12-Alarm Cowboys (14 page)

“That’ll be a two hour drive, and I’m definitely going to want to crash after I eat.” As if to prove his statement, he moved the mask aside to yawn. “Can I catch a nap on your couch?”

This man had a brass set for sure. “
No
, you cannot sleep on my couch. My house is full, and the couch is occupied by my—” Sunny stopped as her head swirled, and she wavered on her feet. “Whoa—” She sat back on the bumper as a whirl of goofy worked its way through her body to her toes, and she realized just how fast she was breathing. Breathing in way too much of the drug that permeated the night air. Her brain hazed, and that floaty feeling engulfed her again.

Austin stood, and Sunny looked up at him. The yellow glow from the flood light on top of their engine backlit him and he looked tall, really tall, at least three inches taller than her. And delicious with the soot and beard stubble on his square jaw. Her eyes fell on the logo crest on his entirely-too-tight white t-shirt. The title on the pocket of the t-shirt told her why the shirt was so tight. A giggle tickled in her throat. “You’re wearing my t-shirt?”

The spare shirt was one size too large for her, but it was about two too small for him, so it suctioned to every damned muscle in his broad chest. Damn, why did Austin McBride all of a sudden look like a hot fudge sundae to her? God, she could use a hot fudge sundae right now. Her mouth practically watered to taste that richness on her tongue. Or was it watering to taste him? It had been too damned long since she’d had that kind of sundae too.

Nearly five years.

Since she found out she was pregnant and told Jason. Since she found out what a lying sack of shit he was. Since she ran from Carrolton with her tail tucked between her damned legs to lick her wounds and have Billy at her mother’s house. Sunny was mortified when she felt her eyes fill and sucked in a sharp breath, also filling her lungs with more of the heady smoke which she quickly blew out. But it was too late. That soft euphoria tickled her insides and she sighed.

“Yeah, definitely more pleasant when you’re high,” Austin said with a chuckle, bending to pick up the oxygen canister. “I’m taking this with us. C’mon, Sunshine,” he said, turning toward the Suburban. Sunny sat there a minute enjoying the view as he walked away, but she refused to acknowledge that the cowboy-firefighter-medic looked just as good going as coming.

Coming
—God, she’d love to come right now. But she could take care of that on her own, like she had for five years. There was zero chance of her getting in trouble that way. Emotionally or physically. And there was a less than zero chance she was going to have sex with Austin McBride. Ever. Even when she was high and thought he looked like dessert.

Pushing up to her feet, Sunny wobbled as she walked to the Suburban. Austin was already behind the wheel, so she took the passenger seat and tried to work up some irritation at his taking control again, but couldn’t. Exhaustion washed through her as she sat in the seat and put on her seatbelt. The last thing she heard was the throaty rumble of the engine, before she passed out.

The truck rocked and backfired, startling Sunny awake. She squinted as the bright yellow neon lights lining the eaves of the building blinded her.

“Where are we?” she asked groggily, her mouth feeling like it was lined with cotton, her eyes with sandpaper.

“All-night diner,” he replied, opening the door to get out.

Sunny unfastened her belt and looked up to see Austin open her door. “I told you I needed to go home,” she grumbled as she slid out of the seat.

“And I told you I was hungry.”

He turned and walked toward the front door, leaving her to follow. Sunny contemplated getting right back in that truck, but shuffled behind him instead, her fire boots feeling like concrete shoes. Because, dammit, she just realized she was starving too.

Walking inside, Sunny found Austin seated in a booth by the far wall and staggered to the table then slid into the red vinyl seat and picked up the menu.

“I already ordered for you,” Austin informed. “Three eggs over medium, grits, bacon and wheat toast with a pot of coffee. That work?”

“I don’t care for grits, and I don’t eat wheat toast,” Sunny replied, bristling with anger.

He shrugged. “Don’t eat ’em. As hungry as I am, I’ll take them off your plate for you.”

