Behind the Flame (Home in Carson 3)

Standing next to Poppy, River watched as Ridge interacted with his daughter, she learned was named Delilah, and lovingly pretending to eat the cereal she held out to him. She felt a pang in her chest for the first time, wondering if she’d ever have that sort of connection with a child of her own. There were various options available for her to have a child when she was ready, but River still hoped that she’d be able to have a loving relationship like the kind she envied from so many others one day.

A high-pitched squeal sounded in the room, bringing River back from her illusions only to find Delilah pointing in her direction. Ridge followed her gaze and she witnessed the full strength of his stare as he realized that his daughter was calling out to River. A shiver traveled down her spine and River felt it to the tips of her toes.

He may be a superhero, but he was proving to be dangerous at the same time.

With everyone in the room staring at her as Delilah continued to point and gesture in her direction, River stepped farther into the room and approached the child.

“Hi, Delilah. Do you remember me from yesterday? I’m your neighbor that brought the cookies.”

“Coo!” she yelled before shoving another handful of the cereal into her mouth.

“Cookies, that’s right. I bet you and your daddy are really going to like it here, what do you think?”

As if she understood, Delilah nodded her head and went back to her snack, dismissing both River and Ridge.

“Well, I guess that’s that,” he said from beside her and River turned to smile in his direction.

“Bet you hoped for a bit more fanfare, huh?”

“Maybe a few tears,” he joked in return and River found herself smiling without restraint, something she hadn’t done in longer than she could remember. “Guess I should head out while I can.”

Ridge only turned back toward his daughter three times to see if a pout was blossoming on her lips, only to find that Delilah was busy trying to get the attention of the little boy in the high chair next to her.

Standing back, River allowed Poppy to escort Ridge out of the building since she was his family after-all. And, of course, this gave her a moment to watch his defined backside through the glass doors as he walked back to his truck.

Somehow he must have felt her stare, even through the thick tempered glass, because as Poppy turned away, Ridge glanced right in River’s direction and winked before stepping into the cab of his truck.

Dangerous. One-hundred percent dangerous to both her head and her heart.

Chapter Five

Walking into the renovated fire department building, Ridge felt anything but elation, as he had expected. He felt selfish, melancholy, uneasy, and. . .turned on. All of the previous emotions were due to his daughter’s far-too-easy transition to the daycare. The latter was due to the neighbor that gave him quite a shock when she arrived as Poppy’s hopeful assistant director.

Even behind the baggy clothes she had worn, Ridge could vividly remember the outline of every curve of her body he had felt in his arms that were now hidden.

She had a story, one he could see flashing behind her eyes, but he knew that it wasn’t his business. Ridge had enough to worry about, especially with his ex-wife still on the fritz.

Greetings called out around him as he entered the common area. The two other men and one woman that would make up his crew were relaxed along a large sectional couch as they watched the news.

“Hey, son,” a familiar voice echoed into the room.

“Hi, Chief. Sorry about the delay.” Ridge felt that he needed to apologize about one hundred more times before the weight of guilt would start to dissipate. Tardiness wasn’t a trait a firefighter could rely on.

“No sweat. I remember those days and your aunt Amy stayed at home with the kids. Now, I know that you’re probably itching to join the rotation, but I have to do a few weeks of a trial period per the mayor’s orders. I’m sure you understand.”

“Absolutely.”

“In the meantime, let’s get your stuff stored in a locker and then you can start in on the daily chores.”

Ridge knew what that meant—cleaning the truck and fire station, checking the equipment's wear and life, and his least favorite part – laundry. As a teenager, he knew that Joseph ran a tight ship, even when he was the only man on staff.

Now that the town had blossomed and warranted more assistance, Joseph bucked from tradition and decided on a rotating schedule for the eight-person crew and volunteers. To provide a steady paycheck for his staff, Joseph opted for weekly rotating shifts and weekends. One week scheduled on day shift the next week would be the night shift. Ridge wasn’t sure how easily his body would adjust to the changes, but his uncle assured him that he’d be able to catch plenty of shut-eye.

His only concern was Delilah. H

opefully, his cousins were honest with their suggestion of help when he needed it.

Once Ridge settled his things into his locker, he made his way out to the group. Together they worked to complete their daily tasks and before Ridge knew it, his twelve-hour workday was almost complete.