12-Alarm Cowboys (135 page)

If only she could have a normal life with a man who loved her.

After a quick shower, she returned to the living room, sitting next to the scanner. At least this way she could keep up with the unit, make sure they were all okay by listening to their radio transmissions. Plus, she’d know when Damien was on his way home.

Over at the brewery, things weren’t going as planned. Titan thought they’d be in and out quickly. The initial report had been that a welder was working to replace an old fire escape when a spark ignited some beams in the wall. Two ladder trucks had begun spraying the outside structure while he and two others had headed inside. They’d got everyone to safety and were on their way out when a spark fell into one of the vats. That was all it took. With the flammability of alcohol, the explosion was instantaneous. The whole building shook and Titan was thrown about twenty feet. As he tried to rise, he hung his jacket on an exposed jagged pipe, tearing the thick material. A flame of fire licked right up his side. Due to his battered gear, Titan was burned. The next thing he knew, the whole ceiling was coming down.

“Man down! Man down!”

Through a haze of pain, he heard Ronan radioing for help. The last thing on his mind was…Makenna.

Back at the Wade house, she heard the ominous announcement. “Man down! Man down!” Jumping up, Makenna ran to the scanner, standing over it with her heart in her throat. The channel was designated for firemen and first responders only, and since this was a rural community, there were few formalities.

“Who is it and what’s going on?”

She knew this was one of the EMTs, most probably Owen, the senior member of the team. Straining to hear, Makenna went down on her knees.

“Ceiling collapsed, one of the ale vats exploded. The firefighter is unconscious with some burns to his back. He’s out of the building and we’re working on him now. Hurry, it’s Titan Sloan.”

Unbidden, a cry broke from her throat and she didn’t even think. Running to her room, she scrambled to get back into her clothes. With little forethought and no plan, she grabbed her keys. Makenna was out the door and headed for the hospital before she could talk herself out of it.

‡

“H
urts like a
bitch!” Titan groaned.

“Hold still, son,” the doctor ordered. “If you’re able to make so much noise, I think you’re going to be fine.”

Titan should’ve been relieved at the announcement. Instead, he cursed himself for his idiocy in not anticipating what was about to happen. “Was anyone else hurt?”

“No, not to my knowledge,” Doc Proctor muttered as he applied ointment to the second degree burns on Titan’s back.

“At least I didn’t need blood. With my rare blood type I would’ve probably died.” Titan closed his eyes, trying to shut out the pain. Burns were the worst.

“I remember, you’re AB positive. No problem now, you had an anonymous donor give blood in your name. You have your own private stash.”

“You’re kidding.” Titan was curious. “Who would do something like that for me?”

“You may never know, that’s why they call it anonymous.” Owen laughed, standing to one side. “By the way, I just heard from the scene on the scanner. The department is still fighting the fire. That last explosion took the building. They’re trying to keep it from spreading to nearby businesses. Don’t worry, Damien will take care of everything.”

“Keep me informed,” Titan hissed. “I need to know what happens.”

“Will do. In the meantime, there’s someone here to see you.”

Titan turned his head, trying to see past the physician and the nurse. “Who?”

“Hold on, we’ll be out of your way in a second.” The nurse continued to apply gauze to the wound.

Whoever it was stepped back, probably one of the guys. “Tell them not to leave.”

“She won’t.” Owen assured him. “I’m sure Damien sent her to check on you. It’s Ms. Wade.”

Makenna.

Whatever he’d been feeling, any pain or discomfort, went right out of his head. “I want to see her,” he began forcefully, then remembered what he was doing. “To ask her about the others,” he added quickly.

“Hold your horses,” the doctor said as he applied the last bit of tape to the bandage. “There.”

As soon as the health professionals left the room, he waited…impatiently. Finally, she stepped into view. Titan’s heart lurched in his chest. She was so beautiful. Makenna had the sweetest face and a mouth he’d give ten years of his life to kiss. Her hair was long and full of body, hanging down her back in fat sausage curls. Once when he’d been watching Grey’s Anatomy, it had hit him that she looked a little like Jo Wilson. The actress’ name was Camilla…something. It didn’t really matter, because the actress wasn’t the object of his desire, the real person standing in front of him was. “Hey. You came.”

Makenna’s whole body was vibrating. She shouldn’t be here, but her heart hadn’t given her any choice. “Of course I came. How are you?”

“I’ll live.” He tried to smile, raising himself up on his forearms. They’d told him he needed to stay off his back for a few days. And by the way it felt, he figured that might be a good idea. “I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

She wanted to comfort him, to put her arms around Titan and hold him tight. But she couldn’t do that, he didn’t belong to her and she was as much a prisoner as if she dragged a ball and chain behind her with every step. Titan had never given an indication he was drawn to her in any capacity other than a friend. All of the intimate connections between them existed only in her head. When she’d arrive at the fire hall with a heavy dish and Damien strolled ahead of her, not even holding the door—it would be Titan who raced to take it from her. He was always first to see when she needed anything. But he was like that with all the women. Titan Sloan was a gentleman and she’d read entirely too much into his gallant gestures. Licking her lips, heat blooming on her cheeks, she stammered over her words. “I…I was worried about you.”

Hope heated his chest like a flare gun going off. If this woman gave him even one hint, one hope she wasn’t satisfied in her marriage, that she longed for him as much as he did for her—he’d move heaven and earth to make her his. “No need. I’m fine.”

