The Firefighter's Cinderella (Fire and Sparks)

by Sonya Weiss

  Harper blinked and swallowed. He extended his hand to help her up, and after a second’s hesitation, she took it, warming his palm with hers. A swift, hot reaction raced through his body, shocking him. He stared down at her, their bodies inches apart.

  Her lips parted, her breathing increased, and for one second, she locked gazes with him. “You broke my heart, and I hate that you did that.”

  “Let’s be honest here. Like I told you in the past, you’re mad because I make you want to cast aside your uptight, careful life and break free from all the stifling rules you live by.”

  Harper tensed, her tone scathing. “Like I told you in the past, that’s ridiculous.”

  “Keep believing that if it’s what you need to do to convince yourself, but when you’re lying in your bed tonight, so lonely that you’re aching, call me.” He dropped his voice to a whisper. “And I’ll come over.”

  “Don’t wait by the phone,” she snapped. “It’ll be winter in hell before that happens.”

  “In that case, I hope you own a snowsuit.”

  “You are—”

  “See you around, Harper.” Rafferty jogged down the stage steps. Right before he opened the door to leave, he looked over his shoulder to find Harper staring after him like she was choking back a whole lot of words that would make her mama swear she’d raised her better.

  He winked at her, and she scowled, lifting her chin and looking away.

  Rafferty whistled as he walked back to his car. Life was too short to worry about people who didn’t like you. The problem was that he was too much for the always-needed-to-be-in-control Harper to handle. Their friendship had plenty of times of him pushing her to cut loose and her pushing him to be careful. She was so prim and proper, she’d probably scheduled the times when her ex-boyfriend could kiss her.

  He hated that he missed her, though. That he’d let her get so far into his life and his heart that losing their friendship had cut him to the quick. For weeks afterward, he’d found himself reaching for the phone to call her, but then the past with Jill had risen up, and he hadn’t.

  Shrugging off those thoughts, he drove back to the fire station. He wasn’t on shift today, but he still liked stopping by to see if there was anything he could do to help out. Plus, he enjoyed hanging with his friends there and his brother Lincoln, who was also a firefighter. Lincoln had just married his wife, Josie, at the beginning of the year.

  They were nuts about each other, and it was a little stomach curling to see the heated glances they shared when they thought no one would notice. Sunday dinners at his parents’ house with them was a pain in the butt lately because of how they acted.

  He didn’t understand why any man would give up his freedom when he could have those same heated looks and more without risk.

  Shaking his head, he parked his car and started across the lot, his heart lifting the same way it always did when he strode toward the bay. This was his true passion. Being there for the community. Helping to save lives. There was nothing like the rush that came from pulling someone from a wrecked vehicle or from a burning house. He celebrated each win. Hated the losses.

  Seeing the pain and devastation on the faces of loved ones when someone couldn’t be saved nearly killed him each time it had happened. But he pressed on because it was who he was.

  He walked into the living quarters, stopping behind the old sofa with the neuter-a-man spring if you sat on it wrong. It took him a second to realize he’d interrupted a conversation about himself.

  Lincoln and their mutual friend Kent half turned to look at him then fell silent, but Rafferty wasn’t having any of it. “No, go on. I heard. I won’t get the promotion because why?”

  “Because you have a reputation for being a hotshot,” Kent said without an ounce of regret at the words. He shifted around on the sofa when Rafferty walked over to a nearby chair and sat. “You’re good at what you do, and I don’t doubt you’ll pass the exam, but Chief isn’t going to choose a guy who’s too impulsive, too daring.”

  Rafferty could cop to that. He did have an impulsive side. It was a combination of his adventurous nature mixed with the brutal personal experience life had dealt him. Maybe he wasn’t as cautious as he needed to be, but he wasn’t afraid to rush in where angels feared to tread when a life was on the line. If he was better, faster, and could stand more pain than anyone else, he could hang on when others couldn’t.

