by Jill Sanders
“Lost it? Did it grow legs and run away?”
She smiled. “No, it died a slow and horrible death. Or so Tim has told me. He’s been complaining about it since he took over in the kitchen.”
“So, you’ll find a new one.” He shrugged.
“A restaurant grade stove costs close to five thousand dollars,” she replied with a slight groan.
“And you have how much left in your budget for items like that?”
She winced. “Three thousand dollars.”
It was his turn to wince. He picked up his wine glass and held it up to hers. “I have a few thousand in savings that I’m not doing anything with at the moment. You’re welcome to it.”
She stopped, frozen in place. “I will not take money from you.”
“Call it a loan.” He smiled. “I know you’re good for it.”
“No.” She shook her head. “Cade, I… can’t. I won’t be in debt.”
“You won’t be.” He wrapped his arms around her after taking her glass from her and setting it down. “There is no debt. You need a new stove. You get a new stove, and I get to help the woman I love.”
He felt her shaking her head.
“Don’t make me call my mother,” he warned with a chuckle. “Or bring out the big guns and call my grandmother.”
She laughed and the sound of it warmed him and confirmed that he’d won this round.
That night as they fell asleep holding one another, Raven whispered. “Thank you for the loan. I’ll pay you back as soon as the doors open.”
He smiled and held onto her. The truth was, he didn’t care if she ever paid him back.
There was no doubt in his mind that she was good for it. Just looking at the changes around the resort, he could imagine the place being packed full of skiers and guests the moment the first snowflake drifted to the ground.
The next morning, he woke before sunrise when his alarm went off.
“Training day,” he said when Raven groaned. “Go back to sleep.” He kissed her and rolled out of bed to get ready.
When he walked into the fire station, the morning mist still hovering over the ground, most of his men were already there, eager and ready to start the day.
Most early morning shifts started with donuts, coffee, and gossip. Today was different. Oh, there was still coffee and donuts, but instead of gossip, the conversation was filled with stories of past training events.
Everyone nervously sat around waiting for the training to begin. The moment the last crew member showed up, he called his team to attention. After a brief but thorough security briefing, everyone suited up and headed out.
The morning mist was long gone and the sun was just breaking over the hillside, heating everything up.
The five-story steel building sat on the edge of the fire house property. Just carting your own gear out to the tower wore out most of the youngest recruits.
Today, even he was breaking a sweat when they reached the building. At the end of the first drill, he was swimming in sweat, even though he hadn’t entered the tower himself yet.
The heat emanating from the building was enough to melt even the strongest of wills. He watched his crew closely, making sure each person who went inside came out and clocking the time that it took them to run through the course.
By lunchtime, they’d only made it through four crewmembers. His standard practice was to deal with the newbies first while the more experienced crewmembers looked on and helped.
Sitting in the field eating a cold sandwich and downing a soda with the rest of them, he realized just how much his life had changed in the past few months. He was on a totally different path than he had been before Raven had returned. Even though he still had the same home, the same career, his future was different.
The way he looked at life had changed. Before Raven, he’d been so sure of what he believed in. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he’d assumed she had something to do with the fire. With Reggie’s death.
Why had he allowed so many others to influence him? He listened to the people around him chatting and talking about the town and the people in it, alert for any talk about Raven or the murders.
It was as if the entire town was holding its breath. Waiting for something more to happen or for someone to confess. Like that was ever going to happen.
Whenever he spoke to his uncle about the murders, he grew frustrated. He knew Sean was doing his best to find out who was responsible, but he couldn’t help but think that, if they were in the city, if they had the resources of a larger community, that they would have answers by now.
“You heard about Roslyn and Colin?” someone said, gaining his attention. Looking around, he realized it was Kevin speaking.
“What, are they finally getting a divorce?” someone asked.
“Did they confess to the murders?” someone else added.
“Heard they were leaving town,” Kevin replied.
He scanned the group of men around him. There were two women on his crew, but they were sitting in the other group huddled together under a large tree.
“Leaving?” he asked.
“Fleeing is more like it,” Tony said. “Having gotten away with murder, they’ve decided to leave town.”
“So, you believe they’re responsible for all three deaths?” Kevin asked.
“Don’t you? Doesn’t everyone? They’re the ones who stood to lose the most,” Tony replied.
It was the theory he thought was strongest as well. Who would have to gain from the deaths? Each time he and Raven asked themselves that question, they were the obvious answer. Her aunt and uncle were top of everyone’s list, including his uncle’s.
But his uncle claimed that as long as there wasn’t any proof, there wasn’t anything that he could do.
Cade understood this to be the case. After all, he wasn’t a fool. If they arrested her aunt and uncle and had zero proof, they’d just be allowed to go.
“Any idea where they’re moving to?” Cade asked, figuring he’d talk to his uncle the moment he could.
“Rumor is they’re headed to Redding,” Kevin said with a shrug.
