❧
Kavan’s chest burned from breathing smoke as he ran uphill. His weak knee buckled several times when his foot landed on uneven terrain. Rick, Chet, and the other firefighters fell in behind him, single file. They could now see the glow of the fire a couple hundred yards behind them. The flames chased them up the hill. Treetops exploded into balls of fire.
Kavan reached for his radio, but it was not there. “I lost my radio,” he shouted over his shoulder.
“Where are we going?” Rick asked, running on Kavan’s flank.
“A cave!” Kavan directed.
Rick nodded.
Kavan led the troop several yards before the opening to the cave came into view. In one accord, the firefighters sprinted to safety as hot embers began to rain down on them. Inside the cave, they fell against the stone walls. Kavan tugged off his headgear and turned his face into a cool draft.
“There’s an opening at the back of the cave. The draw from the fire is creating a breeze,” he said, turning to Rick and the rest of the team. He smiled.
The others removed their headgear; laughter of relief echoed throughout the cave. Firefighter Liam Watson clicked on his lamp. The single glow filled the cave with low light.
The knot in Kavan’s middle unraveled. With a quick scan, he counted to make sure each man had arrived to safety. All here. Thank You, Lord. He sighed a prayer.
“You did a good job out there,” he said, letting his gaze fall on each man.
“We owe you,” Liam said. “You were the only one who knew about this cave. We’d still be running.”
A thin laugh escaped Kavan’s lips. “I explored this cave as a kid. But I gotta tell you, I wasn’t sure this was the right ridge.” His body trembled as his nerves unwound and his taut emotions drained. “Rick, do you still have your radio?”
“Yeah.” Rick clicked it on and tried to contact the command post. “Cave is blocking the signal.”
Kavan dropped some of his gear to the cave floor and slid down against the rugged cave wall, favoring his bum knee. “When the fire burns through, we’ll go back down the ridge through the burn area. Until then, have a seat.”
The clamor of equipment releasing and hitting the ground echoed throughout the cave. No one spoke, each man left to his own reflection. Kavan used the last of his energy to pray. Thank You, Lord, for hiding us in the cleft of this rock. Thank You.
He closed his eyes and dreamt of Elizabeth.
❧
Exhausted, Elizabeth contemplated going home. But how could she when Kavan remained in harm’s way? Grandpa had bid her good night a half hour ago, but he didn’t try to convince her to leave.
I have to know he’s all right.
With the blaze fading and contained, most of the volunteers had gone home. Wives of the firefighters remained, serving sandwiches and drinks to the returning teams. Blackened by smoke and exhausted, the firefighters collapsed on the ground around the command center. Silence hovered over them and, to Elizabeth, the ever-present knowledge that nine men had not returned.
“Lord, I know You are with them,” she prayed, understanding that the peace she experienced was God’s touch on her heart.
Suddenly, a strong, moist wind whipped through the camp, then a sweet, drizzling rain began to fall. Cheers erupted around the command center. Elizabeth joined them, laughing, clapping, cheering.
The operations officer shouted into the jubilation, “Team three is safe. They’re on their way to the access road.”
Elizabeth trembled with relief, and tears pooled in her eyes. “Thank You, Jesus. Thank You.”
❧
In the distance, she watched the all-terrain vehicle bounce over charred ground toward them.
Kavan’s safe. I can go home now, she resolved. But her feet refused to move. She stood planted by the food table, her gaze fixed in the distance. A load of soot-covered firefighters piled out of the all-terrain vehicle and walked toward the command center.
Amid cheering and applause, the firefighters entered the command center. With so many voices talking at once, Elizabeth could hardly make out the story they were trying to tell. Her gaze fell on Kavan. He looked absolutely wonderful, grime and all.
He dropped his gear to the ground and left the others for a drink of water. He downed a large bottle of water, then he spotted her. His gaze, intense and steady, locked onto hers. He set his water bottle on the table and strode toward her.
Trembling and overwhelmed, she started to cry.
