Winter's Fire (Welcome to Covendale #7)

by Morgan Blaze

  Six folders. Six missing files.

  “No,” he muttered, opening the first one. “This can’t be right.” He wasn’t sure what he was looking for, but he knew what these papers were. Incident reports. Insurance claims for accident cleanups. He flipped to the last page in the folder and looked at the signature.

  Ethan Goddard.

  “What the hell?” That didn’t make any sense. If it was really Ethan, why did the chief have the missing files? Adam moved out carefully from under the desk, and his gaze fell on the small wire wastebasket next to the chair. It contained a brown paper bag, a few food wrappers, and a crumpled ball of paper. Acting on instinct, he reached in for the crumpled paper and smoothed it out.

  A row of signatures marched down the page. Ethan Goddard, over and over again—each signature slightly different than the one before it. Near as he could tell, the final signature matched the one on the incident report.

  Chief Smallwood had forged Ethan’s signature. He was framing him.

  Oh, God. Winter!

  The chief wasn’t here, and she’d gone to Ben’s place alone. Did he know that’s where she was headed? Adam had no idea, but he wasn’t going to wait around here to find out.

  He bolted across the office. Just as he reached the door, the station alarm pealed out a strident warning, and dispatch came over the loudspeaker.

  “Engine One, Engine Two, Rescue Four respond. Structure fire, three-five-seven Kings Way. Repeat, structure fire, three-five-seven Kings Way. Engine One, Engine Two, Rescue Four respond.”

  Suddenly unable to breathe, Adam sprinted the rest of the way.

  Chapter 15

  Winter groaned as consciousness slowly returned, bringing pain and rising panic with it. She was on the floor, and her head felt like an entire troupe of clog-wearing performers had done the riverdance on it. She managed to lift a hand and gingerly felt the back of her skull. Her fingers encountered sticky blood.

  And there was something else lurking just outside her awareness. Something worse than the splitting headache.

  She gasped suddenly, remembering. Chief Smallwood was the fraud, the killer. He must have heard them talking to the sheriff about coming here tonight. So he’d followed her, snuck up on her, and knocked her out with something heavy. Was the blow meant to kill her? No, he’d said it would be an “accident.”

  That was when she smelled the smoke.

  She scrambled upright, but a wave of dizziness knocked her back down and she nearly passed out again. Forcing herself not to panic, she waited for the feeling to pass and sat up slowly. The pounding in her head calmed enough for her to hear the crackle of flames, somewhere outside the door.

  There could still be time. On hands and knees, she crawled toward the door, reached up and felt the handle. Warm, not hot. Black smoke trickling into the room through the crack beneath the door. She turned the knob, pushed it open slowly.

  The crackle became a rushing roar. Fire had swallowed the stairs and was eating its way across the carpet, headed for this room.

  Winter closed the door and fought fresh panic. She could survive this. She would not end up like Autumn, a burning torch plummeting to her death. She had extensive fire safety training—she just had to use it.

  Still dizzy and far weaker than she liked, she crawled to the bed and pulled the blanket off. Back to the door. She stuffed the edges of the blanket beneath it as tightly as she could, and then rolled the rest. For a while, that would keep the smoke out so she wouldn’t choke to death, or pass out and die breathing in fumes.

  Now, the window.

  The house was tall, the second floor higher than in most houses. Still, if she climbed out carefully and hung from the frame before dropping to the ground, she might only break a leg. It was better than dying. She stumbled to the window, feeling her strength drain with every step, and tried to push it open.

  It wouldn’t budge.

  Straining would take too long and sap too much of her energy. She had to break it. There wasn’t much in the room she could use to shatter glass, but the small ceramic lamp on the bedside table looked promising.

  It took precious minutes to unplug the lamp and bring it to the window. She paused to gather as much strength as possible, held the lamp in both hands above her head, and smashed it hard against the window.

  The lamp shattered. The glass only cracked.

