“Oh, that sucks. So a captain and a coach? Of what?”
“Firefighting and lacrosse.”
“Hmm. Maybe I could learn to like him. Though football would be better.”
“Of course it would.” She laughed at his football obsession. “I went to a game though and it was pretty fun.”
“They’re faster paced than football, I’ll give them that.”
She shook her head. “Yeah. Well, we’ll see if you even meet him. Doubt I’ll remember his name in two months.” She grinned, knowing she wouldn’t forget Cam even if she never saw him again.
“With a name that long I wouldn’t blame you. When do you see him next?”
Sage appreciated that Levi wanted to be involved in her life, but sometimes it got to be a bit much. He liked to push her out of her comfortable spots. “Not sure.”
“Why not?”
“I wasn’t too nice to him when he left the cabin Sunday morning.”
“Sunday morning! What the—”
Sage winced at the expletive Levi used. “Levi!”
“What are you doing having him stay at your cabin? I swear I will come home and kick both your butts.”
“Nothing happened.” She hastened to reassure him. “He followed me to the cabin, but there was a storm, and I couldn’t just toss him out in the snow.”
“Yes, you could have.”
“Levi! We slept in separate rooms. We didn’t even … do anything.” She finished lamely, not looking at the camera.
“What was that pause?”
“What pause?” She picked at some peeling paint on her porch swing. She’d need to repaint it this summer.
“You definitely paused.”
“Oh, my, goodness, you are such an older brother!”
“Yes, I am. What did you do? Spill it now.” He glowered at her, and for the first time she was very glad for the seven-thousand, four-hundred, and twenty-nine miles between them.
“I’m hanging up now.” She informed him.
“Don’t you dare. Two months will come fast, and then I’ll—” His brow furrowed as he thought.
“You’ll what?” She taunted, tossing her ponytail and batting her eyelashes. It wasn’t smart to goad him. Levi could be vicious with pranks and retribution. But he wasn’t here now. There was nothing he could do to her.
“I’ll put your Jeep up on blocks and give your tires away.”
She gasped. “You wouldn’t.”
“Try me, and if you hang up on me, I’ll call Dad immediately.”
“You are such a child!” She shouted. Her neighbor was out watering her begonias, and she peeked over the fence at Sage. “Sorry.” Sage called out to her. “Dealing with my brother.”
Mrs. Toolson smiled and waved. “Tell that handsome hunk hello from me.”
“Mrs. Toolson thinks you’re a handsome hunk.”
Levi’s loud laugh grated on her nerves. “She would. Tell her hello.”
“He says hello back.” Sage called out.
Mrs. Toolson grinned and tottered off.
“Details of whatever happened Saturday night. Now!” Levi insisted, the smile gone from his face.
Sage sighed. “It wasn’t a big deal. He had a nightmare, and I went to wake him up.” Wow, this story sounded lame in the light of day. “He kissed me.”
Levi’s lips thinned, but he didn’t respond.
“He must’ve regretted it immediately. He apologized and acted all weird and formal with me.”
“And you kicked him out the next morning and haven’t seen him since.”
“Pretty much sums it up.”
He sighed. “You like him.”
“Yeah.”
“I hate to say this, but he sounds like an honorable guy.” He pursed his mouth. “I hope I don’t regret these words, but I feel like you should go see him.”
“Why do I have to be the one to go see him? He’s the one who acted all weird after the kiss.”
“It sounds like you acted weird, kicking him out the next morning and taking offense to being called tall.”
Sage winced. She stood and went in the house. Her bungalow was barely bigger than her cabin—living room, small kitchen, three bedrooms cramped in the back, and a bath. It had also been her grandparents. The other grandchildren took the money her grandparents had diligently saved throughout their lives. Everyone agreed to let Sage have the small house and cabin. It was a dream come true for her. She loved these pieces of her grandparents much more than a pile of money.
“So, you’ll go see him?” Levi asked.
“I’ll think about it.”
