“If that isn’t better in a few days, you need to have another X-ray. You also need to take some over-the-counter pain reliever for the next few days.”

Even in a jumpsuit more suited for a male, Sal looked all female. He must have messed up his mind as well as his side in that fire. These thoughts had to stop here.

Her quipping “You can pull your shirt down now” brought him back to reality.

Ross walked toward the door, tucking his shirt in as he went. “Thanks, Sal.”

“By the way, I think what you did at that house was both brave and stupid.”

CHAPTER TWO

ROSS DIDN’T OFTEN get involved in the social side of the fire department but he was making an exception this time for two reasons. One, the annual picnic was a good place to take Olivia and Jared, his niece and nephew, while they were visiting. Two, it would be nice if he was seen by the bosses interacting positively with his fellow firefighters and the first responders at his station. He needed any edge he could get to gain the promotion.

The event was being held at one of the large parks in town. Not being a family man, Ross had only been to a few of them. There would be the usual fare of barbecue, baked beans, boiled corn and Texas-sized slices of bread. Desserts of every kind and drinks would also be provided. Along with the food were child-friendly games and crafts. Jared and Olivia were excited about the games. He was more interested in the menu; it was some of his favorite food groups.

Ross looked around the area for a parking space. The weather was clear. It would be a perfect day for the event. He scanned the vehicles to see if any belonged to the members of his station. Kody had said he would be there. Would Sal be with him? Why would he care about that? She’d been on his mind too much lately.

Ross enjoyed having the kids around. They came for a weekend now and then, but this time they were staying for a little more than a week while his sister and her husband were out of town. Normally, they would have stayed with his parents but they were off on a cruise. He had sort of volunteered and then been asked to take them for ten days. On the days he worked, a friend’s wife had agreed to watch them.

He pulled his truck into a spot in the already half-full parking lot teeming with people. Seconds later, Jared and Olivia were climbing out, their eyes bright with excitement.

“Yay, there’s face painting. I want to go over there.” Olivia pointed to a tent not far away.

“I want to go ride the pony,” Jared said over his sister.

Ross raised his voice above it all. “Circle up here. We need to have a couple of ground rules. Number one, we stay together, and number two, we stay together. If I lose you kids, your mother and father will be mad at me.” He grinned at them. “Got it?”

“Got it!” they chimed in.

“Okay. Why don’t we go have lunch first, then we can make the rounds and do anything you like afterward?”

He raised a hand for a high five. Jared and Olivia enthusiastically slapped his palm.

They made their way to the buffet-style line that had formed under a large shelter and joined it.

The kids each held their plates as he served pulled pork onto their sandwich buns. While he was filling his plate with ribs, he looked across the table to see Sal taking some as well. How long had she been there? “Hey, I didn’t see you over there.”

This was the first time he’d ever seen her in anything but a jumpsuit. Today she was wearing a simple sky blue T-shirt that was tucked into tight, well-worn jeans. A thin belt drew his attention to her hips. She looked fit but not skinny. Her hair flowed down around her shoulders. This version of Sal was very appealing.

Her eyelids flickered and she said shyly, “Hi, Ross. I think you’re a little busy to notice much.”

“You’re right about that.” He looked for the kids and found there was a gap between him and them. He saw Sal’s grin and forgot what he was doing. He hurriedly returned to picking out his ribs and moved forward. The kids each added a small bag of chips to their plates. When they were all finished, they picked out canned drinks from large containers filled with ice.

When Ross turned around after getting his, he noticed Sal pulling her drink out of a bucket next to his. It didn’t appear anyone was with her. Their eyes met and she gave him a soft unsure smile. She looked away over the sea of picnic tables and walked away. Would she have joined them if he’d asked? Did he want her to?

“Come on, kids, let’s see about finding a place to sit.” He nodded forward. “Jared, head out through the picnic tables that way.”

The boy did as Ross said and he and Olivia followed. As they moved along, a number of people he knew spoke to him. He called “hi” and kept moving. Finally, he saw Jared doing a fast walk toward an empty table. Relieved they had found one, Ross settled in for his meal.

He spied Sal weaving through the tables, obviously searching for a place to sit.

She came close enough that he raised his hand and called, “Hey, Sal, come join us. We have room.”

