by Siera London
She moved by memory to the exit. “Beck,” she called, “Get out…explosion,” she choked out the words. Kendall imagined her father moving through the youth center saving whom he could as he got her mother to safety. Was he as scared as she was now?
Sizzling air greeted her in the hallway. In her lungs, the sensation was worse than swallowing scalding hot coffee. The effort to descend the stairs with the added weight zapped her energy. With her turnout gear on, circumnavigating through a blaze this intense would be scary, without it…she was terrified. Without the flame-retardant suit, she could feel her body succumbing to the heat and smoke.
All of a sudden an explosion rocked the building. The foundation beneath her feet rolled. Kendall lost her grip, and both she and Mrs. Elliott went crashing down the stairs. The pain as she landed at an odd angle on her leg was excruciating. She tried to stand, but failed. The smoke was so thick she couldn’t breathe, couldn’t see. Thank God, Cutler had gotten Grandma Dinah to safety. She saw her mother’s face, and then she saw Cutler’s. Now, she understood why her father had run back into a burning building. Kendall prayed for her mother’s forgiveness in that moment. The anger she’d felt and the unfound blame she laid on her parent fell away as she lay helpless on the ground. Did she and Cutler have the kind of love that risked everything…because she wasn’t going to make it out.
With the last of her breath, she began to scream. “Stairs, help us.”
With her tongue swollen and immobile in her dry mouth, Kendall collapsed onto her belly, her skin ablaze with heat. She felt her body afloat and the life drained from her limbs.
“I’ve got you, darlin’,” she heard Cutler say in her haze.
She had to tell him how she felt before she left him. Why had she waited so long? She imagined her parents had uttered a message of love to each other before they were gone.
“Love…you, cowboy.”
His wicked chuckle, deep and rich filled her head. “Love you, too, Lil’ Red.”
Epilogue
“Cutler, it’s pouring outside,” Kendall called from the futon, her favorite piece of furniture in the house.
“Perfect. The basket is packed and we’re going to our special place. Then we’re off to meet Dinah and Mrs. Elliott.”
Every time it rained in the past month since the fire, Cutler loaded them up in the truck and drove to the airport—back to their beginning. He never got enough of making out with her in the rain, getting drenched from head to toe.
“I’m glad they decided to be roommates,” Kendall laughed. “Will Nathan, Trace, and the rest of the gang be joining us?”
“I’m glad you decided to accept Captain Brady’s job offer, Red. It’s not every day we have a firefighter that stays behind in a burning building, wearing no gear to save an incapacitated victim.” Cutler came up behind her, circling her waist in his strong arms, before cupping her full breasts in his palms. “You make a decision on my offer, yet?”
Cutler’s marriage proposal came while she lay strapped in the back of an EMT transport with an oxygen mask over her face.
“Um,” Kendall crooned when he kissed her cheek. Thirty days vacation had kept her in Key West after her assignment ended. After she called for Beck to exit the burning building, he had gotten himself and Sally outside. With a lot of encouragement from Trace and Lance, her ex had returned to Cockrell. Sally would stand trial for arson and aggravated assault for starters, if and when the courts deemed her competent. “Yep, I’ve thought about your proposition. I’ll tell you once we reach my grandmother’s house.”
In her ear, he whispered, “You gonna keep your man in suspense?”
She laughed. “Shouldn’t our friends be there when I announce the date?”
Cutler spun her around. His large hands circled her waist and she felt giddy when her feet left the ground as he twirled them around.
“Sounds like we’ll be planning another wedding,” he hollered. “Tell your granny to expect the Hobo Alley contingent for dinner. Nathan and Symphony, Rachel and Claudia, and Adam will appreciate your granny’s cooking.”
Her feet touched the ground, but her heart soared high above the clouds, filled with love and hope for their future.
“What about Trace?” she asked.
“He’s at the hospital visiting his sleeping beauty.”
Kendall said a silent prayer for the unconscious woman Trace had saved during the fire.
“Has anyone responded to the Jane Doe alert?”
“Not yet. Considering she wore a wig and had no identification, I think she might be on the run.”
“If there’s anyone that can slay her dragons and bring her back to the land of the living, it’s Trace.” She stepped closer in his arms. “You ok with loading the truck without me? I need to grab the jerseys I had designed for the kids at the youth center.”
“The kids will love them.”
She looked into the bluest eyes of the man she adored. “I love you, Cutler Stevens.”
“I love you too, Lil’ Red.”
Kendall kissed him. Her heart, the lovesick organ, and life were an open book to Cutler. There was nothing left to conceal. He knew all her secrets and…he still wanted forever with her by his side.
<<<<>>>>
If you loved Cutler and Kendall’s story, read
Nathan and Symphony’s story
In
CHASING FLAMES.
Look for
Trace and Victoria’s story
In
COMMANDING HEAT.
About the Author
Siera London knew she wanted to be a writer when she kept searching for interesting topics to write about. She tried non-fiction writing first, but when the words on the page bored her to tears, she decided to write what she enjoyed reading. By day, she is a nurse practitioner at a private pediatric clinic. At night, she writes sizzling romances with emotion and humor.
A lover of all things culinary, Siera lives in South Florida with her husband, and a color-patch tabby named Frie. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, teaching, or volunteering. She’s a member of Romance Writers of America.
Connect with Siera London
Visit my website: http://www.sieralondon.com
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E-mail me at: [email protected]
Dear Reader,
Check out the rest of the books in the Dallas Fire & Rescue Kindle World here!
http://paigetylertheauthor.com/BooksDallasFireAndRescueKind…
If you loved CONCEALING FIRE, then check out my Bachelors of Shell Cove series.
Click here for more stories by Siera London!
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I truly appreciate your support, and someday I hope to tell you in person the impact you’ve had on my life. Wishing you all the best that life has to offer.
Hugs,
Siera
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