Force of Nature Page 5

  In short order the tables were set, and Erin was directed to a seat at one end, with the chief occupying the other.

  Gable flanked Erin on her right, Carl her left.

  “Who’s cookin’ today?” Gable asked.

  “Larry,” someone farther down the table replied.

  “That means beef stew,” Tim told Erin. “One of the rules for the meal is that everything has to be made from scratch. Larry makes a mean stew, but that’s the extent of his cooking abilities.”

  A middle-aged man wearing a large apron dotted with stains appeared with a huge pot of beef stew and set it down next to the chief, who ladled it into big deep bowls that got passed all the way down the line. Erin was the first person served. As that was being done, the cook made several more trips to the kitchen to distribute pitchers of lemonade and plates of corn muffins and parker house rolls.

  No one ate until everyone had a bowl in front of them and Larry had removed his apron and joined them at the table.

  “I’d like to welcome Erin, our new rookie.” The chief lifted his glass of lemonade.

  “To Erin!” the assembly chorused, raising their glasses.

  “Okay, everybody, dig in!” the chief said, and all eyes looked expectantly at Erin as she picked up her spoon and tasted the first bite.

  “This is really good stew,” Erin said, and a woman a few seats away snickered. So did the man sitting next to her.

  “Glad you like it,” Larry said loudly from three tables away. “It’s my own special recipe with a secret ingredient.”

  More snickers.

  Erin showed no sign of wilting under the scrutiny. “Secret, eh? I’m pretty good at guessing ingredients.” She dipped another spoonful and tasted it, and set off another round of sniggering. Erin acted as if she hadn’t heard it. “Tarragon? Thyme?”

  More laughter.

  Erin was clearly determined to rise to the challenge. She took another spoonful. “Worchester sauce? Beer?” Half the group was laughing now, full-out laughter, bowls of stew forgotten.

  Erin’s expression grew more determined. Her spoon went into her stew again, stirred it up…and the light suddenly dawned. She scooped out the hard, alien object she discovered at the bottom of her bowl and found it to be a partial dental plate, with four false teeth attached.

  Loud roars of laughter shook the room.

  “Ah. I see.” Not chagrined, Erin held the teeth up for inspection. “I thought the stew had a bit of a bite to it.”

  They howled. Gable laughed so hard she had tears streaming down her face. Carl snorted lemonade out of his nose.

  It took several seconds for the chief to regain enough composure to tell Erin, “Well done, lass. And by the way, it was sterilized. We’re not totally cruel.”

  “I must admit I kind of freaked when they did it to me,” Gable told Erin as the rest of the crowd resumed eating. “We were having soup, and I didn’t find it until I was about half done. Thought I was gonna heave.”

  “Me too,” one of the guys near them chimed in.

  “Ah, but you forget I work at an elementary school,” Erin said. “You develop a pretty strong stomach when you take care of kindergarteners during flu season. And no one can touch a fifth grader when it comes to practical jokes.”

  Gable had a hard time not staring at Erin throughout the meal. The woman was not only great looking, she was charming, and funny, and totally at ease in the room full of strangers. And Gable wasn’t the only one enchanted. Tim and several of the other single young men—and a couple of the married ones too—kept glancing in the newcomer's direction.

  When they were nearly done eating, Chief Thornton thanked everyone for coming and made a few announcements. “The duty roster is posted. In addition to the two regular training gigs we’ve got set up this month, I’d like to schedule several training sessions for Erin, if I can get some volunteers.”

  The words were barely out of his month before a dozen hands shot up, Tim’s a fraction ahead of Gable’s.

  “Great,” the chief said. “Let me know when you’re free and I’ll be in touch. Erin, you mentioned you’re pretty flexible until school starts back up, right?”

  “Sure, Chief. I’m eager to get started. You can schedule me most any time. Whatever’s best for you and whomever I’m working with.”

  “Excellent,” he answered. “You’ll do some of your training here, and next month you’ll get the classroom courses in Charlevoix that we talked about. Okay then, for the rest of you, a reminder that we’ve got the big Fourth of July picnic coming up and we need all the help we can get. Pass the word. Any questions?”

