Expectant Father (13 page)

Socrates stepped up next to him and dismissed the group with a frown but he didn’t put the kibosh on the betting.

“Becca had a hand in this,” Carl accused as he stepped next to Socrates. He jabbed his thumb in the direction of Becca, who looked a bit pale. “They’re trying to turn the crews against us.”

Well, well. Points to Carl. Spider tried to look aghast that Carl would accuse him of such a thing.

“That’s a bit much, even for you to suggest.” Socrates’s frown deepened to a scowl. “I asked Spider to think of something creative to improve morale. He made a poor choice, that’s all. But since it benefits a good cause, we’ll go with it for now.”

Socrates pulled Spider away from the group. “You’ve got one day, Spider.”

“Fine by me.” Spider didn’t care if the betting continued or not. His mission was accomplished. Crews would talk. They’d look at the maps. They’d ask questions of their supers, who in turn would question Socrates. He’d just handed Becca a huge trump card.

So, where were his congratulations? Becca seemed to have disappeared.

“H
E USED ME
!” Furiously blinking back tears, Becca plopped into her chair in the Fire Behavior tent after Aiden’s betting-pool announcement.

He’d mocked everything Becca was trying to accomplish and had turned every firefighter in camp against Becca. Now they all believed she had no faith in their firefighting efforts because she was predicting the fire would overrun them. Who would support her position for a change in tactics now when it was nothing more than a camp joke? The job? The house? Both were lost.

Aiden’s betting pool shouldn’t have felt like a betrayal, yet it did. She’d been on the verge of liking him. On the verge? Ha! She’d been on the downhill side of the fall into love, her heart finding it harder and harder to ignore the protests of logic and reason. Blame her heart? More than likely, her suddenly overactive libido was to blame.

And yet, there was something more than sexual attraction between them, although she didn’t want to admit it. He may be younger than she was, a risk taker when she was risk averse, but he had this uncanny ability to understand what she needed. The way he’d tried to absolve her guilt over the Coyote fire. His advice for handling Julia and Carl better. How he obnoxiously tried to assure her one child was enough. She may not be predictable to him, but that didn’t matter, he knew what she needed.

Or at least she’d thought so until this betting business. Aiden’s stunt effectively put a halt to that downward slide. Why was it that Aiden was always throwing a wrench into her life? This proved what a romantic fool she’d be to let herself almost fall in love with him.

“Why would Spider use you?” Julia rubbed her nose as Becca began to pace.

“I don’t know. Power? Leverage? Stupidity?” They all seemed like good reasons to her. Becca paused, suddenly determined to go find Aiden and give him a hearty slice of her anger. “I know we were supposed to go over the recommendations again for tomorrow morning, but I can’t work right now.”

“That’s all right. I’m fine,” Julia assured her. “You go on and get some rest.”

Rest was the last thing on Becca’s mind.

“A
HA
!” B
ECCA FINALLY FOUND
Aiden as she came out of the latrines. He had one of his Hot Shot buddies at his side. She tugged her T-shirt impatiently over her belly as she stood in Aiden’s path. Thirty minutes after the briefing, Becca was still smarting from the way Aiden had made a fool out of her. “I’d like a word with you.” She crossed her arms over her belly.

“Hey, Bec,” Aiden shoved his hands into his pockets and gave her a tired smile, not at all like the bundle of energy who’d addressed a crowd at the night’s briefing or the cocky man she’d imagined she’d confront. “This is Chainsaw… I mean… Cole.”

Cole was as broad as a barn, and fair skinned with short blond hair. She would have known he was a chainsaw swamper even without knowing his nickname because his pants were clean on the front and dirty at the bottom and sides.
Many chainsaw operators wore protective chaps similar to those worn by cowboys. Besides, she’d seen him hefting a chainsaw the day Aiden had run over her on the trail.

With motion made jerky by her anger at Aiden, Becca shook the man’s huge hand. His grip was surprisingly gentle, yet firm, not the knuckle-popping grip of some men. “Nice to meet you, Chainsaw.”

At the use of his nickname, the big man smiled at her, but his smile couldn’t ease the outrage burning through her veins.

“Ma’am.” Cole nodded with a twinkle in his eye and a slightly southern twang to his voice. “It’s a pleasure to meet such a tough cookie.”

Becca’s gaze cut to Aiden. Had he told his friend about the baby?

With a shake of his head, Aiden grimaced as if reading her mind. Becca sensed his disappointment that she hadn’t believed he’d kept what was between them a secret. She would not let him make her feel guilty. If he hadn’t used her fire prediction for some silly bet, she might have trusted him.