  Winter fell to her knees, panting despite her attempts to breathe shallowly. Black blossoms exploded behind her eyes. Much more of this and she’d pass out again—and maybe she’d never wake up.

  As she stilled and attempted to stay conscious, a new sound rose above the flames. Sirens. The fire department was on the way. If she could stay alive for just a few more minutes, they would find her. Save her.

  Unless they didn’t know anyone was in this house. If Adam hadn’t gotten back—or if the chief had found a way to take him out—they wouldn’t. You couldn’t rescue someone if you didn’t know they needed saving.

  She had to break the window. Even if she couldn’t make her way out it, at least they’d know she was here.

  Her vision dimmed as she searched the room again, and suddenly she knew exactly what to use. The computer tower. Heavy enough to break glass, and if she threw it outside, she’d save the evidence on the hard drive from destruction by fire.

  She crawled for the desk, her energy fading—and began to cough as smoke penetrated the makeshift barrier and filtered into the room.

  * * * *

  Adam jumped from the side of Engine Two before it came to a full stop. He’d nearly skipped putting on the turnout gear, but decided at the last second that was a stupid idea. He couldn’t rescue anyone if he killed himself trying to enter a burning building unprotected.

  The sight of Ben’s house chilled his heart. The entire front face was engulfed in flame.

  “Move!” he shouted at the engine crew as they worked to set up the hose. “There’s someone in there!”

  The one closest to him, Jimmy Lewis, gave him a puzzled look. “This is Ben’s place,” he said. “It’s empty.”

  “Trust me. It’s not.”

  “Okay, man.” Jimmy turned toward the other two behind him. “Hey, guys, Adam says there’s someone in there. Haul your asses!”

  “Thanks,” Adam said, and turned his attention to the house again. There was no way he’d get in through the front—but the fire was only halfway up the roof slope, so it hadn’t spread to the back yet. He yanked an axe from the truck and ran around the place, telling himself with every jarring step that it wasn’t too late. Winter was going to make it.

  He burst into the back yard and stopped short. A figure in full yellow gear, including gas mask, stood in front of the back door—as if he was guarding it.

  “What the hell?” Adam shouted, striding toward the firefighter. “There’s a goddamned fire right behind you, in case you didn’t notice. Whoever you are, you’re fired.”

  The figure reached up and pulled the mask away.

  Chief Smallwood.

  Adam stood his ground, gripping the axe tighter. “Move aside, Chief,” he said through clenched teeth. “I don’t want to use this on you, but I will.”

  “Sorry, Rhodes. You won’t get the chance.” The chief pulled something from a pocket—a gun. Probably the same one he’d used to threaten Winter. “Drop the axe.”

  “No. You’re just going to shoot me anyway.”

  “Well, believe it or not, I don’t want to use this either. But I will.” The chief frowned and took a step toward him. “Your little girlfriend should’ve listened. If she’d just left town, no one would have to die.”

  “Except Ben, you son of a bitch,” Adam spat. “He was your friend.”

  “Yes, he was. Friend, partner in crime…traitor.” Chief Smallwood’s eyes narrowed. “That sorry bastard was going to turn himself in and drag me down with him. Just because I made him retire. I couldn’t let him do that, so he had an accident.”

  Adam shivered d
espite the heat in the air. “You’re lying. Ben would never—”

  “Oh, but he would. For the right price, anyone would. The man had three kids to put through college, didn’t he?” The chief gestured with the gun. “Now, put that thing down…or your father’s going to have an accident, too.”

  Glaring, Adam lowered the axe slowly to the ground. “Do you really think you’re going to get away with this?”

  “As a matter of fact, I do.” He stepped forward again. “Take off your gear,” he said. “You’re going in there, and you’re not coming back out.”

  Adam reached for the hardhat and pulled it off, keeping an eye on the chief. Waiting for an opening. If he got the chance, he’d rush the bastard, try to get the gun away.

  The sharp sound of shattering glass split the air. From the corner of his eye, Adam caught something black and rectangular sailing from an upstairs window. Winter. She was still alive. Whatever it was, she must’ve thrown it to get attention, to let them know where she was.

