by Sable Hunter
Driving up, she parked, glancing around to locate Brodie’s truck. It wasn’t there. She breathed a grateful sigh. Maybe she could get in and talk to Chief Gray before he arrived. Opening her door, she ran a smoothing hand over her clothes and got ready to face the day. Standing up straight, she gave herself a mental pep talk. She could do this. She hadn’t really done anything wrong. The shame was his, not hers.
Yea, if she only believed her own hype.
When she pushed open the door, she was happy to see no one was around. Walking over to the Chief’s office, she tapped, waiting for him to look up. When he did, he grinned, waving her in. “Shane, what can I do for you?”
“Good morning.”
“Sit down, take a load off.” He leaned back in his chair, closing the lid of his laptop. “What can I do for you?”
Now, that Shane was here, she was questioning the wisdom of this move. She probably should’ve thought about this more. Oh well, she was here, might as well get it over with. “I’d like to apply for a transfer.”
Logan frowned. “Out of the department? Our VFD’s aren’t really set up that way. I could probably pull some strings, but you’d really have to resign and reapply. What’s going on?”
Shane folded her hands to prevent them from trembling. “It doesn’t have to be out of the department. Maybe, I could switch partners? When the new men come in, couldn’t one of them be assigned to Mr. Walton? Maybe, I could work with the other gentleman?”
Logan pressed his lips together. “So, this is about Brodie? Do you have a complaint to lodge?”
Shane shook her head. “No, sir. Mr. Walton is a fine supervisor. The problem I have is my own. I tend to get on his nerves.” She blanched at her lame explanation.
To her dismay, Logan chuckled. “You get on his nerves? I can’t see how that’s a bad thing. Something needs to shake Brodie up. He’s been living in a vacuum for years.”
“Yes, sir.” She nodded. “I know he’s had a hard time. I just think he’d do better working with someone else. The problem is totally my fault. We’re just not the right fit.”
Logan surveyed Shane, deep in thought. “I think you’re a very kind lady, Miss Wilder. I tend to disagree with your assessment. I think you’re a perfect fit for Brodie, exactly what he needs.”
Shane tensed. Heck, what would she do now?
“However,” Logan continued, “I’ll grant you your internal transfer and let Walton know about it.”
“Thank you, sir.”
She rose and felt a great sense of accomplishment, which dissipated quickly when she saw Brodie coming through the door. Ducking her head, she avoided speaking to him, turning abruptly to head for her locker.
“Shit,” Brodie muttered. Shane had already been in to see Logan. “Fuck.” What had he expected? He’d literally fucked over one of his employees. If he didn’t lose his job over this he’d be surprised. “Sure didn’t take her long.” His complaint didn’t even ring true to his own ears. Whatever he got over this deal, he deserved. Shane was right, Mary would be so disappointed in him.
Logan saw him and motioned him in. “News, Walton. Effective tomorrow when the new guys come in, Lyndon Reese will be partnering with you and Wilder will be teamed up with Orion Stark.”
“May I ask why, sir?” He braced himself.
Logan shrugged. “Shane came in this morning and asked for a transfer. She offered no explanation other than the two of you weren’t a good fit and that she tended to get on your nerves. Knowing your circumstances…” He paused, when he saw Brodie slump over. “We all know your circumstances and we all sympathize. I think we’ve made allowances for you. And I’ll make this one, but I will tell you this, I don’t think for a minute that whatever problem you and Wilder have is her fault.”
Brodie nodded. “You’re right. The fault is all mine.”
“Well, as long as you realize that, I guess you’re making progress.” Opening his laptop, Captain Gray went back to work. “Try to get along with the troops, Walton. There’s no one in the department that isn’t rooting for you.”
Properly chastised, Brodie made his way to his office just in time to hear the radio go off. He and Shane had a call to answer.