They continued talking, but Sage’s mind kept straying to Cam. Did she dare go see him? What if he didn’t want to see her and things became even more awkward between them? She almost wanted to savor the memories of what might have been rather than seeing him and knowing for certain that they could never become what she yearned for.
Chapter Twelve
Cam was grumpy. He’d had a glimpse of what it could be like to be with a smart, fun, and beautiful woman, and for some unfathomable reason, he’d messed it all up. Luckily, his shifts Tuesday and Wednesday were busy and kept his mind a little bit distracted.
His sister had called him half a dozen times, but he’d been on calls every time and hadn’t been able to answer. Then he decided he really didn’t want to talk because she always pulled crap out of him, so he put off calling her back.
By Friday night he couldn’t stand it anymore. He knew she was going to be ticked if he interrupted her out on a date with one of her numerous wannabe boyfriends, but he couldn’t stand stewing about Sage one more minute. Caylee would drag it out of him and give him advice. He pressed her name on his phone and paced his front yard. He loved his yard. It was a natural landscape with tons of trees and no manicured grass. He simply mowed the weeds and planted more wildflowers. Actually, it was a bit out of control, the only thing in his life that wasn’t structured and by the rulebook.
Caylee answered on the third ring. “You don’t answer my calls for a week. Then you call when I’m at the Cheesecake Factory? You’re interrupting Linda’s Fudge Cake.”
Cam laughed. His beautiful, feisty sister cracked him up. Her wild, curly, dark brown hair, with streaks of red and gold, matched her personality perfectly. “I thought I’d better call you back. Who are you with?”
“His name is James. He’s okay. A little too high on himself and his financial portfolio. The food’s fabulous though, so I can handle a bit of pompousness. What’s up?”
“I can’t just call because I’m missing my sister?”
“Ha! Like you ever do anything random or spontaneous.”
Cam thought about kissing Sage. Caylee would be proud of him for that instinctive moment.
“What’s her name?”
“Excuse me?”
“You wouldn’t interrupt my date if you weren’t really in deep. You found someone you like?” Her voice pitched up in excitement.
“I hardly know her,” Cam said, though he felt like he knew Sage better than he knew most of his crew. “But she’s fun and smart and beautiful.”
“Then what’s wrong? Why are you calling me instead of taking her on a date?”
“Well … I kissed her.”
Caylee squealed. “You teasing me?”
“No, I really did kiss her.”
“Wait. Was it after the appropriate number of dates, running a background check, and asking her father’s permission?”
“Nope.” She’d been teasing him about not being spontaneous his entire life. He didn’t mind proving her wrong with Sage. “Haven’t been on an official date. Haven’t met her dad. For all I know she’s an embezzler.”
Caylee laughed. “Yes! Good job! Oh, yeah, that’s my boy.”
Cam smiled, imagining her doing a celebration dance.
“And what happened after you kissed her?”
“Then I insulted her, I think. She seems to be sensitive about her height.
I don’t know.” He pushed a hand through his short hair. “I suck at this stuff, Cay.”
“I know you do, big man. But if you like her half as much as your voice says you do, maybe you should call her and take her out tonight. Beg her forgiveness for being a dumb oaf and definitely kiss her again.”
The roar of an engine brought his head up. A red Jeep pulled into his driveway. Cam’s eyes widened, and then he smiled. “Good news, Cay. I’ve got to go.”
“What?”
“She’s here.”
“Oh, yeah, I like it. Go, Cam! Go, Cam!”
He hung up amidst her cheers. The Jeep pulled to a stop, and the door swung open. Sage’s long legs encased in skinny jeans were the first things out—they kept coming and coming. Cam was completely enjoying the show. Seconds later, Sage strode toward him, clutching his sweatshirt. Cam couldn’t believe how much he’d missed seeing her beautiful face. His eyes swept over her high cheekbones, pink lips, and deep brown eyes. She didn’t meet his eyes, but shoved the sweatshirt into his hands. “You forgot this.”
Cam held onto her hand with the sweatshirt between them. “Thank you.”
