America's Bravest (20 page)

“Yeah, I knew you did that. What happened to
the goal?”

“I missed actual firefighting. A lot. So I
went back to the line.” She gave him a pointed look. “Be careful if
you don’t want to grow up and be like me.”

“Gimme a break. You’re only five years older
than I am.”

“Really? I think of you as a kid.”

“Very funny.”

Grinning, she indicated the Joke Jar. “Let me
tell you a few to cheer you up.”

“Sure, why not? I couldn’t feel any
worse.”

She stood and went to the counter to get the
jar and drew out a big sheet of paper. “I wonder who put this in.
It’s big.” She scanned it. “Oh, it’s a series of shorts. Here we
go.” She read them to him.

Q. How can you tell when a firefighter is
dead?

A. The remote control slips from his
hand.

Q. What does CHAOS stand for?

A. The Chiefs Have Arrived On Scene.

Q. How many firemen does it take to change a
light bulb?

A. Four. One to change the bulb and 3 to chop
a hole in the roof.

Q. A Mexican fireman had two sons. What did
he name them?

A. Hosea and Hoseb.

By the time she was finished, Brody was
laughing at the dumb quips, as had been her intent. She turned back
to
Firehouse
magazine and Brody wandered into the common
room to watch TV. It had been a light day; cleaning and rig care
and training were done by noon, and they’d only had one call to a
fire in a cemetery. They’d frozen their asses off putting out the
burning storage shed. Dropping down onto the big leather couch, he
flicked on the set.

But he couldn’t concentrate on world news.
Since the remote was his favorite toy—hence he thought the joke
Licia told was funny—he thumbed through the channels. An ad for a
restaurant for New Year’s Eve came on. He’d planned to take Emma
out to a fancy place, though she wasn’t impressed by glitz and
glamour. And now he wouldn’t even be able to try to spoil her. She
was apparently done with him.

Flip, flip. A ski resort in Aspen played some
awful jingle while advertising that they still had openings for
their New Year’s Eve singles bash. Hmm. He wondered if he could get
a flight out. Nah! Even if he could, he wasn’t interested in
free-flowing booze and women out for a good time. Lately, he’d felt
past that phase in his life.

Ryan was going to a gala at the Holloway
House with a new woman in his life and said Brody could tag along.
But that meant putting on a monkey suit, and he didn’t want to
dress up for anybody but Emma.

Briefly, he considered flying to Florida and
confronting her in person. His presence might push her to
reconsider their relationship. But he didn’t want to bully her into
seeing him again. Contrary to what she now thought of him, he had
some integrity. Sighing, he picked up the phone to call Rye to tell
him he’d go along on the thirty-first, changing the channels as he
waited for his brother to answer.

His finger stopped at an ad on QVC. He
stilled. Hmm.
Hmm.
An idea hit him. Maybe one more try.
Just one more.

oOo

Two days before New Year’s Eve, Emma was
alone in her parents’ house because she’d begged off on a bike ride
with them and her sister. Instead, out on the lanai, she read one
of Lucy’s romance novels and enjoyed the squawk of birds and the
warm breeze drifting in through the screens. A pelican even came to
the door once and seemed to look in at her. Emma almost didn’t
start the novel because the guy on the cover reminded her of Brody.
And once she got into the story, she should have put it down
because the book was about finding true love. The content was
making her more depressed as she read on. She was glad when the
doorbell rang. Rising from the chaise, she padded to the front door
and opened it.

A FedEx guy held out a package. “Delivery for
Emma Walsh.”

“Oh.” She accepted the five-inch-by-five inch
box and signed the slip. Returning to the lanai, she set the
package on the table and looked at the return address. QVC? She
hadn’t ordered anything from the shopping channel. Maybe Lucy had
bought her a late Christmas present.

Ripping open the box, she found another
rectangular one fastened with a big white bow. Inside that was
tissue paper. It rustled as she drew the thin covering back and
found a silver handbell inside. The surface caught a beam of
sunlight and sparkled brilliantly. The outside was woven with
delicate curlicues around the handle. When she picked it up, it
tinkled. On close inspection, she saw the bell had been
engraved.

To Emma. I hear the bells now because of
you. Please believe me. Brody.

