2. Hunter

No one speaks as the fire truck rolls down the mountain road. Joel grips the steering wheel looking as exhausted as I feel, with soot settling into the lines of his face.

We were lucky today. The wind dropped suddenly, which helped us keep the blaze under control. We caught it early and contained it on the ridge. It was a surface fire burning off the dry wood from a long hot summer.

Fires this size are good for the forest. They burn off the dry undergrowth so if a bigger blaze comes through, there's less to feed it.

It doesn't make them any less exhausting.

I roll my shoulder, letting the tension ease out of it, and thinking of the cold beer and hot shower I'll have when I get back to the station.

We turn a corner, and a movement catches my eye. A woman walks by the side of the road, her clothes dirty and torn. She turns to stare at the fire truck, and there's a flash of scarlet on the side of her head.

"Stop!"

Joel slams on the breaks, and I grip the dashboard as I lurch forward.

"We've got a civilian."

I've got the door open and am sliding out of the truck before I finish talking. The woman's in ripped clothing, and soot coats her arms mixing with dirt from the forest.

"Are you okay?"

She looks around with a blank expression on her face as if trying to figure out where she is.

"I'm not sure."

Her voice is croaky and she coughs, holding a hand up to cover her mouth. Her gaze catches on the dirt crusted on her hands, and she frowns.

Her gaze meets mine, and I take a step back like I've seen a ghost. Her pale grey eyes and round face are as familiar to me as my own reflection.

My mouth goes dry and I stare dumbfounded at the curvy woman in front of me, her blond hair caked with dirt and blood.

"I think I fell."

She says it hesitantly and touches her head, then winces in pain. She's confused, in shock perhaps. I pull myself together and snap into professional mode.

"I'm Hunter Adams." I've said my surname before I can stop myself, but if she recognizes it there's no sign. Not that that's a consideration right now. The woman needs help. "I'm from Wild Heart Mountain Fire Department. Can you tell me what happened?"

She stares at me like I've asked her to recite the Constitution.

"I fell," she says meekly, the confusion clear on her face.

She's confused, possible concussed, and I need to get her medical attention.

"Are you with anyone else?"

I look behind her into the forest she walked out of, but there's no sign of another person.

Her eyebrows furrow like she's thinking hard.

"No."

She shakes her head slowly then grasps it with her hands, her face contorting in pain.

The fire didn't reach this area, although the smoke may have blown down this way. I'll have search and rescue check the area just in case.

"My head hurts."

The woman's gone pale, and she takes an unsteady step toward me as her eyes roll into the back of her head. My reflexes kick in and I catch her as she crumples, her body going limp in my arms. I adjust my position and scoop her off the ground.

"Make room," I call to the team.

Erika jumps out of the back seat and joins Joel in the cab. I hitch the woman up against my chest and climb into the back with her.

Joel gives me a raised eyebrow look, but there's no way I'm handing the woman over to anyone else.

Her skin is cool and I unzip my jacket and press her to my chest, using my body heat to keep her warm. With her resting across my legs, I use my free hand to grab a foil blanket and wrap it around her.

Joel gets the truck going, and with a new urgency we continue our ride down the mountain.

Erika calls into the medical center so they'll be ready for us.

"What's her status?" she asks from the front seat.

Blood cakes her blonde hair mingled with dirt from the forest floor. When I trace the origin of it, I discover a nick on the top of her ear and a small abrasion on the side of her head. On the surface it's not as bad as it looks, but a head injury could mean internal bleeding.

I relay the details to Erika, and she passes them onto the medical center.

The woman stirs, and her head turns so she burrows further into my chest. Which is a good sign she's asleep rather than unconscious, her face relaxed and angelic. I should wake her up in case she's been concussed.

I cup her head with one hand, and with the other I brush the hair off her face. There are streaks of dirt and I run my thumb over the soft skin, which only turns them into smudges.

Her eyes flicker open and then widen in fright when she sees me. Her body stiffens.

"I'm Hunter…" I leave off the last name this time. "I'm from the Wild Heart Mountain Fire Department, and we're taking you to the Hope Medical Centre."

The fear drains away and the confused look is back.

"My head hurts," she croaks and licks her parched lips, but I won't give her any water until the doctor says it's okay.

She tries to lift it and winces at the pain. "It's sore."

"That's why we're taking you to the center. They'll make you comfortable."

Her eyes flicker closed, and she's gone again. Her mouth drops slightly open and her head lolls against my arm. I move her gently so she's pressed against my chest, nice and snug.

We reach the base of the mountain and the valley laced with smoke makes for a stunning sunset. But I've only got eyes for the woman in my arms.

Her peaceful face, the way her brow stretches clear when she sleeps, the long lashes of her eyes and the peaceful look, like an angel who walked out of the fucking woods.

Her eyes flicker open again and snap wide when she sees me. I open my mouth to give her my spiel, and she smiles weakly.

"You're Hunter. You're from the fire department. You're taking me somewhere."

I smile at the look on her face, she's pleased with herself that she remembered.

"I'm taking you to the Hope Medical Centre."

"And my head hurts." She winces, and her pale eyes scrunch up in pain that I wish I could wipe away.

She falls back to sleep, and I observe her pale features. When she walked out of the woods, she was so familiar I thought I was seeing a ghost. Now I see the differences. Her eyes are a deeper grey with blue in the center, her face rounder and her lips fuller.

I brush her hair away from her neck, and my fingers pause. There's a mark on the left side of her neck in the spot just before it reaches the shoulder. A dark raised mole that I've seen before.

My breath catches. If I was in any doubt about who this woman is, the mark confirms my suspicions.

She mumbles in her sleep, and I pull her close. Her hair tickles my chest, and I breathe in her feminine scent.

She mutters in her sleep and stirs, and I pull her to me.

"I got you, Kaci," I whisper so no one can hear.

I savor the moment with Kaci pressed to my chest, because the moment she wakes up and realizes who I am, she won't want anything to do with me.