On Fire (2 page)

“No. I’m good,” Rocky replied.

In fact, he was more than good. He’d inadvertently flushed out the infamous
Katherine Largo. What a crazy fluke. Just a couple of days ago, they’d been
sitting around the firehouse kitchen table after dinner discussing her,
wondering what she looked like. A few comments had been made that she was
probably homely and weighed as much as a ladder truck. Their speculation
couldn’t have been more off the mark.

Katherine Largo was very attractive.

Rocky rejoined the other two firefighters in the living room as the captain
was radioing dispatch to say that while they weren’t in quarters, they were
available for a call. He’d no sooner said that when they were being radioed back
with a traffic accident.

“Your oven’s not going to go up in flames,” Rocky said, heading toward the
front door with the captain. “But I’ll be back.”

Funny how when Rocky said it, he sounded like The Terminator.

Which was sort of the plan he’d been contemplating. He wanted to terminate
Katherine Largo’s low opinion of the Rib Shack — only he didn’t quite know how
he was going to do that. Yet.

Kate felt a headache coming on. Good grief, the one called “Rocky” said he’d
come back.

How did a person call the fire department and tell them “No thank you!”?

Rushing through the townhouse, Kate went into her office to see if anything
had been moved out of place. When he’d gone in the room the first time, she’d
been too distracted by the smoke alarms going off. The second time he went into
the spare bedroom, an alarm of her own went off.

Kate gazed at the stack of newspapers. Nothing had been touched. She hoped
Rocky hadn’t paid attention. He hadn’t seemed like he had put two-and-two
together.

For a moment, Kate wondered if any of the three that had responded to the
call had written the offending retaliation. The words had sliced sharper than a
Ginsu knife, and when she’d first read them, she’d wanted blood. At the very
least, a saber through the firefighter who’d slammed her. In hindsight, it was
no wonder she’d doodled a skull and crossbones. The men at Station 6 were like a
bunch of pirates. Full of pillage and scourge.

Kate decided to go ahead with the baby shower as planned even though she was
running way behind. Her stove rested in the middle of the kitchen, and as she
rushed to get things ready, she had to work around it.

True to what Rocky had said, her house didn’t burn down. And in fact, the
fire had gone out. If she didn’t need the darn stove moved back into place, she
would have put in a direct call to the fire station and told them not to bother
returning. Actually, there was no reason she couldn’t do that…two college boys
lived in the next unit. They could help her move the stove back.

Kate picked up the phone, asked directory assistance for the nonemergency
number to Station 6, and she dialed. No answer.

She’d barely hung up when her guests arrived. Her best friend from grade
school and college, Mariah Kent, was due to have her baby in a couple of weeks.
The two women embraced, and soon, the town house was filled with women who
wanted to know what had happened in the kitchen.

Mariah sat in the living room, a hand on her round belly. “So tell us more
about these firemen…especially this Rocky.”

The ladies balanced cupcakes and punch on their laps. They’d played a few
games, decided they were lame, then settled in for gossip and talk about the men
in their lives and their kids. At thirty-one, Kate was one of the few of them
who’d never married. She’d been in a long-term relationship, but that had ended
a year ago. Since then, she just hadn’t put herself back out there. She hadn’t
been ready until several months ago, and even then, she told herself she didn’t
have time.

“There’s nothing to tell.” Kate shrugged. “He went into my office, and I
wondered if he figured out who I was. But if he did, he didn’t let on. I don’t
want to see him ever again. Which reminds me…”

Kate picked up the phone, dialed the station again to tell them they needn’t
bother themselves with coming back out. On the second ring, her doorbell rang
and Mariah was up to answer it before Kate could move.

Rocky and the other two firemen stood in the doorway. He grinned, looking
past Mariah to her. “I told you I’d be back.”

Any other time a good-looking man said he’d come back over, Kate might have
been a little intrigued…flattered…okay — breathless, even. But this time, she
only felt a sinking dread work over her heartbeat, making her pulse skip.

After the traffic call was cleared, Rocky filled the guys in on Kate’s true
identity on the way back to her town house.

