JADE WAS PUTTING away her equipment when she heard Danny Thompson talking to someone outside the open door of the garage. Probably just a local, stopping by to say hello. She hung her coat and stretched her arms up in the air, feeling muscles and bones ease into place. Her back was still a little sore. She’d slipped on a hillside while fighting the fire last week, after she’d left Aidan’s ranch, and landed right on a rock. The bruise below her ribs was impressive, and the aches and pains were hanging on days later.
“Jade?” Danny stuck his head around the door of the garage. “There’s someone here to see you.”
Jade walked across the garage. Hopefully this wasn’t another reporter. Ever since word had gotten out about how she and Aidan had survived the wildfire, news agencies had been coming by to try to talk to her. She’d hoped the interest had died down along with the flames.
She stepped out into the sunlight and there was Aidan, standing in her driveway with a bag of groceries on the ground on either side of him. Her heart jumped in her chest and she put a hand to her sternum to calm it. “Aidan?” He was as tall, and striking as she’d remembered, wearing faded jeans, a pair of clean, tan work boots and a light blue T-shirt. “What are you doing here?”
His smile was a little tentative. “I was thinking maybe we could make that meal.”
The meal they’d planned as fire raged over them. As they’d tried to keep themselves calm. What a sweet gesture. It was so good to see him, Jade wanted to rush into his arms. Which was ridiculous. They barely knew each other. But he was the only person who knew what it was like, who’d been through the fire with her, who understood how precious every day had seemed ever since. “You show up at a fire station and offer to cook, you’re going to get a definite yes.”
Aidan laughed. “You haven’t tasted my cooking yet. Don’t get too excited.”
It was good to see him smile. Bizarre to see him here on the station driveway, when for the last week he’d seemed like part of a surreal dream.
“Danny, this is Aidan. Aidan, Danny.” Jade glanced at her watch. “Five-thirty. Perfect timing for dinner.” She went to take a bag of groceries for him, then hesitated. Should she hug him? He didn’t hold out his arms, so she picked up a bag and gave him a smile instead. “It’s really nice to see you again.”
He picked up the other bag and fell into step beside her. “I hope I’m not intruding, just showing up like this. I would have called, but there’s still no phone service up at my ranch.”
She’d wondered how he was, up there. She’d even thought about manufacturing a reason to go check on him, but she’d been working so much. And it had seemed odd, how connected she felt to him. She met people, and helped people, all the time in this job, and didn’t feel a need to find out how they were later on.
She led the way through the garage and up the stairs to the firehouse. There were just a few staff here today. Over half their crew was still out mopping up the fire that had destroyed Aidan’s ranch. A few others were on much-deserved days off.
Kayla was on one of the couches in the living room, watching the news and mending the pants she’d ripped on their call today. “Kayla, this is Aidan. He’s the guy I made it through the fire with and he’s making us dinner tonight.”
“No way.” Kayla jumped up and came to greet them. She took the bag of groceries out of Aidan’s hands and put them on the wide counter that separated the kitchen from the living room. “We should be making you dinner,” she said, and held out a hand to shake his vigorously. “Jade told us what a pro you were in the fire.”
Jade put her bag on the counter next to the other one and waved a hand around. “So this is our fire station. Kitchen, dining area and living room. The bathroom’s over there down the hall.” She gestured toward it. “Please make yourself at home.”
“I will.” Aidan went around the counter into the kitchen and began unpacking groceries.
“What are we eating?” Kayla pulled out a stool at the counter and plunked down.
“Spaghetti and meatballs,” Aidan answered with a wink at Jade. “Green salad with Italian dressing, garlic bread and hot apple pie for dessert.”
“That’s awesome. Total comfort food.” Kayla gave Jade a shrewd look. “Jade, I’m still trying to find that patch kit you mentioned for my jacket. Can you show me where you put it?”
