12-Alarm Cowboys (184 page)

With a deep breath, he shot her a brave smile and started the engine.

They’d nearly made it out of town when the call came in. Cade glared at the squawk box mounted on his dash, but he couldn’t not answer it. He shot an apologetic glance at Lisa. “Silver here,” he said into the handset.

“Cade. Where are you?” Sandy’s voice crackled over the speakers.

“Heading out of the north end of town.”

“Thank God you’re close. We have an incident. We need someone who’s trained in swiftwater rescue.” Damn. He peered at the road through windshield wipers that were working away like mad. He should have expected something like this. It had been raining for days. “Can you get to the arroyo where it intersects Binion Road?”

“Yeah. That’s not far.”

“Thanks, buddy. Bobby and Tank are already there. They’ve set up a command center.”

“What is it?”

“A car tried to cross.”

“Hell. In this rain?” The riverbed was usually dry, but when the spring rains came, it could become a raging torrent in seconds.

“Yeah. They were swept downstream and snagged on a sandbar, but the way the water’s rising, we need to move quickly.”

“Gotcha. I’ll be there in a flash.”

“You’re the best, man.”

“Thanks.”

He ended the call and glanced at Lisa. “Sorry about this. Looks like our getaway will have to wait.”

“I don’t mind. If someone needs help, that’s more important.”

He shot her a grateful smile. It was nice to know she understood.

He reached the command center the guys had set up, which wasn’t much but a collection of trucks. Bobby and Tank were in the process of stringing a line across the river. Cade would use that as his anchor, snapping into it with a carabiner.

Safety was the watchword in operations like this. Cade knew one careless moment could be the difference between life and death, so they had multiple backups.

He could see a red compact in the middle of the arroyo, snagged on a mound of sand. Water swelled and rushed around it on both sides. As he watched, a chunk of wood careened down the river and slammed into the elevated bank, causing a wedge of the shoreline to sheer off and cascade into the river.

Damn, it was moving fast.

He moved fast too, changing into the gear he kept in his truck. The rain had drenched him by the time he was ready. It hardly mattered. He opened the passenger door and gave Lisa a quick kiss. “Stay here,” he said. “The riverbank is saturated and unstable.” He waited for her to nod, then he kissed her again and closed the door.

He jogged over to Tank. “What do we got?” As they spoke, Cade pulled on a PFD and helmet. No matter how skilled a rescuer was, a man never went into the water without headgear and a flotation device.

“Two victims. A woman and an infant.”

Shit. “I’ll get the baby first.”

“Right. We’ve done a scene assessment and determined a tension line is the best approach.”

Cade agreed. The water was moving too fast for a throw bag and it was too high to wade. He studied the rope anchored on each side of the river at a diagonal angle. He’d hook in and zip-line to the car, secure each victim and be towed back. “Let’s do it.”

As he locked in and adjusted his webbing, it was a relief to see Sandy pull up with a couple other guys in the medic unit. Though he was trained in swiftwater rescue, it was good to know it wasn’t just the three of them, in case anything went south.

One could never trust a raging river.

Bobby jogged downstream with throw bags in the event he or the victims got swept away, Tank headed upstream to watch for debris and Sandy and the other guys took point on belay.

With a deep breath, Cade headed out. Since the far side of the river was lower, he didn’t hang up as he maneuvered toward the car. The water rushing beneath him was flecked with white and littered with debris, everything from branches to old pop cans. Occasionally something large would sweep by. He knew it was a dangerous flow, and it was rising quickly. There was no time to waste, especially since he needed to make two runs.

He reached the car and shot a smile at the woman, hoping to calm her. Her face was pale and she visibly shook. She held the baby tightly. Too tightly as it was. The child was shrieking. “Don’t worry, ma’am,” he said. “We’ll get you out of this.”

“I didn’t know,” she said. “I didn’t realize…”

“It’s all right. It’s all right. Listen, I’m going to take the baby first and then I’ll come back for you.”

She paled even more. “T-take the baby?” She glanced at the shore. “How safe is that?”

“Very safe. We’re all well trained. I’ll put her in this harness.”

