Page 69 of Riley's Rescue

“You too. I’m so glad your homes were spared all that.” She pointed to the other side of the road.

The man nodded then strolled back to where his wife had come out, obviously curious about who he was talking to.

Riley looked at Garrett. “Are you okay?”

“I’m very okay. Thank you for making me come here.”

She grinned at him as the truck started forward, a little faster than before. “You didn’t want him to know you were one of the Hot Shots that saved his home. Why?”

“I’m glad I was able to complete the firebreak, but it was a team effort. Twenty of us made that successful, not just me. It’s better that he be thankful to all Hot Shots. They put their lives on the line every time they go out. I don’t want anyone thinking of just me when they think about Hot Shots. Besides, I’m not a firefighter anymore.”

Her heart filled with warmth for the man she’d fallen in love with in the dark. “Maybe, but you’re still a Hot Shot in my book.”

He placed his hand on hers. “My sacrifice led me in a different direction than I expected, and I’m glad it did. I found you. I’m content that I —Holy shit.” His final word came out in a breath.

She’d been looking at him, but at his sudden swear, she turned forward. Her heart sank at the sight. They had come to the top of a ridge where the firebreak had stopped and as far as the eye could see it was a mix of burn and new growth.

It was a metaphor for both of them, only she had a good feeling that their growth would be a lot faster than the land before them. “I think we’ve seen all we need to see here. Let’s go back.”

He nodded and turned the truck around.

“Wait.” Unbelting her seatbelt as he stopped, she got out and closed the door behind her to keep Copper inside. She stepped to the side of the road.

“What is it?”

She smiled and called over her shoulder. “It’s life.”

The other truck door closed and Garrett joined her. “Where?” His gaze was on the horizon.

She pointed to the hundreds of wildflowers dotting the ground at their feet. The unusually wet summer had been kind. “There. See him. It’s a bee. Oh, and there’s another one.” As she scanned the pretty yellow blooms, she found more bees. “My mom used to say that where there are bees there is life because they pollinate the plants.”

Garrett put his arms around her from behind and rested his head on her shoulder. “If they are up here, I’m sure they are all over this terrain. It’s taking time, but years from now, you won’t even know there was a fire here.”

She leaned back against him. “And maybe in those years, our pasts will be the same, still there, but from which our life can bloom.”

He turned her in his arms. “Is my soldier waxing poetic?”

She grinned. “Oh, for shit’s sake, don’t count on it.”

He laughed. “Good, because I’m terrible at poetry.”

“I don’t need someone who understands poetry. I just want a handsome, hot, firefighting cowboy who promises to always come to my rescue.”

His grey-blue eyes softened as he gazed at her. “I promise. And will you always come tomyrescue?”

At his words, her love for him seemed to fill her whole body. “I promise.”

A bark from inside the truck had them both turning. She chuckled. “I think that means that Copper promises, too.”

He looked back at her. “Then I guess that makes us a unit.”

A new unit. A new family. A new life. “Absolutely.” Wrapping her arms around his neck, she sealed their promises with a kiss.