Page 1 of Heating Up (Nugget)
Chapter 1
The flames continued to lick at the structure as one of Aidan’s fellow firefighters climbed onto the scorched top of the low-slung rancher to cut a hole in the roof for ventilation.
“It’s spongy,” the firefighter shouted over the roar of the fire.
“Then get down,” the captain yelled.
He made it to the ladder just as the roof caved in.
Structurally, the entire home was toast—by tomorrow a heap of kindling. The best any of them could hope for was containing the blaze before it spread to the two neighboring houses. Unlike downtown Chicago, there was plenty of space here between homes, providing a good defensive zone. But it was drier than dust. Front yards consisted of nothing but brown patches of grass that had somehow survived the dry summer and strict watering rules.
If they worked methodically, though, he figured they could have this mother knocked down in another hour and could start a thorough overhaul. Already, a few guys had gone in with axes and hooks. Eventually, they’d rip out the ceiling, Sheetrock, windowsills, and door frames, checking for hot spots.
Aidan hadn’t even officially started at Cal Fire when he’d gotten called out on the boomer. That’s what they called a good working structure fire. He’d just completed his six-week training at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s academy in Ione, a Gold Country town only slightly larger than his new home, Nugget. Although a seasoned firefighter and arson investigator back in Chicago, he didn’t have experience fighting forest and wildland fires.
That was all about to change.
With California in its fourth year of record drought, wildfires burned at breakneck speed across the state. And Cal Fire was responsible for protecting thirty-six of California’s fifty-eight counties, meaning millions and millions of acres.
Aidan gazed out over the scene. The owner of the house stood in her bare feet and a thin nightgown on the sidewalk, away from the crowd, helplessly watching as firefighters desecrated what was left of her home. Aidan grabbed a blanket from one of the engines and approached her. A paramedic had already checked her over for injuries. She’d apparently been awakened by the smoke alarm, had tried to open her bedroom door only to find it too hot to the touch and succeeded in crawling out the window.
“Here you go, ma’am.” Aidan handed her the blanket.
She stared at the gray woolen department-issued throw, clearly wondering what to do with it. Even past midnight it was at least seventy degrees in Nugget and, with the heat from the fire, closer to a hundred near the flames. Aidan didn’t want to point out that her nightgown was see-through. So much so that he could make out the smiley faces on her bikini underwear in the glow of the klieg lights.
“You might want to cover up,” he said.
She immediately glanced down at herself and grimaced. “Oh God.”
He helped wrap the blanket around her and said, “No worries,” which, given her plight, was a pretty stupid thing to say. She’d just lost everything she owned. Everything but the car. It had been parked on the street instead of in her garage, which now resembled a stick pile.
“When will I be able to go back in?” She stared up at Aidan with golden eyes, and for a second he couldn’t stop staring back.
It was the eyes, he supposed. They were unusual, like precious stones. Amber or tiger-eye, he couldn’t remember the name. Anyway, they went nice with her brown hair. Truth be told, he liked the underwear too. A lot.
“Not tonight, that’s for sure.” They’d have to check what was left of the structure to guarantee its safety. “You have any idea what started the fire?”
Early on he’d smelled something like paint thinner or varnish. Arson investigators had extraordinary noses.
“I think I may have left a candle burning.” She looked down at the ground, her face turning red, plainly mortified.
“In which room?” As soon as he got inside he’d likely be able to tell for sure.
“The dining room. I was trying to get the smell out.”
“What smell?”
“From the stain. I was refinishing my table . . . I can’t believe I did this.”
At this point he had no reason to suspect her of anything nefarious. “You have a place to stay?”
“Dana!” A woman pushed her way through the gawking neighbors. “Are you all right? Cecilia called me. She heard about the fire from Jake. They’re on their way over.”
“I’m okay.” She gazed over at the wreckage and her eyes welled up.
A Nugget police vehicle drove to the end of the cul-de-sac, parked, and Jake and Cecilia jumped out. Aidan knew them and a handful of other people through his sister, Sloane.
Jake joined Aidan at the curb while Cecilia fussed over the woman . . . Dana. “You know what caused it?”
