Up In Flames (21 page)

He was excited, and growing more so by the second. He knew there was a tremendous possibility Jules would turn him down, but he had to say his piece.

He had to tell her how very much he loved her. That he couldn't live without her. And that, deep down, he'd known it since day one.

On the way home, as he was planning his words, he happened to drive by the fire station. As he did, he looked out. Kevin was standing outside. He noticed Shane's pickup and waved him down.

"Shit,” muttered Shane, suddenly impatient to see Jules. “Another fight is the last thing I need right now."

But, feeling badly for punching the other man, Shane parked and walked up to him.

Kevin approached, hands in pockets, face pale. “Captain, I know you're off duty but can we talk?"

Shane checked his watch. It was getting late and he wanted to see Jules. Wanted to go home, tell her he loved her and hold her all night long. If she'd let him. “I've got a few minutes."

But the few minutes stretched into about an hour, as Kevin apologized and took the first step to fixing his messed-up life. And Shane, moved for the first time by his comrade's words, stopped and listened.

Things were not quite going according to plan.

Gary had thought, at first, he could set fire to the Baker farmhouse. After all, they were doing renovations there. No one would suspect arson. He had visions of the old house in flames, and him swooping in to rescue Juliet just in time. She'd be so grateful. Even her firefighter boyfriend wouldn't see it coming.

But it had to be tonight. He couldn't wait any longer. Problem was, Juliet wasn't home and her house was crawling with more cops. Friends of her damn boyfriend. God only knew he'd been patient, biding his time, practicing with those other, smaller fires in the tool sheds. He was especially proud of the one he'd set at Juliet's place. He knew he'd messed with Gaskill's head on that one. And the fire which injured Tom Blanchard had gone particularly well, especially when he learned Gaskill was hurt. He loved the idea that he'd been the one to scar that perfect face of his.

The fire had been his big dress rehearsal. His practice run for what would happen at the farmhouse. But with Juliet not being home...

She was at her sister's place, that he knew. He'd followed her there. Those stupid cops had never even seen him.

No one ever saw him. They all looked right through him, except for Juliet. She was the only one who'd ever been nice enough to care.

He'd waited until the sister and her husband left with their brats. Now he could have Juliet all to himself. Sure, he didn't know the layout of the sister's house, but he was smart. He could still do this.

Jules Baker was the only woman who'd ever been nice to him, and he'd win her over with a daring rescue. And hopefully finish off that annoyingly perfect Gaskill in the process.

Under cover of darkness, tools of his trade in hand, he approached the house.

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Jules turned out all the lights at Claire's and Todd's house. Tip-toeing, so as not to wake the children, she crept into each bedroom to make sure the girls were okay in their beds. Abby and Paige were asleep in identical positions, faces planted in their respective mattresses, little bums high in the air. Ellie was on her back, dribbly mouth open, sprawled out like a starfish. When Jules stepped into her room, she twitched in her sleep, making Jules jump and giggle. Her heart swelled with love for her sweet nieces, and she crept out of the bedroom.

She'd left Shane a note letting him know she was staying the night at their place, that she was babysitting, letting Claire and Todd enjoy a rare night at the hotel. She didn't think it would matter to him, but they'd been in the habit of letting the other know where they were, and she didn't want him thinking she'd left because of him.

Which, of course, she had.

It was still rather early, but Jules was exhausted. Fighting her feelings for Shane had drained her physically and mentally and she felt about ready to drop. Not that she believed she'd actually sleep, but she was hoping she'd fall into some sort of oblivion.

She crawled into the spare bed and covered herself with the sheets. Then she spent the next ten minutes staring at the ceiling.

"I love you, Shane Gaskill,” she whispered. “I'll love you ‘til the day I die."

But she couldn't make him love her. Even though she felt their souls entwining when they made love, she couldn't force the same affection into his soul. Even though he provided her with the greatest sense of comfort and happiness she'd ever felt, she couldn't make him love her. And even though she glimpsed heaven in his soulful, brown eyes, she could not force him to feel the same way about her.

He wasn't ready, not for her, and maybe not for anyone else. He still loved Alana, and she was no Alana.

