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

  “Rose pink,” she answers. “When I was little, my grandmother would take me out to her rose garden. My favorites were the pinks. The reds always seemed so dramatic to me. They would darken and then, almost as soon as they did, they’d start turning brown and die off. She always said it’s because red-hot passion burns out quickly, but the pink ones? They gradually grow into their color, finding their hue in the process and not burning out so quickly.”

  “Hmmm,” I make a noise in my throat. “My Chief has pink roses all the time. Says he grows them in a greenhouse from his mom’s heirloom plants.”

  “Chief Hudson?” She raises her eyebrow at me.

  “Yeah.” There’s a sinking in my gut. Chief Hudson doesn’t have many rules, but there is one. Don’t date either of his daughters.

  She smiles brightly. “He still has them, huh? Good to know the old man hasn’t changed.”

  “You know him?” I will my voice not to rise an octave as I finish putting the tire on and hope I can get out of here before I lose another piece of my heart. Please don’t let him be her dad; please don’t let him be her dad.

  “I should hope so,” she laughs. “He’s my dad.”

  And it’s at that moment I realize this is never going to work out. Quickly, I help her pack up the jack kit and put the tire in her trunk. “You should go get that patched up.” I rub my hands on my pants. “I guess I’ll be seeing you around.”

  “I owe you for this.” Her eyes are full of a promise I would typically go for. “Let me take you to lunch tomorrow?”

  “It was my pleasure,” I answer, giving her a non-answer for the lunch . “I gotta get going.”

  She’s talking to me as I run for my Jeep, jumping into the driver’s seat. I wave as I crank it and get away as fast as I can.

  It’s only as I’m driving down the other side of the mountain that I realize she has my jacket.

  Part of my uniform.

  Something I’m not allowed to lose.

  And I know I’m completely and totally fucked.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Hayden

  My stomach sinks as I watch the taillights from his Jeep disappear into the darkness down the hill.

  “Why’d you have to tell him who your dad is?” I berate myself. “You know he’s got all his men scared to talk to you, much less let you take them to lunch.”

  Sighing, I walk around to the driver’s side of my Toyota. This Camry has taken me a lot of places. From this little Tennessee town, all the way across the country to the University of Wisconsin, and now back again. She and I, we’ve been through a lot, and she’s seen more than her fair share of my anger and tears.

  The chill in the air makes my body shiver. Burrowing down, I realize I still have his jacket. The one he’s not supposed to lose since it’s a part of his uniform. Ramirez is embroidered into the left side as well as the back.

  Racking my brain, I try to think of who this could be when it hits me. Dad’s been talking about a rookie. One who has a good work ethic, but feels as if he’s looked down upon because of who his family is.

  This has got to be him.

  My phone vibrates in my back pocket. Fishing it out, I roll my eyes when I see a text from my dad.

  D: You’ve been gone a while, is everything okay?

  H: Yeah, just lost track of time. Be home ASAP.

  D: You know I worry about you.

  H: I’m good. Heading out now.

  Sliding into the seat, I buckle myself in before pressing the start button. Keyless start and entry are my favorite inventions ever.

  Truth be told, I wanted to drive around a little longer, but dad worries more than he should. In third grade, he and mom got divorced. Something I blame myself for. After all, they decided to do it after I was born.

  She started a new life, out in California, and he stayed here where everyone and everything he knew was. Which, I guess, is why I’m back. Regardless of what’s happened in the past, this is home.

  Turning around at the pull off, I head back the way I came, sad that I won’t be able to do more exploring before I start my job tomorrow morning.

  Driving back down into Bradford, I breathe a sigh of relief. Being up there by myself and not being able to change the tire was stressful. Helpless is a feeling I don’t give into very often and, as I realize how close I came to not being able to change my tire, the shakes go through me.

  Turning on my blinker, I hit the gas station right at the edge of town. The one I worked at as a teenager. Getting out of my car and heading inside, I’m hit with nostalgia. It still smells the same as it did when I turned in my notice.