  There were a few more announcements and a recap of recent callouts. As the meeting finally wound to a close, Carl turned to Gable and Erin. “Cards, ladies?”

  “Can’t tonight,” Erin glanced at her watch. “I’d like to hit the grocery store before it closes.”

  “I think I’ll pass too,” Gable said. “I have an important errand to run.”

  “Aw, can’t it wait?” Carl whined, waving a deck of cards at her.

  “Nope, sorry Carl,” Gable replied.

  “If you change your mind, we’ll be at Billy’s.” He scanned the room for other possibilities. “Good to meet you, Erin,” he said, moving away.

  “You too, Carl.” Erin got to her feet and turned to Gable. “I wish we had more time to catch up, but I need to take a rain check. My cupboard is truly bare and I at least need to pick up coffee and cream or I’ll never survive tomorrow morning.”

  Gable fell into step beside her as they joined the departing firefighters. “Do you mind if I stop by after you get home?”

  Erin looked her way. “Tonight?”

  “I’ll only stay a couple minutes.”

  “Sure, all right,” Erin said. “Give me a half hour?”

  “See you then.”

  Chapter Four

  Earl Grey greeted Gable at the door with his raspy mewl. It was the cry he made to remind her that his stomach was indeed empty and would she please remedy that straightaway?

  She picked him up and set to work scratching the spot under his chin that always made him lean into her touch. He began purring immediately—a tiny engine on low idle. “I got a surprise for you, Earl. I’m gonna take you to see your mama in a bit. I bet you can’t wait to see her.” She carried him to the kitchen for a snack.

  When he finished she carried him into the living room and set him on her lap, petting him and talking to him until it was nearly time to go. She cleaned out his litter box and packed it up, along with a half-full bag of litter. Then she put the cat food into a shopping bag, along with the toys and treats she’d bought. In a separate bag, she put the sweatshirt and sweatpants she’d borrowed the night of the tornado.

  “Guess that’s everything,” she announced to the cat, which had followed her from room to room, intently watching her every move.

  She glanced at her watch. It was after nine. Erin would be home by now and she knew she really should get going. But she found it much harder than she thought it would be to say good-bye to Earl. I never dreamed I could get so attached to an animal. She stooped down to pet him.

  “Are all kitty-cats sweet as you?”

  Earl purred his response and stood up on his hind legs, his front paws propped against her pant leg. He was demanding to be picked up, and she complied, hugging him and kissing him behind the ears and trying very hard not to cry. “C’mon, you. Time to go. Just ten more minutes till you see her! I can’t wait to see her face.”

  She carried him out to the Jeep and set him on her lap as she always did. But the cat sensed that this excursion was different than the rest, and he remained alert and awake, as restless with anticipation as she was.

  “Why didn’t you tell me your mama was such a looker, Earl?” Gable asked as she pulled out onto the two-lane and headed south. “All those trips out to her place, and it turns out she ends up finding me.”

  Earl meowed loudly as if in answer, and
got up and began to pace about on the passenger seat.

  “Was she looking for me, do you think? Or did she just get the volunteering bug, like she said?”

  Gable wanted to believe that Erin had been every bit as intent on finding her as she’d been in her efforts to track down Erin. She felt a flush of happiness when she recalled how Erin had virtually flown into her arms and held her tight. That sure was awful nice.

  She glanced at Earl Grey. “I know, I know. I shouldn’t be thinking like that. Your mama and I don’t apparently have that in common.” She sighed and scratched his head. “But you gotta give me a break. It’s been a while, okay? I kinda forgot what it felt like to get all stirred up.”

  Her own dating relationships had been mostly brief and largely forgettable. The women had all been nice enough, but she hadn’t fallen head over heels like she'd always dreamed she would. She hadn’t met the one—the one person who could make her heart stop—the one person who would complete her. And she pretty much gave up hope she would when she hit forty-five and moved to the boonies. She suspected that her dating days were probably behind her.

  And she hadn’t been at all unhappy with the way things had turned out. She loved her job and her home, and she had some good buddies among the guys on the squad.

