Текст книги "Playing With Fire"

Автор книги: Alison Bliss

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Текущая страница: 2 (всего у книги 20 страниц)

Cowboy gave her a petulant look. “What’s on fire?”

“Oh, um…I’m not sure, but I think it’s the dumpster. I called it in over the radio and had Reynolds grab my bunker gear from the station in case they needed any help.”

“Good thinking,” Cowboy told her.

Flashing lights swung across the parking lot asphalt as two wailing fire trucks pulled in and rolled to a stop nearby. Several uniformed firefighters spilled out and sprinted in the direction of the fire. A tremor ran through me. With Cowboy’s hand still latched onto my arm, I had no doubt he felt the physical vibration reverberate through my body and into his.

Our eyes met briefly, then he glanced to Mandy. “Go suit up, Barlow.”

“Aren’t you coming, Captain?”

“No. The crew can handle this one without me.”

Mandy hesitated, wrinkling her forehead in puzzlement, then ran for the trucks.

The moment she got out of earshot, I looked up at Cowboy. “If you need to go—”

“What happened back there, Anna? Why’d you freeze up?”

And just like that, reality smacked me in the face. There was no way I could explain it to Cowboy without telling him more about me than I cared for him to know. Or anyone else, for that matter. Like he said, news traveled fast in small towns.

“It was nothing. I’m sorry.”

“No need for apologies, darlin’. I only want to make sure you’re okay.” When I didn’t say anything in return, he dropped the subject and focused his attention to the firefighters in action.

Even though the reinforcements had everything under control, Cowboy kept a sharp eye on the men as they hustled back and forth between the trucks and the fire, laying hoses and opening water lines. They were obviously capable of handling themselves, but he stayed on top of them by occasionally shouting orders from the sidelines where he babysat me.

We couldn’t see the fire from our position in the parking lot, only the orange glow coming from the side of the building. Every time the flames shot higher, red-hot embers released into the air and then dissipated, before the ashes floated away in the evening breeze. Although I was awestruck by the lethal beauty, the pungent smoke littering the air took me back to a time I didn’t want to remember. I was still a little shaken, but the last thing I wanted was for Cowboy to witness one of my physical or mental meltdowns.

Moments later, the flickering light vanished. Judging by how fast the blaze dwindled, and what knowledge I had of fires, I gathered this one hadn’t been very large. If so, he probably would’ve left me in someone else’s care while he led his team.

No surprise there. He liked to be in control. And it was sexy as hell.

A young fireman approached us, suited up in his bunker gear. “Engine four crew is heading back to the station, Captain. The rest of us will stick around for a few and make sure the fire stays out.”

“Sounds good. Tell Barlow to fill out a report and have it on my desk by morning,” Cowboy ordered.

The kid nodded and headed back to the trucks.

“Come on,” Cowboy said. “You can walk over with me, and we’ll check out the damage.”

Shock blasted through me, as if he electrocuted me. “No, I can’t!” But then I glanced back to the side of the library where the orange glow had emanated, and my nerves shriveled back into their rightful place. “I mean…the fire.”

He looked at me strangely. “Fire’s out, remember?”

I exhaled a slow, calming breath. “Right. Uh…okay.” God, he probably thought I was a lunatic.

I trailed behind him as we made our way to the side of the building, where the dumpster sat. As we neared the site of the fire, my steps dragged until I ended up stopping completely.

Mesmerized, I stared at the large smoldering metal bin, imagining the flickering flames as they surrendered to the force of the water the firemen had pumped into the dumpster. Then I made the mistake of shifting my eyes to the scorch marks on the library’s exterior stucco wall. A building I had inhabited while the dumpster was burning. Jesus.

An involuntary shiver ran through me as my legs liquefied. I forced myself to stay on my feet, though, rather than drooping like a wilting flower. I could handle this. I had to. But as rattled as my fragile nerves were, I couldn’t handle much more tonight.

Cowboy took a look inside the dumpster, shook his head, and then walked toward me. “Do you smoke?”

“No,” I replied, wondering why he would ask me such a weird question.

“Any clue how the fire started?” Cowboy asked, glaring at me strangely.

“Why are you asking me? You’re the fireman here.”

“Because, if memory serves, you were the last person anywhere near the dumpster before the fire started.”

