by Kim Redford
The structure appeared as if it had originally been set up in what might have been a livery stable or other business connected to the downtown. It had the facade parapet extending high above the roof. Two sets of three hinged doors—once a bright green but now chipped and faded—would have opened to make wide automobile bays. The white paint on the false front with a large “SINCLAIR” sign in green had been worn down by time and weather.
As she followed the others around the side of the building, she noticed corrugated tin covered the building around a wooden window that still had a few intact windowpanes, but the paint had completely worn away to reveal the dry wood underneath.
She stopped beside Kent when they reached the back of the building. Three green barrels with “Sinclair Greases” printed on a red background above a big green dinosaur that was the oil company’s symbol had been knocked over so that black sludge had spilled and run across the gravel that made up the yard. The old motor oil now burned hot, giving off a foul smell as black smoke rose into the sky.
“We’re lucky,” Kent said. “If those barrels had dumped their contents any closer to the building, it’d be long gone by now.”
“And our entire downtown might have gone up in flames,” Billye Jo added in a tight voice.
“That’s right.” Kent set down one fire extinguisher near Lauren’s feet. He pointed the nozzle of the other can toward the grease that was closest to the station. He sprayed the outer edge, staying back from the roiling heat and pungent fumes.
“Can I do anything to help?” Lauren felt acrid smoke burn her nostrils. She quickly stepped back, realizing there was no telling what kind of pollutants were being released into the air.
“I’ve got it,” Kent said. “I’ll contain the area with chemical spray and let the sludge burn out.”
“Good,” Hedy agreed. “That’s what we figured would be best. But just in case, we wanted you to bring the booster.”
Tom pointed toward the burning grease. “And we wanted you to see the problem. Now I’m thinking we ought to get some big fire extinguishers like that to keep on hand.”
“It’s chemical ABC.” Kent sprayed halfway around the fire.
“If you like, I can put in an order for the same type of fire extinguishers that we use at the station and run them over to you.” Hedy glanced from Billye Jo to Tom.
“Right neighborly of you,” Tom agreed.
“I’ll get on it as soon as I get back to the station.”
“Thanks,” Billye Jo said.
Kent emptied one fire extinguisher, set it down beside Lauren, picked up the full can, and then continued spraying around the fire. “It’s best to let all this old grease burn up. That way it won’t be a potential fire hazard any longer.”
“Thanks,” Billye Jo said. “Guess it doesn’t look like it, but we’ve been working on this place. Serena, my daughter, is finishing cosmetology school. She’s always loved makeup and clothes and hairstyles. She still plaits horses’ manes for shows. And now she plans to turn this old filling station that was once run by her great-grandparents into the Sure-Shot Beauty Station.”
“That’s clever.” Lauren glanced from the fire back toward the building, trying to see the station with fresh eyes. She was looking at more faded green and white paint. The back door’s busted-out glass had been replaced with plywood. Two windows in the same condition filled out the picture. It wasn’t a pretty one, but she could see the potential.
“High school graduates have trouble finding local jobs, so they end up going to Dallas and other big cities. Of course, some go on to college, but that’s not for everybody,” Billye Jo explained. “I’d do about anything to keep Serena or any young folks in town.”
“I know what you mean,” Lauren agreed as she imagined new paint, clean windows, and a bright interior. “This station could be really cute. I bet Serena would get plenty of business so folks didn’t have to go into Wildcat Bluff or Sherman or elsewhere.”
“It’d give us an option. She’s got youth and energy on her side. Besides, this is her heritage and it means something special to her.”
“I like her vision.” Lauren nodded in agreement. “I’ve been living in Houston, but I grew up in Wildcat Bluff and I missed it.”
“That’s what Serena says about staying here. She’s been driving all over and going online to find vintage Sinclair items. That’s how we ended up with these grease barrels. She found a neon Sinclair Dino the Dinosaur sign that she’s going to put in a window. She’s got her eye on one of the green-and-white gas pumps with the round lighted globe on top with the big green dinosaur.”
