Wildfire (26 page)

Devon gave him a puzzled look. Elaine didn’t smoke, but he acted as if he knew what he was talking about so she followed his directions. As she was about to pass through the doors, Devon came to a dead stop.

Elaine stood talking to an attractive woman who was stroking her arm affectionately. At first, all Devon could see was her lover. Exhaustion was etched across her face and she looked like she hadn’t had a decent shower since she’d left. She was thinner and looked as though she was in desperate need of a good meal. Devon almost pushed through the door, but Elaine’s distant expression made Devon take a second look at the other woman. Perhaps they were just colleagues.

But when someone opened the door to come back in, Devon was able to catch part of their conversation. The woman laughed and spoke coyly, “I’m glad you’re back, darling, it felt like you were gone forever.”

Elaine pulled her arm away from the other woman’s touch. Before the doors closed Elaine answered, “Grace, I doubt very much that you even noticed I was gone.”

Grace!
This woman who was touching Elaine, this woman hanging on Elaine, this was Grace? She was an extremely attractive woman and flaunted it almost like a weapon.

After everything Elaine had told her about Grace, seeing the viper for real still stunned her. The gall! Devon was torn between marching out there and ripping this woman’s head off for the pain she had put Elaine through and standing right here so she could watch Elaine do it.

She had been gone for weeks and Devon knew she would be tired and sore and a confrontation with Grace was the last thing she needed now.

She knew she shouldn’t eavesdrop, but she doubted any woman in the world could have walked away at that moment. She stood against the wall out of the way of those passing by, but still in plain sight should either of them glance her way and close enough that she was still able to hear what was being said.

Why Grace had insisted they step outside was beyond Elaine. But rather than allowing Grace to make a scene, she had agreed. She was tired and wanted nothing more than to go home to Devon’s waiting arms. She ached to see her lover.

She was too tired to deal with Grace, but it was easier to listen to her now than fight with her later. Grace had been one of the few rangers to stay behind to manage their own state from within the safe confines of the ranger station. It was so like Grace to volunteer for
that
duty.

She crossed her arms across her chest as Grace prattled about unimportant things, not really wanting to hear anything that Grace had to say.

Elaine wasn’t buying her I-was-worried-about-you-because-I-care act for a moment. “I don’t know what was so important that you had to drag me out here, but I doubt that you have anything to say that I would be interested in hearing unless it’s station business.”

Grace made a motion with her hand as if she were waving Elaine’s words aside. It was a gesture that Elaine knew too well and hated. “Come on, Laney, don’t be that way.”

Grace’s voice was practically a whine and Elaine’s patience was wearing thin. Everything they had once shared had been over a long time ago and was washed away all those weeks ago in the stream.

The thought of that stream brought a slight smile to her lips. That was the day she had met Devon and her life began. She couldn’t wait to get out of here. She had a few days off and she intended to spend them getting reacquainted with the woman she so desperately loved.

Grace’s laughter interrupted her thoughts. “Oh Elaine, I do love you.”

Elaine ignored the people who were finishing their break. It was obvious they were trying to be discreet about leaving the area and the private conversation they couldn’t help but overhear. “I loved you too, Grace. Past tense.” She was grateful when the door closed again. “At least I thought I loved you. Now I don’t know you. You were an important part of my life. But now I can see that we haven’t loved each other in a very long time. I loved the idea of what we
could be
. But we both know that the fantasy ended long before your affair.”

Grace leaned in to kiss her as though that would change Elaine’s mind. As soon as she realized Grace’s intention, Elaine was overwhelmed by revulsion. These lips had lied to her and cheated on her. These lips weren’t Devon’s.

She pushed her away. “I don’t know what kind of game you are trying to play, but I want no part of it. Don’t you dare touch me again.”

Grace regained her composure quickly and interrupted Elaine. “It’s no game, darling. Don’t you see? I had to be with someone else…for us.”

Her jaw dropped as Grace continued. “I had to sleep with someone else to remind us both of what we had been missing. That’s why I brought you out here, to tell you that I’m ready for us to be together again. Don’t you remember how good we were together?”

Elaine remembered the betrayal. She remembered Grace’s biting words and the cold, calculated way she had learned that Grace was moving in with someone else. She remembered how invisible she felt when she was with Grace. So different from how alive and comfortable and loved and safe she felt with Devon.

With a firm steady voice, so that Grace—and anyone else in earshot—could not misconstrue her words, Elaine said, “I’m sorry, Grace, but I don’t want you back. I don’t love you. I deserve better than you and I always did. I don’t want to live in the past and I don’t want to live with someone I don’t trust. Most importantly, I don’t want to live with someone that I no longer like. I don’t want to hurt you and I don’t want you to think I harbor any ill will toward you, but I can honestly say that I feel nothing for you and I have no desire to be your leftovers, not now, not ever again. Can I possibly be any clearer? Don’t bring this subject up again and don’t drag me out here in full view of our colleagues like this again. I won’t tolerate it.”

Elaine paused, making sure her words were sinking in. “Your walking out was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. I now know what true love is and I have found that with someone else. I’ve moved on, Grace. I certainly hope that you can too.”

Without another word, Elaine spun on her heel. She was done.

Then she saw Devon. Beautiful, strong, tender and nothing but a thin pane of glass separated them. Their eyes locked and it seemed like it had been forever since she had touched her and kissed her. She flung open the door hardly able to contain an intimate embrace.

“I’m so proud of you baby,” Devon whispered with a warm loving smile on her face. It was clear that Devon had heard every word that Elaine had said. Elaine’s eyes swept over the short skirt and tailored blouse. Her mouth went dry as it always did when she saw Devon, no matter what she was or wasn’t wearing.