…Hearing the alarm, Shane put aside her concern and headed for the ambulance. She was a professional, she could handle this. Brodie was a professional also – a professional asshole, at times – but she had no doubt they’d work together to do whatever was necessary. All she really wanted to do was get through this day and start over fresh tomorrow.
Brodie sat behind the wheel, as tense as could be. When Shane jumped in next to him, he was struck by how good she smelled. It wasn’t anything overpowering, just a light fresh scent. To his surprise, he started to get hard. He’d tried so hard to erase the memory of her in his bed – the sight of her ready to accept him, how it felt to be inside of her…the way she’d smelled, her arousal mixing with whatever girly shampoo she used that smelled like baby powder and fresh peaches.
As she fastened her seat belt, he glanced over at her. He could tell she was nervous – of him. God, he felt like hell. But he couldn’t be nice to her, he would undo all the good he’d done yesterday with his fuck-off. Maybe he could just be professional. “Ready to roll?”
“Yes. What do we have?” Shane hoped to God he didn’t bring up anything about the fiasco, she just wanted to forget it ever happened.
Damn, she was being nice. He almost wished she would rail at him or something. “Car accident, a woman ran off the road and struck a fence. She’s okay, but her four-year old son has a picket sticking out of his forehead.”
“Oh, God. I hate when it’s kids.”
“Agreed.” Brodie’s attention was drawn to the road, getting on it, and staying on it as he sped to the scene of the accident, siren blaring. Even while his focus was on the highway, he stole occasional glances at Shane. Her hair was loose and flying in the breeze made by a half-open window. He could see her profile and the elegant curve of her neck. Her face wasn’t classically beautiful, to him she resembled a young Lizzy Caplan, one of his favorite actresses. She had character – and spunk. He took a great deal of pride in how she handled herself on these calls. There was no hesitation, just a whole-hearted effort to do whatever she was called upon to do. A good partner.
And he was handing her off to someone else…
Shane kept her eyes on the passing landscape, or at least that’s what it looked like she was doing. Actually, she was watching Brodie. From where she was sitting, her side-view mirror clearly reflected him. She didn’t know what was going on, but he kept looking over at her. There was no way she’d try and interpret his facial expressions, she’d been wrong before. Still…she wished he wouldn’t look at her. She could just imagine what he was thinking. Red heat rose in her cheeks when she recalled how she’d thrown herself at him, how she’d put herself on display as if she had the kind of body he’d ever want. Shane wondered how he’d managed to perform with her? Jerking her head sharply from the right to the left, she tried to eradicate the picture from her mind.
“What’s wrong?”
See, he had been watching.
“Nothing. A little bit of a headache.”
“Well, I can’t imagine shaking your head like that and rattling your brains could do your aching head any good.”
“Probably not,” she agreed, making no comeback.
The even monotone of her voice worried him. He was just about to address the issue when he saw the wreck ahead of them. “We’re here.”
Immediately, they were both in rescue mode.
Shane grimaced when she saw the scene before her. It looked like half the fence was sticking out of the car. The closer they came, the more they could hear screams. What was really disturbing was that it was the mother, not the child. The child was unable to scream.
At the car, Shane had to hold it together. She and Brodie got the child out and stabilized him, but the piece of wood was embedded into the side of his
head and his chest was partially crushed by another post. She didn’t know how in the world he could survive something like this.
“Careful.” Brodie cautioned as they worked. “Let’s get him in the unit.”
They had to make the crowd back up, so they could safely move their patient.
“What’s his name?” she asked the tearful mother. If he came to in the ambulance, she wanted to be able to comfort him. Calling him by his own name would help.
“Raul.”
She nodded and gave the mother her promise they’d do their very best. Brodie helped her with the initial prep, but soon they were on the road. They just simply could not delay. The ride to the ER was very difficult and traumatic for Shane. Ninety percent of it was because of the child, but some of it was because this would probably be the last ride she’d make with Brodie. In spite of the mess she’d made of their working relationship, she was going to miss him.
