The Firefighter’s Woman 2

  The Firefighter’s Woman 2

  Copyright © May 2010, Tressie Lockwood

  Cover art by Amira Press © May 2010

  Amira Press

  Baltimore, MD 21216

  www.amirapress.com

  ISBN: 978-1-936279-22-7

  No part of this e-book may be reproduced or shared by any electronic or mechanical means, including but not limited to printing, file sharing, and e-mail, without prior written permission from Amira Press.

  Chapter One

  Marlena drew her hair up into a ponytail and secured it with an ouchless holder. She needed a fresh perm like nobody’s business, but that little luxury—and it was nothing but a luxury these last few months—would have to wait until next week. With any luck, she wouldn’t sweat out her roots during class tonight, especially if Tyrone came by her place before she could put herself back together.

  She dropped to one knee and retied her sneaker and then gathered up her clipboard. Two more women had joined her class. That was an extra eighty a month. That is, if they toughed it out and didn’t quit. The problem was giving so much of her earnings back to the gym, but they attracted the clientele. She had no real choice in the matter.

  “Hi, Marlena,” someone called.

  She looked up from studying her roster and tensed. Sherise had just entered the room dressed in a tank that showed off her already toned arms and biker shorts that demonstrated she didn’t need Marlena’s class. The fact that Marlena was dating Sherise’s ex didn’t feel too comfortable either. “Hey, Sherise. What are you doing here?”

  She hoped Sherise had wandered into the wrong room. Something told her not to hold her breath.

  Sherise winked. “I heard your patented Rumble Booty exercise class was the place to get my booty in shape, so here I am.”

  “Hardly patented.” Marlena liked the warm feeling she got knowing word was spreading around Forest’s End that she was offering a new style of exercise, or rather, her personal flavor to the old boring stuff. Using her love of dancing and her own choreography had shaken loose a good forty pounds from her figure, and it was working for others. “You don’t need to lose a pound, Sherise. Just look at you.”

  Sherise slapped her ass. “Are you kidding? I’ve gained five pounds in a couple of weeks. I’m nipping it now before it’s too late.”

  “I heard that, girlfriend,” Shana said, walking over. Sherise and Marlena laughed. Shana had grown up around black people, but the girl was pale as could be. She kept her sandy brown hair in braids, and her speech demonstrated where she haled from, the same side of Forest’s End Marlena had come from. It had been Shana who supported her by being her first client. “I lost ten with Marlena’s class, but I’ve got a long way to go.”

  They milled around chatting the last ten minutes before class began. Marlena tried to relax with Sherise present, but she found it difficult. Word in town was she still had it bad for Tyrone, and Marlena couldn’t help wondering if Sherise was just there to check her out. They weren’t that close, only speaking in passing. Marlena had gone to school with her younger sister, Odessa. That was before Marlena had her family issues.

  “What’s wrong with you, Marlena?” Sherise asked, no doubt noticing how stiff she was.

  Shana’s mouth had always been big. “Oh don’t worry about my girl. She’s okay. Just all guilty and stuff because she’s dating your ex. I told you, Marlena, that’s old news.”

  Marlena’s eyes widened. She couldn’t believe Shana had just blurted out her business. Everyone, even the women chatting in other groups, fell silent. Embarrassed, Marlena didn’t say a word or even glance in Sherise’s direction. She willed herself to snap out of it, but she was frozen. How in the hell was she going to run a class this wound up?

  After a few minutes, Sherise laughed it off. “Don’t even worry about it. That’s the past. I heard that you were seeing him, Marlena. Not a big deal. This town isn’t but so big anyway. We’re all bound to pass the guys around given we outnumber them.”

  “I know that’s right,” someone from another group agreed. “They need to ship some fresh meat in.” The ladies all laughed at that, and everyone moved to their places for the start of the night’s session.

