Smolder (Firefighters of Montana Book 1)

by Tracy Solheim

  Sam’s face went from surprised to tense as his gaze wandered from Tyson to Laurel. He picked up his T-shirt from the grass and wiped his hands and face with it as he wandered through the crowd toward them.

  “How heavy are those tires?” Tyson asked as he wriggled from Laurel’s grasp. “They look ginormous!”

  “Why don’t you go check them out?” Sam gestured toward the tire.

  Tyson dashed off before Laurel could snatch him back.

  “Relax, those things aren’t going anywhere,” Sam said when Laurel took a step to chase after her son. “McCoy, can you keep an eye on Tyson for a minute?”

  Dex McCoy strolled by Laurel and gave her a wink. “Sure thing, Cap.”

  “When did you start jumping, Dex?” Laurel was astonished to see her neighbor at the base. Dex was a rancher through and through. He’d always intended to take over his father’s ranch. She’d heard rumors about some sort of rift with Dex’s older brother, but she was surprised at his sudden career change.

  “Jumped for the first time today,” he said. Excitement was shining in his eyes as he fist-bumped with Sam. “It was awesome.”

  Laurel shook her head. “You’re all crazy,” she mumbled.

  Sam crossed his arms over his chest. “What brings you out among the crazies then, Laurel?”

  “We need to talk.”

  A muscle twitched at the corner of his mouth. “Fine. Let’s go inside.”

  Laurel glanced over at Tyson, who was trying with all his might to lift the tractor tire.

  Sam sighed. “You don’t need a human shield to talk with me, Laurel. We can go to my office.”

  She hated the way he saw right through her. “No,” she said shaking her head.

  “Don’t you trust me to keep my hands to myself?”

  “It’s not you I’m worried about,” she said begrudgingly.

  Sam grinned. His devastating dimple made her stomach do a somersault. “God, I’ve missed you and your honesty.”

  His admission made her throat thick.

  “So what are we going to talk about?”

  “Tabitha.”

  His smile froze. “I thought the abscess wasn’t serious?”

  Laurel waved a hand in the air. “It isn’t. She’s already walking better on it. It’s not that. It’s the crazy plan of my mother’s. Why on earth did you agree to it?”

  “Have you met your mother?” Sam chuckled. “She’s a pretty formidable woman. I can’t imagine what she was like before the wheelchair.”

  She nearly laughed. “Trust me, that wheelchair has become my mom’s secret weapon.” Laurel suddenly remembered that she was angry with him. “Did you ever consider asking me what I wanted?”

  His dimple was long gone. “I wasn’t exactly given the chance. You’re more than welcome to tell your mother no.”

  He was calling her bluff. Sam knew she couldn’t tell her mother no any more than he could.

  Sam dropped his defensive posture and brought a hand up to squeeze the back of his neck. “Look, if you really don’t want to do it, I’ll sell her.”

  “No!” Laurel wrapped her arms around herself. She hated that she was being an indecisive ninny. She wanted the horse to go, but the thought of Tabitha leaving was as painful as never seeing Sam again. “Never mind. My mom is getting too much out of it to end this whole thing now. I’ll manage the extra work. I just—I just…”

  Laurel got lost in his perceptive amber eyes.

  “It’s just that you don’t want me around,” he said softly. “I get it. I’ll be gone all summer. You won’t have to worry about seeing me. When I’m in town, I’ll be busy with the base.”

  Her throat grew even tighter and her eyes stung just thinking about Sam constantly putting himself in harm’s way.

  “Mommy! Look at me!”

  Laurel stared over at Tyson. He was lifting the tire with the help of Dex McCoy and Liam on either side of him. “I’m almost as strong as the captain.”

  Tyler Dodson laughed. “You keep practicing, Champ, and you might be able to beat him in pull-ups someday.”

  The rest of the crew joined in the laughter.

  “I should go,” Laurel said. “We’re distracting you all from your work.”

  Before she could take a step, Sam reached out and grasped her arm. She looked down at his fingers wrapped around her skin. Sweet warmth pooled in her belly at the contact.

  “Before you go, I have something to tell you about Tyson.”

