Firefighter's Unexpected Fling

Ross and Olivia joined their little group once more and they watched more of the races, cheering on people they knew.

A little while later the man with the microphone said, “Okay, it’s time for the three-legged race. We’re going to do something a little different this year to start out with. We need a male and female to represent each fire station. We’re going to have a little friendly house-to-house competition. Pick your partner, and come to the line.”

“Uncle Ross, you and Sally need to go,” Jared said.

“Yeah, you need to,” the girls agreed.

“I don’t think so.” Sally looked around for an excuse not to participate. She received no help from Kody, who just grinned at her.

“Someone does need to represent our station.” Ross studied her.

“Go, Aunt Sally.” Lucy gave her a little push.

She returned Ross’s assessing look. Surely he wouldn’t want to do it.

He said with far more enthusiasm than she felt, “Come on. Let’s win this thing.”

It figured Ross was competitive.

They hurried to a lane. Ross quickly tied the strip of cloth lying on the ground around their ankles. The entire time she tried not to touch him any more than necessary. She wasn’t very successful. They met all the way up the length of their legs. Her nerves went into a frenzy when Ross’s arm came around her waist. He felt so solid and secure. What was going on with her?

“Put your arm around me,” Ross commanded.

With heart thumping harder than normal, Sally did as he requested. Her fingers clutched his shirt.

“Not my shirt, me.” His words were teasing almost, but demanding, drawing her gaze to his face, which was fierce with concentration and determination. She bit back a laugh as her fingers gripped the well-founded muscle of his side.

“You really do want to win?” she murmured.

He glanced at her with disbelief. “Don’t you? We start with our outside leg. You ready?”

“Uh, yeah?” She wanted to run for her car.

The man asked, “Runners ready?”

“Okay, here we go.” Ross’s voice was intense.

“Go!” the man said.

Ross called, “Outside, inside…”

They were on their way. He was matching the length of his stride to hers. Ross continued to keep the cadence as they hurried up the lane. She tried to concentrate on what they were doing but the physical contact kept slipping in to ruin it. When she tripped, his grip on her waist tightened.

“Outside, inside…” He helped her to get back in sync.

As they made the turn around the barrel, he lifted her against his body as if she weighed nothing. After they had swung around, he let her down and said, “Inside.”

Her fingertips dug into his side. Ross grunted, but didn’t slow down. His ribs must still be tender. She eased her grip and concentrated on their rhythm again.

The crowd yelled and Ross held her tighter, plastering her against him. They picked up speed.

Between breaths Ross said, “Come on, we’re almost there.”

Sally put all the effort she had into walking fast. They were near the line when Ross lifted her again and swung her forward with him. The crowd roared as they crossed the finish line. They stumbled hard and went down. Ross landed over her. They were a tangle of arms and legs and laughter.

Ross’s breath was hot against her cheek. Her hands were fanned out across his chest. His arms were under her as if he had tried to protect her from the fall. As he looked at her, his eyes held a flicker of masculine awareness. Her stomach fluttered with a feminine response.

“Stay still. I’ll untie us.” His breath brushed over her lips.

“Well, folks, that was a close one,” the man said.

“Aunt Sally, you won! You won!” Lucy’s voice came from above her.

“We did?” she grunted as she and Ross worked to untangle themselves from each other.

Ross finally released their legs and stood. He had that beautiful smile on his face again as he offered her a hand. She put hers in his. He pulled her up into his arms and swung her around. “We sure did!”

“Oh.” Her arms wrapped around his neck as she hung on. Just as quickly, he let her go. It took her a moment to regain her balance.

Lucy hugged her and Kody slapped Ross on the back. Jared and Olivia circled them, jumping up and down.

“You were great.” Ross grinned at her with satisfaction.

She brushed herself off. “Thanks. You did most of the work.”

“Okay, everyone,” the man said. “There’s ice cream for everyone before we have the stations’ tug-of-war events.”

“I don’t know about you guys but I think Sal and I earned some ice cream,” Ross said to their group.

“It’s Sally, Uncle Ross,” Olivia corrected him.

Ross looked at her. “Sally and I, then.”

“I’ve always called her Sweet Pea,” Kody quipped.

Sally groaned.

Ross glanced at her and beamed mischievously.

Sally started walking. The three kids joined her. She might never live this day down.

