CHAPTER TWO

      ROSS DIDN’T OFTEN get involved in the social side of the fire department but he was making an exception this time for two reasons. One, the annual picnic was a good place to take Olivia and Jared, his niece and nephew, while they were visiting. Two, it would be nice if he was seen by the bosses interacting positively with his fellow firefighters and the first responders at his station. He needed any edge he could get to gain the promotion.

      The event was being held at one of the large parks in town. Not being a family man, Ross had only been to a few of them. There would be the usual fare of barbecue, baked beans, boiled corn and Texas-sized slices of bread. Desserts of every kind and drinks would also be provided. Along with the food were child-friendly games and crafts. Jared and Olivia were excited about the games. He was more interested in the menu; it was some of his favorite food groups.

      Ross looked around the area for a parking space. The weather was clear. It would be a perfect day for the event. He scanned the vehicles to see if any belonged to the members of his station. Kody had said he would be there. Would Sal be with him? Why would he care about that? She’d been on his mind too much lately.

      Ross enjoyed having the kids around. They came for a weekend now and then, but this time they were staying for a little more than a week while his sister and her husband were out of town. Normally, they would have stayed with his parents but they were off on a cruise. He had sort of volunteered and then been asked to take them for ten days. On the days he worked, a friend’s wife had agreed to watch them.

      He pulled his truck into a spot in the already half-full parking lot teeming with people. Seconds later, Jared and Olivia were climbing out, their eyes bright with excitement.

      “Yay, there’s face painting. I want to go over there.” Olivia pointed to a tent not far away.

      “I want to go ride the pony,” Jared said over his sister.

      Ross raised his voice above it all. “Circle up here. We need to have a couple of ground rules. Number one, we stay together, and number two, we stay together. If I lose you kids, your mother and father will be mad at me.” He grinned at them. “Got it?”

      “Got it!” they chimed in.

      “Okay. Why don’t we go have lunch first, then we can make the rounds and do anything you like afterward?”

      He raised a hand for a high five. Jared and Olivia enthusiastically slapped his palm.

      They made their way to the buffet-style line that had formed under a large shelter and joined it.

      The kids each held their plates as he served pulled pork onto their sandwich buns. While he was filling his plate with ribs, he looked across the table to see Sal taking some as well. How long had she been there? “Hey, I didn’t see you over there.”

      This was the first time he’d ever seen her in anything but a jumpsuit. Today she was wearing a simple sky blue T-shirt that was tucked into tight, well-worn jeans. A thin belt drew his attention to her hips. She looked fit but not skinny. Her hair flowed down around her shoulders. This version of Sal was very appealing.

      Her eyelids flickered and she said shyly, “Hi, Ross. I think you’re a little busy to notice much.”

      “You’re right about that.” He looked for the kids and found there was a gap between him and them. He saw Sal’s grin and forgot what he was doing. He hurriedly returned to picking out his ribs and moved forward. The kids each added a small bag of chips to their plates. When they were all finished, they picked out canned drinks from large containers filled with ice.

      When Ross turned around after getting his, he noticed Sal pulling her drink out of a bucket next to his. It didn’t appear anyone was with her. Their eyes met and she gave him a soft unsure smile. She looked away over the sea of picnic tables and walked away. Would she have joined them if he’d asked? Did he want her to?

      “Come on, kids, let’s see about finding a place to sit.” He nodded forward. “Jared, head out through the picnic tables that way.”

      The boy did as Ross said and he and Olivia followed. As they moved along, a number of people he knew spoke to him. He called “hi” and kept moving. Finally, he saw Jared doing a fast walk toward an empty table. Relieved they had found one, Ross settled in for his meal.

      He spied Sal weaving through the tables, obviously searching for a place to sit.

      She came close enough that he raised his hand and called, “Hey, Sal, come join us. We have room.”

      Her face brightened at her name, but when she turned his way she looked hesitant, as if trying to figure out a way to refuse, but she came their way.

      As she set her lunch down next to Olivia’s and across from him, she said, “Thanks. Kody and Lucy are coming but they’re running late.” She looked around her. “There sure are a lot of people here. I had no idea that it’d be like this.” She slipped her legs under the table.

      “Austin’s isn’t a tiny fire department. The families really turn out for the picnic.” What was happening to him? He didn’t invite single women he worked with to join him for a meal. It was against departmental policy for firefighters and medical personnel at the same station to see each other. But this wasn’t a date. He was just being nice.

      He wasn’t dating right now anyway. In college, he’d dated as much as any of his friends. During the early years of joining the department he’d done the bar scene with some of the other bachelors for a few years but that had got old fast. It was hard to see about the ranch and work his odd hours and keep that lifestyle.

      Once he’d been serious about someone, but it hadn’t worked out. She’d hated his schedule and had been afraid he might be hurt or killed. After a messy breakup, he’d decided to concentrate on his career and not worry about the aggravation of maintaining a relationship for a while. For now, he’d like to keep things casual, uncomplicated. Maybe after making Battalion Chief he would give serious thought to settling down. But that wouldn’t or couldn’t include seeing someone he worked with.

      “I see.” She glanced at Jared and Olivia. “I didn’t know you had children.”

      Olivia giggled.

      “This is my niece and nephew. They’re spending a couple of weeks with me while my sister and her husband are out of town. Sal, this is Jared and Olivia.”

      Olivia gave her a curious look. “Your name is Sal? That’s a boy’s name.”

      “That’s what your uncle calls me at work. My name is really Sally.”

      His niece wrinkled her nose. “I like Sally better.”

      Ross did too. It suited her. To think he had never really wondered what her full name was.

      Sally looked down at Olivia and smiled. “You know, I do too.”

      That was interesting. Why didn’t she ever correct anybody at the station?

      Sally turned her attention to her food and the rest of them did as well. She handed over a napkin to Jared. Ross looked at him. He had barbecue sauce running down his chin.

      The boy took it from her.

      “Good sandwich?” Sally asked, smiling.

      “Yes.” Jared grinned.

      “I can tell. Mine’s good too.”

      “Uncle Ross’s must be good too because it’s all over