Ignite: A Werebear + BBW Paranormal Romance (Bearpaw Ridge Firefighters Book 3) Page 7

  "It's—it's been a really shitty week," she gasped between sobs.

  She felt humiliated beyond belief by the public spectacle she was making of herself. Hot tears ran down her cheeks, and her chest hurt with the effort of trying to throttle back the sobs.

  "M—my sister's dead, and I—I don't have any clothes or diapers or anything right now. My car is gone, too, there's all this really weird, scary stuff happening. I don't know what to do next!"

  Annabeth didn't say anything, just handed Steffi a wad of Kleenex. A moment later, Steffi felt a gentle arm come around her shoulders, and she lost the battle to control herself.

  She twisted on the bench, put her face to Annabeth's shoulder, and cried for a long time, surrounded by the comforting smells of yeast and vanilla.

  Annabeth didn't try to convince her that everything was okay or ask her to get herself under control. She just sat there and held Steffi, offering silent comfort until Steffi was finally able to claw back some of her shredded self-control.

  She pulled away from Annabeth and dabbed furiously at her hot face with the now-damp Kleenex.

  "I'm so sorry," she gasped. Her throat felt hot and tight in the aftermath of the storm of tears. "You must think I'm a complete nutcase. I don't usually act like this."

  "I don't think that at all," Annabeth said softly. "Like you said, you've had a really rough week. And I'm sure that this fire didn't help calm your nerves," she added dryly.

  Steffi laughed hoarsely. "Oh, God." She blew her nose. "I’m such a mess right now."

  "I think you're doing pretty well, all things considered."

  Steffi dared to look Annabeth in the face. And found only compassion and understanding there.

  "You should have seen me two years ago. That was in the early days of dating Dane. Everything seemed to be going so well after I moved here—I liked the people in this town, I'd fallen for this hunky fireman who was sweet and nice and crazy about me—" Annabeth's gaze went across the street to where her husband was loading thick coils of fire hoses back on the fire engine. "—and my bakery was beginning to make real money. Then my crazy stalker ex found me."

  "Uh-oh," said Steffi, dreading the next part of Annabeth's story.

  Annabeth nodded. "Uh-oh is right. There—there was a fire. A really bad one." She swallowed hard and looked away from the charred remains of the hotel across the street. "I woke up in the hospital thinking I'd lost everything."

  "Then what happened?" Steffi asked, fascinated.

  Annabeth smiled, and it was as radiant as the sun just coming over the mountains. "Dane and his family stepped in to help me get back on my feet. I moved in with him at the ranch, and his mother let me run my business out of the ranch house kitchen until the insurance payments came in and I could rebuild the bakery. And the people in this town—the people here were so incredibly generous, Steffi. I had the bakery reopened before the end of summer."

  She gazed down at the sleeping Olivia and pulled the edge of the blanket a little higher around the baby's face. "The Swansons take care of their own, and that includes you, apparently."

  "Me?" Steffi asked, startled.

  Annabeth nodded. "To be honest, you're the real reason I came by here this morning. Evan phoned me a little while ago and told me you needed a place to stay. I wanted to meet you."

  Steffi blinked, feeling confused. "Why?"

  "If you wouldn't mind living over a bakery, I have a nice loft apartment that you're welcome to stay in." Annabeth's smile deepened. "And thanks to my extremely protective husband, the apartment has a security system." She shook her head. "I moved to a town where no one locks their doors and people think you're a little uptight for locking your car when you park it…and I meet Mr. Overprotective. Of course," she added, "seeing me almost burned alive may have contributed to the overprotective part."

  Shock left Steffi feeling dizzy. "I couldn't possibly—" she began, her mouth moving on autopilot.

  But it would be perfect. An apartment, where she could heat up Steffi's bottles and jars of baby food whenever her niece was hungry. A place for naps and a playpen. And maybe even a washing machine for all those loads of baby-related laundry.

  And a security system. Oh, thank God.

  Annabeth's smile twisted as she glanced at the charred remains of the Bearpaw Ridge Inn.

  "The apartment was completely renovated after the fire. I had tenants for a while, but they moved out a couple of months ago. Dane and I have been staying there whenever he's on call for the fire department, but you're welcome to take it while you're visiting Bearpaw Ridge."

