Rescuing Olivia (Special Forces: Operation Alpha) (Nightshade Book 1) Read online

  For a moment, his gaze dropped, and some of the fun left his expression. Pain had a universal look, and she backed off. She didn’t want him picking at wounds so she wouldn’t either.

  “Besides,” he continued, “I haven’t found anyone around here I’m willing to let catch me.”

  “Which, I’m sure breaks hearts everywhere,” she said smartly. “So, what is it you have to do today? I overheard you talking to one of the officials.”

  Connor’s expression lightened. “I’m supposed to be one of the judges in the baby back ribs category. Manu doesn’t do ribs, so they thought I would be a good impartial judge since he wouldn’t be in the competition. I think I’m supposed to fill in in a few places like that.”

  Olivia nodded. “Sounds good.”

  “I need to stop at the convenience store and grab some ice on the way over, if you don’t mind.”

  “Not at all.”

  Connor locked up the fire station and walked across the lot with her. Then he opened the truck door for her. Olivia climbed inside, wishing that her ribs didn’t hurt so much. If she was just walking or sitting, they were okay, but when she moved, they ached like the devil. It was so uncomfortable. And the stitches in her forehead were healing as well, making them itch. She wasn’t sure she would be able to leave them in the prescribed time.

  They were just leaving the lot when his phone rang. He punched a button on the audio system on the dash. “Hey, Rebecca. I didn’t expect a call back so quick. What did you find out?”

  A woman sighed on the other end of the line. “Not a whole hell of a lot, Chief. I found records from her pediatrician out of Austin, but literally no family connections. The baby is in foster care right now, and it doesn’t look like she’s moving in the near future.”

  Oh, they were talking about baby Jessamy. She glanced at Connor.

  He was frowning heavily, his mouth working. He caught her glance for a moment, wincing. “I hate to hear that, Rebecca. She’s a beautiful kid. I know you’re looking. Keep me updated, would you?”

  “Absolutely,” the woman promised, and disconnected the call.

  “They’ll find someone,” Olivia said. “They usually do.”

  Connor glanced at her again. “Rebecca has been doing this a long time and she usually knows all the tricks to find families. If she’s striking out, it could mean there’s no one to find.”

  The thought of the baby being alone even longer made her incredibly sad. The poor thing was probably inconsolable right now, looking for her mother and only finding strangers. Her throat closed with emotion, and she had to turn away from Connor to look out the window. It wasn’t her place to worry about the baby. It wasn’t Connor’s either, but he did…

  “Do you always check up on your patients?” Olivia asked, her curiosity winning out.

  Connor gave her a look that was a little shamefaced. “No, not even close. I do check up on the important ones, though. And sometimes I move them into my firehouse,” he said with a throaty laugh.

  She laughed with him, even as she felt her cheeks go pink. Jeez, Louise, when had she last blushed? Connor was looking at her, his eyes narrowed with consideration as he took in her blush. He didn’t say anything about it, though, just turned back to his driving.

  That was fine. It gave her a chance to catch her breath from laughing— damn that hurt— and calm her emotions. Something must be in the air today, because it was all she could do to keep from laughing like a teenaged idiot. Was she really that hard up for attention that she was taking advantage of her rescuer’s time and good will, not to mention his firehouse?

  “The firehouse is beautiful, by the way, and very comfortable.”

  “We just moved in a few months ago. When the city council learned the BBQ Fest was coming here, they suddenly scraped up a bunch of money to build us a new house. Actually, I think they got a sizeable donation from the Michaels family. They own one of the BBQ restaurants in town and they’ve run the fest for the past few years. The winner of the cookoff gets money as well as a chance to work in their restaurant that year, honing their craft. Pretty sweet deal.”

  “I would say so. Well, however you got the money, you got a new house. That means you can save more lives.”

  “Agreed,” he smiled at her. “It also allowed me to hire some new people. And we’re going to use every one of them this weekend,” he laughed, shaking his head. “You can’t imagine the people that will be coming to this.”

