Where There's Smoke: The Heroes of Hammonds Bend(Romantic Suspense) Read online

  Then as if it was an afterthought, she added, “Hey I guess this means I get out of latrine duty this morning doesn’t it?”A broad grin split her mouth when the dining area erupted in a chorus of harrumphs. She squirted dish soap into the running water, and mentally patted herself on the back.

  The clattering of dishes on the counter beside her made Annie question who had really gotten the better of the two tasks. Maybe a little time alone in the bathrooms would be the best place for her at the moment.

  “You wash and I’ll rinse.” Mason’s deep voice broke into her reverie. “Deal?”

  “Deal.” She replied, her heart pounding a staccato beat in her chest. Maybe the mindless task would give her time to calm her unusual reaction to Mason Ramsay. One could only hope.

  ~&~

  They worked in a comfortable silence. Mason was hard pressed to remember a time when he had been so at ease with someone he had known less than a day.

  He cast a sideways glance at her, taking in the wisps of dark, wavy hair that had escaped the confines of her ponytail. She wasn’t hard on the eyes, but she was no where near the type of woman he usually got involved with. In the past five years he’d spent his time in the company of leggy blondes who had no interest in long term relationships. And even less interest in working hard for a living. They were nothing like the fiery brunette currently scrubbing the hell out of the dishes beside him.

  Mason had the inexplicable belief that Annette Andrews could hold her own in most situations.

  “I’m sure this is no different than other places you’ve worked. We have station duties every day. Some okay and some not too glamorous.” Her gentle laugh rippled through the air.

  His gaze followed the expanse of her creamy neck to the collar of the light blue shirt she wore. The uniform hugged the soft curves of her body. Wavy, chestnut colored hair, shot through with streaks of red and gold, tantalized him from its conservative ponytail. Would it be as honeyed as he imagined it would trailing through his fingers? Deep red highlights sparkled under the fluorescent lights. A strand had slipped from its confines, caressing her cheek. Mason fought the urge to reach out and tuck it behind her ear. Her enticing full, pink lips were void of any artificial color. What would she do if he closed the small distance between them and tasted her?

  “Do you have any questions so far?”

  Mason grinned down at her, wondering what she’d do if he answered the question truthfully. “Not so far, but I’ll be sure to let you know if I do.”

  In the meantime he needed to stay focused on the job at hand.

  ~&~

  They dried the dishes and tidied up the kitchen, working side-by-side as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

  “So what kind of experience do you have Mason?” Chagrin burned hot in Annie’s face the moment the words slipped past her lips.

  “Well, let me see...” He leaned into her, and lowered his voice to a conspiratorial level. “Where would you like me to begin?”

  The implication in his words sent waves of excitement skittering through her. Whoa brother you better watch what you say with this one or you’re going to end up in a whole lot of hot water.

  “You’ve had that many jobs?” She laughed, hoping to move the conversation back to neutral ground. “I don’t know if that’s good or bad. Were you not liked at these other places?”

  “Oh I’ve never been dismissed from any job.” Mason smirked. “But let’s not talk about that right now. I’ve worked in several different areas. I worked as a wild land firefighter for a time, but the majority of my experience is in structural firefighting. I received my paramedic training almost ten years ago. I’m not as green as people expect.”

  Had Annie imagined the way his tone had faltered a little? Get a grip. Your imagination is working overtime again. She chided herself.

  “Shall we go see what everyone else is doing?” She queried. “Once duties are done, we try to work in some training around calls.”

  “Lead the way.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  Annie scanned the interior of the small diner in search of her friend. Cathy’s overzealous, almost frantic wave from across the crowded restaurant caught her attention.

  She plastered on a smile though she didn’t really feel happy, and crossed the wooden floor to the far side of the room.

  Cathy occupied a booth against the wall. A low flame flickered in the candle occupying the center of the table. Raymondi’s restaurant was one of the oldest establishments in Hammond’s Bend, and the only Italian restaurant in a twenty-five mile radius. The softly lit interior and wafting scents of tomatoes mixed with basil made Annie feel like she was sitting in her mom’s kitchen.

