Firefly Mountain (43 page)

She stilled. “I’m sorry, Jonah. I just need to see him. Why hasn’t he come out?”

“Mason will get him,” Raina said as she came to stand beside Gini. Her face was pale as she stared at the crumbled corner of the hall. “He has to be okay. Has to be.” She didn’t blink, but Gini saw the quiver in her bottom lip.

Gini slid her arm around Raina, half to console Patrick’s sister, half to console herself. Raina leaned into Gini, and together they waited for Patrick to appear in the opening.

If he didn’t, Gini hoped her parents had a nice asylum picked out for her.

****

“Patrick!”

Yes, that was his name. He recognized it. That had to be a good sign.

“Patrick, where are you, buddy?”

Mason,
he thought, but he couldn’t get his lips to form any words. And what was pinning him to the wet floor?

No, not just wet
. He took in a strained breath and smelled the gasoline. His uniform was soaked with it, his hands slick with it and something else. Patrick forced his eyes open and a ceiling spun in dizzying circles. He clamped his eyes closed and steadied his breathing as his stomach flip-flopped. When he opened them again, he stared above him until the grid of acoustic tiles snapped into place and stayed there. He pushed up onto his elbows and took in the body strewn across his lap.

The arsonist
. Patrick reached a hand out and touched her neck. Her pulse still drummed in her neck. Alive. He made a move to turn her over and caught sight of the blood on his right hand. As he sat up all the way, a blinding pain screamed through his head. He raised his left hand to the back of his head and felt the warm moistness of a fresh wound.

As his mind put the pieces together, a shadow fell over him.

“Oh, thank God. There you are,” Mason said.

Patrick squinted up at Mason and the two firefighters flanking him. “Arsonist.” He gestured to his lap, and the room went black.

****

Haddy joined Gini and Raina, a hand on both of them, as medics rushed into the hall with two stretchers. The sound that came from Raina’s throat before she crumpled to the ground mirrored everything churning around inside of Gini.

“Can’t be,” Raina whispered. “He can’t be.”

Gini went to her knees, both arms around Raina now, holding on. The anger had fizzled away, replaced by sadness so great, Gini felt as if someone had gutted her like a pumpkin. Carved out anything that mattered, any life, and left it splattered on the sidewalk for the pigeons to eat.

No one would ever mean as much to her as Patrick.

She squeezed Raina tighter as the other woman cried, her own eyes inexplicably dry. Further proof she was dead inside. And to think Patrick had let her take his picture and had agreed to sign calendars because the shelter meant so much to her. He’d done it for her. Now he was gone.

It took several moments for Gini’s mind to register the sound around her as applause. Raina shook within her grip, but Haddy tugged them both to their feet.

“He’s out, Gini,” Haddy said. “Look.” She pointed to the rubble at the corner of the hall.

Gini stood and pulled Raina up as well. Two medics were toting a stretcher past the hall debris, and Midas made a beeline for them. When she saw a hand reach out to the dog from the stretcher, Gini ran too.

“Patrick!”

Midas bolted toward her then back to Patrick as if to say, “I’ve found him. He’s okay.”

The medics paused to let Gini grab Patrick’s still outstretched hand. When her fingers closed around his, she felt complete. Life spilled back into her.

She looked at his hand. “You’re bleeding.”

“Got a nasty bump on the head,” one of the medics said. “We’re going to take him to the hospital. Couple of stitches, and he’ll be fine.”

“I think I slipped trying to get to the other corner of the hall. The floor was covered in gasoline, and I was carrying our arsonist friend.” Patrick shrugged and winced.

“Not easy being a hero.” Gini leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Patrick’s forehead. “I love you, Patrick.”

His grip on her hand tightened as a smile tugged one side of his lips up. “I love you, Firefly.”

Gini loved the sound of the old nickname. Loved hearing Patrick say it. Made her feel as if what she could do was a gift, something beautiful. Not a curse, or something to be afraid of. She’d used her ability to help Patrick. Well, her ability and an enormous fire truck.

“Come with me?” Patrick asked.

Gini nodded and followed the medics to an ambulance. She stopped when EMTs emerged from the hall with a second stretcher. Mason jogged to catch up to them.

