Firefly Mountain (40 page)

Sick and twisted?
No. She didn’t think so. Brilliant. Yes, that’s what she was. An absolute genius. Everyone inside would see. They’d know as the flames rose around them. They’d understand they had been living a lie. A happy little lie that now seemed so ridiculous. If they’d only opened their eyes sooner, they would have seen the world for what it was. Not warm and fuzzy, but cold and hard. An unforgiving place full of judgment and neglect. A place where true happiness could not exist for long.

Watching that fighter now as he walked into the hall, she could tell he thought he’d found true happiness. He was wrong. She’d show him that. He thought her to be delusional, but it was he who was not seeing the truth.

Truth would come to him tonight. In flames that stretched toward the skies, his blindness would be burned away as he took his last breaths.

****

Gini, Patrick, and Midas were the first ones to arrive at the hall. A slight chill slithered up her spine as Patrick guided her inside. He stopped walking and looked at her while Midas sniffed the ground at Patrick’s feet.

“You okay?” Patrick asked.

She squeezed his hand. “Yeah.”

Gini glanced out into the darkness surrounding the hall. The moon’s reflection off Beaver Pond captured white light rippling on the watery surface. “For a moment, I felt like…I don’t know…like someone was out there.”

Patrick’s eyebrows lowered as he edged Gini toward the door of the hall. “I’ll take a look around. Midas,
restez
.” He started to slip his hand from hers, but Gini held on tightly.

“No. Come inside with me. It was nothing. I’m just being silly.”

Patrick nodded, but scanned the darkness before letting Gini pull him inside the hall. Midas followed behind them, but not before casting a glance into the silhouetted woods.

“Wow,” Patrick said. “Looks wonderful in here. You guys worked really hard.”

“Thanks,” Gini said. “Between pictures of cute animals and calendars of hunky fighters, I’m hoping to sell out of both and raise an amazing amount of money for the shelter.”

“If anyone can do it, you can.” Patrick dropped a kiss on Gini’s nose.

“With the help of said hunky fighters.” Gini pulled Patrick into a hug. She brushed her lips against his as the door opened behind them.

Jonah walked in with Haddy beside him. He was wearing his dress uniform as well with his arm still in a sling. The scruff he’d been growing around his chin had been shaven away and his hair neatly styled.

“Now there’s the Jonah I know.” Gini ran a hand along his chin.

“Haddy promised not to sever my head, so I let her shave me. She has a surprisingly steady hand.”

“It’s not that much different than peeling a potato,” Haddy said.

“Are you calling me a potato head?” Jonah asked.

“Maybe.” Haddy stepped out of Jonah’s reach.

“I’ll get you later.” Jonah wagged a finger at Haddy.

“I’m counting on it,” Haddy teased. “C’mon. I’ll take you to your table, Mr. May.”

Jonah winked at Gini. “Nice work in here, sis.” He followed Haddy across the hall and eased into a seat.

“He looks like he’s doing better,” Patrick said.

“I think Haddy has a lot to do with that.” Gini watched her friend fuss over her brother.

“Nothing like a beautiful woman to raise a man’s spirits,” Patrick said.

The way Patrick’s hazel eyes combed down the length of Gini left her feeling as if he’d caressed her, but he hadn’t laid a hand on her. His simple gaze stirred her body, brought her to life.

“Where do you want me to sit?” he asked.

“You and Midas can go to the table after Jonah’s. I made you Mr. July.”

“Why July?”

“My birthday is in July,” Gini said.

“I’ll have to remember that.”

“Yes. Yes, you will.” Gini smirked and nudged Patrick toward his table. Midas trotted over to Jonah. “You also need to remember that no matter how many women throw themselves at you tonight, you’re coming home with me.”

“Don’t want to go home with anyone else, Gini,” Patrick said. “Just you.”

Just you.
Patrick’s words filled her with peace—a peace she didn’t think possible for someone like her.

She watched Patrick walk away and knew that women would definitely
try
to get his phone number at least if not a date with him tonight. But he was hers. He actually wanted to be hers. The thought sent her heart skyrocketing.

Only the door opening behind her pulled Gini from her Patrick-watching. Raina glided into the hall in a long red dress that tied around her neck like a halter top.

