License to Love (59 page)

She couldn’t get out this way, and there was no way she
wanted to sit and wait for the flames to burn through the door.

Getting down on her hands and knees, she approached the
door. At the last second, she thought to grab something to cover the door
handle. Using the shirt she found on the floor, she turned the handle and
cracked open the door enough to look into the hallway.

Heat hit her face, stinging her eyes. It threw her backward
into the room, but she scrambled back up onto her knees to stare down the fire.
Smoke poured in above her. Flames licked up both sides of the door frame,
leaving only a small gap to run through.

Red and orange flames and sparks danced up the walls in the
living room, on the ceiling in places, and around some of the furniture.

She pulled herself up on her feet but didn’t stand up
straight. If she did, her head would be in the thick smoke above. She breathed
through the shirt.

Okay, she had twenty feet between her and the door. Ready,
set, go.

“Ahh!” A wood beam crashed down in front of her. When she
pulled her hand back to her mouth, she found she’d dropped the shirt. Coughing,
she looked for a new way out.

Wait a minute – why didn’t she just break the window? How on
earth had she missed that? She turned to go back but found solid flames eating
the hallway behind her. In fact, the fire now engulfed most of the hallway in
front of her as well. She didn’t have anything to shield herself with, and her
only chance was to run through the flames.

If she went forward, she’d have scars the rest of her life if
she made it out alive, but what choice did she have?

“One, two, three, run!” She tried to move, but her body
wouldn’t obey her. “One, two, three, run!” She froze again.

Crying, she counted again and jumped. She ran into a geared-up
firefighter, a sight almost as scary as the fire itself.

Oh, thank God! She felt a wet blanket around her before he pulled
her up into his arms. Water shot in through the open door and doused out flames
as they proceeded out. Instinct had her shrinking into him, clinging to his
gear as he rushed for the door, holding her tight.

The heat subsided. They made it. She closed her eyes, trying
to block out the bright inferno and the way she’d panicked. It very well could
have killed her.

Whoever carried her had strong arms, a broad chest. His mask
had scared her that first second, but she clung to him now.

Once clear of the building, he went straight to the
ambulance and laid her on a stretcher. He pulled his mask up then. “Everything’s
okay now.”

His fiery brown eyes reflected the burning building as he
stared into her face.

“Miss?” He bent over her, concerned. His strong nose,
slightly bent, fit right in with his wide cheekbones and square jaw. Savanna
didn’t answer, just stared at the man who had saved her life.

“Miss?”

She still couldn’t take her eyes off him.

He turned to someone else and said, “She might be in shock.”
He leaned over her one more time and squeezed her shoulder. “You’re all right
now. It’s okay.”

And then he left.

One

Savanna stood at the counter of the rental agency, waiting
to finish the paperwork for returning her moving truck. This so-called new
beginning felt more like an ending right now. She’d spent the last few days
driving from Texas back to her hometown of Eugene, Oregon, in the late August
heat.

The trip itself wasn’t the worst experience of her life.
After all, it wasn’t like she’d walked here, but emotion after emotion had
skipped through her, sending her into nervous worry or dark sadness. Stress had
caught up with her when she stuffed everything she owned into a small
self-storage storage unit before coming here.

“Mama!”

Though tired, she smiled at the toddl
e
r propped
on her hip. A warm breeze blew in through the open door and played with
Aubrey’s short brown curls. At last, the man slid a paper across the counter
for Savanna to sign. She thanked him and sat down in the small lobby to call
Cassie’s house, anxious to talk to her friend.

She didn’t get Cassie, though. Someone else answered and
said they’d send a ride, a man named Jason. She should have figured out another
way to get to Cassie’s house, but that was an idle thought that wouldn’t go
anywhere. It was a bit late for trying to cover things now. She hadn’t told
anyone she was moving back. Everyone would assume she was just visiting and
then returning to Texas.

Not only was she dirty and worn out, but her baby girl was yawning
and rubbing her eyes. Savanna headed to the bathroom to freshen up, though she
doubted it would revive either of them much. She splashed cold water on her
face. Aubrey looked hot, too, so Savanna rubbed water on her short curls,
making brown tuffs stand up all over her head. While she couldn’t imagine
Aubrey with anything but her big brown eyes and brown hair, they always
reminded her of Aubrey’s father, someone she didn’t want to think about
anymore.