She’d never expected something so poignant
from him. Touching. Meaningful. How was she supposed to resist the
gesture?

oOo

Brody ran his finger around the inside collar
of his dressy shirt, trying to loosen it.

“Stop fidgeting,” Ryan grumbled from beside
him, where they stood at the bar watching Hidden Cove’s elite
mingle.

“I’m uncomfortable.” For a lot of
reasons.

“I wonder who Kathleen
had
to talk
to,” Rye commented.

Brody checked out the dark-haired beauty a
few feet away, chatting with Ryan’s date, Kathleen. “Lisel Loring,
the Broadway star who moved to Hidden Cove. Remember, a few years
ago, there was this big story about her getting stalked by a fan?
Hey, look, they’re coming over.”

The two women approached. “Ryan, I wanted you
to meet Lisel Loring. She’s a dancer for the New York City
Ballet.”

Extending her hand to Ryan, she shook his.
“It’s Lisel Woodward now.”

Brody introduced himself. “You’re married to
the battalion chief in charge of our Fire Academy, aren’t you?”

“You bet she is.” Ian Woodward rolled up to
them in his wheelchair. The BC had been in the FDNY and was
sidelined by terrorists in 9/11. Because of that, he was an
invaluable resource for teaching probies and seasoned firefighters
alike. Smiling, the man slid his arm around his wife’s waist,
touching her rounded belly.

“Happy New Year, Chief,” Brody said
affectionately. He liked this guy. A lot. Everybody did. “And
congratulations. When’s the due date?”

“Two months.” Lisel looked like a million
buck to be that far along in her pregnancy.

For a minute, Brody pictured Emma carrying
his child. She would have glowed like Lisel, and he’d be as sappy
as Ian. Shit, why hadn’t he handled the baby scare better?

Ian nodded at someone behind them. “Hey,
Derek, come join us.”

Brody turned and saw a man and woman had
reached them. He did a double take. “Wow!” he said, forgetting his
manners.

“Holy shit!” Ryan added.

“Close your mouths, boys.” Derek Dennison,
another battalion chief from the academy, touched his date’s elbow.
“Ian, you’ve met Felicia White, but I don’t think your wife
has.”

Dressed in gold from head to toe, Felicia’s
close-fitting strapless gown flattered curves. After she greeted
everyone, she looked from side to side. “Brody, are you, um,
alone?”

“Yeah, a threesome with my twin and his date.
Pathetic, huh?”

For some reason, Felicia seemed
surprised.

Derek asked, “Where’s Eve and Noah? I haven’t
seen them tonight.”

“Eve was called to an arson case before they
were about to leave.”

Ryan cocked his head. He’d been on some arson
cases, too, as police liaison. “I hear she’s doing a great job
since she took over.”

“Of course.” Ian beamed with pride at the
compliment to his sister.

The two couples drifted away and Ryan and
Brody watched them leave. Rye said, “Who would have thought the
lieutenant could be such a fox when she dressed up?”

“She cleans up good.” Brody frowned. “She
never said anything about dating Dennison.”

“They aren’t dating,” Kathleen told them.
“They accompany each other to social events like this.”

“Friends with benefits?” Ryan wanted to
know.

“No, at least I don’t think so. Come on, Rye,
let’s dance.”

Ryan looked to Brody.

“Go ahead, I’m gonna get some air.”

“It’s freezing out there.”

“I’ll be fine. Go do me proud.”

Wending his way through the crowd of dancers,
Brody slipped outside onto a stone patio that traveled the length
of the ballroom. Shivering with the first flash of cold, he looked
out over the snow-covered golf course and thought about the sorry
state of his life. Everybody in there was a couple. Why the hell
had he let Rye talk him into coming here? He was miserable.

This was stupid. He’d leave. Circling around
the outside of the building to go directly to his car, he planned
to call Rye on his cell and tell his brother he’d slunk home.

Brody reached a second patio and the door
opened from the inside. Out stepped a woman in black. Hair a little
spiky. Cute nose. Pretty… Oh, dear Lord in heaven. “Emma?”

“Hi, Brody.”

“W-what…?” Jesus, he felt his eyes sting. He
swallowed hard, trying to keep the emotion at bay. “I thought you
were in Florida.”

“I came back today. With the ticket you
bought me.”