  “I’ll admit that I push myself to the limit of what I can endure, but that doesn’t mean I’m not good leadership material.”

  He wanted that promotion because with it came a jump in salary. That money could enable his membership buy in and monthly dues with the adventure club that led experiences all over the world. A few of his buddies had already joined, and if he could get in this time, the first trip on the agenda was skydiving in Costa Rica. It wasn’t often that the club opened up to new members, and he’d missed his chance at membership three years ago. He didn’t want to miss it now. Who knew when a slot would open up again?

  “Your actions have gotten you into trouble on and off the job,” Lincoln said quietly. He looked down at his coffee cup as if he was lost in thought then glanced at Rafferty. “Last January, you were the first one out on that frozen pond without the proper gear.”

  “C’mon, Linc. That kid had already gone under once.”

  “I know that, but we have protocol to follow. What if the ice had cracked under you? Then it would’ve become a double rescue operation. Or worse. We could have lost that kid, and I could have lost my brother.”

  Rafferty understood the emotion behind Lincoln’s statement, but he didn’t take chances with his or anyone else’s life for thrills. He knew what it was like to be too late, to lose someone because you weren’t fast enough, and he’d known he wouldn’t be able to live with himself had he not reached the boy in time. “My gut instinct said the kid wasn’t going to last long enough for us to take the time to follow the rules.”

  Lincoln set his mug down and leaned forward. “Being a leader means you have to set an example for the others. You have more responsibility, more commitment.”

  “I can handle commitment,” Rafferty protested.

  Kent and Lincoln laughed like he’d announced he’d won a celibacy contest.

  “You? Committed to something? You can’t do it with women. I’ll bet you can’t even commit long enough to keep a plant alive,” Lincoln said.

  “He’s right. You don’t have it in you,” Kent added.

  “You’re both wrong.”

  “Whatever you say,” Lincoln said.

  “You don’t think I can do it?” Rafferty challenged. “I’ll prove it to both of you.” He didn’t do commitment because he chose not to, but he could if he had to. He got to his feet. “You said I couldn’t keep a plant alive. I’ll go to the nursery and buy one right now.”

  “I give it a week to live,” Lincoln said.

  “If that,” Kent added with a laugh.

  “The clock is ticking. You know Doug Hoffman at station thirty-one in Avalon Hills is looking to transfer here, and he wants that promotion same as you. He’s your biggest competition,” Lincoln said.

  “Hoffman? The fire marshal’s son? He’s got more years, but he’s also quick tempered and not a team player. Look at what happened last year with that furniture factory fire. He left his partner to save himself. The idiot got lost in the building and put everyone in his unit in danger.”

  “Right,” Kent agreed. “But his dad is friends with the chief, and you know what that means. In spite of his attitude and stupidity, he could still be a contender.”

  “Not one as good as I am.” Rafferty didn’t trust any man who thought screaming at people was an acceptable way to communicate. There was no telling when the guy would explode or do something to create a bad situation. He didn’t want Doug anywhere near the people or the town he lo
ved.

  “He can probably keep a plant alive.”

  Irritated, Rafferty started to say something back to his brother then realized he’d just keep needling him if he did. He turned around and headed to his car, stopping when someone called his name. A cute brunette he’d met last week, Mindy something or other, hurried to him with a wide smile.

  “You forgot to ask for this.” She held out a piece of paper with a phone number written on it.

  Rafferty took it and smiled. In his mind, an image of Harper superimposed over Mindy’s face, killing his smile. What the hell? Not making any promises, Rafferty bid Mindy good-bye and climbed into his car.

  He drove to the heart of Morganville, and at each stop sign, he noticed the shops on either side of the road as if seeing them clearly for the first time.

  Seven out of ten of them had signs or displays urging people to buy gifts associated with love or marriage. No wonder the men around him were losing their freedom.

  The odds were stacked against the male species. Bachelors were branded with a wedding ring, given a marriage certificate exchanging poker night for a honey-do list, and then eventually, to choke off the last remaining ounce of freedom, kids came along.