Without a word, Kavan drew her to him. She lifted her face to his just as he bent toward her. With tender passion, his lips covered hers.
Fourteen
Kavan woke late Wednesday morning. He was beginning to feel like his old self, having slept most of Tuesday and late this morning. He moved about slowly, feeling the ache in his knee as he showered and dressed, then tended the dogs. He decided to head into town for breakfast at the diner. He didn’t have to work, and a late breakfast sounded just like what the doctor ordered.
He pulled into a slanted parking space along Main Street and shut off the truck engine.
“Welcome, Kavan, welcome!” the diner’s proprietor, Sam Whitfield, greeted him, shuffling out from behind the counter. “Take this booth by the window. Best seat in the house.”
Kavan stared at Sam, puzzled by his curious behavior. “Thanks, Sam.” He slid into the booth.
“What’ll ya have? It’s on the house.” The older gentleman hovered over him, exposing his big teeth.
“On the house?”
“On the house,” Sam repeated.
“What for?”
“Ain’t you seen the paper? You’re a hero. Saved those boys up on the ridge.”
Kavan stood, crashing his legs into the booth table. “What?”
“Maybel, bring Kavan some coffee and the morning paper.”
Kavan eased back down into the booth seat.
“What’ll you have, Kavan?”
He hesitated. Hero?
“Kavan?” Sam tapped his pen against the table.
Snapping to attention, Kavan answered, “The day’s special with a side of pancakes.”
“Coming up. Coming right up.” Sam sauntered back to the kitchen.
Maybel brought the paper and poured coffee. “Nice picture of you,” she said.
There on the front page of the White Birch Record was a picture of him and the eight men of team three. The headline read, “Ranger Kavan Donovan leads firefighters to safety.”
“Nice work up there, Donovan,” a diner patron commented on his way out.
Kavan looked up. Unsure of what else to say, he answered, “Thank you.”
Other townsfolk stopped by his table, congratulating him and calling him a hero. He squirmed with embarrassment. When Sam brought his food, Kavan welcomed the distraction.
“Lord, what’s going on?” he whispered in prayer, his head bowed over his plate.
I honor those who honor Me. The subtle impression surprised Kavan, but he could tell by the impact the words had on his heart that the Living Lord had just touched him.
Finishing his breakfast, he downed the last of his coffee. His cell phone rang.
“Good job up on that ridge, Donovan.”
“Thank you, Travis.” Kavan reclined against the back of the booth, dubious. “How was your vacation?”
“Too much family. I’m glad to be home.”
Kavan smiled.
“Seems the town fathers want to honor you and the others in a little ceremony.”
Kavan winced. “You don’t say?” He didn’t understand the big to-do. “We were just doing our job.”
“Well, the townspeople just want to say thanks.”
Rubbing his forehead with his fingers, Kavan asked, “When?”
“Friday night. Eight o’clock at the civic center.”
“I’ll be there.”
“Kavan, don’t think this gets you off the hook on your budget discrepancies.”
He
sighed. “I’ll be in the office tomorrow.”
Kavan went up to the counter to pay for breakfast.
“No siree, it’s on the house.” Sam pushed the money in Kavan’s hand away.
“No, Sam, let me pay.”
“Heroes eat for free in my place.” He flashed his toothy grin. “Haven’t had a hero around here in awhile.”
None of Kavan’s arguments could convince him otherwise. He stepped outside into the warm July sun. Passersby honked and waved, calling out to him. He felt like Rip van Winkle. The world had drastically changed while he’d slept for two days.
Cruising slowly down Main Street, Kavan gathered his thoughts. Then, as if all the forces in his brain converged at once, he remembered! I kissed Elizabeth.
His heartbeat quickened with the memory of their first kiss. He glanced at his watch. He’d barely talked to her since that intimate moment. Right after the kiss, he had been called away to report on the fire to the operations officer. By the time he finished, she had disappeared.
Turning right at the next street, Kavan headed for Lambert’s Furniture.