“She didn’t look like I thought,” Captain Evans had said.

Bud added, “I really was hoping she’d be homely as all hell so I could keep
up a bad mental picture of her.” Turning the big engine onto Kate’s street, Bud
cut the motor. “So what are we going to do?”

“Nothing. For now.” Rocky had taken the short steps to her unit. “But I’m
working on it.”

He hadn’t expected to find a houseful of ladies staring at them. Several gave
him an appreciative appraisal as they entered, but he only focused on Kate. She
stood in the kitchen, hands on her hips. They were soft and curvy hips, too.

“I’ve been trying to call the station to tell you that it wasn’t necessary to
come back out,” she said, moving aside as they filled the small area. “Don’t you
have a secretary who answers your phone?”

Rocky chuckled. “No. We fired her for painting her nails on the job.”

Captain Evans smiled in spite of how he must have been feeling toward Kate.
He glanced at her and said, “Don’t believe him. We don’t have a secretary. We
answer our own phones, cook our own dinners…” His eyes narrowed. “And have our
own favorite restaurants.”

If Kate caught that barb, Rocky couldn’t be sure. The pregnant woman in the
living room made a squeaking noise, a gasp of her breath.

“Oh, that was a strong one,” she said, biting on her lip.

“What?” Kate blurted, rushing to the woman’s side. “Mariah, you aren’t in
labor, are you?”

“Well…I felt a few pangs when I got here. I didn’t think anything of it, but
now I’m not so sure. I might be.”

“Ohmygosh!” Kate stammered. “We have to call 911.” She grabbed for the phone,
but Rocky took it out of her hands.

“Kate,” he said calmly, “we are 911.”

Wide-eyed, Kate stood back while Rocky assessed her friend.

Less than ten minutes later, what had been a routine revisit call turned into
a medical and they were radioing for an ambulance.

Rocky had been on several maternity calls, but Mariah Kent kept laughing as
they readied her for transport while the ladies looked on, pink and blue
balloons decorating the ceiling. This was a new one for him.

“This is just priceless,” Mariah said, looking at Kate. “I’m sorry to ruin
the party.”

Hovering over her friend, Kate said, “Mariah, my goodness! What are you
talking about? You’re going to have a baby — which was the whole point of the
party!”

Mariah grinned at Kate, then at Rocky. “I’ve got a sudden craving for ribs.”

Kate blanched.

Rocky bit the inside of his mouth not to show what he was thinking. But he
had a good idea now on what he was going to do about the restaurant reviewer’s
low opinion of their favorite place.

“Hi.”

Kate held back in the doorway, surprised to find Rocky there at 7:30 in the
morning. It had been a crazy night with Mariah going into labor, Kate racing to
the hospital in time for the birth. Her best friend had had a little girl.
Mother and baby were fine.

“Uh…hi,” Kate responded, not knowing what to say.

He looked different out of his blue Boise FD shirt and pants. He wore a black
leather coat, jeans and boots. Cold air drifted over the threshold, making her
shiver. Or was it Rocky who made her shiver?

She was painfully aware of how attractive she found him. It dawned on her now
who he’d reminded her of. A little bit like Nicolas Cage, but not really. Maybe
just the eyes and the smile. Maybe even a little of the attitude. In any case,
she found his presence wholly disarming.

“I came by after shift to ask you how your friend did at the hospital.” His
eyes filled with something she couldn’t quite make out. Amusement? Lust?

“She had her baby. A little girl.” Kate was thinking, couldn’t he have called
the hospital himself to find out?

In no hurry to leave, he asked, “Any more problems with the smoke alarms?”

“No. But I haven’t turned on the oven.”

The fire department had been able to put the stove back in place and
reconnect all her smoke alarms last night.

“Good. Just making sure.”

Kate was at a loss. Did she invite him in? She felt her cheeks warming, her
body flush. He stood very tall, one arm draped over the door frame as he
conveyed a casual position.

“Is…uh, there anything else?”

His mouth turned up and she caught her pulse picking up speed. “Yeah. As a
matter of fact, there is.”

