Slow Burn: A Colorado High Country Novel

  Two weeks later

  Eric walked back to Rescue One, first-aid kit in hand, the ambulance heading down the canyon. Two guys had gone hiking off-trail, had gotten lost, and had spent the night out in the open in temps that had dropped almost to freezing. They’d been too embarrassed to call for help until it was clear they were in trouble. They were both suffering from exposure and dehydration, but they’d be fine.

  Taylor walked up behind him. “Hey, got a minute?”

  “For you?” Eric opened the rear doors of the vehicle, put the first-aid kit back in its place, and shut the doors. “Let me check my schedule.”

  Taylor stood there for a moment with a big grin on his face, then lowered his voice so the rest of the Team wouldn’t hear. “Lexi’s pregnant.”

  The words hit Eric in the face. “What?”

  “Pregnant. You know—knocked up, with child, in the family way, bun in the—”

  “I know what it means, but … Wow.” He hadn’t known they were trying for kids. They’d only been married for two and a half months. “That was fast.”

  “We’re both thirty-three. We figured we’d better start soon if we wanted kids. I thought it would take longer than it did.”

  “It must be all that second-chakra energy Rose talked about at your wedding. Do I detect a hint of disappointment?”

  Taylor shrugged. “I liked being in demand for my sperm. My days as a stud ended too quickly.”

  “Don’t ask me to feel sorry for you. You’ve apparently been going at it like bunnies while I’ve been doing my best imitation of a monk.” Apart from fucking his own fist, that is. He doubted monks did that. Then again, what did he know?

  Taylor laughed. “Someone’s grumpy. Heard from Vic lately?”

  “She’s finally got a free night, so we’re supposed to talk on Skype.”

  “Good.”

  “If it were up to me, she’d be here right now, and we’d be starting a life together. But she’s still working it out.”

  “Lexi says she’s crazy about you. Give her time.”

  Give her time.

  Isn’t that what he was doing? It shouldn’t take this long. It shouldn’t be this hard. If she loved him, she should want to be here with him.

  Shit.

  Eric set his own frustrations aside. They had no place in this moment. He clapped Taylor on the shoulder. “Jesus, man, you’re going to be a father. Congratulations. I’m so happy for you both. Is this a big secret?”

  “Not really. Rose knows so—”

  “Hey, everyone, guess what?” Eric called out, determined to beat Rose to the punch for once. “Lexi’s pregnant. Taylor’s going to be a father.”

  Cheers went up, and the Team members who were still on site moved toward them, dusty and dirty and grinning ear to ear.

  Taylor narrowed his eyes, glaring at Eric. “Gee, thanks.”

  Megs gave Taylor a hug. “Apparently there’s something you’re good at besides climbing. Congratulations.”

  Sasha high-fived him. “How far along is she? When’s the baby due?”

  “She’s about eight weeks right now, so she’s due at the end of March.”

  Ahearn shook Taylor’s hand. “We all expected this news when you were teenagers. I’m proud of you for making it this far, son.”

  That made everyone laugh.

  “Drinks at Knockers?” Eric asked. “Yours is on me, buddy.”

  Taylor shook his head. “I need to get home. Lexi has been queasy more or less all day today. I don’t want to leave her alone with that.”

  Megs nodded. “You’re a good man.”

  As Eric drove Rescue One down the mountain and back to the Cave, he realized that his life had just changed. Taylor was going to be a dad. He had obligations to a pregnant wife now. He wouldn’t have as much time for climbing or hanging out with friends. Well, that was as it should be.

  But damn…

  What would Eric be doing in March when their baby came? Would he still be alone? Would he and Victoria still be living this long-distance life?

  God, he hoped not.

  He’d just pulled into the bay at the Cave when his cell phone buzzed. He slid it out of the pocket on his belt.

  A text message from Vicki.

  CAN’T SKYPE TONIGHT. BOSS HAD OTHER PLANS. SO SORRY. I MISS YOU AND LOVE YOU. SKYPE TOMORROW?

  Well, fuck.