Chapter Two

I gasped. “You think I started the dumpster fire?”

“Not intentionally, no.”

Offended by his insinuation, I gawked at him. “You’re accusing me of starting it by accident, though?”

He shook his head. “I’m not accusing you of anything. I’m just trying to figure out what happened, that’s all.” He pointed to the container. “When you took out the trash earlier, is this the dumpster you put it into?”

“Well, yes.”

“Was it on fire when you came outside?”

I crossed my arms and glared at him. “Of course not.”

“Did you see anyone out here? Anyone in the parking lot, maybe?”

“No, it was just…me.” My eyebrow rose. He can’t possibly think I…

Cowboy sighed in frustration. “Do you know what was in the trash bag you carried out?”

“Some half-eaten plates of food, used plastic cups, and stuff like that. It was left over from a board meeting earlier today. Nothing that would start a fire.”

“But you don’t know for sure?”

“Well, no…I…” The way he stared at me made me nervous, as if he really thought I started the blaze. “I didn’t do it,” I blurted out.

“Never said you did.”

“You didn’t have to.” The way he was looking at me said plenty. All I wanted was to get away from his suspicious glare. I sighed warily. “Look, if you’re done with me, I’d like to lock up and go home.”

“Sure, but I’ll need you to come down to the fire station first thing in the morning.”

He might as well have told me he needed me to wash his truck while I was there. “For what?” I asked.

“I’ll need to take down your statement.”

“That’s unnecessary. I can give you my statement now. In fact, I already did. It went something like this: I don’t know how the fire started.”

“By morning, you might recall some detail you forgot to mention or remember seeing something you aren’t thinking clearly about right now. It won’t hurt to go over everything one more time tomorrow so I can add it to the report.”

“This is silly. So I’m supposed to come down to the station to answer questions about a fire I know nothing about. All because you think I’m lying?”

“I didn’t say that, either.”

“To hear you tell it, Captain, you aren’t actually saying anything. But I somehow get the impression I’m being treated as a potential suspect.”

He frowned at me, breathing out a hard sigh. “Listen, it’s nothing personal. You’re new in town, and I don’t know a damn thing about you.”

And if I had my way, he never would.

“I just need you to come down to the station,” he repeated. “It won’t take long.”

“Why can’t you question me here, then?”

“Because I don’t have any of my reports with me. It’s my day off, remember? So if you’ll just swing by the station in the morning, I can—”

“And if I don’t?” I couldn’t have him looking into my background.

His jaw tightened and his eyes widened a little, as if he were surprised by my reluctance to cooperate. “I can always have the sheriff pick you up and question you at the police station if you’d like.” He grinned smugly as if daring me to try him. “That works for me, too.”

An erotic image of Cowboy standing over me, berating me, while I was bound in handcuffs flashed in my mind, and my mouth went dry. “Fine. I’ll be there tomorrow to answer the same stupid questions you’ve already asked me. But don’t expect my responses to change,” I said, turning to head back to the library entrance.

“One more thing, Miss…uh, Anna.”

Jesus. He still didn’t remember me. I groaned under my breath and shook my head, but kept on walking without looking back. “Sorry, Captain,” I yelled. “You should’ve asked your question while you had the chance. Guess now you’ll have to wait until tomorrow…unless you feel like giving the sheriff a call, that is.” With that, I disappeared around the corner of the building and let out a deep breath.

I barely made it back inside to the circulation desk before the door slid open behind me and a booming, masculine voice belted out, “I wasn’t through with you, yet.”

My body jolted at the gruff tone. I tried to keep my senses, but something about his comment had pushed my buttons. I whirled on him. “That’s too damn bad. So far tonight, you’ve accused me of sleeping with you, spreading gossip about confidential library records, and starting a dumpster fire. So if you think you can walk in here and bully me into answering any more of your idiotic questions, then…well, you’re sorely mistaken.” I waved him away with my hand. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to close up.”

Cowboy chuckled. “All right, I’ll go. But before I do, I still need to ask you the question I came in here for. Will you hold the book for me or not?”

“Not,” I snapped back, having my fill of his arrogance. “You can google the information you need.”

He snorted. “Yeah, because we all know that everything you read on the internet is true.”

