Her Firefighter Hero (9 page)

The girl cast a look of teary disbelief toward the man.

Megan looked up, stunned by this event. Jared stood looking at her, a gash on his chin dripping blood. He swayed on his feet, and she wondered if he had a head injury.

“Jared, you're hurt.” Megan clasped his arm, trying to steady him.

“I'll be fine.” But he staggered, going down on one knee, pulling her with him. His chin dropped to his chest, his eyes vacant. For a moment, Megan thought he might pass out. He obviously wasn't all right.

“Come on, men. Take his arms.” Tim waved at a couple of the workers, and they took hold of Jared, lifting him up. “Quick! Let's get him over to the first-aid station.”

Without discussion, they headed across the camp toward the medic unit. Watching them go, Megan longed to follow. To make sure Jared was okay. But she knew she needed to stay here with her children. The first-aid trailer wasn't overly large, and the last thing they needed was extra people clogging it up. But she couldn't help fretting. Jared could be badly injured. And she realized that, if the broken mast could bring this tall, strong man to his knees, then what might it have done to June? Megan had no doubt that Jared's quick thinking had saved her little daughter's life.

“Mommy, Jared saved me,” June said again, her chin quivering.

“Yes, sweetheart. He did.” Megan hugged the girl tight. Together, they watched the men carry Jared up the steps to the first-aid trailer, and they disappeared inside.

Caleb tugged on Megan's shirttail. “Is Jared gonna be all right, Mom?”

“Of course he is,” Frank said, ruffling the boy's hair.

But Megan wasn't so sure. She was worried about him, too, and she didn't like that emotion. She'd vowed never to fret over another firefighter. Because worrying meant she cared, which was the one thing she'd promised she wouldn't do ever again. And yet, she couldn't seem to help it. And that scared her most of all.

* * *

Two days later, Jared stepped around the side of the mobile kitchen and headed toward the supply tent. Holding an arm across his abdomen, he walked slowly, conscious of his bruised ribs. He was moving a bit better since he'd been pummeled by the broken tent mast, but he was still mighty sore. One of the men had told him that Megan had just arrived in the fire camp with a load of fresh supplies, and he wanted to ensure that she and the kids were okay.

The acrid scent of fire filtered over the air. Drifts of gray smoke filled the afternoon sky, making the sun look like a red fireball. The fire had expanded to three thousand acres, but was now 30 percent contained.

Men were lined up in front of the mobile kitchen, moving through the chow line in steady rhythm. Their laughter and carefree banter told him they were happy.

“Step right up and get it. I've got mashed or baked potatoes today. Which will you have?” Frank's booming voice called to the next man up.

Jared walked over to the canopy, where the food supplies were being stored. As he passed, he listened to the men's comments.

“They've sure improved the food on this fire,” one of them said.

“Yeah, the steaks are tender and juicy. And I'm gonna have myself a thick slice of chocolate cake right after,” another man said.

Jared smiled. It was clear that Megan and her people were doing a great job. And he wasn't surprised.

Lifting his head, he saw her step up into the back of her carry trailer. Wearing leather gloves, she emerged moments later with a large box of canned beans. He could tell the contents from the stamp on the outside of the cardboard, and her tense expression told him the weight must be heavy. Her bare arms looked too slender to carry such a load. Without waiting for permission, he stepped over and lifted the box out of her hands.

“Jared!” She jerked back and looked up, her eyes widening in surprise.

He smiled and set the box on top of the others in the back of the mobile kitchen.

“Hi, there. You don't need to do this heavy work. I can get a camp crew over here to unload all of this for you.”

Before she could reply, he called and waved his arms to get the attention of three young men standing nearby. They jogged over to them and, with a few short instructions, Jared told them what to do. They immediately set to work and had the trailer unloaded in record time.

“You're going to spoil me,” Megan said.

“It's just part of the job,” Jared said.

She nodded and gazed at the tidy stacks of bottled water, Gatorade and boxes of buns and frozen hamburger patties. What had taken the camp workers only a matter of minutes to complete would have taken her an hour or more of work.

“Thank you,” she said, smiling at each man in turn. She handed each one of them a bag of roasted almonds and a candy bar.

