Rhett flashed a grin. “On this particular fire engine, the pump is located just behind the jump-seat area, where the firefighters sit.”
The redhead Colton had been carrying pulled on Colton’s shirt. “How does it work, Mr. Fireman?”
Colton peered down at the girl. “You can call me Colt. And Rhett will show it to you in just a second. It’s a pretty complex device, but basically the pump is driven by its own diesel engine. It has a part called the impeller, which is a rotor-like …”
The child’s brows shifted into a confused frown that prompted Colton to stop.
“Maybe it’s best if I quit the technical jargon, right?” He pointed at the hose. “So what do we need to come out of here to put out a fire? Anyone?”
The kids stared at him with open mouths, probably too intimidated to answer.
Colton winked at them. “Okay, I’ll give you a little hint and you say yes or no. Apple juice?”
“No!” they screamed in chorus.
“Iced tea?”
“No!”
Colton raised his glance to the sky and scratched his chin in an exaggerated gesture of thinking. “Wait, wait, I’ve got it. Chocolate chips?”
“Nooo!” The children were giggling now, and even Amy gave out a short laugh at Colton’s comment.
Peter clapped his hands and yelled, “Water, Colt! We need water!”
Colton tapped his forehead. “Ah, right. Water! I totally forgot to mention that. Thank you, Peter.”
The boy straightened, and a proud smirk settled on his little face.
Colton grabbed the hose and handed it to Rhett. “Wanna show them how it actually works, buddy?”
Rhett took the hose and flashed a smile. “Sure thing.” He turned to the kids and said, “Come a little closer, y’all.”
Amy stepped up to Colton and whispered, “Rhett’s pretty good teacher material. He has a feel for kids. And so do you, surprisingly.”
Her warm breath tickled Colton’s ear, but the meaning of her words sent a chill down his spine. Why would it be a surprise that he was good with kids? He might not be a family man, but he loved children.
He reached down and stroked the little ginger’s soft curls. The girl smiled up at him before returning her attention to Rhett’s demonstration.
Colton threw an appraising glance at Amy, who was watching him with a bemused smile. When their eyes met, her cheeks turned rosy and she let out a quiet giggle.
“What?” Colton snapped, feeling ridiculous for his moment of insecurity.
Amy shook her head. “Nothing. I just think it’s super cute how your giant palm is almost the size of Eleanor’s head. She seems so fragile compared to your muscular build.”
“My palm is not giant. It’s a good manly size.” To prove his point, Colton stretched out his hand in front of Amy.
Amy grabbed his wrist, lifted it closer, then placed her tiny palm against his. The tip of her fingers didn’t even reach to the second knuckle of Colton’s hand. “See?” she said, smiling triumphantly at him.
Colton couldn’t reciprocate her smile. His eyes lost focus as he stared at their united hands. Their palms melded with one other perfectly.
Amy withdrew her hand and poked him between his ribs. “Your turn to say something, Colt.”
Rhett and the kids were all turned to Colton. They had already sprayed water from the firehose and wrapped up that part of the tour.
Dang, he had missed the explanation. What could they be waiting for him to say?
Drew, who had been observing the presentation from the side, came to Colton’s rescue. “Colton can surely arrange another visit for us, can’t you, Colton?”
Ah, so that’s what he was supposed to comment on. Colton nodded his head enthusiastically. “Sure, sure. It's been a pleasure for us to show our fire engine to you. Next time we come, we might play an evacuation game or something so that your friends who couldn’t come out to the garden can participate also.”
“Yay!” the kids cheered in unison.
Amy flashed a warm smile at Colton, which made him feel like the hero of the day. “That’s a fantastic idea, Colt. I hope your captain will agree to it.”
“He will,” Rhett chimed in with a large grin. “Especially if it’s for Colt’s girl—um, friend. Friend. You know, just friend.”
Amy’s eyes widened as she blinked at Rhett.
Colton sliced his index finger in front of his throat a few times to indicate to Rhett that he should stop speaking. Luckily, he got the message and shut his mouth.
