Trial by Fire (9 page)

“My family isn’t rich.” She laughed, not offended in the least. “Daddy has a successful law practice, which my older sister, Grace, joined as a partner last year, but he’s worked like a dog for as long as I can remember. He—”

“Emily!” A woman’s shrill scream shattered the beautiful afternoon.
“Emileeeeee! OhGodohGod!”

Howard bolted to his feet, heart pounding. He knew the awful, keening sound of a mother’s grief and terror. Was more intimately acquainted than most with the stab of fear driving straight through a man’s sternum, knowing every second counted. Years of training kicked in as he scanned down river, toward the crowd.

Two men plunged into the river at a dead run, toward a small figure bobbing a few feet from shore.

Kat came to her feet beside him. “Howard? What is it?”

“The baby,” he rasped. “Jesus Christ.”

Adrenaline turbo-charged his legs as he took off, but his mind was sharp as a knife blade. Assess the situation, take the appropriate action. Nothing else mattered.

One of the men scooped a limp, wet bundle into his arms, screaming frantically for help.

Howard ran harder, praying sixteen years in the trenches was enough to save Emily Jean.

5

Kat took off after Howard and stumbled, unable to keep up with his long-legged stride. For such a big man, he covered ground like a deer, swift and with purpose.

That precious baby! Dear God, let her be okay.

But she wasn’t. That fact became horribly clear as Kat skidded to a halt in the middle of pandemonium.

The tall brown-haired woman Kat presumed to be the mother was completely hysterical, grabbing at the baby in the man’s arms, unintentionally creating more of a problem rather than helping. Howard took control of the situation, barking orders like a man used to having them followed.

“Lay her on the ground,” he fired at the white-faced man holding Emily. To the second guy, the one who’d followed the first into the river, he gestured to indicate the mother and snapped, “Hold her,
now.
”

Without a word and barely a nod, both men jumped to do as instructed.

Howard glanced to Kat. “Make sure someone is calling 911.”

Scanning the crowd to do as he asked, Kat felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see a teenager behind her, pointing to another young woman already making the call. Nodding, Kat returned her attention to the drama.

As he lowered Emily to the grass a few feet from the bank, the first man glanced at Howard, eyes wild. “Are you a doctor?”

“Paramedic. You the father?” Howard knelt, taking the baby’s arm and checking for a pulse at the bend of her elbow. Next, he pushed up the baby’s pink shirt, probing the upper abdomen with his fingertips.

“Yes.” His voice cracked. “Please, she’s so little—”

“I’ve got a pulse, so we’re gonna get this water out of her lungs, then get some air in there,” Howard said, the picture of calm authority. “What’s your name?”

The man blinked. “Phil.”

“Okay, Phil, I need you to keep a cool head in case I need an assist. You with me?”

Kat suspected he needed no such thing, but was trying to keep the man calm. Watching the lieutenant in action, she felt the kernel of respect planted last night grow by leaps and bounds.

“Sure.” Phil swallowed hard.

“Good. Right now I need you to talk to Emily, Phil. Let her know you’re here. That’s real important, okay?”

While Phil crooned to his daughter and stroked her wet hair, Howard used the heel of his hand to push upward on her diaphragm, careful not to apply too much force. Water gushed from between her lips, but not the copious amount Kat would’ve thought. After several pushes, Howard supported the baby with one hand under her back, the other on her tummy. As he carefully turned the baby over, Kat was struck by how huge his hands were, how tiny the child. His hands spanned her entire torso, could easily crush the little girl with their incredible strength, but the lieutenant handled her as though she were a priceless treasure.

Kat could tell Howard was getting the rest of the water from the baby’s lungs, pounding firmly on her back, but not hard enough to injure her. Only a thin trickle dribbled from the child’s lips now, and she prayed hard for the child to breathe.

Howard laid Emily on her back once more, then covered her nose and mouth, giving her puffs of air. To her right, the mother’s hysterical babbling became the low wail of an animal in agony. The awful sound raised gooseflesh on Kat’s arms, prickled her neck. Even if everything turned out all right, the eerie howls of a woman’s fear and grief would haunt her for a long time to come.

