Wildfire (22 page)

“Turned out that way. He ran the local nursery. After all, I was a good customer. I bought plants, killed them and bought more.” She sipped her coffee. “He’d inherited all of this, didn’t have family and wanted to make sure someone would go on limiting development out here. Eventually, I’d like to grant some of it to the BLM. There’s just not enough green space in this world.”

“It suits you.”

Does it suit you, Devon wanted to ask her. Could Elaine picture herself living here too? The question trembled on her lips, but it was just too soon. No need for a U-Haul. Elaine had some baggage named Grace that still troubled her.

Not sure what to say, she did the one thing that always seemed right—she slipped into Elaine’s arms and kissed her.

No longer surprised by her carnal thoughts when Devon was around, Elaine held her tight and considered what it would be like to make love to her on the deck with nothing but stars to cover them. Everything else about Devon’s house suited her personality as well. It was nice without being overbearing. It fit perfectly into the landscape. The furniture was softly worn and comfortable, inviting any visitor to stay. There was absolutely no pretense here.

The phone rang, startling them apart. Devon returned with the receiver cradled against her ear.

“Raine, what do you mean, I sound different?” She winked at Elaine.

Devon paused to listen again and started laughing. Her breath caught as Devon looked at her with a smoldering gaze. “I sound tired? You are the one about to deliver any day now. Yes, it was a tiring assignment, but I slept good last night.” Devon flashed a wink at her.

Devon continued to laugh before finally saying, “Okay. Okay. Yes, Raine, I’ll be over to see you later today just like I said. Okay. I love you too. Bye.” Devon hung up the phone and placed it on the rail before stepping back into Elaine’s arms.

“What time do you have to go to work?” she asked. She wasn’t looking forward to the prospect of Devon leaving, but she had to be realistic. As much as she may want to, they couldn’t hide away forever.

“I have to run the samples I collected by the lab, which shouldn’t take long. Then I thought we could stop by Raine’s for a little while, if you don’t mind.” Devon was studying her for a reaction.

Elated and scared all at once, she asked, “You aren’t going to tell Raine that you are bringing company with you?”

Devon laughed and wrapped her arms around Elaine. “Are you kidding? First, she wouldn’t let me off the phone because she would be peppering me with questions. Second, I didn’t want her to drop my nephew right there on the kitchen floor.”

Elaine laughed. “I would love to meet your sister, sweetheart.”

“Maybe after we go to Raine’s and the lab we could stop off for an early dinner…hmm?”

Elaine loved her teasing tone. “Dinner?”

Devon cocked her head to the side as she smiled at Elaine. “I do need to keep your strength up after all.”

“And why is that Dr. McKinney?”

“Because, Captain Thomas, I fully intend to bring you back here and wear you out all over again.” Devon could feel the shiver that passed through Elaine’s body and delighted in her response.

“Mmm, I like the sound of that,” Elaine murmured against Devon’s lips before capturing her mouth in a probing kiss.

Elaine knew where the EPA office was. When they arrived Elaine was pleased with Devon’s invitation to come into her office with her. She had thought that she would wait in the truck while Devon ran in.

Still Elaine teased, “You only want me to come in so I can help you carry these boxes.”

Devon flashed her a smile. “Hey, I’m no fool.”

A woman left her microscope to relieve Devon of the box she was carrying. She plopped the box on the near table and greeted Devon with a warm hug. “Hey Dev, it’s good to have you back.”

Devon smiled at her. “You may not think so when you see what I brought for you.”

Elaine gingerly set down the box she was carrying next to Devon’s, then dusted her hands. Devon performed introductions.

“Captain Elaine Thomas of the US Forest Service this is Dr. Ginger Grant of the EPA.”

They exchanged pleasantries as a larger man emerged from an office. He too greeted Elaine. An easy smile lit up his face. “Evan Morris.”

