Protect Me (Rivers Edge Book 4)(4)

I wake up at three o'clock in the afternoon to the steady beep of my  pager. I snatch the device off of my nightstand and make a grab for my  clothes. I always keep a pair of jeans and a clean t-shirt on the chair  by my bed. It's more convenient than rummaging around in the dead of  night through my drawers and looking for clothes.

I slip on the jeans and shirt, socks and work boots on autopilot. I've  done this so many times before, it's second nature. I grab my keys and  cell phone off of my dresser and head towards the Mustang.

I live in a decent sized three-bedroom older home in the heart of Rivers  Edge. I bought it a couple of years back and have every intention of  fixing it up and selling it for a profit. I've already redone the  kitchen, complete with new cabinets, countertops, and flooring. The  appliances are state of the art and the plumbing all new. It took me  awhile to complete the project which is why I started with the most  time-consuming part of the house. When you work twenty-four hours  on/forty-eight off in a town thirty minutes away, plus volunteer for the  local fire department, the time I can truly devote to the house comes  in small increments.

I turn on the blue flashing light, throw the Mustang into reverse, and  pull out of the driveway quickly. I head towards the small, local fire  station with enough speed to get me there quickly, but not enough to put  myself or anyone around me in danger.

I pull into the small parking lot adjacent to the building just as the  doors are thrown open and my fellow firefighters climb onto the first of  two rigs. I'm on the second one. It's the large ladder truck that is  used for most fire calls in Rivers Edge.

"What have we got?" I ask Dave, a lieutenant, who is climbing into his gear next to the ladder truck.

"Barn fire outside of town. The old Frazier farm. It's going up quickly," Dave reports.

I slide on my turnout gear and climb up into the truck. John is our  designated driver. I station myself in the passenger seat next to him  while four men sit anxiously in the back seats of the large truck.  Moments later, we are pulling out of the bay and heading towards the  Frazier farm.                       
       
           



       

I've been a volunteer fireman since I was eighteen and a senior in high  school. It was always what I wanted to do. As soon as I graduated high  school, I enrolled in the fire academy. Fighting fire is my first love.  Okay, fine. My family is my first love, but fire fighting is a very  close second. Women come right after that.

I have no desire to marry. Not because I don't want to but because I  don't want to make her a widow before she should be. There are no  guarantees in this job and the thought of kissing someone good-bye only  to have her told that I'm never coming home makes me sick to my stomach.  I've even considered having kids, but the thought of them waking up one  day without a father doesn't sit right either. That's why I love my  niece and nephews so fiercely. They replace the children I'll probably  never have.

Casual dating is my style. I enjoy treating a woman to a nice evening  and seducing the hell out of her throughout the night. Touching. Eating.  Smoldering glances. It's all part of the art of seduction. I've had  girlfriends. Plenty of girlfriends. I just make sure they know that the  relationship won't go further than casual dating. I've had a few try to  change it. They get it in their heads that they're the one to make me  change my ways. They believe that they will come before firefighting. I  have yet to meet a woman who actually makes me want to change the order  though.

We roll up in front of the Frazier barn, which pulls me out of my  trance. The small truck is already in place and ready to go. Ladders are  extended, hoses are unraveled, and men approach my truck to receive  their orders.

I go through the plan as quickly as possible and confirm that everyone  knows their duties. When everyone acknowledges their understanding, we  all set out to take down this fire.

It's a long, grueling afternoon. It's unbelievably hot under the intense  August sun in full gear, fighting a blazing inferno, but when you do  this day in and day out, you learn to cope with the heat and discomfort  as long as you stay hydrated. The barn was pretty old; built by the  original Fraziers who purchased the land in the early nineteen-twenties.  All four horses were safely removed from the barn before it was  completely engulfed, resulting in a total loss.

Though the loss of the building sucks, the fact that none of my men were  injured, no animals were lost, and no further property damage was  sustained is a plus in my book. As early evening starts to set in, we  finish packing up our gear and equipment and get ready to head back to  the station in Rivers Edge.

Once the equipment and all of our gear is back at the station, cleaned,  put away, and ready to go for its next use, everyone sets out towards  their respective homes. It's Thursday evening and I could use a little  unwinding after the long, tiresome afternoon. I slide into the Mustang,  grab my phone and call Jake.

"Hello?" he answers after two rings.

"Hey, whatcha doing?"

"Getting ready to head over to the man cave. Maddox is finalizing the  bachelor party for next weekend, and I think he clearly needs  supervision," he responds with a chuckle.

Maddox bought Avery her dream house which came with Maddox's dream man  cave. I frequently find myself dropping by and enjoying a cold beer with  my brother-in-law in the comfort of his domain.

The bachelor party has been in the works for several months. Jake had  planned a big, elaborate party for Maddox a year and a half ago,  complete with a no-show stripper, and I think Jake is a little worried  about what Maddox has planned in return. But, it wouldn't be a true  bachelor party without some naked ass dancing around, right?

"Are you in town? Wanna stop by for a beer?" Jake asks.

"Yeah, I'll stop by. I just left the firehouse," I say into the portable Bluetooth I stuck in my ear.

"Heard about the Frazier barn. Glad they got the horses out before it went down," Jake adds.

"Me too. I'm nearing Ave's now. I'll see you there shortly," I say.

"Yep," Jake starts to say but then I hear Erin's voice in the  background. Jake's conversation quickly steers away from me and focuses  on his fiancée. I hear what sounds like kissing into the phone.

"Seriously, man? Don't screw your almost-wife while you're on the phone with me," I tell him in mock horror.

Jake starts laughing. Bastard. "Sorry, but when the most beautiful woman  in the world walks up and starts to rub against you like a cat, you  tend to get a little distracted."

"Gross. I really don't want to picture Erin rubbing up against you next  time I see her so keep that shit to yourself," I respond as I turn into  Avery's driveway.                       
       
           



       

Jake throws a deep laugh my way as he says, "Suit yourself, brother. I'm  heading your way in a few moments." But the way his attention returns  to Erin and the noises I hear coming through the phone receiver,  something tells me that he will be a little late to Avery and Maddox's  place.

I don't even answer as I click off the phone. I'm pretty sure Jake  doesn't even care about our lack of goodbyes right now anyway.

I step out into the early August evening and head towards their front  door. Maddox may already be out in the man cave, but I'll be damned if I  don't stop in and see my niece and nephew first.

I throw a quick knock on the front door and give it a push open. The  house is cool with air conditioning and filled with the warm and  welcoming noise of laughter. I hear my niece, Bean, laughing  hysterically and my nephew, Ryder, giggling as only a five month old  can.

When I step around the corner and into the living room, I see Maddox  crouching on the floor, tickling Bean in the stomach. Her laughter fills  the entire room, bouncing off the walls like sweet music. Ryder is  sitting next to them on the floor laughing and throwing his arms up and  down as he watches his dad tickle his sister.

"Stop it, Daddy! I'm gonna pee!" Bean exclaims in between tickle fits.

"Don't pee on me," Maddox laughs and jumps off of her.

Maddox notices me for the first time and produces a big, full-watt  smile. He reaches down and picks up Ryder who has his arms extended  upward towards him.

"Hey. I didn't hear you come in," Maddox says as he settles his son on his hip.

"Uncle Nate!" Brooklyn exclaims as she climbs up off the floor and runs towards me.

I catch her mid-leap and smile as I snuggle my only niece against me. I  feel this ping of emotion deep within my chest which causes me to hold  her extra tight.