She finally focused on him. They were silent as she seemed to question him with her glance, and he hoped he reassured her. He wanted to be with her, and if he’d offended her, he was sorry. Did he really have to say the words? He thought of Caylee cussing him and pushed out a breath. “Okay.”
“Okay?” Sage questioned. She had the most expressive eyebrows, dark brown and arched in what he thought was a perfect way. Right now, those eyebrows were drawn down close to her eyes.
“I’m sorry,” he said very repentantly. That should do it, right?
“Sorry for?”
Oh, man. She wasn’t going to make this easy on him. Cam set the sweatshirt on the porch and took both of her hands in his. Her eyes widened, but luckily, she didn’t go all girl on him and ask a million questions. “I offended you somehow, and I honestly don’t know what I said wrong.”
Sage’s beautiful smile burst onto her face. “My brother said I was too touchy about it.”
“About what?”
“My height.” She glanced down.
Cam froze. Was she just giving him a hard time? This perfect specimen didn’t know she was perfect? “Your height?” He really didn’t know how to respond. He wasn’t the flowery kind of guy. Not at all.
She pulled her hands free. “Never mind. It’s stupid. I should go.” But she didn’t move to walk away.
Cam touched her arm, sweat breaking out on his forehead. This was important, and it seemed like it was up to him to make her understand. Him. He’d never said the right thing to a woman, but Caylee was screaming in his head now, so he gave it a valiant effort.
“Sage. I’ll probably say this all wrong. I’m not the charming, complimentary kind of dude.” He paused, but she still didn’t look at him. He took a deep breath and plunged ahead. “You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, and your height is perfect to me. I love you being tall, and your shape is amazing.”
Sage was definitely looking at him now. “I think you said that pretty well actually.”
Cam exhaled. “That’s a relief.” They stood there for a few seconds, her smiling and him wondering if he could kiss her again, but Caylee would tell him it was too soon. What was the next logical step? How did he keep her close so sometime soon he could try for another kiss? “Can I take you to dinner?”
She nodded slowly. “Sure.”
Cam was the one grinning now. He’d done it. He’d said the right thing, and she’d agreed to go out with him. “Do you have any place you’d like to go?”
She tilted her head, and her eyes filled with a challenge. “I’ve heard Pineapple’s has great food.”
Cam swallowed. Ah, no. He wouldn’t mind showing her off to the other firefighters, but Pineapple’s wasn’t what he had in mind for a romantic date. “You don’t want to go to Pineapple’s.”
“Why not?” She folded her arms across her chest. “I thought it was where all the firefighters ate.”
“Yeah, to hang out with the guys, but you wouldn’t like it. They’d all, um, stare at you.”
“So you like that I’m tall, but now you’re going to try to protect me from other men staring because I’m, what did your buddy Porky call me, Gigantor?”
“Whoa. Okay.” Apparently he hadn’t set her straight earlier. Dangit. Why couldn’t he make her understand? Why did women need constant reassurance? “You need to listen to me, and you need to listen hard.”
She blinked at him and tilted her head to the side. “I’m listening.”
There was a challenge in her voice, and once again, he knew he had to say this right. His hands were clammy as he started. “You are the most gorgeous, perfect woman I have ever seen in my life. When men stare at you, it’s not because you’re too tall, it’s because you are so beautiful they want to stare until they’ve imprinted your face in their memory for life.” Hey, for a non-emotional captain he’d done okay. He was warming up to this compliment stuff.
Sage blinked at him again, but this time it was because moisture was rolling out of her eyes and down her silken cheeks.
Cam touched that soft cheek. “Hey, don’t cry.”
Sage threw herself at him. Cam caught her and half-laughed, loving her lean body close to his. “Okay. I guess you actually listened to me this time.”
Sage squeezed him around the neck then released him much too quick. “Thank you, Cam. My brother tells me all the time how pretty I am, but, well, you know, he has to say stuff like that because he’s my brother.”
Cam tried to remember the last time he’d complimented his sister or anyone. He needed to do a better job. Though he knew Caylee heard how beautiful she was from all the men she dated, and he doubted she was lacking in the self-confidence department.