Her face brightened at her name, but when she turned his way she looked hesitant, as if trying to figure out a way to refuse, but she came their way.

As she set her lunch down next to Olivia’s and across from him, she said, “Thanks. Kody and Lucy are coming but they’re running late.” She looked around her. “There sure are a lot of people here. I had no idea that it’d be like this.” She slipped her legs under the table.

“Austin’s isn’t a tiny fire department. The families really turn out for the picnic.” What was happening to him? He didn’t invite single women he worked with to join him for a meal. It was against departmental policy for firefighters and medical personnel at the same station to see each other. But this wasn’t a date. He was just being nice.

He wasn’t dating right now anyway. In college, he’d dated as much as any of his friends. During the early years of joining the department he’d done the bar scene with some of the other bachelors for a few years but that had got old fast. It was hard to see about the ranch and work his odd hours and keep that lifestyle.

Once he’d been serious about someone, but it hadn’t worked out. She’d hated his schedule and had been afraid he might be hurt or killed. After a messy breakup, he’d decided to concentrate on his career and not worry about the aggravation of maintaining a relationship for a while. For now, he’d like to keep things casual, uncomplicated. Maybe after making Battalion Chief he would give serious thought to settling down. But that wouldn’t or couldn’t include seeing someone he worked with.

“I see.” She glanced at Jared and Olivia. “I didn’t know you had children.”

Olivia giggled.

“This is my niece and nephew. They’re spending a couple of weeks with me while my sister and her husband are out of town. Sal, this is Jared and Olivia.”

Olivia gave her a curious look. “Your name is Sal? That’s a boy’s name.”

“That’s what your uncle calls me at work. My name is really Sally.”

His niece wrinkled her nose. “I like Sally better.”

Ross did too. It suited her. To think he had never really wondered what her full name was.

Sally looked down at Olivia and smiled. “You know, I do too.”

That was interesting. Why didn’t she ever correct anybody at the station?

Sally turned her attention to her food and the rest of them did as well. She handed over a napkin to Jared. Ross looked at him. He had barbecue sauce running down his chin.

The boy took it from her.

“Good sandwich?” Sally asked, smiling.

“Yes.” Jared grinned.

“I can tell. Mine’s good too.”

“Uncle Ross’s must be good too because it’s all over his face.” Olivia pointed to him.

They all laughed.

“He looks like a clown,” Olivia blurted out.

They all broke into laughter again.

“What?” He wiped his mouth and looked at the napkin. There was a lot of sauce on it.

“It’s still on there,” Jared stated.

Ross tried again to clean his face.

“It’s still on there,” Olivia said with a giggle.

“You guys are starting to hurt my feelings.” Ross liked the sound of Sally’s laughter—sweet and full-bodied.

“Here, let me see if I can help you.” Sally held up her napkin. “Lean toward me.”

Ross did as she suggested as she shifted toward him. Their eyes met and held for a moment. There was a flicker of something there. Awareness, curiosity, interest?

Sally blinked and her focus moved on. A moment later she rubbed a spot on his cheek and sat back.

“She got it,” Olivia announced.

However, she had left a warmth behind for him to think about.

“Jared,” Sally said a little too brightly, as if she had been affected as well. “How old are you?”

“Nine.”

“What do you like? Football? Baseball…?” Her attention remained on him as if she was truly interested.

“Soccer.”

“Soccer. I’ve watched a few games but I don’t know much about the rules.”

Ross grinned as Jared lapsed into a full monologue about soccer playing. It hadn’t taken long for Sal, uh, Sally to find the kid’s sweet spot.

When he ran out of steam Sally was quick to ask, “Olivia, do you have something special you like to do?”

“I like to draw.”

“Do you draw people, or animals or landscapes?” Sally took a bite of her sandwich while waiting for an answer.

Olivia wrinkled her forehead. “Landscapes? What’s that?”

“Pictures of trees and grass,” Jared offered.

“That’s right.” Sally gave him a smile of praise.

“No, I like to draw horses. I drew a picture of Uncle Ross’s horses.”

Sally’s attention turned to him. She seemed surprised. “You have horses?”

“I do. I own a few acres out west of town.”

