by Kathryn Shay
The meeting broke up with some teasing of the rookie. Lorelei took it in stride and Rafe could see the progress she was making personally. She also seemed to have a knack for research and investigation, which he filed away for her evaluation.
He’d just walked out of the conference room into the big common area, when the elevator opened and Kate stepped off. He was poleaxed by seeing her in the department uniform again. The navy top accented her breasts and the dark pants fit her hips and legs well. He was hit by a blinding image of taking her top and pants off her for the first time. He had to look away to quell the vision.
But she was coming his way. “Rafe, hello.”
“Hi, Kate.” He made sure his tone was soft. “I hope last Sunday wasn’t too much for you.” He hadn’t seen her in the intervening week. “You didn’t come out with Tommy when I brought him back.”
She stared at him with what used to be trustful blue eyes. Now, almost every time he talked to her, those eyes were anxious. “I handled it okay, didn’t I?”
“Yes. It was wise for you to leave when you did.” Nervous in her presence, he glanced around. “You starting your recruit class already?”
“Next week. But I’m meeting with Olive Hennessy today because of my special circumstances.”
“Olive’s the best.”
“I know, I had some contact with her with the Fire Bells.”
He smiled at the reference to the blog a group of Hidden Cove female firefighters started. It had become extremely popular.
“That’s nice.”
“What is?”
“I haven’t seen you smile much since I got back.”
“Tomaso makes me smile.”
She lifted her chin. “And I don’t.”
“I didn’t mean it that way.”
“Didn’t you?” She checked over his shoulder and he tracked her gaze. “Olive just came to the doorway of her office. I have to go. Goodbye, Rafe.”
He watched her walk away. Fuck! He didn’t want to be mean to her, but he didn’t want to encourage her in her down-the-rabbit hole pursuit of him. She was making him a maniac.
o0o
“Kate, hello.” Olive, her by-the-book trainer who ran the recruit training class, nonetheless hugged Kate. “We’ve missed you.”
“Thank you, Olive, I appreciate that.” She waved to the academy. “And I’ll be sure to call you Chief Hennessy during my tenure at the fire academy.”
“Come on in and sit down.” When they both took chairs at a conference table in the spacious office, Olive said, “I’m not going to ask any questions about Rafe. But he didn’t appear happy out there. Is that going to cause problems for you here?”
“No, I won’t see him much during my training.”
“Yeah, you will. He’s a guest instructor for two of the classes and supervising Night Evolutions.”
“I didn’t know that. But we should be able to be civil to each other.”
“I hope so. Now, how’s your physical fitness?”
“When I got to Rockford, I was pregnant but worked out in a gym up until my last month. After I had Tommy, I went back to the gym and put him in the nursery. So, I kept up with my fitness.”
“Did you go back to firefighting?”
“I was planning to when Tommy was older, but then I met my husband. We got married and he wanted a baby right away, so I didn’t pursue firefighting. It’s hard with a toddler anyway.”
“I know.”
“That’s right you have a son.”
“He’s older now, but he was two once upon a time.”
“I never did get to go back to the job. We tried for two years to conceive, while I volunteered at Chris’s school district. Then he had a car accident and died.”
She shook her head. “How tragic. I’m so sorry.”
“Yeah, me too.”
“All right, we won’t talk about why you came back until after you leave the academy.”
“It’s a deal.”
“I’d like you to do all the physical fitness training, and the Confidence walks, though.” She referred to the grueling miles long walks, in full firefighter gear.
Kate groaned.
“I know they’re brutal, but it—”
“Builds character, I remember.”
“You can skip some of the basic classes on firefighting and EMS.”
“I don’t want special treatment.”
“For the record, Mitch is thinking about creating a refresher class for firefighters who’ve been out injured for a long time or new applicants from other departments. Hidden Cove had four who didn’t go on the line for a year. It would be an offshoot of the courses we already have at the academy for line firefighters to catch up on new techniques. I know everybody can’t use the night vision apparatus.”
“Then I’m your guinea pig?”
“Yep.” She checked her watch. “I have another meeting with the staff and line firefighters. I’d like you to stay and say hello.”
The group that entered her office included Captain Ian Woodward, Lieutenant Quinn Frazier, Captain Haywood Jenkins, all officers permanently stationed at the academy. Some of them were here when Kate trained the first time. She’d never met Tess Righetti, the new kid on the block who’d captured Jack Harrison’s heart.
Different line firefighters would join them like Rafe apparently would. She greeted the instructors, then said goodbye. They had important work to do.
And so did she. She had one last meeting with Kyle Collins, the prospective caregiver. She and Rafe had interviewed him alone twice, and Tommy spent some time with him, too, under Kate’s supervision. She and Rafe had split checking his references, and decided they wanted him on board. Kyle was a wonderful young man who did indeed adore kids, got along well with Tommy and could start any time. She’d need him starting next week so she’d take this final interview alone because Rafe’s schedule was crazy. It was hard to believe she’d be on the line in ten weeks.
“Let me get this straight. You’re not only going to live in my town, but work in my department.”
Anger rose inside her. “Both are mine, too.”
