5
At eight the next morning, Edie eyed Josh across her plate of eggs and bacon. Now eating heartily, he seemed cheerful enough. Maybe he truly didn’t blame her for bringing that thing onto the helo, but that didn’t make her less responsible.
A tap on the door heralded their doctor. Harper pulled up a chair and sat with them.
“The orb has a crack along one side,” he said, “unlike the one from last summer. We think it was either broken, maybe in a magical backlash when they used it, or designed to attract magic. It’s also smaller than the last one. That would probably explain the differences between them.”
“Does that mean you can’t smash it?” Josh asked before Edie could.
“Oh, Will and the deputies will smash it. But you aren’t going to be there. It may try to latch onto you again.”
Edie started, “But—”
“No,” Harper said in a flat, immovable voice. “While we await the orb’s destruction, you two have another assignment. It may seem unnecessary, but I’d like to know the results if another of these things ever causes a similar problem.”
Edie glanced at Josh for agreement. “What experiment?” she asked.
“Two mages who’re touching physically are stronger than two near each other but not touching. I want you to go for a walk in the woods, holding hands, and try recharging as you walk.”
“You want us to what?” Josh demanded.
Edie stifled a rush of hurt. “You heard him,” she said before the doctor could. “He wants us to walk through the woods, holding hands, while drawing from an abundant source of life energy. I think I can tolerate it if you can.”
Oops, her irritation showed. Tough. Josh had it coming.
He shifted in his seat. “I didn’t mean that like it sounded,” he muttered. “It’s an unusual request, you have to admit.”
She answered him with a shrug. Although she kept her eyes on Harper’s impassive face, her peripheral vision caught the uneasy look Josh threw her.
“This may not help,” Harper told them, “but it won’t hurt.”
He should speak for himself. Walking through the woods and holding hands with Josh, when he was so thickheaded as to turn away from her because of her job, was going to be excruciating. But he had a point about needing to know what would happen.
“Any questions?” Harper glanced from Edie to Josh. When both shook their heads, he added, “I don’t think we need to ward you as we go through the building. If whatever this is were transmissible by air, we would’ve detected that by now.”
“You’re sure?” Josh glanced at Edie in shared concern.
“Yes. We’re keeping you in quarantine mainly to ensure you don’t accidentally touch someone.”
They’d touched each other last night. Edie’s face heated at the memory, but Harper was continuing. At least Josh seemed focused on him.
“Josh, you know the way to the woods behind the athletic field. Ms. Wells, one of our nurses, will meet the two of you by the start of the cross-country track and walk the course with you. Everyone has been alerted to stay off the track, and the gym instructors are keeping an eye out. Be sure to wear the alarm pendants.”
Edie pulled hers from under her teal shirt to show him.
“I have mine, too,” Josh said.
They made their way down the infirmary stairs and out the back door. No one else was in sight as they walked behind the main building. The ground sloped gently, then more steeply, with steps leading to a meadow some thirty feet below the building. At the edge of it stood the woods they’d come to visit.
When Edie stepped clear of the building’s shadow, sunlight flowed over her like a river of power. With a sigh, she closed her eyes and lifted her face and palms to the warmth.
“Okay,” Harper said. “I’ll see you both when you return. Ms. Wells will escort you back to the quarantine suite.”
Edie turned to Josh and found him smiling at her. Damn it, he had no business looking so tender if he didn’t intend to do anything about it.
She frowned at him. “What?”
“You.” He grinned, but his eyes glinted soft green. “You’re so open, Edie. I admire that.”
The telltale heat crawled over her cheeks. “Thanks,” she muttered. He admired her, even desired her, but wouldn’t pursue her. The aloof Josh had been easier to deal with.
He held out his hand. Edie stared at it.
“Doctor’s orders.” Josh’s grin faded. “I don’t bite.”
No, and she was overreacting. Not wanting a relationship because of her job didn’t mean he couldn’t pay her a compliment.