  Looking back up at him, she shrugged off his hand. “What about him?” Something in Sam’s gaze told her she wasn’t going to like what she was going to hear.

  Sam hesitated, making Laurel more anxious. “Last night he told me that you’d been crying all week.” He looked away for a moment. She watched the muscles in his neck contract as he swallowed roughly. “I’m sorry that I hurt you.”

  A hundred denials rose to her lips but she couldn’t seem to form any of them into words.

  His eyes seemed to understand what she couldn’t say and he nodded. “You need to know that Tyson thinks you’re upset because Bryce isn’t coming to live with you after the Olympics.” He sighed irritably. “Tyson thinks it’s his fault somehow.”

  She regretted shaking his hand away because it was a struggle for Laurel to stay upright. Forcing a few deep breaths in and out of her lungs, she looked over at her son who was laughing while Dex and Liam tossed him back and forth.

  “I’ve tried explaining this all to him.”

  “He’s young. He’ll be more accepting of things as he matures,” Sam said. His words weren’t as reassuring as he had likely intended.

  Laurel nodded jerkily. “I have to go.”

  “Laurel, wait.” Sam fell into step beside her. “Please know that I’m here if you ever need something. Anything.”

  She stopped in her tracks. Her eyes burned with unshed tears but she managed to get the words out anyway. “The one thing I need, you can’t give me.”

  *

  The June sky was growing dark when Sam slipped into Cady’s Cakes for a coffee and a donut. He’d been on the phone with the tactical coordinator most of the day, assessing manpower in anticipation of the storm moving into the area. So far this spring, most of the fires his crews had handled were the result of accidents or human error. The threat of lightning, however, could be a game changer, and Sam needed to be prepared.

  “Hey there, Cap,” Molly Rivers called from one of the small bistro tables where she sat with an older woman. “Glad to see you actually eating something. Liam’s been telling everyone around the base that you’re secretly a robot.”

  “Molly.” The older woman chastised her. “Is that any way to talk to your boss?”

  Rivers laughed. “Mom, the man has been working eighteen-hour days, seven days a week for the past month. He’s putting the rest of us to shame with his superhero work ethic.”

  Sam stood at the counter and stirred some creamer into his coffee. Burying himself in his job had always been his catharsis. Work was the one thing in life he was successful at, and he wasn’t going to apologize to Molly Rivers or anyone else for his work ethic. “Just doing what they pay me to do.”

  Molly and her mother rose from their table. Mrs. Rivers carried their trash to the can at the other end of the counter while Molly came to stand beside Sam.

  “You’re a phenomenal leader, captain,” she said quietly. “I can’t imagine anyone else I’d want managing our crews. Take my word for it; everyone at the base feels the same way. But you’ll be no good to any of us if you burn yourself out the first month of the fire season.”

  It wasn’t Sam’s intention to burn himself out. His only goal was to work so hard that when he fell into bed at night he was too exhausted to dream about Laurel Keenan and her bewitching body. It had been four weeks since she’d turned her back on him at Dead Man’s Valley. She’d cut him to the quick with her words. Laurel had practically admitted she loved him, and Sam was still reeling from the afters
hocks. He’d risk his body every day, but his heart was a different story. Sam had been down that road before only to fail miserably.

  “I’m glad I didn’t see her in here before I had that cheesecake,” Molly’s mother was saying. “There’s no better appetite suppressant than the sight of a gorgeous supermodel.”

  Sam followed her gaze across the room to where Tyson sat on a chair, picking at a cupcake. Bryce Johnson sat across from him holding hands with a beautiful woman Sam recognized from the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition.

  “The least she could do is nibble on a cookie or something,” Molly said. “Damn. Now I’m going to have to head back to base and work off my scone. See you back there, Cap.”

  The two women headed out of the bakery. Sam should have followed them, but something about the way Tyson’s lip was quivering forced his feet in a different direction.

  “Hey there, Sport,” Sam said when he’d reached their table. His hand twitched to reassure the boy with a pat on the back. One look at Bryce Johnson’s stony face and Sam resisted the temptation.