“I’ll make you a deal. I’ll hold the book for you if you don’t force me to come to the fire station to give you a statement.”

His eyes widened at my request. “You know damn well I can’t do that.” Then he lifted a brow, confirming I had just made myself look even more suspicious than before.

Great, Anna. Way to go.

“Fine. Then you can take your chances that someone else might borrow the book before you,” I said, veering the subject back in its original direction.

His jaw tightened and his eyes narrowed. “But if they do, I’d have to wait weeks before they’d return it.”

“Not my problem. If you don’t like that option, then I guess you’ll just have to check it out like a normal person.”

Cowboy sighed in frustration. “Look, no offense, but gossip has a way of traveling fast around these parts. I’d rather come back and read it tomorrow than have a library card with my real name on it.” He flashed me another cheeky grin, clearly thinking his charm would get him exactly what he wanted.

“That’s the most asinine thing I’ve ever heard,” I told him, putting my hands on my hips.

“Silly or not, I’m not taking any chances. Now, will you just hold the damn book for me until tomorrow?” I couldn’t stop the unsympathetic smile from forming on my lips. And he apparently noticed it, too. “You think I’m being ridiculous, don’t you?”

“No, I think you’re paranoid.” And I may have been slightly impressed that he knew what the word “asinine” meant. “Besides, no one cares what your real name is. Anything is bound to be better than a name like Cowboy.”

My comment must’ve caught him off guard because he released a chuckle. “Ouch,” he said playfully. “Guess I shouldn’t have asked.” He cocked his head to the side and squinted at me, as if he were trying to figure me out. “You’re one of those no-nonsense kind of gals, aren’t you?”

I wasn’t sure how to answer that. A part of me wanted to be as carefree as the next girl, but my past didn’t allow me the luxury of playing games…especially with him of all people. Sure, I’d always had a fresh-faced, wholesome vibe going for me, but I was no pushover. Or an angel, fallen or otherwise.

My cheeks flushed so I started to turn away from him. “No, I—”

But his fingers caught my chin and held me there as his gaze probed mine. A shiver traveled the length of my spine, and I was exhilarated by the sudden yearning and longing that came over me. I needed to get away from him so I could screw my head back on properly. But I only knew of one way to get him to leave…

A strangled sound left my throat. “Fine, I’ll hold the book for you until tomorrow. But that’s it.”

Cowboy wore a triumphant grin as he dropped his hand. “Thanks. And I’m sorry if I overstepped my boundaries. I probably shouldn’t have done that.” Despite his words, the insincere look in his mischievous eyes told me he didn’t regret it one bit.

“Seems to be a trend with you tonight,” I said sarcastically, blowing out a hard breath.

“I’m going to get out of your hair now. Literally.” He grinned with amusement, then turned and headed out the door.

Half an hour later, I was sitting in my blue Cavalier on the side of a dark road, grinding my teeth together. Only five stupid miles. That’s as far as I got. Leave it to me to get a flat at night in the middle of nowhere without a spare. Actually, I had a spare. It just wasn’t currently in the trunk where it should be. Because I’m smart like that.

My cell phone sat cradled in the console, but it was no use since I didn’t have anyone to call. Bobbie Jo was my only option and I didn’t want to burden her any more than I had to. Austin would already be tucked into bed for the night and she’d have to wake him just to come give me a lift home. She’d already said he was cranky because he was teething. No way could I do that to her.

It was bad enough I’d have to call her in the morning and ask her for a ride into town to buy a new tire, since my donut replacement wasn’t going to last me very long. Besides, it wouldn’t kill me to walk the rest of the way home. Probably less than two miles from where I pulled over, anyway.

As soon as I reached for the door handle, a big jacked-up truck roared up with its high beams on and parked behind me. Blinded by the bright lights shining in my rearview mirror, I reached over and hit my door lock button, praying to God it was a little old lady with a hankering for masculine monster trucks.

The door on the truck opened and a tall, broad, and bulky figure—definitely male—appeared in my side mirror, just out of reach of the lights and shadowed by the darkness of the surrounding forest. He headed toward my driver’s side door, walking with the measured, deliberate steps of Satan’s hockey player, Jason Voorhees.