Oh, no, please—

Emily’s thin chest heaved, she gasped . . . and began to cry.

Kat’s legs went rubbery. A collective burst of joy and relief exploded from the crowd, people exclaiming, crying, hugging one another. The man who’d been holding the mother let go, and the woman fell to her knees beside Howard, tears streaming down her face.

“Emily, oh, sweetheart, thank God. Thank God!”

At the sound of her mother’s voice, the little girl held out her chubby arms and bawled louder, her cries interrupted by rattling coughs. The mom scooped up her daughter, holding her close, the two of them clinging to each other and making enough racket to rival a siren as Phil threw his arms around his girls.

It was a beautiful noise.

Forgotten for the moment, Howard lowered his head and closed his eyes, gripping his thighs so hard his knuckles were white. He sucked in a couple of deep breaths, then raised his head, his dark gaze connecting with Kat’s. His face was lined with strain, the near-tragedy catching up with him.

As he pushed to his feet, Kat closed the distance between them. Without pausing, she walked straight into his waiting arms. He crushed her against the warm, solid wall of his chest, and she felt his heart galloping madly as he rested his chin on top of her head. God, he was shaking, vibrating like he’d been plugged into a socket. This pillar of awesome strength had been as frightened for Emily as anyone here, but he’d pushed his fear deep to utilize his training and save a little girl.

“You were fantastic,” she whispered, hugging him tight.

He didn’t get the chance to reply. The father stood next to them, offering his hand. Shifting Kat to his left side and keeping his arm around her, he shook the man’s hand.

“I don’t know how to thank you,” Phil croaked. “I mean, Jesus, there aren’t any words.”

Howard attempted a smile. “Just keep a sharper eye on that little imp of yours. And maybe bring her by the Sugarland Fire Department for a visit next time you guys are out that way. I work the A-shift at Station Five.”

“We’ll do that.” Phil beamed, apparently glad to have a way to thank the man who saved his baby girl.

A fire truck and ambulance arrived three minutes later from nearby Ashland City, which was closer to this rural area than Sugarland. In minutes, the paramedics had conferred with Howard and Phil about the incident, examined the patient, then loaded mom and baby for a trip to the hospital. Emily would be just fine, but whether to have her checked out wasn’t even a question.

The crowd began to disperse, but not before much hand shaking and back thumping for Howard, who took the attention in stride.

Or appeared to. Once the last of the bunch departed, Howard turned to face Kat, linking his fingers with hers. Before he spoke, he had to clear his throat. More than once.

“I could sure use that walk now,” he said quietly.

Kat smiled, skimming his dear face with her free hand. “Sounds like what the doctor ordered. Under the circumstances, we can clean up our picnic stuff when we get back.”

Tugging on her hand, Howard led them across the parking lot to the trailhead at the base of the bluff overlooking the Cumberland. The switchback zigzagged upward to their left, the path rocky and steep. Howard had to let go of her, so she followed behind, enjoying the great view of his tight ass swinging in the Wranglers. She supposed she ought to feel guilty in light of what had just happened, but darn it, he was so freakin’ much
man.
Every muscled inch a treat for the female eye.

She frowned. How many pairs of female eyes had been treated to those gorgeous inches? The lieutenant claimed he didn’t date much.

Yeah, right. And I’m Paris Hilton.

Beating down the icky green monster, she scolded herself to suck it up. A man like Howard hadn’t spent the last couple of decades as a monk in Tibet, any more than she’d remained a lily-pure virgin awaiting her white knight. And wasn’t that a lovely thought?

Okay, no mud-slinging regarding ex-significant or not-so-significant others. But, damn, she couldn’t help but wonder how many women had lain in his arms, pressed against his big, naked body. How many had shivered in delight at the sensual slide of his bronzed skin against theirs, the hard length of him sinking deep, mastering his lovers as no man ever had, spiraling them into mindless oblivion.

