“She’s refusing to go,” Daniel said. “You know how Gracie is.”
“Yeah.”
Darryl joined them, staring cautiously at Gideon. “You okay, Sheriff?”
“Fine,” Gideon said.
“Okay, good, good. You can, uh, head on home. I’ve got this handled. I know I’m not the smartest guy, but -”
“You’re handling it well.” Gideon gripped Darryl’s shoulder. “I didn’t come down here because I thought you couldn’t handle it.”
Relief crossed the older man’s face. “Okay, thanks.”
Darryl headed over to the cluster of firefighters standing near the truck. Gideon took a deep breath. The need to see Gracie, the urge to make certain she was safe was overwhelming. He nodded to Daniel. “Thanks, man.”
“Yeah, don’t mention it. Also, next time – don’t run toward a burning building. I don’t care if you’re the sheriff or that it’s your woman’s house. Let us do our damn jobs, yeah?”
“Grace isn’t my woman,” Gideon said automatically.
Daniel just clapped him on the back before walking away.
Gideon jogged to the ambulance. Gracie was sitting at the back of the ambulance, her bare legs dangling past the bumper, her feet clad in pink slippers, and a blanket wrapped around her shoulders and torso. A paramedic was rooting around in some containers behind her. A firefighter was standing next to Grace and Gideon’s jealousy roared to life when he realized Grace was clutching her phone in one hand but holding the firefighter’s hand with the other.
He shoved the jealousy away ruthlessly. Now was not the fucking time.
“Grace?” He stopped in front of her. “Are you okay?”
She stared up at him, shock written across her face. “What are you doing here?”
“How do you feel?” He wanted to touch her. Despite seeing her soft skin unmarred by burns, he wanted to feel for himself that she was unharmed.
He shoved his hands into his pockets.
“Fine,” she said and then coughed.
She didn’t look fine. She looked exhausted and scared to death.
“She’s doing better now that she’s had some oxygen,” the firefighter said. He was staring at Gracie with clear adoration. Gideon wanted to punch that adoration right off his stupid, handsome face.
Grace squeezed the firefighter’s hand, and Gideon’s jealousy flared back to life when she smiled at him.
“Who are you?” Gideon was being rude, but he didn’t care.
The firefighter looked vaguely familiar, but Gideon couldn’t place him. That pissed him off. If he meant something to Grace, then Gideon needed to know about him. He needed to do a background check and –
“Gideon, this is Jesse,” Grace said. “He’s friends with Daniel.”
She coughed again and Jesse rubbed her back with his free hand. “And friends with you.”
Gideon held out his hand, if only so that the firefighter would have to release Grace’s. Jesse shook his hand and Gideon smiled stiffly at him. “Gideon Walker.”
“I know who you are,” Jesse said. “It’s good to meet you, Sheriff.”
Gideon’s skin prickled when Jesse dropped his hand and immediately took Grace’s again. “Think about what I said, Gracie. I really don’t mind.”
“I appreciate the offer, Jesse, but I can call Kira.”
“I have a spare room,” Jesse said. “You can use it for as long as you need.”
“She’s staying with me,” Gideon said.
He waited for Grace to argue but either she was too exhausted to argue, or she really didn’t want to stay at Jesse’s place. Either way, there was no way in hell he was letting Grace go to the firefighter’s house. Gideon would throw her over his shoulder and carry her off caveman style before he let that fucking happen.
“Is that what you want, Grace?” Jesse was eyeing Gideon like he knew exactly what Gideon was planning.
Grace hesitated and Gideon said, “You’re staying with me, Grace.”
“She’s a grown woman. She can make her own decision about what she needs tonight,” Jesse said.
“I’ve known Grace since she was six years old,” Gideon said.
“What’s that have to do with letting her make her own decisions?” Jesse said. “If she wants to stay at my place, then -”
“She’s not staying with you,” Gideon said.
“Like I said,” Jesse’s smile set Gideon’s brain on fire, “she can make her own decision. You gonna be a man about it when she chooses me?”
“Chooses you?” Gideon glared at him. “The day she chooses you over me is -”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Gracie dropped Jesse’s hand and slid off the back of the ambulance. “Sorry to interrupt your ‘this is my woman’ territorial pissing match, but I’ve had a pretty bad fucking night and I don’t feel like watching the two of you piss all over each other’s shoes.”
She turned to face the paramedic in the ambulance. “Can I go?”
The paramedic studied her. “You still feeling lightheaded or short of breath?”
“No,” Grace said. “I feel fine.”
“Then you’re free to go.”
She unwrapped the blanket from her body and tossed it into the back of the ambulance. She was wearing Gideon’s shirt and he glared at Jesse when the firefighter’s gaze dropped to Gracie’s braless chest for the briefest of moments.
Gideon took off his jacket, but Grace was already shoving past him. She marched toward the far end of the parking lot. Jesse started to follow her, and Gideon grinned smugly at him when Grace said over her shoulder. “I’m not staying with you, Jesse. Don’t follow me.”
The smile dropped from Gideon’s face when Grace said, “Don’t you follow me either, Gideon Walker.”
Jesse turned and walked away. Gideon waited a few seconds before walking after Grace.
“I said don’t follow me!” She turned and glared at him, brandishing her phone at him like a weapon as her body trembled with cold. “Leave me alone.”
“I can’t, Princess,” he said.
“Don’t call me that!” she said.
“Okay, I’m sorry. Take my jacket, baby. You’re freezing.” He slipped out of his jacket and held it out.
“I don’t need your stupid jacket,” she said. “I’m calling Kira and asking her to pick me up.”
“You’ll have frostbite by the time she gets here.” He took a step toward her, moving slowly and speaking in a soft voice like she was a skittish mare. “Take my jacket.”
She glared at him before snatching his jacket and putting it on. “You suck and you’re the worst and I don’t like you. What the fuck was that back there, Gideon? Huh? I am not some prized pig you can fight over with another guy. Jesus Christ. Do you have any idea how fucking rude that was?”
“I know and I’m sorry, baby. Truly.”
Grace’s legendary temper making an appearance was helping to chip away at the brick of worry lodged in his chest. Seeing her sitting in the ambulance looking so exhausted and afraid had terrified him.