Amy’s cheeks turned a darker hue than normal. “Oh, that’s good to know.” Her eyes dropped to the floor, and she fumbled in her pocket. She took out her phone and typed something quickly. When she raised her chin, her face was serene. “Well, I just texted Sandra, children. She’ll be here in a second to help me get you back to our ward. Why don’t you say goodbye to our firefighter friends in the meantime?”
The children hugged Drew, Rhett, and Colton. Each of them seemed grateful for the time they had dedicated to them.
A plump, short-haired woman with glasses approached. She must be Sandra. “Ready to head back in?” she asked Amy.
“Yes, we are.” Amy turned to the men and gave them a bright smile. “Thanks for making the day so special for my patients. I’m guessing they’re going to be drawing and dreaming about becoming strong firemen from now on.”
“And firewomen,” the little redhead called out.
Everybody laughed.
Drew and Rhett climbed into their seats as Sandra led the children toward the entrance of the hospital. Colton was about to hop behind the wheel when Amy’s voice stopped him.
“Colt!”
He whipped around. “Yes?”
“Thanks for doing this. It meant so much to me.” Her voice was warm, and her eyes glistened.
Colton swallowed; the sight of her dark mocha irises made his throat feel parched. “No problem. It was our pleasure.”
Why was he being so formal with Amy? If he continued like this, she would surely start to suspect that there were some very inappropriate thoughts swirling around his head when he looked at her. Quickly, he added with a wink, “See you at home, Amy-cakes?”
“Don’t you have your special dinner tonight with Theresa? The one you won at the fundraiser?”
Colton lowered his glance to avoid looking at Amy. “Theresa bailed on me. So I’ll just eat at home with you.” He hadn’t yet told Amy how things were with Theresa. Why, he couldn’t say. Maybe if Amy believed he was still seeing Theresa, she wouldn’t notice his odd behavior toward her as much.
Amy furrowed her brows. “That’s too bad. Still, you shouldn’t let that exquisite prize go to waste. You could go alone. Didn’t you already arrange for Fred to fill in for you tonight?”
“Yes, I did, unfortunately.” It sucked to go through the hassle of setting up a trade, only to not do anything fun. Colton would need to pay Fred back for the favor, even if he only ate pizza out of a box on his free night.
He should have invited Amy long, like Colton had told Theresa. Only, for that to happen, Colton should have brought the topic up sooner. But he’d feared that his invitation would come across as awkward. Now it was too late. The dinner was tonight. There was no way Amy would go.
Amy’s eyes widened. “But Colt, it's dinner at the Stars in Heaven, the coolest restaurant in town. Maybe even in the entire region. I read a review when I was still in Portland that said Leonardo DiCaprio eats there every time he’s in Jackson.”
Amy’s expression went softer than a wispy cloud as she spoke of the protagonist of one of her favorite movies. Colton would know. One night, she’d made him watch Romeo and Juliet with her. The entire movie.
“Yes, it was a very generous offer from Judd. He really treats our station well.” It wasn’t just dinner. The lucky winner—aka Colton—could actually spend a whole night in the presidential suite of the attached five-star hotel.
He didn’t feel like go
ing to dinner alone. He would prefer staying in with Amy. Unless …
The notion stirred hope in his brain. Amy sounded enthusiastic about the restaurant. Maybe she would accept his invitation even though it was short notice. If he came out with it now, the invite would sound spontaneous and not premeditated. “You know what?” He spoke up before he could change his mind. “Why don’t you go to the dinner with me?”
Amy jerked back as her mouth fell open. “To the Stars in Heaven? Seriously?”
“Sure, why not?” he said casually. “Theresa isn’t coming, and I don’t wanna sit in that fancy restaurant alone. It could be a fun, never-forget evening for us. This way, I wouldn’t upset Judd by letting the gift go to waste. Also, there’s another perk that I didn’t even tell you about. We would—no. You know what? I’m keeping that as a surprise. It’s enough if you know that you should pack a change of clothes and your bathing suit.”
