“Whatever it is, it’s working for you.”
“Is it working for you, too?”
“Oh yeah…”
Landon lowered his hips and pressed his hard cock against her. He wanted her so fiercely that he had to keep telling himself it wasn’t time for that. Not yet, anyway. But then her hands moved down his back and coasted over his ass, digging into his flesh to bring him in even closer, making his eyes roll back in his head. “Ah, Amanda…”
She wiggled under him, seemingly unaware of what she was doing to him. “Hmm?”
He was on the verge of suggesting they move things along to the next stop on their journey when the house phone rang, startling him out of the lust-filled stupor he’d fallen into. “Shit. I have to get that. I’m always on call.”
Amanda released him, and he dove for the phone. “Abbott.”
“Got a house fire on Sugar Mill Road, Lieutenant. Are you able to respond?”
“On my way.” He put down the phone and drew in a deep breath as he tried to switch gears from turned on to turned out. “I have to go to work.”
“So I gathered.”
He glanced at her. “I’m sorry.”
“I understand. This is your life.”
“It is.”
She gave him a wary look. “Will you be okay?”
He took one second to kiss her. “I’ll be fine.” Landon got out of bed and moved quickly to change into thermals, jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt. “Get some sleep.”
“Be careful.”
“Don’t worry. I’m always careful.”
He was out the door two seconds later and on his way into town with lights flashing. The address of the fire wasn’t far from his brother Will’s home. With the streets deserted, he could drive faster than usual, but as always, he kept an eye out for moose and other obstacles. On the way, he tried to decompress from the episode in his bed so he could focus on work, but with his blood still running hot through his veins, it was damned hard to shift gears.
When he arrived at the scene, Landon found a house fully engulfed in flames and trucks from the Butler Volunteer Fire Department already there. Off to the side, a group of people huddled together, wrapped in blankets.
“Everyone out?” he asked Richard Smith, the department’s chief.
“Everyone except the family dog.”
“I’ll go after him.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I’d like to try.”
“Get suited up, then. You got five minutes. In and out.”
Landon moved quickly to don the gear he carried in his truck at all times so he’d be ready for calls such as this one. He was on his way inside within a minute, following directions from the family about where the dog might be hiding. With the fire raging in the front half of the house, he entered through the kitchen in the back. He’d been told the golden retriever might be under the dining room table, which was located to the left of the kitchen. Thick smoke filled the entire downstairs as he made his way to the dining room, a flashlight helping to lead the way.
Sure enough, the dog was huddled under the table.
When Landon dropped down to go after him, the dog retreated farther under the table, snapping at him when he extended a hand.
“Come on, buddy. I’m here to help.”
The dog wasn’t having it.
Landon grabbed his collar and pulled as the dog fought back, biting his wrist hard. Ugh, that hurt, but at least he couldn’t break the skin through the thick gloves. “Listen, dude. You don’t want to crush the hearts of your family members, now do you?” He had no idea if the dog could hear him through the oxygen mask he wore. One more time, he grabbed the dog’s collar and pulled hard, and when he got the dog close enough, he quickly wrapped his arms tight around the dog’s solid body.
Landon’s radio crackled to life. “Hurry up, Abbott.” The chief’s order and the tense sound of his voice put Landon on notice that he was running out of time to get the dog out of there.
Keeping his tight hold on the heavy animal, he stood and rushed back toward the door, tripping over something and nearly falling at one point. He had no idea how he managed to hang on to the dog and remain standing, but they reached the doorway in the seconds before a loud crash sounded behind them as the second floor collapsed.
Well, that’d been rather close.
When they were outside, he put down the dog, who ran off, hopefully toward the family that loved him.
Landon removed the mask that covered his face, bent at the waist and took some deep breaths of cold air.
“Good job,” the chief said. “You crazy bastard.”
Landon laughed. “I like dogs better than most people. I’ll always save the dog.”
Over the next several hours, he helped the rest of their team fight the fire until it was under control. Neighbors had taken in the family that had lost its home, and there’d be plenty to do at the site in the coming days as they confirmed their suspicions that a faulty woodstove had started the fire.
Landon drove toward town exhausted and chilled to the bone as the sun rose over Butler Mountain, casting a warm glow over the picturesque town. As he was scheduled to work that night, he had the day to get some sleep ahead of his regular shift. In his early twenties, he might’ve stayed at work rather than going home to sleep. But as he got older, he’d learned to take care of himself so he could take care of other people.
He never knew when he’d be needed for search and rescue or fires, so he tried to keep his battery charged rather than running on empty most of the time the way he used to. Besides, with Amanda sleeping in his bed, he had good reason to go home rather than work around the clock. He couldn’t wait to see her and hold her and be with her. The rush of emotions tied to her left him feeling a bit lightheaded and off-balance as he drove home, thinking about the convergence of the past and the present.
After he’d lost Naomi, he’d shut down to any feeling that could cause him pain when it came to women. He’d kept things light and fun and muddled through without taking chances on anything below the surface.
That strategy had prevented him from experiencing more of the heartbreak he’d endured after Naomi died. But it had also kept him walled off from anything meaningful. Until he’d met Amanda, he’d never wanted to change the status quo that had worked so well to protect him since his tragic loss.
And now he was on the verge of risking everything for a woman and doing so with his eyes wide open to the potential for disaster. He couldn’t deny the possibility of being hurt like he’d been before, and it scared him. For a time after Naomi’s shocking death, he’d had reason to wonder if he’d ever be the same again. The family had rallied around him and Lucas in the loss of their friend, but no one other than Lucas had known how much greater the loss had been for Landon.
He’d refused to discuss it with anyone other than his twin, who was the only one who knew that he’d finally worked up the nerve to ask her out days before the illness struck. Landon would never know what might’ve been with Naomi, but he’d always had the feeling their relationship would’ve been significant.
Hannah had met her first husband, Caleb, when they were in middle school, and their love had gone the distance until he died in Iraq.