Page 4 of Courageous Devotions

“You ready for tomorrow?” Chase asked.

“Sure,” Colton shrugged, trying to distract his thoughts from the past. “It’s seriously no biggie except that it will be in print. I mean, I’m like fifty years younger than her – so it’s no skin off my teeth. She’s like a grandma to me in a weird, distant way.”

“She’s not that old,” the chief retorted, walking past them and moving to refill his coffee.

“Her – not you,” Colton joked, grinning. “She’s practically ancient like that little mummy on that cartoon show. What was it called? Thundercats?”

Reese choked, spraying coffee all over the front of his shirt and onto the floor, looking at them both in horror before walking off, rasping painfully.

“You’re only as old as you feel…”

Chase looked at him quizzically before throwing a thumb in his direction.

“What’s with him?”

“No clue.”

“She is old, and that red lipstick? Ugh, that stuff doesn’t come off easily. She got me one time on the cheek, and I pried her off like a suckerfish…”

Colton started, shocked… for Chase to turn and look at him in surprise.

“She really doesn’t go after you?”

“I’m starting to feel a little insulted…” Colton muttered.

“You’re lucky.”

“Okay – maybe ‘really insulted’?” he chuckled, shaking his head. “So what’s the deal? Are we tagging off again, and you guys are finishing your shift? Because if so, I’m out of here.”

“Yep. We’ve got the rest of the day and tomorrow. You guys are back on duty Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.”

“Sounds good. See ya, Chase, and good luck.”

2

* * *

COLTON

A week later…

It was ridiculous that something like this would earn money for charity – and Colton didn’t know what these women had paid, but obviously, things were not going to go how he had once hoped. No, he hoped it would be a quick photograph taken from a few angles and then submitted to whatever printer was making the calendars. Maybe they would get a picture of the team or something else that made them look heroic or noble.

“But noooo….” Colton muttered under his breath, horrified, as he watched Lance posing with some woman who looked positively starry-eyed. The woman who bid on his own photo shoot, Mrs. Kendall, was no help whatsoever.

“Aren’t firefighter calendars supposed to have naked buff chests, swinging a bunch of dangling hoses, or puppies running around them? What kind of photo shoot is this? I want what I paid for…” the old woman said rambunctiously, causing the photographer to laugh nervously where she stood in the distance beside the fire chief.

To his horror, Lance obviously agreed with the statement. The other firefighter yanked off his suspenders, removed his T-shirt, and then put his suspenders back on without any hesitation.

“BABY OIL! Grease that body, ya’ hottie!” Mrs. Kendall hollered – and Colton slapped his forehead in dismay. ‘Starry-eyed’ just went ‘supernova’ on the current woman’s face… and that woman, Blythe, had a crush and Colton was willing to bet money on it. She was looking at Lance Cortes like he hung the moon.

And Lance was utterly clueless.

Someone supplied baby oil and Colton had no clue as to where it came from, but sure enough – the man was slathering it all over his chest. Mrs. Kendall and some other woman named Willow were fanning themselves nearby.

“Oh heavens… this is not what I imagined,” Willow whispered as Alec Beckett cursed bluntly, sharing a knowing look with Colton – who shook his head.

Yup. They were completely screwed.

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