Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

I t had been days since Colton had last seen Cady. He'd been buried in paperwork for both the fire department and the FEMA responders training. The feds certainly loved their paperwork. Too bad Colton hated it.

Luckily, the week had been pretty slow. They'd had four calls. One for a cat up a tree. One for a raccoon that had chased and cornered some kids who were eating popcorn. The raccoon didn't care about the kids. It just wanted the popcorn. One was a medical call that required an ambulance ride to Lexington after a resident decided to use a chainsaw for the first time and almost lost a toe. The final call was a kitchen fire.

They treated every call as if it were a five-alarm fire to keep their training up. They never wanted to become complacent. But now, after too many hours of paperwork to focus on the numbers of the clock, Colton was finally finished.

"Hey, Chief. Want to come work out with us?" Jack asked from the door to Colton's office. Jack was twenty-seven years old and could drive a firetruck as if it were a sportscar. He was about Colton's height but about ten pounds lighter. He was big into running while Colton was more into horseback riding and lifting weights. His dark brown hair had a little wave to it, which, along with his green eyes, drove the Belles wild. He had trained with the Lexington Fire Department, but when Colton had started the Keeneston FD he'd been one of Colton's first hires. He liked the small-town life and being part of starting a department.

Colton hit send on a final email and closed his laptop. "More than ready after sitting here all day." He hated being idle. Even as a child, he couldn't sit down and chill all day. He and his brother and cousins were constantly running around farms getting into trouble.

Colton headed down the hallway and into the small gym they had. Lots of times they worked out at Desert Sun Farm with the soldiers for the royal family—although Colton knew the royals as Mo and Dani Ali Rahman and their kids, Zain, Gabe, and Ariana. They were all married now, and the brothers already had children.

"Hey, Nolan. I thought you were off today," Colton said, seeing a shirtless Nolan Flynn, the only person close to Colton's own age there. He and Nolan were already in their 30s. Everyone else was in their 20s.

"I am, but I wanted to get a workout in. I wrapped up at the farm early and Mom and Dad are at the feed store for two more hours, so I thought I'd pop by. Besides, someone has to make sure Flint doesn't get stuck under the bench press again."

"Bruh, one time!" Flint said with a roll of his eyes. "And it was a max press of 315 pounds."

"Gotta up your game to pick up those Belles," Nolan teased.

"I don't see you picking up any," Conley shot back at Nolan.

Nolan shrugged. Nolan had asked Abby Mueez out on a date in high school. Considering that her father was Ahmed, any man who did that had balls of steel and deserved respect. "I'm getting to the age that if I talk to a woman in town, wedding bets are being placed. I'll be keeping my dating life far from Keeneston."

"Or you're getting too old to pull any more," Flint teased.

"He's my age," Colton said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Are you saying I'm too old to pull?" Colton didn't have trouble finding dates. However, since Kale's wedding he hadn't gone out with the guys at all to pick up women. His mind was solely focused on one very attractive, feisty bourbon distiller.

"No, Chief," was suddenly chorused around him.

"What should we do for lunch?" Conley asked, changing subjects as fast as he could. "The café will be packed with people from that bourbon conference."

Colton smiled at that. He was so proud of Cady. The conference had started this morning and there was a huge increase in traffic. There were over five hundred people attending this conference and he knew it would be good for Cady to get the attention she deserved.

"I can cook," Jack offered.

"No!" the guys all shouted. Jack only used spices so hot that the crew feared damaging their stomach lining. Yet, he didn't seem to mind it one bit.

The station door opened and Jace strode in with a frown. "I can't get into the café. Did you happen to cook today? I don't have an appointment until this afternoon, but I'm starving."

"Is the café full?" Colton asked as he hammered out some reps with the free weights.

"Yes. A bunch of touristy types. I'm guessing from Cady's conference," Jace answered as he looked up at the kitchen and frowned. "I don't smell anything cooking."

"We were just talking about it. Jack offered to cook," Colton told him, causing Jace to cringe.

"I got it," Conley answered. "Paninis. I'll make a bunch of them." Conley set down his weights and headed upstairs to where the kitchen overlooked the bay holding the firetruck and ambulance.

"You really couldn't go home for lunch?" Colton teased his cousin.

"I could, but Stella is out with her niece and that would still result in me having to make something." Jace's phone rang, stopping his conversation with Colton. "Hello?" Jace frowned and nodded to himself. "I'll be right there."

"Guess no sandwich for you," Colton taunted, but Jace continued to frown. "What is it?"

