Another few days passed, during which Lance’s harassment of Ella seemed as if it might finally come to an end. Between everything Rex had compiled with Ella giving him permission to delve into her past history of emails and texts, Lance was being charged with multiple crimes. All in all, it was rather anti-climactic. At least for me, that is. When all was said and done, he was facing charges here in Alaska and Oregon. His attorney was arguing he should be extradited down there, which was perfectly fine with me.

The further away from Ella he was, geographically speaking, the better. Yet, my anger and frustration at the effect it had on Ella were hard to vanquish with the slow, methodical legal process. Meanwhile, Ella and I were barely speaking.

If I were being honest with myself, I had to admit I was frustrated with her too. I’d thought myself long over the pain caused when she broke up with me after the accident. Yet, the way she pushed me away in this process hit too close to home. Because that was exactly what she had done before.

I loved her. Yet, it burned to have her keep me at arms length like this. Again. For her to think that letting someone who cared about you try to be there for you was taking over, well, it just sucked.

Closing my locker at the station, I shook my thoughts away. Just as I turned to leave the locker room, Cade walked in. He paused by the door. “Everything okay with you and Ella?” he asked, not even bothering to say hello, but then Cade had never been one to waste time.

When I shrugged, he eyed me for a long moment and then shook his head. “Ella can be stubborn, but then so can you.”

“What the hell do you mean by that?”

Cade hooked a hand in his pocket, narrowing his eyes. “Look, I get it. Things happen, but don’t let your pride get in the way. I did that and I’d give anything for those seven years back with Amelia.”

I stared at him for a long moment, trying to shake the tension building inside. “Yeah, well, it’s not that simple. Plus, Ella was the one who broke up with me back then and now. Not the other way around.”

Cade rolled his eyes. “I know you’re a few years younger than me, but I guess you missed the news back then. Amelia broke up with me too. She had her reasons. As I did for staying away, but I could’ve fought for her a helluva a lot sooner. If Ella means as much as you said, then fight for her.”

He didn’t give me a chance to respond and simply spun on his heel and walked away. That pissed me off. “Thanks for nothing,” I called after him.

He stopped at the doorway, turning around and lasering me with his gaze, his green eyes so similar to Ella’s. “She loves you, you know. Figure it out.”

This time he left for good, and I kept my mouth shut.

At that moment, Ward Taylor, the superintendent for my crew, came around the corner into the lockers. His eyes flicked in the direction of Cade’s retreating back and returned to me. It was obvious he had heard most of what had just been said, at least the last exchange.

I liked Ward and respected him, but I sure as hell didn’t want to get into a conversation about my relationship, or lack thereof, with him. I managed a tight smile and turned to close my locker. I was relieved when I heard the sound of his locker opening and then closing. I turned to leave, thinking the moment had passed.

No such luck. Ward was standing there, leaning against the lockers, his eyes waiting for me. Ward was tough as nails and a damn good superintendent. He tended to be quiet and could be intimidating until you got to know him. His soft spot was his wife, Susannah. All she had to do was walk into a room, and he practically turned to mush. Lately, unless we were out in the field actively dealing with the fire, he tended to be on edge and worrying about whether she was going into labor. She was due any day now and had gone past her due date.

This meant a cranky Ward, but we were all putting up with it because his worry was so obvious. He was a man who liked to control what was happening and it was driving him near crazy he couldn’t in this case.

His gray gaze caught mine and he arched a brow. “Need some relationship advice?”

I bit back a sigh and then shrugged. “Not really.”

“It’s none of my business, but I’ll say this. If she means something, don’t let her walk away.”

* * *

The next day, Ward was off because Susannah finally went into labor. Meanwhile, as the lead foreman on the crew, I was in charge when we got called out to a large fire out at a hunting lodge. Alaska had hunting lodges and cabins scattered everywhere, so this was nothing unusual. This particular lodge served as a fairly high-end hunting and fishing resort.

Though it was approaching winter, the lodge still had guests. The lodge was within a fifteen-minute flight of Willow Brook but completely off the road system, so we geared up and headed out. Thoughts of Ella fled in the heat of the fire. Our crew and Levi’s responded.

As we flew overhead, we could see the fire from the sky. The lodge was surrounded by nothing but forest and wilderness including a few sections of tumbledown spruce still holding strong in the bark beetle kill ravaged forest. Considering that we were heading into winter, I wasn’t as worried as I might’ve been if it were spring or summer. We were due for some rain in the next few days. If we could manage to get this fire under control and get the guests in the lodge out to safety, we’d call it a win. Fred Banks, the pilot who helicoptered us out gave a wave and said he’d return when we radioed.

My brother Nate had radioed while we were en route to share he’d be flying out soon with a water delivery. Nate, like many bush pilots in Alaska, was licensed to fly planes and helicopters and often helped our crews with air water delivery during fires. Though this particular fire wasn’t that remote, as remote goes in Alaska, they had no local water source beyond a well and a river nearby.

I conferred with Levi once we were on the ground. We quickly developed a game plan and then spread out. First order of business was to get the guests out of the lodge. The lodge had a central wing and two side wings. Guests were trapped upstairs in both of the side wings.

Levi’s crew handled one wing, while mine took care of the other. Despite being in the wilderness, this was luxury lodging with large suites, dining areas and more. It was also set up for people to stay for long chunks of time. This lodge was open all year with hunters, fishermen, hikers and the like coming during spring, summer and fall, while backcountry skiers came during the winter.

