Wild Heat (Hot Shots: Men of Fire #1)(59)
Author: Bella Andre

He held her tightly to him. “When I heard the chain-saw, I thought …”

She pressed a kiss into his shoulder. “She didn’t hurt me,” she insisted, knowing how helpless he must have felt, running to save her from a madwoman.

“Why was she after you? What did you ever do to her?”

“She saw us in the bar. And she was jealous. She wanted you, Logan. Badly.”

When Jenny had run away, Maya hadn’t wanted him to go after her. She hadn’t wanted him to risk his life again, to leave her and, possibly, never come back.

Maya knew that if she gave in to what she wanted— what he clearly wanted too—if she agreed to be with him, this was the same fear she’d face every day, every night he was called away to put out a wildfire. He might end up being the target of an insane arsonist again, and she wouldn’t know it until it was too late.

She put her hand on his arm. “Do you think she’ll make it out?”

“She better not. This time I’ll kill her.”

“No,” Maya said, turning her mouth into Logan’s palm. “She isn’t worth it.”

His eyes were dark with fury. “She hurt you. She killed Robbie.”

“They’re just scratches. I’ll heal.” But Robbie wouldn’t. And neither would Tony. She had to tell him. “She knew my brother. They dated.”

He pulled her close. “She was obsessed with fire-fighters. I only wish I’d realized she was obsessed with fire too.”

Maya was glad that Logan’s shirt was already wet. It made her tears seem smaller.

“She says he dumped her when she got too clingy. She set the fire that killed him and said she was happy when he died. That he deserved it.”

“She’s insane, Maya. I’d bring him back for you if I could.”

No one had ever loved her this much, enough to slay all her dragons and dry all her tears.

“When she told me she was going to kill me—” Her voice caught. “I realized I’m finally ready to start living again. It’s time for me to accept that he’s gone.”

“Stay here, Maya. Stay in Lake Tahoe with me.”

But she wasn’t sure she could. Not when she loved Logan too much to lose him. Even after everything they’d been through together, she wasn’t sure she could hack it as a hotshot’s wife. She felt like she was wading through black smoke, trying to find her way toward the light, to a place where she would take a deep breath and feel whole again.

But she wasn’t there yet. And wasn’t sure that she ever would be.

So rather than answering him, rather than having to make a decision about her future—about their future— she focused on the fire. On her duties. And his.

“I need to call my boss and tell him everything that’s happened.”

Logan searched her eyes and she dropped her gaze. She didn’t want him to see her fear. Her uncertainty.

He stroked her arms. “I know you’re not ready yet, Maya, but I’m going to tell you again anyway. I love you.”

She closed her eyes as his lips touched hers. He was so gentle. So wonderful. And still she was afraid.

“Will you still be in Tahoe when I’m done putting out the fire?”

She swallowed hard. “I don’t know.”

He didn’t pressure her into making a decision or a declaration. She was paralyzed by her fear of losing him, was still convinced that it would be better to give him up now.

They moved down the trail in silence. She gasped when they got to Joseph’s cabin. It was a massive fireball in the middle of a forest.

“She made me do it,” she confessed in a shaky voice.

Logan squeezed her hand. “Joseph understands. He’d never blame you for doing what you needed to do to stay alive.”

She held her stomach with both hands, willing herself not to hurl. “But everything you have is gone. Your memories from his cabin, and your house too.”

“Joseph’s going to move in with me. Or Dennis. So he doesn’t need the cabin anymore.” Logan pulled her against him, kissing her hard, stealing the breath from her lungs. “You’re here, Maya. I don’t need a house. I only need you.”

Her heart broke into a million pieces at the thought of going back to San Francisco. Alone.

Suddenly, one of the cabin’s windows blew out and he dragged her behind him as he ran. They didn’t let up their pace until they saw the fire trucks roaring onto Joseph’s driveway.

Sam MacKenzie jumped out of the lead truck. “You guys all right?”

Chief Stevens was right behind him. “Maya, thank God.” His face was deeply lined with worry as he hugged her. “I could barely hear you—we had to access our recorded telephone logs to replay what you said. I wish to God we’d gotten here sooner.”

“I’m fine,” she said weakly. “Thank you for coming.”

She felt herself weave on her feet and Logan was instantly at her side again, holding her steady. “Can you walk down the driveway?”

She blinked hard, forced the black spots away from her vision. “Yes. Of course I can,” she insisted, even though it was more pride than truth.

“We’ll go slow,” he said as they started walking.

But he had a job to do. Which was why she was going to force herself to walk out of his arms even though she never ever wanted to let him go.

“You have to go now to see if you can salvage anything from Joseph’s cabin. I’ll be fine.”

He searched her eyes for a long moment before he said, “Joseph’s waiting for you out on the road. He’ll get you a ride back to your motel.”

She nodded, her heart stuck in her throat. He held her hand fast, not letting her go. “Don’t worry,” he said, “I’ll come back to you. I promise.”

And then she made herself walk down the driveway, away from the man she loved as he raced straight into the fire.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

JOSEPH WAITED for her at the end of the drive. “Welcome back from hell.”

Her throat grew tight as she stood before the kind man who’d given Logan so much. “I’m so sorry, Joseph. I should have fought harder. Then maybe you’d still have your house.”

He put his arms around her, his solid warmth comforting. Logan had been lucky to find a father like this.

“You did exactly the right thing. All that matters is getting out alive.”

“But she got away.”

Joseph’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “Don’t worry. I’m sure she’ll end up paying big-time for what she’s done. You’ll see.” He helped her into a waiting minivan. “Go back to your motel. Take a shower. Eat something. And get some sleep. We’ll all still be here when you wake up.”

The drive back to her motel was a total blur. The man behind the wheel kept telling her she looked bad, kept saying he wanted to take her to the hospital, but she couldn’t stand to have a bunch of strangers poking and prodding her. She needed to be alone, to regain her bearings and process everything that had happened.