Meeting Mr. Right (15 page)

Was she imagining it? Did she want to find little Crystal so badly that her ears were hearing sounds that did not exist?

No. She heard it again. Directly in front of her. A terrified little squeak, not much more than a murmur. How Vee even heard it over the roar of the fire was nothing short of a gift from God.

Vee scrambled forward, almost falling over the little girl, who was huddled in a small ball in the center of the room, her arms tucked over her head and a little rag doll with red yarn for hair poking out from between her knees.

Vee knew her firefighter’s uniform might frighten the already terrified little girl. Lifting her visor was risky, but she’d already gone about as far out on a limb as was possible, anyway. It would be far less difficult to get them both out alive if the child wasn’t fighting her every step of the way.

“Crystal,” Vee shouted, not wanting to scare the girl but needing for her to be able to hear. “My name is Vee. I know you’re scared, honey, but I’m here to get you and Calliope back to your mommy and daddy, okay?”

The little girl nodded and clutched her doll to her chest.

Vee wrapped Crystal’s arms around her neck and grasped her wrists with one hand.

“We’re going to take a little horsey ride, okay, honey? You just hold on tight and I’ll get you out of here.”

Crystal wasn’t heavy or awkward to carry. With all the adrenaline coursing through Vee, she could barely feel the girl’s weight at all. Vee crawled on her knees with her one free hand, heading straight back to the one opening she knew would be her best opportunity for breaking free of the house.

It seemed an eternity before she could make out the shape of the front door. A couple of times her grip slipped on the little girl’s wrists and she’d had to stop and readjust Crystal’s position on her shoulders. Her lungs burned from the smoke and from holding her breath. She could only imagine how the little girl felt.

Chief had evidently ordered a couple of the men to widen the doorway with their axes, so she didn’t have to worry about either one of them being snagged by any protruding pieces of wood.

They were almost there. Almost...there...

And then they’d made it. Two firefighters met her just inside the door to help her scramble the final few feet out of the entranceway.

The moment they were free of the door, Zach gently took Crystal from her and carried the child to the ambulance, where her family anxiously awaited.

Vee didn’t even realize she was still crawling on her hands and knees until her gloved palms slipped out from underneath her on the wet grass. She sprawled to the earth, taking sweeping gasps of air, though it was still acrid with smoke. It was better, at least, than what she’d been facing in the building.

It was only through God’s grace that she and the child had made it out alive.

“Thank you, Jesus,” she said aloud as she groaned and rolled over onto her back. Even though she was lying flat on the ground, her vision blurred and her head spun in dizzy waves. Every muscle in her body ached as if she’d been pummeled in a boxing ring, especially her chin where Kent Salinger had kicked her. The adrenaline was fading, and she could feel the pain of it now.

She closed her eyes, trying to steady herself, searching for the willpower to roll to a sitting position. She was in enough trouble as it was, even without admitting she’d been hurt in the process. Chief would be furious.

But it wasn’t Chief who first appeared at her side. Large, muscular arms scooped her up under her neck and knees as if she weighed nothing. She was pulled into a close embrace, surrounded by strong biceps and a rock-hard chest.

Ben.

He was like a fortress around her, shielding her from further harm. She removed her helmet and pressed her cheek to his chest, able to hear his rapid heartbeat even through his paramedic’s jacket. She knew she should refuse his help, force herself to get down and walk on her own two feet, but she just couldn’t bring herself to put up any resistance. For what might have been the first time in her life, Vee Bishop didn’t fight her own need to be held.

Chapter Thirteen

B
en was quivering so much his teeth were chattering. Hopefully Vee couldn’t tell how shaken up he was feeling. She’d been through enough without her seeing how much her daring rescue had affected him.

The thought that he might have lost her before he’d had the opportunity to tell her how he felt about her made him sick to his stomach. That even
he
hadn’t known how he felt about her until she’d made the mad dash into the Salingers’ home after Crystal was beside the point.

Crazy woman.

Wonderful, brave, and completely insane Vee Bishop. The lady who’d somehow slipped in and stolen his heart, and the woman he now knew he couldn’t live without.

Ben had been walking in her direction when Kent Salinger had broken for the house, and he’d watched in amazement as Vee had tackled him to the ground. To see a woman a little more than five feet tall take down a man who was well over six feet and a good hundred and eighty pounds was a sight in itself.