They grinned with delight and accepted her gift before returning to their other chores. Finally, Megan turned to face Jared.

“Where are the kids today?” he asked.

She lifted a hand. “I left them in town with a child care provider. I...I thought it was safer.”

He frowned. “I hope the tent mishap didn't scare them off. I think that was just a fluke.”

She shrugged. “Maybe I'll bring them up again sometime. But not right now.”

He noticed her gaze centering on his face where he had eight stitches and a small bandage covering his chin.

“How are you feeling?” she asked.

“Except for some sore ribs, I'm good.”

She stepped near and handed him a package of salted nuts. “Are you sure you ought to be back to work so soon? When I tried to check on you yesterday, they said they'd taken you to the hospital in Reno by Care Flight so you could have some X-rays. Then Connie told me that Tim said you might have a concussion. I called the hospital, but they wouldn't tell me anything about your condition.”

He shrugged off her concern. “No, not a concussion. The broken mast clipped my chin, but it struck my rib cage. Really, I'm fine. Just a few bruises and this.”

He gestured to his chin, wishing his injury wasn't so obvious. He'd be glad when it healed enough to remove the ugly bandage. No doubt he'd have a small scar there to remind him of what had happened. But it was a small price to pay to keep June safe.

Megan lifted a hand toward his face, her eyes creased with sympathy. Her fingertips brushed against his cheek, and he felt her touch like the flutter of butterfly wings against his skin. Then she lowered her hand and took a deep breath, as though she were steadying her nerves. “I'm sorry you got hurt. But I'm beyond grateful for what you did. If you hadn't interceded, that mast would have struck June. I hate to think what might have happened to my little girl.”

He agreed with Megan's last comment. June could have been seriously injured or worse. But her gratitude and the fact that she'd gone to such lengths to find out if he was okay touched him deeply.

“June is okay, then?” he asked.

“Yes, she's fine. Thanks to you.”

Her words made him a bit uncomfortable. At the time, he'd acted without thinking about his own safety. He only knew that he'd given Megan his word that he'd keep her and her people safe while they worked at the fire camp. And in that split instant when he'd realized June was in danger, he was determined to protect her no matter what.

“I'm just glad I could help. But it wasn't any big deal,” he said.

“I disagree,” she said. “You saved my daughter's life, yet you were hurt in the process. And I'm so grateful, Jared. Thank you for what you did.”

He smiled, her gratitude a refreshing change. His ex-wife had seemed to do nothing but criticize him. With her, he couldn't do anything right. It felt good to be appreciated for once. “It was my pleasure.”

And he meant it.

“It just reinforces in my mind how dangerous a fire camp can be. I never should have brought the kids up here with me that day. I thought it'd be a simple trip, but we had too much work to do with putting up the tent and all,” she said.

“It was a rare situation,” he said. “I hope you'll bring them up again when you're just delivering supplies.”

She looked doubtful, and he decided not to push the issue.

“Well, I better get on my way. I've got to get back to the restaurant.” She pulled off her gloves, tucked them into her pants pocket, then wiped her hands nervously against her blue jeans.

“Yeah, I wouldn't want you on the mountain roads in the dark. Give the kids my best,” he said.

“I will.” She walked around to the side of her truck and climbed into the driver's seat.

Within moments, she'd started up the engine and pulled away. Watching her go, Jared struggled with his tangled emotions. In spite of his best efforts not to, he felt protective toward Megan and her two children. But his feelings seemed to go deeper than that, and he was irritated and confused by his attraction toward the pretty widow.

A sound behind him caused Jared to turn. Tim Wixler stood nearby, reaching into the watering trough for a bottle of chilled water. Watching Megan drive away, the man popped the lid and took a long swallow before he smiled.

“You're spending a bit more time around the mess hall than usual, aren't you?” Tim said.

Jared shrugged. “So?”

Tim's gaze followed Megan's truck as it rumbled down the dirt road. Her brake lights flashed as she turned onto the main road. “So, I can't say as I blame you. She's pretty and a mighty fine gal.”

Jared didn't pretend not to catch Tim's meaning. He wasn't the only one that had noticed the electricity humming between him and Megan. Other people were bound to notice it, too. But Jared couldn't have any special interest in Megan other than her work. No matter what, he had to keep it all about business and nothing more.