“It was just the truth—” Before she could finish her sentence, someone seized her shoulder and spun her around.

Grace was seething and Elaine thought irrelevantly that it was really quite unattractive. “Don’t think that I buy for one second that you really found another woman, darling. You were damn lucky to have me and don’t think any
lady
will be as tolerant of you as I was…always coming home covered in filth.” Grace huffed childishly.

She realized she was just too tired to deal when Devon stepped around her into view.

Grace’s expression instantly changed. She wore a sickening sugary smile as she looked Devon up and down.

Devon’s voice resembled that of someone who was giving a stranger directions but Elaine could see the disdain Devon felt for Grace burning in her eyes. “You must be Grace.”

Grace pulled herself up and offered her hand. “Yes and you would be?”

Devon looked down at the proffered hand with contempt, then locked gazes with Grace. “My name is
Doctor
Devon McKinney. The
lady
who is lucky enough to share Elaine’s bed every night and who has eagerly looked forward to her return.”

Devon pulled Elaine to her side and it seemed totally natural to give her a kiss, but the instant their lips met, the kiss stopped being for Grace’s benefit and instantly became about them. She felt Devon’s joyful response, forgot about Grace and that they were at the ranger station. All that mattered was that they were in each other’s arms again. Elaine was safe and home and their long separation was over. It wasn’t until Brad discreetly cleared his throat behind them that they parted breathless and several more seconds before they broke eye contact.

“Let’s get out of here,” Elaine managed to say.

Devon got that look in her eye, the same look as when she started a snowball fight. She gave Grace a sideways glance. “I really should thank you. If you hadn’t been foolish enough to give up such a wonderful woman, I might never have known the wonder of loving her and being loved by her.”

As they began to turn away, Devon paused. “Oh and Grace?” She waited for Grace to make eye contact before smiling sweetly at her. “Smart ladies love to have their women come home filthy, because it’s so
very
enjoyable
helping them get
all
clean.”

Elaine heard snickers from the onlookers, who had all been trying to look as if they weren’t listening in. Grace had asked for it and if Elaine hadn’t already been planning to kiss Devon, she would have just for that.

Elaine couldn’t get the silly grin off her face. She knew she was in for some good-natured ribbing from her guys later, but even that was perfectly okay. “I need something from my office. It’s over here.”

Elaine led them into her office and closed the office door behind them, leaning against it for a moment.

Devon turned and looked at the floor before raising her eyes to Elaine’s. “I’m sorry about that.” She waved her hand in the direction they had just come from.

“You are?” Elaine took a step toward her.

Devon bit her lower lip in the way she did when she was nervous about something. A habit that Elaine found endearing. “Well, not about what I said to Grace.”

“So you aren’t?” Another step.

Devon shook her head. “Not unless I said something that hurt you.”

Elaine smiled. “You didn’t say anything that wasn’t true.” Another step.

Devon looked her square in the eyes. “I wanted to kiss you. I needed to kiss you.”

Elaine’s smile grew. “To make a point?” She was just a step away from Devon now.

“At first…yes. But you know that when it comes to kissing you I can’t stop at just a peck. Once I touch your lips I can’t stop and…Oh God, Elaine, I’m so sorry if I embarrassed you or got you into any kind of trouble.”

Elaine pulled Devon into her arms. “Right now every man and lesbian out there wishes they were me.” Elaine gave her a crooked smile. “Hell, I think half the straight women wish they were too. You are a beautiful and amazing woman and I am so incredibly in love with you,
Doctor
Devon McKinney
.”

“I’m so completely in love with you too Captain Thomas.” Devon smiled sheepishly and bit her lip again. “So how much trouble will you be in?”

Elaine looked steadily into Devon’s eyes so she could see the truth there. “None. And even if I were I would gladly accept it. Grace is the one who brought our personal life into the workplace and she will be the one who deals with the consequences. I’m done paying for her mistakes.”

“Enough about her, then.” Devon slid her hand into Elaine’s ash-covered hair and pulled her in for a soulful kiss. When they pulled apart to breathe Devon whispered, “I’ve been dreaming about that every single night since you left.”

“Devon, if I didn’t need a shower so bad I would make love to you right here on my desk.”

Devon smiled and ran her finger along Elaine’s bottom lip. “As tempting as that sounds, I wasn’t lying about what I told Grace out there. One of my favorite things about your job is how much I love helping you get clean after a hard day’s work.”

Elaine felt her knees weaken.

“Can you come home now or do you have to stay longer?”

“I have some reports that need to be filed, but I can submit them online. And since I’ve been gone for so long I have a few days off. What about you?”

“To keep myself from going crazy worrying about you, I worked…
a lot
. So I arranged to have a few days off.”

Elaine smiled. “You did, huh?”

“Yep, I figured since you were busy saving our forests you might need a little pampering when you got home.”

The prospect of being in Devon’s arms, making love, sleeping and waking up to do it all over again seemed to make her feel not so tired after all. “What did you have in mind?”

Devon hooked her arm around Elaine’s. “Why don’t you grab your gear and I’ll take you home and show you. We might even find the time to call for delivery to keep your strength up.”

“Oh God, woman!”

Devon leaned forward and purred in Elaine’s ear, “You can leave your truck here. I’ll bring you back to get it in a few days.”

“A few days?”

“You won’t need it before then.”

“I won’t?”

Devon smiled. “I’m still debating about whether I’m actually going to let you out of bed over the next few days.”

Elaine swallowed and suddenly couldn’t get the office door open fast enough. “Lead the way, my love. I’ll gladly follow you anywhere.”