Page 13 of Smokin' Situation

Charley and I worked to remove her boots and get her tucked in. She only stirred briefly as I tugged off her hat. I had to fight off the sudden urge to kiss her on the forehead before I pulled the covers up to her shoulders.

Watching how exhausted she was, I had a feeling it had more to do with her stubborn refusal to do everything on her own than just a simple case of heat exhaustion. It endeared her to me even more, because until I got hurt, I’d also been a stubborn asshole who didn’t like to ask for help. Maybe that was just another thing we had in common.

“Thank you for driving her back here, Tripp,” Charley whispered after she led me out of the apartment and down the stairs to where Hudson was waiting for us in the back hallway of the bar.

“Thanks, man,” Hudson echoed as he joined us, pulling me in for a half hug and back slap that had me fighting off a wince.

“Did Baker stop by yet?” I asked, knowing I probably needed to get back to the ranch and get some sleep before I needed to be up at the ass crack of dawn tomorrow.

Hudson dropped my keys into my hand, tilting his head toward the front of the door. “Drinks are on me if you’ve got time.”

Shaking my head, I pocketed my keys. “Maybe another time, I’ve got an early morning. But someone told me I’ll need to stop by for some tater tots sometime.”

He chuckled, thankfully letting me off the hook. “Tots on the house then next time. I’m sure my fainting bartender who works Thursdays and Saturdays would love to help you out with those.”

“Real subtle, ding dong, why don’t you close out the bar so we can get out of here,” Charley laughed, flicking his arm and shaking her head. Hudson shrugged, nodding at me before he took off down a side hallway. “Sorry, he’s kind of oblivious sometimes. But for real, I’m sure Annie is thankful you were there. Hazel told me you went all white knight and carried her halfway across the town square with everyone watching.”

“Annie?”

“Did she not tell you her name?” she asked, looking confused.

“Her name isn’t Rhey?”

Charley shook her head. “Well, I guess it kind of is. Her name is Rheyanne, but everyone around here calls her Annie. Wonder why she told you Rhey?”

And now I was wondering the same as well. She hadn’t corrected me when I’d called her that all day, and I kind of liked that she wanted me to call her something different from everyone else. I hadn’t exactly been honest with her about my name, either. I had told the guys around the fire station to call me Tripp because that was what I’d gone by for years when I wasn’t back in Colorado.

“Can I give you my number to give to her when she wakes up?”

“Gimme your phone and I can put hers in there for you.” Her smile widened, her eyebrows dancing as she held out her hand. Passing over my phone, I watched as she pulled open a new text message filled with a local number and then handed it back to me.

“Thanks, I guess I’ll see you around.”

She nodded and shot me a grin before she turned to follow Hudson to the front of the bar, leaving me to let myself out the back door. The sun had finally set, but the wind had picked up, rustling the trees in a way that almost sounded ominous.

While the winters in Wyoming could be a little more brutal, I was used to the weather changes in the mountains. But as I drove back to the ranch, I couldn’t shake the feeling that everything was about to shift.

Ablaringsoundfrommy phone at 4:30 in the morning, when my alarm was already set for 5:15, was not the ideal way to be woken up from a nightmare. My already frazzled nerves were on edge when it went off again moments later, which sent me scrambling for it on the nightstand. Pulling open the notification app the fire station used, my stomach dropped as I read the push alert that had been sent to my phone.

Active fire alert for Eastern Chaffee County. County roads north of US Hwy 50 east of Monarch Pass are closed to thru traffic. All on call officers need to report to checkpoint to help set up detours and alert affected residents.

Adrenaline kicked in as I threw off the covers, pulling out a clean class B uniform and getting dressed while I tried to run throughthe list of protocol that I’d studied last week during my onboarding with the fire department.

I needed to notify Marty I wouldn’t be around the ranch this morning, but we’d discussed the logistics around me being a volunteer firefighter before he’d hired me. He knew I might need to take off at a moment’s notice, I just hadn’t expected it to be this soon.

Tristan: Being called in, I’ll send you an update once I know more.

Marty: We have things covered here, let me know if there is anything we can do to help.

Hesitating, I pulled up Baker’s number, firing off a text before I shoved my utility knife in my pocket and clipped my gloves to my belt. Everything else I’d need, like my turnout gear and my breathing SCBA, were locked in a chest in my truck bed. Typically, if there was an active blaze I’d be reporting in full turnout, but since I was still a probationary officer, I knew the Chief wouldn’t let me suit up.

Tripp: You already on site?

Baker was typically assigned to search and rescue, so I knew he likely wouldn’t be a frontline report to the actual fire. Not unless they really needed him.

Baker: You on your way? Chief just told us he sent out the volunteer alert. I’ve been up on the ridge for the last two hours directing traffic like a fucking meter maid.

Tripp: Meter maids don’t direct traffic, they write tickets, dipshit. We get that much traffic through the pass in the middle of the night?

---