  Chief Smallwood turned his head to look.

  Adam lunged at him. His injured shoulder screamed as he rammed into the other man, but he wrapped both arms around the chief and bore him to the ground. The chief’s helmet jerked on impact and slid over his face.

  Snarling, Adam wrenched the gun from his hand and scrambled up.

  Chief Smallwood batted the helmet away, glared at him and propped himself on his elbows. “Come on, Rhodes,” he said. “You’re not going to shoot me.”

  “You know, I swore I’d never use one of these things,” Adam said almost conversationally, taking careful aim. “But for you, I’ll make an exception.”

  He pulled the trigger.

  * * * *

  Winter struggled to stay awake and listen. Throwing the tower had taken the last of her strength—she couldn’t get up again if she wanted to. She heard the powerful gush of fire hoses, and raised voices that seemed to be outside the broken window.

  Then she heard a gunshot.

  “No!” Her desperate scream emerged a rusty whimper. Chief Smallwood had a gun, and she couldn’t think of any reason for one to go off here…unless he’d just shot Adam.

  She tried to move anyway. It was just a few feet to the window.

  She’d never make it.

  More sounds spilled into the room. Shouting, running feet, the rumble of an engine. A long mechanical whine, a thud that shook the floor.

  Breaking glass. There was someone at the window. They must’ve brought the ladder truck back.

  “Here,” she croaked, barely audible even to herself. “I’m here.” She hoped it wasn’t the chief—if it was, she was finished. She had nothing left.

  She’d destroyed the lamp, and the faint light from the window wasn’t enough to reveal the face of the figure dressed in bulky gear that climbed inside. She managed to move an arm, just a tiny bit. “Here…” she whispered.

  “Winter?”

  Adam. The tears that spilled down her cheeks surprised her. She didn’t think she had enough moisture left in her body to cry.

  He bent over her, lifted her to him. Cradling her with one arm, he slipped a gas mask over her face. “I knew you’d make it,” he said roughly. “Shall we get out of here?”

  She would’ve laughed, if any part of her responded.

  He carried her to the window, and she grayed out more than once as she was handed off to another firefighter and conveyed to the ground. Someone laid her gently on the grass. Figures clustered over her—she couldn’t tell how many. Her vision was blurring. Doubling, maybe tripling.

  As the fresh air hit her lungs, she started to gag. The mask was removed and she curled on her side, coughing up wads of phlegm that tasted like burnt wood. Finally, she managed to draw a great gulp of air, and her vision cleared slowly.

  Adam was there beside her.

  “I thought he shot you,” she whispered. “The chief.”

  “He didn’t. I shot him.”

  Her eyes widened. “He’s dead?”

  “No, but he’ll never walk right again. And even if he did shoot me, I would’ve come for you. I promised I would never give up.” His blue eyes blazed, the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. “You were right,” he said. “It wasn’t Ethan.”

  She laughed. The sound ended in a groan as the motion reawakened throbbing pain in her head. “Course I was right. It’s my job to know these things.”

  “Well, you’re damned good at your job.”

  “So are you.” She reached for him, and he took her hand with infinite care. “If you weren’t, I’d be dead right now.”

  “That’s not all I’m good at.”

  “What else?” she said.

  Instead of answering, he leaned down and kissed her.

  She had to agree he was good at that.

  Chapter 16

  Winter stood outside the Covendale bus-station-slash-Laundromat, convenience store and entertainment center, thinking this is where I came in.

  Teddy had offered to drive down and pick her up, but she’d opted to take the bus back. She needed a little downtime after the past few days. Ben Schaeffer had been laid to rest, and Chief Smallwood had been charged with his murder. The evidence she’d rescued from the fire would convict him. Ethan Goddard was sentenced to two years for aggravated assault. And there was talk around the station that Adam would be the next fire chief.

  She couldn’t think of a better man for the job.

  “This is going to sound pathetic, but I miss you already.”