“You need to come see Uncle Ross’s horses sometime. They’re beautiful.” Olivia let the last word trail out. “Their names are Romeo and Juliet.”

Sally smiled at her. “Are they, now?” She looked at him with a teasing grin on her lips. “Interesting names for horses.”

“Hey, they were already named when I bought them.”

She grinned. “So you say.”

They returned to eating their meals.

As they finished, Olivia asked, “Uncle Ross, can I go have my face painted now?”

Jared turned to him. “And I want to ride the pony.”

“We can’t do both at the same time. Who’s going first?”

Both their hands went up.

Sally covered her smile with a hand.

Ross looked at her and shook his head sadly. “I can handle a company of men at a fire with no problem but give me two kids.”

Her look met his. “I think you’re doing great.”

She did? For some reason he rather liked that idea.

Sally pushed her plate to the center of the table. “Maybe I can help. I can take Olivia to have her face painted while you take Jared to ride the pony. We can meet somewhere afterward.”

Ross looked at the children. “That sounds like a plan, doesn’t it, kids?”

They both nodded.

He looked around. “Okay, we’ll meet over there by the flagpole.”

Sally stood. “Then we’ll see you in a little while. Olivia, bring your trash and we’ll put it in the garbage on the way.”

To his surprise Olivia made no argument about cleaning up. Instead she did as Sally asked. As they headed toward the face-painting booth, Olivia slipped her hand into Sally’s. She swung it between them.

Sally strolled with Olivia across the grassy area toward the activities. Ross’s niece and nephew were nice kids. They seemed to adore him and he them. Her ex-husband, Wade, had never really cared for children. He’d always said he wanted his own but he’d never liked others’, thought they were always dirty. More than once he’d worried they would get his clothes nasty when they were around. Thinking back, she didn’t understand what she’d seen in him. How she’d even thought herself in love.

Wade had been the local wonder boy. Everyone had loved him, thought he was great. She had too, which was why she’d given up almost everything she loved to make him happy. They hadn’t been married long when she’d learned he was having an affair. She’d tried to work it out but Wade wasn’t going to change his ways. How had she been so oblivious? What she had thought was real and special had all been a lie. Finally, she’d filed for divorce.

Her judgment where men were concerned was off. All her trust was gone. Never would she be taken in like that again. She mentally shook her head. She wasn’t going to ruin a nice day thinking about her ex-husband.

Half an hour later, she and Olivia were on their way to the flagpole. Olivia had a large fuchsia star on one cheek and smaller ones trailing away from it up across her forehead, along with a smile on her lips. Sally couldn’t help but smile as well at how proud the girl was.

As they approached the pole, Ross and Jared walked up. The grin on Ross’s face when he saw Olivia made Sally’s grow. He had such a nice smile. Wide, carefree and inviting. She’d really been missing out on something special by never having seen it before. Most of their interactions had been working ones where there had been no time for smiles.

Ross went down on one knee in front of Olivia. “I love your stars.”

Sally watched the similar-colored heads so close together. Ross would make a good father someday. “How was your pony ride, Jared?”

“It was fun, but not as much fun as riding Uncle Ross’s horses.”

“Can we go play in the jumping games?” Olivia pointed toward the inflatable games set up across the field.

“Yeah, Uncle Ross, can we?” Jared joined in.

Sally looked back at the crowd in line for food. Were Kody and Lucy here yet? She didn’t want Ross to think he had to entertain her as well.

“Sure we can.” Ross started that way with Jared and Olivia on either side of him. He glanced over his shoulder. “Sally, you coming?”

“Sure.” She hurried after them. If he didn’t mind, it would be nicer than just standing around waiting on Kody and his daughter to show up.

As Jared and Olivia played in the inflatable game with the net sides, she and Ross stood outside watching them dive and roll through the small multicolored balls.

After a few minutes of uncertain silence, she said, “Jared and Olivia are really sweet.”

“Yeah, I think they’re pretty great. Their mom and dad are raising them right.”

“Is your sister older or younger than you?” She was more curious than she should be about Ross.

“I’m older, but sometimes she treats me like I’m the younger one. She worries about me being a fireman, or not being married. I know she cares but it does get old.”

“I know the feeling. Kody likes to worry over me. My father encourages it as well. I don’t know what I’d do without Kody though. He’s the one who encouraged me to move out here. Best thing I’ve ever done.”