  Her thoughts turned back to Cathy’s earlier phone call. Annie had to admit when her friend had first called she hadn’t been in the mood to go anywhere. After all, her downtime was so limited that she protected it like a dog guarded his bone. She preferred to stay at home and enjoy a peaceful day rather than run it away. But Cathy had sounded desperate so here Annie stood.

  Too much time had passed since she’d last visited with Cathy. They had grown up in the same area of Hammond’s Bend, and had been fast friends since kindergarten.

  When Cathy had married Joe Martin, Annie had been ecstatic for her. Joe was a good husband and father, not to mention, one hell of a great firefighter. Truth be told, there were times when Annie felt a little envious of Cathy’s life.

  “Hey Cath.” She leaned over and hugged the other woman. “How’s everything going?” She scanned her friend closely for any clue to why she’d received the unusual phone call this afternoon. Annie couldn’t quite put a finger on it, but Cathy’s voice had struck an odd chord with her. Her tone had sounded almost despondent.

  Had something happened to one of the children? Or Joe? Surely if that was the case, Cathy wouldn’t bring Annie here to break the news. Still, Annie sensed something was deeply troubling her friend.

  “I’m not sure Annie.” Cathy’s voice shook as she continued to shred the napkin clutched in her hands. Annie’s instincts had been dead on. Something was eating at Cathy in a big way.

  Annie’s fingers grazed Cathy’s arm, and stilled her frantic motion. Sadness filled the deep blue eyes that lifted to meet Annie’s gaze.

  “What’s going on Cathy? You’ve decimated that poor napkin beyond recognition.”

  With the same soothing tone Annie reserved for her patients, she stroked her friend’s forearm. Confusion settled on Cathy’s face. Deep frown lines marred the expanse of her forehead.

  “It’s Joe” Cathy’s broken whisper tugged at Annie’s heart. “I think he’s seeing someone.” Tears shimmered on long, dark, lashes. “He’s been so distant lately, Annie. I’ve tried getting him to talk. He just says he can’t talk about it.” She finished in a rush.

  Joe was cheating on Cathy? Annie fought to wrap her mind around the possibility. It was unthinkable. They had been together for so long. Would he do something like that to his wife and children?

  “Cath, maybe he’s just feeling some extra stress. Didn’t his mother die around this time of year? Maybe it’s just affecting him differently?” She offered the idea, working hard to convince both Cathy and herself.

  She tucked a new napkin in Cathy’s trembling hand. The despair in her friend's eyes as her gaze locked on Annie’s, tore a hole in her stomach.

  “Annie, he’s been away so much this year.” Cathy stammered. “It used to be that he would go once or twice, but he’s been gone four times already.” The words broke on a sob. “At first when I asked him where he was going, he wouldn’t tell me, but the last time he said he was going to Houston.” She continued shakily. “I didn’t even have to ask him. He said he was visiting friends there.”

  “Well, there you go Cathy.” Annie declared in a matter-of-fact tone, all but slapping the other woman’s back. “He was visiting friends.”

  The haunted eyes locked on Annie again. Her throat worked up and down
as if something had lodged in it before Cathy swallowed hard.

  “We don’t have any friends in Houston, Annie. We don’t have friends anywhere in Texas for that matter.” Her head dropped forward, tears sliding down her cheeks.

  Annie hated the feeling of helplessness that swamped her. Her heart was breaking in pieces for Cathy. Annie was unable to assemble any words that would ease her friend’s grief. With Cathy’s hand still firm in her grasp, Annie stood and pulled Cathy to her feet.

  “Come on Cath. Let’s get out of here. Whatever’s going on, I’ll be there for you,” she declared firmly. “We’ll get to the bottom of this together.”

