Here was where he learned the true meaning of leadership—not the giving of orders but the guiding hands and minds of mentors.
He didn’t immediately announce his presence, because he wanted this moment, a moment when he could wrap his head around the change his life was, hopefully, about to take. A moment to appreciate what had been and compare it to what hopefully would be.
He hadn’t seen either of these two men in nearly five years—not since he’d graduated college and headed out to California for advanced firefighter training.
He’d finished his education and then had dived right in, working where he’d been. California had begun to experience increasingly unprecedented fire seasons, and they had needed him there to help.
He’d fought the beast long and hard, giving that bastard everything that he’d had to give. The last round of wildfires that had rampaged through his part of the Golden State had been particularly vicious. When they’d finally been able to declare the last wildfire under control, the town he’d been a part of for the last couple of years was just…gone, wiped from the face of the earth. Ashes and burned-out stone pads and vehicles and mostly crumbled chimneys were all that remained of the town that had once been and was no more.
He had known then that it was time for him to come home.
He’d been happy to work hard, to serve the people he’d served. But he was needed here—and not just as a firefighter—and so, here he was.
He hoped he’d qualify for one of the two positions he knew were just opening up now. His best friend, Brandon Gillespie, had told him that the Jessops had very recently celebrated the birth of their first children—twin boys that he’d yet to meet. His mother had mentioned in their weekly phone call that these men had decided it was time to have a more normal schedule, with regulated days off.
Knowing the men, and the town, he wasn’t the least bit surprised they’d decided to hire extra staff to make that possible. After all, years ago they’d taken in a wounded family from all the way up in Abilene, a family with no ties to Lusty but still trying, two years on, to recover from the loss of their soldier father/husband. His mom, Jolene, had applied for and been awarded a job at the town’s only clothing store, and that job had come with an apartment that took up the entire upper floor of that store. This town had suited her, because she’d wanted a small-town environment in which to raise her children.
In less than a few weeks after their arrival, the good people of Lusty, Texas, had reached out, drawn them in, and shown them that the best families were made, not necessarily born. The apartment had been upgraded to a leased house, and over time, the sales associate position that his mom had enjoyed evolved into that of business owner, when the previous owner, who’d also been her boss, had retired. Well, the man was actually only semi-retired, he thought, because Darryl still came in a couple days a week and happily worked for his mom. His mom, for her part, had left the name of the store unchanged.
Was it any wonder at all he considered Lusty home?
The guys were standing back, looking at the now pristine fire truck. That was his cue. So he smiled, straightened, and said, “Hey, Captain, I think you missed a spot, there.”
Both men jerked their heads up and turned to look at him, because they were, technically, co-captains. It was Grant Jessop who recognized him first.
“Son of a bitch, I don’t believe it! Trace Langley, all growed up and everything!” The big man dropped his polishing cloth into the bucket and headed straight for him.
Trace met him halfway.
Their man-hug was fierce and nearly brought tears to Trace’s eyes. Grant stepped back, his smile huge, and clapped his hands against the tops of Trace’s arms twice.
Trace had barely drawn a breath when Andrew moved in, delivering his own hug, adding a lift along with his own verbal jabs. “Look at you! What the hell did they feed you out there in lotus land? How can you hold your own, fighting the beast when you’re so damn puny?”
Trace laughed. He was nearly as big as his mentors. Mentors? They were more than mentors to him. They’d been big brothers and heroes as well as mentors.
The truth was there, just waiting for him to acknowledge it. Grant and Andrew Jessop had been everything a teenaged, grieving Trace Langley had needed, exactly when he’d needed them the most. They were family, his family. They, along with the rest of the town, had saved him, as well as his mother, brother, and sister. Thanks to them all, Danielle and Bradley had grown straight and true. Thanks to them, his mother had been able to lose most of the stress of suddenly finding herself a single parent.
There was no way to repay the debt he owed these two men, or this town. It was simply too huge.
“Come on into the kitchen,” Grant said. “We’ll have some coffee and catch up.”
Trace slid his hands into his pockets and followed the two men into the firehouse kitchen. Andrew pointed to one of the chairs, and Trace sat. They’re not as tall as they used to be. Of course, he knew that was his perspective kicking in. They weren’t the ones who’d changed. He was.
Trace was older, taller, and had bulked up some. His mom had told him, when he’d arrived home the night before, that he looked a lot like his