Kody had told her that she needed to get away from the memories. More than once he had talked about how much he and Lucy liked living here. He’d even tried to get their parents to move out west as well.

“That’s right, y’all aren’t from around here. You moved out here from North Carolina, isn’t that right?”

“Yeah, after my divorce Kody told me there was plenty of work for a paramedic out here. So I decided to come.”

“Kody said something about you having been in a bad marriage. I’m sorry.”

Sally was too. She didn’t take marriage lightly.

“Hey, Aunt Sally.”

She turned to see Lucy running toward her with Kody not far behind. Lucy reached her and wrapped her arms around her for a hug. Sally loved her niece. On Sally’s days off she often helped Kody with Lucy. Occasionally he needed Lucy to stay over at Sally’s while he worked his shift. Sally didn’t mind. She enjoyed spending time with her niece. “Hey there. I was starting to wonder where you were.”

Kody joined them. “Sorry, the birthday party Lucy was at went longer than I expected.” He reached out a hand and spoke to Ross. “Hey, man.”

Ross gave Kody’s hand a hardy shake. “Glad you made it. Have you tried the ribs yet? They’re great.”

“Yeah, we just ate, then saw y’all down here. Thanks for taking care of my sister.”

Heat went through Sally. She didn’t need taking care of. She gave her brother a quelling look. “Kody!”

He acted as if she hadn’t said anything as Ross said, “We saw each other and I invited her to eat with us. No big deal.” Ross made it sound as if he was trying to explain keeping her out too late to her father.

“Daddy, can I jump?” Lucy pulled on Kody’s hand.

“Sure, honey.”

Lucy kicked off her shoes and entered the box. Soon she was busy having fun with Jared and Olivia and the other children.

A few minutes later the man monitoring the game told the children inside that it was time to give others a chance. The kids climbed out, put their shoes on and joined them.

Sally put her hand on Lucy’s shoulder. “Lucy, I’d like for you to meet Jared and Olivia. Jared and Olivia, this is Lucy. She’s my niece.”

“Like Uncle Ross is our uncle,” Olivia chirped.

Sally smiled at her. “That’s right.”

A man announcing over a microphone the relay games were about to begin interrupted their conversation.

“Can we go watch, Uncle Ross?” Jared asked.

“Sure. You guys going?” He looked from her to Kody.

“Why not?” Kody responded for them both.

They walked toward the field that had been set up as a relay course. A crowd was already lining up along each side of the area marked with lanes.

“The first race is the egg carry. Children only. Get your spoon and egg and line up.”

All three of the kids wanted to participate.

Jared and Olivia were in lanes next to each other. Ross stood behind them. Lucy, with Kody doing the same, was in the lane next to them. Sally stood on the sidelines to cheer them on. The children put the handle of a plastic spoon in their mouth and sat the boiled egg in the other end.

The man said, “You have to go down and around the barrel with the egg in the spoon. First one back wins. Go on three. One, two, three.”

The children took off. Olivia only made it a short distance before her egg fell out. She hurried to pick it up and place it in the spoon again. Lucy and Jared were already at the barrel. Not getting far, Olivia lost hers again. She looked at Ross, her face twisted as if she was about to sob.

With what looked like no hesitation, Ross hurried to her. He went down on one knee and said something to Olivia. He offered her the spoon. She looked unsure but placed it in her mouth. Ross added the egg, then wrapped his arms around Olivia’s waist and lifted her. He walked with a slow steady pace toward the barrel. Sally’s heart expanded. Ross Lawson was a good uncle. They were way behind the others but the crowd cheered as Ross and Olivia rounded the barrel and headed for the finish line.

They were the last to cross the line but the people acted as if she was the first. Ross placed Olivia’s feet on the ground and went down on a knee. The little girl dropped her spoon and egg, and turned around, beaming at Ross. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a hug. What could have been a horrible memory for his niece, Ross had turned into one of joy.

Ross and Olivia joined their little group once more and they watched more of the races, cheering on people they knew.

A little while later the man with the microphone said, “Okay, it’s time for the three-legged race. We’re going to do something a little different this year to start out with. We need a male and female to represent each fire station. We’re going to have a little friendly house-to-house competition. Pick your partner, and come to the line.”