  Annie wrapped an arm around Cathy’s shaking shoulders, and guided her from the restaurant to the parking lot where her truck was parked. She bundled her dejected friend into the passenger seat and locked the seat belt firmly in place. Before she walked around the front of the truck, she cast a glance at her friend slumped in the interior, so consumed with misery. She’d never care about someone that much. There was no way she’d fall so deep in love with someone that when it ended, as it always did, she would be so utterly devastated.

  She eyed her passenger as she slid in behind the wheel and an image of Mason Ramsay came immediately to mind.

  No doubt he was the type of man who could cause a woman this kind of heartache. And regardless of her body’s instant attraction to the man, Annie had no intention of testing her theory. No way would she let anyone put her through the kind of pain Cathy was experiencing at the moment. No way.

  Right then and there, in the suffering silence of the cab, Annie made a silent vow that the hot man with the penetrating gaze would be nothing more than one of the guys. She cranked the engine to life and pulled out.

  For the moment her friend needed help. The first step would be to get Cathy home. The next would be to find Joseph Martin and give him a piece of her mind.

  ~&~

  Mason paced around the confines of his home office. He had found it way too easy to work with Annie. Easier than any other partner he could remember. She knew what she was doing. Images of the car accident from the day before filtered through his head. She had climbed into the back seat of that car knowing full well the risks that being in such close proximity to the powerful tools brought.

  She hadn’t so much as twitched when the blade of the Sawzall came within inches of striking her neck. Mason had almost come unglued on the firefighter operating it. He had managed to restrain himself in time to keep from flattening the man. He didn’t need the hassle of explaining to anyone, himself included, why he beat the hell out of one of their own his first day on the job.

  He stalked into the kitchen and snatched a beer from the refrigerator. Slanting a hip against the counter, he cracked open the bottle and took a long pull, savoring the cold liquid as it washed over his tongue and down his parched throat.

  He glanced around the well-stocked kitchen, admiring the granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances. If he ever decided to settle somewhere and buy his own place, this was exactly the kitchen he would want. His mind wandered to Annie. What did her kitchen look like? It was probably neat and tidy with everything in its place.

  He blew out a frustrated sigh, and downed another large swig of the beer before tipping the bottle into the sink to drain the last dregs. What he didn’t need at the moment was to be thinking about Annie as anything other than a means to get to the bottom of this case.

  Situations, like the one that occurred at bedtime the night before, did little to help. Surprise had rolled through him when the crews had started turning in and Annie had called dibs on a bed in the same room as the men. He had been under the assumption she would be sleeping elsewhere. Actually, he had been hoping she would. After spending the entire day in close quarters with her, he had needed space to clear her from his mind. Instead, he found himself awake for more than half of the night, knowing she lay mere feet away from him.

  Even now, his body stirred when he caught a phantom whiff of the slight scent of magnolias that seemed to follow her. Mason had never been one to like flowery scents before now.

  Damn, Mason you are really in a sorry state, aren’t you?

  Maybe a trip to the local bar would help him douse the flame that had flared in him with his first glimpse of Annie.

  The plan hadn’t fully formed in his brain before he pushed it away. Past experience had proven no one would quench the desire building in him except the one who caused it.

  He snatched his cell phone from the clip on his belt, hesitating for a split second before punching in the number he had memorized from the personnel file.

  “Hello.” Annie’s sleep laden voice sounded over the line several seconds later.

  His gaze shot to the clock on the wall and he cursed inwardly. The red numbers glared at him across the distance. Midnight. No wonder she sounded out of it. He had let his desire to hear her voice override common sense.

  “Hey Annie, I didn’t mean to wake you up. Guess I lost track of the time.”

  “No worries.” She yawned. “I only lay down a few minutes ago.”

  The image of Annie relaxed and warm in her bed sluiced over Mason. He swallowed hard, and forced his thoughts away from the dangerous path down which they were traveling, and back to the reason for his late-night call “Wanna grab lunch with me?”

  “Lunch?” Annie sputtered, the astonishment clear in her voice. “Are you asking me out Ramsay?”