  “Hayden Hudson? Is that you?”

  “In the flesh,” I answer, a grin on my face. Nancy has worked here for as long as I can remember. She was the manager even before I started. Judging by the name tag, she still is. “How are you?”

  “Living,” she smiles back, coming around the counter, her arms open wide.

  I fall into them, holding on tightly when she wraps me up in a hug. “You sure are; you look good.”

  “Trying.” She pulls back. Without turning around she keeps talking. “Donavan, put that candy bar back.”

  “Damn, how did you see me?”

  “Because you’re messing with my profits. Put it back.”

  Tilting my head to the side, I purse my lips. “Your profits?”

  Strong and proud, she nods. “I bought the place last year. So now I’m working for myself. It’s not been easy, but at least I’m doing it for me, and not someone else.”

  “That’s amazing! I’m so happy for you. If the job I got doesn’t work out, maybe I can get this one back?”

  “You don’t even have to ask. You were one of the best cashiers I had. You were always on time and would stay until your stuff was done, and all the customers loved you. I heard you were coming home.”

  “Yeah.” Blindly, my hand goes into the cold case beside the register, grabbing a water before putting it on the counter. Some things are just ingrained into your psyche. “Finished school a few months ago. Stuck around Wisconsin to see if I could find a job, but nothing ended up working out the way I wanted it to. Missed the mountains.” I shrug. “Once they get in your system, it’s hard to let ‘em go.”

  “Ain’t that the truth? Where you working at? Don’t think I heard.” She rings up my water.

  Sliding my card into the reader, I glance up, locking eyes with her. “The bank.”

  She laughs, as I shudder. “Remember you saying something one time that you’d never be one of those people who had a stuffy nine to five. Or maybe that was someone else.”

  Ruefully shaking my head, I make a noise in the back of my throat. “No, that was me. Said it so many times, I’d damn-near convinced myself. But here we are.”

  “Settled isn’t bad girly.” Her wrinkled skin deepens as she smiles sadly at me. “Just because your mama didn’t love it, doesn’t mean it’s not a good way to live your life.”

  Leave it to her to get to the heart of the matter. “I know, Nancy. It’s just hard to come back here and see him so lonely.”

  “Your daddy isn’t as lonely as you think he is,” she winks.

  “Oh, I have no doubt he’s got plenty of company, but I don’t think he’ll ever get married again.”

  “No,” she shakes her head. “I don’t guess he will, ‘specially since he’s not divorced from the first one yet.”

  Those words surprise me. My parents divorced when I was in third grade. She must be mistaken. Not wanting to argue, I smile politely. “Well, I better be getting home so I can prepare for my first day tomorrow. It was good to see you, Nancy.”

  “Come see me anytime; I’m almost always here.” Just as I’m about to leave, she ambles around the counter with arms wide open. “Missed you girly; this place hasn’t been the same since you left.”

  Tears sting the back of my eyes. “I don’t think I’ve been the same since I left either.”

  We hug tightly before I head out, getting back into the Camry.

  Glancing down at the clock, I’m surprised at how early it is. It gets darker here because of the mountains, something I’ll have to get used to again the longer I stay. Seven and I’m heading home. In Wisconsin, I’d just be heading out for the night. The group of girls I lived with and I loved to shut the bars down.

  There’s a definite change in my life from there to here. Almost as if I knew as soon as I got into my car to travel back that I would be coming back as an adult. No longer the rebellious teenager who liked to try my dad at every turn. The young girl who felt like her older sister was everything she wasn’t. Who felt like she constantly had to live up to the make up for her mom leaving because they looked so much alike and she chose to cut and run after I was born.

  As I’d turned my car east and traveled back to the little town I’d left in a huff on the eve of my eighteenth birthday, it had dawned on me how much I looked forward to seeing places I’d known since childhood. How I’d see Nancy at the gas station. I’d know the people who come into the bank and they’d know me. The girl who couldn’t seem to get out of her own way is returning as the woman who’s looking to make decisions for her future.