Ross spooned another bite of ice cream into his mouth. He, Kody and Sally were sitting at a table finishing their food while they watched the kids playing on the park playground equipment. The kids had become fast friends.

He looked at Sally. Her concentration remained on her bowl. She’d really been a trouper during their race. Yet by her expression he’d gathered she hadn’t wanted anything to do with it. Was her silent objection to the race or running it with him?

His reaction to having her bound to him had been unexpected. That response had grown and hung like a cloud over them when they had been tangled in each other’s arms. There had been a smoldering moment when she had looked at him with, what? Surprise? Interest? Desire? He was male enough to recognize her interest but smart enough to know that she was off-limits, for a number of reasons.

Sally was the sister of a friend. She worked with him. From what he understood she wasn’t yet over her divorce and had no interest in dating. More to the point, she didn’t strike him as someone who would settle for a fling. As for himself, he couldn’t afford to have his mind or emotions anywhere but on his job right now. A real relationship would be a distraction, and something about Sally made him believe that she would be the definition of distraction.

Then there were his scars. More than once they had turned a woman off. A number of women he’d dated had expected a big, strong firefighter would be flawless, would look like a subject of a calendar. They had been disappointed by him.

Thankfully Kody asking him a question directed his mind to a safer topic. A few minutes later the announcer called the tug-of-war teams to the field.

Ross said to Kody, “Well, it’s time for the fun to begin. We need to win this thing. I’ve heard about all I want to about how strong the Twos are.” He raised his voice. “Come on, Jared and Olivia, it’s time for the contest.”

The kids stopped playing and started toward them.

Sally chuckled. “You’re really looking forward to this, aren’t you?”

“Oh, yeah. All I’ve heard from Station Two is how they won last year. I’m ready for payback. Do you mind watching Jared and Olivia while I’m pulling?”

“Not at all.”

“Lucy too?” Kody added.

“Sure. I’ve got them all. You guys go on. I’ll bring the kids.”

He and Kody loped across the field to join the other members of the station. When they reached the part of the field where the tug-of-war would take place, Ross raised his hand. “House Twelve. Here.”

Other station captains were doing the same. There was a great deal of commotion as everyone located their fellow companies.

The announcer came on again. “Firefighters and first responders may I have your attention?”

The crowd quieted.

“This is how the competition is going to work. We’ve set up brackets by pulling station numbers out of a hat. Those will pull against each other. The winner will continue on to the next bracket until we have a winner. Now each house needs to huddle up and decide which six people from your station will be pulling. There must be at least one woman on the team. If your house doesn’t have enough people present, then you may recruit from your family members. If you have any questions you need to see Chief Curtis up here. As always, he’s our final word.”

Using his “at a fire” voice, Ross spoke to the people around him. “Okay, Erickson, Smith, Hart, Kody and me. Rogers, you’ll be our designated woman. Does that work for everyone?”

“Ten-four, Captain!” they cheered.

“Great. Now, get into position and get ready to give it all you’ve got.”

Those who weren’t chosen went to join those lining the tug-of-war area. Ross and his team moved to the large-diameter rope lying on the ground. A piece of cloth was tied in the middle of it. A chalk line had been drawn across the pulling area.

He glanced over to see Sally and the kids standing near the line. There was excitement on their faces. They all hollered, “Go, Twelves!”

Each team member picked up a section of the rope. Ross anchored at the back where a knot was tied.

The announcer said, “We have our first two teams. The Twelves and the Thirty-Fives. On the word go I want you to start pulling. You must keep pulling until the last man is over the line. Is everyone ready?”

“Ten-four!” both teams shouted.

Ross called, “Dig in, firefighters. Let’s win this thing.” He grabbed the rope tighter.

When the announcer yelled, “Go!” Ross pulled as hard as he could. The grunts of the others ahead of him joined his as they slowly walked backward. The shouts of the crowd encouraging them grew louder. Suddenly there was slack in the rope and he staggered to keep himself upright. They had won. The crowd cheered as his team turned to each other, giving each other high fives.

He would be in pain before the day was done with that much exertion. His ribs had objected when Sally had gripped his side during the three-legged race. With the pulling, they had spoken up loudly again. Still, he was going to do his part to win the tug-of-war. His team needed him. The key was not to let on he was hurting.

Sally and the kids joined him and Kody, giving them their excited congratulations.

Sal said, “Hey, kids, how about helping me get some bottled water for our team?”

“Okay!” all three of the kids agreed.

