Up in Flames Read online

  She stumbled into the kitchen, desperate for coffee, but was startled to see Shane had already brewed a full pot and had left it waiting on the counter for her. Smiling, she approached, but then saw he'd also left her a note. “Oh dear,” she whispered. “More notes."

  She read it:

  Jules, I'm so sorry. Maybe it's better I find another place to stay. I'm not sure either of us is ready for what's happening here. I'll check out some options today and get out of your hair tonight.

  By the way, I checked on the roof situation this morning before I left. It doesn't look good. I called my associates at J&S. They'll be in contact with you today. If you need me, I'm here.

  Shane

  Jules swore. She leaned on the kitchen counter and stared unseeing out the window. “Congratulations, sister. You scared him away. Another notch for your stellar track record."

  "No,” Claire exclaimed, as she chased a naked Paige around their kitchen table. “No! Juliet, what were you thinking?"

  "Sheesh,” Juliet muttered, tearing off a hunk of bagel and chewing on it as if it were the least digestible thing in the world. “You only call me Juliet when you're really frustrated."

  "Well, I am.” She lowered her voice and checked to make sure the little ones weren't listening. “You tell me you had that man naked in front of you, and you let him go? That man?"

  "Well, technically, neither of us was naked. But I was showing a little boob. A lot of boob, actually."

  "Sweet lord,” Claire gasped. “He wants you. When are you going to get it through your thick skull?"

  "My skull is not thick. It's just been a little distracted.” She pulled her light cardigan around her, the memory of his lips on her breast still vivid in her mind. She'd done everything she could, short of plunging into a cold basin of water, to try to forget the memory. However, as if it had a searing-hot life of its own, the image refused to be dowsed. “He just got carried away last night. It didn't mean anything more than that, I'm sure."

  Claire stared at her, as if her glare would somehow penetrate the wall of resistance Jules had created. “Take it from me, a woman who has conceived and given birth to three children. I can tell when a man is looking for more than a one-night stand."

  "He'll hurt me. He might have been into it in that moment, but he rejected me five minutes earlier. He doesn't know what he wants, and I don't intend to be any man's plaything, waiting for him to decide."

  "Oh Jules, you're probably just the first woman since his wife. It's natural he'd want to go slow."

  "Yeah, well, he's about to go a whole lot slower.” She grimaced. “He says he wants to move out, Claire."

  "No! He's perfect for you."

  "Is it really perfect I be the rebound woman for a man whose wife is dead?” Jules stared at her sister, eyes wild with a desperation she'd never felt before. Her heart was thumping, audibly thumping, at the thought Shane might dump her if she gave herself to him. “How on earth do I compete with a dead woman? And judging by what I've seen of Shane, that dead woman had to be one fine specimen."

  Claire walked over to Jules and put a hand on her cheek, wiping the tear now trailing down it. “Have you looked in the mirror, sis? You're beautiful. And he wants you. He said so himself."

  "I can't get hurt again, Claire. I won't survive it.” She rested her forehead on her older sister's shoulder. “What happened with Kevin nearly killed me, and he was a jerk. Shane is a different animal altogether. He's so damn ... wonderful. If I gave in, and he walked away, how would I go on? I'm already in pieces."

  "You may not realize it, but you survived Kevin just fine. You're strong.” Claire smiled, and patted Jules’ back. “Besides, you've got to be more positive. Take a chance. Would he have been so upset if he didn't really care? And would he have made arrangements to fix your roof?"

  Jules frowned, her stomach pitching. “He didn't exactly say that. He just said he'd called someone."

  "Well, I wouldn't be surprised if he takes care of it for you."

  "I won't let him. It costs too much. I can't let him."

  "He cares, Jules. And so do you."

  She thought about it. “I do care. A lot."

  "Then we get him back. Anyway,” she continued in a teasing voice, “my baby girls want cousins. We can't let him move out!"

  "I'm pretty sure we don't have anything to do with it."