  Marlena grabbed her CD player from the floor and put it up on a chair. With her back to the class, she sorted through her music and selected the mix she’d made the day before. The beat would start out gentle for their warm up and move into something to get the hips pumping. Then, after about forty-five minutes, they would go to a cool down. She’d been excited about the new steps she wanted to show everyone, but her legs felt rigid, and for the life of her, she couldn’t remember any of the normal routine. She stalled for time.

  Get it together, Marlena. You’re over stage fright. Sherise being here means nothing, and besides, it’s not like you’re in love with Tyrone.

  She sighed. That was true. She wasn’t that into him. In fact, sometimes she thought she was just passing the time, proving to herself that this was where she belonged—with a black man—because dating outside her race had gotten her heart stomped.

  “Okay, ladies, let’s get started,” she announced, but then an alarm went off. High on the walls, emergency lights began flashing, and an announcer came over an unseen speaker system telling them to leave the building. “Let’s go. Everyone out,” Marlena said.

  When they rushed to the door and opened it, Marlena was surprised to smell smoke. This really wasn’t a drill. Her heartbeat kicked up a few notches as she directed the women down the hall and around the front desk to the exit. People from other rooms and the stairs joined them as they rushed past. Marlena stayed toward the back to be sure her clients were all safe, and then she started across the street to where one of the gym managers was instructing everyone to wait.

  Two steps off the curb, she remembered her purse in her locker. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t care about losing the beat up thing. Tonight, of all nights, she carried her rent money, meaning to deliver it to her landlord after class since it was so late. She couldn’t afford to lose that money.

  Knowing it was stupid to go back into a burning building, Marlena glanced around to make sure she wasn’t spotted and darted inside anyway. She’d make it fast. After all, the lockers weren’t that far from the entrance, and she knew where she was going. The hall was empty, but getting cloudy. She coughed and covered her mouth. There was plenty of smoke, but she felt no heat and saw no fire. If she had seen fire, she would have lost her nerve.

  Bent low, she ran toward the lockers. In the distance, the fire truck’s siren blared. They’d be here soon and probably drag her ass out. She had to get a move on. At her locker, she worked the combination and screwed it up. “Damn it! Open.”

  Uncovering her mouth and speaking was a mistake. Her throat hurt, and her eyes burned. She sank to her knees and worked the lock a second time. She’d fought hard to rise up from the gutter her life had been stuck in. She had hope of a better future. Letting her money burn would set her back, and she just couldn’t let that happen.

  The locker opened, and she grabbed her purse and clutched it under her arm. When she turned toward the hall, she found the entire area filled with smoke. She couldn’t see beyond a foot in front of her. Crawling on her hands and knees while dragging her purse, she struggled to find the exit and lost her way. All of sudden, the stupidity of going back inside hit her, and she knew she might die. If the air hadn’t been so dry, she might have cried. Instead, dry sobs made her gasp too hard, and her head began to spin.

  Someone called out her name. She tried to answer, but her voice no longer worked. Please find me. I’m right here. Please.

  The man called again, but she slumped
to the floor. Her eyes drifted closed. Too late. She was going to die.

  * * * *

  Strong arms held her, and the unmistakable hardness of a man’s body lined her side. Something was shoved on her face, and she tried lifting a hand to push it away, but she was too weak. She tried to speak, but let out a small cry instead.

  “Breathe, baby. Don’t try to talk. Just breathe.”

  Baby? Who the hell?

  She managed to open her eyes and found herself staring up into the baby blues of her ex-boyfriend, Evan. The man who had left her like she meant nothing to him and destroyed her heart. To her surprise, he was dressed in a firefighter’s uniform, the jacket hanging open to reveal the sexy, hard body she remembered. Still too weak to fight to get away from him, she directed her gaze away from his eyes to the moon-shaped scar on his chin. He’d gotten it the night he’d climbed Ms. Judy’s fence to steal one of her roses like a fool. He had declared the cut was worth it if the rose made his baby smile. The bigger fool, she’d fallen in love with him at that moment.

  Another firefighter came over to them, tearing Marlena from her memories. “We should get her checked out at the hospital, Evan.”

