Feisty Firefighters Bundle Read online

  Her arms were already around his neck, it took little movement to have her fingers fisted in his hair so that she could tug him closer, then closer still so that their mouths were a fraction of an inch apart.

  “Amber.” The sound of her name on his lips, spoken in that husky voice, made her heart tip on its side.

  She closed the distance between them, let her eyes drift closed. Her lips parted and she felt his warm breath mingle with hers.

  Her office door opened.

  “Oh, excuse me,” came Nancy’s shocked voice.

  Professionalism kept her from gawking, though Amber was certain she wanted to. After all, how often did she see her boss sprawled on the floor in a man’s arms?

  “I’m sorry,” Nancy murmured.

  Amber groaned when the door shut. She pushed away from Dax.

  He let out a frustrated sigh. “I’m betting from the look on your face that what just happened is worse than the aftershock.”

  “I’ve worked hard to make sure everyone here respects me and the work I do. And in a matter of seconds, I’ve just ruined that image.”

  “Well that’s pure bull.”

  Amber stared at him. “That’s easy for you to say. You’re a man, working in a man’s world. You’re not judged by your appearance, or who you sleep with.”

  “Neither are you.”

  “It’s different here. It’s highly competitive. One nasty rumor and I could be ruined.”

  “I see. And being caught in my arms equals a nasty rumor. Flattering.”

  She winced at his unusually chilly voice. “I didn’t mean to insult you.”

  “That’s the hard part, because I know it.”

  T HAT NIGHT when Dax brought Taylor home to Amber, he made no attempt to draw her into conversation. He didn’t even come in, but stood at the doorway, silently and solemnly holding Taylor close for a long moment. Arms tight around the chubby little baby, he closed his eyes and hugged her tight.

  Then he lifted her high, smiled at her squeal of delight and kissed her goodbye. “I love you, baby,” he whispered, and his smile was a heart-wrenching mixture of sweetness and sorrow.

  All that emotion both shocked and humbled Amber to her toes. “Do you want to come in?”

  He shook his head, and as if to prove his point, remained on the step as she took the diaper bag from him. He was careful not to touch her. Though she had no right to feel that way, it hurt.

  She knew he was going to work. She’d seen the news. There was a fire raging in a downtown apartment building. It was filled with hundreds of trapped, terrified people, and though he rarely fought the actual fires these days, he would be on the scene. His job required it.

  But she knew his distant attitude had nothing to do with that fire and everything to do with her. “Be careful tonight.”

  “Always.” With one last, loving touch to Taylor’s chubby cheek, he turned away.

  “Dax.”

  Slowly he turned, but she didn’t know what to say, how to reach him. How to make him understand.

  How could she, when she didn’t understand herself? “Nothing,” she whispered, and then he was gone.

  A MBER DID her best to keep her mind occupied for the rest of the long evening. She bathed Taylor, then read her stories, even though the baby was far more interested in chewing on the pages than listening to the words.

  She even tried to do some of her own work. Nothing satisfied her and her mind drifted.

  To Dax.

  Desperate to distract herself, she flipped on the television, then stood riveted in horror. The downtown fire was live on all the local channels.

  The flames weren’t contained. Even worse, there were still people trapped on the higher levels. The city had put out the desperate call for help to neighboring counties, and though that help was on the way, for many it would be too late.

  She knew Dax would never stand on the sidelines. He’d be there, in the thick of that heat, fighting for those people’s lives.

  Glued to the screen, she lost track of time, chewing on her nails as she hadn’t done since she was a child. When the roof of the building collapsed, she leaped to her feet, then kneeled before the television, her heart in her throat.

  Three firefighters were reported missing.

  She waited and waited, but they didn’t give any more information, not the identities of the men or their conditions, not even after the fire was contained and then, eventually, extinguished.

  No longer able to stand the not knowing, Amber turned to the phone, just as it rang.

  “Honey, it’s Emily McCall.”

  “Oh, thank goodness. Do you think you could watch Taylor for me? I have to go down.”

  “Oh, Amber, listen-”

  “I have to go, I have to know-”

  “I know, I know. But he’s okay. He’s not hurt. That’s why I’m calling.”

  The relief was so overwhelming, Amber couldn’t breathe. “You’re sure?”

  “Thomas drove down there when this mess first started, he just called me.”

  Dax was okay.

  Amber’s limbs started to shake in reaction and she collapsed onto the couch.

  Emily’s voice was thick with tears. “I worry about him so much. I can hear in your voice you worried, too.”

  “Yes. He-We-I…” She blew out a breath and tried again. “It was awful, the not knowing. I tried to imagine…Taylor needs him.”

  “Of course she does. What about her mother?”

  “I need him, too,” she said, meaning every word. “So much.”

  “He’s my life,” Emily said simply. “And so is your daughter. I’m so thankful we’re all together.”

  The guilt that stabbed at Amber wasn’t new. She felt as though she had stolen Taylor’s first three months from Dax and his family and now, only a few short weeks later, couldn’t imagine how she had done it.

  Or why.

  Her reasons for wanting to be alone hadn’t made sense for hours now.

  “Why don’t you bring me that sweet little baby?” Emily suggested. “Then you can decide what to do.”

  “About what?”

  Emily’s voice was hushed, as if she kept a huge secret. “Well, I shouldn’t say anything.” This spoken in the hopeful tone of someone who wanted to be pressed.

  “Please.”

  “Well, you know I pride myself on letting my children lead their own lives. I don’t mean to be nosy.”

  If she hadn’t been in such shock, Amber might have laughed. It was common knowledge among Dax’s family exactly how wonderfully, purposely nosy Emily could be.

  “But as long as you’re asking,” she said slyly. “I was hoping maybe you had something to tell me. That maybe you and Dax were going to…oh, I don’t know. Get married?”

  Oh Lord. “Mrs. McCall-”

  “Oh, no, you don’t,” Emily interrupted with a laugh. “Let’s not go backward here. You called me Emily at the party.”

  “Okay. Emily-”

  “Or you could just go ahead and get used to calling me Mom.”

  Amber’s emotions were in such a tailspin, she had no control left with which to handle this situation. “I’m sorry,” she managed. “But as far as wedding bells, I don’t have anything to tell.”

  “He hasn’t asked you to marry him?” Emily’s disappointment sang through the line. “That boy! I taught him better than that-”

  “No, no, it’s not…” How to explain that she had screwed everything up? That there was every chance Dax no longer wanted her? “It’s not his fault.”

  “You don’t want him?”

  “This is very complicated. I can’t seem to think straight.”

  “Of course you can’t! Where’s my head, pressing you to talk to me before you’re ready. Maybe you haven’t even decided if you like me-”

  Now Amber did laugh. Emily McCall could wear down a saint. “I like you, very much,” she assured the older woman. “It’s just that-”

  “That you do