Lordy, she must be one sick woman. The eroticism of those images had her panting and hot from more than the climb. The warm, tingling sensation between her legs begged to be stoked to a blaze only Howard could douse.

What did the past matter between two healthy, consenting adults? He’d made it abundantly clear he wanted her, and she knew for a fact firefighters must pass regular physicals to keep their jobs. Minimal risk, discounting the part about the possible mangled and bleeding heart at the end.

Howard wasn’t even breathing hard as he reached a level clearing halfway to the top, the stinker. Her teasing complaint died on her lips as he walked to the edge of the scenic overlook and hooked his thumbs in his jeans, staring out over the river below. She went to stand beside him, taking a minute to catch her breath.

“Is it always this hard?” she inquired softly.

He didn’t have to ask what she meant. “With anyone, but especially kids.” His deep voice broke on the last word.

“You should be proud of yourself. Emily’s going to be all right because of you.”

“I’m relieved, don’t get me wrong.” He sighed. “It’s the rush, you know? All the emotion we keep locked down to do whatever it takes. Then when the crisis is over, it’s like . . .” He trailed off, searching for the right analogy.

“A dam breaking,” she suggested.

He nodded. “Exactly. Fear, anxiety, relief, all that stuff jumbled together, trying to come out at once. And Christ, when we lose one, throw sadness into the mix. We grieve, not the same as the families because nothing could touch their feelings, but we have to work through the loss all the same.”

“I’ve never thought about firefighters grieving. I mean, I see the fire trucks and ambulances going to calls, maybe to a wreck, and I think about the victims and their families, wonder what happened. I guess in the back of my mind, I always thought the emergency crew just shrugs their shoulders, chalks up another life lost, and walks away.” The admission shamed her a little.

“You’re talking about compartmentalization. Shoving the horror into a tiny box and burying it deep, never to be examined again. Cops get that rap most often, and there’s a lot of truth to the stereotype because they work alone. Whatever is thrown at them, they deal, alone.” His lips turned up in a ghost of a smile.

“With us, it’s different. Believe it or not, we
talk.
After a bad call, we’ve been known to stay up all night rehashing the incident. Decompressing. Did we follow every single procedure to the letter? Was there anything else we should’ve or could’ve done? We’re a team and we deal as a team so every single guy can do his job next time without any doubt or fear to cloud good judgment.”

“That’s remarkable.” A surge of pride welled in her chest. Just standing next to this incredible man made her feel good, like she could conquer the world. They’d just met, and yet somehow, she felt as though she’d known him forever. They clicked.

“You’re remarkable.” He cupped her cheeks, mocha brown eyes searching her face. “How did I find someone so beautiful
and
so easy to talk to? How did I get so lucky?”

She had about two seconds to read the sincerity in his gaze before his lips met hers. Brushing the sides of her face with his thumbs, he kissed her gently, their bodies not quite touching. Center-of-the-sun heat radiated off him, but he didn’t press close like before. He held back as his tongue invaded, danced with hers, exploring. Seducing, making her want.

Oh, God, yes.
Oh yeah, she wanted. She wanted him horizontal, his big, naked body wrapped around hers. Ached to have him inside her, completing them both. Judging from the impressive erection, he’d be long and thick. Hot and hard. She had to
know.

“Kat.” Howard sank to his knees, pulling her down with him. She went eagerly, taking her cues from him. Excited and aroused, she wondered how far he’d go and knew she’d let him, despite the danger of discovery here in the open. Or perhaps, in part, because of the thrill of it all.

He eased Kat onto her back in a patch of grass and stretched out beside her. Rolling, he angled himself over her, tunneled his fingers through her hair. He ate her mouth like a man born to kiss, a rumble of pure male satisfaction vibrating in his chest. She loved the delicious weight of him, the cords of muscle standing out in relief on his neck and arms as he held her. She reveled in his hard thigh thrown over hers, entwining their legs, his erection riding her hip.