As hungry as she suddenly was, she’d probably gobble the buttery goop down without tasting it. But she wasn’t telling him that. The waitress came back with two cups and a pot of coffee, then poured them each a cup.

“I’d like an order of pancakes too,” Sunny informed.

The waitress’s green eyes widened. “Short stack?”

“No a full-stack. And do you have strawberry topping? If you do, I want that too.” Her eyes fell on a table tent by the sugar canister. She dragged it to her and pointed at the ooey-gooey sticky bun in the picture, which made her mouth water. “Oh—and I want one of those too.”

“Jesus, lady—” Austin said, with a bark of laughter.

Sunny glared at him. “Don’t judge. You brought me here, so I’m eating.”

One corner of his mouth kicked up as he held her gaze. “I’ll have pancakes too—a full-stack. No strawberries, make it blueberries…” His sexy gray eyes fell to her mouth, and Sunny’s lips buzzed. “With whipped cream.” Austin licked his lips and Sunny’s breath hitched.

Her mouth popped open. “Do you have chocolate sundaes?”

“Yeah, we do,” the waitress replied dryly, as she scratched on her notepad. “Do you just want me to put in an order for one of everything on the menu?”

Sunny, really, really wanted that sundae.
Now
.

“Make it two.” Austin smiled broadly as he dragged his red-rimmed eyes up to the waitress. “Long shift. I think the lady is hungry.”

The waitress rolled her eyes as she turned toward the kitchen. “I think the lady’s eyes are bigger than her belly,” she mumbled under her breath.

Austin’s eyes glided back to hers, and his lips twitched. “Think we should tell her why we’re so hungry? I have to tell you, that was a first for me.”

“Me too.” Sunny had never been into experimentation at all. She was as straight as they came in high school and after. Until she met Jason when she was a dispatcher in Carrolton and he talked his way into her pants. “We probably smell like we’ve been smoking pot all night too. Did you think of that? Lord, if a cop comes in, we’ll have a hard time explaining.”

“If a cop comes in, he’s probably heard about the pot farm fire on his radio. I’m sure every first responder in the County has heard by now.” Austin laughed. “Some are probably racing out there to get in on the action.”

“Well, as hot as that fire was there could be spot burns until tomorrow. We’re lucky the house didn’t burn.”

Austin shrugged. “It’ll probably be confiscated by the DEA when they get out there, so maybe we could use it for controlled burns later.”

Sunny’s eyes flew to his. “
We
could use it for controlled burns? I thought I fired you.”

“You can’t. I’m a Captain, you’re a Captain—we’re equals, Sunshine. The only one who can fire either of us is the Chief.”

“Well, that will be my
first
priority when I become Chief then,” Sunny grated.

Austin’s cupped his coffee mug, his smile faded and his eyes narrowed. “
If
you become Chief, I’ll turn in my notice, because there is no way in hell I could work for you.
Until
, you become Chief, we’re equals.” He dragged his eyes down to stare at the steamy black liquid in his cup. “But don’t count on that happening. You’ve got a long row to hoe before you get that job.”

“And why would you think that? I’m the most qualified, I’ve been a Captain at this station for four years.” Sunny stiffened her shoulders, and lifted her chin. “I was going to my official interview with the board today before I got that call to go to your ranch. Nobody else applied, so it’s pretty much just a formality.”

Austin’s red-rimmed, glazed gray eyes shot up to hers and one corner of his full mouth ticked up. “I may be applying for the job, that’s why.”

‡

S
unny shoved her
coffee cup to the side, slid out of the booth and stood to hold out her hand. “Give me the keys to my damned truck,” she said, in a low, lethal tone.

“Sit down and eat,” Austin replied evenly, not making a move to pull the keys out of his pocket. Heat waves practically poured off of Sunny Gleason. He didn’t think he’d ever seen a woman madder. “You afraid of a little friendly competition? Afraid you won’t cut the mustard compared to me?” he challenged, dragging his eyes from hers lift his cup and take a sip.

