A Moment on the Lips (A Whistle Stop Romance, #3) (25 page)

He might be tired—okay, exhausted—but his memory was intact. He’d made sure to turn everything off, both upstairs in his apartment and downstairs in the shop.

Was it a burglar?

In Whistle Stop? Nah.

There was nothing in his coffee shop worth stealing.

Joe swung his pickup off to the side of the road and hopped out. As his feet moved swiftly over the asphalt, a sick feeling started to churn in the pit of his stomach. Something wasn’t right here. Was that smoke? He inhaled more deeply. Something most definitely wasn’t right.

When he neared the covered windows of Fill-It-Up Joe, he knew where the light was coming from. His chest tightened. The building was on fire.

The automatic fire alarm was one of those details he had yet to mark off on his to-do list. He grabbed his cell phone and dialed 911. His gaze zeroed in on the flames licking at the windows.
This can’t be happening. It has to be a nightmare
.

When his attention moved to the Poppin’ Fresh Bakery, his frantic thoughts turned to Piper. His gaze lifted to the second floor. She’d be upstairs, sound asleep. With their buildings connected, it wouldn’t be a stretch to imagine the fire jumping over to her side.

He had to get her to safety. After giving the operator the necessary information, he disconnected the phone call just as he heard the alarm at the fire station blow, piercing the silence of the night with its eerie screech. Joe took off running to the Poppin’ Fresh. He grasped the metal handle of the front door, relieved to find it was still cool to the touch. But frustration pumped through his veins upon finding the door locked. He banged on the wood frame with both fists. “Piper! Piper, wake up!”

The siren continued to pierce the night with its call to action. He stared up at the second floor. There were still no lights. Had she heard him?

With adrenaline fueling him, he set off at a sprint for the back of the building where a staircase led to her apartment. When he got there, he noticed flames beating against the windows of his side of the building, and smoke seeped around the back door of Piper’s place.

There wasn’t time to waste waiting for the firefighters. He had to get in there. The thought of Piper dying in this fire made his heart lurch.

He tried the doorknob. It was locked. Since when did she start locking her doors? Wasn’t she the one who’d preached at him about not having to worry about crime in Whistle Stop? And if someone did bother to steal, they were obviously far worse off than them.

Luckily, he had on a jacket to offset the chill of the evening. He pulled his sleeve down over his hand and banged his elbow hard against the glass panel in the door. The thin pane gave way easily. Careful not to cut himself on the sharp pieces, he reached through and turned the dead bolt.

He swung the door open. “Piper!” Nothing. “Piper!”

The smoke wasn’t heavy...at least not down in the kitchen. He had no idea what to expect on the second floor, but that didn’t stop him from taking the steps two at a time in the pitch dark. He knew his way around after spending every evening in the past week or so at her place.

He burst through her front door. “Piper!” There was no sound. He turned, squinting into the dark. “Piper, speak to me.”

In the darkness, he tripped over something on the floor. Piper did have a lot of stuff crammed into the apartment. Though his shin ached, he kept moving toward the bedroom.

He heard the distinct sound of a door squeaking open. “Joe? What are you doing here in the middle of the night?”

“Hurry! There’s a fire.”

“What? Where?”

“Come on.” He reached for her, but she backed away. “Piper, we have to get out.”

“I...I need my stuff.”

He lunged forward, catching hold of her hand and pulling her toward him. “You have to come with me.”

She spread her hands out in front of her as though searching for something. “But I have to get—”

“There isn’t time. We have to go.” The sirens of emergency vehicles grew closer. Gripping her hand tightly, he started down the steps. The smoke grew thicker, and he started to cough.

Piper hesitated, but he didn’t let go of her, nor did he slow down. He’d heard of the dangers of inhaling smoke. Piper coughed repeatedly. There weren’t any flames here, just smoke. Lots of smoke. His lungs and eyes burned.

At last, they reached the ground floor. In the dark, his hand fumbled around until his fingers wrapped around the doorknob. He threw the door open and rushed out into the fresh night air. Cough after cough racked his body. Joe had never realized until that moment what a blessing it was to be able to breathe clean air.

