Page 71 of When We Burn

“I hear you.”

He nods and then he’s gone again, and I let out a long breath before I walk back to check on Birdie. Sure enough, she’s asleep in her bed, so I gather my things and take them back to Bridger’s bedroom, where I take a quick shower and change into my pajamas, then I go to the kitchen and make a lunch for Birdie for tomorrow.My phone dings from the living room, and I run to check on it in case it’s Bridger.

But it’s my big brother instead.

Holden: I know you’re dating Bridger, D. You good?

Leave it to my brother to ask about my dating life via text.

Me: Yep. Never happier.

Holden: Good. Making sure I don’t have to murder him. Love you.

Me: Thanks, I think? Love you, too.

I’ve just turned off all the lights in the house, leaving just the entry light on for Bridger, and climbed into his bed when I hear little footsteps in the hallway.

“Daddy?”

“It’s me, honey. Dani. Your daddy had to go to a fire.”

Birdie starts to cry, and it breaks my heart, and then suddenly, she leans forward and throws up.

“Oh, gosh. Okay, we’ve got this.”

When it seems there’s a break, I rush her to the toilet so she can continue to throw up there, and then I realize that she managed to get it all over herself, so when she’s finished, I simply help her strip down and put herin the shower.

“Just a quick one,” I assure her. “We need to get you cleaned up, okay?”

“I want Daddy,” she cries, knuckling the tears in her eyes as I help her get washed. I feel awful for her, and if I could take away how horrible she feels, I would do it in a heartbeat.

“I know you do, sweet girl. I do, too, if I’m being honest. But we can handle this. We’ve got this. Come on, let’s get you dry and in some clean pajamas, and then you can get back in bed.”

“Can I sleep in Daddy’s bed?”

“You bet. You can sleep with me in your daddy’s bed.”

I manage to avoid the mess in the hallway and grab the little girl some clean clothes, get her dressed, and snuggled down in the bed. Then I clean up the vomit, make sure there’s nothing she missed in the bathroom, and slide under the covers with her. She curls up to my side, snuggling me.

“You sleep.” I kiss her forehead and push her hair off her face. “No more sickies, okay?”

“No more sickies.”

Chapter Thirteen

BRIDGER

Goddamn, I’d like to punch the motherfucker who’s decided to torch my town. The cabin was a complete loss by the time we got on the scene, so our main concern now is protecting the hundreds of evergreens from the sparks coming off the structure.

“Continue soaking that side,” I tell my guys. “And get those walls pushed in.”

As the structure collapses, we want it to fall inside of itself so the flames don’t spread any farther. Our primary goal here is to keep it all contained.

“Where are the owners?” I ask Jones. We’ve worked together for years, and he’s the best at pulling information.

“They live in Texas,” he says. “I have a call out to them, but had to leave a message.”

“Whoever did this didn’t want us to find it quickly.He could have lit this whole fucking mountain on fire, and there are homes just over that ridge.”

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