Page 244 of Her Reluctant Hero
Chapter Ten
The rest of the crew sat at a long table, eating breakfast, when Peyton and Gabe came downstairs. The only two empty chairs were not together. One, at the head, was clearly meant for Gabe, because Kim sat beside it, and the other in the middle of the group on Kim’s side. Peyton started toward it, but Gabe caught her hand and led her to the head of the table.
“Move down one,” he said, and two firefighters beside Kim shifted to new chairs.
An expression of betrayal froze Kim’s face. Gabe tilted his head in expectation, and Kim glanced at their joined hands, then shot Peyton a heated look before doing as Gabe asked. Peyton’s shoulders were tense as she took Kim’s chair. So much for fitting in with the crew. She’d known that would be a side effect of her decision last night, but hadn’t realized Gabe would advertise their relationship. He sure didn’t seem the type.
The rest of the crew were quiet a minute, taking in the change, but conversation resumed when a new waitress brought them breakfast menus.
“It doesn’t mean anything, you know,” Kim said, leaning slightly toward Peyton when Gabe was distracted in conversation with Howard. “He’s slept with all of us. You’ll just be the favorite till someone new comes along.”
Peyton knew that wasn’t true. Too much emotion had passed between them last night for him to be a player. Still, she let her gaze wander the table. “Who was the favorite before me?”
Oh, way to antagonize, Peyton. Kim’s hand folded into a fist.
“I was.”
Right. In her dreams. Peyton tried not to show her alarm at the younger woman’s anger.
“Then I guess I’ll just have to enjoy it till someone new comes along.”
But her hands were shaking from the confrontation as she stirred her coffee.
Their time away from camp, and the drain of her confession, made their return feel like they’d stepped into a slow-motion dream. Peyton wasn’t sure if the camp itself had changed or only her perception of it. She sensed no energy, no excitement, none of the confidence in the firefighters she’d experienced when she first arrived.
Filthy men and women milled around as though wading through water. They looked at Peyton and Gabe with bloodshot eyes and grim faces, as if sensing and resenting they’d gotten a full night’s sleep in a real bed.
Jen appeared worst of all when they found her outside the strategy tent. For the first time, Peyton studied Jen woman to woman. The stress of the job had her pale and drawn. Her years of outdoor activity had honed a strength in her no gym could duplicate. Her masculine attire belied her natural beauty, her golden blonde hair swept back efficiently but the style only served to accent an elegantly boned face. Peyton didn’t have nearly as much trouble picturing Gabe and Jen together as she had hoped.
“Where’ve you two been?” Jen asked irritably, walking back into the tent without waiting for an answer.
“We had a few hours’ leave coming,” Gabe responded, following. Peyton debated her role here a moment, especially since Gabe hadn’t said much after her revelation, then trailed after them.
Jen swiped an escaping lock of hair back from her face. “Right, yeah. I forgot. That seems like a year ago.”
“That bad?” he asked, almost solicitous. Peyton felt dizzy with envy at the history between them, and wondered why. She’d only known Gabe a handful of days, and was jealous of a past she hadn’t been a part of? Who knew she had a possessive streak?
“I just found out the president is coming to assess the situation.”
“The president?” Gabe echoed.
“Coming here?” Peyton asked, her reporter instincts kicking in.
Jen glanced at Peyton, having clearly forgotten she was there. “Yeah, specifically to Bounty.
They want me to brief him, and at the same time they’re beefing up security, so it’s harder for crews and supplies to get through, as if I didn’t have enough to worry about.” She stopped and regarded them quizzically. “I’m surprised you guys didn’t have any trouble getting back in.”
“One of my crew was on the road to vouch for me,” Gabe said. “I thought it was a little weird. The president, huh?”
“Yeah, well, if we were getting the job done, he wouldn’t have to come out. And then— Jesus.” Jen’s hand was shaking as she pushed back her hair. When Jen looked up at Gabe, her eyes were dark with pain. “I may as well tell you. You’ll find out anyway. Doug’s been arrested.”
The words bucked Peyton’s heart, but Gabe merely smiled. Peyton turned to him, amazed at his lack of sensitivity. “Another bar fight?”
“No!” Jen choked the word out, waving her hand in front of her in a release of pent-up energy. “They think he started this fire.”
“What?” Gabe’s tone sharpened as his body snapped to attention and he rounded the table to Jen’s side. “Why would they think that?”
Peyton watched Jen gather herself, square her shoulders, swallow her tears. She was working hard not to show weakness to Gabe. Her voice, when she spoke again, was steady, businesslike. “They found the point of origin. They found a drip torch—his drip torch, with his fingerprints—and footprints they say are his.”