  She turned to smile at Adam, who’d come out of the little depot with coffee for both of them. “I’ll be back in a few days,” she said. “This weekend, remember?”

  “That’s still a few days too long for me.” He handed one of the coffees to her and sighed. “I guess it’s better than a year.”

  “Definitely.”

  He slipped an arm around her waist, and she leaned into him as she opened the coffee and took a sip. Maybe it was pathetic, but she was going to miss him, too. Besides, there was something he didn’t know.

  She opened her mouth to tell him, and he said, “So what then?”

  Her brow furrowed. “What…when?”

  “You come for the weekend, and then what? Maybe you come back another weekend sometime? Or maybe I go to Greenway to see you. Either way, it’s—” He stopped, and his jaw clenched. “I’m not losing you again, Winter.”

  “Adam…”

  “I mean it. I’ll get on that bus and follow you home.”

  “Adam!” She reached up and laid a finger on his lips. “Listen.”

  The tension went out of him. “All right. I’m listening.”

  “You’re going to get your budget back, and then some,” she said. “You can expand back into Valley Ridge, maybe even the next town or two over. Your fire department can really do some good now. And,” she said firmly when he tried to interrupt. “The county fire marshal thinks we should have a more hands-on relationship with the Covendale FD.”

  “Hands-on relationship,” he repeated.

  “Yes. Teddy’s going to open an auxiliary office here in Covendale,” she said. “And that office is going to need a director. Preferably someone who has an established rapport with certain key fire department personnel—like the next chief.”

  He was already grinning before she finished. “I don’t speak corporate too well,” he said. “Can I get that in English?”

  She smiled. “Try this. When I come back, I’m not leaving again. Ever.”

  He grabbed her so fast that she dropped her coffee. She didn’t care. Her feet left the ground, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, laughing and breathless. “So I guess you’re stuck with bland, boring me,” she said.

  “You are not boring,” he said. “And you’re definitely my type.”

  “Professional?”

  “Perfect,” he rasped. “You’re perfect.”

  He claimed her mouth. She kissed him back with wild abandon, ignoring the rest of the wo
rld as he filled hers with the fire she’d forgotten was in her—until she met a stranger on a beach one summer, and gave him her heart.

  She almost missed her bus.

  * * * *

  More books by Morgan Blaze

  COWBOY’S PRIDE

  Welcome to Covendale: Book 1

  Available now from Amazon and Kindle Unlimited

  SOLDIER’S CHOICE

  Welcome to Covendale: Book 2

  Available now from Amazon and Kindle Unlimited

  DEPUTY’S SECRET

  Welcome to Covendale: Book 3

  Available now from Amazon and Kindle Unlimited

  DAWSON’S STAND

  Welcome to Covendale: Book 4

  Available now from Amazon and Kindle Unlimited

  DAWSON’S FALL

  Welcome to Covendale: Book 5

  Available now from Amazon and Kindle Unlimited

  DAWSON’S HONOR

  Welcome to Covendale: Book 6

  Available now from Amazon and Kindle Unlimited

  About the Author

  Morgan Blaze writes contemporary romance with a dash of heat. She enjoys summer storms, good coffee, and hanging out with family and friends.

  Visit www.morganblaze.com for more books by Morgan Blaze, and to sign up for the newsletter—you’ll be notified when the latest monthly releases are available, and enjoy special early sales on brand new titles.

  If you enjoyed Dawson’s Honor, please leave a review on Amazon and let everyone know what you think! Reviews can really help other readers discover new books and new authors to enjoy.

  About the Welcome to Covendale Series

  Small towns are the heart of America. Like every other small town, Covendale looks peaceful from the outside—but there are all sorts of things going on beneath the surface. Love and loss, friendships and rivalries, secrets and lies, long-time alliances and bitter feuds going back for generations. And most of all, passion.

  Welcome to Covendale…the town right next door to yours. Grab a cup of coffee and settle in for an emotional ride you won’t forget.