But then she’d run into the house herself to save the girl. Ben would have gone after her, except he didn’t dare let go of Kent.

“Crazy woman,” he muttered aloud as he strode back to the ambulance with Vee tucked safely in his arms.

Vee moaned. Ben wasn’t sure whether that was in protest to what he’d said, or whether it was because she’d been injured in some way. There was blood all down the front of her jacket and a large, gaping cut on her chin.

One thing was for sure—she wasn’t feeling 100 percent. Otherwise, she would have been all over him for saying that she was crazy.

“Almost there,” he whispered, brushing his cheek against her hair. She reeked of smoke, but that didn’t keep him from inhaling deeply. She was alive, and that was all that mattered. The smell of smoke was an acrid reminder to thank God that Vee was still here with him.

He wanted to blurt out how he felt about her, now that he’d finally figured it out himself. But he’d wait until she’d recovered a little bit before he blasted her with a whole new shock.

He reached the foot of the nearest fire truck just as she murmured, “Put me down, please.”

Gingerly, he set her down on the ground, supporting her by the shoulders. “Are you able to sit?”

“Of course I can sit,” she answered briskly, though her bold statement was interrupted by a coughing attack and she didn’t immediately let go of his forearm.

“Easy does it. You’re probably dizzy from all the smoke inhalation. Let me get you some oxygen and take care of that cut for you.”

She protested, but he ignored her. Thankfully Zach had thought to leave a tank behind for Ben to use with Vee. With great care, he took her helmet from her tightly clenched fist and set it aside and then placed an oxygen mask over her mouth, careful to avoid the cut. He didn’t think she’d need stitches, but he cleaned it up for her.

“Lady, don’t
ever
do that to me again.” His eyes met hers and his heart jammed in his throat. “You had me really worried there for a while.”

“Crystal?” she choked out.

“She’s good. She and her family are already on their way to Mercy Medical Center with Zach and Brody. She doesn’t appear to have any external injuries, but they’ll check her out to be certain and then treat her for smoke inhalation. They’ll probably keep her overnight for observation, but thanks to you and your crazy stunt, that little girl is going to have a long and happy life.”

“Zach and
Brody?
” she queried tremulously. “He’s a cop. I don’t understand. Why didn’t you go with them in the ambulance? You know a lot more about medical issues than Brody does.”

He leaned forward until his forehead was touching hers. “Are you kidding me? And leave you here without any support? Not in this lifetime. Besides, even a big lug like Brody can drive an ambulance. Don’t worry. Zach is taking good care of Crystal.”

Her eyes misted. One lone tear fell, but she quickly brushed it away with the back of her hand.

“My eyes are watering from all the smoke,” she explained with a soft hiccup. Her voice was husky with emotion, but he imagined she would no doubt write that off to smoke inhalation, too.

He caressed her cheek with his palm and brushed a soft kiss against her forehead. “You did a very brave thing today, honey.”

“She did a very
stupid
thing today.” Chief Jenkins strode around the corner of the fire truck and glared down at Vee, his hands pressed against his hips. He was a formidable man on the best of occasions, but right now, with steam practically sizzling from his ears and his face streaked with black from the smoke, even Ben took a step back. “What were you thinking, Bishop?”

“Crystal,” Vee answered weakly. “I had to save Emma’s baby.”

“You disobeyed a direct order! Not only that, but you didn’t even use the common sense God gave you. You knew that house was about to come down around your ears. You, of all people, know how to assess structural damage in a fire. What you did was not only reckless, but it put your fellow firefighters at risk trying to help you. You’re suspended from active duty until further notice.”

Vee shook her head as if she didn’t quite understand Chief’s words to her. Her eyes were misty again, and Ben thought she might break into tears at any moment.

Vee Bishop. Crying.

Clearly the poor woman was in shock. Ben stepped forward, blocking Chief’s view of Vee.

“Look here, Chief,” he started. Ben ignored the fact that Chief had turned his dominating glare upon him. Better that than for him to continue hovering over Vee.

He reached for Chief’s elbow and pulled him aside. “Now, I know Vee disobeyed a direct order,” he started.