“I say good riddance,” Tony added in. “They’ve been making problems for Darby down at the diner ever since Raven kicked them out of the resort. Causing scenes and making people feel uncomfortable.”
“Scenes?” Cade asked.
“Sure. They got in a huge fight the other night with Cal. Darby claims that Cal finally came out of the closet and informed them that he and Tim were getting married,” Tony added.
“Cal’s a good guy. He didn’t deserve the humiliation his father put him through the other night. The entire town is rallying behind Cal and Tim,” Andre broke in.
If anyone in town knew what being an outsider was like, or rather, being with an outsider, Andre was near the top of the list. Having a racist father and dating the only black woman in town obviously put a large bullseye on him. Gossip about Andre and Carrie ran like wildflowers through town. Not as much as the murders, but more than any other gossip did.
He’d known about Cal and Tim being together and being engaged, thanks to Raven. He liked both men. Actually, Cal was one of the only members of Raven’s family that he did like.
“We missed the show,” Barry, one of the guys who had been on his crew for more than five years, said. “What happened?”
“Apparently Colin and Roslyn showed up when Cal and Tim were out on a date. Instead of trying to hide it, Cal stood up and finally told his parents. I thought Colin was going to blow his top,” Tony told them. “When Darby overheard what was going on, she marched over there and kicked Colin and Roslyn out of the diner. She even told them they’re banned for life.”
“Good for her,” Andre said.
He’d have to make sure he let Darby know how proud he was of her the next time he saw her. He’d known the little woman had spunk; he just hadn’t known how much.
They’d wasted enough of the day gossiping. He got everyone’s attention and went back
to work. With the exception of one twisted ankle, day one of the training went off without a hitch.
He hobbled into the house just before sunset and grabbed an ice pack. Without showering or changing, he fell onto the sofa, propped his left foot up with the ice pack on his ankle, and immediately fell asleep.
“What happened?” Raven asked, waking him up a few hours later.
Blue had climbed into his lap at one point but now scurried off to welcome Raven home.
He shifted to sit up, and the now-thawed ice pack fell to the floor.
“Twisted my ankle,” he answered, moving to get up.
“No, stay there.” Raven rushed to his side and took his ankle into her hands to examine it.
“You’ve got some bruising.” She touched the swollen spot gently and he winced. “Hurt?”
“Only when you poke it.”
She leaned closer to him, her eyes running over his face, his clothes.
“You’re filthy and you stink.”
He smiled. “I didn’t have the energy to climb the stairs and shower.”
“What if I help you?” she offered, standing up.
It took the rest of his energy to pull himself up the stairs and stand by while she removed his soiled uniform. He sat on his shower bench and let the hot water wash away the day’s sweat.
“You have to do this again tomorrow?” she asked from outside the glass doors.
“Two more days.” He laid his head back. “But today was the only day I had to make it through the tower.”
“Why did you go through it? Aren’t you the boss?” she asked.
“Doesn’t mean I’m less responsible for ensuring that I’m up for the task. Every man, and woman, has to prove themselves capable.”
“Okay, so you’ve made it through,” she said, sounding more relaxed.
He didn’t want to tell her that he’d barely made it through. And that he’d basically gotten the worst grade of the day since he’d come out the other side with a twisted ankle. Oh, it wouldn’t stop him from doing his job, but it did mean that he had some more training to do.
Hell, the young kids fresh from high school had kicked his ass today.
“Will you be okay in there? I can head down and make us some dinner?” Raven offered.
“Just as long as you don’t judge me for eating it in here,” he replied.
“I’ll bring it up.” She disappeared down the stairs.
Closing his eyes, he relaxed back and let the hot water relax every inch of his body.
He must have fallen asleep sitting up with the hot water flowing over him. When Raven came in, he jolted awake.
“Are you still doing okay in there?” she asked, and he could hear her moving around the bathroom.
“Yeah, I’m coming out.” He reached up and shut off the water. “It’s a good thing I have a tankless water heater,” he joked as she wrapped a towel around his hips. “Endless hot water.”
“I figured you’d want to eat in the bedroom instead of the shower.” She helped him into a pair of his sweat shorts and a T-shirt.
He sat propped up in bed and ate the grilled chicken salad, tomato soup, and grilled cheese sandwiches Raven had made for him.
He had to admit, it felt wonderful knowing there was someone there to look out for him. As a man, he would ever admit that he needed it, but it was nice all the same.
Immediately after finishing the meal, he fell fast asleep again, this time in his own bed and with his arms wrapped around Raven. The next morning, he dragged himself to work after taking a couple of ibuprofen to reduce the swelling in his ankle.
He watched more than a dozen people on his crew repeat the same drills he’d done the afternoon before.
He knew every turn, every stair, every step of the tower by heart. Still, in the dark, surrounded by smoke and heat, his mind and the fear wanted to take over all his rational thoughts.
