CHAPTER ONE

 

Austin Holbrook slowly drove down the main street taking in the sights. The soft glow of the sun setting on the idyllic landscape he’d come to know as his home was a signal that the bustling town was winding down for the evening. It had been a month since he’d ventured off the ranch, and it looked like they were preparing for a festival of some sort. But then again, they were always celebrating something. Life in Harper’s Grove was an interesting mix of simple townsfolk and the nouveau riche that had been flocking to the area for the last ten years. He pulled into the parking spot in front of the local radio station and put the truck in park.

Business was booming at the ranch, and his quaint operation had grown tremendously over the last couple of years. He was training new horses, expanding the turnouts and round pens, and had been looking for a veterinarian to replace the doctor who’d retired. It seemed like a hundred years ago when he’d set out to carve a slice of peace and quiet at the Southern Comfort Ranch. Though he’d had many adventures and traveled the globe, he was a cowboy and loved being on his land with his animals.

Although he’d been too busy to socialize, he kept up on the goings on around town. Tonight he looked forward to a much-needed break. He’d be dining with Peyton, a friend and artist, who loved to chat over chicken wings and beers at the Lazy L Cantina. He looked at his watch; he was fifteen minutes early. The blinds on the window of the radio station were open, so he could see Peyton sitting at the console. Grayson had nominated her to be the coordinator of artistic affairs at a council meeting, and he and Alex had seconded the motion. She was giving her report on the arts events happening for the month.

Yes, life was pretty uneventful in this town. But there was a stillness in the air today that he’d only felt in the past when he was in the military. Being a former Navy SEAL had sharpened his senses to danger. What could possibly go wrong around here? You could set your watch by the mundane activities in Harper’s Grove.

“Austin?”

Austin stilled at the familiar voice. It was Lucinda, the popular afternoon radio station personality. They’d dated briefly after meeting at the apple festival, but then, like most of his brief dalliances, it had run its course. Things had been going great until she’d ramped up the romance talk on her show and hinted, for all the world to hear, that she was falling in love. It had all been moving way too fast for him, not to mention how he’d felt like his privacy was being invaded. So he’d had to find a way to let her down without being the topic of her ire on the air. Unfortunately, his decision to break ties diplomatically came on the night he had an emergency at the ranch. He’d bolted out of her house after ending things but without a decent explanation, and it had cost him. Lucinda had talked about non-committal men on her afternoon show many times since.

“Lucinda.” Austin put on a smile and turned around. “Good to see you.”

“You too, handsome.” She gave him the once-over. “I seem to have caught you naked, cowboy. Where’s the hat?”

He laughed despite his unease at seeing her again. He always wore his Stetson around town. “In the truck.”

“What are you doing here? You can’t be here to see me.”

“Waiting for Peyton.” He ran a hand through his hair. “We’re grabbing dinner after she’s done with her announcement.”

“Of course. Peyton.” She rolled her eyes. “You always have time for Peyton.”

He ignored the dig. She was also convinced he was hung up on Peyton—how they were more than just “good friends.” “How are you?”

“I would be better if the last time we were together you hadn’t bolted out of my house under the cover of darkness.”

He shook his head. “That was never my intention. I had a problem with one of the mares. It was an emergency.”

“But you were in the middle of kissing me off before that, and not in a good way.” She folded her arms across her chest, and her eyes narrowed.

He was about to respond when the hair on the back of his neck stood up. He could smell smoke in the air. Austin looked left toward the restaurant down the street. It wasn’t the usual barbecue fire pit smell that usually emanated from that place. This smell was more like the beginnings of a forest fire, pungent and strangling. “Do you smell that?”

“Don’t ignore me. You’ll do anything to get out of talking about your feelings.”

“We hadn’t dated long enough to have any feelings,” he said distractedly. He stepped out into the street and looked around. The burning-scent was getting stronger. He walked a few feet down the middle of road and that’s when he saw it. There were flames and smoke coming from a couple of blocks over. “There’s a fire!”

“Where?” She rushed into the street.

“Looks like it’s over near Oak and Pine.” He pointed to the rising toxic cloud.

“Oh my gosh!”

He sprinted for his truck and wrenched open the door. “Call the fire department!” he yelled to her before jumping inside.

Austin could see the flames growing higher as he sped down the main street, blew past the stop sign, and made the right turn. He followed the cloud of smoke. As he came closer to the source, the cloud grew denser. He screeched to a stop in front of Angela’s, the restaurant that served the best Italian food in town. He dashed out of the truck and peered into the window. The flames were emanating from the back of the store, but he could see the smoke funneling into the dining area. The surrounding stores were closed for the evening, so that was a good thing. The fire department would be there any second to contain the blaze.