  Olivia could, but she didn’t want to.

  After a few minutes, Connor turned into a convenience store. “Can I get you anything?”

  Olivia shook her head. Now that they’d retrieved her bag from the Highlander, she had everything she needed for a long span of time. “If they have any stray rental cars hiding in a corner, you can grab one for me.”

  Connor gave her a chiding look. “I think you know you’re going to be here a few days. Why don’t you accept it with grace and let us take care of you for that time?”

  Without waiting for an answer, he turned and headed into the store, reaching into the back pocket of his uniform pants for his wallet. Oh, man. She kinda loved his butt.

  What the hell was wrong with her? She’d been fine for years, living alone and not having to worry about another person’s wants or needs. But she hit Lockhart, Texas and suddenly her libido was kindling to life.

  Must be a fire fighter holding a match…

  CHAPTER 6

  Connor was never prouder of his guys than when they pulled up to the pavilion again, and they immediately welcomed Olivia into their midst. She grinned and gave a little wave, before gingerly settling into the chair someone had vacated. Her ribs seemed to be aching her the worst, but he’d watched her take pain pills at breakfast. Not the prescription stuff he knew she’d been given but plain, over-the-counter stuff.

  The morning was a little cool, and she was only wearing a t-shirt, so he made sure to sit beside her to block the wind.

  “So, what’s going on?” he asked Taylor, who seemed to be in charge of the smoker.

  “Manu is taking a nap and I’m guarding the meat. I swore I would defend it with my life if he would go chill out for a while. He’s been standing here for two days, babying these briskets, and he’s barely taken a nap.”

  “Yeah, that’s no good. His class isn’t until later this afternoon, so he’s got time.”

  Taylor nodded. Looked like he’d gotten a shower this morning already, and Connor knew he’d worked out. The big guy’s veins were pumped, and there was a look in his eyes as he watched Olivia. Like he was ready for a second workout.

  Taylor grinned at the small woman, but she didn’t even seem to register his look. Connor would have laughed, but he wouldn’t hurt Taylor’s feelings that way. The guy was big and brash, but a little too concerned with his own looks to be with a beautiful woman who would take his spotlight.

  Clint Daly motioned for Connor to come over to one of the trucks. If it had been any of the other men, Connor would have bristled, but Clint had been a firefighter longer than he’d been alive. Scars traced down the man’s reddened neck, the result of a careless mistake he would carry forever. He was also one of the smallest men in the department, but he could outwork any of the muscled youngsters. Connor had seen him lift people almost double his size. And when he spoke, he shared the wisdom he’d earned over the past thirty years in the fire service. The entire department looked up to him.

  So, when he motioned to a jumping gauge on Pumper 13, he knew he needed to get it worked on. “I know. I thought Ace tweaked it. How long has it been doing that?”

  “A few hours, but now it’s doing it while idling. We need to get it replaced.”

  Connor sighed. It meant taking the truck to Austin to get worked on. “Damn. Okay. I’ll call Arnold.”

  Clint nodded, wiping his hands on a rag. He took care of these trucks like they were his babies. Which they kind of were. Clint had been married a long time ago, but the wife hadn’t been able to handle the danger, so she’d left, with their small daughter in tow. Clint had never married again, instead devoting his life to the firehouse.

  Clint wasn’t a leader, though. He’d never wanted to be. When the position had opened for Chief, Clint had pushed Connor to apply, and he’d gotten it. Connor was sure it was because of Clint’s support. The entire city valued the man’s opinion.

  “It’ll make it through today, but we’d better get it fixed tomorrow.”

  “I’m on it.”

  “I was wondering if you’d bring her back, today,” Clint said, jerking his chin toward Olivia. “Still stranded?”

  Connor nodded, leaning against the corner of the truck. “I figure once the festival starts to wrap up, something will become available.”

  “You like her.”

  One corner of Connor’s mouth twitched up. “Yeah, I do. She has a lot of heart.”

  Clint nodded. “I thought so too. I saw her in that crash. She’s something.”