“That’s her?” Gini couldn’t believe such a tiny woman could have caused so much trouble in Burnam. She touched Patrick’s arm as a way to calm the anger threatening to ignite something.

“Yes.” Mason glanced at the notebook in his hand. “Lara Farnswell, according to her driver’s license. I’m going to run the name when I get back to the station. Something tells me she’s got a story.”

“Is she hurt?” Patrick asked.

“No,” Mason said. “But she’s babbling on about lessons and fire being the most powerful of the elements. She’s nuts and needs to be under close observation. Figure the hospital with a couple of guards ought to do it for now. As long as she can’t start any more fires, I’m happy.” He signaled for the EMTs to take her to another waiting ambulance and ordered one of his officers go with them.

“I’m going to start processing her while you’re getting pieced back together.” Mason laid a hand on Patrick’s shoulder. “And then, Gini, tell me you’re still going to feed us.”

“Definitely. We need to celebrate that our arsonist is caught, and all our heroes are alive.” Gini’s voice cracked a bit on the word
alive
as she looked at Patrick.

He gave her another smile before the medics slid the stretcher into the ambulance. Mason helped Gini up behind them, and Midas jumped up as well. The dog covered Patrick’s face in sloppy doggy kisses.

“I’ll take Raina to the station with me then to Gini’s,” Mason said. “Gini’s mother is calming her down right now.”

“Thanks, Mason,” Patrick said.

Mason nodded. “See you in a few.” He closed the ambulance doors and pounded on them.

Gini focused on Patrick’s face. She cupped his cheek, and his eyes closed for a moment as he pressed farther into her hand.

“Say it again,” she whispered as she bent over him and ran a finger over his lips.

“I love you, Firefly.” He kissed the tip of her finger. “Right now. Always.”

“That better not be the head wound talking.” Gini pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes.

“Nope,” Patrick said. “It’s just the truth.”

Other than the remains of a slight headache, Patrick felt wonderful seated at Gini’s dining room table and surrounded by friends. Gini had taken him to his house so he could clean up and feed Midas and Whisper. He’d ended up spending more time kissing Gini than anything else, but he considered that time well spent. They’d brought Midas and Whisper back to Gini’s house because Patrick wasn’t planning to return home tonight. He was planning, instead, to love every single beautiful inch of Gini Claremont.

He watched her as she and a finally calmed Raina brought food to the table. Everything about Gini was perfect. The gold curls collected into a low ponytail at the base of her smooth neck. The dancing light in her blue eyes. The upward arc of her berry-flavored lips. The sexy curve of her waist in the fitted green T-shirt and jeans she’d changed into. And beneath her physical attributes was a woman of strength, intelligence, compassion, and talent. She was everything he never knew he needed, but now couldn’t live without.

In fact, everyone gathered around the table was someone he’d miss if they were gone. His sister. His buddies, Mason and Jonah. Haddy. Gini’s parents. Each of them had broken through his defenses and changed him for the better.

His life was…full.

“I brought blueberry muffins, Patrick.” Liz set a pitcher of sangria on the table. “You might have to fight off Walter for them, however.”

Walter shook his head. “Nah, the kid’s earned them.” He held up his beer and nodded at Patrick.

“Thank you.” Patrick gestured with his lemonade, having foregone alcohol due to his head already aching.

“Enjoy, son.” Walter took the dish of pasta Haddy handed him.

“So did you make a formal arrest?” Jonah asked Mason.

“Yes. Ms. Farnswell, apparently the last Farnswell, as her entire family was killed in a car crash about six years ago, has staged similar performances in five other New England towns. Always candles and gasoline. Always starting small and working up to a grand finale. Two of my men found notes among her things at this rundown cabin she was living in while in Vermont. Apparently, she changed her last show from the school complex to the Beaver Pond Hall.”

“The school!” Liz gasped.

“She changed because of me,” Patrick said.

All eyes turned toward him. “What do you mean?” Jonah asked.

“She was at the animal shelter. She heard me call her sick and twisted. Tonight’s show was meant to get back at me.” Patrick shifted his gaze to Mason. “She wasn’t too fond of you either.”

“Probably likes me even less since I’ve arrested her, but I’m used to not making friends with the criminals.”