“Help!” a call came from the back of the restaurant.

Someone was inside. It sounded like Angela, the owner. The smoke was getting thick and quickly encompassing the dining area. He opened the side-mounted toolbox on the truck and grabbed a hammer. He then opened the truck door, retrieved a jacket from the back seat, and put it around him. He smashed the restaurant’s front door with the hammer, then unlocked the door. There was no time to wait. Angela didn’t have time on her side.

As soon as he stepped inside, the smoke wafted up his nose, and he began to cough. He could see the high flames moving from the back room area and beginning to crawl along the dining room walls. The heat was so intense he felt like he’d jogged five miles as sweat began to drench his clothes. The toxic smell of the blistering paint on the walls and the burning furniture, coupled with the crackling sounds of things being consumed by the blaze, were overwhelming his senses. He had to keep his focus on the voice calling for help. He covered his nose with the jacket, wiped the sweat from his eyes, and kept forging ahead to the distress call.

“Angela! Where are you?” He coughed again as he crouched down below the smoke and continued to move through the dining area.

“By the sink!”

Flames flickered wildly and began to creep from the walls up to the ceiling.

“I got you. Anybody else in here?”

She shook her head.

He draped the jacket around her then scooped her up into his arms. He looked back at the door. The exit was narrowing as the flames continued to engulf the room. He rushed back into the dining room frantically looking for a path out. He was almost there. Austin looked down when Angela’s arm that was tightly wound around his neck became limp. She wasn’t moving.

“Angela? Angela!”

There was no response. He ran out the front door with her in his arms. He was coughing badly and sweating from the incredible heat, but the fresher air outside seemed like a blessing from heaven.

He put her on the ground far enough from the burning building to be safe and checked her pulse. It was weak and sporadic. He began doing CPR. “Come on, Angela!”

The blaring sirens were getting close. A moment later, the rescue vehicles arrived. Firefighters scrambled from the fire trucks, and EMTs sprinted for him.

He moved out of the way as the paramedic took over. “Her pulse is erratic. I’ve been doing the compressions for a minute and thirty-seven seconds.”

“Anybody else in there?” one of the firemen asked as they hooked up their hoses and started blasting water on the flames.

“No. She was the only one.”

“How long were you in there?” a female paramedic said.

“No more than five minutes,” Austin replied.

“We have to get her to the hospital stat!” the paramedic working on Angela yelled.

Austin stood. “I’ll follow you.”

“Oh, no you don’t. You’re getting a complimentary ride too.” The second EMT gently grabbed his arm and guided him toward the ambulance.

“Really? I’m fine.”

“Yeah, big guy.”

Austin climbed into the vehicle and took a seat. The EMT immediately put an oxygen mask on him and took his vitals. It wasn’t how he intended to spend the evening. Chicken wings and beers with Peyton would have been a lot more fun.

 

* * *

 

Savannah Brewster stared at her laptop, looking for divine inspiration. It was a sleepy Friday night at the newspaper, and it looked to be another boring weekend. Life in Harper’s Grove certainly wasn’t as hectic as living in a big city, but the town moved at a maddening, turtle-like crawl. There were festivals and community events going on all the time. For once she wished there would be a conspiracy or some political intrigue to cover. The closest she’d come to anything remotely sensational was when Mayor Bennett declared at a council meeting that his birthday should be an official holiday. She could tolerate all this sleepy, small-town news if she hadn’t been from a family of Hollywood stars. Her mother was a renowned talk show host, and her sister was a model. Harper’s Grove couldn’t hold a candle to Hollywood.

But then again, she hadn’t moved here for the scenery. Love had guided her to this small, eclectic town. Her ex-boyfriend, Levi, had scored a position as an emergency room doctor at Serenity Springs Medical, the fancy hospital that did more tummy tucks than trauma care. He’d been excited about making his mark in the medical field at a preeminent facility for the wealthy.

As his career path cemented, she was floundering a bit, finding her way. After the online paper she’d worked for was shut down due to a scandal, she decided it was a sign she should make the move with Levi.

Now, following her heart had derailed her budding career.

Wayne, a fellow reporter, wandered into her office carrying two steaming mugs. He smiled at her as she glanced over at him. “Coffee?”

“Thanks, Wayne.” She accepted the mug. “I thought you were going home?”

“Eh. I thought I’d get a jump on my article. Ralph wants it by Monday morning.” He motioned to the editor-in-chief’s office on the floor above the bullpen.