Frozen with fear, I sat there staring straight ahead, yet watching him from my peripheral vision as he stopped next to my door. He paused. My heart beat faster, until he finally leaned down and tapped on the window.

Then I jumped.

“Anna…? You okay?”

Oh, for goodness sakes. This wasn’t happening. I twisted my head to see Cowboy’s smiling face staring back at me. I cracked open the window. “Um, I’m fine, thanks.”

His smile faded. “Really? Because you don’t look fine. You look like you have a flat. Want me to change the tire for you?”

God. He’s going to think I’m an idiot. I rolled the window back up, then reached over and unlocked the door before shoving it open and crawling out. “I don’t have a spare. Well, I do…but I took it out of my trunk last Saturday.”

His brows gathered over the bridge of his nose and he frowned. “Why would you do something like that?”

Not appreciating the condescending tone, Cowboy. “If you must know,” I said, “I went to the flea market over the weekend to pick up some used books. There wasn’t going to be enough room in the trunk for all the boxes, so I removed the spare before I left and forgot to put it back in.”

“Where is it now?”

“It’s lying on the ground next to my front porch. I figured I didn’t need it and I was right…er, until now.”

Cowboy shook his head and sighed in blatant disapproval. “You always need a spare.”

Yeah, no kidding. “Yes, I guess you could say I learned my lesson. Thanks for not rubbing it in,” I said.

A tiny smirk lifted the corner of his mouth. “Come on. I’ll take you home.”

“That isn’t necessary.”

“Oh, yeah? What would you like for me to do? Leave you out here all alone in the boonies so some weird fella in a hockey mask can slice ya to bits?”

Guess I wasn’t the only one who thought like that. I smiled lightly. “Well, okay, when you put it that way.”

I reached inside the car, grabbed my keys, my cell phone, and my purse, then hit the door lock button before swinging it shut. As I turned to face him, I caught the scowl Cowboy was wearing. “What now?”

“You didn’t have to lock it.”

“Yes, I did. I didn’t want to come back tomorrow to find my radio had been stolen.”

“Way out here? What do you take us country boys for…a bunch of hoodlums?”

I blinked at him in confusion. “But you were the one who just said you weren’t going to leave me out here so a guy in a hockey mask could slice me into pieces.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t say he was going to steal the radio out of your car first. Christ, woman, give us a little bit of credit.”

I didn’t have much of an argument for that logic, so I bit my tongue.

He led the way around the back of my Cavalier to the passenger side of his much larger, jacked-up red Chevy. He opened the door and spent a moment clearing off the seat before turning back to me.

I started past him toward the cab, but Cowboy unexpectedly stopped me in my tracks by planting two large hands on either side of my waist. Caught off guard, I stood there staring up at him with wide, unblinking eyes, unsure as to what the hell he was doing. And from the way he hesitated himself, I wasn’t sure if he knew, either.

The movement had brought his face close to mine, so close I felt his breath caressing my lips. The warmth of his fingers seared through the thin fabric of my skirt, but it was no match for the heated look he gave me. Moonlit eyes stared at me, twinkling with what seemed to be a mischievous thought, judging by the way the corner of his mouth lifted.

Was he thinking about kissing me?

Before I could contemplate the idea any further, Cowboy lifted me easily into the truck with one quick, smooth motion. Guess not. An unexpected surge of disappointment ran through me. But why? It wasn’t like I wanted him to kiss me. Liar. The thought flashed through my mind so quickly it annoyed me. “I’m not an invalid, you know. I could have climbed in without assistance.”

His hands, still on my waist, tightened their grip. “The last thing I needed was you lifting that skirt of yours to climb in while I was standing behind you.” His eyes smoldered and his tone deepened. “Otherwise, you’d have something much bigger to worry about than whether or not someone took your radio.”

His potent words delivered a pulsing ache straight to my nether regions, and the hot tang of desire bubbled in my throat. I swallowed hard as I buckled up, but didn’t dare let out a breath until he shut the passenger door and strolled around to the driver’s side. Once settled into his seat, Cowboy strapped himself in, and put the truck into gear without looking over at me.

“Where do you live?” he asked.

“County Road 1500. It’s not too far out of your way, is it?”

“Nope. No problem. I pass right by there on my way home. If you want help with your tire in the morning, I could always swing by and—”

“No, that’s okay,” I said quickly. “I’ll manage. Thanks, anyway.”

