Seth sat on the rug. If he was nervous about this presentation, it didnt show. Hi, guys. He pointed to the patch on his uniform shirt. Like Ms. Sarah said, Im a firefighter. This patch says that Im a member of the Suffolk Fire Department.
She focused the camera on his face, slipping into professional mode. Or maybe not so professional. She didnt usually dwell on a subjects easy grin, or the way the light made his eyes look almost gold instead of brown.
Stop it. So hes an attractive guy. That doesnt matter. All that matters is Davys happiness.
She began taking pictures. A couple of the children glanced around at the first few clicks, but they soon forgot her. They were too engrossed in having a real live firefighter in their classroom.
That firefighter did a good job, she had to admit. He seemed to know just what would keep his young audience involved. No doubt because he had a child of his own, he didnt even miss a beat when one little boy began to wail that he had to go potty.
Not easily flustered, that was Seth. What would it take to ruffle that relaxed exterior? She couldnt guess. The calm, friendly manner seemed to be inherent in his personality. She could see why Lisa had been drawn to him.
Hed come well prepared, too, using stuffed toys of familiar characters to illustrate fire safety. In his hands, a stuffed teddy bear stayed low and hurried out of a house of blocks.
Remember, you never go back in, no matter what. Even if you left your favorite toy inside, dont go back in until a grown-up tells you its okay. Right?
They nodded solemnly.
Okay, now were going to practice what to do if your clothes should ever catch fire.
She blinked. Surely that was too scary for this young group.
Apparently Seth didnt think so. He demonstrated the stop-drop-and-roll routine himself, making them laugh. Then he had all the children practice. A lot of giggling punctuated the process.
She focused the camera on Davy, who was rolling vigorously, hands over his face. Would he pay for this in nightmares?
Now, then. Seth regained their attention by dumping out the rest of the contents of his bag. Ms. Julie is going to help me show you what a firefighter wears.
She frowned at him. I dont think so.
He smiled back blandly. I need a model. Youre it.
The children, prompted by the teacher, started clapping. Apparently she didnt have a choice. She set the camera aside and joined him in front of the children.
Ill get you back for this, she murmured.
Promises, promises. He held out a pair of bulky yellow pants. Ms. Julie is putting on the pants that will protect her at a fire. We call them bunker pants.
Easier said than done. She struggled into the pants, which fit surprisingly well. That meant hed planned this, bringing an outfit from one of the female firefighters.
Next come the boots.
She stuffed her feet into the boots, wondering how anyone managed to move in this outfit, let alone fight a fire. Seth fielded several comments from children who wanted him to know that they had boots, too.
Now the bunker jacket. He held the yellow jacket, helping her to slip it on. He snapped the front of it as if she were a child, and then his fingers moved to the collar, tipping it up under her chin.
He looked at the children. What else does Ms. Julie need to go to the fire?
The helmet, they chorused.
Right you are. He settled the helmet on her head gently. His fingers brushed her cheeks as he fastened the chin strap.
Breathe, she reminded herself. Breathe.
For an instant she thought he skipped a beat. Then he went on smoothly. Lets give Ms. Julie a hand for being such a good sport, okay?
The children clapped again, making her ridiculously pleased, and then it was over. The teacher was leading them back to their tables, and Seth picked up the duffel bag.
He quirked an eyebrow, looking at her. Need some help getting that off?
I can manage. She pulled off the helmet and ran her fingers through her hair. You planned that, she accused, keeping her voice soft.
Hey, I dont usually have a model when I do this. You cant blame me for taking advantage of it.
Cant I?
He grinned. Youre a hard woman, Julie White. Come on, this wasnt so bad, was it?
She helped him stuff the gear back into the duffel bag. I guess not. She glanced toward the kids, who were joining the teacher in a song. Davy sang with gusto, his little arms waving in time to the music. But dont you think that was scary for children this young?
Maybe so. But its better than the alternative.
Something grim in his voice brought her gaze back to his face, and what she saw there startled her. The lines of his face had hardened. Only his eyes showed expression, and the emotion they betrayed was pain.
You mean Her throat closed.
