Page 18 of Maverick
“Fire lanes?” I asked. I knew all about HOV lanes, but what the hell was a fire lane?
“The paths, ma’am.” Baller winked again, unbothered by Mav’s earlier reaction. “Burning is a natural part of the pine forest ecosystem. We put in fire lanes to set a boundary between sectors and to have an access point in case things get out of hand. We team up with Larry to do a controlled burn every two or three years. Usually during the day, but a nighttime burn can be fun, too.”
“Guess he got tired of waiting on us this year.” Blade nodded toward the eastern path and we all turned to see Dad walking toward us with a flashlight and an empty milk jug.
“Dad!” I shouted. “What are you doing out here? I thought you were asleep!”
“Hey, sweetie! Evening, boys.” He nodded at the three men as if we were shooting the shit Saturday afternoon.
“Dad! Seriously! What are you doing?”
He shrugged. “Same as you, I reckon. Checking on the fire, making sure it doesn’t jump. I was worried about my garden, so I poured some water around the perimeter. It should be fine. There’s no wind tonight. The fire ought to burn itself out in a few hours.”
“Dad,” I began gently, “you know it’s one o’clock in the morning, right?”
He chuckled. “Hell of a time for a burn, huh boys?”
“Then why did you start one?” I all but screeched. Mav squeezed me closer and I took a deep breath. This wasn’t Dad’s fault. He couldn’t help it. It was the disease.
“Oh, that wasn’t me.” Larry shook his head. “I figured it was one of y’all.”
Mav’s fingers brushed along bare arm, the movement gentle and calming. “Wasn’t us, Larry.” Mav turned to Blade, giving him a slight jerk of the chin. Blade lowered his head and backed away, slipping into the shadows.
Dad shrugged. “Maybe it was lightning.” We all looked up, but nobody mentioned the cloudless, clear sky. “I’m going to start a pot of coffee. Anybody want some?”
Baller raised a hand. “I’ll take a cup. You got any of those boiled peanuts left?”
Dad grinned. “Sure do. I pulled a bag out of the freezer yesterday. They should be thawed out by now.”
“Sweet! I’ll set up the chairs and take the first shift with you.”
Dad turned and went inside the house while Baller moved chairs from the deck down to the patio.
“Mav?” I asked, staring at the fire. His arm was still around my shoulders, and I appreciated his support more than I could admit.
“Yeah?”
“Did my dad wake up in the middle of the night and start a forest fire?”
He sighed. “Looks that way.”
I took in a shuddering breath as tears welled in my eyes. “I don’t know if I can do this.”
“Aww, sweetheart.” He pulled me into an embrace as I silently cried against his chest. “You can, and you will.”
“How do you know?” I sniffled, choosing to ignore the fact that I was having a breakdown on my dad’s hot neighbor.
He squeezed me tight and kissed the top of my head. “I know because you’re already doing it.”
13
Kat
The doorbell rang and Noodle shot across the house, barking at abnormal decibels.
My heart lurched, still feeling a little PTSD after the fire. We were a few days past that, but it would take awhile before I could hear Noodle’s emphatic barking without spiraling.
Dad followed her to the front door. “Hush now. We can hear the bell just fine without you.”