  This is the answer to my prayers. Steffi looked at Annabeth in shock and tried to come up with the right way to express her thanks. And Evan arranged this for me?

  Annabeth apparently took Steffi's silence for skepticism. She added, "It's not a really fancy place, but it's furnished, and I could loan you towels and bedsheets…and clothes, if you need some to tide you over until you can go shopping. I think we wear nearly the same size."

  The unexpected generosity of the offer made Steffi's eyes sting with renewed tears. "Thank you, Annabeth. I—I don't know what to say. I'll pay you, of course. It could be like Airbnb or something."

  "Nonsense," Annabeth said briskly. "I wouldn't dream of charging family…especially when you've been burned out. Remember, I know something about that."

  She cut off Steffi's protest with a sharp gesture. "Just think of it as me paying forward some of the help I received when it happened to me."

  * * *

  "It's perfect," Steffi breathed as she followed Annabeth into the apartment a short time later, a subdued Royce following close on their heels.

  As Annabeth had explained, her apartment was located on the second story of an old brick building, located right above the Cinnamon + Sugar Bakery and Café. The apartment had its own set of stairs on the outside of the building, though, so Steffi wouldn't have to walk through the bakery whenever she wanted to go in or out.

  "I'm really glad you like it," Annabeth answered. "Let me give you the tour."

  The loft-style apartment was enormous, easily twice the size of Steffi's condo back in Cupertino, with a great room that served as a combined living room, dining room, and bedroom. It was light and airy, with hardwood floors, high plaster ceilings that looked freshly painted, and two big skylights to supplement the single large window looking out over Main Street.

  Tucked away along the back wall was a generously sized open-plan kitchen with a big fridge and a glass cooktop as well as dishwasher and oven. All of the appliances looked new.

  A long, granite-topped breakfast bar with four counter-height chairs made of dark wood with coffee-colored suede seats separated the kitchen area from the living room area.

  The loft's remaining furnishings were simple but comfortable-looking: a queen-sized bed with two nightstands; large leather sofa facing a huge flat-screen TV mounted on the wall near the front door; and a long, low coffee table that consisted of a simple wrought-iron frame topped with polished stone tiles in varying warm shades of browns and beiges.

  One of the apartment's two doors led to a large walk-in closet that was approximately the same size as the guest bedroom in Steffi's condo.

  When Steffi peeked inside, she saw a small selection of brightly colored chef's coats and checkered pants hanging on one side of the closet, with several pairs of sturdy, comfortable shoes lined up neatly underneath. A modest selection of jeans, sweats, and T-shirts were folded on the shelves above the hangers.

  The other side of the closet held five or six men's shirts with jeans folded on the shelf above, and a pair of honest-to-God fancy cowboy boots standing next to a pair of ordinary steel-toed workman's boots. There was also a fireman's uniform of dark cotton slacks and a navy blue T-shirt emblazoned with BPRFD hanging next to a sheepskin jacket.

  "We keep a few things here for the days when Dane is on call with the fire department. The ranch is a little too far out of town to be convenient," Annabe
th explained.

  She pointed at a couple of items leaning against the back of the closet, almost hidden by a couple of bulky winter coats.

  "I have a folding high chair, stroller, and small crib here, if you want to use them for Olivia." Annabeth looked embarrassed as she said this. "Little Matt is the first grandchild on both sides of the family, so all of our relatives have been incredibly generous with giving us baby things. Since Matt and Olivia are only a couple of months apart in age, I'm hoping that maybe she can use some of his things while you're here."

  Steffi felt a renewed stinging in her eyes, but they were tears of gratitude this time. "You have no idea how much this means to me," she said.

  On impulse, she hugged Annabeth. Annabeth returned the hug without reservation. "I'm just glad I can do something to help."

  The loft's other door opened onto a generously sized bathroom decorated in ivory tiles with a wide band of marble mosaic accent tiles in shades of brown similar to that of the coffee table in the living room.

  The bathroom had a large antique claw-foot tub and an even larger shower. It looked like heaven on earth.

