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“Got it!” they chimed in.
“Okay. Why don’t we go have lunch first, then we can make the rounds and do anything you like afterward?”
He raised a hand for a high five. Jared and Olivia enthusiastically slapped his palm.
They made their way to the buffet-style line that had formed under a large shelter and joined it.
The kids each held their plates as he served pulled pork onto their sandwich buns. While he was filling his plate with ribs, he looked across the table to see Sal taking some as well. How long had she been there? “Hey, I didn’t see you over there.”
This was the first time he’d ever seen her in anything but a jumpsuit. Today she was wearing a simple sky blue T-shirt that was tucked into tight, well-worn jeans. A thin belt drew his attention to her hips. She looked fit but not skinny. Her hair flowed down around her shoulders. This version of Sal was very appealing.
Her eyelids flickered and she said shyly, “Hi, Ross. I think you’re a little busy to notice much.”
“You’re right about that.” He looked for the kids and found there was a gap between him and them. He saw Sal’s grin and forgot what he was doing. He hurriedly returned to picking out his ribs and moved forward. The kids each added a small bag of chips to their plates. When they were all finished, they picked out canned drinks from large containers filled with ice.
When Ross turned around after getting his, he noticed Sal pulling her drink out of a bucket next to his. It didn’t appear anyone was with her. Their eyes met and she gave him a soft unsure smile. She looked away over the sea of picnic tables and walked away. Would she have joined them if he’d asked? Did he want her to?
“Come on, kids, let’s see about finding a place to sit.” He nodded forward. “Jared, head out through the picnic tables that way.”
The boy did as Ross said and he and Olivia followed. As they moved along, a number of people he knew spoke to him. He called “hi” and kept moving. Finally, he saw Jared doing a fast walk toward an empty table. Relieved they had found one, Ross settled in for his meal.
He spied Sal weaving through the tables, obviously searching for a place to sit.
She came close enough that he raised his hand and called, “Hey, Sal, come join us. We have room.”
Her face brightened at her name, but when she turned his way she looked hesitant, as if trying to figure out a way to refuse, but she came their way.
As she set her lunch down next to Olivia’s and across from him, she said, “Thanks. Kody and Lucy are coming but they’re running late.” She looked around her. “There sure are a lot of people here. I had no idea that it’d be like this.” She slipped her legs under the table.
“Austin’s isn’t a tiny fire department. The families really turn out for the picnic.” What was happening to him? He didn’t invite single women he worked with to join him for a meal. It was against departmental policy for firefighters and medical personnel at the same station to see each other. But this wasn’t a date. He was just being nice.
He wasn’t dating right now anyway. In college, he’d dated as much as any of his friends. During the early years of joining the department he’d done the bar scene with some of the other bachelors for a few years but that had got old fast. It was hard to see about the ranch and work his odd hours and keep that lifestyle.
Once he’d been serious about someone, but it hadn’t worked out. She’d hated his schedule and had been afraid he might be hurt or killed. After a messy breakup, he’d decided to concentrate on his career and not worry about the aggravation of maintaining a relationship for a while. For now, he’d like to keep things casual, uncomplicated. Maybe after making Battalion Chief he would give serious thought to settling down. But that wouldn’t or couldn’t include seeing someone he worked with.
“I see.” She glanced at Jared and Olivia. “I didn’t know you had children.”
Olivia giggled.
“This is my niece and nephew. They’re spending a couple of weeks with me while my sister and her husband are out of town. Sal, this is Jared and Olivia.”
Olivia gave her a curious look. “Your name is Sal? That’s a boy’s name.”
“That’s what your uncle calls me at work. My name is really Sally.”
His niece wrinkled her nose. “I like Sally better.”
Ross did too. It suited her. To think he had never really wondered what her full name was.
Sally looked down at Olivia and smiled. “You know, I do too.”
That was interesting. Why didn’t she ever correct anybody at the station?
Sally turned her attention to her food and the rest of them did as well. She handed over a napkin to Jared. Ross looked at him. He had barbecue sauce running down his chin.
The boy took it from her.
“Good sandwich?” Sally asked, smiling.
“Yes.” Jared grinned.
“I can tell. Mine’s good too.”
“Uncle Ross’s must be good too because it’s all over his face.” Olivia pointed to him.
They all laughed.
“He looks like a clown,” Olivia blurted out.
They all broke into laughter again.
“What?” He wiped his mouth and looked at the napkin. There was a lot of sauce on it.
“It’s still on there,” Jared stated.
Ross tried again to clean his face.
“It’s still on there,” Olivia said with a giggle.
“You guys are starting to hurt my feelings.” Ross liked the sound of Sally’s laughter—sweet and full-bodied.
“Here, let me see if I can help you.” Sally held up her napkin. “Lean toward me.”
Ross did as she suggested as she shifted toward him. Their eyes met and held for a moment. There was a flicker of something there. Awareness, curiosity, interest?
Sally blinked and her focus moved on. A moment later she rubbed a spot on his cheek and sat back.
“She got it,” Olivia announced.
However, she had left a warmth behind for him to think about.
“Jared,” Sally said a little too brightly, as if she had been affected as well. “How old are you?”
“Nine.”
“What do you like? Football? Baseball…?” Her attention remained on him as if she was truly interested.
“Soccer.”