  Tyson’s face lit up with a hopeful look when he spied Sam before his eyes dimmed again quickly. “Hi, captain.”

  “How’s Tabitha doing?” Sam asked. “I hope you’re taking good care of her for me.”

  “Yes, sir.” The boy nodded.

  “Tyson was just telling us how strong you are, captain.” Bryce leaned back in his chair, a challenging grin on his face. “I’m always looking for ways to improve my workout. Perhaps one day you and I could train together. You know, soldier takes on Olympian. It would be interesting to see which one has more stamina. The media would eat it up.”

  Sam wanted to tell the guy Molly Rivers likely had more stamina than Johnson did, but he kept his opinion to himself. He wasn’t sure if Johnson was posturing for his son or his fiancée. Either way, Sam wasn’t going to get pulled into a battle of testosterone with the jock.

  “We’re in the middle of fire season right now. There’s not much time for showing off.”

  Johnson flinched slightly. “Well, if you’re not up to it.” He shrugged.

  It was all Sam could do not to wipe the smug grin off Johnson’s face. “Tyson, you give Tabitha a big hug for me, okay?” He reached over and gave the boy’s shoulder a gentle squeeze, ignoring Johnson’s narrowed eyes when he did so. “I know she’s in good hands with you watching over her.”

  With a nod at Johnson and the silent work of art sitting next to him, Sam headed for the door.

  “Captain!”

  Tyson jumped from his chair and raced over to Sam. Crouching down, Sam glanced into the boy’s moist eyes.

  “He’s marrying her,” Tyson whispered.

  Sam looked past the boy, but Johnson and his fiancée seemed to be engrossed in a heated conversation.

  “That doesn’t mean he loves you any less.” Sam tried to reassure Tyson. “Now you’ll just have someone else to love you, too.” As platitudes went, it was pretty lame, but Sam didn’t want the child to feel abandoned.

  Tyson’s lip quivered again. “But what if I have to go live with them? I don’t want to leave the ranch. Or Miss Ivy. Or Grandpa and Grandma. Or Mama.”

  Sam doubted Bryce Johnson would make room for his son now that he had a wife, but he couldn’t be completely sure. Tyson’s fear was understandable. He hesitated, not knowing what to say to calm the boy’s anxiety.

  Johnson’s hand landed on the boy’s shoulder. “Hey, Halfpipe, you promised to show Audrianna the animal sanctuary. It’s looking like rain out there, so we’d better get a move on.” He handed the boy an ugly stuffed frog.

  Tyson’s chin dropped to his chest and Sam’s chest squeezed tightly.

  “Bye, captain.” Tyson shuffled out of the bakery, the frog hanging loosely from his fingertips.

  Sam stood up, watching them go. He debated with himself whether or not he should tell Laurel about Tyson’s fears. Except the last time he’d gotten involved, he’d only ended up saying something that hurt her.

  The radio beeped in Sam’s pocket. He was needed back at the base. Tyson had nothing to worry about, Sam told himself. Laurel would never give up her son willingly. She’d already sacrificed so much of her life for him. Marginally reassured, he headed back to the forest service station where he could continue to drown himself in work.

  *

  Ivy popped the cork off the bottle and the champagne fizzled over the rim.

  “Hey, don’t waste that,” Miranda said. She passed three champagne flutes over to Ivy.

  “It’s not like you can have any.” Ivy poured a generous serving into two of the glasses. “You’re on call, remember?”

  “With this storm rolling in, we’re all pretty much grounded for the next twelve hours,” Miranda argued. “I can have a sip so that we can toast Laurel’s surviving the exam.”

  Laurel glanced around the crowded Drop Zone. Despite the impending storm, it seemed that half the population of Glacier Creek had crammed into the bar. While most of the crew from the forest service station was milling about, she was relieved to not see Sam among them. It had been four weeks since she’d left him standing in Dead Man’s Valley. The look of devastation she’d thought she’d glimpsed in his eyes had surely been imagined because he’d kept his distance as promised. Yet that look still haunted her dreams at night. She couldn’t understand why Sam wouldn’t let himself love her.

  “Earth to Laurel,” Miranda said. She waved a champagne flute in front of Laurel. “We’re toasting you here.”

