And I did.

I watched out the window as we tore up the road, trying to gauge the speed of the fire we were flanking. I knew the lay of this land, and the path that the fire would follow. The whole valley was thick with dry grass, the height of a grown man. And log cabins just like mine were separated by enormous groves of thirsty pines. It all drew a straight line to the east, to the south… and home.

“When we reach the mouth of the valley, we’ll dump the gear,” Jason said as he wrenched the wheel. “I need you take the rig and head to the old Hanson place. It’s the closest cabin, only a couple of miles away and it’s facing the most immediate risk. Stop at each cabin, but for seconds only. Yell, use the horn.” He hit the brakes and climbed out, coming around to take me in his arms. The glow in the distance formed a smoky halo around him. “They’ll have called for evacuation by now, but there could still be people left behind.” He kissed me hard, crushing my body to his. He tasted of smoke and salt, his muscled body towered over mine. “One minute at each house. No more. Do you hear me? You won’t be completely safe until you reach Copperton,” he said fast. He let go of me long enough to drag his gear from the back as the headlight beams illuminated the haze around us. For a second, it reminded me of the hot spring…

“I don’t want to go without you,” I said. But I climbed into the driver’s seat, knowing neither one of us had any choice. Reilly sat beside me whining, panting in spite of the cold.

Jason grasped my face between his hands, putting everything into that kiss that we didn’t have time to express. “You don’t have a choice. Go, Ember, right now and don’t look back.

“I’ll find you… just go!”

“Chuck… Trudy?” I called out, pounding on the door. The Hanson’s truck was parked out front, but no one answered. I turned the doorknob, calling out, but it was clear they were already gone and their dogs with them. They’d been moving fast. The television was still on, volume all the way up and the fire warnings were blaring. I closed the door and headed back for my own truck.

“One down,” I said to Reilly, slamming into reverse. “With any luck, the whole valley’s cleared out by now.” I cast a glance at him as he sniffed the air. I could smell it too. And the gusts buffeting the truck confirmed it. The wind was shifting… the valley was beginning to fill with smoke. Where the wind blew, the fire would follow.

I raced through the valley, knowing every mile took me closer to safety and farther away from Jason. I checked cabin after cabin, but they were all abandoned. Word had spread, and there was no one left behind. There was only my own cabin, my childhood home a few miles farther, with Copperton and safety just beyond. But I couldn’t shake the image of Jason out there alone, buying time until the rest of the crew could reach him. He would be fighting fire with fire, felling trees on his own. And all on the front lines. It was the most dangerous work a firefighter could do and he was already pushed to his limits. I hadn’t even asked him about Randy…

Or told him about the baby.

The awareness hit with the power of a punch, leaving me open-mouthed, airless. The one thing beyond his safety, the only thing that mattered, was to tell him we were having a child. And I hadn’t. The truck lurched under me and a wave of nausea rolled through me. My hands were icy cold, stiff as I clutched the wheel. For the first time, I faced the real possibility that I might never get the chance to tell him. The life I’d dreamed of flashed in front of my eyes: the perfect wedding I’d planned and wanted so much, our idyllic life together in our beautiful valley… my husband in bed beside me in the mornings and our baby in my arms…

I jerked the wheel hard, barely touching the brakes and shooting out an arm to keep Reilly from sliding onto the floorboards as I hauled the truck around and hit the gas. I was done with thinking, done with fear. Jason was out there, risking everything to save this valley and the people who called it home. And all the while, I’d been choosing flowers and appetizers…

All I knew was that I had to find him again. No matter what we had to face, we’d be facing it together and no matter the outcome, Jason was going to know he was a father.

The sky grew brighter as I raced back. Behind me, it was from the rising sun. Ahead of me… it was from the rising flames.

I caught sight of him through the haze that filled the air, tall and lean, backlit from the glow of the barrier fire. Thank god… The crew was there along with him, the helicopter just taking off. I hit the brakes too hard and slid a few yards before stopping. Then I was out and running.

“Em…? Ember…!” He turned in disbelief as I called out his name and flung myself into his arms. “Why the hell did you come back… you shouldn’t be here…”

“No one’s left in the valley,” I said breathlessly, burrowing into his warmth and the safety of his arms. “Everyone’s out and they’re safe… I couldn’t leave without telling you…”

One of the crew interrupted. “That’s it,” he said, “com’s down and the whole fucking gorge is an inferno. It’s moving faster than any fire in history… It’s gotta be 1500 degrees…”

The man looked at Jason hard… and at me…

“Right,” Jason answered. “I told Frank to do what he could…” His tone was dark, his words clipped. “It’s all about wind speed now… Take every man we’ve got and pull down whatever you can.” He tipped his head toward the nearest grove of trees and the man disappeared with only a nod. Then he turned back to me.

“Daybreak’s gonna pick the winds up, babygirl,” he said. “I need you to take Reilly and get the hell out of here…”

“And I need to tell you something first,” I shot back, fearless now. “You’re doing what you’re compelled to do… so am I. I came back to tell you I’m pregnant, Jason. I don’t give a shit if this is the wrong place, or the wrong time. This is the only time we have. Maybe it’s the only time we’ll ever have. If this job is who you are, then with you is where I belong. I’m not afraid anymore…”

He wrapped his arms around me, kissing me with hunger, tenderness and fury. I could feel his heart pounding underneath his thick, heavy jacket… or maybe it was my own…

“God, I love you, Em. My beautiful, beautiful babygirl…” He dipped his head and kissed me again, desire radiating off him like heat. It was only a moment, but it felt like it lasted forever. Like the future we planned, like a lifetime together. “I love you more than my life, Em… But you have to go, especially now. You… both of you have to be safe.”

He whistled for Reilly as he bustled me back toward the truck. Rye stood on a rocky projection near the exit of the gorge, stock still, listening without responding. Jason put me into the cab with a tenderness that almost broke my heart. We didn’t have minutes to say goodbye. We had seconds.

“We’ll meet at the cabin..? We can tell Randy together.”

He gripped my hands in his and kissed me again. “I’ll see you there… just go, please.” He whistled for Reilly again.

“When he won’t come…” I said, “something isn’t right…” I took Jason’s arm and climbed back out, calling for the dog with a growing sense of urgency. Rye was my first baby. I wouldn’t leave him… I couldn’t.

We watched as he lifted his huge nose to the sky and let out a bone-chilling howl. The sound was primal and terrifying and it echoed all around us. He came flying towards us, but smoke was pouring out of the gorge, tendril-like fingers reaching closer.

I looked into Jason’s face and felt something catch in my chest. “Tell me what’s wrong…” I said slowly, bracing myself for what I already seemed to know.

“It’s Randy,” Jason said finally, tightening his arms around me to keep me from collapsing. “He stayed behind to make sure everyone else made it onto the chopper for transport. Communications crashed and we’re not sure what happened on the other side of the ridge…”

“He’s gone…” I said faintly, feeling my knees start to buckle.

I felt Jason’s arms tighten and my feet lift off the ground, his voice filling my ears… “We don’t know that for sure, Em…

“But he’s missing.”