Page 4 of Rocky Mountain Cowboy Christmas
“Oof!” Steve fake-yelled as he jammed his foot between the piece of farm machinery and the old bed frame he’d just skirted. He pinwheeled his arms dramatically for effect.
“What’s wrong?” The chief jogged up to them, his face furrowed with concern. “Is Camille hurt?”
Steve straightened with exaggerated care. “Camille’s fine. Mrs. Lin had it wrong. Camille went home last night.” He gestured toward his foot. “I’m the one that’s in need of a rescue. Give me a hand out?”
As he had hoped, the chief’s attention instantly turned to his predicament. After examining the metal surrounding Steve’s boot, he asked, “How’d you even manage to do this, Springfield?”
Pulling out his portable radio, the chief sighed heavily enough to be heard over the wind. “We found Camille in the scrapyard. She’s fine, but the new guy got himself stuck.”
Steve felt a twinge of annoyance at the amused condescension in the chief’s tone, but then he glanced at Camille, who was looking just slightly less like she wanted the earth to swallow her. The mocking that was sure to follow this incident was worth it if his supposed clumsiness took some attention off her.
Ryan hurried toward them, took the scene in at a glance, and started laughing. “Oh, how the mighty firefighter has fallen.”
Steve glowered at his brother. Of course Ryan took pleasure in his predicament. He’d always been the most competitive of all the Springfield brothers.
“Hey, Camille.” Ryan turned his attention to the petrified woman, who gave him a dorky wave that made Steve smile. Her awkwardness was still incredibly endearing. “You okay?”
“Fine. I’m good. Nothing wrong here.” She shifted back another step as if she was worried that Ryan would insist on checking her over, and Steve let out a grunt of pretend pain.
“A little help?” Steve asked Ryan, trying to pull his brother’s attention away from Camille before she bolted.
“Nah,” Ryan teased. “I’d rather help Camille. She’s much prettier than you are.”
Camille turned bright red and made a slight choking sound. Annoyed, Steve grabbed a handful of snow and tossed it at his brother.
“Hey!” Ryan brushed off his coat. “Careful there. You don’t want to start a snow war. I’m not the one who’s stuck.”
The rest of the Search and Rescue members, firefighters, and cops trickled in, including Betsy and her tracking dog—a shaggy, excited mixed breed of unknown parentage.
“Camille, there you are. You need to get checked out.” Nate started determinedly in her direction, but Steve reached out and snagged a handful of his brother’s coat before he could pass. Knowing Nate’s predilection for rescuing damsels in distress, he’d make a big fuss over her, and she very clearly did not want the attention.
“Hang on, Nate. I need you to pull back on this piece here.”
“But…” Nate turned back toward Camille, who scooted farther away from them.
“Nope. She’s fine. I’m the one who needs help right now.” He wasn’t a big fan of being the center of attention, either, but he was willing to make the sacrifice. After all, sometimes saving people didn’t involve anything as dramatic as burning buildings. “Are you going to leave your favorite brother trapped?”
Although Nate gave him a suspicious look, he bent and yanked at the metal frame. Ryan watched in amusement, clearly unwilling to help. Well, no surprise there. At least he was distracted by the show.
Steve scanned the growing crowd of first responders and spotted the Search and Rescue scene commander. “Sasha,” he called, hooking the toe of his boot a little more firmly under the piece of metal it was wedged against. “Camille’s fine, and Nate, Ryan, and the chief can help me with this. No reason for everyone else to stand around getting cold.”
Sasha studied the awkward-looking Camille and then Steve for a long moment before giving him the slightest wink. “Agreed. Okay, everyone! Head back to staging, and don’t forget to check out with Boris. If you do forget, we’ll be searching the woods foryou, and no one wants to do that again!”
“Shouldn’t someone do a medical check on Camille?” Nate asked as everyone else started heading back toward the trees. Steve wished his foot was free so he could kick his brother with it.
“She declined medical attention,” Steve said quickly, and Camille looked confused for just a moment before she started nodding.
“Yes. I declined that. I do decline it. It has been declined.”
Steve coughed to hide a laugh, settling for a smile that instantly gentled the moment their eyes met. “Why don’t you walk back with Sasha? I bet she’d be willing to let Mrs. Lin know that you’re safely home.”
Sasha grimaced. “Sure, stick me with Mrs. Lin duty. I’ll get you back for this, Steve Springfield. C’mon, Camille.”
Meeting Steve’s gaze, a flushed Camille mouthedthank youbefore following Sasha back into the woods. Steve felt a warmth in his belly as he watched her walk away, towing her collection of found items on the sled behind her. Ryan gave him a long, calculating look before turning and hurrying after them, and Steve swallowed a groan. He’d made his interest in Camille—as innocent as it was—too obvious, and now his brother’s competitive spirit had kicked in. When they were younger, Steve hadn’t been able to look twice at a girl without Ryan trying to elbow in.
The trio was swallowed by the darkening woods, and Steve looked away. There wasn’t anything he could do about that now.
When he glanced down, he saw Nate eyeing him with a knowing look. “Found a new way to be the hero, huh?” he asked in a low voice. Apparently, there was no foolingthisbrother.