She'd brooded so much about his dead wife that Alana had now taken on grotesque, gargantuan proportions in her mind. She didn't picture her as some regular, lovely woman anymore. Rather, Jules thought of her now as a seven-foot, lingerie-wearing, high-heeled supermodel with big lips and bigger boobs. The image actually made her laugh.

Jules laughed so hard under the covers that she finally giggled herself to sleep. A deep sleep, perforated only by hazy dreams of Shane and his crooked smile, holding her hand and kissing her. The dreams were so good, and her slumber so profound, that Jules mistook the noises in the house as bizarre parts of her dream. When the front room window shattered, she dreamed she was breaking a window to get to Shane. As the smell from gas-soaked rags permeated the house, she dreamed of seeing Shane at Mr. Mitchell's gas station. And as the first two minutes of the fire alarm's brazen peal interrupted her sleep, she dreamed of Shane trying to wake her up.

"Wake up,” Dream Shane urged. “Get out!"

As she awoke, smoke was already drifting to the upper floors, and the harsh flames were licking unmercifully at the wooden doors and beams.

For a moment, Jules thought her dream had plunged her into hell.

"So,” Kevin said slowly, “what I'm really trying to say, Shane, is I've been an ass. When you punched me, I think it finally knocked some sense into me.” He shook his head, looking completely drained and remorseful. “I can't believe how terrible I was to Jules. She was always so good to me, and I walked all over her. She'll never forgive me."

Shane frowned, relieved Kevin had seen the light, but also uneasy about his transformation. And what that meant with regards to his feelings for Jules. “I'm sure she will forgive you. She's a good woman. The best."

Kevin looked up. “You feel strongly about her."

"With all due respect, that's an understatement. But I'll have that conversation with her before I have it with you."

Kevin chortled at the comment. “I hear ya. Look, I care for Jules, I really do. But even after all this time, I think I'm still learning about the whole love thing. What I mean is, if you two love each other, I won't stand in your way."

"I appreciate..."

His words were cut off by the sound of the fire station alarm. One of the men ducked his head into Shane's office. “Captain, we have a situation at the vet's house on Graham Street."

Shane froze. The only vet he knew was Todd.

His heart plummeted into his shoes. What if Jules was there?

As tremendous fear gripped him, his training took over and he moved methodically and swiftly through the station. He hurried the men along and dove into his firefighting gear. He commandeered the engine himself and careened out of the station, sirens blaring and lights flashing.

As Shane drove, he was thankful it was night and that the town roads were quiet, because his speed was breakneck. He'd never felt such urgency, such terror.

Somehow, he knew she was there. His insides were churning too horribly for her not to be there. Between those goddamned notes and the other fires... He had to get to her.

And as he turned onto Graham Street and saw the orange lick of flames shooting into the dark sky, Shane got the sense all his worst fears were about to be confirmed.

He jumped out of the truck and raced towards the blazing structure which used to be Todd and Claire's two-storey house.

He was vaguely aware of his men dragging hoses and heard himself as he shouted instructions. But once he saw Jules poke her head out of a second-story bedroom window, coughing and sputtering, his heart stopped.

Time stopped.

No, he thought. This cannot be happening.

He snapped out of it and shouted to her. “Jules! Stay there! I'm coming.” He motioned for a ladder, and was relieved to see Kevin already at the wall. Kevin braced the ladder and Shane flew up, frantic to reach her.

She spotted Shane, her eyes wild with terror, and screamed. “The babies! The babies are inside!"

Shane was about halfway up. He looked up, and his brain reeled in horror as he saw her duck back into the bedroom. “No!” he shouted, knowing she'd never hear him now.

Gary watched from his hiding place, waiting for the perfect time to dash in through the side door and grab Jules. He had to admit, though, it would be hard. There was something about this fire which just seemed more ... fiery.

Feeling his fear escalate, he hung back, wondering if he'd used too much gas. He'd been nervous. Maybe he'd misjudged this one.

That was when Jules stuck her head out of the window, crying something about babies being inside.

Babies.