“I meant it’s admirable that a woman in your condition would still be working fire,” Cole clarified, glancing between them as if to try and cover whatever he’d said wrong.

“Sorry. I’m a little tense,” Becca admitted. She glared at Aiden, hoping Cole would get the hint that she was furious and leave them alone. “I’m not used to being made fun of.”

“Made fun of?” Aiden scowled.

“This silly pool of yours,” she clarified.

“You think… You must be kidding.” And then Aiden laughed.

“Hey! Hey, FBAN!” Using the Fire Behavior Analyst acronym, a couple of Hot Shots Becca didn’t know waved from the bottom of the hill. “We bet on Friday,” one of them called out.

“Smile and wave back,” Aiden encouraged. “It’s good for business.”

“Whose business?” Becca crossed her arms over her chest again. “This is out of control.”

“But it’s got everyone talking,” Cole pointed out.

“Bobby!” Aiden greeted the supply officer as he came out of the latrines. “How’s the gas supply?”

“Good as gold. No more shortages, I promise.” Bobby stopped on his way down the hill and dug into his pocket. “I want four on the fire jumping the highway.” He paused, looking expectantly at Becca.

“Don’t say a word.” Aiden help up a hand in front of her face. “You can’t help anybody.”

“Ahh, come on,” Bobby complained.

Becca batted Aiden’s hand away. “And just what am I supposed to tell the IC team?”

“You can tell them anything you want, just don’t tell them until the last minute,” Cole urged, elbowing Aiden with a wink.

“But you can tell them I told you so when the fire jumps the highway before they get that line built,” Aiden advised her.

“I want Saturday.” Bobby thrust the bills in Aiden’s direction, then smiled at Becca as he returned to the main camp.

Becca was baffled. No one seemed to resent the pool or Becca’s prediction. What was going on here? Had everyone fallen under Aiden’s spell?

Aiden shook his head as he noted the bet in a small notebook. “I’ve become a bookie.”

Becca’s anger may have cooled to a simmer, but she was still angry. “Bookies usually end up in prison.” Which was where Aiden belonged if he murdered her career.

“Now, Spider, you’ve done what Sirus asked you to. The
camp is no longer filled with long, sad faces,” Cole clarified. “I’d bet you’re the most popular guy in camp.”

“Not to everyone,” Aiden said, glancing at Becca, making her heart pound even as she willed it not to.

“I can’t believe you’re encouraging people to bet on me.” Becca planted her thumbs into her back, her elbows akimbo.

“Believe it. What’s your feeling about Friday? I’ve got eight dollars on Friday,” Cole drawled.

“You’re serious?” Becca couldn’t believe it. “You want this fire to get the better of us?”

Aiden laughed. “Of course, we’re not serious. The last thing this camp needs is more drama.”

“The pool is just a distraction.” Cole slapped Aiden on the back. “And Spider, here, is our best man when it comes to creating good times and distractions.”

“Oh, yeah, that’s me,” Aiden said, not looking amused in the least. “Mr. Ho-Ho-Ho.”

“This is going to backfire.” She frowned at Aiden. The baby wiggled over her bladder, making Becca want to return to the latrines, despite the fact that she’d just gone.

“It won’t backfire on you,” Cole answered for Aiden. “It just makes Spider look bad and he’s used to that.”

“That’s it, rub it in. I’m the risk taker. I admit it.” Aiden stepped closer to Becca with a somber look on his face. “Seriously, I’ll take the fall if it comes to that.”

Unwilling to trust Aiden, Becca took a step back. “You’ll take the fall regardless.”

“Hey, I thought you’d be happy. At least, they’re not betting against you,” Aiden said with a slight frown as he watched her. “That would really suck. They know enough to believe you’re right. And if they believe, others—more important others—will start to believe as well.”

Others…

Could there be a strategy behind Aiden’s mad scheme?

A group of firefighters walking by below caught sight of Becca and called out a few good-natured greetings, including requests for insight into the day the fire would jump, and proclamations of the days they’d already chosen.

Relief, when it came, made her feel light-headed. Becca sank down on an old tree stump, barely aware of Cole taking his leave.

They liked her. More important, they believed in her.

“You didn’t see that coming, did you?” Aiden followed her over. “Go ahead. Admit it. I’m wicked-smart.” Aiden grinned at her, but his eyes held more than a trace of disappointment.

“I don’t know what to say.” Becca wasn’t ready to apologize for thinking the worst. The anger was receding slowly, leaving her drained of all energy, but not yet to a civilized mood.

“A simple thank you will do for now.” The cockiness was back in his voice. Moments earlier, he had seemed subdued by the anger she’d made little effort to hide. Or was that just her heart wishing that he cared about her?