  He’d been looking forward to this all week. What the hell did her boss want with her now? Why couldn’t Vic just say no?

  Damn it.

  He’d told Victoria he would wait for her, that he’d be here when she was ready, and he would keep that promise. But loving someone who lived far away was proving to be tougher than he’d ever imagined.

  Vic stood with her back to the party looking out at the glittering city below, a glass of pinot noir in her hand, conversation mingling with the strains of jazz behind her. A few months ago, she would have found this view breathtaking, but tonight Chicago seemed cold and lonely.

  She was supposed to be on Skype with Eric right now, not milling around making small talk with coworkers. It was her and Eric’s first shared night off in weeks. But Abigail had called and invited Vic to dinner at her penthouse to celebrate the success of the Merced campaign. It was an invitation Vic had no choice but to accept.

  Eric had been disappointed. He hadn’t said it, but she’d been able to tell just the same. She couldn’t blame him. She would never choose to have dinner with her boss over spending time with Eric, but she wasn’t sure he believed that.

  Ten minutes after she’d gotten that news, Lexi had called to tell Vic that she was pregnant. Vic was overjoyed for her and Austin, but their happy news had made her painfully aware of how very far away she was—and how alone.

  Vic took a sip of wine, turned to glance around Abigail’s apartment. She’d always wondered what the penthouse of the Aqua looked like inside, and now she knew. Abigail had, of course, had her home professionally decorated. Each piece of furniture was intended to make a statement, as was the art on the walls. Taken together, it looked more like the lobby of an ultra-modern office building than someone’s living room. Vic would take the simple comfort of Eric’s cabin to this any day.

  “There she is!” Abigail walked over to Vic, wearing a dark blue cocktail dress with long sleeves and three strands of pearls, two young women following her.

  Vic pasted a smile on her face. “I was just enjoying the view. This is amazing! Thanks for the invitation. It’s a wonderful party.”

  That was Vic’s policy for dealing with Abigail at events—thank her once and praise her twice.

  “I wanted to introduce you to two of our promising interns.” Abigail turned to the young women. “This is Victoria Woodley. She’s one of our best and brightest, and she’s about to be promoted to supervisor. The two of you will be working for her. Victoria, this is Kayla Adams and Ashley Harris.”

  Vic shook their hands. She’d been an intern once, too, and had felt so out of place trying to mingle with people who had real jobs. She gave them a warm smile, hoping to put them at ease. “Welcome to Jensen West. We’re happy to have you with us.”

  She asked them a few questions—where they went to school, why they were going into public relations, where they hoped to end up one day. Their answers were as bland as their facial expressions. After a few minutes of this, she excused herself and started off toward the hors d’oeuvres.

  “What a stuck-up bitch,” said Kayla. “I don’t want to work for her.”

  “Her boobs are probably fake,” Ashley said.

  Stunned, Vic turned back to face them. “Excuse me?”

  She was used to a little backstabbing. That was just part of corporate life. But what had she done to provoke this?

  They stared at her wide-eyed, their faces going white.

  She opened her mouth to tell them off but was interrupted by a single thought.

  You don’t belong here anymore.

  The words blazed across
her mind, bright and crystal clear.

  And suddenly it all seemed so obvious.

  How could she have been so stupid?

  She should be in Scarlet Springs with her best friend and the man she loved. She shouldn’t be here, where no one truly cared about her. She’d rather risk everything for a chance at happiness with him than waste another moment of her life here. If that was a mistake, so be it.

  She realized the two interns were now babbling excuses and apologies. She cut across them. “You’re not going to get anywhere in the business world with that kind of attitude. And, by the way, my boobs are real.”

  People were staring now.

  Vic didn’t care.

  She made her way over to Abigail, cutting her off mid-conversation. “I’m sorry to interrupt, Abigail, but I needed to let you know that I’m resigning, effective right now. I’ll email a letter of resignation as soon as I get home. Jeff worked as hard as I did on the Merced campaign. He deserves the promotion.”

  Abigail gaped at her. “What? Has something happened?”

