High Heat (Hotshots 2)
“I’ll find you then.”
Throat tight, all Garrick could do was nod. He couldn’t tell him everything right then, but he could tell him that he’d wait, could put that much on the line. And he would. He’d wait for Rain, wait for their talk, wait for a chance to make this right between them. There was so much he wanted to say, and most importantly, he wanted to keep his promise to listen to Rain, really and truly listen this time with his whole heart and without old fears ringing in his ears.
* * *
Rain probably should have showered first. Eaten some hot food that included a vegetable. Last few days, being a vegetarian had meant a lot of bread, a lot of rice, and far more cookies than prudent as the staff of the food truck had tried to keep him and the other non-meat eaters in enough calories to keep their energy up. And a change of clothes wouldn’t have been a bad idea either. He stank of smoke, probably would for a week. He might never get the scent out of his car or hat.
In short, he was a mess, but he’d promised Garrick days earlier that he’d find him, and somehow keeping that promise seemed more important than anything else, including the sleep he desperately needed. The interagency coordinators had dispersed the fire camp even though the cleanup efforts would continue in the coming weeks, sending everyone home to rest and regroup.
He’d talked to Garrick briefly earlier. Wait. Was that yesterday? All the days were starting to run together. Regardless, Garrick had been around sporadically the past few days, a few stilted conversations here and there. But Rain had a feeling that Ryland and Adams had made him getting rest a priority, since he couldn’t exactly pile in a tent like Rain and the rest of the hand crew guys, and he’d been among the first admin people dismissed as they disbanded camp, catching a ride back with a woman who’d been working in the medical tent. In any event, their eyes had met through the crowd of people, and he’d seen that promise to find him reflected there, and his heart had sped up. He couldn’t not come to Garrick’s house, even though night was starting to fall. The late hour and his physical condition be damned. He needed to be here.
Excited barking greeted him as Garrick opened the door. Cookie acted like Rain had been gone a decade, dancing in circles, practically howling with happy noises and all but climbing him like a tree.
“You came.” The look in Garrick’s eyes was everything, warmth and tenderness saying he’d made the right choice to come here first. “I got in a couple of hours ago myself. Made a big pot of lentil soup in case you came hungry.”
“You have no idea.”
“Oh, trust me, I do. I wasn’t even burning energy like you guys in the field and I still ate two dinners—steak at Dad’s and then the soup here. Showered for a good half hour too, but that was a while ago. There’s plenty of hot water if you want to shower while I heat up your soup.”
“Yeah. That sounds good. Perfect, really. I’ll text Grandma that I’m at your place. Gonna take off my boots right here on the porch.”
“You do that. I spoke to her earlier myself. I’ll make sure there’s towels in the guest bath for you.”
“Weird. Feels both like I was just here and like it’s been years,” he admitted as he unlaced his boots in between giving Cookie more pats.
“I know. Me too. I... I’m glad you came. So glad.” Garrick’s eyes were full with an emotion Rain couldn’t easily name. He had to look away quickly lest his own gaze give too much away.
Rain wasn’t sure that warm water had ever felt so good. He soaped up three times simply because he could and washed the dust out of his hair twice before he was willing to get out from under the pounding spray. It took a ton of conditioner just to get his mess of hair to loosen up. When he left the shower, his favorite robe was waiting for him along with a pair of purple satin underwear he’d left at Garrick’s some time back. Seeing them there made his stomach give a happy little flip. He found a wide-tooth comb under the sink and continued working out the tangles in his hair on his way out to the living area.
“Damn. I feel more human now. Thanks. Feel more like me.” He tightened the belt on his robe.
“Figured you might be craving something like your robe. I’m not...it’s not some kind of come-on. Promise.”
“I know. And we’re probably both too bushed, and I know we need to talk, but I’m not sure I’d turn down a come-on. Just saying.” He gave Garrick a wink as he settled at the table in front of a steaming giant bowl of soup.