“Uncle Ross, you and Sally need to go,” Jared said.

“Yeah, you need to,” the girls agreed.

“I don’t think so.” Sally looked around for an excuse not to participate. She received no help from Kody, who just grinned at her.

“Someone does need to represent our station.” Ross studied her.

“Go, Aunt Sally.” Lucy gave her a little push.

She returned Ross’s assessing look. Surely he wouldn’t want to do it.

He said with far more enthusiasm than she felt, “Come on. Let’s win this thing.”

It figured Ross was competitive.

They hurried to a lane. Ross quickly tied the strip of cloth lying on the ground around their ankles. The entire time she tried not to touch him any more than necessary. She wasn’t very successful. They met all the way up the length of their legs. Her nerves went into a frenzy when Ross’s arm came around her waist. He felt so solid and secure. What was going on with her?

“Put your arm around me,” Ross commanded.

With heart thumping harder than normal, Sally did as he requested. Her fingers clutched his shirt.

“Not my shirt, me.” His words were teasing almost, but demanding, drawing her gaze to his face, which was fierce with concentration and determination. She bit back a laugh as her fingers gripped the well-founded muscle of his side.

“You really do want to win?” she murmured.

He glanced at her with disbelief. “Don’t you? We start with our outside leg. You ready?”

“Uh, yeah?” She wanted to run for her car.

The man asked, “Runners ready?”

“Okay, here we go.” Ross’s voice was intense.

“Go!” the man said.

Ross called, “Outside, inside…”

They were on their way. He was matching the length of his stride to hers. Ross continued to keep the cadence as they hurried up the lane. She tried to concentrate on what they were doing but the physical contact kept slipping in to ruin it. When she tripped, his grip on her waist tightened.

“Outside, inside…” He helped her to get back in sync.

As they made the turn around the barrel, he lifted her against his body as if she weighed nothing. After they had swung around, he let her down and said, “Inside.”

Her fingertips dug into his side. Ross grunted, but didn’t slow down. His ribs must still be tender. She eased her grip and concentrated on their rhythm again.

The crowd yelled and Ross held her tighter, plastering her against him. They picked up speed.

Between breaths Ross said, “Come on, we’re almost there.”

Sally put all the effort she had into walking fast. They were near the line when Ross lifted her again and swung her forward with him. The crowd roared as they crossed the finish line. They stumbled hard and went down. Ross landed over her. They were a tangle of arms and legs and laughter.

Ross’s breath was hot against her cheek. Her hands were fanned out across his chest. His arms were under her as if he had tried to protect her from the fall. As he looked at her, his eyes held a flicker of masculine awareness. Her stomach fluttered with a feminine response.

“Stay still. I’ll untie us.” His breath brushed over her lips.

“Well, folks, that was a close one,” the man said.

“Aunt Sally, you won! You won!” Lucy’s voice came from above her.

“We did?” she grunted as she and Ross worked to untangle themselves from each other.

Ross finally released their legs and stood. He had that beautiful smile on his face again as he offered her a hand. She put hers in his. He pulled her up into his arms and swung her around. “We sure did!”

“Oh.” Her arms wrapped around his neck as she hung on. Just as quickly, he let her go. It took her a moment to regain her balance.

Lucy hugged her and Kody slapped Ross on the back. Jared and Olivia circled them, jumping up and down.

“You were great.” Ross grinned at her with satisfaction.

She brushed herself off. “Thanks. You did most of the work.”

“Okay, everyone,” the man said. “There’s ice cream for everyone before we have the stations’ tug-of-war events.”

“I don’t know about you guys but I think Sal and I earned some ice cream,” Ross said to their group.

“It’s Sally, Uncle Ross,” Olivia corrected him.

Ross looked at her. “Sally and I, then.”

“I’ve always called her Sweet Pea,” Kody quipped.

Sally groaned.

Ross glanced at her and beamed mischievously.

Sally started walking. The three kids joined her. She might never live this day down.

Ross spooned another bite of ice cream into his mouth. He, Kody and Sally were sitting at a table finishing their food while they watched the kids playing on the park playground equipment. The kids had become fast friends.

