Firefighter's Unexpected Fling / Pregnant With The Paramedic's Baby

“Pull it out to thaw. It can go into the soup,” she called from the closet before she appeared with her arms full of cans. She dumped them on the counter as he placed the beef in the sink.

“There’s a couple more cans in there. Do you mind getting them?”

He went to the closet and retrieved the cans sitting off by themselves. “Are these them?”

“Yeah.”

With his foot, Ross pushed the crate back into the pantry and let the door automatically close before going to the counter. He put the cans beside the others. “What now?”

Sal looked at him with her hand on a hip. “This is a partnership, not a chef/sous chef situation.”

“I prefer the chef/sous chef plan.” Ross grinned.

“You act as if you don’t do this often.”

He leaned his hip against the counter. “I don’t, if I can get out of it.”

“Okay, since you’ve designated me to be the chef, I’m going to put you to work. Start by opening all the cans. You’re qualified on a can opener, aren’t you?”

“I can handle that. It’s electric, isn’t it?”

Sally laughed. “Yeah. It is.” She turned her back to him. “And they let him be captain of a company.”

Ross pulled the opener out from under the counter. “I heard that.”

Pulling a large boiler out from under the cabinet near the stove, she put it on a large unit and turned it on. Ross opened cans and set them aside as he covertly watched Sal uncover the still-frozen meat and place it in the pot. She worked with the same efficacy that she used in her medical care.

“So you just have that recipe in your head? Carry it around all the time?”

Sally glanced over her shoulder. “I made it for my family all the time growing up.” She tapped her forehead. “I keep it locked away right here.”

“Well, I have to admit I’m impressed. I had no idea you had such skills.”

“I’m not surprised. We really haven’t worked together much.”

Ross sort of hoped that would change even as he sternly told himself, yet again, he wanted no interferences in his life right now. Socializing with a female he worked with would definitely qualify as that.

“It’s nothing but meat and a few cans of vegetables.” She turned serious. “But the secret ingredient is Worcestershire sauce. Would you mind checking the refrigerator door and see if there’s any there?”

He did as she requested. “There’s half a bottle.”

“That’ll be enough.” Her attention remained on what she was doing. “We’ll make it work. Is there any ketchup, by chance?”

Ross opened the refrigerator door again. “Yeah, there’s some of that.”

“Then bring that too.”

“Ketchup?” He’d never heard of such a thing.

“It’ll add a little thickness to it and also a little sweetness.”

“You really are a chef.”

“It takes more than ketchup soup to make you a chef.”

A loud buzz followed by a long alarm then three shorts indicating it was their station being called ended their conversation. Ross was already moving as Sally turned off the stove and put the pot into the refrigerator along with the open cans.

As they ran down the hall toward the bay, the dispatcher’s voice came over the loudspeakers. “Two-car accident at the intersection of Taft and Houston. One car on fire.”

Moments later Ross was sliding his feet into his boots next to his crewmates. He jerked up his pants and flipped the suspenders over his shoulders. It took seconds for him to pull on his turnout gear that had sat ready on the bay floor. Grabbing his coat, he swung up and into the passenger seat of the engine, while the other firefighters got into their seats behind him. He secured his helmet with the strap under his chin.

One of his men was assigned the job of pushing the buttons to open the huge overhead door. The driver hopped in and they wheeled out of the station with the siren blaring. His company worked like a well-oiled machine. They were out the door in less than a minute. They had four to get to the scene. This economy of effort was another of his leadership qualities that hopefully would get him an edge on that promotion.

Sally and her crewman were right behind them. The traffic pulled to the side and stopped, allowing them to go by. At the lights they slowed then continued on. The goal was not to create another accident in their speedy effort to get to the first emergency.

As they traveled, Ross was on the radio with dispatch, getting as much information about the accident as possible. His heart rate always rose as the adrenaline pumped and thoughts of what to expect ahead raced.

They pulled up to the accident but not too close. Sally and her partner did the same. Ross’s stomach roiled. The driver’s-side door of one car was smashed. It had been the center of impact. The passenger door behind it was a mangled mess but standing open. A child-size jacket hung halfway out the door and a doll lay on the road.

