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CHAPTER THREE

TWO DAYS LATER Ross was in his chair in the office doing paperwork when the ambulance backed into the bay. He watched out the window as Sally came around to the rear of the ambulance. She looked tired. They had already made twice as many runs as the fire side had during the shift.

His company had spent the last few hours washing the trucks, checking the supplies and making sure the station was in pristine order. Now some of the men were in the exercise room working out while others were watching a movie in the TV room.

One of his men stopped at the open door and looked in. “Hey, Ross, it’s your turn to cook tonight. Do we need to make a run to the grocery store or do you have what you need?”

Each shift shared kitchen duty. Some stations had one person who liked to do the cooking, while others had a revolving schedule and the crew took turns. His station shared the duty. They assigned two people per shift to handle the meal. His turn had come up. He wasn’t a great cook but he could produce simple meals. Mostly he hoped to have someone more skilled than him as his partner.

“I’ll check. Who’s on with me?”

“Sal.”

He’d planned to stay out of her circle as much as possible, spooked as he was by his over-the-top reaction to their time together at the picnic. Cooking a meal with Sally wouldn’t accomplish that, but how could he get out of it without causing a lot of questions or hurting her feelings? No solution occurred to him, so he resigned himself to spending time with her. Surely he was capable of that.

During the last few weeks it seemed as if they had seen more of each other than they had in months. In spite of their one day on and two off schedules, he was aware she often worked extra hours in order to have extended time off. What did she do during that time? Why that suddenly mattered to him, he had no idea. He huffed. It wasn’t his business anyway.

Ross again glanced into the bay, then back to the man. “They’re just rolling in. I’ll give her time to clean up, then go see what she thinks. They’ve already made a couple of runs this afternoon. I don’t know for how much I can depend on her.”

“Ten-four.”

A few minutes later Ross crossed the bay to the door of the medical area. Sally was going through a drawer. “Hey.”

She turned. “Hey.”

“Tough shift?”

“You could say that. Two big calls back-to-back.” She shrugged. “But you know how that goes.”

She was right, he’d had those days as well. “I hate to add to it but we have KP duty tonight. I’d say I’d handle it, but I’m not a great cook.”

Sally grinned. “You’re not one of those stereotypical firemen who has his own cookbook?”

Ross chuckled. “No, Trent who works over at Tens does. I bought his cookbook to be supportive but that doesn’t mean I know how to use it. I could see if one of the other guys wants to help.”

“What gives you the idea I’m not any good either?”

He wasn’t used to people putting him on the spot and gave her a speculative look. “Are you?”

Her eyes twinkled. “Yeah, I’m a good cook.”

Ross wiped the back of his hand across his forehead. “Woo, that’s a relief. If we need something, my crew can make a run to the grocery store.”

“I have a couple more things to do here, so I’ll meet you in the kitchen in a few minutes and we’ll see what we’ve got available. Surely you can open some cans if I’m called out.”

“That I can do.” He left and headed toward the kitchen.

This was the first time they’d been partnered in any real way. They had each done their jobs during runs but had never really interacted until the picnic. He rather liked Sally. She challenged him even at creating a meal. He wouldn’t have thought he would appreciate that kind of confrontation but he did.

He was already in the kitchen area when she showed up. “Any ideas?”

“Let’s see what’s in the pantry.” She opened the oversize door off to the side and propped it open with a crate, despite the fact the closet was large enough to hold both of them with ease. Was she fearful of being in a closed space with a man, with him in particular, or was there something else? It was just as well he wouldn’t ever take a chance on being caught in a suggestive situation with a female at the station. Having that on his record would ruin any chance for advancement. This promotion was important to him, his opportunity to make a real difference.

It had been while he was in the hospital after the fire that he’d decided one day he would help people as that firefighter had helped his grandpa. As soon as Ross had graduated from high school, he’d joined the same volunteer fire department that had saved them. He’d continued to do so while he was in college. After that, he’d joined the Austin Fire Department. He loved everything about being a fireman.

