Chapter 2

Danny

A Few Days Prior

The sun is setting as I pull out of Bradford Station Number One, painting streaks of orange and pink against the backdrop of a soon-to-be jet-black sky. In the first year of my job at the fire department, I'm still learning and trying to meet all the expectations everyone has of me. Even though today was technically my day off, I logged over twelve hours, showing my dedication to the team. Taking the required updates to some of the certifications I already have. As a rookie, these things tend to come out of nowhere. It's the price I pay, and will gladly pay, to be a part of this brotherhood.

The streetlights are coming on along the town square as I ease to a stop at the traffic signal. It's still chilly at night and couples are holding hands as they scurry across the street, hitting up one of the three restaurants.

Feeling restless and not ready to go home yet, I decide to take one of the roads leading up to the mountain instead of continuing straight through town. The night is cool after the hot day we had. May is just a prequel, though, and I have to remind myself of how warm it'll be come actual summer.

Turning my four-wheel drive on, I shift down and take the inclined roads at a faster speed than I probably need to. Just a little bit of excitement after being stuck in a classroom for much too long.

Rolling the window down, I let the wind flow through my hair. As I come up to one of the lookout points, I see a car pulled to the side with its emergency flashers on.

I'm still wearing my Bradford Station shirt and uniform pants, so I take a chance and turn off. Tucking in behind the car, I get out, noticing a woman crouched beside the back passenger tire.

"Need help?" I ask, approaching the broken-down vehicle with caution. Some women don't appreciate an odd man stopping to help them and, in this area, they don't like one that doesn't have one hundred percent Caucasian blood rolling through his veins.

"Yes," she breathes a sigh of relief, blowing her bangs out of her face. "I know how to change a fucking tire, but I can't get the damn nuts loose. I've been trying for over an hour, and I can't tell you how many cars and trucks have passed me. Thank you so much for stopping."

"No problem." I walk over to where she is, putting my hand down to help her up.

"Oh my God," she groans as she straightens. "I've been in that position for too long. It's like once you're not in high school anymore, you can't bend or squat."

I laugh, commiserating. "There's shit I have to do on the job, afterward, I'm like what the fuck was I thinking?"

"You're a firefighter?" she asks as she eyes my shirt.

Most of the time, I hate it when women eye me like this, but she's different. Everything about her feels different. She's not classically beautiful, but she's got the girl next door look that gets me fucking hot. Kneeling down to where she'd been before, I grab hold of the wrench and grunt as I attempt to loosen the nut. "Yeah," I answer, clenching my teeth and gripping tightly. With every ounce of strength I have, I yell, managing to get one of them to move. "In Bradford."

"That's awesome," she answers, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm moving back to Bradford. Actually I've moved back, but wanted to take a trip through the mountains."

"How long have you been gone?"

I want to keep her talking. I love the sound of her voice. It's soothing in a way I haven't heard in - well, in ever.

"Four years." She rubs her hands up and down her arms. "I went away to school, now I'm coming back. I have a job lined up here and missed it. My whole life I tried to run from it. I wanted something bigger and better, and a town that had more than five restaurants."

"Wasn't what you thought it would be?" I manage to get the next one off.

"No," she shakes her head. "I mean, for a while it was. Every teenager loves being away from their parents at first. Then, you come to realize what all they do for you, and there's a comfort in knowing your way around town. It surprised no one more than me when I decided to take a job here."

"I've never lived anywhere except for Bradford," I admit. "Don't think I ever could. I love my job and my entire family is here."

"I'm lucky that my dad wanted me to leave for a while. He wanted me to experience things he'd never been able to, but," she shivers, "I think I may have experienced more than he meant for me to."

"I have a jacket on the passenger side of my Jeep. Go ahead and grab it."

"Thank you." She sprints back, opening the door and grabbing out the jacket with my name on the back.

I watch as she puts it on, feeling a tightness in my chest I've never felt before. A sense of wanting this to be mine as I stare at her. The way her blonde hair brushes her shoulders, her blue eyes, and the slight pink tint of her lips. In the blink of an eye, I can see our future. What could be ours if we'd allow it to be. Never in my life have I felt this kind of kinship with someone else. This need to have her in my life. I want to know anything and everything about her. Where she went, what it was like while she was there, and who her family is.

Immediately, I want to make the best impression on her that I can. Show her I'm the man for her and prove I'm more than the person who came from the wrong side of the tracks.

When she turns away from me to close the door, I see my name on her back and know that's where it's supposed to be. I was given the name to pass along to her. She faces me, our eyes meet, and I think she knows it too. Her blue depths get deeper, almost black, as she approaches me.

"Have we met before?" she asks. "I swear I've known you in another life or some hokey shit like that."

I laugh, using the burst of energy to get the last lug nut off. "Not that I know of." I give her a grin. "I'm positive I would remember meeting you."

As I work on getting the tire changed, we ask each other mundane questions.

"What's your favorite color?" she fires off.

"Fire engine red," I answer, tongue in cheek.

She giggles. "Somehow that wouldn't surprise me."

"Kidding. I like green. The way these trees are right now." I look up, barely able to see them anymore since it's gotten so dark. "It's the promise of a new life cycle. I enjoy the winter too. Everything dying off only to be born again. It's my favorite. What about you?"

She wrinkles her nose. "Mine isn't nearly as deep as yours."

I curse myself for having to find some sort of hidden meaning in everything. I forget how it can sometimes make others feel put off. "Doesn't matter. Your reasons are yours."

"Rose pink," she answers. "When I was little, my grandmother would take me out to her rose garden. My favorites were the pinks. The reds always seemed so dramatic to me. They would darken and then, almost as soon as they did, they'd start turning brown and die off. She always said it's because red-hot passion burns out quickly, but the pink ones? They gradually grow into their color, finding their hue in the process and not burning out so quickly."

"Hmmm," I make a noise in my throat. "My Chief has pink roses all the time. Says he grows them in a greenhouse from his mom's heirloom plants."

"Chief Hudson?" She raises her eyebrow at me.

"Yeah." There's a sinking in my gut. Chief Hudson doesn't have many rules, but there is one. Don't date either of his daughters.

She smiles brightly. "He still has them, huh? Good to know the old man hasn't changed."

"You know him?" I will my voice not to rise an octave as I finish putting the tire on and hope I can get out of here before I lose another piece of my heart. Please don't let him be her dad; please don't let him be her dad.

"I should hope so," she laughs. "He's my dad."

And it's at that moment I realize this is never going to work out. Quickly, I help her pack up the jack kit and put the tire in her trunk. "You should go get that patched up." I rub my hands on my pants. "I guess I'll be seeing you around."

"I owe you for this." Her eyes are full of a promise I would typically go for. "Let me take you to lunch tomorrow?"

"It was my pleasure," I answer, giving her a non-answer for the lunch. "I gotta get going."

She's talking to me as I run for my Jeep, jumping into the driver's seat. I wave as I crank it and get away as fast as I can.

It's only as I'm driving down the other side of the mountain that I realize she has my jacket.

Part of my uniform.

Something I'm not allowed to lose.

And I know I'm completely and totally fucked.