Jade stared at her friend. “What?” And then realized what was going on. There was no patch kit. Just Kayla, motioning subtly toward the bedroom.
“Sure, I’ll show you.” Jade followed Kayla into the bedroom and shut the door behind them. “What are you doing?”
Kayla put her hands to her cheeks. “You didn’t mention that your rancher was gorgeous!”
“Kayla, come on. It didn’t matter what he looked like. We were just trying to make it out of there alive.”
“Well, you did, and he’s here and he’s handsome. He looks like some kind of warrior or something. All rugged with that thick blond hair.”
“He’s a nice guy. When the fire was really bad and we were in the pond, we kept ourselves calm by talking about food. We described our perfect, most comforting meal. Tonight he came to make it as a thank you. That’s all.”
“We help a lot of people, and they don’t show up to cook us dinner, Jade. Clearly he’s interested in you.”
“Well, if he is, I guess I’ll find that out eventually. We don’t have to make a big deal out of it right now, okay? Let’s just treat this like any other dinner on a work night.”
“But you like him, right? I mean, how could you not?”
Irritation was building beneath Jade’s skin. She’d never been much for this kind of girl talk. And Aidan was so much more than a good-looking guy. It felt uncomfortable to have him reduced to something that one-dimensional. She’d shared so much more with him that night in the dark, with fire all around. “I’m not looking for a relationship right now. I need to keep my focus on work. Please can we just go out there and make dinner and act normal?”
“Sure, hon. You keep telling yourself that. But I hope you give the guy a chance. Work isn’t everything.”
Jade thought of her father and his dismissal of all she’d accomplished. She hadn’t heard from him since she’d stormed out of her parents’ house a few nights ago. Ever since, she’d been working even harder, studying for her exam, feeling like she had more to prove than ever. “Work means a lot to me.” She opened the door to go back to the kitchen. “Thanks for trying to look out for me, though.”
“Anytime. You go on out there and spend time with your friend the rancher. I’ll give you guys some space.”
Jade nodded and went out to the hall, and Kayla shut the door between them.
“Would you like an assistant chef?” Jade approached the counter and saw that Aidan had already found a cutting board and a knife, and was mincing onions and garlic. The giant pasta pot was on the stove. “Looks like you found what you need.”
Aidan looked up from his chopping. “You guys have a well-stocked kitchen.”
“Cooking is our main source of fun around here in the evenings. Unless there’s a fire.”
“You had any of those recently?”
“You mean since your fire? A bunch of our crew is still out cleaning up from that one. Today we had a car fire out on the highway. That was exciting.”
“Dangerous this time of year,” Aidan said. “Something like that could start a whole new blaze.”
“It sparked a small fire at the side of the road but we got there in time to put it out.” Jade reached into a cabinet, pulled out two water glasses and filled them. She set one down near Aidan. “No drinking on duty. I hope you’re okay with water.”
“I’m not much of a drinker,” Aidan said. “A beer once in a while is enough for me.”
“Likewise.” This was awkward. During the fire they’d had a purpose, and plenty to fi
gure out together. But small talk had never been her strong point. And if this was a date, which it wasn’t, she had little experience with that either. Growing up with three older brothers, and the town’s tough fire chief as a father, no boy had dared to ask her out even if they’d wanted to. And nowadays, when men found out she was a firefighter, they usually lost interest. She just wasn’t feminine enough for most guys, apparently.
“Want me to make the salad?” At least it would give her something to do.
“That would be great.” Aidan pulled a few heads of lettuce out of a grocery bag and handed them to her. “How have you been?”
“Busy.” Jade dug in the cabinet next to the sink for the colander. “We stayed on the fire lines for several days and then I’ve been on duty here quite a bit. How’s the ranch?”
“Burnt.”
She burst out laughing. “I’m sorry,” she said when he looked her way. “I’m not sure why I’m laughing so much. It’s not funny.”
