crew or police that arrive on scene, even though you know what needs to be done.”
“So you’re not allowed to pitch in and help?” Carmen asked.
Rafe had come up behind her. “No. We’re not on duty, and we’re not geared up. And it’s not our scene to work, so we have to back off.”
Aaron nodded. “If we’re first on the scene, we can offer aid, but of course we generally don’t have the equipment to either put out a fire or extricate someone from a vehicle, so all we can do is call it in and do whatever we can to assist the victims until fire or police arrive.”
“That must be so frustrating,” Becks said.
“Very,” Rafe said.
Carmen tilted her head back to look at Rafe. “Has it happened to you before?”
“It’s happened to all of us before. We can’t just drive by an accident or a fire where no one has showed up yet. We always feel compelled to stop and see what we can do to help.”
Carmen nodded, knowing how they all felt. “As an ER nurse, I’ve stopped a time or two when I’ve come upon an accident. But it’s not like I have the full supplies of the ER at my disposal so I can help someone who’s injured. I just do what I can to assess the situation and wait for help. I understand how you all feel.”
Callie shifted in her chair. “The way I look at it is that whoever is in that car or who might be in that building is at least getting first responders who know something and can maybe help them right away. We might not have hoses hooked up or be able to pull them from the wreckage, but we can call it in and offer immediate assistance.”
“And that’s pretty damn good, if you ask me,” Rafe said.
Carmen squeezed his hand. “Yes, I suppose it is.”
“Okay, now that you’ve all patted yourselves on the back, how about we drag our self-congratulatory asses into the house for some barbecue?”
They all looked up to find that Jackson had come over to stand next to Rafe.
“Oh, like you don’t feel the same way?” Rafe asked.
“Didn’t say that. You know damn well I feel the same way. I’m just hungry, so let’s go eat.”
Carmen couldn’t wait to dig into all the amazing-smelling food.
“Don’t forget that we have to judge the sauces,” Becks said as they made their way into the house.
“Oh, right. Will they tell us who made what?”
Becks shook her head. “No. It’s a big secret. Then we vote.”
Carmen gave Becks a look of disbelief as she opened the door and they walked inside the house. “Wait. We don’t get to know whose sauce is whose?”
“No.”
“Well, that’s bullshit.”
Becks gave a commiserating look in return. “I know.”
As Carmen entered the kitchen and saw the amazing spread of chicken and ribs and the three sauces lined up, she decided she was going to be honest.
She supposed she had no choice, since she had no idea which sauce belonged to which brother.
This should be interesting.
CARMEN TRIED ALL THREE SAUCES. SHE DABBED THE first onto her ribs. It was bold, with just a touch of vinegar flavor. The second was sweet, with a honey and brown sugar flavor, and was delicious with the chicken thighs. The third was amazing. It had a seriously spicy kick and went well with both the ribs and the chicken.
All three of the sauces were unique and outstanding.
She noticed Rafe eating and wandering the crowd. Watching, no doubt, to see what everyone was sampling. He did his fair share of eating, too. She saw him go inside to refill his plate twice—no, three times. Or was it four? She’d lost count. And each time he came outside, his plate had been loaded. He finally sat next to her.
“Are you sure you’ve had enough to eat?” she asked, looking down at his plate. “What is that? Your fourth serving?”
“Third. And I might go back for more.”
She shook her head. “It was all delicious.”
“And did you decide which sauce was your favorite?”
She pulled her plate to the side as if him looking at it would reveal her thoughts. “I’m not telling you that. I have to vote.”
He laughed. “You’re not gonna tell me?”
“Of course not. That would be cheating.”
“In what way is that cheating?”
“I . . . I don’t know. But I’m still not telling you. Now go away.”
“You want me to go away? Like I can’t even sit with you now? Do you