Libby's Fireman

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Authors: Tracey Steinbach

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LIBBY’S FIREMAN

 

 

Tracey Steinbach

 

 

Erotic Romance

Secret Cravings Publishing

www.secretcravingspublishing.com

 

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2013 © Tracey Steinbach

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A Secret Cravings Publishing Book

Erotic Romance

 

Libby’s Fireman

Copyright © 2013 Tracey Steinbach

E-book ISBN: 978-1-61885-736-1

 

First E-book Publication: June 2013

 

Cover design by Dawné Dominique

Edited by Leslie Fish

Proofread by Ariana Gaynor

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LIBBY’S FIREMAN
Tracey Steinbach
Copyright © 2013

 

Prologue

 

Jack put the last of
the dishes away and hung the towel to dry. In a half hour or so,
the kindergarten class from the elementary school would be at the
fire station for their tour. He always volunteered to be on shift
when they were scheduled; he loved seeing their eyes light up in
wonder. And some of them came up with the most inventive
questions.

Jack went to the fridge and got out the
gallons of punch he’d picked up for the kids. While he got the cups
set out and the drinks poured, Hank walked into the kitchen.

“Need any help?” he asked Jack.

“You can get the cookies out if you want.
Thanks.” Jack grinned.

Hank went to the counter and brought the
cartons of cookies to the table. He opened them and started setting
the cookies out on trays. “How many are we expecting? You have
enough cookies here to feed the entire station plus the cops next
door.” He laughed.

“I think there are twenty kids in the class,
plus the teacher, plus the parent chaperones. I wanted to make sure
we had plenty.” Jack shrugged.

“Show time, boys. Kids are here.” Mac poked
his head around the corner. He always volunteered to be on shift
for these visits too. Mac loved kids. He and his wife had been
trying for a while to have some of their own, but so far, nothing.
Jack felt for the guy.

Jack and Hank quickly finished setting the
snacks out, and went to meet the kids and their teacher. “Hi kids!
Welcome! I’m Jack, and this is Hank.” They led the kids through the
station, Jack and Hank taking turns explaining things and fielding
questions.

One of the little girls caught Jack’s eye
while he was explaining about the fireman’s pole. She had a look of
intense concentration on her face, and he wondered what she was
thinking. Looking away from the child, he saw one of the chaperones
smile at him—and their eyes locked.
Pretty lady,
he thought.
She’s one of the moms, Jack. Dad is probably at work.
He
broke the eye contact and led the way to the kitchen and
snacks.

A tug at his shirt had Jack looking down.
The same little girl that had been staring at the pole with such
concentration was trying to get his attention. He crouched down in
front of her. “What is it, sweetie?”

“Where is the bathroom? I have to go.”

Jack noticed her dancing foot-to-foot, and
straightened. “I’ll show you, but we need your mommy or the
teacher.”

The little girl turned to say ‘Mommy’ just
loud enough that the woman Jack had been admiring earlier turned in
their direction. She hurried over. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

Jack grinned. “Nothing bad, I promise. Your
little angel here just asked for a bathroom, and I didn’t want to
just disappear with her.”

The mom looked relieved, then smiled. “Thank
you. If you just point me in the right direction, I’ll take
her.”

Jack pointed down the hallway. “First door
on your left.”

 

* * * *

 

A half hour later, the kids were all loaded
on the school bus and the station was quiet again. In a fire
station, quiet is a good thing—unless you have a group of
kindergarteners hanging around.

Chapter One

 

Jack was driving home when the call came
over the CB.
Six year old female child stuck in a tree on the
fifteen hundred block of Walnut Street.
He flipped the switch
on the dash of the pickup truck and did a U-turn in the middle of
the street.

If there was one thing Jack couldn’t resist,
it was kids. He didn’t have any of his own, mostly due to the fact
that he’d never found a woman that he cared for enough to marry,
but he volunteered every year to help with Toys For Tots, took part
in every Poker Run for the local children’s hospital, and donated
half his income tax check to Make a Wish. He even took his niece
and nephew for a week at the end of summer. They went to amusement
parks, the zoo and the beach. His sister always gave him hell for
spoiling them when he brought the kids home, but she still sent
them every summer. They went home with bags of school supplies and
new clothes for school. He didn’t mind. It wasn’t as if he had
anyone else to spend the money on, and it helped the family.

Jack sped down the street, turning onto
Walnut. He saw a police car already parked out front with his
lights flashing. Jack pulled up behind him and jumped out of the
truck. “Where is she?” he asked the cop. The cop pointed toward the
back yard, and Jack took off at a jog.

When he rounded the house, Jack stopped dead
in his tracks. Sitting there, about ten feet up in the air, was a
little girl in a tree. She had a huge grin on her dirty face and
what looked to be a Barbie doll in her hand. Jack had been
expecting to find a scared little girl, crying for her mommy. He
shook his head and grinned when the little girl waved at him. He
waved back and started for the tree. “Hi. I’m Jack. What’s your
name, honey?” Jack asked, looking up at her.

“Libby,” she answered. “Are you a
fireman?”

Jack nodded. “I am.
You met me the other day, when you came to see the fire station.
Whatcha doin’ up there, Libby?” Jack had his hands braced on his
hips while his mind raced through possible ways to get the little
girl out of the tree.

“Oh! I remember you! You showed mommy where
the bathroom was. I’m playing with my Barbie. She has wings, so I
wanted to see if she could fly. Catch!” Libby dropped the Barbie
doll from her hands. Her little eyes were watching intently to see
if Barbie could fly—and if not, to make sure Jack caught her. He
did.

Libby’s shoulders sagged a little bit and
she blew out a breath. “Thank you for catching her, Jack.” Her
disappointment was plain to see.

Jack opened his mouth to speak, but was
interrupted. “Elizabeth!" a woman's voice shouted. "What are you
doing in that tree again? I told you it’s too high!”

Jack pivoted to the side, keeping one eye on
Libby while he watched the little girl’s mom come running up. A
teenage girl that Jack hadn’t noticed came running over with tears
streaming down her cheeks. “Miss Fields! I only went inside to get
us popsicles, and when I came out, she was up there! I didn’t know
what to do!”

“Tiffany, honey, calm down. I don’t blame
you for this. Libby knows better.” Miss Fields turned back to the
tree. “I think you’ve scared everybody quite enough today, don’t
you?”

Libby looked contrite for the first time
since Jack had arrived. “Yes, Mommy.” Libby started to turn around
and shimmy her way back down the tree.

Jack walked over and plucked her off when
she was within reach. He knelt down in front of her. “Climbing
trees is fun, right?” Libby nodded, grinning. “I think so, too. But
it can be dangerous. You need to be a little bigger before you
climb so high, okay?”

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