  “Yes,” he agreed simply.

  “You’d better go rescue her before Taylor drowns her in drool.”

  Connor glanced back and Taylor was indeed leaning into her space, grinning like a mad man. A bolt of jealously rolled through him, and Connor was surprised at the reaction. And the need to get Taylor away from Olivia. He strode back to the chairs.

  “Taylor, aren’t you supposed to be watching the meat?”

  Taylor waved a hand. “It’s not going anywhere.”

  “But you are,” Connor said, standing in front of him.

  Taylor glanced up, then gave a second, longer look, before bolting out of the chair. “Sure, Chief!”

  Connor sank down beside Olivia, and she gave him a thankful look. “I thought I was going to have to get rude,” she w
hispered. “Thank you for coming back when you did.”

  Connor grinned. “No problem!”

  They sat and chatted for a good while. Connor loved this part of station life, and Olivia seemed to be enjoying herself. There was an excitement in the air, because it was the first full day of the competition. Manu arrived, looking refreshed after his short nap. He gave Taylor a dark look, because he was sitting down and not actively ‘watching’ the smoker temperature. Manu immediately added a log to the hotbox and stoked the coals.

  Connor glanced at his watch, then Olivia. “Let’s walk a little before I head to the judging tent.”

  He offered Olivia a hand up and he was pleased when she took it. He looked around the group. “We’ll be back in a while, guys.”

  He didn’t let go of her hand as they walked out of the pavilion and across the short patch of grass. Only when they were safely on the pavement did he let her go. “Let’s go wander the animal pens.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  They walked lazily along, enjoying the day. It was creeping into the eighties, though, and the hot dry air as well as the swirling heat from the smokers made them thirsty. Connor stopped long enough to get them each a big shaken lemonade, then they strolled on. The park was filling with people. Tomorrow there was going to be a rodeo, and they were going to announce the winners of the BBQ fest.

  “I can’t believe how big this is,” Olivia murmured. “I mean, I’ve heard of Lockhart before, but I never realized what a production it was.”

  “Well,” Connor said, swirling his cup to mix the sugar on the bottom, “this is only the first year. We’ve had smaller festivals, but nothing this size. It used to take place in Austin. But they kind of outgrew the location, and we were ready to take over the reins, so to speak. It’s been fantastic for the economy.”

  “Oh, I bet,” Olivia agreed. “Seems like my friend has been here before. He talked about it a while ago. He’s been trying to get out and date and the woman took him to a restaurant here.”

  “Ah, yeah,” Connor said, wondering who the guy was to her. “We have a lot of old school BBQ joints down here. It’s a huge tourist attraction.”

  He paused as his radio squawked. Tilting it up, he listened to the call. “Chief, I have a sixty-three-year-old male complaining of tightness in the chest at your location. I’ve dispatched Team 6 as well.”

  “Where, exactly, at my location, Dispatch?”

  “North end of the midway. Slap Yo Mama BBQ.”

  Olivia snorted at the name and turned in the opposite direction they were headed. He wasn’t surprised she knew which way to go. “Ten-four.”

  They took off at a jog, but Olivia pulled up. “You go ahead,” she said, a hand going to her ribs. “I’ll be there in a minute.”

  Connor took off in a jog. He knew his medics would probably beat him there, but he still got there as expediently as possible.

  He found the man because of the crowd that was gathering outside the tent. “Keep moving, people,” he yelled, making shooing motions.

  The patient was in a chair behind the grill. The overweight man was pale, his arms dangling at his sides as he panted for breath. An older woman stood to the side, wringing her hands as she waited for help. Connor knelt beside the man, resting a hand on his wrist to take a pulse. “I’m Chief Kelly. Can you tell me what’s going on?”

  “Tightness, here,” the man gasped, a hand going to his chest.

  “Okay. We’re going to take good care of you.”