Smoke bellowed from the hood of the other car and oil covered the area. His job was to get the fire contained and put out. Thankfully there was no gas spreading.

“We need a fire extinguisher up here. Spread for the oil.”

As his men worked with the fire, he could see that at least the car seat remained intact inside the first car and the child was gone. Looking about, he could see Sally’s partner assessing the kid, who looked about four years old. The bigger issue now would be getting the woman who was still wedged in the front out.

Another ambulance arrived.

Ross continued to give orders and his men moved to follow them without questions. They knew their duties and went to work. He moved closer to the car to see Sally climbing into the back seat.

“What do you need?” he asked.

She didn’t look at him. “We’re going to need the Jaws of Life to get her out. The car is crushed so badly the front doors won’t open. I suspect the driver has internal injuries. We need to get her out right away.”

Using the radio, Ross said, “Rob, we need the Jaws of Life. Jim, you help him.”

The men rushed to the supply truck. Ross looked at Sally again to see her securing a neck brace on the woman. All the time she was reassuring her patient she would be fine, and her child too. He walked away long enough to see that everything was under control with the other car. The driver was sitting on the curb, dazed but otherwise looking uninjured. One of the EMTs from the second ambulance was seeing to him.

A couple of his firefighters were rerouting traffic along with the police.

He rejoined Sal as his men with the heavy-duty machine returned to the car. They inserted the mouth of the instrument into the area where the doors met and the machine slowly pushed the two apart. It took precious minutes. The metal creaked as it bent and groaned as it shifted. Finally, the firefighters were able to separate the doors.

“We need the gurney over here,” Sally called, then said over her shoulder to Ross, “We’ll need some help getting her on it.”

Ross and another firefighter moved into position, while she and another EMT stood across from them.

“I want us to slowly move her out, scooting her along the gurney.” This was Sally’s area of expertise and he would follow her lead.

Minutes later the patient was in the box with Sally in attendance and sirens blaring, headed toward the hospital. Ross and his company went to work seeing that the vehicles were loaded on wreckers and debris was cleared from the road.

By the time Sally finally made it back to the station kitchen, she found Ross stirring the soup, which bubbled gently on the stove. He was more talented than she had given him credit for.

“Hey, I’m glad you could join me. I thought I was going to have to take all the glory.” He grinned at her. The kind that caused a flutter in her middle. Why him? Why now? He was a nice guy. The kind she might be able to trust. She shook her head. If it was another time in her life, she might be tempted.

She smirked. “Like I was going to let that happen.”

“You were right. Looks like I can brown meat and dump cans of vegetables.” He sounded pleased with himself.

“Turns out you have more talent than you let on.”

“Some say that about other areas as well.” His comment sounded offhand but she suspected there might be more to it. Was Ross flirting with her? No, that wasn’t possible. What if it was? She had to stop thinking like that. There was nothing but trouble down that road.

Suddenly self-conscious, she cleared her throat. “So where were we before we were so rudely interrupted?” She pulled the loaf of bread that was sitting on the counter toward her. “I’ll get the grilled cheeses ready. Everyone must be hungry.” She started buttering bread.

“What’re you doing there?”

“Making fast and easy grilled cheese sandwiches. Pull out one of those large sheet pans, please.” Sally kept moving the knife over the bread as she spoke. “Then get the sliced cheese and start putting it on the bread. We’ll slip it into the oven, put it on broil, and we should have grilled cheeses in no time.”

Ross went to work without question. Soon they had the sandwiches browning. “I’ll get the plates, bowls and things while you go tell everyone soup’s on.”

“Are you always so bossy?” Ross asked as he exited the kitchen.

Did he really think she was dictatorial? She never thought of herself as being that way. Yet Wade had complained she was always on his case. Toward the end of their marriage, she guessed she had been. Wade hadn’t ever been at home. More often than not he’d been between jobs; either it wasn’t the right one or he was too smart to work with the people around him, or some other excuse. His parents had raised him to believe he could do no wrong.