He was smiling, though. “I know, but what more is there to say about it? It’s burnt to a crisp. I’m starting from scratch. Living in a borrowed trailer, sleeping on borrowed sheets, putting a fence together from donated materials.”
Jade ran water over the lettuce, cleaning each leaf carefully. “That’s nice that people have donated stuff.”
“It’s this town you live in. Shelter Creek. Everyone is so generous. Maya’s grandmother and her friends keep bringing me things I didn’t even realize I needed.”
Jade shook water out of the lettuce. “Ah. The Book Biddies. They’re in a book club together, but they’re also really involved in this wildlife center we have in town.”
“Well, now they’ve adopted me as another project. But I can’t complain. I’d probably still be sleeping in the barn without them.”
Jade focused hard on tearing up the lettuce, appreciating the cool feeling of it on her hands. Just the words sleeping in the barn brought back the comfort of being in his arms during their nap. She’d thought about it every time she crawled into bed since. It was fine sleeping alone, so why had she felt so much more complete in the few hours she’d slept next to him?
“How have you been since the fire?” Aidan stopped his food prep to take a sip of the water she’d given him.
“Good, I’ve been good.” That was the easy answer, but there was something about him that didn’t let her take the easy route. “Actually, I kind of had it out with my family. Well, with my dad, that is. He just can’t seem to see any of my achievements. I finally told him that I’m tired of the way he criticizes me so much. And how he doesn’t act that way with my brothers.”
Aidan glanced at her, eyebrows raised. “How did that go?”
Jade sighed and reached for her own water glass. “About as well as you might expect. As in, he glared at me, I got upset and then I left. That was three days ago and I haven’t heard from him since. I guess I have to decide if I want to pretend like it was all no big deal and let things go back to normal, or if I’m actually going to stand my ground about this.”
“That’s a tough call,” Aidan said. “There’s a reason I don’t live in Wyoming, even though my family has a ranch there. My dad and I just don’t see the world the same way. He’s very old school. He hasn’t changed the way he runs his ranch since I was a kid. We’d be arguing every day if I lived there.”
“So you’re suggesting that I move across the country?”
“Nah, I wouldn’t want you so far away.” Aidan froze, glass halfway to his lips, as if he regretted what he just said.
Jade looked away, trying to take it in. He was suggesting that she mattered to him in some way. Maybe that he felt some of the connection that she did. She could tell him anything, it seemed, because more words spilled out. “The thing is, ever since the fire, I just don’t want to put up with the way he’s treated me. Maybe working so hard to stay alive made me realize that I don’t have time to waste on someone who doesn’t see the good in me. But he’s my dad, so now I feel awful.”
“He must be blind, if he can’t see how great you are.” Aidan set his glass of water down. “Don’t blame yourself if your father is too shortsighted to see what an incredible daughter he has in you.”
“That might be the nicest thing anybody has said to me in a long time. I thought you were this grumpy rancher, but here you are cooking me a meal and giving me compliments.”
His gaze met hers. She’d startled him. A flush rose from his neck and spread over his cheeks. She’d never been one to flirt but it was fun to realize that she could rattle this stoic man a little.
Despite any embarrassment, his blue eyes were steady on hers. “You deserve compliments,” he said quietly.
Now her own cheeks were getting warm. Jade changed the subject. “Tell me what to do here. Shall we get going on the meatballs? I can heat up the oven.”
He looked at her in surprise. “Oven? No, I cook my meatballs in a pan.”
“A pan? How is that a good idea? They’re going to be all tough on the outside and raw on the inside.”
He laughed. “Are we ever going to be able to agree on how to do something?”
Jade couldn’t help but smile back, realizing how easily she got sucked into their bickering. “You know what? You brought the food, you offered to cook, so you’re the boss of this. Just tell me what to do.”
“Can you say that again so I can record it on my phone?”
“Don’t push it.” Their banter reminded Jade of hanging out with Travis. Except when Travis smiled, she didn’t get a sparkly feeling inside.