Aubrey wiggled from her arms and slid down, which left Savanna
staring at herself in the mirror. Something about looking into her own eyes
made her face the truth of the situation. A sob started up her throat.
Determined to keep it in, she yanked a paper towel from the dispenser and held
it over her mouth, but still the tears came. She felt so lost.

Aubrey whimpered.

“It’s fine, baby. I’m fine. I’m fine,” she said a few times
too many and splashed more water on her face.

“Bobby Boo, up,” Aubrey said softly, too seriously, while
watching her mama with dark brown eyes. 

She wiped her smeared mascara with a wet paper towel, trying
to smile. “Come on, kiddo. Let’s go outside.”

Her “Bobby Boo” smiled at that. Savanna hauled Aubrey up
into her arms and grabbed the car seat and the strap to her suitcase. It didn’t
look graceful as she pulled her suitcase, but it got them outside. The day’s
heat was fading somewhat, leaving a tiredness in the air. She found a bench
against the building where they could sit in the shade.

A pulsing headache started in her temple, so she closed her
eyes but listened to Aubrey’s babbles. What a long, crazy week, but she’d made
it through it all for Cassie. She’d been looking for a reason to come home to
Oregon, so when she heard that Mike, Cassie’s husband, had died, she quit her
job, packed up her apartment, and raced over from Texas.

All the packing and moving didn’t keep her busy enough to
ignore the guilt. She had showed Cassie a fake front the last few years,
pretending everything was perfect was it was falling apart. She’d neglected her
best friend and the real parts of their lives, but now it seemed like a great
time to renew their friendship and focus on someone else’s problems and needs.
Maybe she could lose herself in that.

Aubrey climbed into Savanna’s lap and sang her rendition of
“Baa, Baa, Black Sheep” for a minute and then laid her head on Savanna’s
shoulder.

“Getting tired, Bobby Boo? That was a big trip, huh?” She
pulled her baby close to hug her chubby little body and then rubbed her back
until Aubrey dosed off. Hopefully, her daughter saw all this as a big adventure.
 

She wasn’t just worried for Cassie. She was also haunted
once again by memories of the fire that had almost taken her life. It’d
happened right here in Eugene, shortly before she moved to Texas.

Poor Cassie. Her husband had been a firefighter, and Savanna
wondered if Mike was trying to save someone when he died. Savanna felt sick
again, the same sickness she’d felt in that fire as she thought of dying. She
couldn’t escape the torture of those memories today or the dread of facing all
her old friends again. The truth would come out, whether or not she decided to
tell it, because people always ask questions.

Why on earth did you stay there in Texas? Why didn’t you
come home? Why didn’t you at least tell anyone?

A feeling jarred her into opening her eyes. Sure enough,
someone was coming. A man with striking brown eyes walked her way, looking her
over. She tried to say
Jason
to see if he were her ride, but she never
heard herself speak. He had a strong face, a square jaw, and a body that looked
like he worked out every day.

His eyes and mouth were familiar, but how could that be? The
firefighter? His T-shirt fit snugly, and its forest-green color made his eyes
look a deep, deep brown.

Since Aubrey still slept on her shoulder, she had to tilt
her head back to look up at him as he stopped in front of her.

“Savanna Stauffer?” His low voice resonated in her ears.
Yes, the same voice, and here she was, staring up at him like an idiot for a
second time.

“Yes.” Oops, that was her first lie here. For a second she
thought she should tell him her name wasn’t Stauffer anymore, but the words
stayed inside her head. “This is Aubrey.”

His face had been so clear in her mind during the last two
and a half years. This man had saved her life . . . and filled her dreams with
his intense and focused eyes. Of course, there wasn’t any telling how many
people he had pulled from burning buildings. It was silly to think that he’d
remember her.

He offered his hand. “Jason Lancaster.”

She finally knew his name. Now she just needed to think of
something, anything, to say. She managed to get her hand out there and found he
had a firm handshake that ended quickly.