“Come on, Coach Captain.” Sage nudged him with her shoulder. “I’m driving.”
First she dragged two huge compliments out of him, the likes of which he’d never imagined, and his fellow firefighters would fall over if they ever heard, and now she was driving? Emily always drove the fire truck, but when he went on a date, he drove. It was just the way it was.
“Okay,” he said, walking to her door and swinging it open.
Sage gave him a flirtatious, half-confident and half-shy smile that yanked him in harder than he thought was possible. Maybe he’d never been on a third date with someone. Maybe he’d never had a woman drive him on a date. Maybe he’d never handed out gushy compliments. Today they were all streaks he was more than happy to shatter. The guys at the fire station bought each other ice cream for anything that was a first. He kept thinking someone owed him a lot of ice cream right now. Probably Caylee. He grinned as he climbed into Sage’s Jeep.
Chapter Thirteen
Sage floored it out of Cam’s driveway, fishtailing and laughing as he scrambled for his seatbelt. She was glowing from his compliments. She didn’t care if any other man in the world thought she was too tall, Cam obviously didn’t, and it felt amazing to hear, especially since he wasn’t the type of guy to shout out empty flattery. That bit about men wanting to imprint her face in their memory? Wow. Maybe O, Captain, My Captain would’ve been an appropriate response.
The cool wind rushed through the open Jeep as they pulled onto the highway and headed toward Pineapple’s. She really wanted to go there with him. Wanted to see him amongst his co-workers and feel the atmosphere of the place. Levi used to go there when he came home to visit before he was deployed. He’d always wanted to be a firefighter, but was recruited to the Air Force Academy on a football scholarship and had used the military to get through medical school and residency. After that, he had stayed in the military life for the past eight years.
“I should’ve kept my sweatshirt,” Cam said.
Sage slowed down a little bit. “It can get cold in here.”
“I like that you drive a Jeep.”
Sage glanced at him. He
looked good in her Jeep, filling up the passenger seat. His deep blue eyes sparkled at her. She was falling for this guy much too fast, but who could blame her with the sweet lines he’d just said and how great he was in the different capacities she’d seen him in.
“Got to indulge in my wild side.” She winked.
He chuckled. His cheek crinkled irresistibly. “I was pretty sure you had one. So tomorrow I’m taking you on an adventurous date.”
“You’re getting a little ahead of yourself. Let’s see how tonight goes before we make any promises for tomorrow, Coach Captain Compton.”
He laughed again.
Sage felt carefree, happy, and just all-around good. Thank you Levi for pushing me to go see Cam. She pulled into the parking lot of Pineapple’s and noted that it was filled with a lot of trucks, Jeeps, and sport utilities. “Where are the mini-vans and Cadillacs?”
Cam jumped down and hurried around the Jeep to help her out. “You’d get razzed for years if you drove one of those.”
He took her hand, and they walked toward the front door. Sage couldn’t believe the difference between the almost crushing feeling she’d had earlier tonight, wondering if she’d ever go out with Cam again, to right now feeling like he was her boyfriend or something. He smiled broadly at her as he opened the door, and Sage felt like he was taller somehow than the six-four she’d given him credit for when they first met.
She glanced around at all the firefighter t-shirts and paraphernalia on the walls. The delicious scent of grilled meat wafted over her. “Yum, it smells good in here.”
“Pineapple is a fabulous cook. I keep trying to get him traded to my crew. Everybody fights over him.”
“I bet.” She inhaled deeply again.
A cute blonde welcomed them, and they followed her to a table in the back.
A yell rang out. “Woo-hoo, Cap! You got a date with the hot Gigantor?”
Sage’s body stilled and went hot and cold in the worst possible way. Cam squeezed her hand. “Excuse me.” He nodded to the blonde. “Jamie, will you please seat my date and get her a drink?”
“Yes, sir.” Jamie nodded to him.
Rescued By Love: Park City Firefighter Romance Page 7
