Fire Storm

by Nancy Mehl

  “I’ll be okay,” she said as he approached. At that very moment, she felt her feet go out from under her. Sam reached out and grabbed her before she fell. She was already a little anxious about being around him, but suddenly she found herself in his arms.

  “I don’t think you’re supposed to say you’ll be okay out loud,” he said with a grin. “It’s just asking for trouble.”

  Kaely laughed nervously. He hooked his arm through hers and helped her to his car. At one point Sam slipped, and she reached out, steadying him. When they got to the car, he opened her door. When she was safely inside, he went around to the driver’s side.

  “Sorry about the weather. It wasn’t supposed to snow tonight. The roads are pretty good though.”

  “It’s not a problem,” Kaely said. “A little snow won’t hurt us.”

  “A little? It seems to be snowing every day,” he said as he started the car. “But it is beautiful, isn’t it? I’ve always loved the snow. Reminds me of times with my family. When it snowed Mom would make popcorn and hot chocolate.” He smiled. “She taught me her hot chocolate recipe. If you’re interested, after dinner we could go to my place. I’ll make it for you.”

  Kaely looked at him in surprise, and Sam’s eyes widened. “I . . . I . . . didn’t mean that as some kind of come-on,” he said, looking embarrassed. “I was just talking about hot chocolate.”

  Kaely smiled. “I believe you, Sam. Please don’t worry about it.”

  He put the car in gear and headed toward the street. “Thank you. Boy, I’ve started out really great here, haven’t I?”

  “You’re fine. Hey, you saved my life. You don’t have to worry about offending me.”

  He turned to look at her, his forehead wrinkled. “You don’t need anyone to save you. You’re the most capable person I’ve ever met.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate that. My partner and my brother seem to think I can’t make it through the day without their help.”

  “I think I’d feel the same way if I had a sister.”

  “Maybe,” Kaely said. “But it can get annoying.”

  “I imagine it could.” Sam turned to look at her. “I thought we’d go to the Twisted Tree Tavern. It’s a lovely old house on the edge of town that’s been turned into a restaurant. They have the best steaks in this part of the country. Does that sound okay? Or we could go somewhere else if you’d rather.”

  She smiled at him. “It sounds perfect. To be honest, I haven’t had a good steak in a long time.”

  “Great. They have a lot of other incredible dishes too. I think you’ll find something you’ll like.”

  “I’m sure I will.”

  A few minutes later, they pulled into a circle driveway in front of a large Victorian house. It was painted a deep red and had white trim and a wraparound porch. In the snow, the house was breathtaking. It was the kind of home Kaely had always wanted for herself someday. There was a large sign outside painted with the name Twisted Tree Tavern. Sam parked the car in the adjoining lot. He got out of the car and opened Kaely’s door. Then he took her arm and led her up the stairs to the entrance of the restaurant. The snow swirled around them, and the tiny tea lights outlining the huge front porch created a romantic atmosphere that made Kaely wish she could truly enjoy it.

  When they got inside, a hostess showed them to a table. The lights were lowered and candles dotted the white linen tablecloths. The dining room was absolutely gorgeous. After taking their drink orders, the hostess left.

  “Oh, Sam,” Kaely said. “This place is really special. I’m glad I got to see it while I’m in town.”

  His eyebrows shot up. “You’re not ready to go yet, are you?”

  “Not until we find our arsonist and the police make an arrest.”

  The waitress approached them to take their orders. Sam recommended the dry-aged prime rib with cognac pepper cream sauce. Kaely ordered that with a side of roasted asparagus and a wedge salad with blue cheese.

  “Two of the same,” Sam said with a smile at the young waitress, who didn’t seem to want to leave the table. Kaely was afraid she was going to pull a muscle trying to lean closer to Sam. He didn’t even seem to notice.

  “So, how’s Noah doing?” he asked when she finally walked away.

  “Better. He should be out in a couple of days.”

  “He’ll be going back to St. Louis?”

  “At some point. Frankly, I think Noah got injured just so I would do the driving.”