“I was listening to the scanner. I heard there was a firefighter down,” she said lowly. “I’m sorry you were hurt.”

“You were afraid it was Damien,” he ventured. “No, it was just me.”

Makenna cleared her throat. “I didn’t want it to be you.”

Titan gripped the sheet. It was a wonder he didn’t tear a hole in the cheap cotton. The meds running through his system weren’t doing a helluva lot of good, except maybe to loosen his tongue. Before he could call back the words, he just spat them out. “Makenna, you know this isn’t working.”

“What isn’t working?” Makenna tensed. A sinking feeling rose in her middle. He didn’t have to say anything more. She understood. He’d seen through her concern and knew she felt more for him than mere friendship. And he didn’t want it…or her…

Titan sought words, words to explain how he felt. But they wouldn’t come.

“Makenna, what the hell are you doing here? You know you shouldn’t be out alone at this time of night!”

Titan couldn’t argue with that—he didn’t like Makenna out alone either.

A pain shot through her where Damien pinched her arm in a cruel grip. To anyone looking on, it would seem he was just holding her. They couldn’t tell he was digging his thumb in with great force. She winced, then tried to control it. What happened later would depend on how she acted now. “I was just checking on Titan.” Next, a lie slipped from her lips, implying she thought the injured firefighter could be Damien. “I heard there was a firefighter down. I was worried.”

The pressure of his fingers didn’t lessen. Instead, he applied more and moved her backward in the room. “Go home and wait for me,” he growled in a whisper.

Makenna didn’t wait to hear more. She left, hurrying back the way she came. The impulse to go to Titan was one she should have ignored. All of the attraction, all of the longing was one-sided, on her part only. He was a man of honor, there was no way he would ever be interested… She bit back a small keen of despair. And now, now she’d pay for her foolhardy decision. Part of her wanted to keep driving and never look back. But the knowledge that Damien would punish an innocent person in her stead made the impulse impossible. Makenna couldn’t risk that, she couldn’t let someone else bear the burden of her transgressions.

When she arrived at home, she sat down and waited.

There was no use trying to hide.

Back at the hospital, Damien stood over Titan. “Accidents happen. You were lucky.”

“Just glad no one else was hurt.” He didn’t really know what else to say. His mind was still whirling over what he’d blurted out to Makenna.

“I’d like to apologize for my wife,” Damien said out of the blue and Titan jerked his head up to meet his Captain’s gaze.

“For what? She just came to check on me…or whoever was hurt. She heard the information on the scanner.”

“Well, Makenna doesn’t always use the best judgment. I tell her to mind her actions, but she doesn’t always listen. Believe me, I’ll straighten her out.”

His odd words and odder attitude puzzled Titan. It bothered him. He was about to ask Wade to clarify what he meant when several of his buddies came storming through the emergency room door.

“How the hell are you, big man?” Hotshot asked with concern.

“We can’t turn our back on you for a minute,” Maverick muttered.

By the time he’d reassured his friends, the Captain was gone and Titan had a bad feeling he didn’t really understand.

*

For the next
week, Titan took it easy, puttering around his ranch and allowing his back to heal. Tammie called to check on him, reminding him about their date in a few days. “I remember. I’ll be by to pick you up at seven. I’m on call, though, so don’t forget I might have to leave at any time.” If she discerned the lack of enthusiasm in his response, Tammie said nothing.

Being a volunteer member of the fire department as well as the search and rescue team was different than being a full-time employee in the field. In rural communities like theirs, neighbors had to band together and do whatever needed to be done. So he lived his life, taking care of his land and cattle until the fire alarm sounded and if it was where he could go, Titan sprang into action. It was the same with all the volunteers. They each had careers, held down jobs—be it ranchers, business owners, construction workers or whatever. Most of them could respond easier at night but there were those, like Titan, who usually could turn loose of what he was doing during the day to help someone in need.

While he was injured, it was a different story. Right now fighting fires was out of the question, as was dangling from the end of a helicopter cable. He couldn’t risk people’s lives and livelihoods by being less than a hundred percent. Thank goodness there were things he could do around the ranch, chores he could manage until the burns healed enough that he didn’t have to go into town once a day to have the dressings changed at the clinic. It was times like this when he missed having a wife or at least a steady girlfriend to keep him company. All wasn’t lost. He might not be able to do any blacksmithing until he healed, but he could ride his horse and drive his tractor, move hay with the fork lift and check on his livestock.

Right now he was sitting atop Valiant, his big red Quarter Horse, traversing Lookout Ridge. His stock was grazing below on grass he’d planted in the winter. Despite the heavy rains they’d had in May, they were right back in drought conditions in August. The rocky soil just didn’t retain enough water. That’s why he always planted Bahia grass. It seemed to thrive when nothing else would. “Easy, boy,” he spoke low to his horse, who’d stepped on a loose rock and set off a mini-avalanche of fist size pieces of limestone skittering down the steep hill. Several of the Angus glanced toward him, as if to ascertain whether or not they should stampede or go back to chewing their cud. Seeing Titan appear to be unaffected by the sudden noise, they returned to their business. This made Titan smile. People seriously underestimated the intelligence of cattle. He’d seen them open gates, come to the aid of calves stuck in the mud and even play a game with an old ball one had found in the pasture. That was why he raised breeding stock. He enjoyed a good steak as much as the next fellow, but he drew the line at eating someone he ‘knew’. Titan chuckled at his own thoughts.