“Sounds like fun for your entire family.” Lauren liked the idea more all the time.
“As long as you keep it safe,” Kent added. “I’d say no more grease barrels.”
Billye Jo nodded in agreement. “Here I am running on about my daughter’s dreams when we need to be talking about the fire.”
“I wonder how the barrels got knocked over.” Kent finished his containment spray, stepped back, and set the can beside the other empty one. “Raccoons? Maybe big dogs played around back here and caused trouble. But it still wouldn’t explain how the fire got started.”
“That’s the long and short of it.” Tom lifted his cowboy hat and ran a hand through his thick, white hair. “Being fire-rescue like you are, I figure you’re way ahead of me. But I can tell you right now these fires didn’t start on their lonesome.”
“You think they were set?” Lauren felt a chill run up her spine.
“Sure do.” Tom gave her a grim look. “And they aren’t the first ones we’ve had in Sure-Shot.”
Chapter 5
Lauren caught her breath in shock at Tom’s announcement and glanced at Kent to get his reaction.
“What other fires?” Kent stepped back from the barrels as he turned toward Tom and Billye Jo.
Tom scuffed the sole of his right boot over the gravel, looking a little sheepish. “Truth is we’ve had half a dozen small fires set around here since the first of the year.”
“What!” Kent rubbed the back of his neck, glanced up at the sky, then back at Tom as if holding in his temper. “Why didn’t you call sooner?”
Lauren didn’t say anything as she realized the situation was much more serious than a few old barrels with their sludge burning up. She wasn’t part of Wildcat Bluff Fire-Rescue, at least not yet, so she had no voice in the matter. But she couldn’t help but worry about Sure-Shot.
Tom cleared his throat, glanced at Billye Jo, then back at Kent. “You know how cotton-picking independent we are here. We thought we could figure out the fires and get them stopped by our lonesome, but we’re having no such luck.”
“And we didn’t want to be a bother,” Billye Jo added. “Anyhow, we figured maybe kids were just letting off steam.”
“It’s been small stuff.” Tom took off his hat and gestured toward downtown. “It looks like somebody’s setting fires in dumpsters behind the businesses. So far nothing’s gotten out of hand, but now—”
“The culprit, or several of them, have gone too far.” Billye Jo put her hands on her hips.
“We figure we’ve got a firebug on our hands.” Tom squinted into the late-afternoon sun in the west. “That’s bad news no matter which way you slice it.”
“Downright scary, too.” Hedy drummed her fingertips on the arms of her wheelchair. “The whole downtown could go up fast and furious. I doubt we could get here in time to save all the buildings.”
“Maybe none of them,” Kent added.
“Bottom line, we need to catch the culprit before somebody gets hurt,” Tom said.
“I wish you’d called us sooner.” Kent glanced around the area, as if calculating danger. “Firebugs usually escalate their actions.”
“That’s why we finally called out the big guns of Wildcat Bluff,” Billye Jo said wi
th a slight chuckle.
Hedy smiled at the term. “I wouldn’t call us the big guns, but our fire-rescue will definitely want to stay on top of these fires and help you any way we can. That’s what neighbors do.”
“I don’t suppose there’s been any incriminating evidence left at the scenes, has there?” Lauren wondered out loud as she glanced around, but she couldn’t tell what was normal or not.
“Good question,” Tom said. “Believe you me, we’ve searched every site, but it’s all been left clean as a whistle.”
“You sure you didn’t spot anything out of the ordinary?” Kent asked.
“Never,” Billye Jo said. “It’s frustrating as all get-out.”
“Okay.” Kent gave them a curt nod. “Be on the lookout. If anything like this happens again, call us right away.”
“We will,” Billye Jo agreed.
“And I’ll get photos of this entire area before I leave so we’ll have a record of the damage.”
“That’s good.” Lauren glanced up at the Sinclair station, then back at the group. “Do you think y’all might want somebody on guard at night?”
“That’s not a bad idea either.” Billye Jo turned toward Tom. “We’ve discussed it around here, but didn’t follow up. Now we’d better be proactive and defensive. I’ll talk with the other downtown merchants.”
