Rookie: A Firefighter Romance (Bradford Station Book 1) Read online

  ROOKIE

  BRADFORD STATION #1

  LARAMIE BRISCOE

  CONTENTS

  Also By Laramie Briscoe

  New Release Alerts

  Summary

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Epilogue 1

  Epilogue 2

  About the Author

  Report Errors/Reviews

  Connect With Laramie

  Also By Laramie Briscoe

  Copyright © 2022 Laramie Briscoe

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, distributed, stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, without express permission of the author, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages for review purposes.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to any person, living or dead, or any events or occurrences, is purely coincidental. The characters and storylines are created from the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any trademarks, service marks, product names, or named features are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if any of these terms are used. Except for review purposes, the reproduction of this book in whole or part, electronically or mechanically, constitutes a copyright violation.

  Cover Photography: JW Photography

  Cover Design: Cover Couture

  Created with Vellum

  ALSO BY LARAMIE BRISCOE

  Bradford Station

  Rookie

  Combust

  The Haldonia Monarchy

  Royal Rebel

  Royal Chaos

  Royal Love

  Heaven Hill Series

  Meant To Be

  Out of Darkness

  Losing Control

  Worth The Battle

  Dirty Little Secret

  Second Chance Love

  Rough Patch

  Beginning of Forever

  Home Free

  Shield My Heart

  A Heaven Hill Christmas

  Heaven Hill Next Generation

  Hurricane

  Wild

  Fury

  Hollow

  Restraint

  Bishop

  Heaven Hill Shorts

  Caelin

  Christine

  Justice

  Harley

  Jagger

  Charity

  Liam

  Drew

  Dalton

  Mandy

  Rockin’ Country Series

  Only The Beginning

  The Price of Love

  Full Circle

  Hard To Love

  Reaper’s Love

  The Nashvegas Trilogy

  Power Couple

  Breach of Contract

  Platinum

  The Moonshine Task Force Series

  Renegade

  Tank

  Havoc

  Ace

  Menace

  Cruise

  Laurel Springs Emergency Response Team

  Ransom

  Suppression

  Enigma

  Cutter

  Sullivan

  Devante

  Archer

  The MVP Duet

  On the DL

  MVP

  The Midnight Cove Series

  Inflame

  Stand Alones

  My Confession

  Sketch

  Sass

  Trick

  Room 143

  2018 Laramie Briscoe Compilation

  2019 Laramie Briscoe Compilation

  NEW RELEASE ALERTS

  JOIN MY MAILING LIST

  http://sitel.ink/LBList

  JOIN MY READERS GROUP

  fbl.ink/LaramiesLounge

  TEXT LARAMIE TO 88202

  SUMMARY

  A new series from the USA Today and WSJ bestselling author of the Moonshine Task Force Series!

  The heat is on.

  Situated on the Tennessee and North Carolina border, this town is like nothing you’ve ever experienced. Hot guys, the women they love, and a town worth saving. Bradford, TN is the epicenter of the next great romance dynasty.

  Firefighters, family, and community…

  Danny Ramirez

  As a Probationary Firefighter, I’m doing everything I can to impress the members of my company. Knowing I’m the first in my family to be educated makes me proud, and gives me hope for the future.

  I hold myself to a higher standard than anyone else, especially with a southern small-town breathing down my neck. One night, on a dark mountain road, I help the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen change a flat tire.

  What I don’t know is that she’s the youngest daughter of my Chief. His number one rule? Don’t date his daughters.

  I try like hell to stay away from her, but when a forest fire threatens our town and the guys in my company, I know I can’t let her walk away from me. Not without a fight

  PROLOGUE

  FROM THE TEXT MESSAGES OF DANNY RAMIREZ AND HAYDEN HUDSON

  D: Do you give your number to every guy who comes through your line at the bank?

  H: I was wondering if you’d get the balls to text me or if you were going to be scared of my dad.

  D: Not gonna lie, your dad being my Chief is intimidating, but I just keep thinking about how you looked today.

  H: Oh yeah? How was that?