  But Erin had made her suddenly aware that something was missing in her life here. Being close to someone—having someone to share things with—she needed that. It enriched every life experience. Maybe she couldn’t have the kind of relationship with Erin that she might have liked—her hormones apparently hadn’t gotten the news yet that Erin was straight. But I can have something very special with her, I think, even without that part. I sure hope she wants that too.

  Gable braked to a stop at the intersection where she’d encountered the tornado. She remembered thinking that day that she should have seized more opportunities in her life. And she vowed that things would be different from now on.

  *

  Erin’s new cabin was ablaze with light, a welcoming beacon in the darkness. But Gable walked slowly up to the front door, savoring her last bit of time with Earl Grey. She hid him under her jacket, a maneuver only partially successful. It concealed his identity but she could not disguise the fact that something very alive was protesting its confinement against her chest.

  Erin’s smile when she opened the door and spotted Gable turned to a look of bewilderment when her eyes focused in on the squirming bundle of energy beneath her coat.

  “Your housewarming present,” Gable explained. “Anxious to be opened, as you can see.” She smiled mischievously.

  Erin stepped aside. “Well, do come in.”

  The cat let out a loud rowl as Gable stepped over the threshold. She hadn’t heard this particular cry before, but she thought it sounded clearly like get me the hell out of here right now!

  “A cat?” Erin guessed. She had a big grin on her face. “You brought me a cat?”

  “Not just any ol’ cat,” Gable said as she unzipped her jacket.

  “Earl! Oh my God! Earl Grey!” Erin scooped him up from Gable’s outstretched hands and held him close against her. “I can’t believe you’re here!”

  Earl was momentarily startled by the abrupt change but when he recognized Erin’s familiar scent he mewed a soft, sweet sigh and rubbed his chin and whiskers against her cheek.

  Gable thought it was one of the nicest reunions she’d ever witnessed, and said a prayer of thanks for the family that had found Earl and taken him in. Sad as she was to lose him, she was nonetheless gratified by Erin’s joy at getting her cat back.

  “Where…how?” Tears of happiness streamed down Erin’s face as she reached over to embrace Gable with one arm, the other cradling Earl. “Oh thank you, Gable. Thank you so much.”

  Gable was near enough to inhale Erin’s cologne, a subtle aroma she found very appealing. The proximity of their bodies unnerved and excited her. Her heartbeat accelerated. She reached out to scratch Earl under the chin, and he leaned into it as usual, his eyes closed and his purr kicking into high volume.

  “He’s really taken to you,” Erin observed. “He’s usually pretty stand-offish. How long have you had him? How did you find him?”

  “Well, I’d asked a few of the guys to keep an eye out for him. A family found him, and word got around. I’ve had him a few weeks,” Gable said.

  “I just can’t believe you found him,” Erin repeated, shaking her head. “I’d given up all hope.”

  “I thought you were the eternal optimist!” Gable chided.

  “Well, I am now!” Erin said, and they both laughed. “Seriously, though, I won’t ever be able to repay you for all you’ve done for me.”

  “Not a problem, really.” A faint blush warmed Gable’s cheeks. “I was happy to do it. Oh, I’ve got a bunch of stuff for Earl in the car—litter box, food, toys. And I brought you back the clothes I borrowed. I’ll get ’em.”

  She retrieved the bags and handed them to Erin, who was watching Earl Grey scout out his new surroundings.

  “Make yourself at home,” Erin said. “Excuse the lack of furniture! I’m going to put the litter box upstairs and set out food and water for Earl. I’ll be right back.” She headed up a short set of stairs at one end of the room that led to a narrow hallway with doors leading off it.

  Gable took in her surroundings. She was in the cabin’s great room. Though it was still mostly unfurnished, it had a warm and homey feel—constructed entirely of wood and stone and natural materials. The walls were rough-hewn pine and the ceiling was supported by a framework of massive logs; the spicy scent of new wood lingered subtly in the air. The floor was wood too, except for the entryway, which had been given over to terra-cotta tiles the color of Georgia clay.

