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

an awkward and painful phone call, his mom had taken over the funeral arrangements and insisted on returning the body back to Minnesota for burial next to his father. I was surprised we found anyone, given Carter hadn’t painted a great picture of his family, but I was grateful that I didn’t have to make the arrangements. I doubted lying in the family plot for eternity would be what he would have wanted, but I had no reason, or right, to object.

I didn’t really want to travel, yet, if I didn’t want to look like a murderous bitch, I’d have to go to Minneapolis for the service and play the role of grieving girlfriend. The thought left me nauseous. I had only two more days until the service, so I was packing up a small bag. I still had the black dress I’d worn to Uncle Leonard’s funeral and I carefully folded it into the suitcase.

I wondered if maybe Uncle Leonard was watching over me from Heaven as a guardian angel and had a hand in putting Gina and Ben in my path.

Gem was laying in the center of my bed looking at me with adoring eyes and my heart filled with love. She was so sweet; snuggled into the fluffy comforter, so at home and safe. I couldn’t take her with me to Minnesota and I hated to leave her behind. I had no choice but to fly to Minneapolis if I wanted to make it in time for the funeral.

My plan was to ask Ben if he could watch her for the two days I’d be gone, and I planned on doing so when he came over to take care of the horses later. I was unsettled, but I vowed to get my shit together as soon as this funeral was behind me.

I’d made a simple supper of chili and cornbread and hoped Ben would decide to stay. Anxious, I kept looking out the window so I wouldn’t miss him drive in. I hadn’t had much of an appetite since the accident, but it was the least I could do when I was going to ask him to take care of my puppy again.

I finished packing by placing two pair of shoes, a blazer, a pair of dark jeans and my favorite casual blouse inside the open suitcase. It was navy blue flowy material dotted with an orange and white floral-patterned sheer fabric over a solid navy chemise. I grabbed a pair of old exercise shorts and baggy T-shirt to sleep in and I’d just done into the bathroom down the hall to grab the needed toiletry and make-up items and shoved them into a smaller bag when I heard Ben’s old black truck pull up in front of the barn. Hurriedly, I rushed back into my room and tossed the make-up bag on the top of the suitcase.

“Come on, Gem!”

The puppy woke up and started wagging her tail as she walked, with some difficulty, across the comforter toward me. She was still too little, and afraid, to jump from the bed so I picked her up and put her on the floor so she could follow me downstairs. Gemmy still had some difficulty with the stairs, too, but I coaxed her down and made sure she didn’t tumble down headfirst. “Come on, girl. You can do it. That’s it! You’re getting so big!” I encouraged.

At the bottom of the stairs, the pup followed me to the back door in the kitchen where I shoved my feet into my old Vans. They were my work shoes and quite worn out. I was dressed in frayed jean shorts and a purple V-neck T-shirt. My hair was in a loose knot on the top of my head, and I was sure it showed that I didn’t give a damn about how I looked. I didn’t have one bit of make-up on, and so I hesitated a second to consider my appearance. I’d just lost my boyfriend and I shouldn’t be worried how another man would see me. My heart started to beat a little faster as I pondered my predicament.

I sighed and bent to pick up the puppy. “Come on, baby. It is, what it is.” I shrugged as I pushed open the screen door and walked out into the balmy evening air. When I placed her on the grass, she wagged her tail excitedly. She barked happily as she took off toward the barn.

The sun was low on the horizon and casting beautiful hues of orange and pink that reflected off of the fluffy cumulous clouds and radiated behind the mountains. I loved the ranch at dusk when the stars just started to peak out into the lavender sky. It was a beautiful sight.

I walked past the dust covered truck, which had both windows down, then headed through the open barn door and into the huge building. The familiar smell of hay and manure had already assaulted my senses before I was fifty feet from the entrance but intensified once inside. The horses were neighing and stomping in their stalls awaiting their evening meal. There was no sign of the man I was looking for and I reasoned he’d be back inside the feed stall or out refilling the water troughs.

“Ben?” My voice echoed through the tall and empty space.

“Oh, hey!” he called just before he emerged with a pitchfork full of alfalfa and put it in the first stall. His face lit up when he saw me, and I thought his blue eyes would melt my insides as they smoldered over me. His broad shoulders and solid biceps made light work of the job. “How are you feeling?”

Ben was dressed in the firehouse uniform of blue pants and T-shirt with the St. Florian Cross on the upper left chest in gold, red and white. His sandy blond hair flopped onto his forehead boyishly and he unconsciously pushed it out of the way with one of his gloved hands.