He could only stare at the seething, blazing inferno he'd created, powerless to do anything other than swallow the bile which was snaking its way up his throat. There were children in there. Babies, she'd called them. And Jules. It wasn't possible. He was sure he'd seen the vet and his wife bundling up their children in their car. Of course, at the time he'd been paying more attention to the cut of Juliet's jeans rather than her sister's family.

Unable to choke back his regret any longer, Gary turned and vomited into a potted plant. This wasn't what he wanted.

"Oh, no,” he breathed, once the spasms settled. Wiping his mouth on his sleeve, he began to back away. “I'm so sorry!"

And then he dashed into the darkness.

Shane could already feel the sneaky tendrils of smoke reaching into his lungs, and knew Jules and the kids would be feeling the same, if not worse.

No. Don't go there, he furiously reminded himself. Stay focused.

He knew his men were behind him dealing with the fire, and took comfort in the fact they knew what they were doing. He could concentrate on rescuing Jules. He had to. Determined, he reached the bedroom window and quickly disappeared into it.

She was nowhere to be seen.

All he heard was the pounding of his heart. All he saw were the flames beyond the room which might consume her and the children. There was so much smoke. The world was a murky haze of gray and orange horror.

He couldn't fail her. There was no option but to find her.

Pointing his thermal imaging camera into the dark chaos which was the house, he spotted her figure, showing up as a colorful glare on the camera screen. She was huddled on the upper landing, clearly trying to decide which way to go. She had managed to bundle the twins in her slim arms, towels over their faces, and Ellie had her leg in a death grip. She had obviously convinced the girl to keep a towel over her face too, but Shane could already see her tiny eyes, wide with terror, over the top of the towel. Jules was coughing a little, but still seemed alert.

Offering up a silent prayer of deep thanks, Shane corralled the little group. His eyes met with Jules, and he prayed she understood he would move heaven and earth to make her safe. Without wasting a second, he moved them back into Jules’ bedroom. The fire hadn't claimed that room yet, but the billowing smoke was deadly enough.

Kevin was waiting at the window, shouting to the men outside to secure the ladder. He motioned to them.

Jules turned her wet eyes towards Shane, and put the children into his hands. Shane handed the little girls to Kevin, who handed them down the ladder to the other firefighters. He scooped Jules up, seeing she was about ready to drop from stress, and carried her out the window. As Kevin spotted him from below, Shane descended the ladder, clasping her tightly so she wouldn't fall.

Holding her to his heart. His aching heart.

Only when his boot touched the final ladder rung, did he finally realize they were safe. They were all safe. There was a little coughing, a little sputtering, but nothing the paramedics couldn't handle. Shane reunited Jules with her crying nieces. When she grabbed their little bodies, pressing them to her, he marveled at their circle of love and was so happy it hadn't been shattered.

It could have ended so badly. Shane stared at Jules. He couldn't even contemplate how bad it could have been. His mind would not let him go there. Just the thought of her being hurt was torture.

They were all treated for minor smoke inhalation by the paramedics who arrived on scene. Shane and Kevin were taken aside by the paramedics as well, and Shane watched in a haze as the other men fought the fire.

At one point in that haze, one of his men came to him, holding a young man by the scruff of the neck. “Look who I found, loitering nearby, smelling of gas."

Shane stared. He knew the man, or boy, really. Gary, Mr. Mitchell's grandson. He looked petrified, almost removed from what he was witnessing.

"I didn't know,” Gary sputtered. “I swear I didn't know she had babies in there. I thought they were with their parents. Oh God, I'm sorry. I just wanted to impress her, to make her see what I could do. I thought I could get her out of there, but the fire was too strong!"

As everything became clear, Shane fought the urge to strangle Gary with his bare hands. Instead, he turned to the other firefighter. “Take him away. Get him out of my sight now, or I'm gonna get real unprofessional."

Gary was led away and in moments, he was seated in the back of a waiting police cruiser. Shane had to be content with that, knowing he'd get what was coming to him. And if it didn't, he could always ask his friend the police chief for five minutes alone with Gary. That would set him straight, too.