Chapter 1

CADE

Cade stared ahead impatiently as he filled the tank on his old truck, watching the numbers flip with tiny little clicks on the gas station pump that was older than him. There were two stations in town, and honestly, he preferred this one because it felt more personal. You had to go in and pay with a card or cash instead of just swiping it at the pump. It gave him a chance to grab a cherry ice, a bag of Cheetos, and a stick of beef jerky – his ‘go-to' brunch on his days off.

If chemicals, food coloring, and preservatives were good for you, Cade would be immortal. Turns out, it was the exact opposite, and he was waiting on the results from another weird looking mole being removed from his arm – only to hear his phone ring. Grimacing that he was standing at the gas pump, he answered it regardless.

"Tell me it's nothing…" he blurted out, not bothering with the greeting or small talk. Yeah, he was starting to get a little nervous and buying stock in sunscreen now like a big ol' pasty dork you see on the beach carrying an umbrella with a white streak on his nose.

Once was a surprise.

Twice was concerning.

Three times on his arm – yes – Karma fully had his attention now. No more ‘baking in the sun' while on duty or relaxing in a plastic pool on the deck of his apartment balcony. Nope. He always had a baseball cap on his head, wore long sleeves shirts over his T-shirts no matter the temperature outside, and should have stock in Coppertone sunblock now.

"Well, okay – if you say so. It's nothing."

That voice.

That was not the words of the nurse at the doctor's office – and he recognized the smart-alecky voice that had ordered him about several times on the jobsite, had saved his life more than once, and had been the person he had to give his notice to a few months ago.

Reese Carpenter.

The man had been his engineer, then his captain, and not a few months into becoming the fire chief. When a spot opened up here in Sweet Bloom that Cade could not pass up – and was currently getting his butt handed to him daily. Reese was the man he had to turn in his resignation to… and that had been harder than he ever imagined.

"Heyyy, Reese. How are you doing, brother?"

"Don't gimme that – are you coming home yet?" the older man chuckled knowingly, and Cade flinched. The temptation to return to Ember Creek with his tail between his legs was awfully appealing at this point because he was really struggling here.

"Nawwww," Cade drawled, trying to sound tough and arrogant. "Why would I come back to Ember Creek when all I have there is your ugly mug to boss me around?"

"Then nothing's changed – has it?"

"Nope," he laughed, listening to the fire chief and wondering what was going on. "Now, while I know you miss me hanging around all the time and being your wingman at the bars…"

"Oh, you know me too well – yup. That's me. Bar-hopping like a wild man every weekend," Reese joked, causing both men to laugh easily. Cade knew the other guy never went out with the guys. He was very down-to-earth and exceedingly private.

"Still crushing on your girl, Eileen?"

"Hush. Let's talk about you."

"You are? Seriously? When are you going to ask her out?"

"I did – and she said ‘no.' Now we are talking about you, remember?"

"What about me?"

"Well, you answered the phone wanting to hear it was ‘nothing,' so I'm assuming it's actually something – or someone?"

"Just another stupid mole removed by the doctor. Turns out that if it's black and heart-shaped, it's a bad thing."

"At least you got it looked at…"

"True. Now I can worry about the big ‘C' taking me out long before a fire does – which doesn't seem too far off sometimes," Cade muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

"What's going on, Cade?" Reese began gently. "Wanna talk?"

Cade hesitated, feeling like a fool. One of the reasons he'd left was Reese moved Chase Marks up into the position of captain on the truck instead of him. While he loved Reese like a brother and the other firefighter would do a great job, it stung that someone else got the position he had his eyes on. When the call came from Sweet Bloom, Cade jumped into the deep end and was still trying to figure out how to swim.

"Actually, I've gotta go," he began, hesitating at the lump in his throat. It would be so nice to say things were coming up roses, but this job was harder than anything he'd experienced. Every time there was a fire, Cade was terrified one of the team wouldn't make it back. His job was no longer to go rushing into the thick of things – but to coordinate everything else behind the scenes, giving instructions, and he felt like a fake.

Cade was nowhere near as cool or collected as Marks or Carpenter – and felt like he never would be.

"You know, it's not an easy job," Reese volunteered quietly. "That's why I wanted to call and say ‘hello'. I always wished I had someone to speak to when I felt like I was drowning – so maybe we can call the pudge at my waist, the ‘ol' life raft of knowledge,' if you ever need to chat or pick my brain. You might be on the other side of the state, but to me – you will always be family."