  He didn’t look away from Marlena. “Yeah, she’s going to be okay.”

  She pulled the mask down. “W-What are you doing here?” He didn’t answer right away, but lifted her in his arms and placed her on the stretcher the other man brought over. Something told her Evan wasn’t following procedures when it came to her. She resented his gentle treatment. Where had it been when she’d cried her eyes out after he left?

  She glared at him, but Evan flashed a charming smile. “There’s my girl.”

  I am so not your girl.

  He laid her purse on top of her, and she clutched it. He leaned down close to her ear so what he said couldn’t be overheard by anyone else. “I’ll explain when you’re better, but suffice it to say I’m back. For you.”

  Marlena closed her eyes and turned her head away from him. No, she wouldn’t let her heart melt for this man ever again. She’d moved on, grown stronger, and achieved a lot. Turning back now would be the biggest mistake of her life. She’d tell him that and more the first chance she got.

  Chapter Two

  Evan opened a jug of water and poured it over his head, his eyes closed. When he finished, he ran a hand over his face, dragging away the excess moisture. How his chest had ached when he’d arrived on the scene only to be told that Marlena had gone back into the building and hadn’t come out. He’d gone through hell before returning to Forest’s End—his own fault for leaving—but his one thought driving back here had been that he’d do whatever it took to reclaim Marlena, to get her to marry him. To arrive, settle in as Fire Chief, and be told the woman he adored with all his heart could lose her life in a fire was more than he expected to experience his first week back.

  She’d been shocked to see him from her expression, but he would have thought with how nosy and gossip-crazy the citizens of Forest’s End were, that they would have told her he was back. In fact, he had expected her to know before he got here, although he’d asked the former chief who’d retired not to say anything to anyone but the guys. Raymond had said he’d keep a lid on it, and he’d done a hell of a job.

  Marlena’s beautiful face rose to mind as they finished cleaning up the sight and returned to the station. He trudged soggy back into his office. Marlena was still sexier than any woman he’d ever met, even dirty from the smoke. She’d lost weight, he noticed. But she’d been beautiful as hell before. Night after night in New York, he’d dreamed of her curvy figure, how she fit beneath him when they made love. His body had burned hotter than any fire he’d fought thinking about Marlena. While he hadn’t expected her to come running into his arms when she saw him, the impact of her glare, the hatred he’d glimpsed in her eyes, tore at him. He’d forced a grin, pretending he was unaffected. His job was going to be harder than he thought.

  A beefy hand came down on his shoulder. “So, it’s Marlena for you, huh, bud? I mean, chief. Have to get used to that.”

  Evan glanced around. Apparently, Tony would also have to get used to knocking on his door before he barged into his office. Evan had just finished his shower and was dressed in just a towel. “I don’t catch your meaning,” he said with as much nonchalance as he could muster.

  Tony smirked, crossing thick arms over a massive chest. In the few days Evan had been here, he knew Tony was a master chef, and the food he’d made Evan and the guys could not be rivaled in a four star restaurant. How the man wasn’t fat, Evan didn’t know. He couldn’t eat like that every day, or he’d be packing on the pounds. He hit the gym a couple times a week for weight training and ran seven miles between that to keep his body in top shape. A firefighter could not afford to be unfit. His life, his partners’ lives, and those they rescued, could depend on it.

  “I mean the way you were holding Marlena, she seemed really special to you. I thought I heard a rumor that you two used to be an item before you blew out of Forest’s End on some big time inspector job up in New York.” Tony paused for a comment from Evan, but he wasn’t feeding the gossip about his personal life. He pulled out jeans and a tee from his locker. Tony was not put off by his silence. “Couldn’t cut it in the big city? Well, anyway, chief, if you’re looking to get back with Marlena, you’ll have a hard time of it.”

  Evan couldn’t help responding. “Why’s that?”

  “Because she’s seeing Tyrone.”

  His brow furrowed. “Who?”