  Rafferty shook his head as he drove on. Never gonna happen to me, he promised himself. No steady girlfriend, no wife—that was for sure—and definitely no kids. He loved his job, he was committed to it, and as far as he was concerned, that was all he’d ever need.

  Chapter Two

  A week later, after yet another failed would-be prince interview, Harper walked down the long hall past the rows of employees dressed in fairy-tale clothing. Each of them regarded her with hope-filled expressions.

  They were preparing to begin the evening’s rehearsal, but without a lead, the show was not going to go on and she had to break the news to them. Though disappointed, they took it well, but she recognized the meaning behind the glances they shared among themselves. They were worried about their future employment, and frankly, she was, too. A few more weeks without a prince and this castle was going belly up.

  She had to do something. Thrills & Chills, a new amusement park, had opened on the opposite side of Morganville, and while they had a bigger budget and better rides from the rumors she’d heard, they didn’t have any live shows. Which was the main draw for her family’s business. But if the show was canceled, she couldn’t keep the wolf away from the door much longer.

  Without the show… Harper swallowed at the thought and slipped past the arched wooden door into the throne room. She swung her gaze from the red carpet runner to the flag banners hanging from the ceiling. This room was one of her favorites because of all the historical replicas it held. Her heart squeezed thinking about the memories she’d made here, about what the place meant to her.

  Right after Harper turned eight, the father who’d abandoned her had died on one of his life-risking adventures, and her mother had taken the money from his life insurance policy to buy the foreclosed castle.

  Her mom had worked hard to restore the place and the grounds, and so had Harper after school and on weekends. After high school and then college, she’d scheduled her sporadic dates on nights that didn’t interfere with the never-ending to-do list at the castle.

  Now that her mom was out of town on that much-needed break, Harper was going to ruin in a matter of weeks what they’d spent years building. Her mom had sounded so much happier and more relaxed on last night’s phone call. That wouldn’t continue if she didn’t find a man to do the show…

  She took a calming breath. No. That’s not happening. Whatever it takes, I won’t let Thrills & Chills run us out of business.

  Spinning on her heel, she hurried to her office in the castle’s east wing. As soon as she sat behind the desk, her assistant and friend, Ivy Sanchez, walked in. They’d known each other since elementary school, and through years of sleepovers, boy crush discussions, exam cramming, fun times and bad ones, Harper considered her the sister she’d never had.

  “Okay.” Ivy dropped a tote bag on the floor. “I handled the dispute between the cotton candy stand operator and the snow cone guy.”

  “Thanks,” Harper said. The last thing she wanted to deal with today were arguments between employees. As if she didn’t have enough headaches. All of the shields used in the jousting tournament for the medieval games had been misplaced, and one set of the spectator bleachers needed repairs according to the handyman.

  Ivy flicked her long black hair over her shoulder and flopped down in the chair across from Harper, fanning her slightly red face with a pink sheet of paper. “There’s a lot of tension in the ranks. Some of them are saying that the business could go under without the show. They’re worried. Restless.”

  “I know. To be honest, I’m worried, too,” Harper admitted. “Our show brings in the most revenue, and we need that to continue to dig our way out of the financial mess.” She loved her mother dearly, but she’d been ignoring bills, as Harper had discovered, and that had compounded the problem.

  Ivy rubbed her hands together. “So what do we need to do to make the show happen?”

  Harper pushed at a pile of employment applications. “We need a prince fast, but none of the men who answered the ad were suitable.” She tapped a pen against the desk calendar, and her interest was caught by the paper Ivy fanned herself with. “What is that?”

  “I found it stuck under my windshield wiper when I came out of the coffee shop.” Ivy smoothed the paper between them. “It’s a call for open auditions at the community theater.”