“My Goddess,” Gini said. “You look stunning, Raina.”

“Figured I should try to be as fun to look at as the man candy you’ll have here tonight. Give the men something to look at.” Raina grinned. “Plus, I can’t wait to see the look on Mason’s face when he gets a glimpse of this number.”

“Fortunately we’ll have trained CPR professionals—twelve of them—on hand to resuscitate him when he goes into shock.”

Raina laughed and headed for the piano. Several other fighters arrived and took up their posts around the hall. Guests wandered in shortly thereafter, and soon the hall was full. Raina’s voice and piano playing wafted over the crowd as folks mingled and chatted, drooled and giggled.

Gini’s parents came in and gave her huge hugs.

“My, my,” Liz said as she fanned herself with her hand. “Either I’m having a hot flash or those fighters are steaming up the place.”

“Try to contain yourself, Liz,” Walter teased. “I used to look like them back in the day.”

Liz patted her husband’s cheek. “You still do to me, sweetie.”

Walter kissed Liz’s hand and led her to a seat. Gini watched them and finally understood what they must feel for one another. She hadn’t truly got it before. Now she had it herself. Her mother’s belief in soul mates made perfect sense now. Yes, Patrick had a risky job, but Gini had to love him just the same.

Her gaze swam across the crowd and connected with Patrick’s. Three women were standing in front of his table, chatting it up, but his attention was on Gini. A wash of heat crept over her face as she smiled at him. When he smiled back, Gini regretted the dinner invitation she’d extended to the gang. What she wanted was to drag Patrick back to her farmhouse and make love to him until the sun came up. Now she’d have to feed people. Talk to them. Laugh with them and kick them out before she got to touch Patrick the way she wanted to. The way she needed to.

Letting out a sigh, Gini headed for the sales table where Haddy had set up shop and had been selling calendars since the first guest had arrived.

“Selling like bottled water in the desert,” Haddy said. “Sheer brilliance, Gini Claremont. Sheer brilliance.”

“I’ve got a few good ideas now and then.” Gini patted herself on the back. “I’m going to get things formally started at the microphone now.”

“Okay. I’ll keep selling, boss.”

Gini corralled Chief Warner, who’d come out to support his men, and Josephine, the director of the shelter, now back from Paris. She tugged them both to the front of the room over by the piano. Raina wrapped up the song she was singing, and the room quieted. Gini stepped to the small podium she’d set up.

“If everyone could take a seat, we can get started in a couple of minutes.”

As people meandered to the seats, Gini’s attention yet again circled toward Patrick. Yet again, he was staring at her, all of his focus on her and no one else. If she didn’t get to touch him soon, Gini was sure she’d lose her mind. Or maybe she’d already lost it.

Either way, she didn’t care as long as her evening ended with Patrick in her arms, in her bed.

****

She was so beautiful up there with her smile dimpling her cheeks and her long, toned legs stretching down into those sexy sandals. Patrick couldn’t wait to slide them off her feet and free her from the rest of her clothing. Gini was undoubtedly the most amazing person in the room. Looking at the photos she’d taken for the calendar and the pictures of the animals decorating the hall, Patrick appreciated the talent Gini had with a camera. She had an artist’s eye and maybe a magician’s hand, because everything she photographed looked absolutely perfect. He didn’t recognize himself standing with Saber and Midas in his calendar picture. Was that actually a
smile
on his face?

“I’m next,” a voice sang in front of Patrick. “Hello, Mr. July.”

“Hi.” Patrick took the calendar opened to his month and uncapped his pen.

“Can you make that out to Cecilia Bennette?” the woman asked. She proceeded to spell the name for him.

Patrick signed the calendar. He focused on the letters forming his name as he wrote them because he could feel the woman’s eyes on him. Made him uncomfortable and he didn’t want to look up to catch her ogling.

“You’re my favorite picture,” Cecilia said. “The others are nice, don’t get me wrong, but you…” She let her voice drop off. “You’re something.”

Taken
. The word popped into Patrick’s head, and he had to smile at the notion. He was taken. Taken by that fantastic woman still up on the stage waiting for everyone to get to a seat.