  Seconds later his medics arrived and went to work. Connor could do the basics, but they were the ones with the equipment. He stepped back to let them work and waved the crowd back. Olivia stood watching the encounter, arms crossed across her midsection. “Sorry, I couldn’t get my breath.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Connor told her firmly. “It’s not your job, anyway. This is exactly why I have my entire department out here.”

  She glanced at the man again. It was obvious he was having a heart attack. Hopefully, though, they’d gotten to him in time, and he would be fine.

  “We had half a dozen calls last night,” he said, “and I have a feeling we’ll have double that today. It’s going to be call after call, I bet.”

  And it was mostly. Connor didn’t respond to all of the calls, but a lot of them. Olivia tried to keep up, but there was no way she could. Not with her ribs healing the way they were. And he didn’t need her to. They had plenty of coverage. She didn’t have to help, but she showed up just in case.

  At one o’clock he was scheduled to be in the judging tent. “If you want, I can have one of the guys drive you back to the firehouse and you can take a nap, then come back in a while.”

  She looked tempted for a moment, then shook her head. “I’m fine. Not sure I’ll stay here the entire time to watch you eat, but I will for a while.”

  He barked out a laugh, loving her humor. “What, greasy fingers don’t turn you on?” He wiggled his dark eyebrows theatrically.

  She laughed, then moaned and put a hand to her ribs. “Damn it, that hurts. Stop it.”

  Before he could think better of it, he reached out and drew her into a hug. “I’m sorry, babe,” he murmured, then drew back. Damn. That had been a little familiar.

  Olivia seemed a little taken aback as well but seemed okay with what he’d done.

  “Chief Kelly, please report to the judges’ table,” a voice called over the intercom system.

  He rolled his eyes. “Guess I’d better go.”

  Then he stared at her, almost overcome with the urge to lean down and kiss her.

  She would probably smack him.

  Maybe it would be worth it.

  With a cocky grin, he gave her an imaginary salute and turned away.

  Olivia watched Connor walk away, intrigued despite herself. They’d fallen into an easy familiarity. Maybe too easy. Had he been about to kiss her? She’d only known him for two days, eighteen hours, but there was something about him that appealed to her, and she wasn’t sure what she would have done if he’d leaned down to give her a peck. She knew what she should do, and that was get the hell out of Lockhart, Texas.

  Why was she feeling so at home? Was it the people she’d met, or the location? The town of Lockhart had an old-time charm, built the way it was around the center courthouse. The courthouse was several blocks away now, but she’d seen it several times as they’d driven through town, and she’d loved the red and white granite used to build it.

  Over her career as a traveling nurse, she’d been to several towns, just the same as this one. So, maybe it was the firehouse crew. And their chief. They had an easy camaraderie that she missed, in a way, and hadn’t found for many years.

  Turning, she looked for a place to sit down. The central pond wasn’t too far away, and she spied a couple of benches. Hell, maybe she’d just sit beneath one of the oak trees that lined it and close her eyes for a few minutes. She needed to call Baylee.

  Finding a space beneath a welcoming tree, she settled her back against the trunk. Oh, the support felt nice. For just a moment, she closed her eyes, lulled by the cool breeze.

  Children laughing brought her around and she rolled her head vertical. How long had she been asleep? No more than a few moments, right? Then she looked at the position of the sun in the sky. Connor had gone into the judging tent at twelve forty-five. The sun was beyond its apex, now. Glancing down, she picked up her lemonade. All the ice had melted. Swirling it in the cup, she took a big swallow. Lukewarm. She did feel refreshed, though.

  Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her phone. There were a few messages there. Two from Connor wondering where she’d gone, and one from Baylee. And a stupid dad meme from Rex. Sigh. She sent Connor a message first, letting him know her location, then hit the phone button beside Baylee’s name.

  “Where the heck have you been, woman?” her friend gasped out.

  Olivia laughed. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

  She recapped the past two days for Baylee, admitting that she’d kind of lost track of time.

  “Sounds like you’re having fun,” Baylee said, snorting. “And it’s about time, too. You need to let loose every once in a while. This chief sounds handsome. Is he?”