The Firefighter's Cinderella (15 page)

Of course, the most beautiful sight was Tasha lying on the bottom bunk, having her IV pulled out. He was glad Cole thought she didn't need it anymore.

 

“I'
VE JUST GIVEN YOU
a large dose of meds and a little painkiller, Tasha. On the table are the antibiotics and pain pills you'll need to take. Although with C.J. clucking around you, I'm sure he'll make sure they're delivered on the hour,” Cole said with a smile.

“Thanks, Cole. I appreciate all your help. When this is over, I'll make a donation to your hospital for anything you need. You, too, Jake. Please let me know what
project needs to be funded and I'll set up a foundation to keep it going.”

Both men looked at her as if she was crazy. “All right, all right, anything you want. Just go to sleep, Tasha.”

They hadn't taken her seriously. She sat up angrily, fighting against the effect of the drug. Then it dawned on her. C.J. hadn't told Cole or his family how rich she was. Was he ashamed?

“C.J.? Do you have a problem with me coming from money?”

He looked surprised. “No. Why are you asking me that?”

“Then why haven't you told your family about me?”

Cole and Jake looked at him.

“I didn't think it mattered. I love you no matter what kind of family you come from.”

Jake's curiosity got the best of him. “What kind
do
you come from, Tasha?”

“As you know, my father's a congressman, and before that an attorney. But my family is extremely wealthy.” She could feel her cheeks turning red. “That's why I work pro bono for human rights. I try to find ways to give our money away. My mom comes from big oil money in Texas and my dad's ancestors made it big in the gold rush.”

C.J. cut in. “She wasn't joking when she said she would donate to your hospital, Cole. And fund an entire lifetime of fish projects for you, Jake.”

Both men looked taken aback. C.J.'s brother spoke first. “I'm sorry. I had no idea—”

“Listen, let's not discuss this anymore,” Tasha said.
“No need for apologies. I'll find out what you guys need and I'll gift it to you in your names, I'm so grateful for all your help.”

“Absolutely not,” Jake said sternly. “Please don't. This is the first time I've been able to do something for my brother and his soon-to-be wife. I'm doing this out of love. Find a poor person in the Tongass National Forest if you want to donate, but leave me out, please.”

C.J.'s throat thickened. “I don't know how to thank you, bro.”

“Having you come home like this is thanks enough.” Jake went over and hugged his twin. How different this family has from the world Tasha had come from amazed her all over again.

Jake smiled at her. “Just knowing my brother is happy and in love is thanks enough. You're an extraordinary woman, Tasha. I can see why he's crazy about you. He finally met his match.” Jake bent down and hugged her. “You just focus on getting better.”

It was Cole's turn to speak. “I've lived through a tragedy, Natasha,” he said. “Up here in Alaska we take care of our loved ones. I could never accept anything from you. I'm doing this because I love the Powells and I'm already nuts about you. Too bad I didn't meet you first.”

C.J. bumped his shoulder. “Hey, that's my future wife you're hitting on.”

“It wouldn't matter if I hit on her, Chris. Just like Sammi, you Powell boys have a charm that causes women to fall in love with you and never even look at another man. Lucky devils.”

“Do I hear envy in your voice, Cole?” Jake teased.

Their friend's brows lifted. “You'll never hear me admit it, pal.”

Jake shoved him. “Come on. Let's get out of here. I've got to get home to check a fish station, then I've got a date with Sammi.”

 

C.J.
FOLLOWED
C
OLE AND
Jake out of the cabin and stood on the dock while they climbed into the float plane, then stayed there as Jake talked into his satellite phone to him.

“Roger, roger?”

“Ten-four. Over and out. The phones are working. Hopefully, they'll work during a storm. I guess we'll see?”

“Nah. We're going to head out before the storm hits. It should just be rain, but you never know. We'll fly back in two days to check on you.”

“And do some fishing.”

“Yeah, hope so,” Jake replied.

“You guys took good care, stocking the cabin. We're going to be fine.”