“He’s like a machine.” She laughed. “You could get it done over the weekend.”

“I don’t mind the company. I was thinking since we’re both stuck here. Why not order in and make the best of it?”

“Uh.” Savannah didn’t know what to say. Ever since her break up, Wayne had been hinting around about asking her out but could never manage to close the deal. Not that she wanted him to. Wayne was nice enough, but he was about as sexy as a cheese sandwich.

“Brewster!” the boss bellowed as he came out of the office. “There’s a fire at the Angela’s over on Oak. Go cover it.”

“Yes!” She jumped up and grabbed her bag. Finally there was something happening in this town. “Sorry, Wayne. It will be chopsticks for one tonight.”

“Raincheck?”

“Sure. Raincheck.” She put on her jacket and dashed out of the office.

It was a short ride to Oak, but she had to park a few blocks away because the police had stopped traffic going that way. She looked around for a familiar face among the emergency personnel and honed in on the police chief, Hutch Mills.

She waved and shouted from behind one of the barriers. “Chief Mills!”

“Savannah, always good to see you.” He smiled. “Can’t talk right now. We’re a little busy.”

“Official business. My first story.” Savannah held up her press badge. “Can you give me any details on the fire?”

He gave her a weary look.

“Please?” She gave him a sheepish smile. “I’d love to get some inside info for my first real story for the paper.”

“OK. Sure.” He walked over to her. “A fire erupted in the back of the restaurant in the kitchen. We’re still clearing things out, so it will be awhile before the fire inspector will have an official cause.”

“Were there any people inside?”

“The place is closed for renovations but the owner, Angela Bianchi, was there when it happened.”

“Is she OK?” Savannah looked around. There weren’t any ambulances. “Where is she?”

“She had complications and was transported to the hospital.”

“Thank goodness the fire crew got here in time.”

“She was pulled out by a civilian.”

“Really? Who is this hero?”

“Austin Holbrook.” He looked away when someone called out his name. “Listen, I can give you a more formal statement tomorrow for the record.”

“Where is Austin now?”

“He was taken to the hospital too.” Hutch started to walk away. “I don’t usually advocate civilians getting involved in dangerous situations. But if anyone had to save Angela, Austin was the right guy to do it.”

She watched as Chief Mills sprinted back across the street. This story just took an interesting turn.

She interviewed a few more of the rescue guys, who essentially said the same thing. There were bystanders in front of the florist across the street who got her attention. It couldn’t hurt to get a more exciting perspective. The statements from the emergency teams were rather pedestrian and bland. She hurried over to them.

“It was awesome,” one of the witnesses was gushing to another. “He dashed right in there and got her out. He’s something else.”

“Excuse me.” She held up her press badge and then extended her hand. “Hi, Savannah Brewster for the Harper’s Gazette. Would you mind me recounting what you saw for my story?”

They both nodded, and Savannah turned on her digital voice recorder. “First tell me your names please for the record.”

“Wally Smith. I own the tool shop.” He pointed to a sign with a big hammer on it across the street.

“Molly McIntosh, spelled like the apple. I own Molly’s Floral Mosaics.”

“Nice to meet you, Wally and Molly. Would you mind me recounting what you saw for my story?”

Wally rubbed his chin. “I thought Val covered this type of stuff?”

“I’m replacing Val.” She smiled. The townspeople were diligent about knowing who did what. “Did you see what happened?”

“Sure. It was an amazing rescue.” Molly beamed. “Austin charged in there and got her. By the time the rescue squad showed up, he was outside with poor Angela.”

“They should give Austin a medal for his bravery,” Wally said with pride. “But I expect nothing less from a former fellow military man.”

The name didn’t ring a bell. Everyone seemed to think highly of Austin. But she’d been living in this town for a few months and had never heard of the guy. “What does Austin do for a living?”

“He owns the Southern Comfort Ranch.”

She should at least get a photo of Angela and her rescuer for the article. Ralph would think she was nuts if she didn’t. A local hero would make a good story for the paper. She’d go to the hospital and see if they were up to an interview.

“What does he look like?”

Molly grinned. “You’ll know him when you see him. He’s like a fantasy come to life.”

“Thanks, Wally. Molly.” She took a few more pictures with her camera and got back into her car. Typical that the story was over even before she’d arrived. She pulled out of her spot and headed to the hospital. If she were lucky, she could get in, get her interview, and get out again without running into her ex-boyfriend. Hopefully he wouldn’t be on duty in the ER tonight.