We lost two children in an apartment fire the first year I was in the department. His words were flat, but not for any lack of emotion. If anything, Seth was feeling too much, not too little.
Im sorry, she whispered.
Their eyes met, and for an instant she felt as if she saw into his heart. She couldnt pull her gaze away. She was caught in the moment.
He shook his head, maybe shaking off the bad memories. Well, anyway. He hefted the bag. Are you getting what you want?
For an instant the question confused her. Was she? Then she realized that Seth was talking about the shots.
Yes, of course. She bent to pick up the camera bag, letting the action hide her face. Was she getting what she wanted? She wasnt sure she knew.
Chapter Three
This is what you meant by taking me through some safety training?
Julie watched Seths face, hoping for a sign that he was kidding about this. She hadnt known what to expect when hed picked her up at her hotel this morning, but it hadnt been thisa collection of thrown-together buildings on the outskirts of Suffolk, an expanse of asphalt and a hodge-podge of firefighting equipment.
I know it doesnt look like much, but this is the Suffolk Fire Academy. He gestured at the fenced-in area. Suffolks big enough to have a professional fire department, but funding is always a problem.
So they skimp on the academy? It looked as much like a junkyard as anything else. She spotted a group of people in coveralls coming down the side of one of the buildings with ropes. Surely Seth didnt expect her to do that.
He grinned. Firefighters dont expect luxury accommodations. Good thing, because they wouldnt get them.
Her journalistic mind began to kick in. Surely the training is important enough to spend money on.
Training, yes. Our recruits go through a tough twelve-week program. But theres never enough money to go around, and they can learn just as well in a Quonset hut as a fancy classroom.
One of the people descending the building had lost his or her grip and fallen the last few feet. She held her breath until the person was up again.
Youre not planning to have me do that, are you? She nodded toward the group.
Sadly, our insurance wouldnt cover that.
He was probably teasing again, but sometimes she found it difficult to tell. That constant teasing must be part of the firefighter culture. Or the Flanagan culture. They tended to blend.
He was probably teasing again, but sometimes she found it difficult to tell. That constant teasing must be part of the firefighter culture. Or the Flanagan culture. They tended to blend.
You get to meet another Flanagan. He nodded toward the man walking toward them, wearing the same blue uniform Seth did. A beautiful yellow Labrador walked at his side. My brother Gabe.
Hi, bro. Gabe slapped Seths shoulder, and then extended his hand toward her. You must be Julie. Im sorry my wife and I couldnt make it to dinner the other night to meet you.
While she murmured pleasantries, Julie compared the two of them. Gabe was leaner than Seth, with lines around his deep blue eyes that suggested hed seen difficulties and come through them.
She held out her hand to the dog. Who is this beautiful creature? I thought fire dogs were Dalmatians.
This is Max. Gabe fondled the dogs ears, and the animal pressed against his leg. Max is my seizure-alert dog.
Im sorry. I didnt realize She stopped, confused. Obviously the private investigators report hadnt included everything.
I was injured on duty, and the seizures were an unpleasant aftereffect. So now I spend most of my time training service animals and a couple of days a week training firefighters. He gestured toward the trainees who were waiting for his return. Join us.
She followed, very aware of Seth walking by her side. Did he think shed been clumsy? If she had, it hadnt been intentional. Gabes calm acceptance of his injury must have been hard-won.
And that was another aspect of Seths firefighting career that shed think hed spend more time considering. Did a single parent really have the right to be in such a dangerous profession?
They reached the group of trainees, who looked at her with mild curiosity.
This is Ms. White, Gabe announced. Shes going to be taking a few photos today. Dont worry about how you look, just how you perform.
A few shot her interested looks, but for the most part the recruits focused their attention on Gabe and Seth. Good, that was how she liked it. She pulled out the camera.
That expression in the trainees faces when they looked at the brothers intrigued her. Awe came closest to describing it. Gabe and Seth, in their neat blue uniforms, were the men they wanted to be.
Look sharp, people. Gabe pointed to a long ladder that lay on the ground. The fifty-foot ladder. How many firefighters to raise it?