“I'll be checking in with you,” Jake repeated.

“Okay. Have a safe flight and thanks.”

The plane started up. The propeller whipped up the water, sending a chill breeze that forced C.J. to back away. Watching them take off from the glacial lake was like viewing a movie. The plane soared up against a backdrop of craggy cliffs and green forest, climbing higher till it flew over the snowy peaks and out of sight. The sound of the plane's engine echoed for some seconds, then faded to silence.

C.J. chewed his lip. Now came the hard part. How to keep his hands off his fiancée till she felt better.

 

T
ASHA PRETENDED TO READ
the legal briefs she'd asked the D.A. to fax to Jake's office in Alaska so she wouldn't worry about what was going on with her cases. Jake had been thoughtful enough to pick them up for her. Gratitude filled her heart.

Her foot didn't hurt as much, thanks to the fact she hadn't been moving since their arrival at the cabin, but the distance C.J. was keeping between them was driving her crazy. He'd barely talked to her before he'd gone out to fish, leaving her to nap and read. As she looked up at the cabin's skylight now, she saw rain beating against it, yet the place stayed warm and dry.

Talk about a romantic setting! It seemed they were the only two people in the world, tucked away in the forest, with a wood-burning stove for heat. It didn't matter that rain fell and the wind howled outside. She was safe and sound with the man she loved, the man she wanted to marry. Her sexy fiancé.

Fiancé… She could hardly believe it. But the diamond on her finger was proof.

She loved being with him in his natural habitat. Tasha could see this was the man behind the mask he'd worn in San Francisco. He was so very wonderful. She needed to draw him out and show him how much she loved him.

 

“T
HE FOOD SMELLS
marvelous, C.J. What did you catch?”

His eyes appraised her possessively. She knew he
wanted her as much as she wanted him. “I caught a nice-size rainbow trout. Jake would have been impressed.”

“Sounds yummy. You've set the table beautifully. Thank you.” She found it difficult to talk when he looked at her like that. She wanted to get closer, so put the brief down to reach for her crutches.

“Let me carry you.”

“No. I need to keep up my strength. This is the first time I feel energetic enough to try. Just let me?” she begged.

He stood ready to catch her in case she fell, but she made it to the table easily and sat down on the bench. How fortunate she'd been in shape before the fire. Her arms had strength she didn't know they'd possessed. “That was easier than I thought.”

His gaze continued to travel over her intently. “You look very tempting tonight, Benny.”

She smiled. “Are you sure you're not the one taking drugs?”

“Oh, I'm sure.”

Tasha glanced down at herself, trying to figure out how jeans tucked into a boot and a green layered sweater looked attractive. She felt rumpled and put together like a rag doll. No makeup. And her hair…forget it!

“Now you're the one who has taken me by surprise,
Chris.
”

C.J. got up and served fish and noodles on a metal plate for her. He also brought her a water bottle. Once he'd fixed himself food, he sat down on the other side of the picnic table.

“I wondered when you were going to ask me about that,” he said.

Tasha took a bite of her fish and couldn't believe how delicious it tasted. Her problem was C.J. The currents of desire he sent across the table were making it hard for her to function, let alone use her utensils. Her body craved his, but he seemed to be keeping his distance, so she decided to play along, hoping she could lower his defenses.

“So where did ‘C.J.' come from? No one up here calls you by that name. But to me it seems strange to call you Chris. Would you like me to?”

He rubbed his evening whiskers, which she longed to touch. “I don't know if I want you to call me that. Chris is a name that belongs to my childhood in Alaska, my past. I left it here and went to the big city to be somebody, to become something.”

“And you did!” Tasha reached out and stroked his other hand, which was resting on the table. He responded by grasping hers, and the touch was electrifying. “You're a captain of a fire station and a hero.”

“There's more. I hurt my family badly as a teenager, especially Jake. We both liked the same girl. Jake thought he was going to marry her. Then he found out I was seeing her on the side. It broke his heart and he didn't forgive me for years.

