The Firefighter's Mate

by Jayne Ripley

  “Thank you.” Her heart was beating too fast, as if she’d just been called to the front of the class by a stern professor and she hadn’t done the required reading.

  The driver opened and held the door for Ainsworth as he got back into his car. The fancy luxury town car reversed into the street and drove smoothly away, leaving her to wonder what, exactly, that had been about. A simple welcome to the town? Not likely.

  After Ainsworth left, the dogs suddenly seemed to come back to life, pulling her in three different directions at once. It took her a few minutes to get them all situated again and back on their way to the dog park. But even though Ainsworth’s words had been entirely pleasant and he’d made those unexpected offers to help support her dog-walking business, she still couldn’t shake her unease.

  Maybe she was simply paranoid. After all, she’d only been in town a short while. Already she’d been sought out by the alphas of two competing packs, had the house she was staying in set on fire while she was inside, and she’d fallen so hard for Mr. Luke Taylor that part of her was still afraid of what would happen if he didn’t feel the same way about her that she felt about him. Also, that Ainsworth had once had some kind of dealings with her father had her hackles up. Oh, and don’t forget that she had hardly any money and had lost all her ID in the fire.

  Turned out there were a lot of things to feel uneasy about.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Luke had been working on Gabriela’s car when she’d left to walk those three ridiculous dogs—a huge Great Dane named Alfonse, an aggressively loving cocker spaniel named Scrunch, and a miniature schnauzer named Professor Wiggle. He had to admit she handled animals very well. She had a talent for it. The dogs loved her, and clearly she loved taking care of them. He just wished her dream of owning her own business caring for pets could come true. If she were part of his pack, he was sure something could be worked out. Maybe a start up small business loan or something to get her going.

  That said, he was proud of his pack already. They’d been very open and accepting to her, not that he’d suspected they would ever behave any other way. They were good people. Rescue Company pack took care of each other. And to paraphrase the alpha’s words: if Luke and his wolf were interested in Gabriela and her wolf, then that sat perfectly fine with him.

  The work on her car had been slow as he appraised all the things wrong with it. One of the biggest problems was a blown head gasket. The other was a failing water pump. He’d installed a new water pump, pulled the head, and replaced the damaged gasket. He also replaced the radiator with one a buddy at a wrecking yard gave him a great deal on. She also had some worn belts he’d replaced while he was at it, because sooner or later they’d break on her too.

  He was leaning far into the engine, working a socket wrench on a troublesome bolt when Gabriela appeared out of nowhere beside him, practically scaring him half to death. She nonchalantly leaned under the hood and frowned at the engine. “In my expert opinion, that thing looks broken.”

  That surprised a laugh out of him, even though he’d whacked the hell out of his knuckles when she’d startled him. He’d been lost so deep in his thoughts that he hadn’t heard or scented her return home. He grinned and turned to face her.

  God, he wanted to pull her into his arms, she looked so damn hot. But he was covered with grime up to the elbows. He’d been around women long enough to figure she’d appreciate the sentiment, but wouldn’t be thrilled if he ruined her blouse and skirt with engine grease. Though maybe he would anyway, just to mark her as his. He could always buy her new clothes later. As many as she wanted.

  However, he managed to hold himself in check and stick to only teasing her. “You do have a keen grasp of the obvious.”

  She grinned back at him. “How about a break? I’ll get you a beer.”

  He pushed his Mariner’s baseball cap back on his head. “A quick one. I want to get you mobile again as soon as I can.”

  She arched an eyebrow. “That eager to get rid of me?”

  “Not at all, sexy boots. I just know that around here a person needs wheels to get where they got to go.”

  Gabriela was staring at him with an expression he found hard to read. Some mixture of amusement and desire and stunned disbelief. “Did you call me sexy boots?”

  “May have,” he said, scratching his chin. “Can’t quite recall.” He looked at her boots, black, coming up to her calves, a cowboy-style which made him grin with appreciation. She was fitting right in here in the west. “I do appreciate a good boot.”