  Claire let go of Jules and grabbed the naked Paige as she streaked by. Gently, she moved the little one to the carpeted floor of their living room, and proceeded to dress her. “You leave it to me, sister. I'll think of something. There's more than one way to undress a firefighter."

  "Don't you mean ‘there's more than one way to skin a cat'?"

  "Whatever,” purred Claire.

  Shane was staring at some paperwork on his desk, chin in hands. He'd been staring at it for the better part of an hour, but his eyes were glazed over, unseeing. The whole morning had been that way. The only times he'd been able to focus at all were when they'd had to go out on calls. They had been the first unit on the scene at the sight of a highway collision, and then they'd been called to help an elderly lady who'd had a heart attack. He'd been able to focus at those times, reviving the woman himself, staying with her until the paramedics took her away.

  And, he was sad to discover, there'd been a couple of minor cases of arson to deal with as well. Probably a bunch of teenagers with nothing better to do, deciding it was entertaining to set tool sheds ablaze. No one had been hurt in either situation, but it was upsetting anyway.

  Especially in light of the discovery he'd made near the second tool shed. The remains of a printed note which still clearly said “HA HA HA."

  He didn't like that one bit. It was too much like the note Jules had found. At least it had given his police counterparts more to work with. And had given him cause to have a cruiser stationed at her house.

  Now, after having dealt with all of that, it was hard to think. His mind felt as if it were spiraling into a foggy haze.

  He couldn't get Jules out of his mind. Specifically, the image of her sprawled beneath him on the damn couch, perfect breast displayed to him, her eyes warm and inviting as he kissed her. Again and again.

  He'd never felt so protective. Had never been so aroused, so needy for a woman. The more he thought about it, even Alana had not elicited such a response from him. With Jules, his body longed for her, ached to be joined to her. Kissing her had felt as bloody close to perfect as he'd ever experienced. The way their tongues moved with each other, the feel of her delicate hands on his bare back, the way her flowery scent filled him as he took her nipple in his mouth.

  "It was perfect,” he whispered. “So freaking perfect, until I said the name of that idiot Kevin. What was I thinking? What possessed me to bring up his name at that moment?"

  He stared down at his document again, and then impulsively crumpled it into a tight ball in his fist. With a noise that was almost a growl, he launched it at the wall, wishing his missile had been bigger and heavier. He would have gladly put his fist through the wall. His only deterrent was a mental reminder he was the captain and had to set an example. Shane settled for running his hands through his hair, closing his eyes, and doing some deep breaths.

  "And now I've left her a note saying I wanna leave,” he muttered. “She'll think I'm a pig."

  Yes, he knew he couldn't stay there, not if he wanted to retain any sanity. He couldn't look at Jules, or be surrounded by her things, without wanting her. It was no good. Even all the little inconsequential details in the farmhouse made him desire her. The sight of her denim jacket hanging in the hallway made him imagine what it would be like to peel off all her clothes. Seeing her coffee cup and plates on the kitchen counter made him think of what it would be like to get naughty and feed her. And, of course, the sight of the house in disarray made him want to do things for her, to take care of her.

  That was why he'd made a call to Geordie at his company. He could at least help Jules with h
er roof. He wanted to do it for her.

  He wanted to make her happy. Delirious. He wanted her to be overcome with passion for him.

  Everything that damned Kevin couldn't do.

  At that moment, Kevin chose to knock on Shane's open door. “Hey boss!"

  Shane's head popped up, and he couldn't hide his anger. “What the hell do you want?"

  Kevin stared, unsure of what had brought the reaction on. “Uh, is this a bad time?"

  Don't be such an ass, Shane told himself. “Sorry. I was ... thinking about the note at that second scene today.” He narrowed his eyes at Kevin. “What do you make of it?"

  He shrugged. “You know kids.” He ran a hand through his hair and laughed. “Some boys just like to watch stuff burn. Shit, I was always playing with fire when I was a kid."

  The comment made Shane sit up straighter. “Really."

  "Sure. I guess that's how I got fascinated with this job.” He grinned, as if remembering his childhood shenanigans. “Anyway, I wanted to give you an update."

  Shane watched him through distrustful eyes. “Okay."

