Page 60 of The Outpost (Jamison Valley 4)
“It was nice to meet you,” I said, standing up from Boone to shake Nick’s hand.
“You too. When you get done working here with your beetles,” he smirked at the way my shoulders shivered, “make Beau bring you to town. My wife, Emmy, and I will have you two over for dinner.”
“Thank you.” I waved good-bye.
Dinner with Beau’s friends would never be an option. In all likelihood, I’d never see Nick again or meet his wife, Emmy. It was a harsh reminder that Beau and I didn’t have a future and that the kiss we’d shared this morning was courting nothing but trouble.
Something we would need to talk about later once the forest around my outpost wasn’t on fire.
Two days later, Michael and I were walking through the meadow alone.
Though I was still anxious for Beau’s return, Michael had been a godsend these last couple of days. When I’d start to get worried, he’d assure me everything would be fine. When I’d start to panic that the smoke in the air wasn’t clearing, he’d distract me with a new topic.
But best of all, he hadn’t pried into my reasons for being at the outpost. He had asked me once and I’d told him that my situation was complicated. With one nod, he’d dropped the subject and hadn’t brought it up again. Instead, we’d spent the majority of the last couple of days talking about him.
Michael Holt, much like his older brother, was an incredibly good man and he wanted nothing more than to make Beau proud.
“You really think I shouldn’t worry?” he asked.
I laughed. “Yes, for the hundredth time. You have nothing to worry about. Beau is not going to care that you want to get a dog just like Boone.”
“Mom and Dad are always telling stories about how I was Beau’s shadow. I don’t want him to think that I’m still that little kid, copying everything he does. I just really like his dog.”
I could relate to that. If I ever got a pet, it would have to be Boone’s long-lost twin. “Michael,” I said, “trust me when I say that he will be flattered.”
“You think?”
“I know.”
He sighed. “He’s my hero. Some guys look up to pro athletes. I’ve always looked up to my dad and Beau.”
I swallowed an aww and patted his arm. “That’s sweet. Buy the dog. Beau will see it as a compliment.”
“Okay,” he said. “I’m gonna do it.”
“Now on to a more important topic, what are you going to name it?” I asked.
Michael smiled and started rattling off both male and female dog names. None were as great as Boone but I kept that opinion to myself. We were in the middle of a debate between Zoey and Sadie when a loud, thumping noise rang in the distance.
Michael immediately stopped talking and grabbed my elbow, turning me around and pulling me to the far edge of the meadow opposite the outpost. His long legs were moving so quickly, I had to run to keep up.
“What’s wrong?” I asked when he slowed.
“Chopper.” His arm reached up and pointed to the source of the noise, a helicopter coming right toward us. With every passing second, it grew bigger and louder in the sky. When it reached the airspace above us, the pounding of its blades reverberated against my chest.
My hair whipped around my face as the enormous machine hovered in the center of the meadow. The tall grasses flattened to the ground in a near perfect circle as it set down, and though the blades were starting to slow, the engine noise was still deafening.
“I’ll be right back!” Michael yelled.
I nodded and covered my ears as he jogged the distance to the bright red helicopter. Ducking low when he reached the blades, he went to the passenger door, pulling it open and revealing the words Fire & Rescue painted on the side. Michael talked to the pilot for a few minutes, and when their conversation was finished, he waved, ducked again and ran back to me.
My heart was hammering in my chest, hoping that this unexpected visit was not to deliver bad news. When Michael grinned, my entire body sagged in relief.
“The fire is under control,” he said. “They’re on their way back.”
The firefighters in my meadow were having a bonfire.
“Don’t you think it’s just a little ironic?” I asked Beau.