“Stay with me, Raul.” Her eyes misted over, holding his small hand. She intubated the tiny boy, inserted chest tubes and administered some medication for the head trauma. Modern medicine was a wonder, but she wasn’t very optimistic in this case.
Once the ambulance pulled up to the doors of the ER, they jumped out and got the little boy into the hospital as quickly as possible. His pulse was thready and Shane offered up a prayer as they wheeled him in.
Seeing Shane was getting emotional, Brodie took over, giving the information to the attendant and helping the team move the child from the gurney to the bed, assuring his neck and head were kept stable.
When he’d done everything he could, he went to join his partner. “I asked the doc to let us know.”
“Thanks.” She wiped her hands on her pants and wheeled around, not willing for him to see her cry.
All the way back to the station, the silence hung heavy between them. Several times Brodie started to say something, but the words stuck in his throat. Hey, he’d gotten exactly what he wanted. So, why wasn’t he happy about it?
As soon as they stopped in front of the station, she was out like a flash. Brodie moved more slowly, he figured the best thing he could do was just stay out of the way.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“How’s my girl?”
“Not good, Aunt Bess.” Just hearing her aunt’s voice made all the difference in the world. Since her parents had passed, her mother most recently, her aunt was the one she turned to when her life seemed to be falling apart. “I fooled around and let another man break my heart.”
“Oh, baby, I’m so sorry.”
As Shane poured out her sorrows, she could just picture Bess sitting on the side of the bed in her room, staring at the bouquet of flowers Shane had sent her for her birthday, or maybe she was studying the photos of her family sitting on the dresser.
“He lost his fiancé in a mass shooting a few years ago and he’s so guarded, so intent on never feeling anything again. I wanted so much to be the one to wake him up. I loved working with him. But…I failed. I took a gamble and I lost.”
“What happened, sweetheart?”
Shane covered her eyes. “I slept with him, Aunt Bess. But he just used me. He’s not over Mary. He never will be.”
“Awww, darling. I hate that you’re hurting so much. Maybe if you just give him time. If you feel something for him, don’t give up. Brodie Walton may be just the man for you.”
Shane sat up. “How did you know it was Brodie?
“I talked to Libby last night. She said you didn’t stay for the party, she said you left with Brodie.”
Shane had to laugh. “You keep up with things from a hundred miles away.”
“Always.” Aunt Bess giggled. “And don’t you forget it.”
After Shane had ended the call, she dressed for bed. When she put on a sleep shirt and pulled on a pair of panties, she noticed a sore spot on her hip. Cocking her butt and craning to see, Shane saw the perfect imprint of Brodie’s fingertips. He’d pressed hard on her skin as he held her still. At the sight, she was transported back to the moments they’d shared. Her on the bed, him behind her. She shivered, passing her hand over the small bruises.
Brodie Walton had marked her in more ways than one.
* * *
“Reporting for duty, sir.”
Brodie looked up from his laptop to see Lyndon Reese standing in the door. He was a big sandy-haired man with a wide smile. “Lyndon, come in and sit down.” He’d been on the verge of walking out to welcome the new men. “How are you feeling today?”
“I’m great. Ready to get to work.”
“Excellent.” Brodie picked up a folder. “I’ve read your file. You’ve got some good experience. We’re lucky to have you.”
“Thank you, I’m glad to be here. My brother lives in Austin, he’s the only family I have.”
Brodie nodded. “Until we get a call, the only thing I have for you to do is some training videos, go through the procedure manual, things like that.”
Lyndon groaned good-naturedly. “Busy work.”
“Well, necessary and worthwhile busy work, yes.” He stood up and moved to the cabinet by his door, picking up the five-inch thick navy blue procedure manual. As he did, he happened to see Shane and Orion Stark talking as they stood by the big garage bay doors. She was smiling and laughing, looking up at Orion as if she expected the wisdom of the ages to fall from his lips. His upper lip raised into a sneer and one of his hands formed a fist.