Mason rested his arm on the back of Raina’s chair, and she leaned toward him. Patrick let some of the responsibility he had always felt for his sister slip away.

Mason will take care of her.
For as long as Raina would let him. Patrick knew Raina got bored easily. He loved his sister, but she went through men like paper towels. Maybe it would be different with Mason.

“You want me to cut that for you?” Haddy asked as Jonah struggled with his chicken. She didn’t wait for an answer. Instead, she picked up a knife and fork and cut into the meat.

Jonah used his free hand to tug on Haddy’s hair as she leaned across him to reach his plate. He winked at Patrick with an “I’ve got it made” look on his face.

For the first time in his life, Patrick knew what his friend meant. Gini sat beside him and just having her close by made his pulse speed up. All of his senses were tuned into her. Her wildflower scent was still discernible over the barbecued chicken. The hand she rested on his forearm under the table was warm and soft. Her laughter made him feel buoyant, as if he could float on the clouds.

“Despite the turn of events this evening,” Liz began, “did you make what you’d hoped to make for the shelter, Gini?”

“Thanks to Haddy grabbing what she could, yes, we raised more than I’d hoped,” Gini said.

“The first order of business should be a security system for the shelter,” Mason said.

“And updated smoke detectors,” Jonah said.

“And sprinklers,” Patrick added.

“I’ll put all that on the list,” Gini said as she saluted all three of them.

Patrick felt better knowing that a place Gini frequented would be well protected. He couldn’t be with her everywhere although he totally wanted to be.

He spent the rest of the evening enjoying the food and the company and thinking about what he wanted. He wanted to finish his house. He wanted to protect the town of Burnam from fires. He wanted to go snowmobiling in the winter with Jonah and Mason. He wanted to eat Liz’s blueberry muffins from sunrise to sunset.

Mostly, though, he wanted Gini. Wanted his life to revolve around making her happy.

As if knowing he was thinking about her, Gini turned around from the sink where she and Haddy had been washing dishes. A slow smile crept across her face, dimpling her left cheek and stirring Patrick’s insides.

“Patrick, does your head still hurt?” Gini’s eyes locked onto his and told him to go along with whatever she said.

“Yeah,” he said. “The drum solo in there rages on.”

“Oh, you poor dear,” Liz said. “Everybody, we should get a move on. Let Patrick rest.”

Patrick looked back to Gini and almost laughed out loud at her satisfied grin.

“You’re good,” he mouthed.

Gini did a little half-bow and walked to the door. Within ten minutes, everyone had said their good nights and be wells, and Gini and Patrick were finally alone.

“Impressive.” Patrick sat on Gini’s couch, and she crawled into his lap.

“I know how to clear a room in an emergency,” she said, “and this qualified as an emergency. I couldn’t be held responsible for my actions if I didn’t get to touch you immediately.” She teased his lips with soft, quick kisses.

“You can touch me all you want.” Patrick slid his hands up the back of her neck into her hair.

“You’d better mean that.” Gini snaked her hands under Patrick’s shirt and freed him of it. “Because I intend to leave no portion of you untouched.”

****

Gini stood in her kitchen, her barefoot tapping to a happy tune only she could hear. A tune she had in her head—her heart—because of Patrick. Right now he waited for her on the swing outside. She never thought she’d have anyone besides family waiting for her. Now she had this wonderful man, his dog, and an extra kitten to love.

How did I get so lucky?

The knife sliced through the grapefruit and sent the two halves rolling away from each other. Gini picked them up and plopped each half into its own bowl. Her gaze slid to the drawer under the island where she stored the plastic wrap and she smiled. Saber meowed from his position between her feet.

“Yes, that’s right, Saber,” Gini said. “I’ve finally found a man to share my grapefruit with.”

The cat rubbed her ankle and purred.

“Yes, I’ve also found someone who can make
me
purr.”

Gini thought of how happy her friends were too. She’d never seen Mason so comfortable around a woman. Raina had erased his shyness, brought him out of his shell.

Haddy was the best thing to ever happen to Jonah. Gini just hoped the relationship would continue after Jonah was healed. She knew her brother. He was a natural flirt. He loved women. Would he be content with just one? Time would tell.