by J. M. Madden
Sam shut off the water and grabbed a towel from the stack. As he scrubbed himself dry he was once again aware of all the little cuts and scrapes he couldn’t see. Duncan was right. He’d be sore tomorrow .
Shit. He needed to call his insurance company and arrange for a rental. After he got dressed .
Luckily he had a decent pair of jeans, underwear, a t-shirt and quarter zip he could pull over everything since he’d pitched his burnt coat. Hopefully it would keep him warm enough because he didn’t have time to run back to his apartment for anything else .
When he walked out into the rec room, Parker was sitting on a bench lifting thirty-pound bar bells. Not seriously working out, just doing something to waste time. These odd shifts were filled with not a lot of anything, so you had to keep yourself busy somehow. When the field investigators were working, the base operators had to stay available in case they needed anything. Sam himself had worked this shift many times .
“Is there anything purple in here?” he asked the other man .
Parker looked up, frowning. “Purple?” His pale eyes scanned the room. Then he pointed at a mat. “That’s a pinkish purple .”
Sam looked at it, hard, but it was just gray. A shade darker than the carpet it laid upon but lighter than the equipment on top of it. “Anything else ?”
Parker limped across the room and grabbed a video game case from a rack, holding it up. Sam shook his head. Gray .
Turning, Parker scanned the room, eventually turning back with a shrug. “Nothing else purple, buddy. What’s up with purple ?”
“I could see that woman’s hair, Parker. I haven’t seen color for four years. Why all of the sudden would I see purple on her ?”
Parker’s eyes widened, and he crossed his heavy arms over his chest. “Her hair was very colorful. And you saw that ?”
Sam nodded, running his hand through his wet hair. “Her eyes are a shade of violet, too. I about had a heart-attack when I saw her. I mean, I had passed out and I woke up on a gurney, with her leaning over me .”
“Damn! That’s totally incredible.” Parker grinned, his normally forbidding face open. “I’d be tracking her down, if I were you .”
Sam shook his head, grinning a little. “I’m meeting her for her department Christmas party in a while .”
Parker grinned and reached out to smack Sam on the shoulder. It hurt. “Easy, Quinn. Damn !”
“Sorry, buddy. I’m just excited for you. Maybe this girl can break you out of the funk you’ve been in .”
“Me? I’m not the only one that needs a purple-haired miracle .”
Parker’s expression dimmed a little, and Sam felt bad about pointing out his solitary life. They all tended to be solitary, but Parker was different. It was almost like he was punishing himself by staying alone. It had taken months after the guy had joined LNF before he started talking to people, and interacting .
Sam had seen it a lot in the time he’d been here. The need for a place to fit in ached so bad in your soul that it was hard to believe that a place like that existed for them. He’d been at LNF for a few years now and he loved everything about it. The people, the shifts, the regimentation and most especially the acceptance. When he’d been discharged from the Marines it had been so hard acclimating to civilian life. One of his old teammates had told him about the company and he’d applied, but hadn’t expected to be hired. Apparently he was fucked up enough to be a part of them because they’d called him within a week, he thought with an internal laugh .
There was definitely a transition phase to fitting in here, and Parker seemed to be there now .
“So, what’s the girl’s name?” the other man asked .
“Sparrow.”
Parker smiled slightly. “Sam and Sparrow has a nice ring to it .”
Sam shook his head. “You’re thinking way ahead of me. She’s just … I don’t know. I’m a little fascinated .”
Parker shrugged. “It’s Christmas. Why not wish for the stars ?”
Hm. Good point .
“You should get her a gift, or something,” Parker continued. “If it’s a department party you may think about taking a tray of cookies or something too .”
Damn it. Sam scowled, looking around. “I don’t have my truck. Damn it, I still have to call insurance. I better do that now while I’m thinking about it .”
Sam called Denver PD first and got a report number for the crash, then called his insurance company. They were very understanding and promised to have a rental delivered to the LNF offices the next morning. When Sam hung up, Parker was there, holding out his key ring .
“Go ahead and take my ride for now. There’s a company vehicle here if I need to do anything. I have a feeling I’ll be sitting here playing video games while you’re making a life connection with your purple angel .”
Sam grinned and took the keys. “Thanks, buddy. Now what the heck do I get her ?”
In desperation Sam called Shannon to ask her where he thought he should shop for a woman he’d known for less than thirty minutes, but he felt like was going to change his life forever. She laughed, taken aback at the question. “Are you serious ?”
Sam related what had happened and she sighed on the other end of the line. “Oh, Sam, that’s so romantic! I’m so happy for you! This feels like it’s meant to be .”
Sam didn’t dare even think about it. Literally, there was a long ways to go until he felt anything of the sort .
“Food is easy. Call B-Dub’s and have them do a wing platter. Firemen love hot stuff, or you can do a mix. Order it now and you can pick it up on the way. As for a gift…” her voice trailed off as she thought about it. “You don’t want to be too intimate, but you want her to know that you put some thought into this. Maybe a pretty necklace from Kohl’s or something? Oh, or a massage! I bet she has some incredibly tough days. A hot stone massage after a long weekend might be really nice. And they’re not too expensive .”