  “Yes.” Vic couldn’t keep the smile off her face. “I just realized I don’t want to be here any longer. I want to live my life, not work it away. I don’t care if it’s a big mistake; I’m moving to Colorado to be with the man who loves me.”

  Ignoring Abigail’s stunned expression, she turned and hurried away. She had some calls to make—and, hopefully, a plane to catch.

  Eric sat at the bar in Knockers working on his second whiskey. The place was almost empty apart from Joe and his staff—and, well, Hank, who’d just gotten out of jail a few days ago.

  “You’re in a fix.” Hank looked over at Eric, sipped his soda. He was on probation, so Joe refused to sell him anything harder. “I never seen you drink like this, Hawke—sitting at the bar by yourself.”

  “Yeah?” Well, he’d never been in love before either.

  Being in love sucked.

  “You got woman troubles. I can tell. That’s the worst kind of trouble for man—not counting being arrested, of course.”

  “I suppose it is.”

  Hank sipped his Coke. “You want to talk about it? You sure helped me out. If you need a shoulder, I’m here.”

  Eric looked over at Hank, then down at the whiskey in his hand. Here he was at almost midnight on a Friday night drinking and looking pathetic enough that Hank, of all people, was on the brink of offering him advice.

  Jesus.

  He was a rock-and-roll man, but his life had turned into a country song. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.

  “Hey, Joe, hit me again.” Hank pushed his soda glass across the bar as if it were a shot glass.

  “The bar’s closed, Hank. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Hank got down from his bar stool, pointing to Eric with a sideways jab of his thumb. “Why doesn’t he have to leave?”

  Joe cleared Hank’s glass. “He’s not done with his drink, is he?”

  “I guess not.” Hank shuffled off, clearly pissed at being told to go.

  Eric tossed back the rest of his drink, set the glass down on the bar. “Since you haven’t kicked me out, can I have another?”

  “Nope.” Joe took his glass, then pulled his cell phone from his pocket to read a message. “You’ve had enough.”

  “Oh, come on. Two shots won’t even put me over the legal limit.”

  “Exactly.” Joe leveled his gaze at Eric. “That’s why we’ll stop at two. We need a sober fire chief.”

  Eric knew Joe was right. He needed to be able to respond in case the Team got called out tonight—or something crazy happened at the firehouse. In his profession, he just didn’t have the luxury of getting shitfaced.

  He got to his feet. “Well, goodnight.”

  “Sit down.” Joe’s tone was so stern that Eric’s ass hit his seat immediately. “I know what’s eating you, but I don’t think you have to worry. Victoria loves you.”

  Perhaps Eric had had too much to drink after all. That would explain why he started babbling. “I’m trying to give her the time she needs, but this is harder than I thought it would be. I love her and want to be with her. I don’t understand why she’s not here if she loves me.”

  Joe looked over Eric’s shoulder and smiled.

  “I am here.”

  Eric got to his feet so fast that he knocked his chair over. “Vicki?”

  “Hi.” She stood there, looking like a dream in a short black dress, purple fleece jacket, and heels. Then she was in his arms.

  He held her tight, some part of him wondering if he was drunk or dreaming or just out of his damned mind. “Vicki. Jesus. I can’t believe you’re here.”

  “God, Eric, I missed you so much.”

  “I missed you, too.” He ended the hug without letting go of her, his mind racing with questions. “I thought you had to go to some kind of dinner with your boss.”

  “I quit.”

  “You … what?”

  Words spilled out of her. “I went to the dinner because I really had no choice, but I felt so out of place. The view from the penthouse didn’t even matter to me, and these two interns started talking behind my back. One said I was a bitch, and the other said my boobs were fake, and then it just hit me. I don’t belong there anymore. I belong here in Scarlet with you. So I quit my job and bought a plane ticket and called Joe. I wanted to surprise you, but he couldn’t pick me up, so he called the Team, and Sasha and Nicole came to get me.”

  Her words came out so fast that most of what she’d said went over his head—except for the most important part. She’d come back to him. “You’ve decided you belong here now?”