“Wait. I need to put on some clothes.” Piper pulled free from his hold.

She doesn’t have any clothes on?

He immediately turned to her, taking in her disheveled appearance. It appeared all she had on was an oversized T-shirt. Even her feet were bare. Any other time, he’d have been enticed by her appearance, but this definitely wasn’t the time. “We need to get you something to wear.”

“I’ve got it.” She held up some jeans and shoes. “Just give me a moment.”

While she slipped on her clothes, he glanced back at the building. Dark smoke poured out of every crevice. His stomach sank down to his cowboy boots. He just hoped help arrived in time.

“Okay, I got my jeans on. Just need my shoes.” Piper gripped his arm as she slipped on a pair of tennis shoes. “Done. Let’s go.”

They moved to the front of the building where the glow of the fire was very obvious in his storefront. The thought of his dreams and hopes going up in flames made his stomach churn.

“I...I’m sorry.” Piper’s voice was soft at his side, but he heard her.

He pulled her close, drawing strength from the knowledge that she was safe. He hugged her close.

Emergency vehicles rolled to a stop with sirens blaring and red lights flashing, reflecting off the building and highlighting the surrounding trees. As the sirens silenced, men all suited up in yellow and black gear set to work, yanking a long line of hose from the fire engine. One man barked off orders as some of the other men grabbed oxygen tanks.

All around them there was a flurry of motion.

“Come on. We need to get out of the way.” Joe grabbed Piper’s arm as she stared at the horrific scene before them. He couldn’t blame her. None of it was making any sense to him either.

“What are we going to do?” There was a note of shock in her voice.

“I have absolutely no idea.”

He didn’t even want to think about what would have happened had he decided to take Holden up on his offer and spent another night on his couch. Would Piper have woken up in time to get out safely? A chill raced over his skin.

“I’m so sorry.” Piper’s voice was soft and cracked with emotion.

“It’s not your fault.”

She gazed up at him with tears gathering in her eyes. “I...I...”

“Shh...it’s okay. This wasn’t anyone’s fault.”

Or was it? Maybe he’d been in such a rush to leave for Holden’s ranch that he’d left something on. Though he highly doubted it. There had to be another explanation. But what?

He raked a hand through his hair. There’d be enough time for answers later. All he knew was that Piper was not to blame. Heck, she’d been sound asleep next door. She easily could have died. The thought sent ice-cold fingers of apprehension inching up his spine.

“Don’t worry. Everything will be all right.” He didn’t know exactly whom he meant those words for, himself or her. And he didn’t know if he believed them. But the ashen appearance of Piper’s face had him worried. It could be from smoke inhalation or shock. “Do you need a paramedic?”

She shook her head. “I...I’m fine.”

“You’re sure?”

She nodded. Her gaze moved back to the smoke billowing from their building.

He didn’t exactly believe her. But who could blame her for looking so poorly when both of their worlds were wrapped in a ball of flames and smoke. In this very moment, it was hard to believe that anything would ever be all right again. “I just don’t understand. How did this happen?”

“I’m so sorry.” A tear splashed onto Piper’s cheek.

“You don’t have to keep saying that. You had nothing to do with the fire.” Seeing her genuine distress, he didn’t take time to think, he just acted, pulling her close. With her body pressed to his, he leaned his chin against her head. “I don’t know what I would have done if something had happened to you.”

His hand stroked her silky hair, and he breathed in the strawberry scent mingled with the foul odor of smoke. He gripped her tighter, not wanting to think about how close he’d come to losing her. He couldn’t imagine his life without her in it.

She might drive him up a wall with her stubbornness, but she also made him smile like no other. She made him feel like anything was possible. Even overcoming his past and learning to trust again. He’d never had a person affect him so deeply. Maybe she was exactly what he needed—she was teaching him to live again.

Piper pulled back and swiped at her eyes. “What are we going to do?”

“Don’t worry. We have plenty of time to figure it out.”

She turned to the building. “But...but everything’s ruined now.”