A few of the guests and the owners had acted quickly and done what they could to isolate the fire where it started in the kitchens. Yet, with three stories and an almost full lodge, not everyone had gotten out. With the flames shooting high in the sky and burning up the log structure, we needed to act fast. I glanced to Jesse, who shared foreman duties with me. “I’ll head up. How about you guys get the ladders out?”

Jesse nodded. We were in an unusual situation here. Often in backcountry fires, we’d be limited with our equipment. But the lodge had stored ladders high enough to reach the windows in an outbuilding, so we had options.

I glanced over to the crew. “Thad, Donovan, you guys up to coming with me?” I asked. Both nodded. I knew the answer without asking, but out of habit, I asked.

Jesse and the rest of the crew hustled over to deal with the ladders. Tugging on my breathing apparatus with Thad and Donovan following, we made our way into the downstairs. Smoke was thick. We could hear the rushing sound of the fire from the center of the structure. A factor on our side, but also a mark against us, was that the structure was log. The logs gave the fire fuel, but they would burn more slowly than lighter weight building materials. Yet, if it got too hot, we’d be in trouble.

We headed up the stairs. According to the owner, there were two groups of guests on the third floor. Glancing at the windows once we made it to the third floor, I could already see the ladders. I didn’t even need to tell Thad and Donovan what to do. They immediately started checking the rooms up here. After we fanned out, I came across an elderly couple who were both struggling with smoke inhalation. I wasn’t confident they could handle a ladder rescue.

Thad and Donovan worked quickly, separating out who was deemed safe to take down the ladders and who would need to be carried down. They got going with helping guests out the windows and down the two ladders. Meanwhile, I had to do something I hated—make a choice over who needed to get out faster. Both the man and woman in the couple were frail and coughing heavily. Honestly, I didn’t know what the hell they were doing out at a remote lodge in Alaska.

When I glanced between them, the man caught my eyes. “Please take her first. If I need to, I can handle the ladder,” he said in between coughs. I handed him my respirator to give him a few fresh breaths and then put it back in place.

With another glance to Thad and Donovan, I counted out seven others who still needed to be helped down. No time to wait. I lifted the woman into my arms and carried her out swiftly. She was small, frail, and easy to hold. The smoke was getting thicker, and I could hear the fire quickening in the center of the structure. I distantly wondered how things were going over on the other end of the lodge, but I stayed focused, moving quickly down the stairs and outside.

After handing her over to the medical team, I immediately ran back inside. It was blazing hot, the heat penetrating my heavy gear, and I knew I didn’t have much more time. Reaching the top floor again, I saw Thad and Donovan were helping the last two guests out the window. Relieved, I approached the man who was waiting where I’d left him. I gave him a few more breaths of oxygen before fitting the respirator back on. He insisted he wanted to walk, but I shook my head no. I could move quicker with him in my arms.

We made it out within minutes with Thad and Donovan right behind us. After delivering the man to our medical team, I met Levi just outside the center of the structure. Their timing had been about the same as ours. According to the owners, everyone was accounted for now. A brown dog was scampering about the yard. He paused by Levi and me, licking my hand as I slipped my gloves off.

“We need water to help with this fire,” I muttered once I tugged my respirator off.

Levi nodded. “Should be any minute now,” he said.

As if on cue, we heard the distinct sound of helicopter blades coming from the distance. I wondered if it was Nate. Obviously, there was no way for me to know from here, but I’d be able to check on the radio shortly. Meanwhile, Levi and I got back to work, heading out to create fire breaks in the area surrounding the lodge to hopefully contain the fire to the structure alone. Darkness wasn’t far off, so we needed to get this done as quickly as possible.

Late that evening, I sat on the ground, leaning against a tree and guzzling a bottle of water. Rolling my head to the side, I glanced at Levi. “Don’t suppose we’ll get an update if Susannah had the baby yet.”

Levi flashed a tired grin and shrugged. His face was covered in sweat and grime just like mine. It had been a long afternoon and evening. The fire was under control, but the structure was still smoking. Between our crews and the guests at the lodge, we had way too many people to ferry out of here. As it was, it looked like quite a few of us would be spending the night here, so I planned to volunteer. For the first time in hours, Ella danced along the edges of my thoughts.

As if he read my mind, Levi commented, “I’m going to have to radio Lucy. I figure I’ll volunteer to stay for the night. You in with me?” he asked.

“I was just thinking the same thing. It’s almost dark. Let’s check with Jesse and see if he’s heard back from Fred and Nate. I don’t even know if they can do another run tonight.”

Levi nodded, cupping hands around his mouth. “Jesse!”

Jesse Franklin turned from where he stood with a few of the other guys. Strolling over, he stopped in front of us. “What’s up?”

“Have you heard on the radio if they can make another run tonight?” I asked

“That’s a no. They just radioed in and said it’s too dark. That was my guess anyway. We got our gear, so we’re good for the night. The water is actually still working out in that building,” he said, gesturing to a small outbuilding.

“You’re fucking kidding me,” Levi said.

Jesse chuckled. “Nah man. It’s a cleaning area after guests come back from hunts. No hot water, but I’ll take what I can get.”

We settled in for the night with the guys. I fell asleep later, tired and with Ella drifting through my thoughts, spinning on repeat in my brain. I missed her. So damn much.