Edie laid her hand in Josh’s. The contact created a tiny power surge. She and Josh exchanged a glance of cautious hope before starting down the hill.
If her breath caught and heat flashed up her arm when his fingers folded around hers, that was her little secret.
His barriers weren’t up. The magic carried a faint undercurrent of confusion that made her wonder and a hint of desire that stirred warm fizzies around Edie’s heart.
Going on her first date had felt like this, but she and Josh weren’t dating. There was the little matter of stressful circumstances complicating everything, too. Once the medical problem was resolved, he would likely revert to Aloof Josh.
Edie sighed. There was no harm in enjoying a stroll in the woods on a lovely fall day with a handsome guy who was trying to be friendly.
They walked down the steps. The breeze carried the scents of pine and musty leaves, a joy after being indoors, but the faded grass looked dry and sounded brittle underfoot. “Fire loves this weather,” she noted.
“Yeah. We need a long, steady, soaking rain.”
She lifted her face to the breeze. “Nice to be outdoors, though.”
The trees and grass might be dry, but at least they weren’t on fire, like the ones in the swamp, and the air was clean. Savoring the breeze and the sunshine, Edie and Josh crossed the athletic field.
A brown-haired woman wearing jeans, a green blouse, and boots stepped out of the trees. “I’m Suzette Wells. I’m along in case you run into problems, but I’ll hang far enough back to stay out of your recharge area.”
They walked into the trees. The air felt cooler here, and leaves moving in the breeze cast flickering shadows over Josh’s face. His eyes had turned green, like the trees around them. She was a sucker for the way his eyes changed with his surroundings.
“Do you come out here often?” Edie asked Josh.
“I run the course sometimes.”
“It’s nice.” So was having his warm, callused hand holding hers. “Something here is giving me a lift. I feel better.”
“Maybe it’s the effect of being outside, but I do, too. The power’s flowing in the way it used to.” Josh’s smile lit his eyes. “It’s like leaving the ground behind, breaking through cloud cover and into the light.”
“Or coming out of a fire’s smoke to clear air.”
He squeezed her hand. “That, too.”
Their eyes met in perfect understanding, and Edie’s heart twisted. Staring at the trail ahead, she asked, “How did you get into flying?”
“The army needed rotary wing pilots, and I had the right test scores.”
“So it wasn’t something you’d always wanted?”
Josh shrugged. “I’d never thought about it. The U.S. Army puts you where it wants you. I had an ROTC scholarship to college, so I served five years after graduation. I figured I’d just do the five and bail. I didn’t know I’d find something I loved there.”
“Even under fire, in combat zones, you love it?” He must, to have his current job.
“Flying under fire’s the adrenaline rush, but it’s always important. I like knowing what I’m doing matters. The rush makes me sharper, but the need makes it worth risking, you know?”
“Umhm. That’s how I feel about trying to dig line in time to contain a fire.”
Josh hesitated. “Yeah. So how’d you get into that?�
�
“My folks run an outdoor adventures company outside Boulder, Colorado. They offer rafting, climbing, hunting trips, trail rides, pretty much anything you’d want. I grew up in the forests. I loved them and still do.”
“When you say it like that, firefighting is a natural progression. But trail guide would be, too.”
Edie smiled at his reluctant concession. “When I was twelve, my folks’ business burned in a wildfire. We lost everything, including four generations of family photos. My parents had to start again. I wanted to preserve the wildland and protect those who live in it, not merely enjoy it.”
She gave him a few moments of quiet to think about that before nudging the conversation along. “Why did you choose helitack?”
“I sort of fell into it. I was tired of the army, but I didn’t want to spend my time flying rich suits from one meeting to another. I heard about helitack, checked it out, and it seemed like something I could do.”
“I saw your drop Tuesday. You haven’t lost your touch.”
He flashed her a quick smile. “Even though I rarely fly helitack, I practice now and again, so thanks. Anyway, I did a lot of hunting growing up.” His smile faded, but he added, “I spent a lot of time in the woods.”
