"Okay, guys. That's enough," Taren Davis said as he sat in the kitchen of the firehouse, watching the antics of his fellow firefighters."I'm telling you, Taren. My guns are bigger. Look!" Bret flexed his bicep and held it up to Dylan's."In your dreams," Dylan replied, relaxing his muscles. "You don't bench press three hundred pounds a day like I do.""Yeah, right." Bret laughed. "You've never benched three hundred pounds in your life. Let alone every day.""Okay. This is too much testosterone for me. I think you're all crazy." Erica rose from her seat at the table and opened the refrigerator door. She looked through the shelves and pulled out a package of cookie dough. She was the only female firefighter on the Christmas Cove Fire Department, but no one messed with her. She could definitely hold her own against these Neanderthals. "Anyone want some cookies?""Me!" Bret and Dylan yelled in unison."What? Are you two twins?" Erica teased.Patrick peeked around the corner. "Did I

The next morning, Kiki opened her eyes and recognized the surroundings of a hospital. She took a deep breath and the cold rush of pure oxygen filled her lungs, but it hurt. Yes, she was wearing an oxygen mask. She took shallow breaths instead. She felt groggy and the pounding in her head wouldn't stop, so she closed her eyes."She has smoke inhalation. But other than that, she's going to be fine," the voice of a doctor carried throughout the room. Kiki's eyes were so heavy she couldn't open them, but she was strangely aware of the sounds of the machines beeping and the clean antiseptic smell. Yes, she was definitely in a hospital. "We'll need to keep her here for a few days until she's recovered enough to leave.""Yes, doctor," a woman replied in a professional voice. She must have been a nurse."Poor thing." The doctor's voice was sympathetic. In her incoherent state, Kiki wondered why. "I have no idea where she's going to go, once she recovers. From what I heard, her house burned

Once the last of the fire was out, Taren looked over the smoldering rubble that had been Kiki's house. They had fought the blaze for most of the night. Technically, his shift was over, but he wasn't going to leave until the last of the flames were out. In the light of day, Taren could see that the damage was extensive.As he was working, his thoughts went to Kiki, wondering if she had a place to stay. He made a mental note to see what he could do about that when he could. Suddenly, an orange and blonde cat with white socks walked timidly over to the edge of the rubble and laid down, mewing loudly."Come here, buddy." Taren walked over to the cat, but when he reached down to pick it up, the cat hissed and swatted at his gloved hand. "I know your upset, but your Mama's okay. She's in the hospital." Taren stooped down and took off his glove. Then he held out his hand to let the cat sniff him. "See? You can trust me. I'm not going to hurt you."The cat crawled toward him, her eyes wide,

Then she turned to Taren. "Please. Sit down and make yourself comfortable. I haven't seen you since high school. So, how've you been?"Okay, but I can't stay long." Taren perched on the edge of a chair. "I hope you don't mind me coming by, but I was worried and just wanted to make sure you were okay.""No, I'm glad you did," Kiki replied. "When did you become a firefighter?" Taren smiled, relaxing a bit. "Shortly after high school. I worked my way up and I'm a captain now."Kiki looked into his eyes and smiled. "I'm happy for you." She bit her lower lip and then slowly released it. "Taren, thank you so much for saving my life. I can't thank you enough." Kiki laughed. "Your mother won't believe it when she finds out that you were the one who carried me out last night."A crease formed between his eyes. "How do you know my mother?""Evelyn?"Taren nodded. "I volunteer at the Children's Home. In fact, I went there last night- before the fire. Then I went home and started a fire.

Kiki woke the next morning with a start, thinking she was late for work. Then her chest felt as if an elephant had sat on it, as the events of Christmas Eve rushed to mind. She started to turn over in the hospital bed, but the IVs prevented her from turning too far. Groggy, she took the water from the side table and took a big swig. Her mouth and throat felt like sandpaper and the cool water eased it. The oxygen was back in place under her nose. Since Kiki didn't remember putting it back on, she figured that the nurse probably came in after she fell asleep and slipped it back into place. She made a mental note to thank her later.Kiki was about to fall back to sleep, but her thoughts went to Taren. He had filled out since high school and had muscles for days. Along with his blond-streaked hair and blue eyes, he was better looking now than he had been in high school. How men were able to do that, she had no idea. But he was married now. How could she be excited to see a married man? Of