Smoky Mountain Sweethearts. Cheryl Harper

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СКАЧАТЬ the part he dreaded. “Think I’ll wait to see if I even rate an interview. You know how it goes. Postings usually come up in January, so it may take forever, but this drought...” Sam shrugged. “It’s worse out West. I figure they’re in a hurry to get the crews fully staffed.”

      Ash grunted. “Probably can’t leave a vacancy for long. Too dangerous.”

      Spring and summer would be the busy seasons. They were here in the Smokies as well, but search and rescue got more interesting in the winter. He’d plan to spend plenty of time volunteering here at home. That would scratch the itch.

      “Gonna be a job up soon in search and rescue, incident commander.” Ash turned to stare over his shoulder as he headed down the trail. “Think you might be interested in that?”

      Sam had the volunteer hours. There’d be hours and hours and hours of training and the competition for jobs here wasn’t much less intense than it was for the few slots that opened in the regional firefighting teams.

      He could consider it as a backup plan.

      But he loved fighting fire.

      Sam shook his head. “No, I know what I want.” He wanted a new challenge. He needed it.

      Ash didn’t answer as they made it back to the trailhead. Sam had no idea if getting Ash out of his cabin had made a lick of difference, but he wasn’t ready to go home.

      “I was thinking of heading over to Obed to do some climbing. Want to go on your next day off?” Sam asked as they made it back to the parking area.

      “Nope. I like my feet on the ground.” Ash didn’t hesitate as he slid into the reserve’s SUV. He raised two fingers in his version of a wave, backed out of the parking spot and headed for his cave.

      Leaving Sam with nothing to do and energy to burn.

      He turned to look back up the trail and took off running. Maybe he could beat his best time. If he did it in the rain, that would be something to brag about.

      Not that he’d have any proof, but four more miles in the rain should be enough for one day. Sam hit the trail hard, clearing the first switchback easily, and ran until his heart pounded and he had to concentrate on breathing. The view was forgotten as he focused on each step of the rocky path up and then back down the mountain.

      Pleasantly tired and overall satisfied with tying his best time, Sam slid into the truck and started it up. Not much for a firefighter to do on a misty day like this one. There was no lightning to keep things interesting. It was a bad idea to whine about things being too quiet. Mother Nature had a way of kicking up a fuss, but his trip back to Sweetwater was easy enough. When he parked in front of the housing for Otter Lake rangers, he could see his mother’s Cadillac.

      Apparently, he’d missed everything but the goodbye, though, because Regina Blackburn was trotting down the covered steps that led to the second-floor apartments. “There you are. Soaking wet.”

      She smoothed her sleek bob behind one ear and plucked at his gray T-shirt. “I brought over some groceries and the leftover roast beef you forgot to take with you last night. It’s in the fridge.”

      “Thanks, Mom,” Sam said as he pretended he was about to give her a bear hug. She shook one hot-pink fingernail in his face.

      “Don’t you do it. I’ve got cards with the girls and no time for a change.” She gave each cheek an air-kiss. “Now, I’d ask you what you were doing, but it was something foolish that will make an old woman have palpitations if she discovers her favorite son participating, am I right?”

      Sam mimed zipping his lips and tossing the key. The Eagle Nest was safer now after the trail renovation than it had been in decades, but she’d never agree.

      She raised one eyebrow at him. “How you can risk that pretty face is beyond me. You better keep it safe.” She tapped his cheek.

      “Yes, Mother.” He ducked his head and wondered when she’d notice all the mud on his legs. He should point it out to hear her fuss.

      “I should run,” she said and pouted. “Wish you’d been here sooner. We could have warmed up the leftovers.”

      The thing about loving his mother was that he was skating dangerously close to becoming one of those guys, the mama’s boys. But she was amazing.

      Since she’d retired, she’d taken keeping him well fed seriously.

      “I needed to get Ash’s opinion on something.” Sam stared up at the tall pines lining the parking lot and decided to rip off the bandage. “A job opportunity. In Colorado.”

      She paused midstep and slowly turned. “Ash’s opinion. On a job that might as well be on the other side of the world.” That was pretty much how he’d expected this conversation to go.

      “Yeah, for the Highland team that’s based at Copper Mountain.” Sam braced his hands on his hips, prepared for the worst.

      “The crew that fights out-of-control blazes,” she said slowly. “That dies fighting those fires.”

      Much like the improved hike to The Eagle Nest, he could tell his mother that they were trained for those conditions and had countless successes for each accident the crew suffered, but she’d never accept that as a logical reason not to worry.

      “I won’t get an interview, Mom,” Sam said as he ran a hand through his damp hair. “I bet there are a hundred better-qualified applicants for this one opening. I thought you’d want to know.”

      “Well,” she said as she smiled brightly, “you know I believe you can do anything you want to do, so...” Then she marched to her Cadillac and slid in. She gave him her normal jaunty wave on the way out of the parking lot, but he had the feeling she’d be losing sleep until he got his form rejection email.

      That would make two of them.

      He shouldn’t have told her. That had been his original plan. He always got into trouble when he did too much thinking. Sam trotted up the steps two at a time and resolved to send in his application and then eat every single bit of roast beef in his refrigerator before calling his mother to ask if she had any more.

      If she was upset over his news, some of her mood would be restored by his love of her cooking. Regina Blackburn could be talked out of a funk by one needy phone call from her son.

       CHAPTER THREE

      THE THING ABOUT epiphanies was that they never came when Avery wanted them to. After nearly a solid week of living under her mother’s extremely watchful eye, it had become clear they both needed a break from all their new togetherness.

      Borrowing the car had been her first step to freedom. When her mother asked for a destination, only one place came to mind. It had been ten years since she’d made the easy hike up to Yanu Falls inside the reserve, but she would never forget the exhilaration of standing on the cliff overlooking the falls that led to a cove of Otter Lake.

      Since her mother was hovering again, Avery had grabbed a water bottle, waved her cell phone and said she’d be back that afternoon. After so many years of living in the city, even driving the СКАЧАТЬ