  Sam laughed. “I’m kind of surprised you drove all the way here. Why not fly?”

  “I hate flying. I have ever since I was a kid. Sometimes I don’t have a choice, but this time I was able to take my car since I wasn’t originally on assignment.”

  Sam’s eyebrows shot up again. “I’m shocked. I can’t see you being afraid of anything.”

  “You’re wrong. I’m human. Everyone has phobias.”

  He nodded slowly and gave her an incredible smile. She felt her heart thud in her chest. She took a steadying breath in an effort to calm herself.

  “You might be surprised by this, but I hated fire for years after I lost my family. One more reason I wanted to join the fire department. I was tired of being afraid. I was determined to overcome my fear.”

  “That’s impressive, Sam. It seems to have worked.”

  He shrugged. “I still feel some panic when we get called out, but I can deal with it now.” He cleared his throat. “There’s only one other thing that scares me. Well, more like haunts me, I guess.”

  “What’s that?”

  Sam looked down at the table. “You might think this is nuts, but I’ve held on to what’s left of our old house all these years. I just couldn’t get rid of it, you know? I realize people think I’m crazy for keeping it this long, but I . . . I just couldn’t . . . Well, there’s a developer who wants the land in that area. Our property is the only thing he needs to acquire so he can build some kind of shopping mall. It would be a good deal for Darkwater. Lots of people from other small towns would come here to shop. He offered me a great deal of money. I said yes.” Tears sprang to his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he said, dabbing them with his linen napkin. “You’d think after all these years . . .”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. You suffered a major loss. I can’t even imagine what it was like for you.”

  “It was terrible. If it hadn’t been for Josh and Tuck, I don’t know what I would have done.”

  “I’m glad they were there for you.”

  “Me too.” He reached over and took her hand. “I hope we’ll be friends too. I really like you, Kaely. You’re not like any other woman I’ve ever met.”

  Kaely smiled as he held her hand. Getting through tonight was going to be tougher than she’d thought.

  forty-seven

  Kaely and Sam had a pleasant, easy conversation as they ate. Sam told her stories about his life in Darkwater when he was a kid. He even talked about his parents.

  “Dad was a great guy. He headed the fire department like it was a paid position. His men respected him.” He chuckled. “And yes, back then all firefighters were men. I think there were female firefighters in other places but not in Darkwater. We seem to run about ten years behind the rest of the country. In the nineties we still thought Olivia Newton-John was cool. Hadn’t heard about Michael Jackson’s comeback.” He lowered his voice and looked around. “To be honest, I still like Olivia. Have several of her CDs. Don’t tell anyone.”

  “I’ll keep your secret if you don’t tell anyone I have the soundtrack to Grease and play it at home whenever I clean. Gets me going.”

  “I have that CD too,” he said, grinning. “Now we have to keep each other’s secrets. We could destroy our chances of meaningful social lives with this kind of information.”

  Kaely laughed as she finished the last bite of her steak. It was delicious. She told Sam how much she’d enjoyed it.

  “Good,” he said with a wide smile. “Let’s share one more treat that will keep you from
having to come to my house. Hopefully, it will make up for my faux pas.” He waved the waitress to the table. “Two of your Aztec hot chocolates, please.”

  She nodded and scurried away.

  “Trust me, you’ll love it. It’s made with actual dark chocolate chunks, milk, cinnamon, and just a touch of cayenne. I know that sounds odd, but it’s out of this world.”

  “I’ll trust you. Hot chocolate sounds great right now.”

  Sam frowned and looked down at the table.

  “Is something wrong?” Kaely asked.

  “No. I just . . . Well, I’d like to ask you a question. A favor, really.”

  Kaely downed the last of her coffee and put the cup down. “Sure. What can I do for you?”

  “I rarely go by the old house. It’s out on the edge of town, and I never go that way. No one lives out there anymore. All the neighboring houses were sold and torn down. I haven’t actually gotten out and looked around for years. Too many bad memories. But we’re so close, so maybe before I turn it over . . .”