Now she planned to take some of it back, she thought as she crossed to the elevator.
When the doors opened, Kate was buoyed at the sight of one of her favorite people in the department. “Hello, Dr. Harrison.” The department psychologist.
Jack Harrison gave her one of the most comforting smiles she’d seen at the academy. “Katie Cassidy. I’m glad you’re back, kid.” To underscore his words, he hugged her. When he drew away, he said, “No word from you for five years.”
“I had to stay away, Jack.”
“I understood. I almost came up to Rockford to try to talk you out of leaving Rafe.”
Her heartbeat kicked up. “You knew where I was?”
“Yeah, my wife, Tess, worked at the academy. Word had it you might apply to the Rockford Fire Department.”
“I did go meet with Ben Cordaro about it after I had Tommy.”
“But you never went back.”
“It’s a very long, and tragic story.”
“Want to talk a bit?”
“Sure, I guess.”
“It’ll be fine, Katie, like every other time we’ve talked.”
“I trust you, Doc.”
“Music to my ears, kiddo.”
o0o
“I like your house, Mel. It’s classy.” Rafe studied the living room of the big colonial, furnished with high-end antiques. Interesting art decorated the walls. It had a pleasant scent which she’d told him was potpourri.
“I’m glad, though I wonder what brought that on. Did you decide to move here after we’re married?”
“Hmm. I’ve been thinking about it.” In truth, he loved his home and didn’t want to give the place up. Then again, it was where he’d planned to live with Kate.
She handed Rafe a whiskey neat, the way he liked his liquor. He dropped onto one of the couches and she joined him. She sipped
her wine first, then set it down. “I asked you to come tonight, even though you said you were tired, because it’s been a week since I’ve seen you.”
“Yeah. Lots is going on. How was your day?” She was a lawyer with a local practice.
“It was fine. But I don’t want to talk about my job. I want to talk about the future.”
He could feel his body stiffen so he took a sip of the drink. It went down smooth and he relaxed some. “Melanie, I asked for time to set a date. I’m not keen on rushing something so important.”
Rubbing the big diamond he’d proposed with, after she picked it out, she raised her eyes. “I’ve given you eighteen months. That’s no rush-job. Now, I want to set a date.”
“You seemed fine with waiting. What changed?”
“I was fine with it, then. I wanted to build my practice up. But I’m asking for a wedding date now.”
“All of a sudden?”
Glancing away, like she did when she didn’t want to tell him something, she sighed. Then turned back to him. “I want to set a date because Kate Cassidy is in town. I know how much she hurt you, in a way I never will. And now she has a son with you. I don’t want her luring you away from me with him.”
“Do you trust me?” He asked the question with a modicum of guilt after touching Kate at the camp.
“That’s a valid question. I don’t trust your feelings. I think you might still be susceptible to her, especially with a child between you.”
“I can’t decide whether that’s an insult or not.”
Her gaze turned cold. “Don’t start a fight to get out of setting a date.”
“I’m not starting a fight.” At least he hoped not. “I’m answering your statement about me being susceptible to her.”
Melanie didn’t respond to his statement and picked up a calendar. “I’m thinking September, the first week. That’s plenty of time for me to plan, if we can get a place.”
“A place?”
“Yes, a venue for the wedding. They’re hard to get even in advance, but I don’t want to wait another year.”
He leaned back into the cushions and put his arms over the top. “What if I’m not ready yet?”
“We’ve been together for eighteen months. We’re close. We share everything.”
Not quite.
“It’s time, Rafe.”
Was it? “I feel backed into a corner.”
“I’m sorry. But I’m worried about losing you to a woman who crushed you when she left the first time.”
He’d told Melanie in an intimate moment about what happened with Kate. Now he regretted the confidence. He did not tell her Kate wanted him back.
In any case, Rafe didn’t like being pushed. He and Kate had fought over that trait a lot. This was the first time ever Melanie tried to coerce him to do something.
And maybe he owed her.
He was about to speak when his phone rang. He slid it out of his pocket and clicked on. “Casella.”
“Rafe, it’s Kate. I’m at my new house and Kyle’s agreed to take the job as caregiver. But there are some details I can’t work out with him because I don’t know how much time you want with Tommy while I’m working. Nights, for instance. Is there any way you can come here and finish this up with me? Honestly, I’m feeling overwhelmed with everything.”
“Is Tommy there?”
“I just put him to bed. He spent time with Kyle when you were working. I supervised. They both did great.”
Rafe glanced at his watch. “Yeah, that’s possible. See you in fifteen.” He clicked off.
Melanie’s face flushed and her eyes heated. “You have to be kidding me! You’re going to go see Kate right in the middle of a discussion about her and our wedding?”
Standing, he said, “I might not go if I didn’t feel like this was an ultimatum. I’ll call you in a few days, as soon as I have an answer.”
He strode to the foyer. She followed him so he turned around at the door. Melanie looped her arms around his neck. Pressed her body to his. Her French perfume didn’t turn him on like it usually did. “Don’t go, Rafe. Please.”
“I’m leaving, Melanie, and be glad I am. Otherwise, I might say something I regret. We’ll talk in a few days.”
