. All you had to do was radio to us that the kid had gone in and let us handle it.”
“This is bullshit,” Owen scoffed. “You can't even see past your own disdain for me to be fair. You can't get past your own bias to even try to understand what I'm getting at. Why am I wasting my time?”
“I don't know. Why are you wasting you time, Owen?” I asked.
He shook his head and walked out of my office, slamming the door behind him. My fists were balled up at my sides, and I had to physically force myself to calm down. Normally, people didn't get to me. I didn't let people get under my skin like that. I was known to be calm under the most stressful of circumstances. I had been an EMT, then a firefighter, and now, I was a Fire Chief. I was not one to be easily rattled, but Owen was different. That kid annoyed the piss out of me on a daily basis, and I wasn't sure why. There was just something about him that really set me off.
A knock came at my door, and I yelled without meaning to. “Yes?”
Luke poked his head in, and instantly, I felt like an asshole. I let out a long breath and motioned him to come inside. When I saw the look on his face, I knew something was seriously wrong.
“Escondido is on fire again,” Luke said. “And they've called on us for help.”
“That bad?” I asked.
“Yes, apparently so,” Luke said.
I sighed. A fire big enough to call us in right before Christmas. Not only would I be pulling my people away from their families for the holidays, other people were losing their homes. That only added to my pissy mood. What a fucking merry Christmas this was turning out to be.
“Get everyone together. Call
in anyone who's not here. Have Owen and Troy help you,” I said. “I'll reach out to Escondido's Chief and see what they need exactly.”
My heart raced. This was technically the off-season for wildfires, and there we were being dispatched again. A fire big enough that they had to call us in. That didn't sound good at all. I remembered Luke's arson theory and wondered if the locals had any leads on the cause of the current blaze.
It would be good to bring Luke along. Sarah and Wes were trained specifically for this type of mission, and Owen was still completing his training. As soon as I realized Owen would be coming along for this one, a powerful sense of dread set in. Of all the people to have on a crew, he was the last person I wanted to deal with right now. He was pissed and that could spell danger if he couldn’t get his head in the game.
He was one of the few who could tackle these sorts of problems. Question was, would he be able to listen to me long enough to do the job right? Would he be able to put his ego aside so he didn't get himself – or anybody else – killed?
We'd soon find out.
“Escondido needs us tomorrow morning,” I announced to my team before dismissing everyone. “Those coming with me tomorrow, you have the night off. Get some rest and be back here at four tomorrow morning to head out. Everyone else, work as usual. Hold down the fort while we're gone. We're going to work hard to get everyone back here in time for Christmas.”
Sarah wouldn't even meet my eyes, and it pained me to see it. We'd have to get past our awkwardness and work together. There was no other way around it. There were only a few of us specially trained to handle this kind of situation, and we needed to work together. Since Owen was already pissed at me, and there was no fixing that, I decided to go to Sarah and hope we could mend fences at the very least. There was a lot riding on us being able to work and communicate together effectively.
She was packing up her uniform when I caught her. “Hey, can we talk?” I asked her.
“Sure,” she said, looking worried, and still avoiding looking at me. “Is this about tomorrow?”