  “You want to see it again?”

  He nodded.

  “Do you want me to go with you, Sam?”

  His blue eyes peered into hers. “Is that asking too much?”

  “Of course not. I’d be honored.” She studied him closely. “Are you sure it won’t be too emotional? Maybe you should just let them tear it down. Stay away.”

  “You might be right, but I guess I need some closure, you know? I just can’t let it go without walking through it one more time. We were happy there once.”

  The waitress came up to the table with two large mugs topped with whipped cream. Kaely gasped softly. “Oh my. How am I going to finish that?”

  “Trust me, you will. It’s easier than you think.”

  She thanked the waitress, who didn’t even seem to know Kaely was sitting at the table. It wasn’t until Sam offered the same word of thanks that she smiled and said, “You’re welcome. Enjoy your Aztec.”

  Once she left, Kaely picked up the cup and took a sip. It was incredible. She’d been sure cayenne and chocolate would be an awful combination, but it turned out she was wrong. It was like they were made for each other. She’d just taken a second sip when Sam chuckled. She realized her upper lip was white with whipped cream. Embarrassed, she wiped her mouth and smiled at him.

  “You have no business laughing at me,” she said, grinning.

  He touched his upper lip with his fingertip and pulled back whipped cream. They both laughed.

  “Do you like it?” he asked.

  “I love it. My mother made great hot chocolate, but she wasn’t this inventive.”

  “My mom stuck to regular hot chocolate, but it was delicious. The secret is to use real sugar, cocoa powder, milk, and a touch of vanilla. And the whipped cream should be the real thing.”

  At that moment, Kaely’s phone rang. She picked up her purse and pulled out her phone. It was Noah. She looked up at Sam. “I need to take this. Will you excuse me a moment?”

  Sam waved his hand at her. “Of course.”

  In an effort to not disturb the other patrons, Kaely got up and went out the front door of the restaurant. She stood on the freezing patio, wishing she’d grabbed her coat, and answered the phone.

  “Just wanted to know what you’re doing tonight,” he said in a bored tone. “The TV in my room only gets one channel, so I’m watching Big Brother. I have an overwhelming urge to find my gun and blow the TV set out of the wall. Of course, the rubbery chicken and cold mashed potatoes I had for dinner helped my mood immensely.”

  “Oh, you poor baby,” Kaely cooed. “No one has it worse than you do.”

  “You might laugh now, but when I get out of here I’m eating whatever I want, whenever I want.”

  “We’ll see what the doctor says.”

  “Don’t fight me, woman. My mind’s made up.” He paused for a moment. “Your voice is shaking. You sound cold.”

  “Probably because I am. I’m standing outside.”

  There was a brief silence from the other end of the phone. “You may not realize this,” Noah said, “but it’s winter here. Staying inside is much better.”

  “Ha ha. I decided to grab some supper. I came outside to take your goofy call.”

  “Goofy call? Is that what you think of my scintillating conversation?”

  “I don’t know,” Kaely teased. “When will I hear that?”

  “You’re incredibly humorous, you know?”

  “Yes, I do. Look, why don’t you go back to your TV program? I’m going inside.”

  “You really do hate me, don’t you?” Noah said with a sigh. “Is Jason with you?”

  Kaely hesitated. She wasn’t going to tell him she was with Sam, but she didn’t want to lie to him.

  “No, but I’m staying in touch.”

  “I don’t like you being out alone, Kaely,” he said.

  “I’m actually finishing up. I’ll be back at the motel soon. Would you feel better if I call you when I get to my room?”

  “I would.”

  “Okay. Done. Now let me get back inside. I’m freezing.”

  “You left your coat in the restaurant, didn’t you?” Noah said.

  “You’re starting to bug me.”

  “Because I’m starting to know you. You don’t like that.”

  “That goes two ways, my friend. I’ll talk to you in a little while.” She hung up. Noah wouldn’t like it when he found out she hadn’t told him about her date with Sam, but for now, it was something she couldn’t share with him.