In some odd way, he was determined to outdo fire. To be smarter than it. Learn to anticipate its next move. He wanted to control, conquer it so no one else would ever have to live through those moments of fear he’d had.

Sally ran her fingers down the canned goods stacked on a shelf. “Yeah, I think we have enough here for vegetable soup. Corn, beans, chopped potatoes and tomato juice. Two tins of each should do it and we can always make grilled cheese sandwiches.”

He pursed his lips and nodded. “That sounds good.”

Ross stepped to the doorway but didn’t enter. Their meal would have to feed six firefighters and two medical support techs.

“Is there any ground beef left over, or roast beef in the freezer or the refrigerator?” she asked as if she’d been thinking along the same chain of thought.

“I’ll check.” As he walked across the kitchen, he could hear the clinking of cans being shifted.

After rummaging through the freezer for a moment, he announced, “Yeah, there’s two or three pounds of ground beef.”

“Pull it out to thaw. It can go into the soup,” she called from the closet before she appeared with her arms full of cans. She dumped them on the counter as he placed the beef in the sink.

“There’s a couple more cans in there. Do you mind getting them?”

He went to the closet and retrieved the cans sitting off by themselves. “Are these them?”

“Yeah.”

With his foot, Ross pushed the crate back into the pantry and let the door automatically close before going to the counter. He put the cans beside the others. “What now?”

Sal looked at him with her hand on a hip. “This is a partnership, not a chef/sous chef situation.”

“I prefer the chef/sous chef plan.” Ross grinned.

“You act as if you don’t do this often.”

He leaned his hip against the counter. “I don’t, if I can get out of it.”

“Okay, since you’ve designated me to be the chef, I’m going to put you to work. Start by opening all the cans. You’re qualified on a can opener, aren’t you?”

“I can handle that. It’s electric, isn’t it?”

Sally laughed. “Yeah. It is.” She turned her back to him. “And they let him be captain of a company.”

Ross pulled the opener out from under the counter. “I heard that.”

Pulling a large boiler out from under the cabinet near the stove, she put it on a large unit and turned it on. Ross opened cans and set them aside as he covertly watched Sal uncover the still-frozen meat and place it in the pot. She worked with the same efficacy that she used in her medical care.

“So you just have that recipe in your head? Carry it around all the time?”

Sally glanced over her shoulder. “I made it for my family all the time growing up.” She tapped her forehead. “I keep it locked away right here.”

“Well, I have to admit I’m impressed. I had no idea you had such skills.”

“I’m not surprised. We really haven’t worked together much.”

Ross sort of hoped that would change even as he sternly told himself, yet again, he wanted no interferences in his life right now. Socializing with a female he worked with would definitely qualify as that.

“It’s nothing but meat and a few cans of vegetables.” She turned serious. “But the secret ingredient is Worcestershire sauce. Would you mind checking the refrigerator door and see if there’s any there?”

He did as she requested. “There’s half a bottle.”

“That’ll be enough.” Her attention remained on what she was doing. “We’ll make it work. Is there any ketchup, by chance?”

Ross opened the refrigerator door again. “Yeah, there’s some of that.”

“Then bring that too.”

“Ketchup?” He’d never heard of such a thing.

“It’ll add a little thickness to it and also a little sweetness.”

“You really are a chef.”

“It takes more than ketchup soup to make you a chef.”

A loud buzz followed by a long alarm then three shorts indicating it was their station being called ended their conversation. Ross was already moving as Sally turned off the stove and put the pot into the refrigerator along with the open cans.

As they ran down the hall toward the bay, the dispatcher’s voice came over the loudspeakers. “Two-car accident at the intersection of Taft and Houston. One car on fire.”

Moments later Ross was sliding his feet into his boots next to his crewmates. He jerked up his pants and flipped the suspenders over his shoulders. It took seconds for him to pull on his turnout gear that had sat ready on the bay floor. Grabbing his coat, he swung up and into the passenger seat of the engine, while the other firefighters got into their seats behind him. He secured his helmet with the strap under his chin.