He looked at Sally. Her concentration remained on her bowl. She’d really been a trouper during their race. Yet by her expression he’d gathered she hadn’t wanted anything to do with it. Was her silent objection to the race or running it with him?

His reaction to having her bound to him had been unexpected. That response had grown and hung like a cloud over them when they had been tangled in each other’s arms. There had been a smoldering moment when she had looked at him with, what? Surprise? Interest? Desire? He was male enough to recognize her interest but smart enough to know that she was off-limits, for a number of reasons.

Sally was the sister of a friend. She worked with him. From what he understood she wasn’t yet over her divorce and had no interest in dating. More to the point, she didn’t strike him as someone who would settle for a fling. As for himself, he couldn’t afford to have his mind or emotions anywhere but on his job right now. A real relationship would be a distraction, and something about Sally made him believe that she would be the definition of distraction.

Then there were his scars. More than once they had turned a woman off. A number of women he’d dated had expected a big, strong firefighter would be flawless, would look like a subject of a calendar. They had been disappointed by him.

Thankfully Kody asking him a question directed his mind to a safer topic. A few minutes later the announcer called the tug-of-war teams to the field.

Ross said to Kody, “Well, it’s time for the fun to begin. We need to win this thing. I’ve heard about all I want to about how strong the Twos are.” He raised his voice. “Come on, Jared and Olivia, it’s time for the contest.”

The kids stopped playing and started toward them.

Sally chuckled. “You’re really looking forward to this, aren’t you?”

“Oh, yeah. All I’ve heard from Station Two is how they won last year. I’m ready for payback. Do you mind watching Jared and Olivia while I’m pulling?”

“Not at all.”

“Lucy too?” Kody added.

“Sure. I’ve got them all. You guys go on. I’ll bring the kids.”

He and Kody loped across the field to join the other members of the station. When they reached the part of the field where the tug-of-war would take place, Ross raised his hand. “House Twelve. Here.”

Other station captains were doing the same. There was a great deal of commotion as everyone located their fellow companies.

The announcer came on again. “Firefighters and first responders may I have your attention?”

The crowd quieted.

“This is how the competition is going to work. We’ve set up brackets by pulling station numbers out of a hat. Those will pull against each other. The winner will continue on to the next bracket until we have a winner. Now each house needs to huddle up and decide which six people from your station will be pulling. There must be at least one woman on the team. If your house doesn’t have enough people present, then you may recruit from your family members. If you have any questions you need to see Chief Curtis up here. As always, he’s our final word.”

Using his “at a fire” voice, Ross spoke to the people around him. “Okay, Erickson, Smith, Hart, Kody and me. Rogers, you’ll be our designated woman. Does that work for everyone?”

“Ten-four, Captain!” they cheered.

“Great. Now, get into position and get ready to give it all you’ve got.”

Those who weren’t chosen went to join those lining the tug-of-war area. Ross and his team moved to the large-diameter rope lying on the ground. A piece of cloth was tied in the middle of it. A chalk line had been drawn across the pulling area.

He glanced over to see Sally and the kids standing near the line. There was excitement on their faces. They all hollered, “Go, Twelves!”

Each team member picked up a section of the rope. Ross anchored at the back where a knot was tied.

The announcer said, “We have our first two teams. The Twelves and the Thirty-Fives. On the word go I want you to start pulling. You must keep pulling until the last man is over the line. Is everyone ready?”

“Ten-four!” both teams shouted.

Ross called, “Dig in, firefighters. Let’s win this thing.” He grabbed the rope tighter.

When the announcer yelled, “Go!” Ross pulled as hard as he could. The grunts of the others ahead of him joined his as they slowly walked backward. The shouts of the crowd encouraging them grew louder. Suddenly there was slack in the rope and he staggered to keep himself upright. They had won. The crowd cheered as his team turned to each other, giving each other high fives.

He would be in pain before the day was done with that much exertion. His ribs had objected when Sally had gripped his side during the three-legged race. With the pulling, they had spoken up loudly again. Still, he was going to do his part to win the tug-of-war. His team needed him. The key was not to let on he was hurting.

Sally and the kids joined him and Kody, giving them their excited congratulations.

Sal said, “Hey, kids, how about helping me get some bottled water for our team?”

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