"I really appreciate that," he said hoarsely. "And I might take you up on that someday."

"The offer is always there."

"'Preciate it."

"We'll talk soon – and just so you know? It's not all smooth here without you. You'll never guess what happened today."

"What?"

"The new probie decided he needed to answer Nature's Call in the middle of a fire because there was a bidet on the toilet…" Cade burst out laughing wildly, imagining what had happened and Reese's reaction to it. The older man was snorting with laughter and could barely get the words out – but it was enough.

"I'm gonna picture that for weeks, you know that?"

"Pass alarm went off and everything… I've been laughing since this morning and every time I look at his face – I start giggling again like I'm a ten-year-old girl."

"I bet."

"Enjoy and take it easy, brother."

"Thanks, Reese – you too."

Ending the call, Cade sighed heavily and leaned his head back, letting it hang and facing the heavens above in exasperation. He had his own set of dorks to contend with and maybe that was why Reese shared. Perhaps this was part of growing as a captain, and he hoped so because the last month had been sheer Hell.

The only solace he had in this small town was driving around his old truck and trying to unwind without the gossips having a field day. If he thought Ember Creek was bad… man-o-man.

Sweet Bloom could teach lessons.

Everyone knew everything – in the worst ways possible. If there was a hiccup on the scene of a fire, everyone knew about it by the time he got off of his shift. If he went to the grocery, the cashier asked what happened. If he dropped in to get an ice cream cone at Scoops, someone always stopped him. The only person that people gossiped about more was the reformed addict, Lena, who started a new life up north someplace in Wyoming.

Weird.

People came to Texas to start over – they sure didn't leave it. The wide-open skies, the sense of pride the people had, and mercy… can we talk about the barbecue! It's like ‘pitmaster' was part of the genetic code here in these parts. There were just several things that felt ‘normal' to him, that would make others cringe or feel out of place. He had a rack in the back glass of his truck where his rifle sat. There was a slot in the pocket of his driver's door where his Bowie slipped in. Every man worth their salt had his hunting license and kept it in the vehicle. The only thing Cade didn't do was chew tobacco – and that wasn't because he hadn't tried it. The spitting was a bit much, even for him.

Strolling inside to pay, Cade grinned and raised his hand.

"How's it going, Jorge?"

"Better than you…" the old man chuckled, replying with their standard greeting between the two of them since Cade moved into town.

"You got that right. Six feet up is always better than six feet down – so I'll take it."

"You and me both. Should I ring up the regular?"

"Yup – Slim Jim, Cheetos, cherry Icee…oh wait, just a minute," Cade exclaimed in mock-surprise as he swung his gaze to the man. "Jorge, are you holding out on me or is this new?"

Cade held up a pack of Fruit-by-the-Foot gum – and smiled.

"I don't chew, but you sneaky fella… you sure do know my weakness."

"Sugar?"

"Sugar."

Both men laughed easily, and Cade tucked one round package in the back pocket of his Levi's and grabbed two more. He slid all the goodies onto the counter and dug out his wallet, pulling out several twenties. His truck drank fuel, but it was well worth it. Kinda like the gas station pumps, there was something so satisfying about driving a vehicle that made people stop and look.

"You know, you ought to stop by the shop and meet Beary. You'll want to have the stuff in stock to do the service on your truck when it comes time and…"

"Yup," Cade interrupted as his phone rang again. "I've really got to take this, but I promise I'll stop and talk to Barry about my truck. I appreciate the advice." Scooping up his things, he answered the phone and backed out the door, waving his Icee at Jorge politely.

"Mr. Pruitt? This is Dr. White's office. We wanted to let you know the specimen results came back as negative," the woman said, and Cade sagged in relief. "Keep using the sunblock, doing monthly checks on yourself, and let us know if you need anything else. He recommended following up in a year."

"Thank you," he whispered gratefully, closing his eyes and setting his stuff on the passenger seat of the truck. "I really appreciate the update."

"Of course. Have a great evening, Mr. Pruitt."

"I will now," he replied, chuckling easily. This was his last night off, and tomorrow he would be back at the station – but this was at least one thing off his mental stress list that had been weighing on him. Yup. He was going to get some shut-eye, indulge in a greasy burger, and wash it down with his cherry Icee.

Life was good.