  Pulling into my dad’s house, the fact he’s left a light on for me warms a spot in my chest. Where once I’d seen this as suffocating to the girl I wanted to be, I can appreciate the anchor it’s become to the woman I am now.

  My brakes squeak slightly as I come to a stop right behind his truck, tucking in as close as I dare. Turning the ignition off, I allow myself to take a moment and admire how good the house looks. How much work dad’s put into it, and the pride he’s taken in the place we live. Cognizant of the fact I still have the jacket, I take it off, putting it on my passenger seat before
I get out.

  When I look up, he’s on the porch, waving.

  “Hey,” I wave back at him. “What’re you doing?”

  “Making some burgers. Came out to see if you want one.”

  My stomach growls and I realize I haven’t eaten since lunch. “I’d love one.”

  “Plan on eating in the next twenty,” he nods before going back into the house.

  Harlen Hudson is a man of few words, but when he speaks, he makes sure they count. Laughing to myself, I climb the steps and head in. I quickly stop in my bedroom, changing into a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt. Since dad’s grilling out, he probably expects to eat on the back porch. There’s still a chill in the air at night and I wanna be comfortable.

  Throwing my hair up in a ponytail, I slip on a pair of house shoes and head downstairs. Peeking my head out the backdoor, I ask, “Anything I can do to help?”

  “Get the fixings for the burgers? There’s fries in the oven that should be done in the next,” he stops to look at his watch, “two minutes or so.”

  “Got it.”

  On a tray, I assemble the things I know we both like on our burgers before taking it out. When I come through the back door, he’s grinning at me. “It’s good to have you home, Hayden.”

  I smile back at him. “It’s really good to be here.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  Hayden

  “Did you have fun driving around this afternoon?” he asks as he prepares to take the first bite of his burger.

  “Yeah.” I pop a fry in my mouth. “Got stuck up on the pass, though,” I admit. “Had a flat tire and almost didn’t get it off because of some tight lug nuts.”

  “Oh yeah? Might be time to put a pressure wrench in your car.” He looks as if he’s already making a note to do just that. It wouldn’t surprise me. Dad has always been the type of guy to fix whatever he sees may be broken. “How’d you get it done?”

  “Nice person stopped and helped.”

  I purposely keep it vague. The last thing he needs to know is it was one of his firemen and, from what I can tell, his rookie. Plus, in most situations, I can take care of myself. This one was a matter of strength.

  “I would ask if you were safe, but I know better than that. If you didn’t feel safe, you wouldn’t have allowed them to help.”

  “Well, thank God you know that about me by now,” I scoff. “I’m a grownup,” I remind him.

  “I know all too well. Sometimes I still see you and your sister as the two little girls who ran down the stairs ready for school in the morning.”

  A snort works its way past my lips. “I wouldn’t say we ran down the stairs. More like we grudgingly stumbled.”

  He laughs before taking a drink of his beer. “Yeah, you’re right. Neither one of you were ever happy about having to go to school.”

  In hindsight, that’s funny because we both went away for college and completed a four-year degree. I came back, but Hailey didn’t. She’s enjoying her life in Nashville. “So, tell me about your station. Since I’m back in town, I’d like to get to know what’s going on with you and your guys.”

  A look of pride crosses his face. “The best group I’ve had in a long time. It’s hard to find the right balance, but I think we’ve managed to do it.”

  “How are they?”

  Like a proud papa, his chest puffs. He puts down his burger, wiping his fingers on the napkin in front of him. “They’re something else. Danny, he’s my rookie. He’s got a lot of pressure on him. His daddy owns a lawn care business and Danny helps out all the time. With the extra training he’s expected to have in his first year, I’m worried he’s going to either get burnt out or miss something he should easily see. I’m keeping an eye on him.”

  “Is he young?” I’m trying to figure out if this is the man who stopped to help me today.