Judging by his tone, that wasn’t a happy memory. It wasn’t any of Edie’s business, either, but she wanted to know, to understand him, even if they never saw each other after this.
“Any special reason?” she asked.
“For what?”
He was dodging, raising his barriers again. The vibe in the magic between them diminished with his retreat, but she wouldn’t back away from what she’d started. “For the time in the woods, for the hunting. Take your pick.” Edie tried a friendly smile.
Josh kept his gaze on the track. “It’s complicated.”
“Would you tell me?” She squeezed his hand and stopped, looking into his tense face. “I’d really like to know, Josh.”
* * *
Concern flickered in Edie’s soft, blue eyes. Josh had come very close to spilling a lot last night, but he’d managed to stop because his family issues weren’t her concern.
Now, though, she was asking.
Her palm against his felt warm and sturdy, callused from hours, sometimes days at a time, wielding a Pulaski. Whatever else she was, she was steady and reliable. And kind.
Suddenly, he needed her to understand.
“Things were rough after my mom was killed. My dad…” This shouldn’t still be so tough to say. “My dad started to drink too much. He was a car salesman, a good one, until my mom died. He held it together for couple of years after that. People in Tazewell—Tennessee, where we lived—gave him work because they felt sorry for us.” Damn if that didn’t still burn, too.
“He had long stretches out of work. I’d go hunting, see what I could shoot or trap. We had Mom’s survivor benefits, but they mostly went for cigarettes or rotgut.”
Edie looked thoughtful. Josh stopped, afraid he’d already said too much. He couldn’t stand to have her pity him.
“I’m guessing,” she said, “you managed to keep everybody fed enough, clean enough, and in school enough to stay off Social Services’ radar.”
“Yeah.” If she understood that much, maybe he could trust her with more. “I was the oldest, like I said. Em and Cath didn’t really remember Mom. Or what it was like before she died.”
“But you did.”
He nodded. “Dad wasn’t a mean drunk. We can be grateful for that. But he was pretty much useless most of the time.” Edie didn’t need to know how the house stank of liquor and unwashed male and, sometimes, puke or urine.
“We did homework as early as we could, then had some kind of dinner and beat it to this little place in the woods where we’d rigged up a shelter with old boards and other stuff we scavenged. I tried to keep the girls out of the house as much as I could. Dad chain-smoked. I was afraid he’d pass out with a lit cigarette and set the place on fire. When we had time, I taught Em and Cath what I knew about magic.”
“Your sisters were lucky to have you.”
He hoped they thought so, that they’d never realized how scared he was, all the time, back then. “We got through it together.”
They walked a few more yards in silence. Nurse Wells had fallen behind, probably out of a tactful wish not to eavesdrop.
His arm brushed Edie’s from time to time, and he couldn’t help noticing how the light flickered over her face. Her short, layered hair glinted in the sunshine. The one time he’d run his fingers through it, the silky strands had seemed almost as soft as sunlight. The middle of his chest ached, but he pushed the memory aside.
“So what happened?” she asked.
“My mom’s sister came to visit when I was almost sixteen.”
“Eight years after your mom died.” Disapproval edged Edie’s quiet words.
“That sounds bad, I know, but they’d never been close, especially after Aunt Bree moved to Oregon. She came to the funeral, but Dad was fine then, so she figured we’d be okay. Anyway, she’d gone to a conference in Johnson City and met someone from Tazewell. Whoever it was gave her an earful.”
“I’ll bet.”
Josh made a swooping motion with his free hand. “She dived on our house like an A10 Warthog fighter, bundled us up, and told Dad we were in Portland whenever he got himself sober.”
If Josh lived to be a hundred, he could never repay Bree Vickers for what she’d done. Honing their magical skills had been a small part of it. The haven she’d given them had let him and his sisters focus on school enough to win scholarships, and she’d given Em and Cath the social polish girls needed to survive in high school.
