Page 1 of Into the Fire
1
The road to Cold Creek stretched before her, lined with sun-scorched fence lines, wild grasses, and the endless blue Wyoming sky. Emery tightened her grip on the steering wheel of her SUV, turning the radio down as she pulled into the driveway of her cousin’s little house just on the edge of town.
She was tired, bone-deep, emotionally worn down in a way that didn’t show on her face but felt heavy in her chest. The job she’d left behind hadn’t just drained her. It had consumed her for too long. Working around the clock, in the city, always putting out firesfor high-profile clients. Always proving her worth to people who only valued what she could do for them, not who she was.
And then Denny. She flinched even thinking of his name. The way he twisted everything. The things he said when no one else was around. The unspoken threats. The constant pressure. It wasn’t just burnout anymore—this was an escape. She hadn’t told her cousin the full truth when she offered to house-sit, just that she needed a change. A breather. Some space.
But Cold Creek was her salvation disguised as a favor. A chance to catch her breath. She didn’t expect anything beyond slow mornings, quiet nights, and hopefully finding her footing again.
The screen door creaked open just as Emery put the SUV in park. Her cousin stood barefoot on the porch with a half-empty mug of coffee.
“Hey, stranger,” Lainey called, waving as she came down the steps. “Took you long enough. I was starting to think you chickened out.”
Emery climbed out, brushing windblown hairfrom her face. “I almost did. About five times between Trenton and here.”
Lainey didn’t miss a beat, just wrapped her in a tight hug and murmured, “I’m glad you didn’t.”
They stood like that for a moment, long enough for Lainey to feel how tense Emery still was. Her body didn’t quite know how to relax yet.
“Come on,” Lainey said, taking a suitcase from the back seat. “Let me give you the grand tour of your sanctuary.”
Inside, the house was charming and filled with sunlight. It was a little worn, but the kind of wear that made it feel like it belonged to someone, not just empty white walls held together by nails and wood.
“I know this was last-minute, but seriously, thank you!” Lainey said. “I planned on getting some renovations done here over the next couple of months, but then this scholarship came through after someone else dropped out at the last minute. I have to be in Seattle for this internship program, it’s huge for my career and being able to get in now will make it so I can graduate a full term earlier. It’s all covered, housing and everything, my rotation is already posted. I just couldn't up and abandon everything here. I know it's not much, butit would have given me serious anxiety trying to find someone to be here when the contractor comes to redo the siding next week. It shouldn't be too much, just keep the garden alive and check the mail. I seriously appreciate it.”
“And, it’ll be good for you to breathe,” Lainey gave her a knowing look. “Em… you’ve been running on empty, I can see it on your face.”
Emery leaned against the counter, folding her arms across her chest. “It got bad,” she admitted. “With work. With Denny. I thought I could handle it, that if I just worked harder and kept my head down, it would go away. But it didn’t. He didn’t.”
Lainey didn’t speak, just waited.
“He twisted everything. Made me look crazy. Said things that—God, if anyone had heard the way he talked to me…” Emery trailed off, eyes glossy. “He made sure no one ever did.”
Lainey moved beside her and put a hand on her arm. “You’re here now. You did the right thing leaving.”
“I just don’t know who I am without that job. Without trying to survive him.”
Lainey squeezed her hand. “Well, this is Cold Creek, Em. You don’t have to be anything but yourself here. Start slow. Unpack your suitcase. Sit on the porch. Watch the sky change. And when you’re ready, figure out who you want to be next.
Emery managed a watery smile. “That sounds like a nice change of pace.”
???
Emery sank deeper into the worn couch, cradling a mug of lukewarm tea in hands that felt otherwise empty these days. The sun was dipping low outside the window, covering the small living room in orange and gold, but none of its warmth seemed to touch her. She was in a baggy t-shirt, sweatpants, with hair that hadn’t been washed in two days, maybe three—messily piled on top of her head in a haphazard bun.
Lainey had left for her internship, and while Emery was happy for her cousin to be off chasing her dreams, she couldn't help but feel like a bit of a failure.
Her thumb scrolled mindlessly through the local community Facebook group. Posts about lost dogs, garage sales, and people raving about the summer fair coming up in a few months. All the simple, easy rhythm of small-town life. A bitter laugh slipped out before she could stop it.
“Congrats to the Johnsons on their new puppy,” she murmured into the quiet house. “Great. Life goes on.”
And that was the thing, wasn’t it? Life had kept moving for everyone but her.
This was never where Emery thought she’d end up, tucked away in Cold Creek after running to get some breathing room. Six months ago, she was sitting in a sleek downtown office as a sales rep and project manager for a company specifically dealing with high-end clients and portfolios, working overtime for people who never even gave a shit about her. Chasing a promotion that never came despite all the long nights, Emery had felt the ground beneath her begin to crumble a long time ago. She just kept spinning her wheels; she poured all of herself into her job, so much that she never kept any long-term relationships. She couldn't seem to find the right balance between how much her work consumed her to even try to add in anything other than a casual date here and there. As if her whole life had been a house of cards, all it took was one long and drawn-out, dizzying year for all of it to come tumbling down.
Now she was here, in Cold Creek, a town so small you could drive through it in a blink. No fancy coffeeshops serving overpriced coffee with ridiculous latte art and overhyped avocado toast, not even Walmart. Just a two-stoplight town with a basic grocery store right between the mechanic shop and the hardware store on the main street. A town where nobody expected anything of her. Unsure of how long she'd stay, but for now, staying was easier than trying to figure out what came next.
Her thumb paused mid-scroll over a post titled“Help Wanted: Childcare Needed.”