Amy stared at him as if he were speaking in an alien language. Slowly, her lips pulled into a smile. “Wow. And I thought tonight was going to be special because Netflix just brought out Secret Passion Two.” She nodded. “Fine, I’d love to come. What time do we have to leave?”
“I can be home by six thirty. We can leave then. I’ll shower at the station, so I’ll only need to change and we can be gone.”
Amy gave him a thumbs-up. “Okay, perfect. I’ve gotta run back and help Sandra get everyone back to their rooms. See you tonight.”
She turned and ran to the hospital, but Colton thought he heard her mumble, “The stars in heaven. Incredible.”
His heart leaped. Amy had actually accepted the invitation. It was almost as if they were going on a date. Well, not a real date, but it was going to be a night in a romantic restaurant. His facial muscles tightened as he reined in his thoughts. Amy’s probably only excited because she wants to eat at the place where her favorite movie star goes.
The blast of the air horn cut through the air and shook Colton all the way to his bones, not to mention sending him about two feet into the air.
Colton glared at the fire engine and saw Drew and Rhett grinning at him.
“You done, lover boy?” Rhett teased. “We need to get back to the station.”
Colton nodded and jumped in the driver's seat. He started the engine, but not before he threw a menacing glance at his colleagues. “I don’t want to hear any jokes about my dinner plans, you got it?”
Drew snorted, and Rhett mimed with his hand locking his mouth and throwing away a key.
Colton rolled his eyes and pressed the gas. There was no way his buddies would keep silent about what they had seen. But above all, it was Colton who needed to force his head from jumping to any wishful thinking.
Tonight can only work out well if I manage to repress my attraction toward Amy.
His hands tightened on the wheel. He could do that.
12
Amy checked herself in the mirror while she held the phone to her ear. “Yes, Mom … I mean, no, Mom. I didn’t find a place yet. I checked a dozen apartments, but none of them fit.”
Her mother’s voice grew concerned. “Aren’t you disrupting poor Colt’s life by staying at his place?”
Amy bit her lower lip. “I think he understands that it’s tough to rent a good place in Jackson.” For the time being, Amy had pushed aside her worries about how much of a burden she might be in Colton’s life. If she truly were a nuisance, then surely he wouldn’t have invited her to dinner tonight, right? At least Colton enjoyed spending time with her.
That, or he just didn’t want to waste the luxury dinner after Theresa canceled.
No, this negative line of thought wasn’t the right tone for tonight.
“I’m sure Colt understands,” her mother replied. “Did Zach leave already?”
“Yes, I dropped him off at the airport before work yesterday.”
“I’m glad you got to see each other finally. It kills me to know that our family has scattered so much. But at least now you and Colt are together. That’s good.”
Together. I wish.
Amy thought back to Colton’s interaction with the kiddos from the hospital. Watching him had been bittersweet. He was funny and a bit unsure of himself, which was endearing. It made Amy reflect on how Colton would one day be with his own kids. Before she could stop herself, her mouth articulated a question. “Mom, how was it to raise a family with a firefighter?”
There was a silence on her mother’s end. Then Amy heard a muffled sigh. “Why do you ask?”
Good question. Why did she have to ask? It would be much healthier for Amy not to even consider such topics. She cleared the frog from her throat. “Dad thought you were unhappy most of the time. I guess that’s why he made me promise never to date a fireman.”
Her mother coughed shortly. “Unhappy? No. I was stressed. And anxious. Not knowing when your father would come home. If he would come home. Also, the bond with his buddies was so strong that at times it almost felt like an intrusion to our family.” She paused. “But you know, honey, one does not choose a job title to love, but a man. Whatever he does for a living. I loved your father. I respected the strong sense of honor he had and admired his dedication to his crew. He was a hero in my eyes and a good father. If I could go back, I’d still choose him to be my husband. Does that answer your question?”
