Page 26 of High Seduction
They shared rescue stories—a bit of one-upmanship with a twist. Sad stories were in the mix as well. The victims who weren’t reached in time, the heartbreak of having to bring home not a found loved one, but their body.
Everyone who worked in search and rescue knew it could go either way at any time. The flip of a coin, a moment’s chance, and it didn’t matter how skilled the rescuers were.
The unexpected could take even the best of them to their knees without a moment’s notice. It was part of the reason that Tim was there in the first place, replacing Lifeline’s badly injured paramedic.
“What’s the latest word on Xavier? Anyone heard this week?” Anders asked.
Devon waved. “I stopped in the last time I was in Calgary. He’s okay. A little depressed, but slowly recovering.”
Damn. “Seeing Xavier a little depressed is like seeing a kicked puppy. Anything we can do?”
Devon shook his head. “He needs more time and therapy. He’s still got a good chance of walking again.” Devon turned to Tim. “Our man who got hurt back a few months ago.”
“Tough to see a teammate suffering that hard.” Tim nodded slowly. “If there’s anything I can do, let me know.”
“Will do. Mostly, we keep in touch. Let him know we’re thinking of him.” Alisha stared at her drink. “Try not to feel too guilty that he’s the one who’s there, and we’re still here.”
Devon caught her hand and squeezed her fingers, but the sentiment was there, in all of them.
Sometimes the bad things that happened were inexplicable and wrong, and all you could do was move forward the best you could.
Erin waited and watched, some of her concerns easing as Tim talked about situations where he’d not only accomplished amazing things, but often placed others he’d worked with into the spotlight. The man sitting with the Lifeline team was a different man from the cocky, occasionally arrogant bastard whom she’d lived with years ago.
Working with him wouldn’t be a problem. The skills were still there, the additional years of maturity adding a touch of well-deserved confidence to everything he did.
No, there were other areas she needed to focus on. Other questions.
How far should she take things with Tim? How fast? It was now a given that they would be getting involved, but staying in control was important, and unless she planned ahead she was afraid of losing sight of that, even if Tim appeared to be going along with his promise.
Devon broke in with a change of topic. “Heads up for the holiday season. It’s likely to get crazy around here starting any day now.”
“You’ve got your calendar screwed up.” Anders leaned back on the couch. “It’s still two weeks until Christmas.”
“Yeah, but the school break is early this year,” Devon warned. “My brother who’s a teacher mentioned it to me. The layout of the calendar means everyone from Alberta is off starting next week. The good part is that means school’s back in on January second, including the university. Expect the disasters to begin soon.”
“Lots of additional work over the holiday season?” Tim asked.
Tripp nodded. “The week between Christmas and New Year’s is the worst, with people trying out new gear they got as presents and getting in over their heads.”
“Reading week is even crazier,” Alisha warned. “Mid-February. Everyone from the university who had family commitments in December goes wild for one week. We’ve had to go haul people out of the strangest places then.”
“Sounds exciting.” Tim grinned as the team groaned at his enthusiasm. “Oh, come on. Tell me you’re not all thinking the same thing.”
Devon shrugged. “Fine, work is exciting, and we wouldn’t trade it for anything. But come March I propose we put in for a week off and head somewhere hot.”
“Hmm, now you’re talking.” Tripp raised his glass in approval. “To Lifeline and to excitement, whatever form that takes.”
The guys took off on another tangent. Plans for kayaking in Belize or something. Alisha leaned closer to Erin to whisper in her ear. “You got plans for tonight?”
Erin shrugged. “Nothing specific. Why?”
There was no mistaking who Alisha’s gaze drifted toward. “Oh, no reason in particular.”
“Stop that,” Erin ordered, resisting peeking at Tim as well.
Alisha’s cheeks dimpled as she grinned. “You could watch a movie with me and Devon if you want an excuse for why you’re too busy for your nonspecific plans.”
“I don’t need an excuse.”
