Into the Fire (4 page)

“Then why did it?”

It was a good question, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to examine for motives too deeply. He lifted his hand and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. He tried a smile. “It was an adrenaline-filled day for both of us and we needed the release.” He could say things like in a dangerous situation people often wanted to feel alive, or he could get personal and confess that there was a little bit of nostalgia involved. But he let it lie. No sense getting overly heavy about it.

“You said we, but the only one who got any release was me.”

As if he needed reminding. “And do you feel better?”

“So it was what, a charitable cause?”

He leaned in so that his face was only a few inches from hers. “Don’t put words in my mouth, Ally. You know I had to realize that you weren’t wearing any underwear, and when you hugged me…well, my imagination didn’t have to stretch too far.”

Her gaze darted away.

He gentled his voice. “Maybe I got carried away. But I wasn’t carried alone. And it’s okay.”

“You stopped.” Her voice was a soft whisper.

“Because I knew for sure you’d regret it. Not because I wanted to. Hell, Ally. I remember how it was between us. The sex was always good.”

Her lips twitched at the corners. “Yes, it was.”

“So no feeling guilty or awkward or anything, right? It’ll be our little secret.”

Ally nodded.

“Would you like me to take you home now?”

“I think so.”

He boosted himself up to standing and held out a hand. “Come on, get your things. Are you going to be okay dealing with your parents?”

She shrugged. “I know what to expect. Dad’ll be glad I’m fine and relieved that now I don’t have to worry about this shelter business. Mom will flutter and panic and make sure I’m not burned anywhere and then tell me to forget about this shelter business.”

“They don’t approve?”

She shrugged again. “It’s not a ‘life plan’.”

“I see.” He did see, quite clearly. “And if they knew we’d been together tonight…”

Her expression changed, growing uncomfortable. “They don’t need to know that. As far as anyone knows, you were just doing a favour for an old friend. Nothing more to it.”

It was probably smarter that way in the end. It was a small town and their history wasn’t exactly a secret. It would only create trouble if rumors started.

She went around him and picked up her bag of smoky clothes. “I might as well get it over with and have a decent night’s sleep. Tomorrow’s going to be busy. And I’m scheduled to work at the drugstore in the afternoon.”

Chris drove her back into town as the sun set. By the time he dropped her off at home, his headlights were on and the cab of the truck was buffered by twilight, hiding them from clear view.

“Thank you, Chris. For saving me today, for letting me pull myself together at your place.”

“Any time,” he replied, forcing himself to keep his hands on the wheel. He was surprised to realize that he meant it. They’d spent a lot of time avoiding each other, but when it came right down to it, there was a connection between them that had never been completely broken. All she’d ever have to do is ask for his help and he would be there.

He just hoped she didn’t realize it. It made him a bit vulnerable when all was said and done, and he had no intention of getting involved only to have his heart trampled on again.

She got out of the truck and gave a wave before disappearing into the house.

He backed out of her driveway and headed for home.

Ally spent two hours at the vet clinic, talking to Dr. Swan and helping with the daily care of the animals kept in the kennel area, showering them with pats and love, cleaning cages and making sure they were all fed. All the cats were doing fine and were ready to be adopted, and other than a few singe marks the dogs seemed to be doing well also. Even Moose had been found, cowering under a hedge about half a mile from the shelter. The biggest problem now was housing. The clinic simply wasn’t set up for this many animals in addition to their patients. And because of her mother’s allergies, Ally couldn’t take any of them home.

She stopped by the meds counter where Dr. Swan was looking something up on a computer. “Lindsay,” Ally said, “I don’t know how to thank you. Keep a tally of what I owe you, and I’ll look into getting some foster homes organized until the dust settles.”

Dr. Swan flapped a hand. “We’re happy to help. Don’t worry about the charges. We’ll work something out for the treatment and I won’t charge for the board.”

Ally’s throat tightened. “You don’t have to do that.”

“I want to. And that’s all I want to hear about it.”

“You’re an angel.”

Dr. Swan took off her glasses and put them down beside the monitor. “What happened yesterday was just horrible. I think Pam’s already fallen in love with your Maltese cross, by the way. Once we’ve cleared them all, it wouldn’t surprise me if she adopted him.”

“Please thank your staff for me. I’ll be in touch as soon as I can.”

The clinic door opened and Ally peered down the hall. Her stomach did a somersault as Chris stepped inside. What on earth was he doing here?

She held back for a moment, trying to slow her breath. She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him since last night. Even dealing with her mother’s histrionics and a fair number of what-were-you-thinking moments, there’d been a glow lit inside her. Her muscles had been limber and relaxed post-orgasm, and she’d gotten through it all without losing her cool or worse, crying—which was what her parents probably expected of her.

But the memory, even hours later, was so fresh that she was afraid she’d try to play it cool and fail miserably.

His deep voice asked for her and she heard the receptionist answer that Ally was out back.

“Someone to see you? A hunky fireman no less. I heard he saved you yesterday.” Dr. Swan’s voice was teasing.

Ally hoped she wasn’t blushing. “You know Chris?”

Dr. Swan put her glasses back on. “I’m thirty years old and single and this town isn’t exactly bursting at the seams with good-looking men. Chris Jackson is hot. My ninety-eight year old
grandmother
would notice.”

No mention of their past, so either Lindsay hadn’t heard or was kindly avoiding it.

The receptionist came around the corner. “Hey, Ally, someone to see you.”

“I’ll be right there.”

“You’re blushing,” Lindsay remarked.

“Only because you brought up his hotness,” Ally replied, then realized she’d just inadvertently confirmed that she, too, found him attractive.

Oh, hell.