  Even before the words left his lips, Mason questioned his decision to put himself in even closer proximity to Annie. Particularly since he hadn’t entirely recovered his senses from the day before. Being around her was something he knew he could easily become accustomed to. And judging by the amount of blushing every time he had come near her yesterday, Mason was fairly certain she was experiencing similar feelings.

  Hanging around Annie had the potential to jeopardize his self-imposed bachelor status. More importantly, if she was involved in his investigation it could be occupational suicide.

  Physical attraction aside, he just didn’t get a deceptive vibe when he was around Annie. He trusted that sense. It had gotten him through numerous undercover assignments in one piece.

  Another muffled yawn drew his attention back to the current conversation.

  “Yeahh, I guess I am. Don’t start planning a wedding, Andrews. I don’t know very many people around here and thought that maybe you could show me around.”

  “Um sure,” Annie murmured. “Anything in particular you are interested in seeing?”

  “Now Darlin’ you should know better than ask a man a loaded question like that.”

  “Listen, Ramsay,” Mason admired the strength in her tone. “I’ll take you to lunch and show you around town a little only because you’re new to town. Don’t go thinking I like you any more than I like the other guys at work. You’re a very attractive man, but I wouldn’t want you to fall for me, and have to break your heart.”

  Mason threw back his head and roared with laughter. He had to give it to Annie, she didn’t play coy. His admiration grew.

  “I promise Ms. Andrews” he responded several seconds later when he had finally regained his composure. “I won’t mistake your hospitality as a promise for anything more,” He couldn’t resist adding in a low timbre. “Unless you ask for it of course.”

  “That’s good. The last thing I need is another stalker.”

  “Another?” Mason sat up a little straighter in his chair, his voice taking on a protective note.

  “What?” Annie questioned. “So what sounds good for lunch?” she continued without giving him a chance to respond.

  Mason knew a stall when he heard one. And, judging by the speed with which she changed the subject, he knew it would be a lost cause to pry into her statement any more at the moment. He filed the tidbit of information away to follow up on later. Maybe he could dig something up back at the station. The idea of someone tormenting Annie burned his gut.

  “I�
��m fairly easy as long as it’s good food.”

  “I bet you are.” Annie chided. “As far as food goes, there’s a great little Italian restaurant downtown.” She laughed lightly. “It’s a little mom and pop place. No high class operation.”

  “Sounds great.” Mason responded, her earlier reference to a stalker forgotten for the moment.

  He really was looking forward to spending time with her, learning more about what made the tantalizing woman tick. The opportunity to pick her brain about the others at the department at the same time was a bonus.

  “Okay then,” Annie stated, “Now what other sorts of things would you like to do tomorrow and get your mind out of the gutter, Ramsay. Remember what I said about falling in love.”

  “Oh I’ll remember every word.” Enjoying the easy banter of the conversation, Mason crossed to the couch and stretched out.

  Annie had already begun to crawl under his skin, and if he wasn’t careful he might just find himself in deeper than he wanted to be.

  The image of Annie moving around the rack that held her gear as they were ending their shift earlier that morning flooded his mind. She had seemed as nervous as a long tail cat in a room full of rocking chairs, as his grandmother was fond of saying.

  He had feared she might chew a hole in her bottom lip. Images of nipping at it himself sent his pulses racing.

  Damn, why couldn’t she have been a man? He groused to himself. Under normal circumstances Mason didn’t mind having a good looking woman around. In fact, he quit enjoyed it. Now however, it could prove to be too big of a professional distraction. He had to keep his mind off how well her back side filled out her uniform, and on his work.

  He cleared his throat, focusing on the current conversation.

  “How about we start with lunch and go from there.” He halted as a thought struck him. “Unless you happen to have a special someone who might not like to share you with me.”

  A knot began to form in his gut. Did Annie have a romantic partner? No one had mentioned a boyfriend or significant other in her presence yesterday. But Mason knew from experience that didn’t mean anything.