His throat convulsed. “H-how’d you know I’d
be here?”

“I called Felicia. She said you were coming
with Ryan.”

His whole body slumped. “I…I don’t deserve
this.”

Emma sensed an emotion emanating from Brody
that she’d never witnessed before. It was powerful, profound
and…humbling. His reaction to her presence made it easier to do
what she’d come to do. “Maybe not, after how shitty you behaved.
But I’m here to say I’ll give this relationship another shot. See
where it goes.”

His mouth dropped. Gone was the charming
easygoing Brody O’Malley. He didn’t move to touch her; instead he
stood there staring at her. Operating on instinct, she stepped into
his arms. He encompassed her, totally. Despite the cold, she was
warm from the heat of his body. He didn’t speak, just buried his
face in her neck and held her close. She grasped on to him tightly.
Finally, he drew back, his eyes suspiciously moist. “Did you get
the bell?” he asked in a gravelly voice.

“I did.”

“I meant what I said. My priorities are in
order now. Finally.” He brushed his knuckles down her cheek. “I’m
so sorry I hurt you when you thought you could be pregnant.”

“I already forgave you for that, Brody.”

“Then why did you tell me to go to hell? And
not answer texts?”

“Because I’d decided that I couldn’t risk
letting you hurt me again. I couldn’t trust you not to use me and
throw me away.”

Stepping in closer, he put his hand on her
shoulder. “I won’t, baby, I promise.”

“You know what? I don’t want that promise
from you. You really can’t be sure you won’t. I’m taking the risk
with my eyes wide open.”

“Why? Because of the bell?”

“No, though that spurred me to act. I’ve
missed you, I’ve been miserable and I want to see where this
goes.”

“I missed you. I’ve been miserable and I want
to see where this goes, too.”

She smiled.

He smiled. And glanced at his watch. “It’s
eleven. Where do you want to be when we bring in the New Year?”

She arched a brow.

So did he. “You’re on, Emmy.” Grabbing her
hand, he tugged her toward the parking lot.

An hour later, they snuggled in her bed,
watching the stars in the clear, winter sky sparkle down at them
through the skylights in her ceiling. Brody eyed the clock. “It’s
twelve.”

She kissed his lips lightly. “Happy New Year,
Brody.”

“Oh, it will be. Because of you.”

“And you. Us together.”

Reaching over, he picked up the champagne she
had in the fridge and poured for midnight. Emma pushed herself up
with the sheet secured around her. He sat so he was facing her, his
sheet slipping low on his naked hips. Clinking her glass with his,
he whispered, “I love you, Emma. Before, still and in the
future.”

“Oh!” They were words she never thought she’d
hear from him again. And hadn’t realized she wanted to. Her voice
was husky when she said, “I love you, too, Brody. Very much.”

They sipped the champagne from the glasses,
then tasted the bubbly on each other’s lips. Emma knew loving this
man wasn’t going to be easy, had never been easy, but it didn’t
matter anymore. A part of her had always belonged to him. She might
as well give him the rest and hope for the best.

“There, now that’s over.” He set aside their
glasses, then yanked down the sheet. “Let’s get to the real
celebration.”

She smiled as he eased her onto the mattress.
“Yes, hotshot, let’s.”

-oOo-

Novella number three in the
AMERICA’S BRAVEST SERIES

Kathryn Shay

An ear shattering blast rent the air and
Lieutenant Felicia White, the officer in charge, yelled, “Duck!”
into her lapel mic to the other four members of her crew.
Simultaneously, she dove forward as far away from the explosion as
she could get. The room shook and smoke filled the back area of the
Hidden Cove Library where a fire had broken out approximately
thirty minutes ago.

She shook her head to clear it and waited for
her hearing to come back. When it did, sounds of sirens outside
told her help was on the way to assist Quint and Midi 7, the fire
trucks that had gone on the call along with her rescue rig. She
spoke into her radio again. “Rescue 7, respond and give me your
status.”

Nothing. Felicia’s heart rate escalated as
she rolled over and sat up. Jesus, she couldn’t lose these guys.
She just couldn’t. The run had been designated as a small,
self-contained blaze of origin unknown. When they’d arrived, the
smoke in the building was light and she thought they’d have it
under control in no time. Until the explosion. What the hell could
have happened?