Firestorm

Kitty grabbed Sarah’s hand before she could summon her husband. “Whoa, I appreciate you wanting to help, but I’m not a kid anymore. I can take care of it myself.” She grinned at Sarah’s dubious expression as her gaze swept over Kitty’s faded jeans and blue T-shirt.

“Can you? You’re still way too skinny. I’m going to see that you eat a decent meal.” Before Kitty could protest, Sarah signaled to Clarence. He trundled across the floor and set a plate and a frosty glass of orange juice in front of her. After nodding a solemn hello, he retreated behind the counter.

Kitty smothered a groan as she eyed the mounds of steaming pancakes, scrambled eggs, and Sarah’s famous homemade turkey sausage. “Thank you, but I only stopped in for a quick cup of coffee and toast. I’m on my way to the fire station to pick up Dad’s personal things.”

“That can certainly wait until after breakfast.” She stood. “I’m pretty sure everything got packed up after the new chief took over, but Daniel’s on duty this afternoon. He’ll be glad to help you.”

“Oh, it’ll be okay. I don’t want to cause anyone extra work.” Except for maybe Luke Tanner and the sheriff. Obviously, they needed to start the investigation from scratch. She ran her fingertip around the rim of her coffee mug. Had Tanner sent someone over to fix the broken window yet? “Did you say Daniel has been looking after Dad’s place?”

“Of course, I told you he would when I called you after the funeral,” Sarah replied in an insulted tone.

“But—”

The sound of breaking dishes crashed through the café.

“Oh, that Clarence, now what’s he done?” Sarah said. “He can cook up a storm, but he has such butterfingers. I’d better go see what this will cost me. You eat and I’ll be right back.” She waited until Kitty picked up her fork before marching to the kitchen.

Kitty stabbed at the buckwheat pancakes and took a reluctant bite. The syrupy cake melted on her tongue and despite the knot still in her throat, it slid down, warm and smooth. She sighed and gazed through the lace-edged windows at the sunlight dancing on the deep blue of Pine Lake. She would’ve enjoyed the food and scenery more if her mind wasn’t whirling with disturbing questions.

If the town council had appointed Tanner in charge of the cabin, why did Sarah say Daniel was still looking after it? Didn’t they know the town had repossessed the property? Strange. Sarah hadn’t mentioned the break-ins at the cabin, or elsewhere either. The café was the town gossip hub, and few events escaped Sarah’s knowledge. Maybe she just didn’t want to scare her. Or maybe the council didn’t want anyone to know what they were up to.

The bell on the door jingled. Kitty nearly choked as Tanner entered. His gaze flicked around the crowd, then lingered on her before he strolled across the room and claimed a stool at the counter.

She swallowed her mouthful of eggs, annoyed that her heart thumped faster every time she looked at him. At least Tanner’s entrance affected others besides her. Men exchanged glances and women nearly drooled behind his back as he opened a copy of the local newspaper. Without a word, Sarah shoved a coffee mug in front of him.

Kitty tapped her foot impatiently on the wood floor. Did she dare join him? It’d probably just give him another opportunity to tell her to leave town. She didn’t want to blow her chance of getting into the fire station. Somewhere in there may be a clue as to why her father visited the ravine that fateful day. Maybe he saw something suspicious and decided to check out the area.

She slumped in her chair, drained after the Tanner-induced rush of adrenaline. It wasn’t fair. He certainly appeared fresh and well rested. Her entire body ached, and even though she’d shampooed her hair three times, she still wasn’t sure if she’d gotten out all the flour.

His thick, ebony hair didn’t show a speck of the chalky stuff that turned to paste when water hit it. Brushed back from his wide forehead, the shaggy, unruly waves tumbled down his neck almost to the broad shoulders that strained against the confines of his white T-shirt. The shirt, tucked neatly into black jeans, couldn’t hide the strength in his chest and arms.

Her eyes followed the line of his long legs down to the black boots crossed at the ankles. Nice boots, Kitty thought, tucking her own under the table. Her gaze lifted and collided with Tanner’s dark eyes. He flashed a grin and hoisted his mug in mock salute.

Heat curled in her stomach, and her face flushed. He obviously enjoyed her discomfort at being caught gawking at him. He took a gulp of coffee and raised his eyebrows as if daring her to do something about it.