He wrapped his arm protectively around Piper’s shoulders, wanting to give her what little comfort he could. He glanced down at her, noticing her T-shirt was thin. He ran a hand over her arm, noticing her skin was chilled from the night air. He doubted she noticed as she stood transfixed, staring at the blaze as smoke now started to pour out of her storefront too. This nightmare just kept getting worse.

He shrugged off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. She glanced up at him with unspoken questions in her eyes. “Take it. You need it.”

“But I’m not cold.”

“You will be.” Once the shock wore off and the stark reality of the situation settled in. “I have to go see what I can do to help.”

She reached out, grabbing his arm. “Don’t leave me.”

The fear in her voice dug at him, but he had to find out how much damage had been done. It was his fault that Piper’s business was in jeopardy. He placed his hand over hers. “You’ll be safe. I promise.” He glanced around for someone to stay with Piper. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Mrs. Sanchez hustled up to them in her fuzzy pink robe. “Lord have mercy, are you two okay?”

Piper didn’t speak. She was once again focused on the fire.

“I need to go talk to the firefighters.” Joe couldn’t just stand here and do nothing while everything he’d worked so hard to rebuild went up in flames. He glanced over at Mrs. Sanchez. “Can you keep an eye on her?”

“Sure, I can.” Mrs. Sanchez wrapped a protective arm around Piper. “But you should stay here, too. They’ll talk to you as soon as they can.”

Joe glanced around as more and more of Whistle Stop’s residents gathered in the town square. The worry written all over their faces mirrored just a fraction of the turmoil churning within him. How did this happen? How did his dream go up in a puff of smoke?

He moved to stand in front of Piper, hoping to gain her full attention. “It’ll be okay. I promise you won’t lose your bakery. We’ll rebuild it if we have to.”

She gazed at him as though in some sort of trance. It wasn’t until she nodded that he knew she’d heard him. Her lack of words worried him, but under the circumstances, he couldn’t blame her. He didn’t think either of them were okay, or would be until this nightmare was over.

He reached out to her, stroking the back of his hand over her soft cheek before leaning forward and placing a kiss on her forehead. “Wait for me.”

Again, she nodded.

Hoping for good news about the Poppin’ Fresh Bakery, Joe headed for a group of firefighters.
Please don’t let it be as bad as it looks
.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

P
iper stood still as Joe strode away. She had no idea how he was able to walk. Right now, her legs felt anything but sturdy. If she were to take a step, she was certain she’d land face first on the ground.

Her mind struggled to grasp the sight before her. Firefighters rushing here and there. A shower of water shooting up to the roof. Smoke pouring from every opening in the building.

This makes no sense.

What is happening?

She realized the surprise she’d planned for Joe had gone up in smoke—literally. And then a worse thought set in. Joe wouldn’t stay in Whistle Stop after losing his business. And she couldn’t imagine not having him in her life. She’d come to look forward to seeing him each and every day.

Ever since their first morning run together, she’d fallen for him. Or perhaps it had been before that. Each smile. Each touch. Each look. He’d beat down the wall she’d erected around her heart and had shown her what it was like to be truly loved.

In return, she loved him with every fiber of her being.

The very thought of him being erased from her life made the breath catch in her throat.

She was about to lose everything. Everything!

A sob swelled in the back of her throat.

The sight in front of her blurred.

Including Joe.

Her body swayed.

“Whoa there. Let’s sit you down.” Mrs. Sanchez guided her over to one of the few park benches that was safe enough to sit on. “I know this is hard, but you aren’t alone.”

Piper struggled to swallow down her anguish. She sent up a silent prayer that not everything would be lost. She didn’t ask it for herself—she asked it for Joe. God could have her bakery, but she prayed he’d spare Joe’s coffee shop, his dream. He just couldn’t lose everything after all the misery life had already thrown at him. No one deserved what Joe had lived through.

“Piper! Piper!” came frantic voices in the night air.

She sucked in a deep breath, hoping it would settle her nerves. The truth was, she didn’t think anything would settle them, not even a triple-chocolate cupcake.

Ana was the first to reach her. “Thank goodness you’re okay.”

They hugged.

Then she heard her name called again.

Alexis rushed up to her. “Piper, I came as soon as I heard. Sweetie, what can I do?”