  She laughed. “Well, I wouldn’t be wearing them to walk dogs except I’m trying to break them in right. You ever call a girl ‘sexy sneakers?’”

  “Don’t suppose I have. That’s a good point.”

  “Thought so. Although I suppose a man who’s fixing my car can call me anything he likes.”

  “Very wise of you, madam.” He wiped his hands on a rag. “So how about that beer? Or were you only teasing?”

  “I might tease, but I always come through,” she replied and gave him a saucy look. “One beer, coming right up.” He admired the way her curvy hips swayed as she headed into the house. Damn. That was all he could say. Just…damn.

  They decided to head around back to drink the beers. Both of them leaned against the fence, enjoying the strong afternoon sunlight. He was off duty tonight, otherwise he wouldn’t have indulged. But he’d probably sweat it off anyway, working on her car. She asked him about his progress and he filled her in on all the things wrong with her vehicle.

  “I don’t have the money right now to pay for all those parts,” she said, looking at him with those big, beautiful brown eyes. “Not to mention the labor.”

  He shrugged, wishing she wouldn’t keep making a big deal about it. He wanted to help her. He wanted her to let him help her. “Don’t worry. The labor isn’t any big thing. I enjoy tinkering with engines. And the parts, you can pay me back whenever.”

  She watched him solemnly. “Thank you, Luke. I will. And I just got a chance at more work. Possibly some new clients who might need my expert dog walking skills.”

  “Oh, yeah? Anyone I know?”

  She hesitated, glancing off in the direction of the downtown. “It was the weirdest thing.” She laughed, but there was a nervous undertone to it. “I mean, this fancy car came out of nowhere and cut me off. Then this chauffer gets out and—”

  “Roger Ainsworth.” He went cold all the way through.

  She glanced at him and then away again. “Yes. You guessed it right away.”

  “There’s only one full-time chauffer in town. Kyle Carsen. He’s also a bodyguard for the Cadillac Falls alpha. What did Ainsworth say? Did he try and put the alpha-whammy on you?”

  His sharp tone made her frown. “Sort of. But I don’t know if he can help it—”

  “Oh, he can damn well help it, Gabriela. Believe me. What did he want?”

  “He apologized about me being attacked.”

  Luke leaned toward her, all his muscles tense. “Why would he apologize unless he knows something? Or he’s trying to get an angle on you. On you or on ResCo pack.” He shook his head. “It makes no sense.”

  “Now you’re just being paranoid,” she said. “He didn’t threaten me. He wanted to know if I’d found work in town. Look, I didn’t just roll over and expose my throat to him or anything. I made sure I kept things all business.”

  “That’s the problem. Everything is business with that guy. Now he thinks you’re his business. I don’t like it.” His wolf was snarling and growling in his mind. His fists clenched. He could feel the same protective anger that had nearly overwhelmed him after she’d been attacked by the arsonist surging to the front of his brain, making it hard to think of anything but destroying any threat to her.

  If she believed he was being paranoid, she was wrong. The alpha of the Cadillac Falls pack always had an angle. For him, everything was about power or money or both. Why Ainsworth would bother to speak to someone new in town wh
o obviously wasn’t rich or influential unnerved Luke more than he could express. He wanted to drive his truck over to Ainsworth’s mansion, kick down the door, and smack the truth out of the man. Although he understood that part of the urge was the wolf-rage seeping into his thoughts, another part of it was because he feared for Gabriella. He loved her. He needed her to be safe.

  She touched his arm. “Luke. I know. I’m not an idiot. He also mentioned that he knew my father. Well, my father tore out of Cadillac Falls way back then and dragged me and my mother along with him. We ran hard and didn’t stop until we reached Philly. Even then, I don’t think he ever felt truly safe.”

  “See? Your dad knew something. Trust what he did. Stay away from that pack.”

  “I’ll only promise to keep it in mind…because I’m not an idiot. But walking their dogs for money is hardly coming under Ainsworth’s control.”

  “Did he make an offer for his pack to take you in?” Cadillac Falls was notoriously secretive, insular, and about as snooty as an aristocratic matriarch. “If he mentioned something like that, he’s dangling bait.”