  Annabeth giggled at Steffi's reaction. "After the morning you've had, I bet you're dying for a shower. Why don't you hop in and make yourself comfortable? There are clean towels on the rack, and I'll keep an eye on Olivia."

  "You are totally my new best friend," Steffi told the other woman.

  "It's nothing, really." Annabeth's face turned a cute shade of pink as she waved Steffi into the bathroom.

  Steffi entered the tiled sanctuary as if it were the Promised Land, gratefully stripping off the borrowed T-shirt, her torn, smoky nightshirt, and her undies as she made a beeline for the shower.

  When she emerged from the bathroom sometime later, finally free of the lingering smell of smoke, Steffi found Olivia awake and seated in the portable high chair, which looked like a piece of camping gear, with soft fabric sides and back and a black plastic tray in front.

  Annabeth, bless her, had mixed up some rice cereal and was feeding it to Olivia.

  Royce was sitting next to the high chair, alert for any goodies that might come dribbling down.

  This morning, he was probably hungry and wondering why his breakfast was late. Then Steffi spotted the pair of bowls sitting on the floor near the high chair. One bowl was filled with clean water, and the other was empty.

  "I gave Royce a leftover grilled boneless chicken breast," Annabeth said when Steffi poked her head into the living room. "I hope that's okay. And I put a couple of clean diapers on the coffee table, along with a container of wet wipes, to tide you over until you can get to a store," Annabeth said. "Take a look at the bed—I found some clothes that might fit you. Why don't you try them on?"

  Unwilling to put her shredded nightshirt back on again, Steffi had wrapped herself in her damp bath towel. She felt a fresh burst of gratitude towards Annabeth as she walked over to the bedroom area.

  Annabeth had left a selection of clothes spread over the freshly made bed—a pair of worn, comfortable-looking jeans, sweatpants, a couple of T-shirts, and even a bra that looked like it might fit Steffi.

  "If the bra fits, you can keep it—I outgrew it when I started nursing Matt," Annabeth commented. She grinned. "Not that Dane's objecting to my new bust size."

  "I know I keep saying thank you, but really, you're a lifesaver," Steffi said. "I don't know what I would have done without you."

  Miraculously, the bra fit perfectly, as did the jeans and a scoop-necked T-shirt in bright blue.

  Clean, dressed, and caffeinated, Steffi looked around at the beautiful apartment and thought that maybe everything would turn out okay, after all.

  * * *

  Someone knocked on the door just as Steffi was wielding a damp washcloth to wipe the remains of Olivia's breakfast from the baby's cheeks and chin.

  Royce barked once, then returned to the serious business of licking every last spatter of cereal off the polished hardwood floor.

  Annabeth had left a short while ago to return to work at her bakery, so Steffi debated whether to open the door or not. She didn't really know anyone in town. On the other hand, Royce wasn't acting like he sensed a threat.

  She compromised by peering through the peephole in the front door. To her surprise, she saw Evan Swanson standing there.

  Chapter 7

  Steffi opened the door, and the sheer impact of Evan's presence hit her like a ton of bricks.

  He was just as big and tall as she remembered, and the warmth of his smile threatened to melt her panties.

  Without the bulky fireman's coat to hide him, she saw that he was all muscle under a tight Bearpaw Ridge Fire Department T-shirt and worn jeans.

  He had shoulder-length black hair pulled back in a low ponytail, and strong black brows over intense hazel eyes. His chin and cheeks were lightly stubbled, which just added to the overall impression of animal sexiness.

  "Hi, Steffi," he said in a deep voice that seemed to shoot straight down to the pit of her belly, spreading pleasant tingles along the way. "Is this a good time?"

  She realized that she was staring at him like a complete dork.

  Down, girl. He's taken, remember? At least her tongue wasn't hanging out of her mouth.

  "Uh, hi," she managed, feeling her face heat with embarrassment at her reaction to him.

  And what was he doing here, anyway?

  Even if her wildest—and most unrealistic—fantasies came true, and he actually wanted to ask her out…there was still Mary. Who had seemed like a really nice person and who had all but confessed to being in love with Evan.

  "Can I help you?" Steffi finished lamely.

  Evan grinned down at her as if he had noticed the effect he was having on her. Damn it.