“Suit yourself. But just in case, take this,” he said, grabbing a business card from his console and pressing it into my palm. “My cell number is at the bottom.” He cocked his left arm over the steering wheel and raised one brow. “So are you going to tell me what freaked you out earlier?”

Not no, but hell no. I bit into my bottom lip, then said, “It was nothing.”

He measured me with his eyes, then grinned. “Yeah, I didn’t think so.” He checked his rearview mirror and eased onto the highway. No doubt his bullshit meter had just rocketed sky-high.

The awkward silence that followed made me self-conscious. What the heck were we supposed to talk about now? The weather? Politics or religion? My lack of a brain every time I was around him? God, what’s the matter with me?

“Um, Bobbie Jo mentioned that you made captain at the fire department a while back,” I said, using his promotion as an icebreaker. “Congratulations.”

I expected him to smile, but instead, his brows furrowed, and large grooves formed in his forehead. He kept his eyes on the road. “Three months ago, to be exact.”

He hesitated, as if he were contemplating not saying more, then continued anyway. “But I’ve had to take on the role of acting chief because the man who promoted me, Chief Swanson, died in a fire the same night. Guess you could say I haven’t felt much like celebrating.”

My stomach clenched into a knot and my heart shriveled as a dull ache crept inside my chest. It was as if someone fisted my heart in their hand and gave it a hard squeeze. “I’m sorry to hear that.” And I meant it.

“Chief Swanson threw me a promotion party that afternoon. Then sometime before midnight, several 911 calls came in reporting a structure fire at his home address.”

I didn’t even try to speak. My throat had caved in, my natural physical reaction each time anyone mentioned anything about a blaze. What would I say—I don’t want to know? No. That would be too harsh. Instead, I closed my eyes and hoped like hell nothing else tumbled out of his mouth.

“One of them was a neighbor who’d seen smoke coming from the rear section of the home. Engine one—the truck I was in—was the first one on the scene. We—” Cowboy stopped talking, so I opened my eyes and glanced at him. He ran a hand over his distraught face, as if he were mentally reliving the moment. “We tried to enter the house to search for survivors and fight the fire from the interior, but the flames had already spread into the walls and roof.”

Why was he telling me this? According to him, I was nothing more than a stranger, even if I had technically met him before. So why ramble on and disclose things that were obviously so upsetting and personal to him?

“The conditions forced us back outside, where we stayed until the fire had been declared fully contained. Three hours passed before the fire marshal allowed us to search inside. Downstairs, we found the corpse of…a man.”

Jesus, please stop. I wanted to tell him not to go on, that I’d heard enough, but my thick tongue wouldn’t work, so I sat there cringing while he kept on talking.

“Upstairs, we found Chief Swanson’s wife, Janet.” His fingers gripped the steering wheel tighter. “Dead. With her wrists bound behind her back.”

I gasped and covered my mouth. Oh, dear God, the chief didn’t…

It was only the second time he’d looked directly at me since he began the story. “I know what you’re thinking, Anna. It’s the same damn thing everyone thinks. But Chief Swanson didn’t do it. He loved his wife. They’d just gotten back together after being separated for almost six months, and it was the happiest I’d seen him.”

Confused, I lowered my gaze and finally found my voice. “P-people sometimes do…things.”

“Not this,” he said, adamantly shaking his head. “He wouldn’t have hurt Janet like that. Maybe he wasn’t a perfect husband, but the chief and I were good friends. I spent a lot of time with that man. I know he didn’t do it.” He sighed heavily. “Besides, none of it makes any sense. Why would Chief Swanson tie up his wife and leave her upstairs while he doused himself with an accelerant and…”

I wasn’t sure if Cowboy didn’t finish the sentence because he couldn’t say the words or just didn’t want to. Either way, I was relieved. “I’m so sorry. I’m sure it was tough. For you, I mean.”

He nodded and turned onto my road. “The other firefighters are all part of my extended family. It’s like someone telling me that my brother killed himself and his own wife when I know he didn’t.” He released a hard breath. “I just can’t prove it.”

I gaped at him, recalling the book I’d helped him locate. “That’s what Bobbie Jo was talking about earlier?”

