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Chapter 62
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Christmas Cove Chapter 63
"Let's roll!" Taren hurried to the bunkroom, pulled on his fire trousers, and slipped the suspenders over his shoulders as he kicked off his shoes. Then he pulled on his boots, slipped into his bright yellow jacket, and grabbed his hat and headed out the door. "Let's go, people!" Taren yelled into the station as he ran out the door and jumped into the passenger side of the fire truck. Erica and Bret jumped in the back."We're gone!" Dylan warned everyone as he threw the truck into gear and sounded the horn. "Ten-seventy-two in progress at 7877 Candy Cane Lane. Suspected people still inside," the dispatch agent's voice resonated over the radio as the fire truck barreled down the road."House fire," Taren announced.Dylan slowed down and blared the horn as they approached a traffic light in the town square. Once they were sure the oncoming traffic had stopped, they proceeded through and then picked up speed again on the other side. Then they turned down a few more streets and soon t
Christmas Cove Chapter 64
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
Christmas Cove Chapter 65
"Right now, you need to get some rest." The nurse's lips curled into a concerned smile. "My name is Olivia. If you need anything, just push this button right here." She placed a slender rectangular object with a call button next to Kiki's hand. "I'll be right back.""Thank you," Kiki replied and watched as the woman walked out.Jocelyn sat in the chair next to her bed and Caden stood behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders."See? I knew you should have come over to my house last night." Jocelyn patted Kiki's hand."No. I had a great time at the Children's Home." Kiki tried to sit up and Jocelyn helped her, adjusting the pillows behind her back. "I lit a fire in the fireplace and some candles and laid down on the couch. I must have fallen asleep without putting the fire screen back in place." She let out a deep breath. "My mother's going to kill me."Jocelyn's eyebrows pulled together in concern. "But you bought the house from them, didn't you?"Kiki nodded. "Yes, but they'
Christmas Cove Chapter 66
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,
Christmas Cove Chapter 67
When Taren walked into the kitchen, Sal, the next shift manager, was petting Prissy. "And who do we have here?""She belongs to a woman whose house burned down last night. Her name is Kiki Long." Taren replied, filling a shallow bowl with water. When he set it on the floor, Prissy ran toward it and started lapping it up immediately. "The woman's in the hospital and I thought this little lady could stay with us until she can go back to her mama.""You know her?" Sal's eyebrows pulled together in concern. Taren nodded. "We went to high school together."A sly grin spread across Sal's face. "Are you sure you're not keeping the cat to get in good with Kiki?"Taren laughed. "Oh, no! I had enough the first time around." After Scarlett left, he vowed never to fall in love again. "No, I just thought we could look after the cat until Kiki gets on her feet." He bent down and scratched the top of her head. The cat leaned into his hand, obviously enjoying the attention. "By the way, her name
Christmas Cove Chapter 68
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.
Christmas Cove Chapter 69
Evelyn's smile faded, obviously afraid of what he was going to say. "Is she all right?"He nodded. "Yes, she'll be fine."Evelyn sighed in relief. "What happened?" A crease formed between her eyes. "I mean, I just saw her last night-."He bit his lower lip and released it. "Her house burned down last night, but we got there in time." He couldn't imagine what would have happened if they had arrived just a few minutes later."Thank goodness for that." Evelyn took a sip of her coffee and swallowed, lost in thought. "She's such a sweet girl."Taren smiled. "Yes, she is." He looked into her eyes. "Do you know that we had study hall together in high school?"A smile lit her lips. "No, I didn't know that. I knew you two went to high school together, but I didn't know you knew her."Taren chuckled. "I probably shouldn't tell you this, but when we got bored, we pulled pranks on Mrs. Li.""Oh?" Evelyn laughed, placing her hands on her hips as she raised an eyebrow. "And what, pray tell d
Christmas Cove Chapter 70
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
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