Tom nodded in agreement.
“And I’ll talk with Sheriff Calhoun,” Kent added. “He’ll want to know about your trouble and check out the fire sites. I imagine he’ll send a deputy over more often to keep an eye on Sure-Shot.”
“Thanks. I’ll follow up with a call to him, too.” Billye Jo said.
“Don’t forget that we’re not far away.” Hedy gave Billye Jo a stern look. “Please call us at the first sign of trouble.”
“We’ll do it.” Tom bumped a barrel with the toe of his boot. “Fire’s about gone, but we’ll stay here till it is cold.”
“That’s good.” Hedy smiled at her friends. “Guess that’s about all we can do for now, so we might as well get back to the station.”
“Lauren, don’t be a stranger in Sure-Shot,” Billye Jo said with a twinkle in her eyes. “And when you decide to get a horse, keep us in mind. We’ve got the best of the best.”
“I’ll do that.” Lauren agreed, liking these two plainspoken, salt-of-the-Earth folks.
“We’ll be looking for you.” Billye Jo leaned down, gave Hedy a quick hug, and stepped back.
As Lauren walked around the side of the house beside her aunt, she gave a silent sigh of pleasure. All had gone well and she’d met new and interesting people. Maybe life in Wildcat Bluff County could be as good as she’d imagined down in Houston—if there weren’t any more problems.
As she stopped in front of the station with Kent and Hedy, she felt her stomach knot in anxiety. She could tell each one expected her to ride back in their vehicle. She didn’t know what to do because she wanted to be with both of them. And she certainly didn’t want to reject either of them.
Hedy looked from Lauren to Kent, then back again. She gave them a big grin, as if knowing something they didn’t know. “Lauren, why don’t you ride with Kent? I’m sure you have a lot of catching up to do. Anyway, how many times in your life do you get to ride in a fancy booster?”
Lauren laughed, suddenly transported back in time when Hedy had been so supportive of them. “We’ve got a lot of catching up to do, too, Aunt Hedy, but Kent did promise me barbeque.”
“Did he now?” Hedy threw back her head and laughed out loud. “Now there’s a guy who knows how to make things right.”
“If you’ll meet us at Twin Oaks later, we’ll bring enough barbeque for everybody,” Kent said.
“I’d never pass up an offer like that,” Hedy agreed. “Now don’t lollygag. I’ll see you back in town.”
Lauren watched as Hedy zoomed over to her hand-controlled van, rolled inside, waved at them, and then sped down the road.
“Quite a gal,” Tom said.
“I’ve really missed her. We’ve stayed in touch by phone and text, but it’s not the same. Being here reminds me of so much I’d thought long gone.”
Kent clasped her hand. “Not gone at all.”
She felt the touch of his hand and the sound of his voice strike deep, making her feel molten from the inside out. He was getting to her. It felt almost like the old days when they’d been desperate to find times and places to be alone together. Hedy had seen them then and she’d seen them now. Maybe her aunt understood something Lauren didn’t want to admit or refused to acknowledge. Either way, she was way past experiencing those heady days again.
Kent tugged Lauren toward the booster, and then opened the passenger door wide. “Come on. Can’t let Hedy get too far ahead or she’ll call us slowpokes.”
Lauren chuckled at his words as she stepped up into the cab. “She’ll probably call us slowpokes anyway.”
“Let me take a few photos and we’ll be on our way.” He shut her door, walked around to the driver’s side, opened the back door, picked up his camera, and jogged back to the station.
While she waited, she let the swirl of events settle into place. She hadn’t realized that when she returned she’d step back into life here as if she’d never been gone. She felt almost dizzy from the rapid readjustment. And yet, it all felt so right.
She saw Kent round the side of the Sinclair station, smiling at her. She felt warmth expand from her heart outward again. No doubt about it, he had a powerful effect on her.
He opened the driver’s side door, sat down in the seat, and placed his camera in the center console. He glanced over at her. “About Hedy. I know you want to spend time with her, but I’m selfish. I want you all to myself a little longer.”