This was what all the training was for. To train each and every member on his team to not allow fear to win. The best way out of a situation was with rationality and thought.
When he’d first joined the crew, it had taken him almost two years before he was able to go through the drills and not see his brother’s face in the smoke. To not wonder what Reggie had been thinking when the dark cloud of smoke or the wall of flames had surrounded him, consumed him. Killed him.
Still, sometimes after he went through the drills, nightmares of the same thoughts surfaced, keeping him up at night.
Now, however, his training usually kicked in and took over, allowing him to see clearly, to feel his way out of situations where his eyes, his ears, and his surroundings were against him.
Maybe that skill was what had allowed him to see Raven clearly? To see past all the hate that had been spread in the town over the years.
Whatever the reason, he was thankful she was there with him now.
For the next two days, life was a haze. He’d always looked forward to training days, but this time they seemed to drag on and, more importantly, they were kicking his butt.
Each night Raven was there to pick up the pieces and fill his evenings with normalcy. She brought burgers home from the diner the next night. The night after it was lasagna from the dining hall at the resort.
He couldn’t admit it to her, at least not yet, but he wanted her to make it official and move in with him. He understood she wanted to keep her room at the resort, if for no other reason than to have a place to stay when she worked late so she wouldn’t have to make the drive to his place.
He knew that when the snow started falling, the fifteen-minute drive could easily turn into double that time. It was smart for her to keep some of her things there.
Hell, after the third day of training, he even wished he had a cot in his office at the station. There were beds upstairs in the fire house for crew members who worked night shifts. He remembered sleeping up there himself when he was a rookie.
Now that training was over, he was looking forward to the weekend and having some real peace and quiet. He’d initially planned for them to go on another hike, but since his ankle was still giving him problems, he decided on a long drive to the beach instead. It had been a few months since he’d taken Blue to play in the surf.
He hadn’t been there with Raven yet and was looking forward to getting out of town with her, even if it was only for a day.
Now he just needed to make it through the next two workdays and the chore he dreaded the most—telling everyone their drill rankings, which would in turn dictate each of the crew’s available shifts.
He knew that getting the best shift schedule was motivation enough for some to excel in the training. Thankfully, since he was fire marshal, his hours were locked in on standard workday hours with the occasional on-call schedule when needed.
Since there was still a lot of construction going on up at the resort, Raven’s hours wavered. Some days she was there before sunup and there past midnight, while others she had normal nine-to-five hours.
After her aunt and uncle’s last visit, she’d agreed to call or text him when she was going to be late.
The more he thought about what she meant to him, the more he realized that he didn’t want it to end. The hard part was convincing Raven that he was worth taking a chance on.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Fire has no brother ~ Nigerian proverb
If Raven had to admit anything about her and Cade’s relationship, it would be that it felt good to have someone to come home to each night. Something and someone to look forward to seeing. To spending time with.
How long had it been that she’d had that in her life? Too long. Even when she’d lived with her grandmother, she’d come home to an empty house most evenings after school. Her grandmother had been very involved in her church and had been out most nights.
Walking into Cade’s home each evening filled her with thoughts of happy-ever-after. She could own up to the fact that, at one point not too long ago, those same thoughts would ha
ve scared her.
But that was before Cade had confessed his love for her and she had done so in return.
Somehow, putting her emotions on the line had opened her up to the possibility of more. She’d enjoyed taking care of him during his training. It was obvious how much the task took out of him.
The last couple months when he’d trained, she had slept in her room at the resort, even though she’d started staying at his place each night.
It was strange—she could only gauge time passing based on how many times he’d gone through the drills.
The first time she hadn’t been at his place because she’d had to work extra hours. The second time, she’d needed to change rooms.
Now that most of the top rooms in the west building were done, she was debating changing rooms again or just asking Cade if she could move in full time with him. She doubted that he’d mind, since on the nights she hinted at staying at the resort he would talk her into driving to his place instead.
Now that training was over, he’d suggested they take a drive to the beach that weekend instead of the hike they had planned. She knew his ankle was still giving him problems and had tried to convince him to go in and see a doctor about it. Each time she brought it up, he shrugged the suggestion off and reminded her that he’d been pre-med and knew what a sprained ankle looked like.
Parts of her was thankful that he had the training he did. He was the first person she’d called when one of the kitchen staff had sliced off the tip of her finger. Cade had already been on his way up there and had made it there faster than the ambulance could have gotten there. He’d been so much help because the girl, Rebecca, a teenager whom Fiona had hired in the kitchens in the evenings, had gone into shock.
After seeing two dead bodies in the past couple months, she’d been able to keep her cool during that ordeal.
She couldn’t believe that in less than two weeks the resort would host its first event, even if it was unofficial. Hosting Cade’s mother and uncle’s wedding was going to be the perfect start, not only for her but for everyone who worked at the resort.
Raven understood that Fiona had spent a lot of her time after work planning and organizing to make her second wedding perfect.