She lifted her chin and strode into the waiting room. “What are you doing here?” she asked cheerfully, pushing the wisps of memory from last night’s episode to the back of her mind.

“We were able to get you your purse. It stinks, but you won’t have to cancel all your cards or get new ID.”

“That’s great.” Her wide smile was genuine as she reached out to take the bag. “Thanks. That’s going to save me a lot of headache today.” It really did stink, so she gestured towards the door. They went outside and she dropped the bag on the grass. It could use an airing out, though she doubted it would ever be usable again. She’d have to take the cards out and simply throw away the rest.

“How did you know I’d be here?”

He shrugged. “The animals are here. I figured it was the first place you’d come today.”

“You were right. Dr. Swan’s been so awesome, but I know this is putting extra strain on her staff and space. I’ve got a list at home, and hopefully some of our foster families will be able to step up.”

“I don’t think that’ll be a problem after today,” Chris said, reaching into his back pocket. He took out a folded-up newspaper clipping. “This was on the front page of today’s paper.”

She reached out and took it. It was a picture of the two of them, standing and staring at the burned-out building just before she’d left last night. It was easy to see she’d been crying, and she looked a fright, while Chris was tall and clean and gorgeous. But his face was troubled as he stood just behind her. Anyone with long memories would be commenting on them being in the same picture together, wouldn’t they? But it didn’t seem to matter. Seeing the damaged building in the photo made the feelings of despair come rushing back all over again.

She scanned the article, which talked about the devastating fire, the ongoing investigation into the cause, the animals killed and the challenge of what was next for the animals saved. Her gaze darted up to Chris’s. “There’s a fundraiser on the go already?”

“One of the guys at work has a kid in 4-H. They’re going to have some sort of bake sale. I heard about it first thing this morning. And there’s been a donation account set up at the bank to cover the vet bills and other expenses.”

She put her fingers to her lips. “I don’t know what to say.”

“People believe in what you were doing, Ally. You belong to this town. Didn’t you think they would help?”

“But it was so hard to get sponsors when I started. I never thought…”

He put a hand on her shoulder. “You never thought they’d believe in you, is that it? But you proved yourself. You made it work and people saw that. And now they’re lining up to support you when you need it most.”

It was hard to take in. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Give yourself some credit. Yesterday was a terrible day, but the upside is seeing a community pull together. Now what can I do to help?”

“Nothing. You’ve done so much already,” she answered, folding the article and tucking it into her pocket. She still couldn’t quite believe it.

“I’m sure something will come up.” He dropped his hand from her shoulder. “Let me know. You know where to find me.”

She certainly did.

“The board is having an emergency meeting in an hour or so,” she said, stepping back. “I’ve got to go get ready for that. Just let me know if the investigation turns anything up, okay? That’s the best thing you can do for me right now.”

She took another step backwards.

“Ally? About last night—”

“Let’s just forget about that.” She pasted on a smile even though she knew forgetting it was about as impossible as forgetting her own name. The truth was nothing had been the same since she’d broken off their relationship. No one had ever made her feel fireworks like Chris, made her come apart with complete abandon. And it had only taken his
hands
. She wasn’t quite comfortable admitting that to herself, and she sure as hell didn’t know what she wanted to do about it.

“Forget about it.” His expression grew cold. “If that’s really what you want.”

“I think so. Emotions were high, that’s all…” She had to get away now before she started stammering and said too much. “But thank you, Chris. For bringing me my bag and for the article. I’ll see you around.”

She grabbed for her purse and turned around, hurrying back to the sidewalk and safety.

Chapter Three

In the seventy-two hours since the fire, it amazed Ally how much could be accomplished. Her heart swelled when she thought of how the community had rallied around what her father called her
pet project
. He always laughed when he said it, chuckling at his own pun. But Ally had always felt the sting. She knew her parents were disappointed she hadn’t finished her degree. They’d had high hopes for her. Working for a hair over minimum wage in retail pretty much guaranteed that she couldn’t afford her own place. With the shelter gone up in flames, she was seriously reconsidering starting over. As much as it hurt to admit it, the determination she’d felt the first night after the fire had fizzled, replaced by a good dose of reality.

She rolled over and looked at her alarm clock. The days were getting shorter and the numbers glowed brightly in the dim light of dawn. Maybe her dad was right. Maybe it was time to grow up. She couldn’t live at home forever, nor did she want to.

And yet the thought of giving up the shelter made her want to stick her head in a tub of ice cream. The shelter had been her reason for getting up in the morning.

She had some tough decisions to make.

In the meantime, she had some animals still to be fostered, and she had promised to put in an appearance at the 4-H bake sale. The proceeds would be used to provide food and necessities over the next several days.

After a hot shower and breakfast, she headed over to the clinic. To her relief all the cats had gone to foster homes for the time being and there were only three dogs left in Dr. Swan’s care. While lots of offers had come in, she made a point of approving every household before letting an animal go. When she walked into the clinic she was greeted by smiles and welcomes. She could hear the dogs barking in the back. A Golden Retriever waiting for its appointment came over and gave her a sniff and a lick, and she took a moment to crouch down and give him a rub behind his ears, speaking to his owner. A grey kitten popped into view on the reception desk, all soft, fuzzy fur and a tail that stuck straight up in the air.

She loved this. How could she possibly give it up?

She stood up and headed back to the kennels. Once inside, she was greeted by several barks and meows as the animals all clamored for attention. Brutus and Galahad, both mixed breeds, wagged their tails and stuck their noses out of their crates. But Moose’s crate was empty. Moose, who’d run off right after the fire and had been picked up covered in mud and still reeking of smoke.