“Ultimately,” he said, “Aunt Bree gave us back our dad. It took a couple of years, but he cleaned up his act. He works at the local hardware store. Seems to like it.”
“That’s great.”
“It all worked out.”
“Because of you.” Edie stopped and faced him. “Give yourself credit, Josh.”
“Aunt Bree got everything straightened out, Edie. All I did was keep the motor running, sort of.”
“You were, what, ten, when your dad started drinking?”
“Something like, but—”
“For a ten-year-old, Josh, what you did is amazing.” Sincerity shone in her face and vibrated in the magic between them.
He should make his point about how his mom and his aunt had held his family together. But the words died in his throat. Looking into Edie’s eyes, seeing the admiration and the sympathy and the attraction there, he wanted more.
He wanted her.
Josh lowered his head and kissed her.
The contact jolted his heart. Surprise flickered in the magic, then pleasure, and then Edie’s soft, warm lips parted for him. Her tongue flicked his, turning his blood to flame.
He brushed her tongue with his, then took her mouth in a deep, plundering kiss. The flood of sensation drowned his brain like a bucket drop on a campfire. When he surfaced, Edie was in his arms, her firm, high breasts crushed against his chest and her body pressed to his.
Sliding her hand into his hair, she made a wordless sound. Josh cupped her taut butt and pulled her closer.
Edie rocked against his erection, blanking his brain again.
“Oops. Sorry.” Nurse Wells had caught up to them.
Josh released Edie as she sprang free. What had possessed him? Judging by the stunned, wary look on her face, she was asking herself the same question.
Josh held out his hand. Reluctantly, Edie put hers in it. The nurse let them get about twenty paces ahead before she fell in behind them. The silence held new tension.
“You know,” Josh told Edie in a low voice, “what I just told you, that wasn’t about me.”
“I know. It was about your family.” The light in her eyes dimmed, and guilt stabbed him. Quietly, she continued, “It was about how women provided the stability in your life.”
“Yeah. It’s wha
t I want for my kids, if I ever have any.”
“Mom-based stability.” Her voice had gone flat.
“Yes.” He had a right to want his kids to have an easier time than he’d had. Saying so shouldn’t make him feel like a jerk.
Remembering should kill the longing ache in his soul.
Edie’d been guarded around him since their almost night together, but she’d never put up walls. This time, she did. He would’ve bet a considerable sum her hand remained in his only because she saw the handclasp as a medical necessity.
She had a right to be pissed.
Being confused didn’t excuse being a jerk. The sooner they solved this medical problem and parted company, the better for both of them.
He glanced at Edie. She’d blanked her face, and he couldn’t sense anything in the magic. At least they both felt more energetic. Maybe this walk had solved the problem and they could end the quarantine.
* * *
Way to go, Lang. Edie scuffed at the dirt path. Once again, her heart had led her head where it knew better than to go. She’d been so carried away with her admiration for Josh and the self-deprecating way he’d told his story, she’d totally missed the point.
Until he so obligingly underlined it.
After a blazing kiss.
And just what the hell was up with that?
“Not much farther now,” he said. “That’s the athletic field up ahead.”
“Then we’ll see Dr. Harper. If all goes well, we should be back at work tonight.” Separately.
“Yeah. That’ll be good.”
They left the woods behind in tense silence. With beautiful sunlight streaming down and the scents of musty leaves and earth in her nose, Edie figured she should be in a good mood. But Josh’s sudden amorousness and her own annoying response to it nagged at her.
Halfway across the meadow, a chill rippled through her. Edie shivered. A tremor rocked Josh’s tall frame.
They glanced at each other. “No,” he said.
Edie’s energy, all the power she’d stored, rolled out of her as though it’d been vacuumed. She staggered.
Josh caught her against him. Suddenly pale, he still had the strength to ease them both to their knees. “Edie, it’ll be okay. Angel, look at me.”
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