Embracing Today, a firefighter romance: (The Trading Yesterday Series, #3), Kahlen Aymes [essential reading txt] 📗

his callousness was what was making me furious, or the prospect of a man, any man, trying to move in on Marin when she was so vulnerable.

In that second, I made it my mission to find out the rest of Marin Landry’s story. It was unclear why I was so fascinated by her, or why I was feeling so protective, but something told me she was fragile for a reason. It became my new mission to befriend her and make sure she was on a solid road to recovery.

The others all adored having the puppy at the firehouse and she spent the day frolicking among the crew. I was worried that she’d get sick when they all started giving her bites of their lunch.

It was turning out to be a quiet afternoon and the station was fairly silent. With the puppy snuggled next to me on my assigned bunk, I did some research on the subject of my thoughts. I found her uncle’s obituary, and noticed he was preceded in death by his parents, and his brother and his wife, who must have been Marin’s parents. More digging found their obits and a news article about a car crash many years earlier.

Poor kid, I thought. So, she had no family, but why no friends? And why was this woman hanging out in my head all day? I was going to help her, but that was already settled. I shouldn’t be so preoccupied with her predicament. This wasn’t my first rodeo with helpless victims, but this time I wasn’t able to compartmentalize as well as I had in the past.

I was tired due to my late night and early morning. I closed my eyes, deciding to take a short nap, all the while petting the sleeping puppy who had climbed up and settled on my chest, resting her head beneath my chin. As I started to doze off, I was surprised how quickly we’d bonded. Maybe I’d have to get a dog of my own. I’d been lonely since Missy and Dylan moved to Atlanta the previous year.

I’d long-since learned to sleep in the midst of my fellow firefighters milling around the station and quickly nodded off.

It was unclear how much time I’d spent sleeping when I was startled awake by something hitting the bottom of my foot. My eyes opened and I craned my neck to look down my body toward the bottom of my bunk. Captain Connors was leaning in and down peering at me. His bright blue eyes were shinning out of his weathered, but smiling, face. “You got company.”

“Oh, hey, Cap,” I mumbled sleepily. I rubbed my eyes with the thumb and index finger to clear them. “Who is it?”

He only chuckled. “Just get your ass up, boy,” he grumbled in his signature good-natured way. “Hurry up. In the garage.”

My arm wrapped around the puppy who was yawing in protest as I started to remove both of us from the bunk and begin the walk out of the second-floor bunk room to make my way downstairs. The pup was way too small to navigate the steep stairs, so I continued to carry her in my arms, but she started wiggling like crazy and then whining.

When I walked through the station there weren’t any of the guys in the kitchen or lounge area, which was unusual. Passing through the archway into the garage where the three engines were housed, I noticed a crowd of dark blue uniformed people standing in a semi-circle near one of the open doors.

As I got closer, I could hear murmured statements of condolences and I realized Marin must be here.

I wove through the dozen or so men and two women, who had stopped their work cleaning the engines and packing up gear, to hover around the fragile young woman and another; the nurse I recognized from my earlier visit to the hospital.

Davis was right up in there talking to her, though he was respectful.

“I’m very sorry for your loss,” he said.

Marin nodded somberly. “Thank you.”

The bundle of fur in my arms started to yip and wiggle more the closer I got to her.

Marin’s face lit up. “Gemmy!”

I moved closer to hand Marin her puppy, who instantly began licking her face. She reacted by pulling Gem close and kissing the top of her head. “Hey, baby. I missed you!”

I glanced around, silently communicating that everyone should scatter. I met Davis’ gaze and he offered a slight nod and moved away to get back to work.

“Hi,” I said. “Are you sure you’re ready for her? I thought you were going to rest today, and I was supposed to come by tonight.”

It occurred to me that by coming here, Marin Landry was going to collect her dog and tell me to buzz off. A veil of panic settled over me, and I frowned awkwardly. “To help with the horses.” I felt completely out of my element. This bruised young woman had affected me in a way that no one had before. I cleared my throat.

“Marin, I’m just going to wait for you in the car,” the red-headed nurse said, pointing in the direction of her parked car and backing away. “Nice to see you, again,” she said to me.

“You, too,” I nodded, feeling rude. “I’m Ben.” I held out a hand to her.

“Gina,” she said, offering her hand in a brief handshake. “Marin?” she pointed to the car again.

“Oh, sure. Thanks, Gina. I’ll just be a minute.”

The jeans and blouse Marin wore looked a size too large and hung loosely on her small frame as she stood before me, still cuddling little Gem.

I put a hand up and rubbed the back of my neck. “So, I’ll still come out about six to feed and water the horses.”

“Oh,” she hesitated nervously. “I feel so bad asking you to help me. I’m sure I can manage.”

This was what I was afraid of. “You’re not in any shape to open new bails of alfalfa and that’s what is needed.”