  "There are some events coming up, stuff the fire hall's involved in over the next while. I figured you might need to get up to speed."

  "I'm all ears."

  "I guess you could say I'm a bit of a community liaison for the fire hall,” he laughed.

  "I bet you are."

  "So,” Kevin continued, unaware of Shane's dig. “In September, we have a community barbeque with a corn roast. It raises money for the hospital burn fund. At Halloween we do a party for the local kids here at the hall. But the one coming up soon is the bachelor auction. It's in a week. Here's the info.” He passed Shane a piece of paper with a date and other information on it. “You'll want to make time for it. It's good PR and people will want to meet the new captain. The money goes to the burn fund, too.” He sat back and smiled.

  "Bachelor auction? For real?"

  Kevin laughed at Shane's reaction. “Yeah! It's big money for us, and it can be fun, too. Like I told you, the women in this town go nuts for firemen. As captain, you'll be the big prize that night. Hope you're not shy, ‘cause we dress for the ladies."

  "Meaning?"

  "You know, turnout pants and bare chests. Gotta give ‘em what they want, put on a little show for the girls."

  Shane inhaled deeply. “So, what you're telling me is in a week, I have to expose myself and then sell myself?"

  Kevin eyes him coolly. “Yup. I took the liberty of signing you up. Seeing as you're new to town, I thought it would also be a good opportunity for you to meet some babes. You know, get out there."

  Why, you little shit. And because it was for charity, he couldn't say no. “Thanks Kevin. I presume you'll give me any other details I need."

  "You know I'll do my best to keep you up to speed, Captain Gaskill.” He moved towards the door, and then looked back, leering. “You'll thank me later."

  There was a part of Shane which actually thought it might be a good idea to meet some other women. He'd been isolated for so long since Alana's death. He wondered if he'd been so taken with Jules because she was really the only one who'd sparked for him since Alana. Sure, he'd looked at others, even had a few dates, but none of them made him feel the way Jules did.

  But maybe he hadn't given those other women a chance to spark.

  Maybe he would thank Kevin later. Maybe this auction would introduce him to someone really nice. Someone with less baggage than Miss Juliet Baker. Maybe this town was full of hot women, waiting to get their hands on Fire Captain Gaskill.

  And then he realized he didn't care. He didn't care how many women he could pick up in Riverbend. His body, and he was pretty sure his heart, only wanted one.

  The tiny, stubborn brunette down at the Baker farm. The one who looked so sweet in a pair of khaki shorts and loved Jimmy Stewart movies.

  But was he willing to wait for her while she decided if she could trust him, the big, bad firefighter? He wasn't yet sure. But he did know he didn't want former fire starter Kevin McGuinness anywhere near her.

  He was trying to maneuver him away from Jules. Kevin figured he was weak, as weak as he was, and that he would fall for one of the local women after a charity auction. And then, he'd move out and Kevin could move in.

  Well, Kevin didn't know how wrong he was.

  Just as Shane was contemplating the possibility of taking up magic so he could make Kevin disappear, he popped his head back into the office. Kevin handed him an envelope. “By the way, someone left this for you out front."

  He felt a distinct chill go down his back. His name was printed on the front. “Who?"

  "I don't know,” Kevin said, shrugging, tossing it onto his desk. “It was just sitting there."

  He watched the other man leave, then pulled out a new pair of latex gloves. Only then did he carefully open the envelope and pull out the note. Even before he unfolded the paper, he recognized the font inside. Heart sinking as he imagined all sorts of horrible possibilities, Shane read it.

  "U DON'T GET TO TOUCH HER,” it said.

  He glared back up at Kevin's retreating form. Then, showing more calm than he felt inside, Shane picked up the phone and dialed his counterpart at the local police station.

  [Back to Table of Contents]

  Chapter Ten

  As much as it bothered her, Jules managed to avoid Shane over the next few days. She spent her time getting quotes from contractors for various jobs at the farm, and pricing out various items she'd need for the B&B such as linens and furniture. When she wasn't working, she volunteered herself as a babysitter for Claire and Todd. In this way, she kept away from the farmhouse for sizable chunks of time, returning home late at night. So far, she'd only run into Shane once or twice for a couple of minutes. She'd never considered herself a coward, but she breathed a sigh of relief each time she returned home to find Shane away.

