Amie Denman - The Firefighter's Vow

He would have to be content with the information she offered. If she offered it.

“You’ll need a few character references,” he said. “But I’m sure that won’t be a problem for you. You can put down people you worked with in Indiana. Or maybe Kevin.”

She pulled off her ball cap and ran a hand through her long dark hair. “So I hear you’re in the wedding party, too,” she said, nodding toward the garage where Kevin was giving Nicole a long goodbye kiss.

“Groomsman,” Tony said after a split second in which he wrapped his head around the change of subject. “And you’re the maid of honor.”

It wasn’t a question. He already knew all the members of the small wedding party. He’d been involved in the planning because the reception following the beach wedding was in the fire station. They didn’t rent out the station as a party venue, but Tony remembered a few firefighters’ wedding receptions and parties in the past. And the station hosted an elaborate Christmas party every year for members and their families. With the trucks outside and enough decorations, the building could be pretty festive.

Laura nodded. “I still need a dress. Nicole and I decided to wait until I got here so we could go shopping together.”

“I haven’t been given my instructions since the wedding is still six weeks away, so I don’t know what I’m wearing.”

“I do,” Laura said. “I helped Nicole pick it out.”

“Tell me it’s not a white tuxedo. The glare on the beach would blind everyone and they wouldn’t be able to tell the bride from the groomsmen,” Tony said. “Plus, I’d feel stupid in a white tuxedo.”

He was glad to have something to talk about with Laura. Every exchange they had might bring him closer to understanding what motivated her and how he could decide if letting her join his department was the best way of helping her.

Not that she’d asked him to help her.

Laura laughed. “Relax. You’re wearing navy blue suits. Rented, matching, and you don’t even have to pick out your own ties.”

Tony swiped a hand across his brow. “Huge relief,” he said, grinning.

He thought ahead and realized that the new training class would finish at the same time as the wedding. When Nicole walked down the aisle and married Kevin, Laura could be ready to be a volunteer member of the Cape Pursuit Fire Department. But would she officially join the department? It didn’t cost him anything to let her join the class since he was running it anyway and the prospective volunteers would use borrowed equipment. Still, it was unusual to train a volunteer who appeared to have no plans to stick around. He wanted to ask how long she planned to stay, but then he remembered her response to his question about whether she’d consulted her sister. She would probably ask him if he asked all potential volunteers how long they planned to stay in the area.

“Are you going back to Indiana after the wedding?” he asked instead, hoping Laura would consider his question a natural offshoot of their conversation instead of a pointed question about her dedication.

“I’m in no hurry,” she said and didn’t elaborate further.

He wondered if Laura had anyone special back home. She was physically beautiful, although in a different way from her sister, and Tony doubted that she had escaped the notice of the opposite sex. What impact would an attractive young woman have on his department? He immediately felt a streak of shame at the thought. He hadn’t considered the physical appearance of any of the other volunteers. But Laura was different. She was practically family now that her sister was marrying his cousin. He should look after her if he could.

“Ready?” Kevin asked as he strode toward them. Tony turned away from Laura and began to follow his cousin, but Laura put a light hand on his arm. It was a friendly gesture, but her soft touch reminded him that he should keep his distance.

“What’s the training you’re going to?” she asked.

“Incident command training. We’re taking an advanced course for officers in the fire service. It’s good if you want to move up the ranks, and it’s also good for continual improvement.”

“Haven’t you moved up as far as you can get already?” Laura asked.

“Being the chief is a huge responsibility, and there’s always something to learn.”

Tony had no intention of being one of those leaders who rests on his accomplishments. Becoming the chief at the age of only thirty meant he had a lifetime of leadership ahead of him. He wouldn’t let down his department or tarnish his father’s legacy.

Laura smiled. “Then I guess I’ll be in good hands when the training starts next week.”

“I hope so,” Tony said. Something about having Laura in his class and potentially under his command brought home all the heavy responsibility of being a leader in a very dangerous job.

EVEN THOUGH SHE knew it was stupid, Laura changed her outfit three times before heading to the fire station for the first night of training. She’d obsessed over every detail in the online application and fussed with her exact word choice in the short essay about why she wanted to be a firefighter. She hadn’t wanted to appear too eager or they’d think she was a risky candidate with a thirst for danger. But she hadn’t wanted to seem too matter-of-fact either, because they might think she was lukewarm about public service.

Laura had asked her summer worker Rebecca for her Aunt Diane’s phone number, and the two of them had exchanged messages and even met for coffee. It would be a comfort walking into the class already knowing someone, and they had discussed their answers on their applications. Her sister, Nicole, had drawn the line at helping Laura get on the department. She wasn’t going to stop her, but she certainly wasn’t going to proofread her work and advise her on what to wear.

Which was why Laura rejected the first pair of jeans with a college T-shirt. And the next pair of chinos with a button-down blouse. She finally settled on jeans with a navy blue elbow-length T-shirt. Not too casual, definitely not dressy or frilly. What if they had to climb a ladder or pull hoses off a truck in an icebreaker sort of event?

She paired practical sneakers with her outfit and grabbed a shoulder bag in case there were books. She hoped for bookwork. If there was something she could read up on, she’d be in her element. A quiz or essay? Golden.

Despite her enthusiasm, her confidence would be a whole lot stronger if she knew what to expect. She drove her car—a blue hatchback with all-wheel drive that suited the winter conditions in Indiana—instead of riding her bike because it would be dark when she returned to her sister’s place. Nicole was spending a lot of time with Kevin in anticipation of their wedding in six weeks, and Laura was in the lucky position of having a fully furnished house all to herself most of the time.

She parked on a side street near the station and noticed another car doing the same thing. She wished she had arranged to ride with Diane, but she knew she had to step outside her comfort zone, anyway. Two men got out of the car and walked in the same direction she was. After crossing one street and staying together, Laura smiled at the men.

“Are you going to the fire station?” she asked.

They nodded.

“Me, too,” she said. She took a breath and made herself say it out loud, testing the words that represented such a bold move for her. “I’m signing up to be a volunteer firefighter.”

There was a slight hesitation, and then the younger man stuck out his hand. “Richard,” he said. “I’m starting the volunteer class tonight, too. And this is my brother, Oliver.”