Amy’s neck prickled. “Yes, thanks.” She’d hoped that her mother would somehow give her an additional boost to build up a resistance in her heart against the tender feelings for Colton. Goodness knew she needed it. But instead of telling her how right her father had been to say that firemen weren’t good partners for life, her mother had basically told Amy the opposite.
“Why are you interested?” her mother asked. “Did Colt introduce you to some cute fireman?”
“No, no. We just spoke about the past with Zach. You know, memories and all.” Amy hoped that her hasty explanation would be enough. But to ensure that her mother wouldn’t keep digging, she added, “I need to go now, Mom. Call you again soon. Bye.”
“Okay, bye, love. Speak soon, and say hi to Colt.”
Amy dropped the phone on Colton’s bed and stepped closer to the mirror. She studied the dress she’d bought for herself. She'd had to trade half of her shift with Claire, one of the nurses who was single like her and more flexible with her schedule, to have time to go shopping. Amy didn’t want to be underdressed for the occasion.
She ran her fingers down the blue skirt. The fabric was smooth and silky. It caressed her skin with a delicious tickle. Her impromptu splurge on this designer dress meant that now she had even less cash to pay a deposit on a potential new apartment. Oh well. She hadn’t found anything worthy yet. By the time she did, the hospital would have paid her.
She gazed into her reflection's eyes. Who am I fooling? She hadn’t even scheduled any appointments to look at other places. She knew she needed to get away from Colton because his proximity was making her dive deeper into her feelings for him, but she wasn’t taking any action.
Like an addict, really. Knowing something is bad for me but still sticking to it.
The click of a door jarred Amy out of her introspection. Was Colton home?
She whipped around and hurried to the living room, paying attention not to trip over her new heels. It was silly of her to buy new shoes, too. Amy had a pair of sandals she could have worn. But the shopkeeper said she looked lean and tall like a supermodel in these black pumps, so Amy couldn’t resist.
Would Colton think she was dressed up too much? Would he notice that she’d actually put on makeup?
When she stepped into the room, she first thought that her mind was playing tricks on her. Colton was nowhere to be seen, and the whole place was quiet.
Then she noticed him. He sat silently in the large armchair beside the window. His phone was in his hand, and his face was as motionless as stone. His eyes stared at the screen, but it was clear that he wasn’t seeing anything. No, his gaze seemed lost and sad.
Her father would sometimes sit for hours without speaking after returning from a particularly traumatic call. Amy met with death more frequently than what she would have wished for, but there was something different about seeing a patient in the controlled environment of a hospital. It was nothing like attending to someone during a tragic scene with fire and chaos like Colt and his crew did almost daily. And their worst cases never made it to the hospital.
Amy made a sign of a cross with her left hand. Ever since moving in with Colton, Amy found herself using the same gesture she had seen her mother do each time her father came home from work. Amy’s mom even used to murmur something inaudible, as if she were thanking the Lord for bringing her husband back to her healthy and in one piece.
Amy took off her shoes. Gripping them in one hand, she tiptoed her way to Colton. She didn’t want to disturb him when he needed his space.
She sat down on the arm of the chair and put a hand around his shoulders.
His body tensed for a second, but then he relaxed into her touch. He closed his eyes and bent his head to Amy’s chest. They stayed there for a few minutes without speaking.
Amy’s mind wandered back to what her mother said. Maybe being a fireman's woman wasn’t an impossible task. Sure, it required dealing with more drama than she might find in dating an accountant or a car mechanic, but it might not be the miserable life that her father had painted.
Yes, that might be the case. But it’s not only your promise that keeps you from being with Colton, remember? There’s that teeny tiny detail about him not being in love with you.
Colton stirred as his eyes opened. Amy peered down at his long lashes and straight nose. If she had any talent in drawing or sculpting, she knew she could make a masterpiece of Colton’s face even with her eyes closed. His features were burned into her soul. She could conjure them in her sleep without any effort.
Colton glanced up at her. “Thanks, Amy-cakes. I was just …”
Saving His Heart Page 9