One of his men was assigned the job of pushing the buttons to open the huge overhead door. The driver hopped in and they wheeled out of the station with the siren blaring. His company worked like a well-oiled machine. They were out the door in less than a minute. They had four to get to the scene. This economy of effort was another of his leadership qualities that hopefully would get him an edge on that promotion.

Sally and her crewman were right behind them. The traffic pulled to the side and stopped, allowing them to go by. At the lights they slowed then continued on. The goal was not to create another accident in their speedy effort to get to the first emergency.

As they traveled, Ross was on the radio with dispatch, getting as much information about the accident as possible. His heart rate always rose as the adrenaline pumped and thoughts of what to expect ahead raced.

They pulled up to the accident but not too close. Sally and her partner did the same. Ross’s stomach roiled. The driver’s-side door of one car was smashed. It had been the center of impact. The passenger door behind it was a mangled mess but standing open. A child-size jacket hung halfway out the door and a doll lay on the road.

Smoke bellowed from the hood of the other car and oil covered the area. His job was to get the fire contained and put out. Thankfully there was no gas spreading.

“We need a fire extinguisher up here. Spread for the oil.”

As his men worked with the fire, he could see that at least the car seat remained intact inside the first car and the child was gone. Looking about, he could see Sally’s partner assessing the kid, who looked about four years old. The bigger issue now would be getting the woman who was still wedged in the front out.

Another ambulance arrived.

Ross continued to give orders and his men moved to follow them without questions. They knew their duties and went to work. He moved closer to the car to see Sally climbing into the back seat.

“What do you need?” he asked.

She didn’t look at him. “We’re going to need the Jaws of Life to get her out. The car is crushed so badly the front doors won’t open. I suspect the driver has internal injuries. We need to get her out right away.”

Using the radio, Ross said, “Rob, we need the Jaws of Life. Jim, you help him.”

The men rushed to the supply truck. Ross looked at Sally again to see her securing a neck brace on the woman. All the time she was reassuring her patient she would be fine, and her child too. He walked away long enough to see that everything was under control with the other car. The driver was sitting on the curb, dazed but otherwise looking uninjured. One of the EMTs from the second ambulance was seeing to him.

A couple of his firefighters were rerouting traffic along with the police.

He rejoined Sal as his men with the heavy-duty machine returned to the car. They inserted the mouth of the instrument into the area where the doors met and the machine slowly pushed the two apart. It took precious minutes. The metal creaked as it bent and groaned as it shifted. Finally, the firefighters were able to separate the doors.

“We need the gurney over here,” Sally called, then said over her shoulder to Ross, “We’ll need some help getting her on it.”

Ross and another firefighter moved into position, while she and another EMT stood across from them.

“I want us to slowly move her out, scooting her along the gurney.” This was Sally’s area of expertise and he would follow her lead.

Minutes later the patient was in the box with Sally in attendance and sirens blaring, headed toward the hospital. Ross and his company went to work seeing that the vehicles were loaded on wreckers and debris was cleared from the road.

By the time Sally finally made it back to the station kitchen, she found Ross stirring the soup, which bubbled gently on the stove. He was more talented than she had given him credit for.

“Hey, I’m glad you could join me. I thought I was going to have to take all the glory.” He grinned at her. The kind that caused a flutter in her middle. Why him? Why now? He was a nice guy. The kind she might be able to trust. She shook her head. If it was another time in her life, she might be tempted.

She smirked. “Like I was going to let that happen.”

“You were right. Looks like I can brown meat and dump cans of vegetables.” He sounded pleased with himself.

“Turns out you have more talent than you let on.”

“Some say that about other areas as well.” His comment sounded offhand but she suspected there might be more to it. Was Ross flirting with her? No, that wasn’t possible. What if it was? She had to stop thinking like that. There was nothing but trouble down that road.

Suddenly self-conscious, she cleared her throat. “So where were we before we were so rudely interrupted?” She pulled the loaf of bread that was sitting on the counter toward her. “I’ll get the grilled cheeses ready. Everyone must be hungry.” She started buttering bread.

“What’re you doing there?”