“There’s nothing to be afraid of,” Sunny snarled, slamming her palms on the table to lean toward him. “You’re hardly competition, so don’t flatter yourself. I’ve been a
full-time
firefighter for almost seven years now, Captain for four. You’ve
played
at being a fireman, but you’re a damned ranch hand!”

Her face said she thought her words were true, but her tone of voice said differently. Sunny Gleason was damned scared. She needed to be. This woman was the one who wasn’t qualified to be Fire Chief. If she was given the job, it wouldn’t last. Either she’d be gone in a heartbeat, or all the men at the station would be. Austin had witnessed tonight how tense everyone got when she was around.

He slammed his cup down, and groaned as hot liquid sloshed onto his hand. Wiping it with a napkin, he pinned her with his eyes. “I’ve been a part-time firefighter and medic for nearly seventeen years, since I could volunteer. That means I have just as much—
more
time served than you do. What I have over you though, is that I know how to deal with the people. The men who serve with me respect me, because I treat them with respect.” Anger surged through him and Austin’s left eye ticked. He put a finger over it. “Have you noticed that your men don’t respect you? Do you wonder why?”

Sunny stood back up and crossed her arms under her breasts, pushing them into pillows at the scoop neck of her dirty white tank top. They heaved with every agitated breath she took, and Austin was mesmerized. “They respect me, or they can hit the door.”

His eyes slid up her long, slender throat over that stubborn lifted chin to meet her angry blue gaze. “Attila the Hun management style? How’s that working for you, Sunshine?” Austin scoffed, leaning forward on his elbow.

Her face flushed and her mouth tightened. “No, the problem is that I’m a woman, and men, especially fire
men
, are Neanderthals who don’t respect women. I haven’t met one firefighter who is different, except my uncle who had enough faith in my ability to promote me to Captain. Those men
will
follow my orders, or we don’t need them.”

Austin made a sound like a gameshow buzzer and she flinched—the first crack in her armor that he’d seen. “
Wrong
. Firefighters are
brothers
just as much as military men are. We care about each other, and always,
always
have each other’s backs from rank private all the way up to generals. We need that camaraderie to survive to fight another day. It’s called
teamwork
, and you need to learn to be a team player, or you’ll never be an effective
leader
.”

“If y’all are finished entertaining our late night customers with your argument, your food is ready and these trays are heavy,” the waitress said gruffly.

Two more restaurant employees stood behind the waitress with their arms loaded down with steaming trays, and Austin didn’t notice until that moment that several of the bleary eyed diners were staring at them. “Sit back down, Sunny. Let’s just eat so we can get the hell to a bunk somewhere. You’ve worn me out, and I need some sleep.” Austin shoved things aside so the plates could be set on the table.

“Try rephrasing that
command
, and I might consider it,
brother
,” Sunny grated.

Austin chewed the inside of his cheek until he tasted blood. He had never met a more obstinate woman in his life. “
Please
sit down, so we can eat our breakfast…
ma’am
.”

A victorious smile stretched her soot-covered face, as she slid back into the booth, and opened her napkin on her lap. The waitress rolled her eyes, as she and the men with her sorted out the plates to drop them in front of Austin and Sunny. When they walked away, Sunny looked up from the plate of pancakes in front of her.

“How and the hell am I going to eat all this?”

Austin shrugged, picked up his fork and smashed his eggs into his grits. “You ordered it.”

Staring at the plates, she shook her head. “This will feed me and my whole family. I think it was just the dregs of the um…” She scanned the restaurant, before she leaning toward him to whisper. “The marijuana.”

“Among potheads, I think the term is called the
munchies
.”

Austin knew he was going to have a hard time finishing what he’d ordered. He couldn’t imagine Sunny Gleason, even as tall as she was, could clean her plates either. But he was going to give it the old school try, he thought, as he shoveled a bite of grits and eggs into his mouth. His taste buds danced as he chewed before downing half his glass of juice.