He studied her, up and down, with a quizzical face. Boy, it
was a great day to be sweaty and dirty. He turned the same questioning look up
at the building’s sign. “You rented a truck for the trip?”

She nodded but didn’t offer anything more.

“Didn’t want to tow your car?” He put his hands in the
pockets of his jeans and rested a foot on the bench as if he planned to stay a
few minutes.

“I sold it to pay for the truck.” She looked out at the road
instead of him. “The engine needed work anyway.”

He seemed to notice her mood then. “Tammy asked me to come
get you.”

“Tammy Clareborn? That’s who answered Cassie’s phone?” She
was too tired to think straight but wondered if Tammy were still around and
still friends with Cassie. Tammy hadn’t like Savanna all that much.

“I think that’s her last name. You know her?”

“We went to high school together.” Savanna sighed. “She was
friends with Cassie, but we didn’t get along.” Tammy had called Savanna “Little
Miss Pageant Queen” more than a few times. Savanna had never understood why it
annoyed other people if she had big dreams. She had planned on going places,
being someone. Funny how that one turned out.

“Are you all right?” Jason sat down next to her and sagged
back against the bench.

“I’m sorry, just tired from driving over here . . . worrying
about Cassie . . . wondering what I’m going to do.” The last part slipped out.
“Sorry, I’m tired.” She gave an apologetic laugh.

“Then let’s get you to Cassie’s house.” He took her suitcase
and Aubrey’s car seat from by her feet. In the process, he let his gaze linger
on Aubrey. “Cute kid.”

Savanna stood and the movement woke Aubrey. Jason turned and
started toward the parking lot, so she took long strides to catch up with him.
“Jason?”

He slowed his pace.

“You don’t recognize me?” She switched Aubrey to the other
hip. Why didn’t he say anything?

Jason glanced at her, right into her eyes, and looked like
he read her mind. Then he glanced down at her hand on Aubrey’s back. When his
brows creased, she remembered she’d taken off her wedding ring. A year ago,
actually, when Eric asked her to give it back to him, ending their marriage
before they even hit their first anniversary. .  

Without answering, he turned and led the way toward the
parking lot. She realized he was headed to a red jeep. Jason glanced back at
her to say, “I hope this is okay. The wind’s not bad at all in the backseat.”

Savanna hesitated and then decided to give it a try.
Aubrey’s car seat faced the back anyway, so the wind wouldn’t be directly on
her. “Sure, I think it’ll be fine.” Jason lifted the car seat to put it in, so
she offered, “I can do that.”

“That’s all right.” He buckled down the car seat base and
then let her settle Aubrey into her seat. “Hi there, Aubrey. I’m Jason.”

“Gase?”

“Close enough, cutie. Want to go for a fun ride?”

Savanna almost caught his smile before he turned around.
Instead she saw just the profile of it.

Soon they were driving, and a light breeze cooled them
between stoplights. Despite her weariness and the circumstances, she felt
invigorated. Her hair danced in the breeze. As they accelerated from a stop,
Jason called out, “Aubrey, having fun back there?”

Little-girl squeals of delight answered back. It hit Savanna
that she’d never ridden in a jeep either. She glanced at its owner, curious
about him and what he must think about her. This sure was every girl’s dream: A
tall, dark, and handsome man picked her up, and she was a sweaty mess. He
glanced over, and she had the horrified thought that she’d actually said that
out loud.

“So, how do you know Cassie?” she asked, and memories
swamped back into her mind as she spoke. Cassie had mentioned Mike’s friend,
Jason, during their phone calls, come to think of it. Cassie had shared about
her life while Savanna had fabricated hers.

“We’ve been good friends a few years now, ever since she met
Mike. He and I go way back.”

“Oh, right, because you’re both—”
Firefighters
. Why
couldn’t she tell when to quit?

If his appearance said anything, they must have been close.
She could see dark circles around his eyes, and he needed a shave, but that
part looked good on him. “I still can’t believe it,” she said, referring to
Mike. Maybe he needed to talk about it. She glanced over. Nope. His jaw muscles
worked, and it made him look mad. Now she was sorry she’d spoken. When he
didn’t answer, it confirmed her thoughts.