Page 234 of Her Reluctant Hero
Her job was solitary for a reason. She’d been an only child after the death of her sister, left alone by her mother after her dad moved out, left to her own devices. Once she’d reached adulthood, she’d gone from job to job, not quite fitting in, never a part of something bigger than herself.
Until Dan.
And again now.
“So why did you become a Hot Shot?” she asked.
He pulled himself straight and grinned. “No choice. Dad was one, Grandpa was one too. I grew up hearing about the summer battles.”
So thrill seeking was genetic, unlike ambition. Good thing she and Dan never had kids, if that was the case. Being married to an adrenaline junkie had been hard enough—being mother to one would be a nightmare.
“So you’re following a family tradition.” She tried to infuse her voice with some cheer.
Howard laughed. “God, I hope not. Grandpa was on the Mann Gulch fire, have you heard of it?”
She had. Just the words sent a ripple of fear over her skin. “Back in the 40s, where the fire blew up the gully and killed—how many?”
“Thirteen, because they wouldn’t go into the burnout of the escape fire the foreman set. They thought he’d lost his mind,” he answered before she finished the question. “And Dad was at Angel Ridge. So was Cooper.”
“God, the one in Colorado where all those Hot Shots died?” She looked past Howard to Gabe, who was surrounded by his crew. Sensing her gaze, he met her eyes, held them.
Beside her, Howard nodded. “They had to identify some of the bodies. Dad said he wouldn’t go out on a fire again. He never did.”
But Gabe did, after seeing that. No wonder he didn’t understand why she walked away when jobs got tough. As others talked to him, Gabe continued to watch her, and she didn’t turn away. It was as if he was daring her to.
What had he seen up there? She could only imagine what fire could do to a human body, had come too close to finding out firsthand today. But Gabe had returned, again and again. Why?
She gave her attention to Howard. “And yet you decided fighting fires was for you.”
He grinned, his eyes holding some interest. But his grin did nothing for her the way Gabe’s did. He was just a boy.
“What can I say?” he teased. “It’s in the blood.”
Peyton bit into to her sandwich, considering. What could make a man see the consequences of that brutal death and face it every day? Had he been thinking about Angel Ridge today when they were running for their lives? She sought him, only to discover he’d left the table.
One of the Hot Shots dropped coins in the jukebox and whining steel guitars and twangy lyrics filled the place. The cracked casing did nothing to dull the sound. Some of these crazy kids actually had the energy to get up and dance.
“Here.”
A sweatshirt was shoved beneath her nose. Gabe stood over her, holding it out. She gazed up at him stupidly. Only a few hours ago, they’d been the only people in the world. As she sank her fingers into the soft fabric, she felt that connection, wanted to cling to it.
“Go take off your wet shirt and put this one on.”
“I’m fine, thank you.” She let go of the shirt.
“Your lips are blue.” He tapped his finger against his own mouth and pushed the shirt closer. She snatched the sweatshirt from him with an embarrassing lack of grace and coordination, and stood. “You’re probably just going to walk in again.”
“Nah, I saw what I wanted to see,” he drawled with a wink that was little more than a reflex.
“And you’re welcome.”
“Where was this last night?” When she’d invited him into the tent to keep warm.
“In the van.”
“Good place for it.”
At her snippy tone, Gabe lifted his eyebrow. Kim, more than a bit tipsy, surged forward and linked her arm through Gabe’s possessively, glaring at Peyton. “Let’s dance, big guy.”