  D: Like your perfect hair needed to have some fingers run through it. That shirt, it was just a little too high. A finger tucked into the spot your cleavage made would pull it down just enough so I could see what we’re working with. And that lipstick? The color that wasn’t exactly red, but not black either? I’d like to see it smeared across my lips too.

  H: Holy hell.

  D: Yeah, I say what I mean and mean what I say.

  H: I guess I was lucky you’re the one who stopped to help me change my tire.

  D: I wanted to do so much more than that.

  H: Why?

  D: Everyone in this town knows me. I’m the rookie at the firehouse with parents who come from the wrong side of the tracks, but somehow manage to make everything work. You don’t know me; there aren’t any preconceived notions.

  H: Didn’t we go to high school together? We’re around the same age.

  D: Wrong side of the tracks, remember. I went to West.

  H: Oh yeah, I went to East.

  D: It’s not like we ran in the same circles.

  H: So, what kind of things do you want me to know about you, Danny Ramirez?

  D: I’m a hard worker and loyal to a fault; I love my job and family; and I’m slig
htly dirty when it comes to the women I admire.

  H: Sounds like someone I’d be interested in getting to know.

  D: Then maybe you’d like to go out with me tomorrow night.

  H: So soon?

  D: If not then, I’ll be on my twenty-four.

  H: Twenty-four hours is a long time to work. What do you do with the downtime?

  D: Watch YouTube and take online classes to further my education. Besides, don’t act like you don’t know what your dad does to rookies. There’s always something for me to do at the station.

  H: You’re not scared of him finding out?

  D: I’m more scared of not taking a chance on what could last a lifetime.

  H: If you think you’re up to it, I’ll meet you tomorrow night. Mountainside BBQ?

  D: Sounds good to me. What time do you get off work?

  H: Five-thirty. Meet you at six-thirty? Give me a chance to change.

  D: I’ll be there. You want me to come pick you up?

  H: As much as I’d enjoy it, we don’t want to fuck this up before it even starts. My dad sees you and it’s over.

  D: You were the one afraid I was worried about it. Looks like you have your own issues.

  H: Don’t we all?

  D: I gotta get to bed. It’s been a long day.

  H: See you tomorrow?

  D: Very excited for it, Hayden.

  H: Me too.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Danny

  A Few Days Prior

  The sun is setting as I pull out of Bradford Station Number One, painting streaks of orange and pink against the backdrop of a soon-to-be jet black sky. In the first year of my job at the fire department, I’m still learning and trying to meet all the expectations everyone has of me. Even though today was technically my day off, I logged over twelve hours, showing my dedication to the team. Taking the required updates to some of the certifications I already have. As a rookie, these things tend to come out of nowhere. It’s the price I pay, and will gladly pay, to be a part of this brotherhood.

  The streetlights are coming on along the town square as I ease to a stop at the traffic signal. It’s still chilly at night and couples are holding hands as they scurry across the street, hitting up one of the three restaurants.

  Feeling restless and not ready to go home yet, I decide to take one of the roads leading up to the mountain instead of continuing straight through town. The night is cool after the hot day we had. May is just a prequel, though, and I have to remind myself of how warm it’ll be come actual summer.

  Turning my four-wheel drive on, I shift down and take the inclined roads at a faster speed than I probably need to. Just a little bit of excitement after being stuck in a classroom for much too long.

  Rolling the window down, I let the wind flow through my hair. As I come up to one of the lookout points, I see a car pulled to the side with its emergency flashers on.

  I’m still wearing my Bradford Station shirt and uniform pants, so I take a chance and turn off. Tucking in behind the car, I get out, noticing a woman crouched beside the back passenger tire.

  “Need help?” I ask, approaching the broken down vehicle with caution. Some women don’t appreciate an odd man stopping to help them and, in this area, they don’t like one that doesn’t have one hundred percent Caucasian blood rolling through his veins.

  “Yes,” she breathes a sigh of relief, blowing her bangs out of her face. “I know how to change a fucking tire, but I can’t get the damn nuts loose. I’ve been trying for over an hour, and I can’t tell you how many cars and trucks have passed me. Thank you so much for stopping.”