“She's just one of our new vendors—that's all. I want to make sure she has what she needs. And I wanted to ask if June was all right,” Jared said.

Tim nodded, a wide grin curving his thick lips. A chuckle erupted from his wide chest. “Yeah, sure. I understand perfectly.”

The man sauntered away, and Jared stared after him. But he didn't say another word. He kept telling himself that he had no interest whatsoever in the pretty caterer. Their relationship was purely professional. That was all. But deep in his heart, he knew he felt something more. Something he didn't understand and feared more than he dared to admit. He was attracted to Megan Rocklin. He liked her and her two sweet little kids. And because of what he'd gone through with his ex-wife, those kinds of feelings filled him with more than a little bit of fear.

Chapter Eight

“H
ey, there. You busy?”

Jared looked up and saw Sean Nash standing in the doorway to his Forest Service office. Sean leaned against the doorjamb and slipped his thumbs through his belt loops.

Jared set his ballpoint on top of the wildfire contracts he'd been preparing and glanced at the wall clock. Four thirty-eight in the afternoon. He'd been so engrossed in his work that he'd lost track of time. The wildfire was out, and he'd returned to town late last night. Now, he was playing catch-up on his office work.

“Hi. Not too busy. What's up?” Jared's chair squeaked as he sat back.

“I just brought in those incident reports you requested. I gave them to Hannah at the front desk.”

“Good. Thanks for bringing them in so quickly,” Jared said.

“No problem.” Sean turned to leave but hesitated. “Hey, are you planning to go to the forest supervisor's retirement party?”

Jared lifted his arms high above his head and stretched, barely feeling the movement in his sore rib cage. “Of course I'm planning to go.”

Politically, he couldn't miss it. The forest supervisor was the big boss over the entire Minoa National Forest. His retirement party was a big deal. It'd be held in Reno, in the ballroom of the convention center. Most of the employees working on this national forest were expected to attend. Including him.

Sean grinned. “Are you bringing a date?”

Jared jerked his arms down, wrenching a shoulder muscle in the process. He grimaced, not liking where this topic was headed.

“Um, I doubt it,” he said.

“Tessa and I could fix you up with someone,” Sean said.

A blaze of terror washed over Jared, and he held up a hand. “No, thanks. No more blind dates.”

“What about Megan?”

Jared shook his head. “What do you mean?”

“Are you interested in her?”

Wow, that was blunt. But it made Jared stop and stare. Was he interested in the pretty widow? He didn't want to be, but he still felt the undeniable attraction between them.

“Why do you ask?” Jared hedged.

Sean tilted his head in a warning frown. “I overheard Harlie say that if you don't ask her out, he's planning to invite her to go to the retirement party with him. I just thought you should know.”

Jared's throat tightened. He tried not to care who was interested in Megan, but a blaze of jealousy burned through his veins. He didn't want her going out with any man. Not unless it was him. And that wasn't fair, to either of them. If he didn't want anything to do with her, then it shouldn't matter who she dated. Should it?

“Why don't you ask Megan to go with you?” Sean suggested.

Megan. Yes, she was safe enough. Jared enjoyed being with her. But he didn't want to ask her out on a date. Working with her as a caterer was one thing, but going out with her was another. He still wasn't ready for that. Maybe he never would be.

“If not Megan, Tessa and I could set you up with another gal we know. She lives over in Gardnerville. A real nice lady. Just a few years older than you. An attorney. She's never been married and doesn't have any kids. No entanglements to bog you down.”

“I kind of like kids,” Jared said, thinking of Megan and her two children.

Sean arched his brows. “Is that so?”

“Yes, but no thanks.”

“Well, I've got a warning for you. If you don't have someone lined up, the guys are talking about setting you up on another blind date.”

The guys. That meant the hotshot crew. And Jared didn't dare consider what they might do and who they might fix him up with without his knowledge. He knew how tenacious they could be. If he wasn't careful, he could find himself out with a less-than-desirable partner and have a miserable evening. He had to do something fast to stop it.

“Tell the guys I'll have someone with me, so they shouldn't do something crazy.”