As his thoughts cleared, the postfire events flashed through his mind. He’d crawled into bed sometime early Tuesday, and except for a brief lunch Tuesday afternoon, he’d been sleeping ever since.
I’ve got to talk to her!
❧
“Hey, Elizabeth,” Kavan said, peering around her office door.
She jumped to her feet. Papers fluttered to the floor. “Kavan.”
“You got a minute?” Kavan stepped through the doorway.
Anticipation prevented her from speaking, so she simply pointed to the chair opposite her desk.
“I was wondering,” he said slowly as he eased into the chair, his gaze fixed on her, “if you wanted to go for a cup of coffee or something.”
She nodded, then managed an answer. “I was about to go to lunch.”
“I just had breakfast, but do you mind if I tag along?”
Again, she nodded a response, unsure of her speech. Reaching for her purse, she glanced at Kavan and asked,.“The diner okay?”
He grinned. “I’d rather avoid the diner if you don’t mind. Giuseppe’s?”
She relaxed and smiled. “Sounds good to me. I could eat their pizza every day.”
They drove to Giuseppe’s in Kavan’s truck. He appeared to be deep in thought, so she rode quietly beside him. She wasn’t too sure what to say anyway. “Why did you kiss me?” felt like an awkward way to start a conversation.
Kavan pulled into Giuseppe’s lot and parked. His hand paused on the keys as he cut the engine, then he turned toward her and said, “I kissed you.”
His pointed statement pierced the tension, and Elizabeth laughed out loud. “I know.”
He chuckled. “The entire drive over here, I wondered how to bring it up, then bam, it just came out.”
“I wondered how to bring it up, as well,” she confessed. She loved his honesty and the sure way he regarded her.
He slid across the bench seat to grab her hand. “I’m sorry I didn’t call you. I slept almost nonstop once I got home, and it wasn’t until I finished breakfast this morning that I remembered what happened.”
She broke her gaze and stared down at her fingers. “I understand.”
He lifted her chin with the tender touch of his fingers and peered into her eyes. “Do you?”
She looked away. “Yes.” How could she tell him?
“Elizabeth, what’s wrong?” Kavan insisted. “I hope I didn’t offend you by kissing you. It’s just, well, when I saw you standing there. . . You were the last person I expected to see. Guess my heart overtook my head.”
Tears slipped from her eyes. “I was so happy to see you walking out of that fire alive.”
He chuckled. “I was happy to be walking out of the fire.”
“I wanted to run up to you, but I couldn’t.” She wiped away the tears.
He waited, listening, smoothing her hair with his hand. She loved his touch. Say it out loud, Elizabeth.
“That was my first kiss.” There, I said it.
His eyes popped wide open. “Ever?”
She laughed through the returning tears. “Well, since Jude McAllister kissed me in fourth grade on a dollar dare.”
They stared at each other for a moment, then filled the cab of the truck with simultaneous laughter. “A dollar dare, huh?” Kavan repeated.
“Yep.”
“Who made the dare?”
“Me!” Elizabeth pointed toward herself with her thumb. “I wanted to buy an ice cream bar and a soda after school.”
Their laughter rose again. “My mother quickly gave me a lesson about girls who kiss for money.”
Kavan guffawed and slapped his knee. “I can’t picture it. I can’t picture it.”
She liked to hear him laugh. It made her feel light and free.
Suddenly, he grew serious. “I meant that kiss, Elizabeth.”
Her insides quivered. “So did I.”
❧
“So,” Grandpa said after dinner, “I hear you ate at Giuseppe’s this afternoon with our local hero.”
Elizabeth set down the glass she pulled from the cupboard. “Is nothing sacred in this town?”
Grandpa looked up and rubbed his chin. “No, don’t reckon so. Especially a pizza date.”
“Date. . .it was lunch!”
“You thought any more about what I told you?”
“A little.” She poured a glass of diet soda and joined Grandpa at the table.
“And?”
“Kavan is wonderful. Funny how it took the fire to make me realize how much I care for him. But, Grandpa, this finding doesn’t preclude my plans. I can’t fall in love. Not now.”