  What she did return home to was even more police officers, all there on Shane's orders. He'd told her that much. That he was working with the police chief and didn't want her alone. As disconcerting as their presence was, every time she thought of her “YOU WILL PAY” letter, she couldn't help feeling glad they were there.

  And glad for Shane for thinking of her. Of course, he was just doing his job.

  And yet, it wasn't part of his job description to always let her know of his whereabouts. That was odd. He'd given her about fifty different numbers and ways to reach him when he wasn't home. When his work schedule changed, he'd put a calendar on her fridge, one which detailed his hours. God only knew he didn't have to share any of his information with her, certainly not after the great breast debacle.

  She shared her thoughts on the phone with Claire, keeping out the part about the letter and the heavy police presence at the farm .

  "I think it's considerate,” said her sister. “Even Kevin never told you where he was half the time."

  "There was a reason for that."

  "Well, it's clear Shane doesn't want you to worry."

  Jules scowled. “I'm sure that's the least of his concerns."

  "Talk to him."

  "No, thanks."

  "Oh, so you're happy entering your own house like a thief in the night?” Claire let out a sigh and put on her mom voice. “Ellie, put your pants back on and stop rubbing your boogers on your little sister!"

  "You know, you lecture me as much as you lecture them."

  Claire ignored the comment. “I almost forgot why I called! The firehouse bachelor auction is in a couple of nights. I went ahead and got a ticket for you. I'll bring it by later."

  Jules turned her head to stare into the phone receiver, her face drained of color. The note and the police were already forgotten. “You didn't."

  "I did.” Claire sounded proud of herself. “Look, maybe it was wrong of me to push Shane on you as a boarder. And maybe it's too soon for you to be in a new relationship. But I thought you could use this as a chance to socialize. Meet new people."
<
br />   "At the firefighters’ auction?” Jules’ voice reached a new decibel level. “Why on earth would you get me a ticket to that? I don't want to date any of them!"

  "Come on, Juliet. It's the biggest social event of the year. And it's not just firemen who attend. All sorts of people go. And you won't be alone. Todd and I will go with you. Besides, all the local businesses are represented. It'll be a great chance to talk up the B&B. To network."

  "And the whole time I'm ‘networking’ I'll have to stare at Shane in his skivvies, flirting with a banquet hall full of man-hungry women. How on earth is this supposed to make me feel better?” The thought of him, bare-chested and in firefighter turnout pants, already had her temperature rising.

  Claire didn't sound remotely repentant. “Oh, relax. We'll just have some good, clean fun."

  "I'm hanging up on you now, Claire. You have officially won the Busybody of the Year Award."

  Too angry at her sister to even consider hiding out at her house, Jules hung around the farmhouse. It was time to stop hiding from Shane anyway. Soon he'd move out, and she wouldn't see him at all. The thought filled her with sadness, shocking in its intensity.

  "Why should I care if he moves out?” she mumbled to herself as she tidied up the kitchen. “He's brought nothing but trouble with him."

  Trouble, in the shape of soft brown eyes, hands which knew how to caress, and a killer tongue. She just needed to see him naked now to complete her cycle of insanity and drive her into the seventh circle of hell.

  Sometime before the dinner hour, she heard the sound of Shane's pickup coming down the gravel path. Her heart leapt into her throat. It felt as if they hadn't really spoken or looked at each other in days. The sound of him slamming his truck door made her quiver with nervous anticipation.

  "What do I say?” She paced the kitchen. “'Sorry I put my boob away the other night. Would you care to see it again?’ Aw, crap.” She was obsessing, but she knew nothing she could say would make up for how she'd left it with him. She considered keeping it casual, as if she had almost-sex with near strangers every day. By the time his key was in the lock, she had a whole, nonchalant speech composed in her head.