Logan sighed and closed his eyes. His mom. The cancer seemed to be winning. She wasn't keeping any weight on, and her eyes were tired. The doctors tried to maintain a positive outlook, but deep down, he knew better. Would she live to see another Christmas? He had a sinking feeling the answer was no, which was why he'd tried to make it extra special for her this year. But he refused to ruminate on that. Annmarie Carter was a fighter. She'd fight to the last, whenever that would be.
Mercifully, as if to distract him from speculating on that any further, his cell phone rang and he gladly lifted it from the wooden coffee table. A glance at the caller ID made his brows lift, curiosity sparking. "Carter," he answered, as he always did.
"Hi," came her voice, always so elegant yet friendly at the same time. The people's princess. "It's Tess Harrison."
"So my caller ID says," he said. "What can I do for you?"
"I hate to bother you in the evening," she said, "but I'm trying not to panic." Only then did he pick up on a note of distress in her tone. "I have a-a situation here, and I don't know what to do. You were the first person I thought to call. Unless I should just call the fire department."
"What?" Logan bolted upright into a sitting position. "What's going on?"
"I don't know what I did." She sounded embarrassed, as if admitting the words were torturous. "I don't think the house is on fire . . . but it's filled up with smoke. I-"
"Get out of the house!" he shouted. Alarm flooded him as he jumped to his feet. "Are you okay? What happened?"
"I'm fine, I'm out in front of the house," she said. "I lit a fire in the fireplace for the first time, and within five minutes, the house filled with smoke. I grabbed Bubbles and got out. I'm surprised you can't hear the smoke alarms going off."
He listened for a second. "Actually, now I can." Swearing under his breath, he headed for the bedroom. "Sure you're all right?"
"We're cold, but fine. Honestly."
"Okay." He shucked off his track pants with one hand and grabbed a pair of jeans. He wanted heavier pants, with pockets. Something occurred to him. "Tess, did you open the flue before you started the fire?"
"What?" Horror filled her voice. "No. No, I didn't. I forgot. Ah shit!"
At least he had an idea of what the problem was. "Stay outside," he told her. "I'm pretty sure your house isn't on fire, but call the fire department. I'll be there as soon as I can, under fifteen minutes." Disconnecting the call, he rushed around his small house, gathering his keys, wallet, and phone, pulling on his heaviest coat and his hat. It was under twenty degrees out right now . . . ah hell, he hoped she was okay. And the house too. It was a beautiful house, it'd be a shame if it got damaged. On his way to the door, he stopped. Eyeing the extra fleece blanket he kept in a basket by the couch, he grabbed it to bring along, just in case.
He raced through the streets, driving like a madman around the winding path up Red Mountain, and made it to her house in nine minutes flat. His headlights floated over her as he pulled into her long driveway, gliding over her red parka and a ball of white fluff in her arms before he cut them. The sensor lights over the front door gave more than enough light as he ran to her. Heart rate definitely up, he gripped her shoulders to quickly examine her. "You're okay?"
"I'm fine," she said over Bubbles's barking at him. Her nose and cheeks were pink from the frigid night air. "Just cold, and feeling incredibly stupid."
Time was ticking, every second needed. He jogged back to the truck, reached in for the blanket, and returned to her. "I'm going inside to check it out. You are staying here," he said as he wrapped the blanket around her shoulders. He wished it were bigger, but it was better than nothing. "This'll help for now."
Her big blue eyes locked on his face. "Thank you. That's very kind of you."
He made sure to tuck the end of the blanket around the dog, who licked his hand and yipped. "Did you call the fire department?" As soon as he said it, as if on cue, the sound of sirens wailed nearby. "Atta boys, they're so good." He patted her arm and commanded, "I'm not kidding, you stay here," before going into the house.
Billows of thick gray smoke wafted all through the ground floor, rising to the high wood beams of the ceiling. The fire, while small, still smoldered in the hearth. Damn. He pulled his scarf up over his nose and mouth and went right to the fireplace, peering through the smoke. It made his eyes burn and his lungs heavy; he coughed as he looked. Sure enough, Tess hadn't opened the flue before setting the fire. A rookie mistake. As he worked the flue and got it open, three firefighters burst into the room.
Half an hour later, the scene was calm. With the help of some of Aspen's finest, they'd doused the fire, opened all the windows to air out the house, and made sure everything was secure. Tess sat in the warm cab of the fire truck while they worked, holding her dog tightly and looking chagrined.
Logan went to go talk to her with Captain Bellamy when they were done. He stood by quietly, not intervening as the fireman went over what had happened, what to do now, all of that. Shaking her head, Tess apologized about half a dozen times through the short conversation; her embarrassment and remorse were palpable, and it made Logan feel bad for her. Made him want to reassure her beyond the fire chief's words, which were echoes of what Logan had said and thought. Seeing the guilty look in her sharp blue eyes made him want to pull her into his arms and give her a hug.
It was only when the fireman said, "However, you're going to have to let the house air out for a while," that Logan finally spoke up.
"I'll take care of her," he said.
Tess's eyes flew to Logan's face in obvious surprise, but Captain Bellamy nodded and said, "All right, then," without a glance or a thought.
"That won't be necessary," she said.
"Really?" Logan asked. He crossed his arms over his chest. "You won't be able to go back into the house and close the windows for . . . what, Captain, two hours, at least?"
"Sounds about right," Bellamy said. "I'd give it four-or more, actually, unless you don't mind the smell of smoke in your furniture."
Logan nodded in agreement, his eyes holding his client's. "And it's seventeen degrees out right now."
He saw the understanding start to dawn in her face.
"Way I see it," he went on, "you have two choices. You can stay out here in the cold, maybe sit in your truck for a while, if that suits you. Or, you can go inside, quickly grab a few things, and let me take you into town so you and your dog can stay at a nice, warm hotel for the night. Which I'll gladly take you to, and pick you up from in the morning to bring you home."
He watched Tess as she shot a glance at the garage. Her SUV was in there, but the fire truck and captain's car were parked in front of it.
"Sounds like a good idea to me," Captain Bellamy said. "Why don't I leave you two to discuss it."
Tess stepped out of the fire truck. Still cradling Bubbles with both arms, she almost lost her balance. Logan held her arm to help her firmly onto the ground. She looked up at him, those wide marine-blue eyes locking on him, and said, "Option two sounds good to me. Thank you, Logan."
"Of course. Can't have you out here freezing to death." He rubbed Bubbles's head, bringing a short bark and licking. "You want to go in and grab what you need, or you want me to do it?"
"I'm going to need to put her down to do anything," Tess said, glancing down at the ball of white fur in her arms.
"Gimme." Logan reached out and took the dog. He laughed as she wiggled wildly. "Squirmy li'l thing, aren't ya? C'mere, missy. Let's get you in my truck for a few minutes while Tess and I get some stuff." He glanced at Tess for permission, and when she nodded and smiled, he walked back to his truck. He turned on the heated seats and blasted the heat for a minute before setting Bubbles down in the backseat. "Don't pee in here, okay, sweetie?" She barked in reply.
The captain drove away, leaving the fire truck and his men to finish up. Logan watched as the firemen set up the positive pressure fan in the front door to help force the smoke out of all the open windows. Walking back to Tess, he tried to gauge the expression on her face. Gratitude for sure, but it was mixed with something else, and he wasn't sure what. "You okay?"