Sean chuckled. “Smart guy. All right, I'll tell them. But you know, Megan has been to these things before, when her husband was alive. She knows the lay of the land and how to navigate these types of parties. You want me to ask her for you?”

Horror ignited inside of Jared's mind. The last thing he wanted was for Sean to ask Megan on a date for him. This wasn't high school, after all. So why did he feel like an awkward teenager? But if Jared didn't bring a date, he wouldn't get off so easily the next time. He knew how it worked. The members of the hotshot crew would never let him live it down. They'd be setting him up left and right, no matter what he said.

“Of course not. I'm set,” Jared insisted.

“So, who are you bringing then?”

“You'll have to wait and see. But rest assured that I've got plans.”

Or at least, he would have before this day was through. No way was he going on another blind date. The thought made his stomach churn. His instincts told him that he couldn't do better than Megan. In fact, he couldn't seem to get her off his mind, no matter how hard he tried. But he'd never hear the end of it if he didn't show up to the retirement party with a date.

Maybe he
should
invite Megan to go with him to the retirement party. They'd had fun at the barbecue, playing charades. She was laid-back and easy to talk to. She smiled readily. And when he walked into the retirement party with her on his arm, he could avoid any unwelcome entanglements. Of course, it could backfire on him, too. Everyone would think he and Megan were an item. But he could simply explain that they were just friends. Friends was good, wasn't it?

“Do you and your date want to ride into Reno with Tessa and me?” Sean asked, rubbing his bristly chin.

“Nah. I'll take my own vehicle. But thanks for the offer.” Jared tried to sound casual.

He tried to play it cool but wondered how to ask Megan. After all, she wasn't interested in dating, either, if he was reading her vibes correctly.

And what if she said no? Then, who would he invite? He couldn't show up to the party alone. Not if he hoped to never be faced with another blind date he hadn't counted on.

Sean smiled and braced himself off the doorjamb. “Well, I better get going. Talk to you later.”

The man turned and walked out, and Jared breathed a sigh of relief. He knew by this time tomorrow, Sean would have told everyone in the office and on the hotshot crew that he had a date for the party. And everyone would be speculating who that was. And right then, Jared wished he wasn't an only child. If only he had a sister or other family member, he'd call and beg them to accompany him. But he didn't have a sister, or a mom or even a cousin. In fact, the only woman friend he could think of was Megan.

Jared shook his head. He'd put this off long enough. The party was less than two weeks away. If he didn't want to have egg on his face and make the matter even worse, he'd better come up with someone to accompany him. And fast.

* * *

Megan stood in the back of the restaurant, filling the industrial-strength dishwasher with drinking glasses. She added the detergent, closed the door, flipped the locking lever and pressed the start button. A low whoosh of water filled the air as the machine started its wash cycle.

Stepping back, she leaned against the counter for several moments, catching her breath. The wildfire was out, and her catering crew had returned to town late last night, exhausted and filthy. Megan had spent most of the day cleaning the mobile kitchen and all of the equipment. With Catherine's help, she'd restocked their supplies. It'd been a big job, but they needed to be ready at a moment's notice, in case they got called out on another fire.

Picking up a rack of clean coffee cups and saucers, she headed out into the restaurant to put them away. Cindy, one of the new waitresses she'd been training over the past week, stood leaning against the front counter. She lifted a hand, laughing in a carefree manner.

Megan rounded the corner and caught sight of who Cindy was talking to.

Jared!

The moment she saw the handsome fire management officer, Megan's senses went on high alert. She hadn't expected to see him again so soon, but it wouldn't have mattered if she did. Every time he walked into the room, it was the same. She felt all mushy inside, and her knees became weak and wobbly.

He sat on one of the bar stools and leaned his elbows on the front counter while Cindy took his order. At nineteen years of age, the girl was a bit young for Jared. But that didn't stop her from giggling at something funny he'd said.

Megan cleared her throat loudly. Simultaneously, Cindy and Jared whirled toward her. In a rather furtive gesture, Cindy ducked her head. Megan had made a point of telling the girl to be polite but not overly chatty with their customers. Cindy had work to do and needed to focus on her chores. Since they knew most of their diners, it was easy to spend too much time visiting.

“Okay, I've got it.” Cindy jotted a few more notes on her pad of paper before turning to snap Jared's order up for Martha, their new morning cook.

