Only Her Smokejumper Firefighter - Cami Checketts Page 0,47
she said blandly as he got her door and helped her out.
“Thanks. I redid most of it.”
She nodded and helped him grab sacks of food. The house felt chilly but welcoming with big windows and a comfortable living area. He set all the food on the table, opened blinds, and then said, “Do you care if we eat? I’m starved.”
“No, that’s great.” Mavyn was starting to wonder why he’d asked her to stay when it didn’t seem as if he was going to talk. Maybe he wasn’t planning on talking, sharing his experiences. She’d have to respect that. Maybe after a hard assignment, he got like this and it took him some time to return to himself? She didn’t know. She wanted to be with Ren so she’d weather through it, but she wished she knew how to help. This definitely wasn’t the time to tell him she’d lied about Bruce.
He said a quick prayer and then dove in. Her stomach was so upset she only got down a few bites of her chicken sandwich. Ren plowed through food and drank several water bottles and a strawberry lemonade, asking her questions about his family and especially wanting to hear about Dax’s Christmas and everything that happened with Quill and Cora. She didn’t say anything about his beautiful gift. The timing felt off. Everything felt off between them. Before, it had been her fighting their connection or running, but now it seemed it was him pulling away.
Finally, he slowed down eating and they cleaned up the garbage and then he excused himself to brush his teeth. She hoped that meant he wanted to kiss her again at some point, but since the initial kiss when she saw him, he’d hardly touched her.
Her toothbrush was out in her suitcase, but bringing the suitcase in seemed presumptuous. He’d asked her to stay with him rather than sending her home with his brothers, but she didn’t feel like she was staying here. She pulled gum out of her purse and chewed away the aftertaste of the sandwich and her own stress as she waited for him.
When he came back, he gestured to the couches. “Are you okay to … talk?”
“Sure.” So he did want to talk about his experiences? Or did he simply want to talk more about Christmas? When could she tell him how his gift had touched her, how strongly she’d felt she needed to come here, and the awful secret that felt like it was burning her up inside?
She threw her gum in the garbage. They walked to the couch and settled in so close their shoulders touched. He smelled like pine needles again. She loved that smell.
He didn’t take her hand but he turned to her, his eyes full of pain and a deeply held secret. Maybe she wasn’t the only one scared to have this conversation. He leaned forward, bracing his forearms on his thighs and clasping his hands together.
Studying his clasped hands, he said quietly, “I almost killed a man today.”
Mavyn rocked back, stunned. She clasped her own hands together. “Your crew said you saved a man’s life.”
He tilted his head to look at her. “I did, but then when he revealed to me …” He shook his head and his mouth tightened. “It was Bruce.”
Mavyn felt like the room was spinning, even though she was sitting down. There was no need to clarify who Bruce was. No wonder she’d felt impressed to be here. She could only imagine what Bruce would’ve said for Ren to save his life and then almost take it that quickly. She pressed her lips together, not sure what to say. Silence stretched between them, then she got brave enough to ask, “Can you tell me about it?”
Ren blew out a breath, stood, and started pacing the room. She watched him, not sure her legs would support her at this moment.
“Bruce is part of a wildland firefighter crew of ex-cons. They joined us and we had to make it through a dangerous canyon. He’d said a few things that made me wonder if he was … that guy.” Back and forth he went as he talked, his movements and his words jerky. “The winds shifted and fire came down the canyon, racing at us. I made the call to deploy shelters. Bruce freaked out and ran.”
Mavyn could hardly believe he’d not only met Bruce but saved his life. Ren was such a hero, but this wasn’t a happy ending kind of story. Maybe