  “Open auditions,” Harper murmured then snapped her fingers. “That’s it! I’ll hold auditions for a lead. I’ll post flyers all over town. Surely there’s a handsome prince out there somewhere.”

  “That’s a great idea. You might even have better luck doing that than running an ad in the Morganville Gazette.” Ivy leaned forward with a wicked smile on her face. “I want to be with you when you hold the auditions. You need help picking out the man candy, and I do like my…sweets.”

  Harper laughed and, taking a sheet of typing paper from the printer, quickly sketched out what she wanted on the flyer. When she was done, she held it up for Ivy to inspect.

  “Nice. Love the little hearts you drew above the prince caricature.”

  “Too much?”

  “No. Perfect.”

  Taking her at her word, Harper decided she’d run with it. She patted the pockets of her shorts for the van keys then, remembering where they were, she stood to get her purse. “I’m going to the print shop. Can you take care of things while I’m gone?”

  “Not a problem.”

  “Need anything from town?” Harper offered.

  “Bring me back one of the unmarried Bradford brothers.”

  Harper stopped in her tracks. “You have a thing for…which one?” Not that it mattered, she supposed. Rafferty was as slippery as lotion on a doorknob when it came to relationships, and after Grayson Bradford’s girlfriend had cheated on him, he had no interest, either.

  “Definitely Grayson. What I wouldn’t give to see that man in his birthday suit. I’d even settle for his swim trunks.” She went on singing Grayson’s physical praises, but Harper wasn’t listening.

  Swimming made her think of the hottest summer day on record last year when she’d swung by Rafferty’s sister Casey’s house to see if she wanted to catch a movie. Rafferty had walked into the house, suntanned and muscular in nothing but a pair of board shorts after a day of water skiing at the lake.

  She cleared her throat, wishing she could clear the image as easily, and tuned back in to what Ivy was saying.

  “Are Rafferty’s mom and grandmother still hinting that the two of you should be together?”

  Harper nodded. “They both have such amazing hearts and mean well. I guess maybe they don’t realize or don’t want to realize that Rafferty isn’t ever goin
g to get serious about anyone. Anyway, I need to get the flyers done.”

  She left the office before Ivy could say more. Discussing Rafferty made her heart squeeze a little painfully. She could never do what their families had pushed for and fall for Rafferty. Her mama hadn’t raised a stupid woman, and that’s what she’d be if she joined the ranks of the Rabid for Rafferty, as she’d dubbed his legion of admirers.

  All she’d wanted from him was friendship, and look how well that had turned out. She was thankful she’d never fallen in love with him. The pain over losing the friendship had been bad enough. She couldn’t imagine what it would have been like had she loved him.

  She made the long trek out across the parking lot to the amusement park’s brilliant pink minivan. The sign wrap on the side of the van told the world it was the princess coach for Fairy Tales. Harper used to cringe at the color and the giant plastic tiara on the roof, but it had proven to be good advertising. She climbed in, muttering to herself. “Me and Rafferty Bradford. What a joke.”

  On the way to the printer, she turned on the radio, and when one of her favorite songs came on, a slow ballad about loving a small town guy, she sang along.

  The drive to the center of town was her favorite. There were long stretches of road where nothing but trees lined either side. Dozens of yellow butterflies flitted around picket fences separating a handful of farms. Her sixteenth summer, she’d worked on one of those farms to make some extra money to help with the expenses at the castle. She’d leave work at the castle and head to the farm and work until sundown. When those twelve weeks were done, and she handed over an envelope filled with her paycheck earnings, her mama had cried.

  While it was true that small-town life didn’t have everything that big-city living did, like no big chain grocery stores or malls, Harper didn’t care. It had close family ties, heart-felt celebrations all year long, and neighbors you could turn to when you needed something.

  She’d been born in Morganville and hoped to raise her own family here someday. She loved every back road, the slow pace, and the way people here knew that offering a pitcher of sweet tea, a platter of fried chicken, and an apple pie was the best way to welcome new folks moving to town.