All Fired Up (Green Valley Heroes #7)

Chapter 5

Chapter Five

MADELINE

M y armpits are sweating. Profusely. I want so badly to lift my arms and wave some cool air under there, but I can’t. Hunter could walk in at any moment.

He’d used the coffee maker in the break room at the firehouse last week, and I’m counting on him doing the same today. Otherwise, my prank won’t work.

Not that I spent all week researching pranks. Not that I even got behind on my actual work at one point because of my newfound obsession. I have no idea if the spam emails are working, so I need something more concrete.

Cue the coffee prank.

I continue standing at the kitchenette counter in the break room, idly stirring my coffee that’s long gone cold, but I need to look casual while guarding the creamer. No one else can use it but Hunter.

Someone enters behind me, and I glance over my shoulder, but it’s one of the Clewis brothers. I really need to learn their names.

I smile, trying to seem inconspicuous, and he gives me a brief head nod before retrieving something from his locker and leaving. Thank God.

When Hunter finally shows up, my belly does a weird flip-flopping motion. You’re not going to get caught, I tell myself. He has no way of proving it was you.

Stepping away from the counter, I sit at one of the tables and sip at my now-disgusting coffee. Just act casual.

He grabs a mug from the cabinet and pours himself a cup from the coffee pot. Oh God, what if he takes his coffee black? I never even considered that possibility.

Thankfully, he opens the fridge and roots around, but what he’s looking for isn’t there.

“Are you looking for the creamer?” I ask, hoping my voice doesn’t give me away.

He finally looks over his shoulder and acknowledges me. “Yeah.”

“There’s powdered creamer on the counter.” I point to the tampered bottle I placed there earlier when no one was looking. The real creamer from the fridge is in my locker.

He makes a face of disgust and I don’t blame him. Powdered stuff is kind of gross.

“It’s actually not bad,” I say, holding my cup up and taking a sip.

Now he just needs to take the bait.

He stares at me, his brows knitting. “Why are you being nice?”

I roll my eyes, cursing his suspicion. “Sorry, jeez. Don’t have any, then. I don’t care.”

Looking down at my cup, I inwardly smile as he turns back around and shakes some into his cup.

The coffee froths and bubbles up, then spills out onto the counter.

“What the fuck?” he shouts, jumping back.

Perfect. It had taken a while to crush up all that Alka-Seltzer, but it was worth it. It would have been better if I could have filmed it, but that’s okay. All I need is the memory.

I wipe the smile from my face and paste on what I hope is an innocent look as he whips around to face me.

“Did you do that?”

“Do what?”

He points to his cup full of brown, bubbly froth.

“What do you mean?” I ask. “I’m over here.”

His nostrils flare and he stares at me for another moment before grabbing a wad of paper towels to clean up the mess. He dumps the cup in the sink and walks out, no coffee to be had.

The evil grin that I only seem to use when it concerns him bursts forth, then I tiptoe to my locker to put the real creamer back in the fridge and take my fake powdered creamer to stuff in my purse.

This morning’s lesson is about different types of fire extinguishers and when to use each in different situations. Grizz Grady provides a demonstration and even allows us to try them out ourselves. I half expect Hunter to turn the nozzle on me as an accident , but he doesn’t. In fact, he ignores me.

Not that it matters.

We break midday for lunch, and I grab my lunchbox out of the fridge. Hunter didn’t see me put it in here so it shouldn’t be tampered with, and I’m not chancing him messing with me in my car, so I sit in the break room opposite Harry. He strikes up a conversation with me about the price of eggs lately, which I assume is a hot topic at the Piggly Wiggly. Wish I’d brought headphones now.

Five minutes in, Silas, the trainee I didn’t recognize last week, comes in and interrupts us, telling me Chief McClure wants to see me. I grab the excuse with two hands, desperate to get away from this inane conversation, but the chief isn’t in his office when I go and check. I wander around, but don’t see any sign of him, and eventually bump into Silas again near the entrance.

“Where’s Chief McClure?” I ask him.

He shrugs. “I don’t know. One of the other guys said he was looking for you.”

Huh. Well, it must not be too important.

When I return to the break room, a huge chunk of my sandwich is gone, with a clear bite mark. What the hell? I hadn’t even started eating it yet since Harry kept talking to me.

I look up, finding Harry staring at me with wide eyes.

“I-it wasn’t me,” he stammers out, his gaze flicking to something behind me.

My shoulders drop. Of course it wasn’t.

It’s no surprise to find Hunter in the doorway as I turn around, casually resting in the doorframe. He wipes at one side of his mouth and smirks.

Real subtle.

I drop into my chair and pick up my sandwich, not wanting to show him I care that he ate practically half of it, then a thought occurs to me.

“Did you do anything to this?” For all I know, he took a bite, then smeared ghost pepper sauce or something crazy over the rest.

“I don’t know. Did you do anything to my coffee?”

I eye him speculatively, but ultimately can’t take the risk, and dump my sandwich in the trash. I have a granola bar in my purse I can eat later.

“He didn’t do anything other than take a bite,” Harry says.

Really? He couldn’t have mentioned that before I threw it away?

“Way to be a snitch,” Hunter mutters.

I glance at the trash can, but there’s no way I’m digging through it for my lunch. He’d have a field day.

Grabbing my purse off the table, I head toward the doorway, wanting to sit in my car in peace for the remainder of our lunch break, but he doesn’t budge. His stupid shoulders are too broad to squeeze past.

“What’s the password?” he asks, smirking again.

What is he, five?

I give him a sickly sweet smile. “You’re an ass?” I guess.

The laugh he lets out surprises me, as if he’s genuinely amused. After a moment, he cuts himself off, his expression looking like he surprised himself, too. He gives me a once-over, but there’s not the same disapproval from last week.