Before Elaine could respond, he had directed his attention to Devon. “I read your daily field reports, but look forward to the comprehensive analysis. I’ll have Carl start getting these samples into the scanning electron microscope right away so we can see what we really have. How’d things look up there?”

“Starting to return slowly but surely. Maybe in a few more years we’ll see some real changes.”

They quickly dropped into work jargon, allowing Elaine to watch the way Devon interacted with her colleagues. There was a lot of respect between them, it showed, but they all also had matching frowns of concern as they gestured at their work stations and files. Like many government staffers, they had so much to do and not enough time to do it.

The talked turned personal, so there was affection there as well. Devon patiently answered the onslaught of rapidly fired questions about being out in the cold, the snowstorm, Raine, the baby, Phillip and Stacey.

Elaine was aware of a few curious glances directed at her—why was she still hanging out with Devon? She tried not to blush or fidget. In another setting she’d probably get the third degree. Evan’s manner was distinctly paternal.

After a few more minutes they finally managed to break free from the gathering and took their leave.

Once in the truck Devon reached over and held Elaine’s hand. Raine didn’t live but maybe five minutes from the lab, in a nice suburb. Elaine took it all in, feeling slightly overwhelmed. She was silently processing the details of Devon’s life when they pulled into the driveway of a well-kept one-story brick home.

Before Devon could even knock the door swung open and a very pregnant woman threw herself into Devon’s embrace. Elaine stood to the side, smiling, as the two women talked simultaneously, but amazingly seemed to keep up with the other’s conversation.

Finally, Raine stepped back and ushered them in. Her astute eyes didn’t miss the fact that Devon reached for Elaine’s hand as they walked in.

“What would you two like to drink?”

“Raine, sit down and I’ll get it.”

“Don’t ‘Raine’ me, Devon. Sit down and let me treat you like the guests in my home that you are. I’ve had about enough of Stacey not letting me do a thing for myself.” Raine turned and began venting her obvious frustration with Stacey’s over-the-top protectiveness.

“I mean look at me. The doctor said putting on some weight is healthy, but Stacey is here three times a day making sure I’m the size of a cow.”

Devon couldn’t help but laugh and then laugh harder as her sister scowled. She reluctantly acquiesced and joined Elaine on the sofa.

“So what would you like to drink? Iced tea, soda, water?”

Devon looked at Elaine for her preference and then back to Raine. “Tea sounds great.”

A moment later, Raine returned with two glasses of tea and Elaine almost burst out laughing when she saw the mint sprig in the top of her glass.
It must run in the family.

When Raine went back to the kitchen to get her own beverage Devon smiled and pulled the mint leaf from Elaine’s glass. She licked it, stroked it with her tongue and sucked on it before she finally placed it in her mouth.

Elaine was excruciatingly wet. “You did that on purpose,” she accused.

“So?” She turned to give her sister an angelic smile.

Elaine was increasingly aware of Raine’s scrutiny as the sisters talked. The two were a lot alike in that they were both very perceptive. But it wasn’t exactly like Devon was doing a damn thing to try and hide the nature of their relationship.

Raine broke off mid-sentence and grabbed her side. Devon nearly leapt across the coffee table to put her hand on Raine’s stomach.

Raine gave her a sideways glare. “Oh, I see. No ‘Raine are you okay? Raine can I get you anything?’ You just want to feel the baby kick. While you find that amazing and wonderful and sweet, I’ll have you know that’s my rib he’s breaking.”

“You love it and you know it.”

Raine ignored her sister and turned her attention to Elaine. “I swear I used to think lesbians had the right idea. Now I think you’re all just nuts. Stacey just wants to play Godmother, Devon can’t wait to be Auntie Dev and Phillip…well, Phillip is so in for it when he gets home. He’s here long enough to get me pregnant and enjoy himself and then leaves me to push something roughly the size of a football out of my body. It isn’t natural I tell you!”