Sally and the kids hurried away and soon returned with arms filled with bottles. Those standing around took one. Ross finished his in two large gulps. With the next competition about to begin, they moved to the side to watch as the next two teams took the field.

Soon it was time to compete again. They won the next three pulls and were now in the final facing Station Two.

Ross lined up again with his team.

“Go, Uncle Ross, go!” Olivia yelled.

“Go, Twelves! You can do this!” Sally called.

Ross’s heart pounded in anticipation as the announcer said, “Go!” On that word he dug his heels into the ground and pulled with all of his might. His hands, arms and shoulders strained. The muscles in his legs trembled with the effort to move backward. Sweat ran into his eyes and still he pulled. His side burned. Clenching his teeth, he tried not to think about it. Concentrate was what he had to do.

The crowd shouted, voices mixing into a roar of encouragement.

Despite the pain he continued to tug. His legs quivered from the effort. Once, twice, three times the team was pulled forward. Only with strength of will did they remain steady and reverse the movement.

He dug deep within himself and called, “Let’s take these guys.”

With a burst of energy, Ross pulled harder. The others must have done so as well. They made steady steps backward.

Not soon enough for him the announcer said, “And the winner is Station Twelve.”

A cheer went up. Ross put his hands on his knees and gulped deep breaths. The other members of the station surrounded them. A bottle of water appeared before his face. He looked up. Sally held it. She gave him a happy smile that made his already racing heart thump harder. All his efforts were worth it for that alone.

“You were great.” Her voice was full of excitement.

Ross returned her smile. “Thanks. It wasn’t just me. We did it as a team.”

“Yeah, but you got them to give their all.”

His ego expanded. He had to admit he liked her praise.

Others coming to congratulate him on the victory separated him and Sally.

As everything settled down, the announcer said, “Well, that’s all for this year’s picnic, folks. We look forward to seeing you next year. Be safe on your drive home.”

Everyone slowly drifted off. Their party started toward the parking lot.

“Can I ride piggyback, Uncle Ross?” Olivia asked.

He didn’t think his body could tolerate it, but didn’t want to disappoint her.

Before he could say anything, Sally suggested, “How about holding my hand?” Lucy already had one of them. “I think your uncle Ross is tired after all that pulling.” She gave him a knowing smile.

“Okay.” Olivia took it.

Thank you, he mouthed to her.

She nodded.

“We’re down this way.” Kody nodded, indicating the other end of the parking lot. He gave Sally a quick hug. “See you soon.”

Lucy did the same. “Bye, Aunt Sally.”

“I better head to my car too.” Looking unsure, Sally let go of Olivia’s hand. “It was nice to meet you, Olivia and Jared. I enjoyed the day.” She started off.

“Hey, wait up, we’re going that way too,” Ross called.

Sally paused. Olivia took her hand again.

“We’ll walk you to your car.” Why he’d decided that was a good idea, he didn’t know. Sally was fully capable of getting to her car by herself.

“Uh, okay.”

He grinned. “You thought you’d get rid of us easier than that, didn’t you?”

“I’m not looking to get rid of you.” She glanced at him. Her cheeks were pink. “You know what I mean.”

He chuckled, then immediately winced.

Her face turned concerned. “Are your ribs still bothering you?”

“You’re not going to get all up in my face if I tell you yes, are you?”

Her lips drew into a thin line. “I might.”

“Yeah, today’s activity didn’t help much.” He didn’t like people seeing weakness in him and for some reason it really mattered that she didn’t.

“Have you been taking it easy, until today, that is?” She studied him.

He couldn’t meet her gaze. “Well, I’ve been trying. How’s that for an answer?”

She quirked her mouth to one side in disappointment. “When you get home, run a hot bath and soak. It’ll help. You do know someone else could have taken your place in the tug-of-war?” There was a bite to her words. She wasn’t happy with him.

He grinned. “Yeah, but what fun would that have been?”

She shook her head. “Men. Here’s my car. Bye, Olivia and Jared. See you later, Ross.”

He and the kids called goodbye and continued on.

Why did he miss her already?

As he was about to start the truck, there was a knock on his window. He jumped. It was Sally. She motioned for him to roll down the glass.

“Hold out your hand.”

He did. She deposited some capsules.

“These’ll help with the pain. Bye, Ross.” She said the last softly.

Something sweet lingered as she walked away. Something better left alone.