  Pasting a smile on her face, she picked up her glass. “Sorry. My brain is still a little fried from all the studying.”

  “Well, I’m proud of you.” Ivy held her glass up high. “You’ve established yourself in a career that will allow you to live comfortably.”

  “Yeah, one nobody saw coming,” Miranda teased. “Here’s to you, my favorite cousin.”

  “Isn’t she your only cousin?” Ivy asked as they clinked glasses.

  Laurel studied the amber liquid in her flute. “Yeah, well, at least everyone in this town can finally take me seriously. I’ll be an independent woman and I won’t have to live off the largess of my baby daddy any longer.”

  Ivy’s eyes grew wide. “You might want to guzzle that, Laurel. Your baby daddy just walked in.”

  The murmurs that heralded Bryce and Audrianna’s arrival reached a crescendo behind Laurel’s back. She placed her champagne flute on the table untouched.

  “Hello there, ladies,” Bryce said as he stopped at their table. Audrianna hung back, posing for selfies with several of the patrons. “What are we celebrating?”

  Miranda looked at him quizzically. “Laurel took the final part of the CPA exam today.”

  “I know that. I had to keep Tyson busy all day, remember?”

  Laurel winced while Ivy downed her entire glass of champagne in one swallow. “I’m sorry for the inconvenience,” Laurel said.

  “Jesus, Laurel, can’t you take a joke. It wasn’t an ‘inconvenience’. Although I think Tyson saw spending the day with Audrianna and me as one.”

  “Please tell me you told him about your wedding?”

  “Yeah, that was our first mistake. We told him right away. It was all downhill after that.”

  Laurel sighed wearily. “He’ll come around to the idea. He’s still young.”

  “So you keep saying. Look, I suggested that maybe he come stay with us for a few weeks this summer and he nearly had a meltdown. Audrianna is beginning to take things personally.”

  She stood so abruptly her head began to spin. “Can we take things slow before you begin some great custody battle, Bryce?”

  Bryce rocked back on his heels. “Is that what you think this is about? Look, Laurel, Tyson’s more yours than he is mine. He always will be. That doesn’t mean I don’t love him or want to be a part of his life.” He glanced over to where his fiancée was striking a pose with Liam as cellphone camera flashes went off. “Our lifestyle isn’t really conducive
to kids, you know?”

  Laurel nodded, her stomach still in knots. “I’ll do what I can to smooth things over.”

  “Maybe you should ask Soldier Sam, to help,” Bryce said. “Tyson seems to worship the guy.”

  Laurel’s head snapped up to meet Bryce’s discerning stare. “I’ve got it handled. I don’t need anyone’s help.”

  “You never have.” Bryce sighed. “Our plane has been grounded due to the weather. Your mom suggested we stay at the ranch so we could spend some time with Tyson in the morning. But if it’s going to make you uncomfortable, we’ll head up to Kalispell.”

  “It’s fine,” she said, despite the fact she felt anything but fine. “It’ll give us a chance to promote a united front to him in the morning.” Laurel grabbed her purse off the chair. “I should get home and get him ready for bed. You and Audrianna should finish the champagne.”

  Bryce reached for the bottle. “Don’t mind if we do.”

  Ivy rolled her eyes. “I’ll drive you home. This place is getting too crowded anyway.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Laurel slept poorly that night. The violent rain and hail had pounded the roof of the loft until well after midnight. She’d invited Tyson to come cuddle in bed with her, but he insisted that he was a big boy who wasn’t afraid of storms. Too bad he refused to be reasonable about his father’s wedding.

  When Laurel had broached the subject during bedtime, Tyson had refused to discuss it. He insisted he had a plan and things would work out. Laurel had reassured him he would always live on the ranch with her. Her words seem to ease some of Tyson’s stress. He’d given her a long hug before slipping under the covers. “You’re the best mama ever,” he’d told her. But his eyes had still been sad and Laurel remained unsettled for much of the evening.

  A pounding on her door woke her just after seven-thirty. Bryce was apparently in a hurry to get out of town. “I’m coming,” she said, dragging her tired body to the door.