“Chris, I need your help.” Eric sounded breathless, a little frantic, and the noise going on in the background indicated something major was going down.
“What’s up?” He rubbed a hand over his face, took in his naked state. He needed to get dressed.
“There’s a structure fire downtown.” Eric paused. “It’s Saint Elizabeth’s.”
“Oh, no.” Eric was referring to the oldest church in Lone Pine Lake, the oldest building in town, period. A historical monument, it had become a tourist attraction where many flocked to get married. “How bad?”
“Pretty bad. I have two other engines coming in and the volunteers just showed up. Josh will be here soon.” Josh, the county arson investigator. “I need you, man. Can you get over here?”
“Absolutely. I’ll be right there.” Chris hung up and went into the bathroom before he started to get dressed. He was methodical in his movements, his mind racing a million miles a minute.
Jane stirred, and he watched as she rolled over. He sat on the edge of the bed to pull on his work boots, lacing them with quiet efficiency. He ran a hand over his head, figured he’d have to take a shower later, since he’d end up dirty anyway.
He was ready. He didn’t want to leave her.
But he had to.
“Christian.” She sat up, held the sheet in front of her bare chest and rubbed her eyes with her free hand as he stood. “What are you doing?”
“Gotta go to work. There’s a fire.”
She blinked her eyes wider. “Where?”
“Saint Elizabeth’s. Eric said it’s bad.”
“Oh, no.” She shook her head, a deep sigh moving through her. “That’s awful.”
“I know.” His mouth was grim, his mood dark. He was mentally preparing, focusing on what needed to be done, but it was hard. He just wasn’t there yet.
He needed to get there. Now.
Bending over Jane, he pressed a kiss to her forehead, then moved to drop a kiss to her pursed lips. She wrapped a hand around his neck and held him there, deepening the kiss, leaving him dizzy, his head reeling when he stood back up.
“Be careful,” she whispered, her heart in her eyes, her fear on her face. “I love you.”
“Baby, I’m always careful.” He smiled, trying to make light of it, hating the sight of all that fear. “I love you, too.”
She smiled, tremulous at best, and he swore her eyes glistened. “Do you really?”
“Oh, yeah.” Unable to resist, he kissed her one last time, wishing he didn’t have to go. “Really.”
And then he walked away from the woman he loved, walked out of his house and into the still dark, still cold night. An oppressive eeriness settled around him, making him uneasy, and he stopped in the driveway, glancing both ways before he got into his truck.
There was nothing out there, despite the heaviness that washed over him like a bad omen. He was overreacting. Shaking his head, he started the truck, let it warm up for a few minutes before he pulled out of his driveway and headed toward the scene.
…
Jane left Chris’s house unlocked, since he hadn’t mentioned what to do. But she reassured herself that they lived in a small town. Who would rob him?
Descending from the front porch, she hurried down the walk, grateful Mindy had shown up so quickly after Jane had called her. She climbed into her sister’s car, ignored the smug expression on Mindy’s face.
“What happened to Hot Stuff?”
“He got called to a fire two hours ago at the old Catholic church.”
Mindy’s eyes went wide. “No way, you’re kidding.”
“No.” Jane shook her head.