“Yes, she did,” Chief barked. “And don’t try to talk me out of suspending her. She knew the consequences when she made the decision to run into that house on her own.”

“But she did save the girl.” He was stating the obvious, but that had to count for something, didn’t it?

“That’s irrelevant. People in our line of work have to obey orders, keep the chain of command. Otherwise you’ve got utter chaos.”

“I know,” Ben agreed. “But don’t you think you can give her a bit of a break right now?” He leaned toward Chief and lowered his voice. “I think she’s in shock. She needs medical attention. I
know
she inhaled a lot of smoke in there, and I haven’t really been able to assess her for external wounds. Kent Salinger gave her a good clip on the chin with the heel of his boot.”

Chief adjusted his helmet, drawing it lower over his brow. After a moment, he nodded.

“Do what you have to, Atwood. See that she’s properly cared for. We’ll deal with this later.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And you,” Chief said, stepping around Ben to hover over Vee and point an accusatory finger at her, “promise me you won’t do anything else foolish until we have ourselves a little talk back at the station tomorrow.”

“Yes, sir,” Vee replied weakly.

“Make no mistake about it. We
will
have that talk,” he promised. “Don’t you go thinking you’re out of the woods yet, Bishop.”

“Yes, sir,” Vee said again, then sighed heavily and sank back on her shoulders.

“Are we good, Chief?” Ben queried, squatting down beside Vee to support her shoulders. He brushed a tendril of hair from her forehead that had escaped the knot at the back of her neck.

“Take care of our girl,” Chief said and then turned on his heels and marched away, shaking his head as he went.

That
was exactly what he planned to do. Not just now, but for as long as Vee would let him.

“Take it easy there, honey,” he murmured, shifting on his knees so he was cradling her in his arms. “Don’t worry about Chief Jenkins. He’s just a little overwrought from trying to fight the fire—and from nearly losing Crystal Salinger and the best firefighter in his unit. He’ll come off his high horse once things have settled down around here.”

Vee squeezed her eyes closed and pinched her lips together. “You heard him. I’m suspended from the department.”

“We’ll see,” he murmured.

Not on his watch. He’d find some way to keep Vee from the repercussions of her actions if he had to band the entire fire department behind her to do so. Chief couldn’t fight everyone. And anyway, Ben guessed that Chief Jenkins wouldn’t be quite so angry once he’d had the opportunity to cool off.

He sat silently with her for a moment, reveling in the fact that she was in his arms. Even with her hair unkempt from the helmet and her face smudged with smoke, she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever known.

His heart swelled and closed up his throat when she leaned backward and their gazes met. She didn’t say a word, but her glinting eyes spoke volumes.

Gratitude. Tenderness. And...something more? Or was he just imagining what he wanted to see there?

The world around them might as well not have existed at all. He was keenly aware of Vee—the way she looked, the way she smelled, the way she sounded as her breathing increased through the oxygen mask. None of it should have been the least bit romantic, but Ben wouldn’t choose to be anywhere else but here with Vee in his arms.

He desperately wanted to kiss her again, to discover once and for all if the emotions he was reading in her eyes were real or just a figment of his overactive imagination, his deep desire that she reciprocate his own feelings. This time, she would have no doubt of his intentions.

This time
he
had no doubt of his intentions.

As if reading his mind, she twisted in his arms, tilting her head toward his. He reached around to the nape of her neck and slid his fingers over the elastic that kept the oxygen mask attached. Carefully, oh so slowly, he loosened the mask and slipped it over her head.

“Vee, I—” he began, his voice in a low timbre he didn’t recognize.

She stopped him with a finger to his lips. She shook her head and then ran her palm across his cheek and behind his neck, pulling him closer, tilting her mouth up to his.

So there was no need to say the words, after all. She felt as he did, that they should be together.

Vee was his. He had only to prove it with a kiss.

He tilted his head, taking his sweet, sweet time, his mouth hovering over hers until he heard her gasp in anticipation. Her warm breath mixed with his, intoxicating him.

His gaze flicked away for just one second, but it was enough to change his world. His eyes alighted on her helmet, forgotten for the moment and tipped upside down. Her name was written inside, in bold, permanent black ink marker.

Veronica Jayne Bishop.