  She rolled her eyes. “No, he didn’t invite me to swear loyalty to his alpha penis or anything. He only offered to mention my dog walking business to his pack. He thought they might appreciate a service like that.”

  “And you told him to shove it sideways, right?”

  “Actually, I thanked him for recommending me. I’d be walking their dogs, for God’s sake. Nothing else. He did tell me to talk with him if I needed funding to start a business—”

  “Damn it, Gabriela! Don’t you see what he’s doing? How can it not be clear to you? He wants you under his control, one way or another.”

  “First off, I don’t see why he cares about a controlling the lucrative pet care business in Cadillac Falls. Secondly, you know what? If he had made me an offer to get in tighter with his pack, maybe it would’ve been because he saw something in me that might compliment them. Maybe I’d bring something good to his pack. A new way of thinking. New experiences.”

  He snorted. “He uses people like pawns. You’re nothing to him.” Why couldn’t she understand that the only wolves in this town who gave a damn about her were in Rescue Company? Cadillac pack would only keep her around to make her a glorified servant, an errand girl, snub her and put her down in a hundred subtle ways. It made him even angrier, imagining her abused that way. “I’m telling you no. You won’t get involved with them. They’re almost as bad as the Sturmwulfen. Only they believe they’re better than everyone and everything on this planet, wolves, humans, anything. And they have the money to make it seem like they are.”

  “You don’t have the right to tell me how I run my business or my life. I’m sorry, you just don’t. I’m here, without a car, without any of my things because they all burned down, without a pet of any kind and I adore animals, all because I wanted to move somewhere safer than Philly—”

  “That’s it, isn’t it.” The connection his mind made only darkened his mood even more. He understood how things were in this town and she didn’t. She was an outsider. “Ainsworth must know something about you from Philly. Maybe he’s been keeping tabs on your family since you left. What were you running from? It could even be something he’s trying to use against Rescue Company.”

  Shock and hurt flashed across her face. She swallowed, and he heard her throat click. Her words came out unsteadily, tremulous with emotion. “You… I’m not ready to talk about Philly. I told you enough already.”

  “I knew there was something else. Look, you can’t play both sides of the field and be allies with two packs. In this town, you have to choose. Ainsworth’s only screwing with you, Gabriela. Or he’s screwing with Rescue Company Pack. It doesn’t matter because you have to give up this idea of having any of his wolves as clients.”

  “You…want me to give up my dog walking? Did you forget that it’s the only work I have right now? I think this business can be a whole lot more if I can only—”

  “Call me selfish, but I don’t give a damn. Find another job. I’ll be happy to ask around ResCo and find one for you.” A bunch of spoiled canines meant nothing to him. He didn’t want her catching the attention of Ainsworth wolves, and now that he considered it, he sure as hell didn’t want her out on her own with this arsonist and the Sturmwulfen in town.

  “My dog walking jobs might not be as important as your line of work, but caring for those animals means a lot to me. I don’t need your permission to take pride in something.”

  “Of course you don’t. That’s not the damn point.”

  “The point is, I’m not sure I know you as well as I thought.”

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  “It means, the man I thought you were would never demand I choose between things that both mean so much to me. I thought you had a higher opinion of me.”

  He rubbed his temple, trying to massage away the pounding ache there. His stomach roiled and he had the sinking feeling that he had somehow screwed this whole thing up. If she couldn’t see his point, then he was doing a thoroughly crappy job of presenting it. He took a deep breath and fought to control his wolf. His aggression toward Ainsworth sniffing around his girl was making him crazy. He had to get a grip.

  “Look…I’m not trying to fight with you. This dog walking stuff is great, but it’s only a temporary thing…like a paper route. The point is Ainsworth.”

  She gaped at him. “It’s not a paper route.”

  “You know what I’m saying. It’s not worth having any ties to Ainsworth’s pack of snobs.”

  “Is that right? Well, the last time I checked I didn’t belong to you and I didn’t belong to ResCo pack.” She turned on her heel and marched up the stairs to the loft, her back stiff, her chin held high.