  “If you still want m—”

  He cut the question short, answering it with a long, hard kiss, blown away by the goodness of just being near her, the weight of missing her and worrying that she might not come back lifted off his shoulders so suddenly that he was floating. He only stopped kissing her when he heard laughter.

  He and Victoria looked toward the bar and saw Joe, Rico, and Rain standing there, together with Sasha and Nicole, who waved at him.

  “Hi.”

  He fixed an accusing gaze on Joe. “You all knew she was on her way here and didn’t tell me?”

  Joe shrugged. “Victoria wanted to surprise you, and since she’s going to be my business partner …”

  Eric’s gaze snapped to Victoria. “His business partner?”

  “I’m starting a deep-dish pizza business. I’ll work out of Knockers, serving pizza to Joe’s customers, but the home delivery part of the business will be mine alone. We haven’t worked out the details yet, but I’m really excited about it. I think I’ll call it ‘Victoria’s Chicago-style Deep-Dish Pizza.’ What do you think?”

  “Wow. Yeah. Good.” He couldn’t seem to manage more than single syllables.

  “You okay, Hawke?” Joe asked. “You look a little stunned.”

  Everyone laughed.

  But, hey, could you blame him? His entire world had righted itself in the past five minutes, and it was taking a moment to sink in.

  He looked into Victoria’s beautiful brown eyes. “I’ve never been better.”

  The ten-minute drive to Eric’s cabin seemed to take an eternity. The kiss at Knockers had ignited a spark in Vic, and she wanted him.

  “Hurry,” she said. “It’s been so long.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  Then she remembered. “I’m on the pill, so no more condoms.”

  He moaned. “Don’t tell me that while I’m driving. We’ll end up in a ditch.”

  She pressed her thighs together to ease the ache and tried to think of other topics besides how horny she was. She ended up telling him again, more slowly this time, how she’d walked out of Abigail’s dinner party. “You should have seen the look on her face. I almost feel sorry for her.”

  “I don’t.” He pulled into the driveway, handed her his keys. “I’ll get your bags.”

  She walked up the porch steps, slipped the key int
o the lock, and stepped inside on a rush of happiness, her gaze moving over the familiar space.

  He walked in behind her, set her bags on the floor, and locked the door, shutting out the night. “Welcome home.”

  She turned to face him. “I like the sound of that.”

  And then they were on each other, kissing deep and hard. Eric’s strong body surrounded her, his erection pressing against her belly. “Vicki.”

  He grasped her buttocks, lifted her off her feet, and carried her to the kitchen table, not once breaking the kiss. “I need to be inside you.”

  “Yes. Now.”

  He rucked up her dress to her hips, yanked off her panties, then pulled down his zipper, freeing himself. The breath left his lungs in a long exhale as he entered her, the two of them moaning together at the pleasure of it.

  His eyes drifted shut, a look like pain on his face. “Jesus. God. Vicki. You feel too good. I don’t think this is going to last very long.”

  She wanted to ask him what the difference was between sex with and without condoms, but the thought disappeared entirely when he began to move, his silky, sweet strokes filling her, answering that deep ache. “Eric.”

  He reached down with one hand to tease her clit, stroking her inside and out now, sensation building thrust upon thrust, until orgasm carried them both away.

  They lay together in bed afterward, Vic’s head resting on his chest, his arms around her, the sound of his heartbeat strong in her ear.

  “What happened tonight to make up your mind? One minute, I hear you’ve got to go to some damned dinner, and the next, you’re here.”

  Victoria wasn’t sure she could explain. “I was about to say something to those two interns, when it all became clear to me that I was in the wrong place. All my self-doubt just vanished. I realized I’d rather risk everything for a chance at happiness with you than waste another moment of my life there. I deserve to be happy, to live the life that I want. That life is here in Scarlet with you. I am a daredevil, after all.”

  He chuckled, kissed her hair. “Yes, you are. So you just left everything?”

  “Yeah. I figured we could work that out. I’ll need to break my lease and get movers to bring all my stuff here.”