Patrick slid the calendar back to Cecilia. “Enjoy your night,” he said.

“Oh, I am. That Gini Claremont sure knows how to throw a fundraiser. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.” Cecilia giggled and walked away.

Me neither
, Patrick thought. The mere idea he’d be around to
see
what Gini came up with next excited him. He was thinking in future terms when it came to being with her. He glanced back to the stage and was bothered by the bodies between Gini and him. If he could send them all home right now, he would. He just wanted to be alone with her.

“Looks as if everyone’s almost settled,” Gini said into the microphone. “I’d like to welcome you to the first ever Burnam Firefighter Calendar Signing.” She hooked her arm through Chief Warner’s and looked up at him. “Hopefully it won’t be the last.”

Chief Warner grinned. “That’s up to the men.”

Gini gestured to the tables of fighters set up around the edges of the room. “What do you say, fellas? Was it too dreadful posing with dogs, cats, horses, birds, and the occasional rabbit?”

“Not for you, Gini,” Willy called out.

She shot Willy a killer smile that had Patrick’s insides bubbling. How could a mere smile have that effect on his body even when the smile was directed at someone else?

“A special thanks to all the test dummies…I mean, fine, upstanding firefighters for helping me and the Burnam Animal Shelter. We will be able to do quite a bit with the money we raise tonight, don’t you think, Josephine?”

“Absolutely,” Josephine said. “I know the animals would thank you themselves if they could. Your support means so much to each of them and to the staff at the shelter. We shall proudly display your calendar in our shelter and always remember how you suffered the trials of being treated like supermodels to help us.”

Chuckles sifted through the crowd, and Gini stepped back to the microphone.

“Don’t forget to enter your name in the raffle to win a dance with one of the fighters. Twelve lucky women will get the chance to sashay across this floor with a hero. Enjoy yourselves, folks, buy calendars and animal photos, and thanks again.”

A round of applause filled the hall then died off as people headed back to the tables to get their autographs and enter the raffle. Patrick lost sight of Gini when she stepped away from the microphone and got swallowed by the crowd. He craned his head, but couldn’t find her.

“Looking for your next admirer?”

Patrick focused on the woman standing in front of his table. Petite, thin, almost sickly so, with short, spiky black hair. Her skin was grayish, her eyes a strange shade of blue, nearly violet. Her mouth was full, but the corners were angled down in a permanent frown. She reminded Patrick of a sad fairy.

“Hello.” Patrick watched the woman’s jaw tense slightly then release.

“Evening.” She set a calendar on the table and flipped to Patrick’s picture. “Nice photo.”

“The photographer’s a genius.” Patrick smiled, but the woman’s facial expression never changed. Her lips kept their downward arc. The purplish eyes narrowed as they stared at Patrick’s face. He waited for her to say something, but she merely watched as he picked up his pen, its tip hovering over his picture.

“Would you like this made out to someone in particular?” he asked.

The woman shook her head. “Just your name will do it.”

As Patrick signed his name, Midas rose from his spot beside him. He sniffed at the woman’s shoes, up her leg, around the back of her, and let out a deep bark that had the conversation in the hall quieting for a moment.

“
Couchez
, Midas.”

The dog lay down, but he continued growling at the woman.

“Sorry, about that.” Patrick closed the calendar and handed it back to the woman. “Have a nice…” He stopped when she tucked the calendar under her arm and walked away without letting Patrick finish.

“Nice manners, huh?” Chuck, Mr. August, elbowed Patrick.

“Maybe Midas offended her or she’s in a rush to get other signatures.” Patrick shrugged, but as he watched the woman, he noticed she didn’t stop at any of the other tables. Instead, she headed for the front doors, her slight body easily weaving through the dense crowd. He lost sight of her for a moment then saw the door open and close. Midas let out a short bark and sidled up next to Patrick. A bit closer than he was before.

“How’s it going?”

Patrick shifted his gaze to take in Gini leaning on the table in front of him. In that position, he could see down the front of her dress, catch a glimpse of her full, round breasts contained in a black bra. Did she know the effect she had on him?

Chuck cleared his throat and stood. “I’m getting a drink. You want one, Patrick?”

Patrick didn’t take his gaze off Gini. “No, thanks.”