With that he eased her away and walked out of her house.
o0o
“Hi, thanks for coming.” Kate hugged Rafe before she let him inside. He was ashamed to admit her affection felt good, especially after what happened with Melanie.
“Sure. Anything for Tommy.”
Shadows crossed her face. “Of course, Tommy.”
Kyle stood when Rafe walked into the very modern patio home’s living room. He got a whiff of marina sauce as he passed by the kitchen. “Hello, Captain Casella.”
“Call me Rafe.” He shook Kyle’s outstretched hand. “So, you want to do this?”
“I do.”
“We have details to work out.” Kate sat on the couch, Rafe a chair. Tonight, she wore ancient-looking jeans and a white T-shirt. She used to have a pair like—shit, were those the jeans she wore when they were together? If so, they were a little tighter, now.
She said, “I don’t know what hours you keep, Rafe.”
“The same hours you kept when you were on the line. Two shifts, each twelve hours. So, I do work some nights. Maybe when you get back on the line, Kate, we can get on alternate shifts. When I have nights, you have days.”
Kyle put in, “I don’t mind spending nights with Tommy. If you have a spare room, I can bunk there. If not, I can sleep on this very comfortable couch.”
“Thanks, Kyle we may need that. But I won’t have any overnights for ten weeks. The recruit day is 8-5 except when I have to stay for nights—evening—evolutions.” She cocked her head at Rafe. “I heard you’d be running those.”
“Yeah, but they don’t last all night. We’d be done by ten.”
“Then I’d follow your schedule for ten weeks, right Kate?”
Before Kyle could answer Rafe jumped in. “I’d like to be with Tommy on my time off. When I work day shifts, I can have him at night. When I work nights, I can see him during the day until he goes to school in September.”
Kyle frowned. “Sounds like you don’t need me very much.”
Kate leaned forward. “Rafe can’t take him every free minute he has.”
“Why? You do.”
“But you have other commitments like meetings. Like teaching at the academy.”
“You know, anything’s acceptable.” Kyle interrupted their sparring. “I’d like to have some time off before getting a job, and I’ll need to go to interviews. Otherwise I’ll volunteer somewhere.”
Rafe asked, “Don’t you need a fulltime salary, Kyle?”
“Nah.” He gave them a sheepish expression. “I’m living with my parents this summer, at their request, and I got scholarships to school so I’m one of the fortunate graduates who doesn’t have any debt.”
“Then, that settles it.” Kate seemed relieved. “We’ll pay you by the hour. What’s the going rate for caregivers?”
“Twenty an hour. If that’s too much—”
“No, it isn’t too much.” This from Rafe.
Kate was smiling when Kyle left. She and Rafe walked back into the living room, but instead of sitting, he hitched a hip on her dining table. He looked good with her kitchen as a backdrop. He said, “So, Tommy has a babysitter.”
“Watch your tongue. It’s caregiver. Tommy says he’s not a baby.”
He rolled his eyes. “Right.”
“Want to stay a bit? Talk about this some more.” She knew there wasn’t a lot to discuss but she wanted to be with him a little longer.
She stood by the couch, her arms braced behind her. He gave her a once over that made her toes tingle. “I’m not sure I should. Did you wear those jeans on purpose, because you planned to see me again?”
She remembered vividly at his reference…
Promise me you’ll never throw those jeans out.
His eyes turned flinty. “At least you kept that promise.”
For some reason, this emotional slap was more hurtful than the others. She could barely get the words out. “You know I had to leave you. I couldn’t…”
“Stop!” He straightened. “I’m sick of hearing that I was kind to you, I let you go. I did it because you were so fragile and I’d never seen you like that. You didn’t stop throwing up until I said I understood.”
She bit her lip. “I’ve been trying to be fair to you. I poured my heart out to you that day I came back. I haven’t tried to trick you into getting close to me through Tommy. And I’ve been good about staying away most times you came to Mitch and Megan’s to get him.”
He blew out a heavy breath, then crossed to her and grasped her arms. He rubbed her bare skin up and down. The gesture was surprisingly gentle, given his temper. “I’m sorry. You’re right, you’ve been honest from the get-go.” He took in a heavy breath and let it out. “But just your presence sets me off-kilter.”
Reaching out, she put her hands on his chest. It was a natural thing. “You set me off-kilter too. I know I kept your son from you. But I’m trying to make up for that. I want forgiveness, Rafe. Please.”
He closed his eyes. “I can’t. I can’t trust you.”
Kate couldn’t help it. One fat tear rolled down her cheek.
o0o
He wasn’t going to say he didn’t have the will power to resist her, because he did. Simply put, he wanted badly to kiss her. So, for the first time in nearly six years, he took her into his arms. She felt so good, so solid against him. He’d always loved that she wasn’t delicate, fragile. Threading his hand through her hair, he let the thick silky mass curl around his fingers. She smelled like lilacs. When he aligned their bodies, he forgot where he was, what he was doing.
After a long embrace, he eased her away and peered down at
her. Raising his hand, he scrubbed his fingers across her damp cheeks. “Why this, Katie?”
