Reunited By A Secret Child. Leigh Bale

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ States had been having a severe drought. With his practiced eye, Reese could tell the region was prime for another wildfire. All this area needed was a single strike of lightning or a careless camper for the place to go up in flames. And that thought terrified Reese. Because he didn’t believe he could ever fight wildfires again. So what would he do to earn a living? He didn’t have a clue. Fighting wildfires was all he knew. The only thing he’d ever been good at.

      Adjusting the weight of his heavy pack, he headed toward the hangar. In an airport this size, there was only one building. Ed Hayden, the caretaker, should be inside. There were no taxis or rental cars in this town, so Reese had called ahead to ask for a lift. Ed had agreed to drive him into town. Otherwise, Reese would just hoof it. As a hotshot, he’d hiked many miles through rugged terrain that would leave most men gasping. He was in prime physical condition and the five-mile walk would be easy. The solitude might do him some good, too.

      Inside the hangar, he passed by a forklift and another prop plane. The heavy smell of fuel made him crinkle his nose.

      “Hello? Is anyone here?” He paused to listen for a moment.

      No one responded. A scuffling noise came from behind him. He turned. A woman stood silhouetted in the doorway leading out to the parking lot. Although her face was in shadow, his guard went up like a kite flying high. The words journalist and media flashed across his brain. He was so weary of being hounded for an interview that he’d become cynical and wary. Surely the reporters were no longer expecting him. Ed had told him that several journalists had been by every day, waiting for him. He’d hoped when he hadn’t shown up that they’d all left town.

      The woman took a step into the sunlight. Dressed in a modest, flowered sundress and strappy sandals that accented her shapely ankles, she seemed vaguely familiar. His gaze shifted to her side. She held the hand of a little girl perhaps six years of age. He thought there was something familiar about the child, too. Something he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

      “Hello,” the woman said, her voice low and strangely soothing.

      “Hi, there,” Reese returned, trying not to sound grouchy. Right now, he didn’t want to talk to anyone but Ed Hayden.

      “You look lost,” she said.

      “Nope. I’m just not sure where I’ll be tomorrow, and that’s not the same thing.”

      “Isn’t it?” She tilted her head to one side. A spray of sunshine gleamed off her long auburn curls. Her lovely mouth curved in a slight smile that didn’t quite reach her gentle brown eyes.

      Yeah, he was sure he knew her, but what was her name? It was on the tip of his tongue, like the sweet taste of his mom’s homemade sugar cookies.

      The woman looked at him with an oddly penetrating gaze. As though she could see deep inside his blackened heart and knew every one of his failings. Every flaw. Every regret.

      “You don’t recognize me, do you?” she asked.

      He took a deep, impatient breath through his nose. “Sure, I do.”

      But no, he didn’t. And a flush of embarrassment heated his face. Right now, he needed to think what to do next. To go to his motel room and be left alone until he could figure out another career for himself. That was all he wanted.

      She took a step closer and held out her hand. “I’m Kathleen Ashmore. You and I graduated from high school together.”

      Ah, yes. It all came flooding back like the rush of adrenaline when he was fighting fires. Katie Ashmore. But, boy! She’d changed. A lot. Gone was the plain, gawky girl with disorderly red hair, freckles, thick glasses and frumpy clothes. The class valedictorian. Her test scores had been off the charts. She’d had a scholarship to at least two Ivy League schools and wanted to be a pediatrician, as he recalled. So what was she doing here?

      Reese blinked, stunned by her transition. Surely this couldn’t be dreary little Katie Ashmore. No sirree. This woman had a gorgeous figure and delicate features any man would notice. She’d become a stunner in the looks department. The drab duckling had become an elegant swan. In fact, with her brains and beauty, he had no doubt she could do anything her heart desired.

      “Of course I remember. You tutored me in math.” He forced himself to relax. He smiled, wondering if she might give him a ride into town. He definitely wasn’t eager to ask. The last thing he wanted was an old classmate hanging around him, asking questions about the wildfire and his crew.

      “And science,” she said.

      “Yeah, right.”

      How could he forget? He’d been an athlete at their high school, with a scholarship to the University of Nevada in Reno. His mom had wanted him to study electrical engineering, but he didn’t want to go to school. Not in those days. He’d longed to get away from his father. He’d always thought that work experience was as good as a formal education. So he’d chosen hotshot wildfire fighting. More action. More fun.

      What a fool he’d been. Too stupid to recognize that hard work and determination would get him further ahead than partying with friends and sliding through life with a minimum of effort. He’d soon discovered that firefighting was intense, difficult work. But he’d come to love it. Until two weeks ago, he’d planned to work his way up and one day be promoted to superintendent. But things were different now. He no longer knew what he wanted.

      The little girl with Katie was looking at him with a critical eye, as though she could see deep inside him. Again, he felt a familiarity with her that he didn’t quite understand.

      “You’re the firefighter I saw on TV. The one that survived,” the child said, her voice soft and matter-of-fact.

      “Yeah,” he said, a hard lump of sandpaper in his throat.

      “I’m sorry you lost your friends,” the kid said.

      Reese couldn’t detect a single ounce of guile in her voice. Her compassion seemed sincere. And coming from an innocent child, her words touched him like nothing else could.

      “Yes, we were both sorry to hear about your hotshot crew. I’m glad you’re okay,” Katie said. Her expressive eyes crinkled at the corners, telling him she was genuinely concerned.

      “Thanks, but I’d rather not talk about it,” he said, trying not to sound too abrasive. After all, it wasn’t their fault.

      “I understand. Are you headed into town?” Katie asked.

      “Yeah,” he said, glancing around. Where was Ed?

      During high school, Katie had tutored him a couple nights each week. He’d been smart enough, but he’d talked her into doing his homework and writing his research papers. She’d stared at him with doe-eyed adoration. He could have talked her into doing anything, and he had. He’d used her, taking her most precious gift. Now he felt guilty and embarrassed by it all. He’d been such an idiot. He never should have taken what belonged to her husband. He should have studied harder. Should have been kinder, more diligent and responsible.

      “You used to wear glasses,” he said.

      She nodded. “I wear contact lenses now.”

      He paused, liking the change. “Are you home visiting your family?”

      “No, СКАЧАТЬ