A Firefighter in the Family. Trish Milburn
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in his body eased. “Unless we count you.”
“We don’t, seeing as how I don’t even have time to date.”
“Hon, there’s always time to date.”
She thought of a romantic dinner on the beach, the sound of the waves and soft music mingling. Zac Parker appeared in her daydream.
Good grief, she must be rattled if she was fantasizing about the man who’d crushed her heart when she was already hurting. She needed a good, stiff drink and about a month in the Bahamas after this job.
She started to ask Eric about when Zac had left the department and why but decided she didn’t even want to utter his name and add to her current discomfort. Plus, she was itching to see Karl so she could offer a good-natured “I told you so.” She hoped he’d set aside the past for at least tonight, long enough to accept the sisterly barb.
Thor jumped out of the truck and padded after her.
“Stay,” she said when they stepped onto the porch.
He whined then plopped down on the porch and laid his muzzle on his outstretched paws.
“Trust me, boy, I’d rather stay out here with you.”
Randi trailed Eric as they passed through the empty living room and followed the sound of loud Cooke voices coming from the back of the house. When they reached the kitchen, their mother looked up from frosting a cake. Inga’s eyes widened. She set down the frosting and came over to hug Randi.
“Honey, what a nice surprise.”
Randi hated how she dissected her mother’s words for any hint of falseness.
Inga pulled away and wiped back a strand of her hair, still its Norwegian white-blond even at age sixty.
Carol stepped into the kitchen from the deck. In a house full of blond, blue-eyed Cookes, the petite brunette stood out.
“I’m so glad you came,” Carol said. She didn’t pause before crossing the room to give Randi an enthusiastic hug. Having such a true-blue ally felt good, even when Randi herself didn’t believe she deserved it.
Randi wondered if she would have been invited to this gathering had she not already been in town. The pang in her chest caused her to bite down on her bottom lip. She’d gotten on with her life after leaving Horizon Beach, but the passage of nearly three years had done nothing to ease the pain of her loss.
“So, when did Karl pop the big question?” she asked Carol, determined to get through the night without falling apart.
“Yesterday.”
“This is one quick party.”
“We wanted to cement the deal before Karl had second thoughts.” Inga laughed, well aware of her third son’s ability to slide out of things as if he were doused in oil.
“Good point.”
Carol snaked her arm through Randi’s. “Come on outside.”
Randi balked. “I think I’ll stay in here for a bit.”
“Nonsense. Karl and Shellie are out there taking a lot of ribbing. You don’t want to miss this.”
“I’ll—”
“You never win an argument with me, so quit trying.” She leaned close to Randi’s ear. “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.”
Randi had to laugh. At five foot two, Carol stood a full seven inches shorter than her and didn’t have near the muscle tone. Somehow, chasing a two-year-old around didn’t quite build the body the same way five-mile runs and swimming did. Still, Carol Cooke wasn’t someone ever bested in an argument.
Despite the tightening in her gut, Randi allowed her sister-in-law to lead her onto the deck filled with the scents of grilling shrimp and steaks and the sounds of her family.
The scene unfolded as if from one of those Matrix movies where everyone stops in midmotion. If she were lucky, she’d disappear before they remembered to move. She glanced over and saw her father, a once big and towering man, sitting in his wheelchair.
The wheelchair she’d put him in.
Chapter Three
“Add some shrimp to the grill,” Carol said. “We’ve got one more person who wanted to give Karl the teasing he deserves.”
Will, who was tending the meat on the grill, stared at them for a moment before turning his back and adding more shrimp.
The awkwardness eased gradually as conversations resumed, like the slow receding of a wave back out to sea. Randi wished she could ride that wave into open water, where the expanse of blue gently rolled and soothed.
Shellie crossed the deck and gave Randi a hug. She returned the gesture, grateful for another friendly face. If it weren’t for Eric and the women in this family, she’d be a total outcast.
“Randi, how have you been?” Her father sounded like he genuinely wanted to know, but the deep warmth and vitality his voice used to hold was absent.
“Fine, thanks. You?”
Everyone seemed to hold their breath as they awaited his answer, as if he might suddenly yell, I’m a paraplegic, how the hell do you think I feel? Instead, he said simply, “Okay.”
Randi had to alleviate the tension or she was going to snap. She looked at Karl. “So, you popped the question. I remember saying I would relish this day so I could say, ‘I told you so.’”
Karl offered a half grin. “You’re not the only one.”
He sounded so forlorn that everyone, including his new wife-to-be, laughed.
The laughter broke the tension for a few moments, but when they sat down to eat, it returned. Randi stood to the side, not sure where to sit. She imagined that if she took a seat the brother next to her would move.
Considering they’d not done so during previous family gatherings, she didn’t know why she thought they suddenly would. Maybe it was the fact that a fire and not a holiday had brought her to Horizon Beach this time. A fire that would remind them all of that horrible day when their lives had changed.
But she needn’t have worried. Inga guided her to a chair between her and Carol. A safe zone where she had at least the sliver of hope that she’d be able to eat something.
Though conversations gradually picked up around her, the one topic avoided was her reason for being in town. Her brothers and father had likely picked the fire apart molecule by molecule, but none of that discussion materialized now. Not even Eric brought it up, though she caught him watching her a couple of times with an expression that said he wished he could make it all normal again.
Her mother reached over at one point and patted her hand, a loving gesture but one that fell short of demanding her other offspring welcome their sister with wide-open arms. Maybe Inga loved her while still holding her responsible for her father’s condition. Could the two feelings coexist?
Randi tried to take another bite of shrimp, but it seemed to expand in her mouth with each chew. When she attempted to swallow, it nearly choked her.
She looked over at her father, who was talking baseball with Josh, the second oldest and quietest of her brothers. The Great Avoider, they’d always called him, because he didn’t like conflict. He’d never said anything negative toward her regarding the fire that had ended their father’s career, but he hadn’t stood up for her, either.
They sat outside, so close to the ocean she could hear the tide coming in, but Randi couldn’t draw in a deep breath. How odd to feel she needed fresh air when she was in the midst of it. She stood and picked up her plate.
“Thanks for dinner. It was delicious.” She looked at Karl and Shellie. “Congratulations on the engagement.”
“Don’t