Her Only Hero

They pushed through the swinging door to the old kitchen, and she wrinkled her nose. She’d done nothing here yet, and the cracked linoleum and rusted sink rebuked her.

They reached the back door without speaking. Ryan pulled the door open, stepped onto the back porch, and frowned at the stack of wood and construction rubbish piled against the wall.

“I know,” she said quickly. “It shouldn’t be there.”

“It’s a hazard.” His tone was uncompromising.

“I ordered a Dumpster last week. I don’t know why they haven’t brought it yet.” It was yet another of a long string of things that had gone wrong recently.

“Do you want me to call them? They might move a little faster at a request from the fire department.”

“No.”

He was just being nice, she reminded herself. She didn’t need to bite his head off.

“I’ll take care of it,” she added more evenly. “They promised me it would be here days ago.”

He nodded, scribbling something on a sheet and then handing it to her. “This just confirms that we’ve spoken about it. If the situation isn’t remedied in a few days, we’ll have to cite you.”

“Don’t worry.” Her lips were stiff. “It will be.”

He studied her for a moment and then gave her that slightly lopsided smile she’d once yearned to see.

“Don’t look so worried. This is just a formality. I’m sure you’ll take care of the problem.”

She forced a return smile. “Thanks.”

He stepped off the porch. “My name and number are on the form. If you’d like me to get after the trash company, just give me a call.”

“I can manage.”

She could do whatever she had to do, despite the addition of Ryan Flanagan to the list of factors complicating her life since she’d taken on this project.

Her daughter’s future depended on her success with the building. She couldn’t count on anyone else for help—not her family, not her in-laws, not God.

A fierce wave of maternal love swept through her. That didn’t matter. For Mandy, she could do anything.

Ryan piled into the truck behind his older brother, Seth, heart pounding as it always did at the shrilling of the alarm. He glanced at his watch. Six-thirty. Fire could have caught people asleep at this hour of the morning.

Seth, taking his new rank of lieutenant very seriously, was listening to the info coming in on his radio.

“Three-fourteen Delaware Street. Isn’t that the place you inspected yesterday?”

“Yes.” Ryan’s nerves clenched. “Woman and a child in residence. A deaf child.”

He hadn’t gotten their images out of his mind yet. Laura McKay, with that mop of wiry dark hair springing out around her grave, determined face. Her daughter, Mandy—brown curls, her mother’s dark eyes, and those two hearing aids in her small ears.

“What did you find wrong?”

“Trash on the back porch that should have been in a Dumpster. That’s it.”

He should have called the company about that, even though Laura McKay had told him not to.

“That meshes with what the caller said—a blaze on the back porch.” The siren wailed as they took the corner. “We’ll attack from the alley. You and Dave can do the entry.”

He nodded. Seth was giving him the rescue. Nice to know his big brother had that much faith in him, even though their new relationship of lieutenant to firefighter sometimes rubbed both of them the wrong way.

Of course, if the posting to the arson squad he’d applied for came through, it would eliminate the problem. He’d have a different boss, a different job. He hadn’t told anyone about it yet, not sure himself how he felt about the change.

He pushed the whole business from his mind. There wasn’t room to think about anything else when he went into a fire scene.

They shrieked up the alley, the backs of the buildings a little seedy here compared to the polish of the historic district in the next block. Seth leaned forward, probably assessing what they had to deal with.

Seth’s caution was a good quality for a lieutenant. All Ryan wanted to do was get in there and make the grab. His body itched with the need to move.

A bystander in robe and slippers rushed up to the apparatus. “I’m the one called it in. There’s a woman and kid live there—they didn’t come out.”

Ryan pulled out his hand ax as his feet hit the ground. Dave Hanratty was right behind him, both of them fully geared up with masks. Flames licked at the wooden porch, but the building’s brick walls would slow the blaze down.

He nodded to Dave and together they charged toward the door. A couple of quick hits, a kick, and they were in.

Smoke billowed through the downstairs, and a smoke alarm wailed relentlessly. If Laura heard it, why hadn’t she gotten out by now?

“Stairs.” He pointed with the ax. “Apartment on the second floor.”

They hit the steps running, their footsteps thundering on the wooden treads. No flames had reached this area, but the smoke was the danger. Smoke could kill.

He reached the second-floor landing a step ahead of Dave and raised his ax. Before he could swing, the door opened.

Laura stumbled toward them. The little girl in her arms was partially covered with a blanket, but her small face was pinched with terror.

He reached for the child. The woman tried to hang on to her.

“I’ll take her—” Her words died in a fit of coughing.

He grabbed the little girl, ignoring her frightened wail and the mother’s protests. This was no time for politeness. He passed the child to Dave, who started back down the steps with her.

He grabbed Laura’s arm. “Is there anyone else in the building?”

“No.” She tried to pull away from him. “You scared Mandy. I could have carried her out.”

When it came to stubborn, this woman took the cake. He yanked her to the stairs. “Tell me about it later. Right now we’re getting out.”

Luckily she’d shoved her feet into shoes, so he didn’t have to worry about her getting cut up. He hustled her down the steps. The front door stood open now, and together they rushed out into the fresh morning air.

The paramedic unit had already pulled up to the curb, and the crew from the secondary tank truck was wetting down the adjoining buildings.

He took Laura straight to the paramedics—his sister Terry’s team, thank goodness. Terry was the best. She was already checking out the little girl.