  “Same age, maybe a year older than you.”

  Definitely the same guy. “That’s a lot of responsibility.”

  “He seems to handle it well. Then there’s Cameron. He’s a single dad and I feel a certain kinship with him, even though I shouldn’t admit it.”

  “As you should. You’ve both been through the same thing. I’m sure you can sympathize.”

  “Sometimes too much.” He takes a long drink of his beer. “Gauge is kind of a pet project. He was injured on the job last year. He’s been riding a desk ever since and has lost something in his eyes.” Dad shakes his head.

  “How was he injured? Is he the one who got burnt in the house fire?”

  “Mmmhmm,” Dad confirms. “It was a hard situation all the way around. Some of the guys still don’t know how to approach him and I think he’s not sure how to be one of them anymore. It’s a situation I wouldn’t wish on any firehouse.”

  “What about the guy you’re grooming to take your place?” I grin over at him. Not many know he’s looking to retire, but his twenty-five years will be up in a few months and I know he’s been on the lookout for the right candidate.

  “Brian,” he grins. “That kid is a lit match. He’s going to turn the service upside down, but it’s what they need. He’ll have a lot of people to prove himself to, but I have no doubt he’ll do it.”

  “That’s high praise coming from you.”

  “I don’t give it lightly, so you know it’s good.”

  Wracking my brain, I know there’s someone he hasn’t filled me in on. It hits me suddenly. “What about Chance? We graduated together and I was keeping up with him on Facebook, but then he stopped posting.”

  A darkness clouds his face. “Chance’s wife up and left him one day. He came home from shift and she was gone.”

  “Why?” I gasp. They’d been high school sweethearts. If anyone had asked me who I thought would make it, it would be them.

  “He doesn’t know. For a while he looked for her, but finally decided maybe she didn’t want to be found.”

  “How heartbreaking.”

  “Yeah, he was pretty messed up for a while. He puts in the most hours of any of my guys and is the hardest worker I have. Part of me wonders if it’s because he has to be exhausted in order to rest at night.”

  “Makes sense.” I dip my fry in ketchup before popping it into my mouth. “Especially if he has no idea where his wife is.”

  Dad clears his throat. “I’ve done my best to try and help him, but I’m not sure if I’m helping or hindering, to be honest.”

  “Mmm.” I don’t have anything to add to the conversation.

  “Are you excited about starting your job tomorrow?”

  “Mmmhmm.” I chew my food, nodding. “I can’t wait to get into a routine. Since graduation, I’ve felt like I haven’t had one,” My shoulder pops up in a shrug. “I knew that would probably happen, especially since I wasn’t sure if I would stay there or come back here. I’ve been staying up all night and sleeping most of the day. The only reason I think I’m going to be able to sleep tonight is because I drove so long to get here.”

  “You’ll do great.”

  “You always have faith in me.”

  He grabs my hand across the table. “Because we’ve always been there for each other.”

  Truer words have never been spoken. I can remember him taking me to the nearest mall to get my prom dress. We’d been amongst the group of girls with their moms, and here I was with my dad. He’d offered to let Hailey take me instead of him, but he’s always been the one there for me and I couldn’t imagine going with anyone but him. He’d even taken me to the salon to get my hair and nails done, never complaining that he was the only dad in the shop. He’d stood at the bottom of the stairs, watching me come down in my dress, taking pictures, and smiling brightly.

  Hailey had been right there next to him; my own support system built out of not only necessity, but the desire to be there for me. These two stayed when our mom left and will always be the most important people in my world.

  “Are you working tomorrow?” I turn the conversation back to a topic that isn’t so emotionally heavy.

  “Not officially, but I’m going into the national park with the service to see about doing a controlled burn. There’s a lot of dead wood after last year’s ice storm. It’s a concern for the upcoming storm season. Whether we burn or try to cut it out, we need to do something. It’s a powder keg as soon as lightning hits it.”