“That’s not a bad idea,” he said slowly .
“I’ll text you the name of the place that Willow has taken me to. They should still be open if you call now .”
“Thank you, Shannon. I really appreciate the ideas .”
“No problem, dear. I wish you luck tonight .”
Yeah, he was going to need it .
Chapter Five
S parrow wished she could get rid of this nervousness. She was a ball-buster. The guys at the firehouse accepted her as one of their own. Proportionately, she could lift as well as they did, run as hard as they did, carry as much as they did. She’d changed in the locker room with them for years before someone thought that wasn’t PC enough and created a female section to the living area. Whatever. These men were her brothers and she would die for them. It didn’t matter that she had breasts instead of balls, the dedication was the same .
It was well-known throughout the fire department that she didn’t date other firemen. Sometimes the noobs would come in and they’d have to be smacked down like puppies with a newspaper, but once they fell into line they would be just like every other male she worked with. Once over the integration process, they didn’t have any reserve talking about the chick they’d screwed the night before or the truck they were looking at buying. She’d lost her femininity in front of them .
So, when Sparrow walked into the department wearing a push up bra beneath her long aqua blue tunic, and fuck-me knee-high boots over her black leggings, they didn’t exactly know what to do. She’d also taken the time to blow her hair dry so that it curled softly around her face, and highlighted her eyes with make-up. She couldn’t do lipstick no matter how hard she tried, it never seemed to match the rest of her, but she could do a tinted gloss .
The silence in the truck bay was a little embarrassing as the men turned to look, but she owned it and carried her veggie tray across to the tables set along the back wall, near the offices. Several of the wives were there, stirring food in casserole pans and warmers. More than one took a double-take when the
y saw her, and she could almost hear the alarm going through their heads .
If only she could tell them she wasn’t out to fuck any of their men. There wasn’t one male in this place that she would consider destroying her career over. She’d worked too hard to get where she was .
Nina, Keri’s wife, came around the table to greet her, looking her up and down comically. “Look at you, Sparrow! What a beautiful outfit .”
And though she smiled, Sparrow could almost read the anxiety in Nina’s eyes. Of all the men in the department, Sparrow spent the most time with Keri. Literally, they were together twenty-four hours at a time sometimes. Probably more time than he actually spent at home with Nina, who had her own part-time job to juggle as she took care of their high-school age kids .
Sparrow enjoyed Nina, though, and didn’t want her worrying. “I have a date coming .”
Nina’s mouth dropped open and it took her several long seconds to regain her composure. “That’s excellent! Anyone I know ?”
Sparrow shook her head. Keri had been in the Denver FD for many years, almost twenty now, and he knew a lot of people. In turn, Nina knew even more people .
“He’s not in the FD. I’m not sure what he does exactly.” She frowned, realizing she had no idea of much of anything. “He may not even show up. It was kind of an odd meeting .”
“Oh, really? Why is that ?”
Sparrow blinked at Nina and gave her a truncated version of the events that had happened earlier in the day. “He says he can see me in color .”
She flicked at the hair hanging down over her cheek .
“That’s fascinating,” Nina told her warmly, reaching out to squeeze her arm. “I hope he shows up. I’d love to meet him .”
As if in response to her words, the outer man door swung open and her eyes landed on Sam Willet .
Sparrow didn’t understand what was happening to her. The tunic she wore tightened around her middle and she had to think about breathing. Heat rolled up her cheeks and she knew she was blushing. If her coworkers saw her they’d never let her live it down. Tipping her head down she allowed her hair to cover her face as she began weaving through the people between them .
The big man gave her a bit of a grin when she stopped a couple feet away, and she realized he had sexy little dimples in his cheeks. “I brought wings .”
Sparrow looked down at the familiar logo. Yes, he had. A bunch .
“That’s awesome. Thank you. We can put them on the table over here .”
Leading him through the crush of people and running kids, they found an empty spot on the table. Nina waved, indicating that she would take care of them .
“Can I get you a drink?” she asked Sam, a little breathless .
“I’d take a bottle of water .”
That was one thing they never ran out of. She grabbed two from a double fridge and handed him one, then led him through the bay to a less-densely populated area. Long tables filled this side of the room and they were fairly empty. The horde was waiting for the go-ahead to chow. Sparrow hoped that if she was seen talking to an unfamiliar guy that they would leave her alone .
This may have been a very bad idea .
Sparrow could feel his eyes on her back, and it made her skin prickle .
She turned to Sam with a smile as she sank to the bench. “I’m glad you made it .”
Grinning, he looked her up and down as he sat down beside her, their knees almost touching. “You look stunning. It was so worth my effort to come down here .”
Once again, she blushed under his attention. This was so bad .
“So you still ‘see’ me ?”
She tilted her head, letting her hair fall away from her face. His warm brown eyes landed on it, and he nodded .
“I see every purple strand .”
Pinching at the fabric of her tunic, she raised a brow at him, but he shook his head. “That is some shade of blue I think but I can’t say for sure .”
“It’s kind of an aqua blue color,” she confirmed .