Six. Several of them answered at once. They were leaning forward, obviously eager to knock themselves out trying to put it up.
She slipped to the side, lifting the camera. She might not understand their ambition, but she didnt need to in order to get a good shot.
The next few moments were a jumble of shouts, groans and straining muscles. The huge ladder seemed to take on a life of its own. It began to sway, almost out of control, and Julie stepped back. She didnt need the warning glance Seth shot her to know it was dangerous.
Then Seth and Gabe took hold of the thing and in an instant it smacked against the building. Seth stepped back, grinning, and dusted off his hands.
Attitude, people. Attitude. You dont let the Fifty know youre not confident.
It took a second for Julie to realize the Fifty was the ladder. He made it sound like an ally.
Gabe lifted an eyebrow at his brother. Pretty cocky, arent you? Lets see how you do against me in a hose relay. Pick your three.
Seth pointed to two of the trainees. Then he pointed at her.
Oh, no. She didnt know what a hose relay was, and she had no desire to learn.
Yes. Seth took the camera from her and set it atop the camera bag. Youve been watching long enough. Time to get your hands dirty.
He didnt think shed do it. He was looking at her with a challenge in his eyes, and he thought shed turn him down.
She should. She hadnt been physically challenged in years. Mentally and artistically, maybe, but not physically. She was offended at the idea that hed judge her on the basis of brute strength, but worried at the same time about that strength.
Her eyes narrowed. Tell me what to do.
He clapped her shoulder the way Gabe had clapped his. It nearly made her stagger.
All right. Come with me.
Gabe had already picked his team, and they stood waiting.
The relay actually seemed simple enough. Grab the hose, race forward with it on the signal to the next member of the team, and pass it on. The first team across the line Gabe had drawn in the dirt won.
A few minutes later Julie was outfitted in one of the blue jumpsuits. She waited with dancing nervousness on the mark Seth pointed out to her.
Seth had put the two trainees first. She had the third leg and he had the fourth. Obviously he expected her to lose ground that he intended to make up.
She jogged a few steps, loosening up. Seth just might be in for a surprise. She might not haul fifty-foot ladders, but she did run every day.
Gabe checked the positions of both teams. Then he blew his whistle. The first two trainees raced forward. She watched intently, jogging in place. Obviously the challenge lay in hauling the hose, not in running. The runners sweated and panted as they passed off, almost in a dead heat.
The woman who was second on their team ran toward her, making it look easy until her foot somehow tangled with the hose and she stumbled. There were a few catcalls, then cheers as she righted herself and charged on.
Like a race at school, Julie told herself. Nothing to be nervous about. The woman reached her, thrusting the hose into her hands.
Dont trip, dont trip. She ran forward, hauling the hose. It felt like a living creature that dragged at her arms, unwilling to move.
Then she realized that the others were cheering for her. Had anyone ever cheered for her before? For some reason the sound pushed her forward. Panting, forcing her legs to move, she reached the line and handed off to Seth.
She leaned over, gasping for breath. The other woman on her team pounded her on the back. Good job. You gained us a couple of feet. She ran on, cheering Seth as he headed for the finish line.
I did? She pushed herself toward the line as Seth crossed it several feet ahead of his brother.
She was swept into a melee of high fives and cheers. Seth lifted her off her feet in a hug. Good job, Julie. Good job. Who would think a little thing like you could run that fast with a hose?
Hey, bro, you only won because you brought a ringer with you. Gabe pounded her back. Good work. Next time you can be on my team.
No chance. Seth slung his arm around her shoulders in a casual hug. I saw her first.
She felt a contrary wave of pride. Theyd won a race. What difference did that make?
For some reason, Pauls words popped into her mind. Seeing that I am surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, I run the race that is set before me.
There was more realism in that comparison than shed seen before. You did run faster when you were aware of people cheering you on.
And maybe Seth had taught her something she needed to know about firefighters. That purely visceral response to a physical challenge was part of their everyday life. Without it, they probably couldnt do what they had to do, like raise a fifty-foot ladder, haul a bundle of hose up a flight of stairs or race into a burning building without looking back.