Feel the Fire (Hotshots) by Annabeth Albert

Author:Annabeth Albert [Albert, Annabeth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Carina Press
Published: 2020-10-25T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

A weird mix of anticipation and restlessness coursed through Luis as he and Tucker loaded up his SUV at headquarters. The official vehicles were all already underway, with more personnel coming in private vehicles like them. Time was of the essence, and Luis could have caught a ride with some others heading to the fire site, but he’d chosen to wait for Tucker for reasons he didn’t want to examine closely.

“Thanks for waiting for me.” Tucker slammed the back of the SUV shut.

“Yeah, figured you might want some company on the drive.” Luis tried to play it casual, like him wanting to see Tucker alone before the chaos of the fire camp wasn’t a big part of his motivation for waiting. “You sure you don’t want me taking a turn behind the wheel? You look exhausted.”

Tucker wiped some sweat from his forehead. He was in forest service clothes, but his face was dusty and hair messier than normal. “Sorry. I barely had enough time to change, let alone shower or recover. I was out hiking with Walker. Took your advice and got him out of the house.”

Warmth spread though Luis’s midsection. He liked knowing he’d been able to help Tucker, liked being listened to. “Good. Did it work?”

“Sort of. He talked, but it’s not something I can fix. Big life direction and college questions.” Sighing heavily, Tucker leaned against the SUV, not making a move to head to the driver’s side. Luis took the opportunity to reach for the keys dangling from Tucker’s fingers.

“That sucks. And it looks like it wore you out in more ways than one. How about you set the GPS? That way you can shut your eyes, try to rest while I drive. I promise to take good care of your baby.”

“It’s just a car,” Tucker said with the weary wisdom of a guy who had actual kids and a perspective on his priorities. Pushing away from the SUV, he let Luis go ahead and take the keys. “Yeah, that sounds good. Wake me up if calls start coming in that need my response.”

“Probably not a ton we can do until we’re on site.” Luis opened the driver’s side door. He liked that Tucker was willing to let him drive, wasn’t such a control freak that he couldn’t turn it off when needed, unlike some guys Luis had known. And taking care of Tucker simply felt good. Right.

The fire was on federal lands east of Prineville, a small ranching town enough distance from the fire to not need evacuation, unlike the popular national forest campgrounds closer in. Traffic going away from the fire was heavy, lots of RVs and campers leaving the forest area. The quick spread of this fire situation was why the code red and extreme warning level they’d escalated to yesterday was so important. The plentiful dry brush surrounding the scenic vistas coupled with many unpaved roads at risk of sparks from passing vehicles could be a recipe for disaster, which

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