  "I'm here to take you shopping," he announced. "Annabeth called and told me that your car was parked behind the hotel." His grin faded and was replaced by a sympathetic expression. "I'm sorry, but that parking lot got buried in debris when the building collapsed. I'm afraid any cars parked there are toast. Literally."

  Steffi sighed at this confirmation of her earlier guess. "That's what I figured, but I was hoping I'd get lucky. How about the stuff inside the rooms? Did anything survive?"

  She thought about her suitcase and her computer bag, containing her work laptop. She had put them both in the hotel room's closet to keep them out of the way.

  Evan shook his head. "I don’t know, but to be honest, there isn't much left of the building. And it'll be a day or two before we can search the site for any personal possessions that might have survived. A fire marshal's been called in to investigate for possible arson, and they don't want us to disturb the scene."

  "You think someone tried to burn down the hotel?" Steffi asked in horror.

  She remembered Annabeth's story about her ex-fiancé and shuddered.

  Then another bad thought occurred to her—had her mysterious pursuers set the fire to flush her out so that they could grab Olivia?

  Or was their sudden appearance on the street just after the fire just a coincidence?

  If so, it was a damned suspicious coincidence, Steffi thought angrily.

  "I don't know," Evan said soberly. "I hope not. But, anyway, I drove my truck over here. It's parked in front of the bakery. I figured you'd need some new clothes and, uh, baby stuff." He peered over her shoulder into the apartment. "Though it looks like Annabeth got you squared away on that front."

  Behind Steffi, Olivia made a happy gurgling sound, and Evan's grin sprang back to life. He waved at the baby. "Hey there, sweetie! How's my girl doing? Your Uncle Evan's gonna make sure you have some pretty things to wear."

  See, he's only here because of Olivia. Steffi felt just the tiniest twinge of disappointment, followed instantly by an odd sense of relief that he wasn't the kind of guy who'd cheat on his girlfriend.

  Well, his sort-of girlfriend.

  In any case, it was a nonissue. Evan was just here because of Olivia.

 
Besides, a shopping trip didn't count as a date. Did it?

  Once she'd told herself that Evan was here as Olivia's family member and not as a potential date, Steffi relaxed a little and stopped feeling so tongue-tied. She smiled back at him.

  "A firefighter who wants to take a girl shopping?" she asked jokingly. "Now, that's gotta be every woman's idea of the perfect man! I can't think of anything better."

  Evan's brows rose. "Better than those charity calendars? You know, the ones where shirtless firefighters pose holding orphaned kittens and puppies? Someone at the local animal shelter just contacted us about doing one of those for Christmas." He grimaced.

  Steffi pretended to ponder the issue seriously. It was difficult to suppress drool at the mental image of Evan half-naked and holding a cute puppy.

  Oh God, I think my ovaries just exploded.

  "Um, I'd say it was a tie," she told him. "And I'd totally buy one of those calendars if you guys do one! They're for a good cause, right?"

  "Even if Fred Barker decides to pose?" Evan asked. "He's our chief paramedic. You met him this morning."

  "Which one was Fred Barker?" Steffi pursed her lips, trying to remember the other two firefighters on the scene, the ones who had been operating the hoses. One had been an older man with graying hair. The other one, though…

  "Was he the hot guy with the beard?" she teased.

  Evan huffed and rolled his eyes. "Nope, that's my brother Mark." His expression held a hint of mischief as he added. "He's not hot. He's a lawyer."

  "You say that like it's a bad thing," Steffi shot back, just to see his reaction. "Does he drive a nice car?"

  Evan shook his head. "Nope. In fact, we all drive the same model of pickup trucks in this family."

  "So if you're really a lawyer, too, I'd never know?"

  This got her a real laugh. She liked the way his eyes crinkled at the corners.

  "I'm actually a wildlife biologist with state Fish and Game," he said. "Dr. Evan Swanson at your service, ma'am. My favorite hobby is taking pretty ladies shopping…which reminds me, I don't have a car seat for Olivia, so Annabeth told me to tell you that her babysitter Jodie is coming by with Matthew in a few minutes, and they'll all hang out here until we return." He winked at her. "There might even be time for us to go out for lunch. My boss heard about the fire, and he isn't expecting me to come into the office until this afternoon."