“I hated it up here. I had no idea Jake loved the girl so much he wanted to marry her. We competed over everything. Jake was the smart one. I was the athletic one. So I took off for California and changed everything.”

Tasha saw the pain in C.J.'s eyes. How sad to think competition for a girl had kept two brothers apart for
years. “But you were just a kid then,” she murmured. “You can't be so hard on yourself, sweetheart.”

“That's what everyone in my family keeps saying. I thought going by the initials C.J. was a great idea. I refused to be Chris Powell from Alaska. Nope. I was C.J. Powell, a firefighter for the San Francisco Fire Department.”

“What made you pick San Francisco?” Tasha asked as she started to eat. C.J. was finally beginning to unwind.

“It had a cool climate and was on the ocean. And of course, it was far away from home. There was also the allure of just living in California.”

“I can relate to that.”

She felt his body stiffen. “So…what do you think of Chris Powell?”

That question stopped her right in the middle of taking a bite of trout. “Will you let me show you?” Tasha started to reach for her crutches, but he was there picking her up and carrying her to bed faster than lightning. He laid her down carefully so her foot wouldn't be jarred.

She looked up at him. “No fair, Chris. I need you to lie down. I want to show you what I think of the man I can't wait to marry.”

He stretched out next to her so she could lean on her elbow and stare at his face.

“First off, I love your hair and the way it curls around your ears.” She leaned over to kiss the hair there, causing him to respond in turn. “Next, your eyes tell so much of what you're thinking and feeling.”

She pulled away a little to draw her lips across his
rough jaw. It felt like heaven. Then she hovered just above his mouth, deciding how to say it. “I don't care if you use initials or go by the name your parents gave you. To me you'll always be Jeremiah, anyway.”

His eyes danced in the glow of the wood-burning stove. “Two can play this game, Benny. You just didn't realize you're playing with a master.” He rolled her over and stared down at her lovingly.

“A master, huh?” she teased. “I didn't know you could master anything.” Her comment produced a flash of the competitive C.J. she loved to rile.

“I have my masters in engineering from San Francisco State University, remember?”

“Oh, I know. And it just about killed Tim. He kept rambling on that the only degree that mattered was from City College of San Francisco, where you guys got your fire science degrees.”

“Tim never could get over that I continued on with school,” C.J. said musingly.

“I don't think he cared. He was happy being an EMT. He didn't have the dreams you did, C.J.”

“You just called me C.J.”

“I just can't think of you as Chris. Is that okay? At least for now.”

“With you, anything's okay.”

“Really?” She was through talking, and brought his face down to hers. She wanted to be kissed in the worst way.

“One more thing, sweetheart.”

“Ugh…what now?”

“You've told me Tim was always in competition with me. Why did you say that?”

“Oh, honey, you were better than he was at the academy, at school and you excelled at the department. You have this way that draws people to you. It was a healthy rivalry, but he
was
jealous.”

“I had no idea. He had your unconditional love—no question, no strings, no liabilities.”

“Except for me, C.J. I paid the price all those years, following him around like a fool.”

“No, Tasha. You weren't the fool.
He
was, for not seeing what an exceptional woman he had loving him.”

Tasha drew C.J. closer. “I'm grateful for those years. Without them I would never have met you.”

He began to rub her stomach. Then his hand traveled slowly to her face where he cupped her cheek. “Do you really mean that? Are you over Tim?”

“C.J.!”
Her body was alive and her mind barely coherent. In a voice thick with emotion, she said, “I would never have let you into my life and heart if I wasn't over him. He was a crush. A lasting one, but a crush. With you I've finally found out what it means to be loved by a man who's real, not a friend who can't give that kind of love.”

He sealed her words with a heart-stopping kiss. Tasha loved the feel of his muscular body on hers and ached to touch him. When she started to unbutton his flannel shirt, he let her. Underneath lay a tight fitting T-shirt, allowing her to explore his pectorals and biceps.

She could feel his body tremble each time her hand caressed him, and finally broke the kiss. “Are you hurt?”