She stood, ready to wipe the teasing smile off his face with a scathing remark, but her elbow bumped something on the wall. She turned and grabbed a swinging frame.

“Way to go, Kitcat.”

Kitty jumped at the use of her old nickname. Only one person ever called her that. She looked over her shoulder at compelling blue-gray eyes set in a tanned, boyishly attractive face fringed by silvery-blond hair. “Evan Stone, what on earth are you doing here?”

“Eating breakfast?”

Kitty grinned. “No kidding. I meant what are you doing in Pine Lake? Last I heard, you were on assignment in China.”

“Actually, Mongolia, and I left there a year ago.” Evan spun Sarah’s vacated chair around and straddled the seat with his lanky, khaki-clad legs. “So, what do you think?”

“Of Mongolia?”

“No, silly. The photo.”

“This is yours?” She sat and studied the breathtaking shot. Two bald eagles clinging together by their talons, tumbled through the brilliant blue sky above a jagged canyon wall. “What are they doing? Fighting?”

He cleared his throat. “Actually, they’re mating.”

“Yikes. They don’t fall to the ground, do they?”

“Nope. When it gets too risky, they break free of each other. You know, like most relationships.” Bitterness edged his tone, causing Kitty to glance up. He still smiled, but the wariness etching the corners of his eyes hadn’t existed in his younger, carefree days.

She concentrated on the photograph, critiquing it as Evan had taught her when they were kids and Evan was a budding photojournalist. “It’s an awesome shot, well framed, very powerful, but yet a vulnerable feeling comes through.” She raised her head. “When did you start photographing birds? All you ever talked about as a kid was how much you wanted to photograph war zones and other hot pockets in the world.”

“Got tired of living out of a duffel bag.” He shrugged. “Figured I’d try something different.” He tapped the glass on the frame. “I won the Piedmont Award with this one. You’re going to come by my place and see my portfolio, aren’t you? I’d tell you it’s spectacular, except you know how modest I am.”

Kitty laughed with him as she hung the picture back on the wall. She leaned forward on her elbows. “I’m so glad to see you. I’ve missed you.”

“Ditto, kid. I came through L.A. several times but never had time to hook up. I was traveling on location until after your dad’s funeral. Wish I could’ve been here. Don’t know why, but I liked the old grouch. What do you say to dinner tonight? We can catch up.”

The eager tone in his voice caught Kitty by surprise. Was Evan Stone flirting with her? They’d always been just friends, even if her teen-aged heart had yearned for more. What a disaster that relationship would’ve been. She’d learned the hard way how it felt to have her feelings shredded without his help.

“I’d like to visit, but I don’t know if I’ll have time. It all depends on how today goes. I need to get back to L.A.”

“What’s the rush? Your boyfriend waiting for you?” he asked. “Sarah told me about him…”

“Jordan?” She grimaced. “Look, I really don’t want to talk about him. He—”

“Sarah said you’re going to tie the knot.”

Kitty gaped at him. But then why should she expect the gossip to stop just because she’d moved hundreds of miles away. “That was over a year ago. He’s long gone.”

“What happened?”

“It’s boring. Let’s talk about something else.”

“You might as well tell me.” He leaned forward in the chair he still straddled and propped his elbows on the chair back, resting his chin on his hands. “I’m a journalist and I can’t help myself. I won’t stop pestering ’til you spill your guts.”

“Eww, isn’t it considered bad manners to talk about spilling guts in a restaurant?” She tried to joke, but Evan continued to stare owlishly at her. Tenacious as always.

She sighed. “Fine, if you must know. Irreconcilable differences. He wanted kids right away, a picket fence and a wife who wasn’t gone for days pursuing a risky career. He didn’t want to wait for me to go back to school, either.”

“Sounds like a real loser.”

“Told you it was boring. But he wasn’t all bad, or wrong, in fact. People need to be around to make a relationship work. Spend time together. You should know about that.”

“Which is why I stick to my policy of no serious commitments to any woman.”

Kitty rolled her eyes. “I can’t blame Jordan. Look where I came from. Maybe I’m not cut out for marriage. Maybe it’s in my genes. Dad was a workaholic who communicated with me less than my cat, and my mother took off and never looked back. Jordan gave me an ultimatum. Quit the department or quit the relationship. I quit him.”

“Sounds like you made the wise decision.”