"Cady was hurt. She can't come into the office because of the conference so I'm going to run out there."

Colton's whole body turned to ice as he set down the weights and grabbed his shirt. "I'm coming too."

All firefighters were trained in first aid. He could help if Jace needed it. Plus, he needed to see Cady with his own two eyes to make sure she was okay before he had a shot at breathing again.

Cady was nervous. The conference was officially starting in an hour. Right now, she knew everyone was at the café or making their way to the distillery. There were close to five hundred owners and distillers coming. She had charts, graphs, and then a table for overflow for those who didn't RSVP yet showed up anyway. She was ready to go.

The glass door had been replaced a couple of days ago. Stella, Jace's wife, had dropped off fresh plants and flowers to spruce up the place last night. Cady and Joey had built a portable stage and stained it to look like a bourbon barrel. That was where the speakers and panelists would sit. Nabi, the head of the royal family's security, had come over with Cade Davies, Colton's father, and helped set up all the tech stuff needed for presentations. Everything was ready.

Until Joey came running in with a worried look on his face. "The kiln isn't working." Joey didn't waste time with pleasantries, something Cady appreciated. "Harlan is with it now, but sent me to get you."

Harlan Stamper was twenty-four years old and had been hired three months ago to be her assistant distiller. She saw a lot of herself in Harlan. No one took him seriously. He was from a very small town in western Kentucky. His family had been making moonshine and whiskey for generations in stills that predated prohibition. Moonshiners back in the hollers weren't "official" distillers, hence the bad reputation they had in the industry. Harlan had also gone to community college before becoming the first in his family to earn a bachelor's of science degree at a small public college. He'd tried for jobs at distilleries, but they'd all turned him down without even meeting with him. Moonshine wasn't their brand. He didn't have experience. He didn't have the right education. Cady had liked him instantly.

Cady met him at the farmers market with Landon. Harlan had a booth where he was selling his moonshine. Moonshine isn't a fancy drink. It isn't even complex. However, Harlan had done some magic to his and it tasted smooth as could be with surprising depth of flavor. Three hours later, she had him doing blind taste tests on bourbons and he could pick out every single ingredient. Harlan had the best natural palate she'd ever come across. Plus, he was eager to bring his moonshine statewide and then national. They'd made a deal. She'd teach him everything about bourbon, he'd help her in the distillery for way less than any other associate distiller would make, but they'd work together to make the moonshine. He'd make it at her distillery and she'd bottle and sell it for a small percentage of each sale. They were both happy with the arrangement and now she had an associate distiller with more natural talent and drive than any associate her father had ever had at Blue Stone. Even Isaac.

Cady jumped on the golf cart and headed for the old stone building that housed the kiln. Corn had to be baked at 200+ degrees first, then the temperature was lowered, and the other grains added for the malting process. It had to be done before mashing, the process that created and extracted the sugars needed to be drawn out for specific flavors. If her kiln went down, they wouldn't have the grains from the mash bill to add to the water and yeast in the large vats where they were agitated by big paddles before being distilled. All that meant no kiln, no cooked grains, nothing to distill and empty bottles. She couldn't take a hit to production right now.

Cady stopped her golf cart next to Joey's. Inside, Harlan stood with his hands on his hips and a frown on his face under his thick, auburn beard. "Hey. So, it started to smoke when I was working with the corn. That's why it smells so bad in here. It burnt the corn badly." He gestured to his left and Cady saw the large tray of burnt grains. "It's like the temperature gauge isn't working. But it was yesterday."

Cady was so worried about production that she pulled a rookie move. She knew better, and she could hear her father yelling at her from the great beyond. She reached out to look over the electronics of the kiln without putting on gloves. It doesn't matter that it was off. It was still hot.

"Shit," she cursed as the top of her hand came in contact with the hot outer shell of the kiln. She snatched it back and already saw the small angry red spot near her knuckles.

"Here you go, boss," Harlan said, handing her a pair of kiln gloves. "Make sure to have that looked at. Kiln burns hurt like the dickens." Harlan held up his hands to show off some kiln scars.

"I don't have time. I'll get to it eventually." Cady bent down and began to look over the equipment. Nothing was noticeably wrong.

"Here," Joey said, shoving a phone at her. "It's ringing."

"What's this?" she asked as Joey held the phone on speaker.

"Dr. Jace. See if he'll come out here to look at it since we all know you won't take time to get it checked out."

How could she be mad at Joey or Harlan when they knew her so well? They were their own small family here at Barrel Creek and she loved them for it.