“But it appears to me as gray. I’ve just learned through the years that that shade of gray normally means it’s in the blue range .”
She blinked and shook her head. “That’s a little strange .”
Sam shrugged gave her a crooked smile. “You’re telling me. I have to apologize now if I stare too much. I’m just,” he paused to clear his throat and she could tell he was getting choked up. Turning away from her he planted his elbows on his knees and looked at the wall across from him .
Sparrow gave him his time and let him breathe, but she when he looked back at her there were tears glittering in his eyes. “Imagine,” he told her, “living in a city neighborhood with sunglasses on. Everything you see has been leached of color. Everything. The sun, the blue sky, the red brick of the buildings, the cars. Everything has turned monochrome. Food loses its appeal because it looks like a pile of crap on a plate. People lose their individuality because they all look the same.” He took a breath, obviously trying to ease back on the emotion. “Then in the midst of an emergency, suddenly there’s this shining beacon of light. Even in the middle of all the craziness— fires, emergency lights, people— this beacon shines .”
Sparrow felt her own throat tighten with emotion and she swallowed heavily as he turned to gaze at her .
“You can’t imagine how beautiful you are to me .”
Now Sparrow fought tears, and she wasn’t doing a good job. She swiped her fingers beneath her eyes, trying to breathe through the emotion, but she’d never been anyone’s anything like that before. “Maybe I’ll cut you off a chunk and you can keep it with you .”
He shook his head, his eyes like warm melted chocolate. “I don’t think the hair is the important part. I think it’s the woman it’s attached to .”
Damn. That Grinch movie came to mind, where his heart expanded like four times in a few seconds. Sparrow felt that way now. “This got heavy pretty quick .”
His eyes stayed on hers for a long moment before he reached beside his leg .
Sam grinned at her, but it didn’t help anything. It just made him all the more appealing. She was in serious damn trouble .
“Here,” he said. “Let’s lighten it up .”
Sparrow had seen the Christmas bag but it hadn’t really registered in her addled mind. “I didn’t get you anything,” she told him, feeling a little put out .
“I didn’t expect you to,” he told her softly. “But I wanted to get you something .”
She pulled the red tissue paper from the bag and drew out the bundle of fabric. She let the black t-shirt fall open and giggled at the saying. ‘Firefighter-Because Bad Ass Lifesaver was not an official job title’. “Okay, that’s awesome,” she laughed .
She peered into the bag, because she’d felt something else in there too. Drawing out the little box, she frowned, hoping he hadn’t spent a lot of money on her. She flipped the lid and drew in a startled breath. “Oh, wow …”
It was a silver necklace with a small black globe on the end, about the size of a small marble. It seemed to be completely black except for the sparkle of a diamond or stone in its depths. The effect was startling, and humbling, because she had a feeling that was how he saw her .
“Thank you, Sam,” she said softly. “That’s very sweet. And thank you for not going the easy route and throwing something with a bird on it at me .”
Throwing his head back he laughed outright. “You are very welcome .”
The necklace was really quite stunning. She wore so little jewelry. Pulling the little card thing from the box she unwound the chain and unfastened the clasp. Her fingers were shaking as she tried to fasten it behind her neck, though, and she couldn’t get it done .
“Let me,” Sam told her. “Turn around .”
She handed him the ends of the chain and turned her back to him. Within a few seconds he dropped the necklace down in front of her and drew the ends up behind her neck. His cool fingers brushed her skin and a shive
r went through her .
“Sorry my hands are cold .”
That wasn’t it at all but she didn’t say anything, too overloaded to contradict him. Her body had suddenly come alive from the tiniest brush of his fingers. Sparrow was swimming in emotion, and it was a very deep pool. Feelings and reactions were bombarding her and she didn’t know how to deal with it all .
Luckily, Battalion Chief McCarty called for attention then by ringing the generations old brass bell on the office wall. Everyone milled to a stop and turned their attention to him. Sam and Sparrow turned on the bench seat to give him their attention .
The older man had been in charge as long as Sparrow could remember and she was sure he’d given this speech many times but there was affection in his eyes .
“You guys have worked your asses off for this city this year. I know it’s not an easy job and most of the time it’s a thankless job, but we make a difference. The crash we responded to today could have been bad, but we utilized our training and got the job done, and no one died. That’s a good day in my book. Here’s to all you hardworking assholes. I love every one of ya.” Lifting a beer in salute, he took a hefty swallow, washing way the emotion in his voice. “Let’s eat !”
Maybe she needed to take up drinking, Sparrow thought. Perhaps it would control all this anxiety and fluttering she had inside her .
“Seems like a good guy,” Sam told her as people began moving toward the food lines .
“He is,” Sparrow agreed. “He’ll back us in anything. And he’s been through more fires than I can even imagine. This was a bit of a rough crew before he came in and shaped them up .”
“That’s awesome. It’s how a boss should be. Mine is like that too. Only hires other veterans like himself. I’m very thankful that he took a chance on me .”
“And what do you do?” she asked curiously .
“I’m an investigator with the Lost and Found Investigative company .”
Her brows lifted in surprise. “Oh, I bet that’s interesting,” she said grinning .