“Making fast and easy grilled cheese sandwiches. Pull out one of those large sheet pans, please.” Sally kept moving the knife over the bread as she spoke. “Then get the sliced cheese and start putting it on the bread. We’ll slip it into the oven, put it on broil, and we should have grilled cheeses in no time.”

Ross went to work without question. Soon they had the sandwiches browning. “I’ll get the plates, bowls and things while you go tell everyone soup’s on.”

“Are you always so bossy?” Ross asked as he exited the kitchen.

Did he really think she was dictatorial? She never thought of herself as being that way. Yet Wade had complained she was always on his case. Toward the end of their marriage, she guessed she had been. Wade hadn’t ever been at home. More often than not he’d been between jobs; either it wasn’t the right one or he was too smart to work with the people around him, or some other excuse. His parents had raised him to believe he could do no wrong.

She’d dreamed of being a doctor all through high school but after she and Wade had married he’d not wanted his wife going to school. He’d said school took up too much of her time. Time she could be spending with him. He’d never been a fan of her working as a paramedic, but she’d refused to give up volunteering when she’d been needed so badly by their rural community. That was the only thing she had defied him on. She had wanted their marriage to work.

Looking back, she could see how selfish Wade really was. That had certainly been brought home when she’d learned he was having an affair. But where she’d really messed up was not seeing through Wade before she’d married him. Her judgment had been off, so caught up in the fantasy rather than the reality. Next time, she’d be more careful about who she opened her heart to.

Ross returned with the other firefighters on his heels. Over the next hour the company shared a meal, told stories and laughed. When the meal was over, she and Ross cleaned up, each thankful that most of the dishes went into the dishwasher.

Ross was washing the last of the pots when his phone rang. He shook off his wet hands and pulled the phone out of his pocket. He moved away from the sink and Sally stepped into his spot. She was tired and still had paperwork to take care of. Hopefully they wouldn’t be called out anytime soon.

As she rinsed off the pan, Ross said with a disappointed note in his voice, “I’ll work something out.” He paused. “No, you can’t help it,” he said, before saying his goodbyes and hanging up the phone.

Sally hesitated to say anything, afraid it might be wrong, but didn’t want to appear unsympathetic. “Everything all right?”

“No, not really. The lady I have watching Olivia and Jared while I work? Her mother has had an accident and Marcy has to go help her. That leaves me having to find someone to help me out.”

“Would swapping shifts help?”

He was scrolling through the numbers on his phone. “Naw, I’ve got a meeting with the Chief. One I can’t afford to miss.” Ross spoke more to himself than to her.

“What day are you talking about?” Sally dried her hands on a dishrag.

“This Friday.” He still wasn’t giving her his attention.

“I’m not on the rest of the week. I have too much overtime. I’ll watch them. If you don’t mind Lucy joining us.”

“Hey, if you’d do that it would be great. Jared and Olivia would love to have someone to play with.”

“There’s only one problem.” She paused until she had his attention. “I don’t think three kids are going to be happy overnight at my place. It’s too small. I guess I could ask Kody if we could go there.”

“Y’all can come to my place. There’s plenty of room there. A lot of space outside to play. Plus, Jared’s and Olivia’s stuff is already there.”

“Are you sure?”

He took the pot from her and put it under the cabinet. “Of course I am. You’re doing me a favor.”

Sally wasn’t sure that going to Ross’s house was a good idea. It seemed as if they were getting too friendly. Yet her place was so small and Kody’s would be a little tight for three active kids as well. She didn’t see another good choice. “That would probably be best.”

He studied her a moment. “I’ll owe you big-time for this.”

“Don’t worry about it. It sounds fun. The kids and I’ll have a good time together.”

“If you could come out around eleven, that should give me time to show you around then get to town in time to start my shift. I’ll text you my address.” He headed out the door.

“Hey, don’t you need my number?”

He looked bashful. Cute, in fact. “I guess that would be helpful.”

“You don’t arrange childcare often, do you?”

“Nope.” Ross grinned. “It’s a fine art I’m just now learning.”

She gave him her number. He punched it into his phone, then he was gone.