Amie Denman - In Love With The Firefighter

* * *

KEVIN AND THE chief were the last two on scene, finishing cleanup for the time being. There would be plenty to do tomorrow when the fire and insurance inspectors showed up.

“Call it a night,” the chief said.

Kevin tossed the flashlight Nicole had returned to him into the side compartment of the truck. It bounced against the back of the bin and rolled out, falling on the ground and rolling under the truck.

“Dangit,” Kevin said, dropping to his knees to look for it. The flashlight was hidden in the grass, but he saw something else under the truck. A black blob. The black blob moved and light reflected off a pair of eyes.

“Hey, buddy. You must be Eddie.”

He ducked low and reached for the cat, but the frightened animal recoiled and slunk farther back.

“Don’t make this hard on me, cat.”

He extended his arm slowly toward the animal and then made a quick lunge, grabbing the cat before he could run away, but whacking his head on the running board of the truck at the same time. He held the cat in one hand and got up. Tucking the cat inside his coat, he glanced down the street toward Jane’s house. It had only been a half hour since the women left. Could they still be awake?

“Got everything?” the chief said.

“Yup. And I think I found the homeowners’ cat under the truck.”

“We didn’t run over it, did we?” the chief asked. “I hate when we do that.”

“No, he’s alive. Can we stop by Jane’s house on the way back to the station? If she’s still up, I think she can help us with it.”

The chief stared at the lump inside Kevin’s turnout coat. “Didn’t know you were such a cat person,” he said.

Kevin shrugged. “You drive.”

They parked in the street in front of Jane’s house. Lights were still on inside. “Be right back,” he said.

Approaching the front door, Kevin tried to gauge which rooms had lights on. He guessed they were the kitchen and living room. A good sign.

He tapped on the door just loud enough so anyone who was already awake would hear him. A moment later, someone moved a curtain, and the porch light came on overhead. Jane opened the door wide.

“What happened to you?” she asked.

Not what Kevin expected. “Happened?”

“Your head. It’s bleeding. Come in.”

Kevin stepped into the house, keeping one hand on the warm lump inside his coat. He toed the door shut and swiped the other one over his forehead. Blood smeared his grimy hand. “Oh,” he said. “I guess I did that when I was trying to fish the cat out from under the fire truck.”

“You found Eddie?” Jane exclaimed.

Nicole appeared behind Jane wearing only a short pink nightshirt. Her hair was wet and her bare feet and legs under the short edge of the shirt riveted Kevin’s attention. “You found Eddie?” she echoed.

Kevin pulled open the flap of his coat and revealed black fur. “He’s been fighting me under here.” Eddie stuck his head out and hissed.

“Did he claw your head?” Nicole asked, gesturing over Kevin’s eye.

“Nope. That happened while I was trying to catch him. He was hiding under the pumper. He’s fast for a house cat.”

“Poor Eddie,” Nicole said. She approached and reached toward him, her fingers brushing his neck. Her wet blond hair tickled his chin.

He would bring home a wild cat every night of the week for attention like that. But it was over too soon. Nicole unsnapped his coat and pulled out the cat, cuddling him against her chest. His coat flapped open and he wished he could think of a reason for her to reach in again. Her green eyes were darker in the dim light of the entryway. She smelled like shampoo, as if she’d just stepped from a shower to erase the soot and smoke of the night.

The cat enjoyed Nicole’s attention for a moment and then struggled to get down.

“Close the door behind you,” Jane said. “Want to come in for something to eat?”

“Love to, but the chief’s waiting in the truck.” He watched Nicole’s every move as she bent over to put the cat on the rug. He cleared his throat. “We have to clean hoses and write reports until dawn. Then at least one of us will be back in the morning combing through the mess with the fire inspector and probably the insurance claims person.”

Jane’s tabby cat came around the corner, back up, tail high. She saw Eddie, and a low growl emanated from her throat. Eddie bounced to his feet and fled, a black blur down the hallway, the tabby right on his tail.

Kevin rubbed his head. “Think you could keep that little devil for the night and get him back to the owners tomorrow?”

“Will you stop rubbing your cut with your filthy hands?” Jane said. “And yes, Nicole has the number where they’re staying. We’ll call in the morning and meet up with them.”

“That little girl will be so happy,” Nicole said, smiling at Kevin as if he’d just made a rainbow appear over Cape Pursuit. It was the happiest he’d seen her in the short time he’d known her. “Thank you for catching him. And for bringing him over. I can sleep now.”

“You’re welcome. I really got lucky. I dropped that flashlight you borrowed and it rolled under the truck right to the cat’s hiding place. Like it was meant to be.”

A searchlight shone through the glass on the door and toggled back and forth.

“I think my uncle’s ready to get back to the station,” Kevin said. “Can’t blame him.”

“Good night,” Nicole said.

“Night,” he replied, staring at her bare feet and nightshirt. “Thanks for bringing blankets and coffee,” he said, directing his words to both Nicole and Jane. “We always appreciate it.”

He opened the door just wide enough to slip outside, in case the cats came racing back through. As he walked down the front sidewalk toward the fire truck on the street, he had the feeling a set of green eyes was on his back. And the feeling cleared the smoke from his head and lifted his heart.

CHAPTER SIX

KEVIN PULLED THE ladder truck out of the station and parked it on the front concrete apron. He got out, slid the wheel chocks under the rear dual wheels and headed for the cab of the pumper. One by one, he pulled the pumper, light rescue pickup and heavy rescue squad out and parked in front of the station’s four bays. He drove the Jeep with the dive trailer and then three ambulances out the huge overhead doors in the back, totally clearing out the Cape Pursuit fire station.

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