It took far too long to convince the woman to hand over the child. Water crept up, higher and higher. It would soon reach her window, and that would block her exit. Once Cade had the child secure, he gave the signal and Sandy hauled him back up. He handed off his precious load and headed back down immediately. Even so, the body of the car was almost completely submerged by the time he got there; water was licking at the bottom of the window.

“Okay, ma’am,” he said, trying to keep his voice calm. “We need to hurry.” She struggled to get through the window; the angles were awkward. Cade helped as much as he could. He secured her to the harness and pushed off.

A cry echoed from upstream and Cade looked over his shoulder. A massive log careened around the bend and barreled toward them. It slammed into the car and in a screeching blow, knocked it off the sandbar and swept it downstream. The collision changed the angle of the dead tree and sent one end whipping toward Cade. He rolled to the side, protecting the woman from the impact, but he couldn’t protect himself as well.

The log hit him with a jarring force that made him see stars. He was aware of something ripping and a screaming agony as the tree branches scraped into his back and shoulders. He could only hope his harness held fast. Because his head went light and his hands went numb…and everything went black.

“Get them out!
Get them out!” Cries rose among the firefighters and they all grabbed the towrope to haul Cade back.

Lisa stood in the rain, clutching the wailing baby, and stared at the sight of Cade dangling on the line, motionless, with a thrashing woman tethered to his chest. Absolute horror curled in her gut, bony and cold, like the fist of death.

His arms were limp, hanging down and flopping with each yank on the rope. His eyes were closed. His mouth slack.

An appalling thought crept into her mind. She forced it away. She couldn’t even think it. She couldn’t even contemplate it.

She rushed to the riverbank as they hauled him out, but one of the other firefighters eased her back. “Please, ma’am. You need to stay away from the shore.”

“But Cade—”

“We’re bringing him out. Don’t worry.”

It took forever for them to pull Cade onto the riverbank, unhook the woman and get him on a stretcher. She held her breath as Taggert checked him out. He was so still. So pale. She nearly fainted when he moved.

Thank God. Thank God he wasn’t dead.

It horrified Lisa that they fitted him with a collar. Taggert assured her it was merely a precaution, in case he’d hurt his spine, but it was so frightening looking Lisa couldn’t breathe. As it was, she was barely aware that the mother Cade saved had come to claim her baby.

Lisa rode with Cade in the ambulance while one of his buddies followed in Cade’s truck. All the way to the hospital, she held his hand and whispered to him, begging him to wake up, but he didn’t. Taggert didn’t say much, but his concerned glances and constant checking of Cade’s vitals made Lisa’s nape prickle. When she asked, “Will he be all right?” Taggert forced a smile that didn’t reach his eyes and said, “Of course.”

But she didn’t believe him.

Lord, it was hard to breathe. One thought howled in her brain.

She couldn’t bear it. She simply couldn’t.

Life without him.

A world without him.

It was beyond her.

It chilled her to the bone.

Suddenly, everything was crystal clear. Brilliantly, painfully, dreadfully clear.

No matter what, no matter what pain might await her in the future, she had to have this man in her life. She had to. She could not live without him.

Life was nothing without him.

If only he would survive this.

If only he could.

Please, God
, she prayed, deep down, in the depths of her soul.
Please, God, let him survive.

The wait for
news was interminable. Lisa was nearly out of her mind with worry when Cody and Claire rushed through the door. What a pity she had nothing to share. Claire’s hug was wonderful though. Lisa clung to her and wept onto her shoulder. And she allowed it for as long as Lisa had tears.

They all sat together in the tiny waiting room, sipping tepid coffee from a vending machine and jumping each time a nurse wandered by. But still, no news.

Word got around town about what had happened, and Cade’s friends started coming by to check on him. Ford and Crystal, Porsche, Wayne and all the firefighters as well. There were many more. Each one had wonderful things to say about him, stories of times he’d helped them out or humorous anecdotes about his mischief as a kid.

It proved how well-respected he was in this town, but it was too much like a wake for Lisa’s comfort.

It was the middle of the night—Cody and Claire were both asleep in their uncomfortable chairs—when the nurse finally came for Lisa. “Miss Binder?”

Lisa’s head jerked up. “Yes. Yes. How is he?”