“What’s wrong, sir?”
Brodie caught what he was doing and forced himself to relax. “Nothing, here you go.”
After Lyndon took the manual, giving it a cursory thumbing through, he stood. “Where can I work, Mr. Walton?”
Brodie went to the door. “Come along. I’ll show you where the conference room is. I want to take the other two in there and we’ll have our first staff meeting.” This wasn’t something he’d done with Shane. He’d avoided being alone with her at all costs, calls were different, anything else was dangerous – as they’d proven beyond the shadow of a doubt. Stepping out, he addressed Shane and her companion. “Listen up!” They turned to look at him. “Join me and Lyndon in the conference room. I want to go over a few things with you.”
“Sure thing. We’ll be right there,” Orion called out. He stood aside so Shane could go first. She gave him a smile. Being treated like a lady occasionally would be nice. Once they passed the fire engine, he moved beside her, whispering out of the corner of his mouth. “Is he as much of a hard-ass as he looks?”
“Yep,” she answered truthfully, then relented. “Really, he’s good at his job and he’s fair. You’ll like him.”
“I’ll reserve judgment,” Orion quipped as they moved into the conference area. “But, there’s one thing I like in this place.”
“What’s that?” Shane asked.
“You.”
From behind the door, Brodie cleared his throat. “Do I need to have a discussion on office fraternization?”
Office fraternization? Shane almost choked. After what they’d done? She caught his gaze and held it, giving him a look that plainly said – ‘what the hell’?
“Is there a rule against interoffice dating, boss?” Orion asked, seemingly determined to pursue the topic.
Put on the spot, especially with Lyndon holding the procedure manual, he had to answer. “No, but maybe there should be.”
“Now, that would be a shame.” Orion smiled and winked at Shane.
Brodie felt himself bristling. What the hell was wrong with him? He refused to look at Shane, so he kept his eyes on the new guys, deciding the best thing would be to change the topic. He’d made his point. “I’d like to formally welcome you and explain a few things.”
During the next half hour, he went over schedules, rules, regulations, and benefits. Shane wondered why she’d never been given this little talk. Another sign that she just didn’t rate in his eyes. As he made his little spiel, she took the opportunity to study him. He looked tired to her, there were circle
s under his eyes. Even after he’d treated her like crap, she still felt her heart grow tender as she watched him speak.
“What do you say, Wilder?”
Shane jumped. She’d been studying him so hard, her mind wandering, that she hadn’t been listening to one word he’d spoken.
“I’m sorry. What did you say?”
Brodie smirked. “Not paying attention, Wilder?”
“Sorry.” She gave him a small, pouty smile. “I haven’t been resting well, a nasty bug made me sick to my stomach the other night.”
He returned her smile with a sarcastic sneer of his own. Orion and Lyndon were turning their heads back and forth to watch them as if they were observing a tennis match.
“Excuse me. I apologize,” Shane sat up and straightened her face. “Now, what was your question?”
“I asked if you had any comments about your time here at Stonewall VFD. You’ve been on several calls and performed well.”
She gave him a slight nod of gratitude, one that conveyed he’d won the point. “During the short time that I’ve been here, I have had the opportunity to go on several different types of calls. We’ve had a great save record. I’ve learned a lot from Mr. Walton. He is an able teacher and the work environment is…”
Brodie held his breath.
“First class.” She finished.
After Shane’s comment, Brodie dismissed the meeting. As they were filing out, the alarm went off.
Shane and Orion had their first call.
While they were gone, Brodie paced, keeping an ear to the base unit to check their progress. For training purposes, their radios were set so he could hear all interactions.
Shane had let Stark drive. He wasn’t sure about that; Shane was more used to the area. There were some sharp curves and steep inclines they would be navigating at a high rate of speed. He listened carefully, expecting the man to make off-color remarks to Wilder, considering the flirting he’d heard going on earlier. To his satisfaction, the conversation remained professional.
