Page 11 of Firefighter Midlife Wolf

The fire wasn’t at a specific address since it wasn’t at a house, but it wasn’t hard to locate. The thick plume of smoke against the clear sky made things easy.

“Here we are.” Pierce glided the fire engine into place and threw it into park. “Looks like we should be able to take care of it easily enough.”

Hayden grabbed the end of the hose and ran it out while Pierce unrolled it. He got his hands in place, braced his feet for the impact of the water pressure, and nodded to let his brother know he was ready. He watched the flames as they twisted through a thick knot of overgrown ivy and underbrush. This part of the woods was probably due to be burned anyway to eliminate the possibility of raging wildfires. Whoever had started this fire had certainly broken the law, but it might not be all that detrimental in the long run.

He heard the last crank of the valve, but only steam escaped from the end of the hose.

Hayden looked over his shoulder in disbelief. “What the hell was that?”

“I don’t know.” Pierce checked the gauges. “It says we’re empty.”

“That’s impossible.” Hayden dropped the end of the hose and jogged back to the engine to see for himself. Sure enough, the tank was completely drained. “I filled it myself when we returned from the last call.”

“I saw you do it, and the chief signed off on the inspection papers,” Pierce noted. “It doesn’t make sense.”

“Let me call for another truck.” Hayden jumped up in the cab and used the radio to reach the station.

“You’re out of water?” the dispatcher asked when he’d explained the situation. She’d completely broken their usual codes and speech patterns.

Hayden understood because he was just as flabbergasted. “That seems to be the case.”

“I’ll get someone else on the scene right away.”

“We’ll stay here and keep an eye on it.” Hayden hung up the handset and stepped back out of the cab. A shivering of leaves caught his attention, and he instinctively craned his head to see what was moving through the woods. His wolf senses perked up, but there was no sense of anyone else being there. It was probably just a scared animal that had made its home there and now had to move on.

If the other truck didn’t come quickly enough, quite a few more would need to find a new place to hole up.

6

Jessica smiled as she hit the unlock button and heard the satisfying sound of the little motor that pulled the latch open. “Hello, Verna,” she called out as she entered the apartment.

To her surprise, every light in the place was on. The aroma of something cooking wafted from the kitchen. A woman was moving through the living room, carefully running a duster over every surface. “Oh, hi there. I didn’t realize anyone else was here. I’m Jessica Anderson, the visiting nurse. Are you the housekeeper?”

The woman turned and made a sour face for a moment before she replaced it with a wide grin and a high-pitched laugh. “I can see why you’d say that, but no! I’m Darcy Muldoon, Verna’s niece.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” Jessica started to step forward and shake Darcy’s hand, but then she remembered the protocol for entering Verna’s apartment. “Oops. I’d better sage myself first.”

“No, don’t worry about that,” Darcy insisted, tucking a strand of her dark auburn hair behind her ear. Her wide mouth sat at a slight angle on her thin face. Though Jessica guessed she was in her forties like herself, she looked like she must use some expensive anti-wrinkle creams. Darcy glanced over her shoulder toward the hall, then lowered her voice to a whisper. “Aunt Verna is a little eccentric, and I really don’t think we should be playing into her kooky demands. It’ll only encourage her.”

“I see.” Jessica set her bag down, feeling guilty about not cleansing herself. It might have been a silly request, and it might have made the fire department show up last time, but it was what Verna wanted, and this was her home. After all, if it hadn’t been for Verna’s insistence and Jessica’s lack of experience with sage, she may never have met Hayden in the first place. Fate had an interesting way of working. Even if she were destined to be assigned as Jack’s nurse, she was glad she’d met Hayden before the accident. It just felt better. “I really don’t mind.”

“No, no. Honestly, please don’t. It’ll make such a mess, and that’s what I’m trying to get caught up on today. Aunt Verna can’t get around like she used to, and I know how much she loves a clean home. That’s why I try to come by at least once a week and get things picked up.” To demonstrate, Darcy continued with her duster, carefully running it between the cable box and the top of the television.

“That’s very kind of you. I’m sure she appreciates it, but this is the senior living complex. They offer all kinds of services to their residents, and Verna could easily set someone up to come by regularly.” In the short time she’d been in her position, Jessica had learned about all sorts of in-home services that were available.

“And have a stranger coming in all the time to touch her things? Verna wouldn’t stand for it,” Darcy replied as she exchanged her duster for a bottle of window cleaner and a rag. “Plus, I’ve heard all sorts of horror stories about housekeepers who steal things.”

“Mmph, you would know,” Verna said as she emerged from the bathroom. She glanced at her niece and then settled her dark eyes on Jessica. “Ah, the nurse is back. Are you here to start a fire again?”

Embarrassment washed quickly over Jessica. “I’m so sorry, I really do feel bad about that.”

“Not with the sage. The firefighter!” Verna waggled her thick gray eyebrows as she shuffled through the room. “I saw sparks flying between the two of you.”

“Ah. Um. Maybe.” Had their connection been so obvious that even a human had noticed? This visit wasn’t about her or Hayden, though. She plucked at her shirt, suddenly noticing just how warm it was in the room. “How are you feeling today, Verna?”

“I’m fine, I guess.” Verna made it to her armchair and sat heavily.

“You know, it’s a good thing you and I ended up here at the same time,” Darcy said, leaving the spray bottle on the windowsill and coming to sit in the chair nearest Verna’s. “I’m concerned that Verna hasn’t been taking all her medications.”

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