“Thank you,” she murmured, unable to find any more words as she waded through guilt over her incorrect assumptions, shame over the way she’d behaved, and numbing relief that her career wasn’t over. She kept her gaze firmly on the dirt.

“You’re most certainly welcome. I hope this makes up for yesterday afternoon, and the day I startled you and you got this scar.” He brushed the bangs off her forehead with a touch so gentle that she sighed. “But you’ve got to admit, it’s good to be evil. Unless, of course, you’re Carl.”

At the mention of Carl’s name, Becca became worried again. “What if Carl convinces Sirus that this is some kind of power play?”

Aiden shrugged. “He already tried. You heard him at the briefing.”

“He’s not the kind to give up that easily.”

“You let me worry about Carl. You don’t need anything else to worry about.” With the light behind Aiden, his expression was barely visible, but his tone was proprietary.

“This isn’t your fight,” Becca protested, letting anger seep into her tone. She didn’t want Aiden’s protection. She wanted to erect barriers to keep the chaos that was Aiden Rodas out of her life.

But he didn’t do what she expected or wanted. He didn’t back off. “My Abuelita used to say that anything worth having wasn’t easy getting. You want to fight this fire safely, right?”

“Of course I do.”

“My mother was from Mexico. She had no family name.” Aiden stepped closer, his voice dropping intimately. “The only thing I remember clearly about her was her temper. When she thought I was too loud, or that I snuck food out of the pantry when she wasn’t looking.”

Becca listened with interest. “Did you sneak food out of the pantry?”

“No. There wasn’t enough food to sneak.”

“I don’t know know why you’re telling me this.” But her heart softened and her anger cooled as she imagined a young boy accused of something he hadn’t done. She didn’t want to feel sorry for Aiden, or get to know him better, at least not here, in the microcosm that was base camp. That would only expose her heart and her baby’s future. So, Becca ignored her heart and began walking down the hill to her tent.

Despite the cold shoulder, Aiden kept pace with her, kept talking. “When my dad came home, she was worse with him.
She’d shout about money we didn’t have, and how hard I was to watch.” He paused before adding, “Part of me was glad when she left.”

“Stop,” Becca said in a weak voice. She’d heard enough. The more he told her about his childhood, the more she understood him as a man. No wonder he tried to please everyone. He didn’t want to relive the rejection of his childhood.

Aiden must have thought she wanted him to stop walking, because he halted, taking hold of her arm and stopping her between the latrines and the command tents.

“I’ll want to make sure you don’t bow under the pressure like my mom did.” Underneath a lamppost, she could see his earnest expression clearly. He wasn’t giving up on this. “If I have to step in and make things easier for you and my child, I will.”

“You can’t…you shouldn’t,” she said, but her words lacked conviction. She understood Aiden now. He might not have chosen to be a father, but he didn’t want his child to suffer the similar fate of being raised by a mother incapable of handling the stress of motherhood alone. It had been a long time since anyone stood up for Becca.

“I’m the father of that baby, so I have every right to butt in and ensure his well-being.”

“After they make a decision on the Boise job.
After.
” Becca had spent her late teen years caring for her sisters, and spent the last fifteen years making fire predictions. Both roles required energy and emotional investment. She wouldn’t have traded either role, but both lacked control over major decisions. She would not lose control of her attempt for the Boise job, or her child’s life. “I’ll handle Carl. I need you to respect my wishes and stay away from me for awhile.”

“Maybe our meeting again was fate. You’re a strong
woman, Becca, and I admire that.” His eyes drifted down to her belly. “I’ll give you time for this job to come through and for you to make up your mind, but I’m not a patient man and I have strong opinions about how my baby should be raised.”

“Fate?” Becca squeaked. If this was fate, the fates were conspiring against her.

S
PIDER DUG THROUGH
his red pack, the large duffel he kept in base camp, searching for the kit with his extra toothbrush since he’d somehow lost his.

Chainsaw propped himself up on his elbow, his large frame mostly encased in a sleeping bag. The rest of the Silver Bend team snoozed in sleeping bags on the ground around them. “Out taking more bets?”

“No, just thinking.” About Becca and how she refused to talk about the baby or her control issues. About how many different ways a parent could screw up a kid. Was he really up to the task? Was Becca?

“Desk jobs’ll do that to you, make you think too much.” Chainsaw yawned. “Although that Fire Behavior Analyst seems the exception to the rule. She’s always tromping up the mountain, scouting things out, looking for trouble spots in the fire.”

“You think she looks for trouble?” Spider stopped digging in his pack.