CHAPTER THREE

TWO DAYS LATER Ross was in his chair in the office doing paperwork when the ambulance backed into the bay. He watched out the window as Sally came around to the rear of the ambulance. She looked tired. They had already made twice as many runs as the fire side had during the shift.

His company had spent the last few hours washing the trucks, checking the supplies and making sure the station was in pristine order. Now some of the men were in the exercise room working out while others were watching a movie in the TV room.

One of his men stopped at the open door and looked in. “Hey, Ross, it’s your turn to cook tonight. Do we need to make a run to the grocery store or do you have what you need?”

Each shift shared kitchen duty. Some stations had one person who liked to do the cooking, while others had a revolving schedule and the crew took turns. His station shared the duty. They assigned two people per shift to handle the meal. His turn had come up. He wasn’t a great cook but he could produce simple meals. Mostly he hoped to have someone more skilled than him as his partner.

“I’ll check. Who’s on with me?”

“Sal.”

He’d planned to stay out of her circle as much as possible, spooked as he was by his over-the-top reaction to their time together at the picnic. Cooking a meal with Sally wouldn’t accomplish that, but how could he get out of it without causing a lot of questions or hurting her feelings? No solution occurred to him, so he resigned himself to spending time with her. Surely he was capable of that.

During the last few weeks it seemed as if they had seen more of each other than they had in months. In spite of their one day on and two off schedules, he was aware she often worked extra hours in order to have extended time off. What did she do during that time? Why that suddenly mattered to him, he had no idea. He huffed. It wasn’t his business anyway.

Ross again glanced into the bay, then back to the man. “They’re just rolling in. I’ll give her time to clean up, then go see what she thinks. They’ve already made a couple of runs this afternoon. I don’t know for how much I can depend on her.”

“Ten-four.”

A few minutes later Ross crossed the bay to the door of the medical area. Sally was going through a drawer. “Hey.”

She turned. “Hey.”

“Tough shift?”

“You could say that. Two big calls back-to-back.” She shrugged. “But you know how that goes.”

She was right, he’d had those days as well. “I hate to add to it but we have KP duty tonight. I’d say I’d handle it, but I’m not a great cook.”

Sally grinned. “You’re not one of those stereotypical firemen who has his own cookbook?”

Ross chuckled. “No, Trent who works over at Tens does. I bought his cookbook to be supportive but that doesn’t mean I know how to use it. I could see if one of the other guys wants to help.”

“What gives you the idea I’m not any good either?”

He wasn’t used to people putting him on the spot and gave her a speculative look. “Are you?”

Her eyes twinkled. “Yeah, I’m a good cook.”

Ross wiped the back of his hand across his forehead. “Woo, that’s a relief. If we need something, my crew can make a run to the grocery store.”

“I have a couple more things to do here, so I’ll meet you in the kitchen in a few minutes and we’ll see what we’ve got available. Surely you can open some cans if I’m called out.”

“That I can do.” He left and headed toward the kitchen.

This was the first time they’d been partnered in any real way. They had each done their jobs during runs but had never really interacted until the picnic. He rather liked Sally. She challenged him even at creating a meal. He wouldn’t have thought he would appreciate that kind of confrontation but he did.

He was already in the kitchen area when she showed up. “Any ideas?”

“Let’s see what’s in the pantry.” She opened the oversize door off to the side and propped it open with a crate, despite the fact the closet was large enough to hold both of them with ease. Was she fearful of being in a closed space with a man, with him in particular, or was there something else? It was just as well he wouldn’t ever take a chance on being caught in a suggestive situation with a female at the station. Having that on his record would ruin any chance for advancement. This promotion was important to him, his opportunity to make a real difference.

It had been while he was in the hospital after the fire that he’d decided one day he would help people as that firefighter had helped his grandpa. As soon as Ross had graduated from high school, he’d joined the same volunteer fire department that had saved them. He’d continued to do so while he was in college. After that, he’d joined the Austin Fire Department. He loved everything about being a fireman.

In some odd way, he was determined to outdo fire. To be smarter than it. Learn to anticipate its next move. He wanted to control, conquer it so no one else would ever have to live through those moments of fear he’d had.

Sally ran her fingers down the canned goods stacked on a shelf. “Yeah, I think we have enough here for vegetable soup. Corn, beans, chopped potatoes and tomato juice. Two tins of each should do it and we can always make grilled cheese sandwiches.”

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