  The soft track lighting was expertly aimed, spotlighting the log rafters, high ceiling and fieldstone fireplace with dramatic emphasis, bringing out the warm amber glow of the wood.

  Erin came back down the stairs and headed to the kitchen in the corner, giving Gable a big grin as she passed by.

  The lighting does some really nice things for you too, Gable thought as she watched her fill one bowl with water and another with cat food. When Erin bent over to set them on the floor next to the refrigerator, Gable found her eyes lingering on her sculpted ass.

  She quickly averted her gaze as the neatly built woman straightened, and resumed her study of the great room. The only furniture thus far was a brand-new dining table and chairs, set up near the corner kitchen, and a sofa and TV. The TV rested on a large wooden crate. Off to one side, against the wall, were several stacks of boxes and plastic storage containers, some of which she recognized from Erin’s basement.

  Erin came to stand beside her and followed her eyes. “That’s what I was able to salvage. Still have a lot of things to get, as you can see.” She turned slowly, surveying the room. “I’m really happy with everything, though. It’s set up very much like the old place, but I made some improvements. The porch is bigger, the basement has a reinforced ceiling and I’ve replaced my tiny shower with a brand new-whirlpool tub!”

  Keeping her eyes off Erin was a hopeless task. Gable had never dreamed she would have such tiny, delicate hands, soft lips, and lustrous, silky hair. Stop staring. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it.

  She pried her eyes away and said, “Well, I’d better get going. It’s late.”

  “Can I treat you to dinner tomorrow to say thanks?” Erin asked. “I’d cook for you, but I don’t have pots and pans and dishes yet. I have a lot of shopping to do.”

  “Tell you what,” Gable said. “I’ve got the weekend off. Why don’t I come shopping with you? I can help lug packages and we can grab dinner while we’re out. I’ll let you pay—as long as it’s nothing too extravagant. A burger’s fine with me.”

  “That would be wonderful!” Erin seemed delighted. “I’d love the company. I’m actually kind of looking forward to picking things out for the place and restocking my closets. And we sure seem to have the same tastes a
bout a lot of things!”

  “We certainly do.” Gable wore her own silly grin from ear to ear. It didn’t seem to matter at the moment that she absolutely abhorred shopping. Ranked it right up there with getting a cavity filled. All that mattered was spending more time with Erin. Standing so close to her, she swore she could feel heat coming off their bodies.

  “Do you mind getting an early start?” Erin asked. “I was going to leave about eight thirty and get to Grand Traverse Mall about the time it opened.”

  “Sure. And I’ll drive, if you like,” Gable offered.

  “That’s awful sweet. You sure you don’t mind?”

  “Nope. Not a bit. Well then, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Gable turned to leave, and Erin followed and opened the door for her. But her voice stopped her before she could cross the threshold.

  “Gable?”

  Gable turned and faced her.

  “I…well, I just wanted to say thanks again for taking care of Earl Grey. And for getting me through the longest night of my life. You made it not only tolerable, but actually…very memorable…in a good way.” She had a shy grin on her face when she said this, and an expression that looked almost…expectant.

  Gable was struck by how extraordinarily breathtaking Erin was at moment. Suddenly the room was much too warm. “I’m really glad you’re back, Erin. I’m looking forward to spending some time with you.” Her palms were sweating. Her heart hammered in her chest. She needed air. She took a reluctant step through the doorway.

  “Me too, Gable. Me too,” Erin said, letting her go. “Tomorrow, then?”

  “Tomorrow.”

  Chapter Five

  “Come on, Gable, help me out here. Get on this bed!”

  It had finally come to this. Gable should never have volunteered to go shopping with Erin. The entire day had been one long exercise in temptation and restraint. Everywhere they went, she was taunted by provocative thoughts and images, and everything Erin said seemed like a double entendre.

  Things had started out innocently enough. She picked Erin up at nine a.m. and they got to the mall in Traverse City just as it was opening. Erin had salvaged several items of clothing from her ruined home, but she was tired of living in the same half dozen T-shirts and jeans.