She felt her breath catch in her throat at the longing in his hazel eyes. She’d seen that look when he’d been what she’d wanted most in life. She felt a blaze of heat deep inside where she’d been cold for so long. She’d poured all her love into Hannah for a long time. She’d convinced herself that she didn’t need or want a guy in her life. Had she been right?
“Lauren, tell me you’re okay about Hedy. And us.”
At Kent’s words, she felt a surge of tenderness toward him. He’d always been attuned to her, and obviously that hadn’t gone away. She reached over and placed her hand against his cheek, thinking about his adorable dimples. She felt a slight roughness and saw the telltale shadow that revealed he needed a shave—just another sign that while she’d been gone he’d become a man.
Kent turned his head and placed a warm kiss against her palm. “I missed you.”
She nodded, unable to speak for the sudden lump in her throat. She sat back in her seat and crossed her arms over her stomach as if in protection because she suddenly felt emotionally vulnerable. Kent was reviving too many old memories and feelings that were catching her off guard.
“Lauren?”
She tossed him a smile, straining to make it look real. She felt a building heat, a growing need, a deepening desire for the one who’d once been her everything. And never could be again. “I’ll have plenty of time to talk with Aunt Hedy later. Let’s go home.”
“Home sounds good.” He grinned, revealing white teeth and deep dimples.
She couldn’t help but notice that he looked a little predatory, as if he was ready and willing to do whatever it took to get what he wanted in life. A little shiver ran through her. She’d known the boy, but she didn’t know the man. She needed to be careful not to get drawn back into a world that could lead to heartbreak. Home didn’t need to mean Kent.
He switched on the booster’s engine, gave her a quick smile, and then headed out of Sure-Shot.
She glanced back at the Sinclair station, but she no longer saw black smoke spiraling into the sky. Fortunately, this time the fire had been containable, so nothing was hurt and n
o one was endangered because of it. But she’d keep the knowledge in mind that life wasn’t always perfect in this county.
Satisfied all was well for the moment, she exchanged the fire-rescue boots for her cool, comfortable flip-flops. She felt chilly now that the warmth of the day was slipping away and realized that up here in North Texas she’d need to set aside her flip-flops and sundresses for warmer clothing. She leaned her head back against the seat as she listened to the deep, powerful growl of the truck’s engine.
And she resisted the feeling that she’d come home—in this moment at this place with this man.
Chapter 6
As Kent headed toward Wildcat Bluff, he felt relieved that for the moment all was well in Sure-Shot. But the small town definitely had a problem that could spin out of control. He glanced over at Lauren. If he wasn’t careful, he might spin out of control about her.
He gripped the steering wheel, using hands made strong from dealing with recalcitrant thousand-pound animals like horses and cattle. He was thick with muscle all over, and that extended clear to his well-corded wrists. Point of fact, he had to be strong to be a cowboy firefighter, but the right gal could make a guy feel weak as a newborn calf with no respect for size or strength.
He personally knew better than to get sucked into a hot gal’s planetary orbit. He’d been there once with his former fiancée. She’d kept him whirling around her till she’d found somebody who’d inflated her ego like a helium balloon, and then she’d kicked Kent right out of her closed system like he was nothing but cosmic trash.
Still, he figured he was lucky she’d cut him loose before kids had been added to her erratic orbit and they’d all gotten hurt. But her actions still rankled like a cocklebur under a saddle blanket. He’d been left gun-shy, but hopefully a whole lot smarter about the fairer sex.
He clenched the wheel harder. He should’ve seen Charlene’s rejection coming, but maybe he’d been too dazzled by her stacked, toned body that’d seen more time in the gym than in his king-size bed. He’d tried to make her happy. He’d bought her little blue boxes of pretty jewelry and he’d taken her to Paris—France, not Texas. Now he knew he’d sooner travel by his lonesome down the road a ways to see the miniature Eiffel Tower sporting a big, red cowboy hat than go halfway across the country and the big pond to take photos of Charlene posing in front of the original edifice.