She’d dreamed of being a doctor all through high school but after she and Wade had married he’d not wanted his wife going to school. He’d said school took up too much of her time. Time she could be spending with him. He’d never been a fan of her working as a paramedic, but she’d refused to give up volunteering when she’d been needed so badly by their rural community. That was the only thing she had defied him on. She had wanted their marriage to work.

Looking back, she could see how selfish Wade really was. That had certainly been brought home when she’d learned he was having an affair. But where she’d really messed up was not seeing through Wade before she’d married him. Her judgment had been off, so caught up in the fantasy rather than the reality. Next time, she’d be more careful about who she opened her heart to.

Ross returned with the other firefighters on his heels. Over the next hour the company shared a meal, told stories and laughed. When the meal was over, she and Ross cleaned up, each thankful that most of the dishes went into the dishwasher.

Ross was washing the last of the pots when his phone rang. He shook off his wet hands and pulled the phone out of his pocket. He moved away from the sink and Sally stepped into his spot. She was tired and still had paperwork to take care of. Hopefully they wouldn’t be called out anytime soon.

As she rinsed off the pan, Ross said with a disappointed note in his voice, “I’ll work something out.” He paused. “No, you can’t help it,” he said, before saying his goodbyes and hanging up the phone.

Sally hesitated to say anything, afraid it might be wrong, but didn’t want to appear unsympathetic. “Everything all right?”

“No, not really. The lady I have watching Olivia and Jared while I work? Her mother has had an accident and Marcy has to go help her. That leaves me having to find someone to help me out.”

“Would swapping shifts help?”

He was scrolling through the numbers on his phone. “Naw, I’ve got a meeting with the Chief. One I can’t afford to miss.” Ross spoke more to himself than to her.

“What day are you talking about?” Sally dried her hands on a dishrag.

“This Friday.” He still wasn’t giving her his attention.

“I’m not on the rest of the week. I have too much overtime. I’ll watch them. If you don’t mind Lucy joining us.”

“Hey, if you’d do that it would be great. Jared and Olivia would love to have someone to play with.”

“There’s only one problem.” She paused until she had his attention. “I don’t think three kids are going to be happy overnight at my place. It’s too small. I guess I could ask Kody if we could go there.”

“Y’all can come to my place. There’s plenty of room there. A lot of space outside to play. Plus, Jared’s and Olivia’s stuff is already there.”

“Are you sure?”

He took the pot from her and put it under the cabinet. “Of course I am. You’re doing me a favor.”

Sally wasn’t sure that going to Ross’s house was a good idea. It seemed as if they were getting too friendly. Yet her place was so small and Kody’s would be a little tight for three active kids as well. She didn’t see another good choice. “That would probably be best.”

He studied her a moment. “I’ll owe you big-time for this.”

“Don’t worry about it. It sounds fun. The kids and I’ll have a good time together.”

“If you could come out around eleven, that should give me time to show you around then get to town in time to start my shift. I’ll text you my address.” He headed out the door.

“Hey, don’t you need my number?”

He looked bashful. Cute, in fact. “I guess that would be helpful.”

“You don’t arrange childcare often, do you?”

“Nope.” Ross grinned. “It’s a fine art I’m just now learning.”

She gave him her number. He punched it into his phone, then he was gone.

CHAPTER FOUR

SALLY HAD MADE a serious mistake by agreeing to watch Ross’s niece and nephew. Doing so was another step into further involvement in Ross’s life. Being together at the picnic had revealed she was far too attracted to him. An attraction she neither wanted nor needed. She must stay focused. Still, she liked the guy. The last time she’d been this enamored with a man, she’d been devastated. That mustn’t happen again. She wouldn’t allow it. The upside to the day’s arrangement was that Ross would be at work the entire time.

And she would be with the kids…

In his home. His personal space. She hadn’t thought that through either. She would be where he lived. Touching, sitting and sleeping among his personal belongs. No, she hadn’t considered that part of this agreement at all. She should have done so before she’d blurted out her willingness to help. Yet helping out a fellow firefighter went with being a member of that family. It was just what a team player did in an emergency situation.