The waitress scurried over to take the orders of two men who had just walked in and sat waiting in a booth.

“Hi there.” Megan sauntered over to the counter, where she began stacking the cups near the coffeepot.

“Hi, Megan,” Jared said.

“She's a bit young for you, don't you think?” She glanced over her shoulder, trying to keep her voice light and teasing, but she feared she sounded rather jealous instead.

Jared lifted one brow. “Who? Cindy?”

Megan just laughed, trying to ignore the green jealousy coursing through her veins. After all, it wasn't her business who Jared was interested in. She certainly didn't care. Right?

“Yeah, she's way too young for me,” he agreed with a chuckle. “I'm just friends with her dad. He's a local rancher we recently contracted for the use of his bulldozer when we have a wildfire in the area.”

So Jared wasn't interested in Cindy. He was just being nice because of who the girl's father was. Though she fought it, Megan was pleased enormously by that news.

She turned and wiped down the already-clean countertops. “What are you having today?”

“My usual.”

“Would you like a glass of orange juice?” she asked.

“Yes, please.”

Again with the nice manners.

“I'll get it,” she said.

He reached out and touched her hand. She jerked and went very still, meeting his eyes.

“Actually, before you do that, I was hoping to ask you something,” he said.

She drew back and waited, her fingers choking the damp cloth. Every time this man asked her something, she ended up agreeing to things she didn't want. She just couldn't seem to tell him no.

“Okay, shoot,” she said, trying to be brave.

“In a couple of weeks, there's a special Forest Service dinner in Reno I'm planning to attend. It's a retirement party for the forest supervisor. We're all expected to be there. A fancy dinner. Kind of a dressy affair.”

“That sounds nice.” Oh, she didn't like the sound of this. She could feel it coming and knew she wouldn't like the outcome.

“And I was wondering if you'd accompany me,” he said.

Her brain screeched to a halt, and she stared at him, dumbfounded. Blinking. Her mind vacant. Here it was. And now what?

He hurried on, as if he feared she might say no. “Everyone will be there from the Forest Service. The entire hotshot crew, everyone. You probably already know most of them. It's just that I hate going to this kind of stuff alone.”

Oh, this didn't sound good. She couldn't go with him. Absolutely not. She'd attended a number of these events with Blaine, but she had no intention of going as Jared's date. Seeing old acquaintances she'd known back when her husband had still been alive. Chatting as though nothing bad had ever happened. And now, she was going with the new FMO? That was bound to cause some gossip. No, she just couldn't.

“It'd be a huge favor to me,” he said. “I'm still learning who everyone is and settling into my new job. Since you already know so many people, I thought it'd make things easier if you accompanied me. Besides, Sean and Connie and everyone else from my office are determined to hook me up, and I'm not really interested in dating right now.”

Neither was she. After all, she could never replace Blaine. Not in a zillion years. But she did owe Jared for his kindness. He'd done so much for her family already.

“It'd be a huge favor, if you'd say yes,” he said.

A favor for a friend.

“So this isn't really a date, but rather you're just trying to scare off the vultures, right?” she said.

He laughed. “Right. That's one way of looking at it. No date. Just friends. Will you go with me? Please. I don't want any entanglements I might regret later on.”

Hmm. It sounded as if he felt almost the same about dating as she did. And she did owe him. Big-time. For fixing her washing machine and swing, not to mention lending her his truck and saving June's life. Maybe this was a way she could repay his generosity.

His blue eyes met hers, and she could see the intense beseeching written on his face. He looked desperate and earnest, silently begging her to say yes.

“Well, if it'll help keep you from getting stuck on a blind date, I guess it would be okay just this once.”

He released a whoosh of air, as though he'd been holding his breath. “Really? You mean it? You'll accompany me?”

Oh, she was going to regret this. She just knew it. But she plunged ahead anyway. “Sure. I think I can make some arrangements for the kids. Which night is it?”

He exhaled a giant sigh, as though he were mightily relieved. Within a few moments, he'd given her the particulars and set up the time for him to pick her up.

“We'll have to leave an hour early, so we have time to drive into Reno. And I'll get you home quite late. You know how these Forest Service parties go. Will that be okay?” he asked.