  “Wait. Where are you going?” He heard the note of dismay in his voice and didn’t care if she heard it as well. He followed behind her at a respectful distance. His heart thudded dully in his chest.

  “I think it’s best I leave,” she said, not looking at him. She began to gather the small amount of things she’d purchased since the fire. An overnight bag. Hairbrush. Toothbrush. A small, fake-leather handbag. A few sets of t-shirts and jeans.

  Her words hit him like a punch to the gut. “Hey. I’m sorry. It’s just that—”

  “I’m not interested anymore, Luke. I’m not going to be a pawn for anybody’s pack. Not after Philly. Never again.”

  “I don’t think you’re a pawn—”

  “I don’t care what you think.” She brushed past him, hurrying down the stairs again. Her brown hair, tied back in a ponytail, swished from side to side. “Please tell Nicole she’s the greatest and that I’ll see her around town.” She halted and spun back to him. There were tears in her eyes. Tears on her cheeks. “And tell her thank you for everything.”

  “Wait. Gabriela, wait.”

  But she didn’t wait. She fled toward the door with her overnight bag bouncing against her back.

  “Then go, dammit!” he yelled after her. “But don’t go to that Ainsworth bastard, whatever you do. He’ll eat you alive.”

  That brought her up short. Her eyes burned with outraged fury. “I can take care of myself!”

  “Because that’s what you were doing when someone set Nicole’s house on fire!” he roared back.

  She flinched, and instantly he knew he’d gone too far. She swiped at her tears angrily, smearing them across her cheeks. His heart wrenched in his chest and he hated himself. He tried to catch her. To pull her close to him. She yanked her arm out of his grasp, and though he was much stronger than her, he let her go.

  She shoved her way through the front door, her overnight bag slung over her shoulder and jouncing against her back, and she was nearly running down the dirt driveway, back toward the road before the screen door finished banging shut.

  He closed his eyes. A sense of hopeless frustration washed over him. He had no idea how everything had gone wrong so quickly. A li
ttle while ago he’d been fixing her car, in a good mood and hoping to get lucky later in the evening with the woman he loved. A woman he wanted. One he adored.

  Now she was gone, off on foot to God knew where.

  He snatched his cell phone off the counter and speed-dialed his friend Rick.

  “Yeah?” Rick answered, sounding halfway to annoyed already.

  Luke couldn’t have cared less how annoyed Rick might be. “I’m calling in a favor. I need you to give Gabriela a ride somewhere safe. If she refuses to go to one of our pack, take her to a motel. I’ll cover everything.”

  There was a long stretch of quiet on the other side of the line. Finally, Rick asked, “Is something wrong?”

  “Everything. I can’t get into it now. Can you do this for me, or do I have to call someone else?”

  “No, you know I’ve got your back. Where is she? At your place?”

  “Yeah, but she’s headed toward the road on foot. She’ll be on it, probably making her way into town by the time you get here.”

  Another long silence. “That bad?”

  “That bad.”

  “I’ll get her somewhere safe, Luke. You have my word.”

  “Thank you.” He hung up. He felt so empty inside that he wondered if he would ever feel whole again. When she’d walked out that door, she’d ripped a part out of him and had taken it with her. Even if she didn’t know it yet.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Getting her hands on Puerto Rican Rum was easier than she’d thought. The little package store downtown not only had a wide variety of wines, it had a staggering supply of various alcoholic concoctions. Everything from Fireball Cinnamon Whisky to absinthe to bona fide Puerto Rican Rum.

  She bought a bottle with some of her cash from her dog-walking job and she set out again for a motel. Any motel. Preferably something very cheap without too many bedbugs or weird smells.

  She was on Pine Street—a cute little avenue of shops dating back to the late 1800’s—when a black truck pulled up alongside her. She recognized the driver in the cowboy hat right away. It was Rick from the barbecue she’d gone to with Luke. Thinking of Luke hurt. It was a deep, throbbing ache right in the center of her body. She missed him already and it hadn’t been more than an hour. She missed him because she feared it was over for good.