  Tony scratched his head. “You know that guy, used to date Sherise, guy from Abend County. What I find interesting is he had no reason to come to Forest’s End since he works in the same industry as Sherise does. But he was here all right three months ago over at Winn-Dixie, and he met Marlena there. They started going out right away. Now he does have a reason to be in Forest’s End, doesn’t he?”

  Evan knew Tony was hinting at something, but he couldn’t pin it down, and frankly, his mind was occupied with this new snag. Marlena was dating another guy. Were they having sex? The thought of it made him slam the locker door harder than necessary. Tony chuckled and moseyed out the way he’d come.

  “Busy-body,” Evan grumbled under his breath. At least he knew now there was competition. Gossiping had its advantages. What he would need to do is get more information on this Tyrone and find out just how serious things were between him and Marlena. The only way he’d back off was if she loved the guy. Otherwise, Evan had every intention of bringing that relationship to a swift halt. Marlena was his and his alone.

  * * * *

  Evan stepped out of the fire station and glanced up and down the street. With the station centered in the downtown area, everything else was accessible. He could leave his truck parked where it was and walk over to the gym where Marlena had worked. The place would be in no condition to reopen any time soon, but someone might be there with more information on her. The hospital where Tony had driven her was at the far end of Forest’s End. He had already called to learn she’d been released, upon her insistence, after treatment for mild smoke inhalation.

  He wanted to see for himself that she was okay, although he knew she was. Those big brown eyes rose in his mind, giving him a feeling of longing to hold her. Every day he had been gone, he’d missed her. What a mistake to have left in the first place.

  Two blocks from the location where the gym had been, Evan came across the local Y. On impulse, he turned inside. Before he had made it three steps through the door, someone called out to him.

  “Chief Scott, what are you doing slumming over here?”

  Evan turned to spot Sherise, the woman Tony had said was the ex-girlfriend to Marlena’s current boyfriend. Damn, he’d forgotten how small this town was. Everyone knew everyone else and their business. “Hello, Sherise. Why would I be slumming?”

  She drew up to him and cocked an elegant eyebrow up toward her hairline. The woman was a beautiful black woman, but he’d never been att
racted to her for some reason. A teasing expression spread over her features. “Rich boy from the north side turned firefighter. Everyone thought you had escaped Smallville, and now you’re back. Any particular reason why? Marlena maybe?”

  He groaned. “Not you too. Give me a break. I love my hometown just as much as the next person. Can’t I come back to my roots?”

  She chuckled. “Your roots, huh? Whatever. I don’t know. I guess as much as I love Forest’s End, I always admire those of us who get out into the world. I hope what they hope, that they will find bigger and better experiences. I travel all over to restaurants in various cities, and every time I do, I think, what would it be like to cut ties and move there permanently?” She shrugged. “After all, Odessa’s all settled with her husband and daughters. Working on a third, possibly a son.”

  His eyes widened. “You’re kidding? I didn’t think I was gone that long.”

  Her gaze swept past him a second, and then she pinned him with an accusing stare. “Too long, chief. Too long.”

  Sensing someone behind him, he glanced over his shoulder to find Marlena had just entered the building. Evan’s heartbeat doubled. He took her in from head to toe—a blue denim miniskirt, a powder blue top, unbuttoned at the throat to show off her ample cleavage, and low-heeled sandals graced her feet. She wore her hair in a ponytail at the back of her head and had dyed it with red highlights. Soft, swirling tendrils framed her face. He liked the new shade. The color accentuated her features, giving her a delicate and sweet appearance. Evan knew better than to be deceived by that. Marlena was a strong woman who took no crap off of anyone—least of all him, he suspected.

  Drawn to her like a moth to a flame, he excused himself from Sherise and approached Marlena. “Shouldn’t you be in bed resting after your experience?”

  Her eyes narrowed and swept past him to Sherise. Something in their depths made him think she didn’t want to face either of them. However, to avoid being rude, she settled on him. “I’m fine, as you can see.”