“Soccer. I’ve watched a few games but I don’t know much about the rules.”
Ross grinned as Jared lapsed into a full monologue about soccer playing. It hadn’t taken long for Sal, uh, Sally to find the kid’s sweet spot.
When he ran out of steam Sally was quick to ask, “Olivia, do you have something special you like to do?”
“I like to draw.”
“Do you draw people, or animals or landscapes?” Sally took a bite of her sandwich while waiting for an answer.
Olivia wrinkled her forehead. “Landscapes? What’s that?”
“Pictures of trees and grass,” Jared offered.
“That’s right.” Sally gave him a smile of praise.
“No, I like to draw horses. I drew a picture of Uncle Ross’s horses.”
Sally’s attention turned to him. She seemed surprised. “You have horses?”
“I do. I own a few acres out west of town.”
“You need to come see Uncle Ross’s horses sometime. They’re beautiful.” Olivia let the last word trail out. “Their names are Romeo and Juliet.”
Sally smiled at her. “Are they, now?” She looked at him with a teasing grin on her lips. “Interesting names for horses.”
“Hey, they were already named when I bought them.”
She grinned. “So you say.”
They returned to eating their meals.
As they finished, Olivia asked, “Uncle Ross, can I go have my face painted now?”
Jared turned to him. “And I want to ride the pony.”
“We can’t do both at the same time. Who’s going first?”
Both their hands went up.
Sally covered her smile with a hand.
Ross looked at her and shook his head sadly. “I can handle a company of men at a fire with no problem but give me two kids.”
Her look met his. “I think you’re doing great.”
She did? For some reason he rather liked that idea.
Sally pushed her plate to the center of the table. “Maybe I can help. I can take Olivia to have her face painted while you take Jared to ride the pony. We can meet somewhere afterward.”
Ross looked at the children. “That sounds like a plan, doesn’t it, kids?”
They both nodded.
He looked around. “Okay, we’ll meet over there by the flagpole.”
Sally stood. “Then we’ll see you in a little while. Olivia, bring your trash and we’ll put it in the garbage on the way.”
To his surprise Olivia made no argument about cleaning up. Instead she did as Sally asked. As they headed toward the face-painting booth, Olivia slipped her hand into Sally’s. She swung it between them.
Sally strolled with Olivia across the grassy area toward the activities. Ross’s niece and nephew were nice kids. They seemed to adore him and he them. Her ex-husband, Wade, had never really cared for children. He’d always said he wanted his own but he’d never liked others’, thought they were always dirty. More than once he’d worried they would get his clothes nasty when they were around. Thinking back, she didn’t understand what she’d seen in him. How she’d even thought herself in love.
Wade had been the local wonder boy. Everyone had loved him, thought he was great. She had too, which was why she’d given up almost everything she loved to make him happy. They hadn’t been married long when she’d learned he was having an affair. She’d tried to work it out but Wade wasn’t going to change his ways. How had she been so oblivious? What she had thought was real and special had all been a lie. Finally, she’d filed for divorce.
Her judgment where men were concerned was off. All her trust was gone. Never would she be taken in like that again. She mentally shook her head. She wasn’t going to ruin a nice day thinking about her ex-husband.
Half an hour later, she and Olivia were on their way to the flagpole. Olivia had a large fuchsia star on one cheek and smaller ones trailing away from it up across her forehead, along with a smile on her lips. Sally couldn’t help but smile as well at how proud the girl was.
As they approached the pole, Ross and Jared walked up. The grin on Ross’s face when he saw Olivia made Sally’s grow. He had such a nice smile. Wide, carefree and inviting. She’d really been missing out on something special by never having seen it before. Most of their interactions had been working ones where there had been no time for smiles.
Ross went down on one knee in front of Olivia. “I love your stars.”
Sally watched the similar-colored heads so close together. Ross would make a good father someday. “How was your pony ride, Jared?”
“It was fun, but not as much fun as riding Uncle Ross’s horses.”
“Can we go play in the jumping games?” Olivia pointed toward the inflatable games set up across the field.
“Yeah, Uncle Ross, can we?” Jared joined in.
Sally looked back at the crowd in line for food. Were Kody and Lucy here yet? She didn’t want Ross to think he had to entertain her as well.
“Sure we can.” Ross started that way with Jared and Olivia on either side of him. He glanced over his shoulder. “Sally, you coming?”
“Sure.” She hurried after them. If he didn’t mind, it would be nicer than just standing around waiting on Kody and his daughter to show up.
As Jared and Olivia played in the inflatable game with the net sides, she and Ross stood outside watching them dive and roll through the small multicolored balls.
After a few minutes of uncertain silence, she said, “Jared and Olivia are really sweet.”
“Yeah, I think they’re pretty great. Their mom and dad are raising them right.”
“Is your sister older or younger than you?” She was more curious than she should be about Ross.
“I’m older, but sometimes she treats me like I’m the younger one. She worries about me being a fireman, or not being married. I know she cares but it does get old.”
“I know the feeling. Kody likes to worry over me. My father encourages it as well. I don’t know what I’d do without Kody though. He’s the one who encouraged me to move out here. Best thing I’ve ever done.”
Kody had told her that she needed to get away from the memories. More than once he had talked about how much he and Lucy liked living here. He’d even tried to get their parents to move out west as well.