She waited for him to elaborate, not willing to let him in but feeling
awkward leaving him outside. “Would you like to come in a minute?”

“No. Gotta head home and feed my dogs.”

Once more, there was that boyish charm and smile. She was completely at a
loss. Clearly she was rusty in the innuendo department. It was made worse by the
fact she had a feeling he might know who she was, but it wasn’t a question she
could blurt out and ask.

“So…?” Her brows rose and she waited.

Catching her off guard, he simply said, “I want to take you out.”

“E-excuse me?” she stammered.

His smile cut through her, showering her body with tingles. “I want to take
you out. On a date. For dinner.”

Rocky watched the play of emotions wash over Kate’s face. It hit him at that
moment that maybe she had a boyfriend.

“You’re not in a relationship, are you?”

“Uh, no,” she hesitantly replied.

He broadened his smile, liking the way she seemed flustered, almost shy.
“Great. So how about I take you out to dinner tomorrow night?”

Indecision marked her forehead. “I can’t. I have to work.”

Work.
He wondered what restaurant she’d be reviewing or writing up.

“How about tonight?”

“Tonight?”

Grinning, he replied, “Yeah, that’s what I just said. So you’re good with
it?”

“Well, actually, I have to work tonight, too.”

“Then how about this Friday?”

She bit her lip, gazed intently at him. “I’m flattered, truly. Thank you very
much for the offer, but I can’t. I just can’t go out with you.”

Rocky leaned in a little closer, catching her off guard. She faltered, took a
step back. “Why not, Kate?”

“Because.” She momentarily looked away. “Because I just can’t.”

Seconds ticked by and Rocky contemplated his next move. He made a
split-second decision, one that he figured may or may not work in his favor.

“I know who you are,” he said in a level tone. “I saw the newspapers in your
office.”

She didn’t immediately respond. Instead, she folded her arms beneath her
breasts as if she were relieved — in a way. “I wondered. Why didn’t you say
anything to your buddies?”

“I did.”

“Great.” Fire lit into her hazel eyes and he liked her much better this way.

“So how about dinner?”

“Are you kidding me?”

“Absolutely not. I want to take you to the Rib Shack for dinner.”

From her jaw-dropping reaction, he might as well have just said he wanted to
take her to a strip club.

“Are you kidding me?” Kate repeated, her blood pressure building. Then she
scowled as Mrs. Banks came up the walkway dragging her grocery cart up the
stairs.

“Who’s that?” the elderly neighbor asked. “If he’s a solicitor, I’m calling
the police. We have zero tolerance for that in this building.”

“He’s nobody, Mrs. Banks,” Kate responded, then she all but grabbed Rocky by
the coat sleeve and yanked him inside.

Gone was the aroma of coffee that she’d brewed and had been intending on
enjoying this morning while watching the Travel Channel’s Europe Restaurant
tour. The cold air from outside had washed away its traces, leaving the living
room cool and smelling like fireplaces.

Rocky stood in the middle of the room and now Kate didn’t know what to do
with him. At the same time, she wanted to both kick him and grab him by the arm
again to feel the way his muscles had bunched when she reeled him in. There was
no question he was a good-looking man. And darn it, if he didn’t get her motor
running.

“Who wrote that rebuttal piece?” she queried, hands on hips. Now that she had
him captive and the jig was up, she wanted answers. “It was signed Station 6,
but I have a feeling one of you had a heavy hand in it. It was that captain,
wasn’t it?”

Rocky shrugged, stuffed his hands into his pockets. “Coffee smells good.”

“The coffee’s probably cold,” she all but snapped back. “You know, it’s not
easy being a reviewer. People love to critique the critic, but it’s my job. So
fess up. Who wrote that I had taste buds refined in Taco Bell?”

When he didn’t reply, she knew.

“Thanks very much,” she droned sarcastically.

“You started the war, Kate.”

“I did no such thing. I merely stated my opinion.”

“And so did we.”

Kate huffed into the kitchen, put her hands on the edge of the sink. In the
last several years she’d written for
The Statesman,
this was the first
time this had ever happened to her. She’d been uncovered, exposed. Yes, she felt
very exposed.