Ross had texted her his address as promised. Sally had picked up Lucy from Kody’s house on her way to Ross’s. Lucy had been so excited about seeing Jared and Olivia again she couldn’t get in the car fast enough. The idea of an overnight stay had heightened her anticipation. She’d chatted most of the way about all the fun they would have. Sally certainly hoped so. The closer she came to Ross’s house, the tighter Sally’s nerves knotted. She hadn’t acted this way over seeing a man in a long time. Control—she needed to get some over her wild emotions.

The drive was ten miles out of town to where the land rolled gently, the trees were tall and the fields green. When she had moved to this part of the country, it hadn’t taken long for her to fall in love with Texas. Even though she liked her apartment, she wished she could find a place with more outdoor space.

The day was beautiful with the sun shining in a blue sky as she turned the car off the two-lane highway onto a dirt lane. On either side were fenced pastures with a few trees here and there. The lane ended at a white clapboard house with a porch along the front. Large oaks shaded one side and the lawn surrounding the house was neatly mown. Behind it there was a small red barn with a couple of horses in the corral.

She sighed. When she got her medical degree, this was just the type of place she would look for. There was something restful, comforting about it. A place someone could find contentment. She loved everything about it, immediately.

When she’d taken Kody up on his suggestion to move to Texas, she’d realized how right he’d been. She’d had no trouble getting a job and there had been something cathartic, cleansing, about leaving all the ugliness of her marriage behind and starting over again. It had taken some time, but she’d finally settled in, had decided on a plan and was now focused on seeing it through.

Soon after arriving in Austin, she’d enrolled in college and finished her degree. Sally smiled. To think she was studying to take her MCAT now. If she did well enough, she hoped to enter medical school in the fall, while continuing to work part-time at the firehouse when she could. She wasn’t going to let anyone or anything divert her this time.

As she climbed from the car, Ross stepped out of the beveled glass front door.

A warmth washed over her. Especially not a man with striking blue eyes and a hunky chest.

He came to stand beside a wooden post of the porch. He wore his usual fire station uniform of navy pants and T-shirt with the department logo on one breast. Practical work boots completed his attire. He appeared healthy and fit. His welcoming smile made him even more handsome than she remembered. Her stomach quivered. She had to get beyond this fascination with Ross. Still, couldn’t a girl enjoy a moment of admiration for a man?

He drawled, “I see you found us.”

Returning his smile, she gathered her purse. She’d bring in her MCAT study books after he’d left. Lucy had already hopped out of the car and gone to meet Jared and Olivia, who were in the side yard.

Ross came down the wide steps. His agile movements reminded her of a panther she’d once seen in a zoo. “Are you ready for this?”

“What if I said I wasn’t?” She glanced at him as she gathered Lucy’s and her overnight bags.

He grimaced. “I don’t know what I’d do.”

She grinned, looking at the kids. “I’m going to be fine. We’ll all be fine.”

“Here, let me get those for you.” He reached for the bags.

“Thanks.” His hands brushed hers and she quickly pulled away. The physical contact had intensified her growing nervous tension.

They walked side by side to the house. Happy laughter from the kids filled the air. Ross moved ahead of her and hurried up the steps. Tucking Lucy’s bag under his arm as he reached the door, he opened it and held it. She strode by him, making sure they didn’t touch. If they had, would he have felt the same electric reaction she had when their hands had met?

The room Sally entered was dim and it took a moment for her eyes to adjust. Only a few feet inside the door, she looked around the large open space. The high ceiling was supported by dark beams. The walls were a cream color complemented by a gleaming warm wooden floor. It was furnished with a brown leather sofa and two armchairs along with an old chest she assumed he used as a coffee table. A TV hung over the mantel of a stone fireplace.

In the back of the house was the kitchen. A large bar separated it from the living area. A table for four sat to one side. Windows filled the corner, giving a beautiful view of the barn, trees and the fields beyond. Everything was neat, but masculine.