“There are no other leads. I have to know what happened that night.”

Up ahead, the small white house I’d rented came into view. I nodded at it. “That’s where I live, the one with the blue shutters.”

He slowed, veered off the road, and rolled to a stop in front of my driveway to let me out. “Chief Swanson and his wife lived up the road, only about half a mile.”

I remembered passing by the charred rubble of a home nearby and even stopped to take a closer look. But, at the time, I didn’t know it had belonged to the chief. Dread flooded over me as torturous images flickered through my mind. I didn’t need or want any more sleepless nights than I already had.

Instead, I wanted to get out of the truck and walk away from the horrible pictures flashing through my head. Get as far away from them as I could. But I sat there for a second longer, feeling like I owed Cowboy some sort of comforting thought in return for the roadside assistance he had given me.

“No matter what happened to your chief, I’m sorry for your loss. It had to be devastating for you to lose someone so close.”

Cowboy gave me a quick nod. “You lost someone, too, right? In a fire?”

For some strange reason, I wanted to answer his question. But the moment I opened my mouth to do so, nothing came out. Damn it. Frustrated, I looked down and twisted my fingers together.

“You don’t have to say anything. I just wanted you to know I understand and you’re not alone.”

I glanced back up, meeting his unwavering gaze. Then I realized what he’d been trying to do. He’d hoped that by talking about his traumatic experience, I would open up to him about mine. “I…can’t.”

“If you ever want to talk about it, I might be able to help. Who better than a fireman, right?”

“Thank you,” I said softly. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

As I reached for the door handle, he cocked his head and said, “You don’t like me, do you?”

Oh, hell. What could I say to that? I couldn’t forget how Cowboy had snapped me out of my panicky state and suppressed my inner demons. Like some kind of fairy tale with a brave knight who had courageously slain the maiden’s dragon and won her hand, as well as her heart. But I didn’t believe in fairy tales. Or knights in shining armor.

Because the one man I trusted—a man who swore he was saving me—ended up taking the one thing I loved most in this world. That knowledge left me with a dilemma. And it had Cowboy’s name written all over it. “It’s not that I don’t like you. It’s just…well, I’m a little quiet, that’s all.” And I had no intention of starting something I couldn’t finish.

“A little?” Cowboy chuckled at that. “Sweetheart, if you got any quieter, I’d check your pulse.” He smiled at me. “You know, I joke that Austin looks like a turtle, but he’s got nothing on you.”

I blinked with confusion. “Did you just refer to me as a turtle?”

“Yep. That’s what you remind me of. Judging by the way you acted tonight, I’d say you have a tendency to protect yourself by pulling in your limbs and head.” Then he grinned sinfully. “Bet I’d have one hell of a time breaking you out of your shell.”

I could only imagine why he’d think that would be fun. But I didn’t want him—or anyone, really—scraping at my innermost layers. That wasn’t what I moved here for. In less than six months, I’d be long gone. So the last thing I needed was to fool around with a handsome, exciting playboy. Especially one who was only looking for me to stroke his ego. Probably among other things.

“Well, Cowboy,” I said, shaking my wrist loose from his grip and hopping out of the truck’s cab. “I guess that’s just one more thing you’ll never know about me. Thank you for the ride home.”

I closed the truck door and stepped away before turning to wave good-bye, but I didn’t miss the look he gave me. I’d only meant to discourage him from pursuing this venture any further. Unused to being shot down, Cowboy’s stubborn eyes narrowed and one corner of his mouth tipped up, as if I represented some sort of intriguing challenge. One he intended to overcome.

To get away from the scrutiny of his riveting green eyes, I quickly spun and headed for the house.

He motored down the window on the passenger door. “Hey, Anna,” he called out from behind me. “You’re still going to hold that book for me, aren’t you?”

I stopped halfway through the yard and glanced back. “Of course I am.”

“Good. See you tomorrow, then…Sparky.” He flashed me a smug grin, then drove away.

Waves of regret crashed against the barrier of my heart, breaching my defenses, and creating tidal pools of sorrow. I barely cleared the doorway into my home when I bent over, squeezed my arms across my middle, and felt hot tears streaking down my face. Not only had he used a nickname that had taken me back to a time I wasn’t fond of visiting, but…

He remembered me.