“I don’t like any of those options.” Each one of them made her sick. “But the way this summer’s been going, I’m afraid it might be three. L.B.’s ordering a full inspection of all equipment, right down to boot snaps.” She pulled off her gloves to rub her tired eyes.

“I don’t want to waste the energy being pissed about it,” she told him, “not until we demob anyway. God, Gull. Look at her burn.”

They stopped a moment, stood staring at the searing wall.

She’d fought fire on more than one front before. She knew how.

But she’d never fought two enemies in the same war.

26

Ella studied Lucas across the pretty breakfast table she’d set up on the deck. She’d gone to a little trouble—crepes and shirred eggs on her best china, fat mixed berries in pretty glass bowls, mimosas in tall, crystal flutes, and one of her Nikko Blue hydrangeas sunk into a low, square glass vase for a centerpiece.

She liked to go to the trouble now and again, and Lucas usually showed such appreciation. Even for cold cereal and a mug of black coffee, she thought, he always thanked her for the trouble.

But this morning he said little, and only toyed with the food she’d so carefully prepared.

She wondered if he was regretting taking the day off to be with her, to go poking around the Missoula Antique Mall. Her idea, she reminded herself, and really, did any man enjoy the prospect of spending the day shopping?

“You know, it occurs to me you might like to do something else today. Lucas,” she said when he didn’t respond.

“What?” His gaze lifted from his plate. “I’m sorry.”

“If you could do anything, what would you want to do today?”

“Honestly. I’d be up in Alaska with Rowan.”

“You’re really worried about her.” She reached over for his hand. “I know you must worry every time, but this seems more. Is it more?”

“I talked to L.B. while you were fixing breakfast. He thought I should know—No, she’s fine. They’re fine,” he said when her fingers jerked in his. “But the fire’s tougher and bigger than they thought. You get that,” he added with a shrug. “The thing that’s got me worried is it turns out they jumped with several pieces of defective equipment, tools.”

“Aren’t those kind of things inspected and maintained? That shouldn’t happen.”

“Yeah, they’re checked and tested. Ella, they think these tools may have been tampered with.”

“You mean... Well, God, Lucas, no wonder you’re worried. What happens now?”

“They’ll examine the equipment, investigate, review. L.B.’s already ordered a complete inspection of everything on base.”

“That’s good, but it doesn’t help Rowan or the rest of them on the fire.”

“When you’re on a fire, you’ve got to depend on yourself, your crew and, by God, on your equipment. It could’ve gone south on my girl.”

“But she’s all right? You’re sure?”

“Yeah. They worked nearly twenty-four hours before making camp. She’s getting some sleep now. They’ll hit it early today; they’ll have the light. They dropped them more equipment, and they’re sending in another load of jumpers, more hotshots. They’re sending in another tanker, and...” He trailed off, smiled a little, waved his hand. “Enough fire talk.”

She shook her head. “No. You talk it through. I want you to be able to talk it through with me.”

“What they had was your basic clusterfuck. Delays in calling in more men and equipment, erratic winds and a hundred percent active perimeter. Fire makes its own weather,” he continued, and pleased her when talking relaxed him enough to have him cutting into a crepe. “This one kicked up a storm, kept bumping the line—that means it spots and rolls, delays containment. Blowups, eighty-foot flames across the head.”

“Oh, my God.”

“She’s impressive,” he said, and amazed Ella by smiling.

“You really do wish you were there.” She narrowed her eyes, pointed at him. “And not just for Rowan.”

“I guess it never goes away, all the way away. Bottom line is they’ve made good progress. They’re going to have a hell of a day ahead of them, but they’ll have her crying uncle by tonight.”

“You know what you should do—the next best thing to flying yourself to Alaska and jumping out over Rowan’s campsite? You should go on over to the base.”

“They don’t need me over there.”

“You may have retired, but you’re still Iron Man Tripp. I bet they could use your expertise and experience. And you’d feel closer to Rowan and to the action.”

“We had plans for the day,” he reminded her.

“Lucas, don’t you know me better by now?”

He looked at her, then took her hand to his lips. “I guess I do. I guess you know me, too.”

“I like to think so.”

“I wonder how you’d feel... I’d like to ask if I could move in here with you. If I could live with you.”

It took a minute for her brain to catch up. “You—you want to live together? Here?”

“I know you’ve got everything you want here, and we’ve only been seeing each other a few months. Maybe you need to—”

“Yes.”

“Yes?”

“I mean, I’ll have everything I want here when you are. So, yes, absolutely yes.” Delighted by his blank stare, she laughed. “How soon can you pack?”

He let out a breath, then picked up the mimosa, drank deep. “I thought you’d say no, or that we should wait awhile more.”

“Then you shouldn’t have asked. Now you’re stuck.”

“Stuck with a beautiful woman who knows me and wants me around anyway. For the life of me, I can’t figure out what I did right.” He set the glass back down. “I did this backward because first I should’ve said—I should’ve said, I love you, Ella. I love you.”

“Lucas.” She got up, went around the table to sit in his lap. Took his face in her hands. “I love you.” She kissed him, sinking in. “I’m so happy my son wanted me to jump out of a plane.” She sighed as she laid her cheek against his. “I’m so happy.”