This was a man’s abode. Ross’s. Sally shivered. She had truly entered the lion’s den.

Ross set the bags down beside a door to a small hallway and walked farther into the house. “Come on in. Let me show you around. As you can see, this is the kitchen.” He pointed toward the hallway. “Over there are two bedrooms. Jared and Olivia are in them. Olivia has the one with the twin beds so there’s an extra bed for Lucy. On the other side of the house is my room. The sheets on the bed are clean. Ready for you.”

Her breath caught. Her eyes widened. Finally she blinked. “I, uh, think I’ll just sleep on the sofa. That way I’ll be closer to the kids in case one calls out.” Spending the night in Ross’s bed would be far too…personal? Uncomfortable? Nerve shaking? Lonely? Whatever the word was, she wouldn’t be doing it.

“I want you to be comfortable. I think you’d be happier in a bed. It’s the only one I have that’s available.” He shrugged. “But all that’s up to you.” She made no comment and he continued, “You can find all kinds of movies and games in the cabinet beside the fireplace. The kids know where everything is.”

She nodded.

“I’ve already ordered pizza for dinner tonight. It should be delivered at six. Right, here’s the tip.” He tapped some bills on top of the counter. “My number is on this pad if you have any questions, anytime.”

Sally moved closer to look.

“There should be plenty of sandwich fixings in the refrigerator. I also have peanut butter and jelly. Chips. And drinks.”

Her smile widened as she softly laughed.

His look turned serious. “What’s so funny?”

“You are.”

“How’s that?” He watched her too close for comfort as if he didn’t want to miss any change in her expression.

“Firehouse Captain turned Mr. Mom.”

He chuckled. One that started low and rough then slowly rolled up his throat and bubbled out. “I do sound a bit that way, don’t I?”

“You do, but it’s nice to know there’re supplies, I’ll give you that. Thanks for taking the time and thought to make it as easy as possible for me.”

“You’re welcome.” He picked keys up off the counter. “I’d better get going.”

She followed him out onto the porch.

“Oh, I forgot. Could you see that the horses are fed tonight and in the morning? Jared knows what to do.” He moved to the porch railing and called, “Jared and Olivia.”

Both children stopped playing and looked at him. “I don’t want you giving Sally any trouble. If she needs help, you do so. No argument about bedtime either.”

“Yes, sir,” they called in harmony.

He smiled and nodded. “Good. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Bye, Uncle Ross.” Olivia waved.

“Yeah, bye,” Jared said as an afterthought as he ran for a ball.

Ross turned to her. “I really appreciate this.”

“You’ve already said that.”

“I know, but I do.” He walked to her, stopping just out of reach. His gaze met hers. A spot of heat flushed through her middle that had everything to do with his attention. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow around one.” He went down the steps.

“Okay.”

He hadn’t made it to his truck before he said, “Call if you have any questions.”

“I will.” Sally wrapped her arm around the post he had stood beside earlier and leaned her cheek against it. She watched him leave. Ross put his hand out the window and waved. She stayed there until he was out of sight.

What would it be like to have someone who wasn’t eager to leave her? That she could say bye to who would look forward to returning to her. At one time she’d believed she had that. Instead Wade had acted as if coming home to her was a chore. Why had he married her if he hadn’t really wanted her? In less than a year he had been off with someone else.

She wanted a man who desired her. That she was enough for. Maybe one day she would try again, but that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. She had plans, dreams. That was what she should be thinking about. She was better off without the obstacle of a man in her life for the time being.

Yet here she was seeing to Ross’s niece and nephew. At his house. When he’d driven away, it had seemed as if they were husband and wife and she were seeing him off to work. But that wasn’t reality. She was the babysitter and nothing more. And she didn’t want anything but that.

Lucy interrupted her troubling thoughts with, “Aunt Sally, we’re hungry.”

“Well, it’s about lunchtime. Come on in.”

The kids stomped up to the porch.

“Let’s go see what we can find in the kitchen.”

After lunch they returned to playing. The pizza Ross had promised arrived just as he’d said it would and they ate it picnic style under one of the oak trees.