Hot in Here: Uncovered / Tailspin / An Honorable Man

But just as he’d suspected, Clair stayed on his mind, distracting him, filling his thoughts and making him edgy. That is, until a truck driver swerved off the road, striking a gas line and sparking an apartment fire on the north side of the town.

The collision smashed a natural gas manifold, and intense, gas-fed flames shot up into the building’s roof, turning the four-unit apartment into a gigantic blaze. Harris temporarily plugged the gas lines so the fire was no longer fed, but flames were already licking a large portion of the building. Harris’s unit was forced to fight the flames on two fronts, one group using a fog stream to keep the fire contained in the rear, while Harris and several other men engaged in fire attack and an internal overhaul.

Not long after that, gas workers arrived to shut off underground pipes, diminishing the danger. It was still another two hours before the fire was completely out and only smoke remained. Cleanup would take a while, but thank God, other than a few minor injuries, no one was seriously hurt. The renters, including several small children, all made it out safely. One older woman suffered smoke inhalation, but she’d be okay. A young man had some minor burns and the paramedics were already working on him.

Harris was exhausted, dirty, and reeking of smoke. Muscles in his neck and shoulders cramped. His eyes burned. He shoved aside a pile of embers, making sure they were cold before moving on. Ethan stepped up beside him. He looked as bad as Harris felt, but he was smiling.

Harris said, “There has to be about fifty-thou worth of damage. Three of those apartments are no longer habitable, and a bunch of people are going to be hunting for a place to stay.” He pulled off his helmet to swipe black soot from his face. “So why the grin?”

Ethan followed suit, removing his helmet and running one gloved hand through his sweat-soaked hair. “Rosie.”

“What about her?”

“Whenever there’s a fire, she dotes on me.” Ethan elbowed him. “And I don’t mean she brings me chicken soup, either.”

Reminded of the love between Rosie and Ethan, Harris felt a little melancholy. He forced a smile. “I might be too young to hear this.”

“You’re definitely too young for details. Let’s just say that I’m sorry for the damage, I hate it that people will be displaced, but I’m anxious to get home to my loving wife.” Ethan winked, replaced his helmet, and sauntered away.

Harris grumbled to himself. It’d be nice to have a loving woman waiting for him...whoa. He stopped in his tracks, his gaze unseeing. A woman waiting? The same women, every day? That sounded a lot like...marriage. Was he ready for that? He knew he wanted Clair, definitely more than he’d ever wanted any other woman. And it wasn’t just sexual.

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