  She slid her phone into her pocket, then she gazed out at the parking lot for a moment before going back inside. It was still snowing. She hoped they wouldn’t have any problems getting to Sam’s old house.

  Once she was back at the table, she apologized for stepping away. “Noah’s not very happy with his accommodations. He’s ready to get out.”

  “I hear that. Sounds kinda good at first: bed, TV, and food served to you. But then a nurse walks in with a needle the size of a soda straw.”

  Kaely laughed and picked up her hot chocolate. The whipped cream had melted while she was gone, but that only made the drink creamier. She stirred it a few times and drank it down.

  “We’re not in that much of a hurry,” Sam said with a grin. “You could have taken your time.”

  “I know,” Kaely said, “but it was so good I didn’t want it to get cold.” She sighed. “The entire dinner was wonderful, Sam. Thank you.”

  “You’re very welcome. Are you ready to go?”

  Kaely looked around. “Don’t we need to pay our bill?”

  “I’ve already taken care of it.”

  “I didn’t expect you to pay for everything,” Kaely said, not sure she should let him pick up the entire tab.

  “Look, I asked you to dinner. Besides, I wanted to thank you for everything you’ve been doing. Trying to stop our arsonist, I mean. Darkwater is a great town. It doesn’t deserve to be burned down.”

  “You’re right.” Kaely took a deep breath. “Before we go, could I ask you a few questions?”

  Sam’s expression darkened. “About Jack?”

  She nodded.

  “Why don’t we talk in the car, if you’re ready to go? I’m uncomfortable speaking about him in public.”

  Kaely nodded. “I understand. Let’s go.”

  Sam got up, came around, and took Kaely’s coat from the empty chair between them. He held it out so she could slip it on. “We won’t be outside at my house for long. You should be warm enough with a coat and a sweater,” he said.

  Kaely nodded. “Believe me, I’ve learned my lesson. I’m bundling.”

  “Smart.”

  He took her arm, and they headed to the door. The women in the restaurant all turned to look at Sam as they walked out. Kaely tightened her grip on his arm, praying that tonight would turn out the way she hoped.

  forty-eight

  By the time they were in the car, Kaely felt more relaxed. In fac
t, she was calmer than she thought she would be tonight.

  “How far is your house from here?” she asked.

  “About six miles. Darkwater isn’t that big. It doesn’t take long to get anywhere.”

  “I’ve noticed that.” Kaely looked out the window next to her. “You know, it’s not a bad little town. If it weren’t for the fires, I think I’d find it rather charming.”

  “It is,” Sam said. “There are a lot of good things about this place. Good place to raise a family.”

  “Why haven’t you ever married, Sam?” Kaely asked. She surprised herself by asking that question. Although she’d wondered why he was still single, it didn’t really matter now. But for some reason, the question just slipped out.

  “I don’t know,” he said, drawing out his response. “I think when you have a loss, you tend to shelter yourself from future pain. It’s . . . scary. You don’t want to hurt like that again. I’ve dated, of course, but when it gets too serious, I pull out. I’ll take the step someday, I guess. When I’m ready.”

  Kaely searched his face and saw sincerity there. Surprising.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to spill my guts like that. I hope it didn’t make you uncomfortable.”

  She shook her head. “No, I was just thinking about how similar we are.”

  “I’m sorry, Kaely. I didn’t know you’d suffered a loss.”

  “More a loss of trust,” she answered. “Fortunately, I still have a chance to get my family back. I’m sorry you’ve lost so much. I really am.”

  “Thank you,” he said. “I appreciate that.”

  Kaely turned away again and looked out the window. The silvery-white snowflakes drifted lazily from the sky. They seemed so free. So peaceful. But that was stupid. Soon they would melt and be gone. Their existence was so short. Still, she couldn’t help but envy them a little. Right now, she wished she could drift with them.

  A wave of dizziness washed over her. “Was there alcohol in that hot chocolate?” she asked. Her tongue felt a little too large for her mouth.