Page 21 of The Fire Captain's Unexpected Baby
I didn’t want to let myself hope that Aaron was the one who brought the puppies in. More than that, I didn’t want to hope that he would have waited around to see how they fared.
Firefighters are busy people. He must have had better things to do than stand around at an animal shelter, watching as the doctor tried to save these precious pups.
Aaron seems to find new ways to surprise me all the time.
“What are the odds that you were the one they called to come get the dogs?” he adds when I don’t speak up.
“I volunteer here. At least when my schedule at the hospital lets me sneak away. Noah likes to come here, too. We think of it as our happy place.”
“And yet, you have no dogs of your own,” he points out, raising an eyebrow.
“We have too much going on for a dog, so we get our fix by volunteering with them. Maybe one day.” I end up volunteering more than I mean to, as always seems to be the case with Aaron.
He nods and reaches out to scratch the puppies behind the ears.
“Where did these two come from?”
“Wildfire,” he says simply, as if this is any ordinary day. He shrugs casually. “They were just inside the burn line. Easy enough for me to go in and get them, but they were in there for a while.”
I don’t say what I’m thinking: that Aaron is a hero for saving two puppies who don’t even belong to anyone.
Who else rushes into a wildfire, jeopardizing his own safety for a dog? He won’t want to hear it, just as my brother and his friends never do.
“How’s the fire now?” I ask instead.
“Under control.”
“I’m glad.”
I try not to think about how thick my voice gets at the idea of Aaron trying to control the fire. What if he gets hurt, right when we’re starting to get close? Right when I’m thinking about finally letting him in?
Megan bustles over, not subtle at all about her eavesdropping. She hands me two leashes, a small bag of kibble, and a bag stuffed with just about everything I could possibly need to take care of the puppies for the night.
“You have my number if you need anything else,” she says.
“I should get these guys home.” When I turn to lift them from the table, I realize my arms are too full to grab them.
“Give me your keys to unlock your car, and I’ll grab the puppies. You just worry about that bag.” Aaron steps in to help me make it to the car.
Something loosens in my chest at the image of him carrying the puppies tenderly to my car.
He sets them on the floor of the passenger seat. One of them immediately jumps into the seat and looks out the window as the door closes.
“Take good care of them.” He presses the keys into my palm, warm from his hand.
With his thumb, he brushes my cheek softly and leans down to press a kiss to my forehead. Heat colors my cheeks, and I fumble with the keys. Aaron chuckles, a rumble in his chest, before he steps back.
When he does, it feels like I can breathe again.
“I’ll call you tonight,” he promises.
I slip into the driver’s seat and watch as he walks through the parking lot, back to the station SUV several spots away.
A phone call sounds like a good thing, a chance to talk with no touching and no distractions. We can just get to know each other. I just have to figure out?—
Wait, howexactlydid he get my number?
Chapter Eight
