She’s not your worry.
She said she enjoyed climbing, hiking, and skiing, but she also made that part of her job.
Tony could have any woman he wanted. Why was he so hung up on this one he couldn’t have? Man, he needed to get laid.
Any number of women could eradicate thoughts of the ice principessa tonight.
Only question was, who’d he want to call? Not a single other woman came to mind at the moment.
Because all you can think of is Carmella.
Reaching for the box of orecchiette pasta, he knocked the ladle to the floor. The loud clang elicited guffaws from behind him as Brad and Michael cracked up over his clumsiness. Normally, Tony would be the one busting someone else’s chops, but today, apparently, he was fodder for the firehouse’s amusement.
I need to get my shit together.
Good thing Rafe was closed off in his office cramming for the battalion chief’s exam that he’d be taking when it was offered again. He’d missed out on obtaining that rank in the neighboring county—to Mama’s new beau, no less—but intended to be ready when the next opening came up. There was talk about the BC here retiring in the coming months, and in their small department where a lieutenant could go directly to BC, Rafe would be a shoo-in.
Anyway, Tony didn’t want to give his big brother any ammo to tease him with later on.
“Who is she, Tony?” asked Brad, the ladder truck’s engineer.
“Who said there’s a she?” He placed the dirty ladle in the sink and took a clean one from the hook on the wall.
“You’ve been mooning ever since you showed up today—on your day off, no less. Did you meet some hot piece of ass at your sister’s wedding and couldn’t win her over with your Italian-stud charms?”
Anger boiled up in an instant. “Watch your language. She’s not that kinda girl.”
“Oh-ho! So you did meet someone!” Michael chimed in.
The guys were in the midst of exchanging high fives at guessing why he was off today when the tones dropped. As he listened to hear if their station would be involved in the call, he wondered if there had there been some kind of friendly bet going on behind his back this afternoon.
Rafe came running out of his office. “The Middle Fork River spilled over the roadway at Blackford’s Crossing off County Road 5. Stranded motorists. Swift water. Ladder truck. Let’s gear up!”
Without being asked, Tony decided to join them on the call knowing there was room in the ladder truck for a fourth man. He turned off the stove burner, put the lid on the pot, and slid down the pole after the others.
Downstairs, dispatch paged several area fire and rescue squads. Aspen Corners’ station definitely was closest, only about five minutes away. Every person on duty—and off—for miles around would show up for a swift-water rescue, because those situations could be some of the most dangerous rescue challenges faced by firefighters. No one ever felt like they had enough training for them.
Tony grabbed his swift-water rescue gear, including his helmet, personal flotation device, and new dry suit. The EMS crew was out on an earlier call but had radioed in that they had finished and were en route to the scene. As he’d expected, Rafe assigned Tony to the ladder truck. Tony took the passenger-side seat behind his oldest brother and buckled up, pushing everything from his mind except this rescue. He tried to picture the scene and listened to Rafe spelling out the details as they headed northward out of town. A hard rain fell, which would only make matters worse. At last month’s swift-water training session, they’d been alerted to the fact that last June’s massive wildfire on Iron Horse, coupled with any significant rainfall, would increase the likelihood for mudslides. He didn’t know how long it had been raining this hard, having been in the station all afternoon, but it was coming down in sheets at the moment.
“Platte County Water Rescue Team is responding from the north,” Rafe told Brad, who drove the apparatus, and the two firefighters in the backseat. “Mother and baby in a RAV4 knocked off the roadbed into the river. Completely surrounded by rising water. They’re already on the roof.”
Shit. The most emotionally charged calls first responders could receive involved children. And a lightweight SUV wasn’t going to withstand this much pressure for long with all the water and debris assaulting it during this downpour.
Tony’s heart pounded even harder as Rafe continued taking orders from the battalion chief already on scene, and relaying assignments to his crew and the others on the way.
“Tony, I’ll follow you out on the ladder,” Rafe said.
Knowing he’d have his big brother as backup gave him an added boost of confidence. Two in, two out. Rafe had taught him so much over the last few years, and the two had trained together last month, so everything was fresh in their minds.
Tony nodded, surprised that he’d get to put his new skills to use so soon after completing the water-rescue training. He was the strongest swimmer in the crew, which was probably why Rafe had assigned him that job, although nobody would want to go into the raging waters he expected to find on scene.
Thank God he’d hung out at the station today because Michael would be needed to set up the safety lines while Brad, as engineer, would have to stay with the truck throughout the rescue.
Tony said a quick prayer asking Papa for protection and guidance leading to a successful rescue, as he did on each run. Ever since Tony had taken his oath, he’d felt Papa with him on every call. Papa had died in an avalanche near here while attempting a rescue nine years ago on a search-and-rescue call. All four of his sons had decided to go into the fire service as a tribute to their father who had always given back to