It was a relief when she said, “He’s fine. He has a minor concussion so we’re keeping him for observation, and we’re trying to keep him as quiet as possible, but he’s been insisting on seeing you.”

“Me?”

She chuckled. “Oh yeah. Can you follow me?”

Lisa was on her feet in a flash.

The nurse led her down a hall to a room on the right where Cade lay on a bed, hooked up to all manner of beeping machines. The collar was still on his neck. The sight of him, lying there, so still, hit her like a blow, but then his eyes flickered open and he smiled and everything was suddenly all right.

He waved. “Hi, honey.”

“Cade.” She rushed to his side and took his hand. Cognizant of the nurse’s cautions, she kissed him lightly on the cheek. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I’ve been through a meat grinder.”

“You kind of were.”

“Right.” He chuckled and winced.

“God, Cade, I can’t tell you how frightened I was.”

“There was no call to be frightened.”

She scowled at him. “There most certainly was.”

“We knew what we were doing.”

“Still, you almost died.”

“I didn’t almost die.”

“You could have.”

He lifted a shoulder, winced again. “Yeah. I s’pose. But that’s always the case. There are no guarantees in life, Lisa.”

“Yeah. I know.” She took his hand in hers and stared at their entwined fingers. “About that…”

He stilled. “Yeah?”

“I, ah… I’ve been thinking about that.”

“About what?”

“About my life. My relationships.” She glanced at him. “Us.”

His Adam’s apple made the long journey down and up his throat. His lips quirked tentatively. “I like us.”

She sucked in a deep breath and tried to hold his gaze, but failed. “I…love us.”

His hold on her tightened. His body hummed. “What? What did you say?”

It took all her effort, but she made herself meet his eyes. “I said, I love us. I love you, Cade. I don’t want to play anymore.”

His brow wrinkled. “You don’t want to play?”

“It was stupid of me to think I could avoid getting hurt by not making a commitment. There’s no avoiding pain in life, there’s only not living. And I want to live. I want to embrace it all. I want to have it all. I want…more.”

“More?” A croak.

“I want you.”

The way he gaped at her, all speechless and wide-eyed, made something nasty squirm in her belly. Had she misread the situation? Had she misunderstood? Was she moving too fast for him? Would this declaration make him run?

Oh, she couldn’t bear it if he did. She couldn’t, but she would.

One had to be brave when seizing the day, even if it meant losing it all.

“I…” Her voice broke. “If you don’t feel the same, I understand. I just, well, I wanted to tell you. I needed you to know.”

“If I don’t feel the same?” She had no idea why anger rippled over his features. “Shit, Lisa.”

She blinked. “What?”

He tried to turn, but the collar wouldn’t allow it. He waved at the table next to the bed. “Go over there.” His tone was harsh, hard, intense, threaded with frustration.

“Over there?” Wrapped in confusion with perhaps a sprinkling of self-pity, she followed his barked command.

“Open the drawer.”

She did. A small box was nestled inside.

“Go on. Open it.”

With trembling fingers, she lifted the box and snapped it open. Inside, a brilliant marquise diamond sparkled. Her breath caught. Her pulse pounded. Her mouth went dry.

“That’s how I feel, Lisa. That’s what I want.”

“Cade…is this…?”

“Yes, dammit.” A snarl. “I want to marry you, Lisa. I want you as my wife. I want you to be my companion and my lover. The mother of my children.” He paused before adding, “And my baker.”

Joy gushed through her. Joy and gratitude and the sweetest, most tender love she’d ever known. It made her weak at the knees and strengthened her at the same time.

“Oh, Cade.” She wanted to say more, but her throat closed. Even that came out as a warble.

“So will you, Lisa Binder? Will you be my baker?”

Tears flooded her eyes; incongruously, she laughed. “Oh yes, Cade. Yes.” Then she froze as a crucial thought occurred. “With one condition.”

His eyes narrowed. A muscle flexed in his cheek. “What?”

“Occasionally?”

“Yeah?”

“Will you wear your turnout gear when we make love?”

He gaped at her. “My…turnout gear?”

She eased closer. His scent taunted her sanity. “Firemen are hot.”

He put out a lip. “I thought cowboys were hot.”