“Your pride is tougher than I thought. I’m going to double my prayers.”
“You amaze me, you know that?”
Grandma entered the kitchen. “Bethy, I forgot to tell you. More university letters came today.”
Elizabeth jumped up. She’d sat down to dinner right after work without bothering to go upstairs. “Thick or thin?”
“Thin.”
Elizabeth dashed upstairs, struggling under the weight of looming disappointment.
In her room, she flipped on a light and booted her laptop. Sure enough, two thin letters sat on the desk. She sank onto the bed reading the first rejection letter, then the next.
She stared blankly, letting the letters slip from her fingers to the floor.
Lord, I don’t understand. I don’t understand. Elizabeth’s confusion bubbled into frustration spiked with a little anger. She hopped off the bed and paced the room.
This is ridiculous. And not my plan! She moaned and covered her face with her hands. How could this be happening to her? She thought for a moment, deciding to check her E-mail. Perhaps she would discover a clue to this whole mystery.
A half dozen new E-mails displayed in the inbox. Two were from Jenna, asking if she had been accepted at Ohio State. She really wanted to room with Elizabeth.
Elizabeth clicked the reply button, started to type, and then cleared the message. I can’t tell her the truth, yet.
The rest of the E-mails were from family—her mom and brother. He wrote more about his summer antics at the public swimming pool. She smiled. Jonathan had a way about him that deflected her frustrations. Kavan, she was discovering, had the same effect on her.
She started to reply to her brother, but a subtle nudge prompted her to respond to Jenna.
Humble yourself, Elizabeth. She squirmed, remembering her haughty attitude toward the family about her educational pursuits. Highlighting Jenna’s E-mail, Elizabeth clicked the reply button. Fingers poised on the keys, she pondered what to say and how.
She whispered, “Lord, what should I say?”
The truth.
Elizabeth sighed. “The truth, eh?”
“Hi, Jenna,” she typed, and the rest of the message flowed from her fingertips. A page or so later, Elizabet
h typed her name and clicked send.
A nervous flutter caused doubt to rise, but only for a moment. After that, a confidence came, and Elizabeth knew her friend Jesus would handle the rest.
“Scary place to be, Lord, but I trust You.”
Just then, Grandma called up the stairs. “Your grandpa and I are going out for ice cream. Since you’re not working at Sinclair’s tonight, thought you might like to join us.”
She glanced back at the computer screen and smiled. “I’d love to, Grandma. Let me change, and I’ll be right down.”
Fifteen
Kavan drove along the charred mountainside, surveying the damage. What was once lush and green from spring rains was now brittle, black, and broken. It would be next spring before life would bloom again.
He could still smell the smoke of the burning forest. Only a few days had gone by since he’d collapsed exhausted on his bed at home, the blaze finally stopped.
He smiled, remembering how he kissed Elizabeth. Her first kiss since Jude McAllister in the fourth grade and on a dollar dare. He chuckled softly. She still exuded some of that grade school innocence, and it charmed his heart.
The town bustled with preparations for the commendation ceremony Friday night. The whole thing made Kavan uneasy. All the attention embarrassed him. After all, he was just doing his job.
In the midst of his contemplation, Travis Knight’s deep voice bellowed over the radio sitting on the dash. “Donovan, report in.”
Kavan reached for the hand mike. “I’m on my way.”
❧
Travis greeted Kavan cordially when he entered his office and sat in the chair across from his desk. But underneath his friendly exterior, Kavan sensed the same anger that had been brewing for weeks.
“How’s it feel to be the town hero?” Travis settled in his wide desk chair, a subtle sarcasm laced his words.
Kavan breathed deep. “Uncomfortable, to be honest.” From Travis’s posture, he could tell the man really had no patience for small talk.
“I’m giving you room on this refurbishment budget deal, but let me tell you, Kavan. . .” Travis angled forward and pointed his fat finger at the ranger. “I’ll turn your hero reputation into that of reprobate overnight if I figure out you’ve been pilfering the division’s money.”
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