  “No problem.” I walk over to where she is, putting my hand down to help her up.

  “Oh my God,” she groans as she straightens. “I’ve been in that position for too long. It’s like once you’re not in high school anymore, you can’t bend or squat.”

  I laugh, commiserating. “There’s shit I have to do on the job, afterward, I’m like what the fuck was I thinking?”

  “You’re a firefighter?” she asks as she eyes my shirt.

  Most of the time, I hate it when women eye me like this, but she’s different. Everything about her feels different. She’s not classically beautiful, but she’s got the girl next door look that gets me fucking hot. Kneeling down to where she’d been before, I grab hold of the wrench and grunt as I attempt to loosen the nut. “Yeah,” I answer, clenching my teeth and gripping tightly. With every ounce of strength I have, I yell, managing to get one of them to move. “In Bradford.”

  “That’s awesome,” she answers, crossing her arms over her chest. “I’m moving back to Bradford. Actually I’ve moved back, but wanted to take a trip through the mountains.”

  “How long have you been gone?”

  I want to keep her talking. I love the sound of her voice. It’s soothing in a way I haven’t heard in - well, in ever.

  “Four years.” She rubs her hands up and down her arms. “I went away to school, now I’m coming back. I have a job lined up here and missed it. My whole life I tried to run from it. I wanted something bigger and better, and a town that had more than five restaurants.”

  “Wasn’t what you thought it would be?” I manage to get the next one off.

  “No,” she shakes her head. “I mean, for a while it was. Every teenager loves being away from their parents at first. Then, you come to realize what all they do for you, and there’s a comfort in knowing your way around town. It surprised no one more than me when I decided to take a job here.”

  “I’ve never lived anywhere except for Bradford,” I admit. “Don’t think I ever could. I love my job and my entire family is here.”

  “I’m lucky that my dad wanted me to leave for a while. He wanted me to experience things he’d never been able to, but,” she shivers, “I think I may have experienced more than he meant for me to.”

  “I have a jacket on the passenger side of my Jeep. Go ahead and grab it.”

  “Thank you.” She sprints back, opening the door and grabbing out the jacket with my name on the back.

  I watch as she puts it on, feeling a tightness in my chest I’ve never felt before. A sense of wanting this to be mine as I stare at her. The way her blonde hair brushes her shoulders, her blue eyes, and the slight pink tint of her lips. In the blink of an eye, I can see our future. What could be ours if we’d allow it to be. Never in my life have I felt this kind of kinship with someone else. This need to have her in my life. I want to know anything and everything about her. Where she went, what it was like while she was there, and who her family is.

  Immediately, I want to make the best impression on her that I can. Show her I’m the man for her and prove I’m more than the person who came from the wrong side of the tracks.

  When she turns away from me to close the door, I see my name on her back and know that’s where it’s supposed to be. I was given the name to pass along to her. She faces me, our eyes meet, and I think she knows it too. Her blue depths get deeper, almost black, as she approaches me.

  “Have we met before?” she asks. “I swear I’ve known you in another life or some hokey shit like that.”

  I laugh, using the burst of energy to get the last lug nut off. “Not that I know of.” I give her a grin. “I’m positive I would remember meeting you.”

  As I work on getting the tire changed, we ask each other mundane questions.

  “What’s your favorite color?” she fires off.

  “Fire engine red,” I answer, tongue in cheek.

  She giggles. “Somehow that wouldn’t surprise me.”

  “Kidding. I guess green’s kinda okay. The way these trees are right now. Not my favorite though” I look up, barely able to see them anymore since it’s gotten so dark. “It’s the promise of a new life cycle. I enjoy the winter too. Everything dying off only to be born again. It’s my favorite. What about you?”

  She wrinkles her nose. “Mine isn’t nearly as deep as yours.”

  I curse myself for h
aving to find some sort of hidden meaning in everything. I forget how it can sometimes make others feel put off. “Doesn’t matter. Your reasons are yours.”