“As meatball boss, I decree that we’re going to mix these sautéed onions and garlic into the meat, and roll ourselves small meatballs.”
“Small, strange, pan-fried meatballs, coming up.” Jade went to wash her hands, smiling to herself. She didn’t usually enjoy cooking this much. Having Aidan here made the mundane task into something special.
“Wait until you taste them before you trash them.”
“I suppose I can do that.” Her cheeks hurt from smiling. It was fun to joke with him again.
While they cooked, Aidan told her how he was working on rebuilding the fences around one of the larger pastures so he could get his sheep out of the field they’d been in since the fire. And how Thor and Odin seemed to be getting restless in the small pasture near the barn. They were used to living half-wild far from any people and preferred it that way.
Jade was happy to learn that Chip’s paws were healing under the careful care of Emily Fielding. And that Elliott the cat had been picked up by his grateful family.
“They called you a hero,” Aidan said, stirring the tomato sauce. “They are so grateful that you got them to evacuate, and then risked your own safety to rescue Elliott.”
“Aw, shucks. Well, you know I have a special cat connection.”
Aidan grinned. “You rescued Elliott, two kittens and a bobcat in one night. That’s a strong connection for sure.”
“And Elliott’s family?” Jade asked. “They have another house, right?”
“Yes, lucky for them the house near my ranch was a weekend vacation home. He’s some big tech company executive so they still have their family home in San Francisco to live in.”
Jade took a sip of her water and tried to imagine Aidan living that life. “Do you ever miss it? When you see a guy like that who can have multiple homes, who is obviously doing very well financially? You could go back to work in the Silicon Valley and be set for life.”
“I don’t miss it,” Aidan said. “I don’t think there’s enough money in the world to make it worth doing something that made me feel dead inside. There are people who love working in that industry. They are so fired up to make a new app, or improve a piece of software. I just don’t get excited about it. I could do the work and be successful at it, but I was so restless.”
“Hey, what
’s cooking?” Bill stomped up the stairs, stopping short when he saw Aidan wielding a pair of tongs to set the meatballs into the frying pan. “We have a new chef.” He took a closer look at Aidan. “I remember you. You’re Jade’s rancher.”
“Not mine,” Jade said. “But we’re lucky to have him here cooking us dinner.”
“I wanted to say thank you for all that you did to save my ranch.” Aidan set down the tongs, and he and Bill shook hands. “I hope you like spaghetti and meatballs.”
Bill patted his ample stomach. “I love it. But I have to go light on the pasta.”
“There’s garlic bread, too,” Jade chimed in with an extra sweet note in her voice.
“Don’t torture me.” Bill crossed his arms across his chest and fixed Jade with a mock glare.
“It’s a special night,” Jade explained. “Aidan and I planned this meal while the fire was running right over us. Can you make an exception on your diet? I will personally make you oatmeal for breakfast. Sugar-free and everything.”
Bill let his hands drop to his side. “When you put it that way, I’m in.”
“Then help me set the table. We’re going to be ready to eat soon. Where’s Danny?”
“Here.” Danny came around the corner from the stairwell. “It smells incredible in here. What can I do?”
“Go find Kayla,” Jade said. “She’s in her room.”
Jade and Bill got silverware and plates from the cupboard, and Bill set the table while Jade checked the garlic bread in the oven. The loaf was wrapped in foil, so it was hard to tell if it was ready. She reached out and touched the foil with her fingers. “Ouch!” She pulled them back and stuck them in her mouth.
Aidan was there in an instant. “What did you do?” He pulled her over to the sink and ran cold water over her fingers.
“I was testing the bread, to see if it was ready.”
He burst out laughing, looking down on her with an incredulous smile. “You made it through a wildfire on my ranch with barely a scratch, but you can’t make garlic bread in the kitchen without burning yourself?”
Rescuing the Rancher Page 18