After a moment Devon moved back to the sofa, tucking her legs underneath her and leaning into Elaine. Raine pointed at them but addressed her sister. “So, tell me about this. You didn’t say anything on the phone.”

Devon smiled up at Elaine and then back at her sister. “Elaine is a captain with the US Forest Service,” Devon paused to wink at Elaine, “and my babysitter while I was up there.”

Raine smiled at Elaine. “And you thought she might need some more babysitting when she returned home?”

Elaine threw her head back in amusement. “Yeah, something like that.”

Devon rolled her eyes. “Yes, Raine, Elaine is my lover. Are you happy now?”

Raine beamed. “If it wasn’t so much work to get out of this chair I would come over there and give you a hug. It’s about damn time Dev met someone.” Raine paused and tapped the fingertips of each hand together. “Now if we could just get the elusive Ms. Stacey Bailey to settle down.”

“As a matter of fact it would seem our very own Stacey has met a woman who she
actually
wants to see again, but this mysterious woman wants nothing to do with her.”

Raine almost squealed in delight. “I know that you are going to pay for giving me this information, Dev and for that I’m sorry, but thank you, thank you, thank you. This I can use.” Raine’s eyes took on a mischievous gleam. “And yes, I know Stacey has only been mothering me because she loves me. But she has been worse than I think Mom would be and if tormenting her with this is all the satisfaction I get then bless you!”

Devon laughed and the two sisters continued to talk, including Elaine in the conversation the entire time. Devon took all three of their empty glasses to the kitchen where she rinsed them and set them in the dishwasher. She helped her sister to her feet for a hug.

“Elaine and I are going to slip out for dinner.” Devon winked at her sister. “Besides I’m not going to be around when Stacey gets here with your dinner and finds out that you met Elaine first.”

Raine laughed and walked them to the door. “Elaine, it was nice to meet you.” This time Raine did hug Elaine, to the extent her stomach would allow. “I’ll see you two soon.”

Devon smiled. “Yes, you will.”

 “I’ve never been the way I am with you. It’s like I can’t get enough of you. I have this urgent need for you all the time,” Elaine whispered the following morning.

Devon kissed her forehead gently and ran her finger across Elaine’s lips. “Baby, I feel the same way.”

Baby. God, she loved the sound of that rolling off Devon’s lips.

She rested her chin on the arm that draped over Devon. “You drive me crazy; you know that, don’t you?”

Devon lazily rubbed her back, a smile tugged at her lips. “I hope you mean that in a good way.”

Her smile was slow and lazy. “I mean that in the very best way.”

Devon leaned up and kissed her. “It’s only right that I should drive you crazy after the way you ravaged me last night.”

“I absolutely did not ravage you!” she stated with mock indignation.

Devon continued to laugh. “If you say so.”

“I got a little…aggressive. I can’t help it if I lose control with you. How is that my fault?”

“Elaine, you are an amazing and responsive lover. I absolutely love the way you show me what you want and when you want it.”

Sudden banging on the front door had them both stumbling out of bed.

“Get out of bed,” someone yelled.

Her heart was pounding in alarm, but Devon’s mirth was palpable as she struggled into her robe. She’d scarcely opened the door when she was promptly swept into the visitor’s arms. “Welcome back, love.”

For the briefest of moments she felt a pang of jealousy like none she had ever felt before and then she recognized Stacey from her picture. She hoped the jeans and Tee she’d pulled on were tidy enough.

“I couldn’t wait another day to see you. I get a phone call two days ago and then nothing.”

Devon laughed and hugged her again. “I’ve been a little busy.”

Stacey met Elaine’s gaze over Devon’s shoulder. One eyebrow lifted.

Devon stepped away from Stacey and Elaine felt a strange sense of relief when she saw Devon’s expression. The look that told her that Devon was right where she wanted to be when she stepped into the circle of Elaine’s arms. Once Elaine had recognized Stacey all feelings of jealousy were gone. Devon had said that they were best friends, almost like sisters and Elaine trusted that.