Page 39 of Rocky Mountain Cowboy Christmas
“Lucy?” Ryan asked.
She tipped her head toward the cat in her arms again. “My cat.”
“Steve saved your cat?”
“Yes.” Her chest ached at the memory of those awful minutes before Steve had emerged from the burning house and placed Lucy in her arms. “I’ll never be able to repay him for that. It was the bravest thing I’ve ever seen.”
Nate made a sound that Camille assumed was agreement. “He’s a brave guy, our Steve.”
She just nodded, not sure even where to start thanking Steve for everything he’d done in the past hour—from saving her life to saving Lucy’s. What thanks could possibly be enough for that?
“If you’re sure you’re okay, I’m going to see if they need any help,” Nate added, his eyes glued to the buzzing hive of activity. He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze before hurrying away. Camille watched him go, numbly observing the way he melded into the work the firefighters were busy doing. She couldn’t help but think that if Nate had been here, he would’ve braved the heat to try to save Lucy as well. The Springfield boys were pretty amazing. Her gaze moved to find Steve, and she couldn’t help but give a tiny, shaky smile when she saw him striding toward her.
“Where are you going to stay?” Ryan asked, dropping a proprietary hand on her shoulder as Steve rejoined their small group.
Okay, so maybe three of the four Springfield boys are amazing.
Camille shifted to shrug Ryan off, tears beginning to roll down her cheeks again at the question. “I-I’m not sure.” Her voice sounded small and choked, but she was too overwhelmed to care about maintaining a brave face. “I… Um, I don’t have an ID or a debit card or anything really. Maybe I can trade you a sculpture for a few nights in your barn? It is the season for sleeping in stables, after all. All the famous people do it.”
Her joking fell flat, and Ryan didn’t even crack a smile. “You’re coming home with me.”
“No.” Mrs. Lin walked over, her coat covering most of her pajamas and robe. “She’s staying with me. Her grandmother would haunt me for the rest of my days if I didn’t take her in.”
The thought of staying with Mrs. Lin was almost as horrifying as sharing Ryan’s cabin. The thought made Camille’s chest tighten with anxiety. She had to sleep somewhere, though, at least for the night. Maybe tomorrow she could go to the hotel in Ebba—if they’d let her stay without an intact credit card. “I…” she started, having no idea how she was going to finish her sentence, much less find a bed for the night.
“She’ll be staying with me.” The stern edge to Steve’s words was as sharp as an ax blade, but she didn’t even feel the cut as she smiled at him wholeheartedly. For the third time that night, he was saving her. Staying with Steve and his kids would be wonderful, she knew. She already felt like she fit with them, and now she’d be living with them. That, however, presented another dilemma.
“Where? The kids already share, and the bedrooms are full.” Ryan’s objections echoed Camille’s thoughts.
Before Steve could respond, she said, “I’m happy to sleep on the couch. Besides, it won’t be more than a couple of days, just until I can get my ID and credit cards replaced.”
“She’ll be staying with me,” Mrs. Lin insisted.
“No,” Camille said baldly. She knew it wasn’t polite, but she couldn’t live with Mrs. Lin, not even for a few days. One of them would end up murdered for sure. “I’m staying with Steve. Don’t argue with me about this. I’m not going to back down. My cat and I nearly died, and I’m right on the edge of losing it completely, so please, just accept that I’m going home with Steve.” Mrs. Lin looked so stunned that Camille felt a tiny spark of sympathy and offered a sop for her neighbor’s pride. “I would appreciate it if you could watch the property for me, though, and keep it safe.”
Mrs. Lin looked at the remains of Camille’s house suspiciously. The fire had burned surprisingly fast, and there wasn’t much left except the home’s blackened skeleton and an ashy heap. “From what?”
“Looters,” Camille blurted out, and she noticed that Steve had to look away, his mouth tightening in the way it did when he was trying to hold back a smile. “I read about it on…uh, the internet. There’s a gang that scans the fire stations’ radios and goes from site to site, picking through the wreckage. They could come anytime, and you need to be on guard. I don’t want thieves to get anything that’s left of Grandma’s stuff.” Mrs. Lin was softening, but Camille could tell she wasn’t there yet. “And the car. I don’t have keys for it right now, so I’ll need to leave it here, and a fire-scavenging gang like that would strip Grandma’s car in minutes.”
“Fine.” To Camille’s relief, Mrs. Lin went with the made-up story. “I’ll watch out for that gang.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Lin.”
“In exchange, you’re going to tell me the truth about all those men.”
Camille was speechless, her mouth hanging open as she tried to come up with a retort. After a half second of silence, Ryan and Steve both asked the same question at the same time.
“What men?”
Chapter 10
The flames were everywhere, red rimmed in black, surrounding her on all sides, boxing her into a flickering coffin made of fire.Get out!her mind was screaming, but her body wouldn’t move. All she could do was lie on her back as the inferno raged around her, getting closer and closer to her vulnerable skin. Frantically, she looked around, trying to find the door, but there was no exit. Even if she could’ve forced her limbs to move, there was nowhere to go.
She was trapped.
There!A dark figure moved toward her, and her heart jumped with hope as she recognized the shape of a fire helmet. Steve was here. He’d save her. She tried to shout, to let him know she needed help, to show him where she was, but all that escaped was an almost-silent gasp.
Despite her inability to call to him, the figure drew closer, and Camille let out a sob of relief when the details of his bunker gear became clearer. The firefighter strode through the smoke and flames, seemingly heedless of the fire that licked at his pants and coat. The reflective stripes lit up red from the surrounding flames, but his face stayed in shadow. Rather than radiating safety, the approaching figure seemed menacing.