He moves marginally, giving me some room, but I’m still forced to brush against him. His warmth sends a tingle up my spine, and I shake off the sensation as I exit the fire station, not looking back.

Nothing appears amiss with my car in the parking lot. He’s not smart enough to pull off two pranks in a row, anyway. Then again, he’d made me think he’d tampered with my food when he hadn’t.

I need to come up with something to get him back. Something he won’t expect. Something...

Oh, I know exactly what.

I hold my lunchbox carefully as I make my way inside the firehouse the next morning, uncaring if Hunter sees it’s my lunch. There’s a special surprise in here for him.

As I enter, though, I’m stopped by a frazzled-looking Grizz, who’s carrying a...baby.

“Thank God you’re here,” he says, holding the baby out to me.

I step back, unsure of what’s happening.

“Take it,” he insists, wiggling the wide-eyed baby in my direction.

“What?” I ask stupidly, my brain still not getting with the program.

He physically puts the baby in my arms, until I have no choice but to hold it for fear I’ll drop it.

“The baby was abandoned here,” he says, and turns around. “I need to make some calls.”

“Wait,” I call out, panic in my voice. “I don’t know anything about babies.”

Seriously, I’m useless. I’ve never even been around a baby before. I have no siblings, no cousins, no friends with babies. I’m the last person to trust with one.

“You’ll be fine!” he yells, halfway down the hall now. “You have maternal instincts.”

“No, I don’t!” I yell back.

A derisive noise sounds from behind me. “I’ll say.”

Oh, no. Not him. Not now.

“Is this a new prank or something?” Hunter asks as I turn around. “Gotta say, you’re really upping your game.”

“This is not a prank,” I whisper, afraid someone will hear. I don’t want to get in trouble, even if he can’t technically prove I did anything. “Do you know anything about babies?”

He holds his hands away from him. “Whoa, whoa. You’re not pawning that off on me.”

The baby makes a sound of distress, its face scrunching up before it releases a wail.

No, no. It was just fine. What happened?

Hunter leans in closer. “What’s wrong with it?”

“I don’t know.” I can’t help the anxiety that leaks into my voice.

I rock the baby in my arms, but that only seems to piss it off more, its cries increasing in volume. I move it in a more upright position, trying to burp it, but that doesn’t help, either. Maybe it has a dirty diaper? I don’t smell anything, and I don’t have another diaper to change it into, but I check, just in case. Nope, seems clean.

“It’s a girl,” I say aloud, only because I had no idea from looking at her which sex she was.

Hunter winces as her shrieks get louder, echoing off the walls. “Well, can you get her to be quiet?”

“What do you think I’m trying to do?” I try bouncing her, to no avail.

“Maybe she’s hungry.”

“Does it look like I have any food?”

His gaze drops to my chest.

“Oh my God, you’re gross.” I’d hit him if my hands weren’t full.

“Jesus Christ, I’m kidding. You’re so fucking uptight.”

“Don’t curse around the baby.”

“Why? She can’t understand us.” He moves closer. “And even if she could, she’s crying too loud to hear me.” He sighs, then reaches out his hands. “Fine, give her to me.”

I don’t question his motivation, just wanting the crying to stop already.

He makes a shushing sound as he gathers the little girl in his arms, and whatever he’s doing seems to surprisingly...work. The baby’s screams lessen as she looks up at him, then she quiets completely, transfixed by his face.

Ugh. One more girl under his spell.

“Now, was that so hard?” he asks, that stupid smirk back on his face.

I roll my eyes. “You must be a baby whisperer or something. No normal person could do that.”

“I think you’re jealous that I’m better at something than you for a change.”

What does he mean for a change ? It took me four tries to get that dumb chainsaw started last week when he had no problem at all.

“I freely admit to having no experience with children.”

His head tilts to the side. “You don’t like kids?”

“I like them fine, but I don’t know the first thing about them.” I study him and the natural way he’s holding the baby. “Do you like kids?”

He shrugs. “I’ve never thought about it much.”

“You seem to be a natural.”

He looks up at me, something soft in his gaze. It’s the first time he’s looked at me without disdain or distrust or some other kind of dis emotion. It makes me forget for a moment he’s become my sworn enemy over the last week.

It doesn’t last long, though, as his brows narrow. “Don’t prank me with this baby around.”

My mouth drops open. “Of course I wouldn’t. You think I’m that bad?”

“You made me think someone had hit my car last week.”

“And you made me think you’d blown up mine with whatever you did with those balloons.”

“And then my coffee?—”

“And then my sandwich?—”

We both go quiet as there’s movement from behind us, then Silas passes by, giving us a weird look, his gaze lingering on the baby before he moves on.

“What, he’s never seen a baby in a fire station before?” I mutter.

Hunter chuckles, then stops, scowling. “We’ll have a temporary truce,” he says. “But all bets are off once she leaves.”

That makes it sound like he’s got something planned. Well, that’s fine, because I do, too. “Agreed.”

There’s an awkward bit of silence until the baby’s coo interrupts us.

“I, um, should put my lunch in the fridge,” I say, holding up my lunchbox. I want him to get a good look at it.

I go to the break room and stow it away, then put my purse in my locker. When I return to the hallway, Hunter’s profile is to me and he’s gently murmuring something to the baby. He rocks her and she makes that cooing sound again.

He must not realize I’m here. There’s no way he’d smile at her that tenderly if he knew someone was watching.

He straightens as Chief McClure rounds the corner, the warmth vanishing from his face.

“A social worker is coming to get the baby,” Chief McClure says as he notices him. “She should be here in about ten minutes.”

Hunter nods. “Should I keep holding her until then?”

Chief McClure claps him on the back. “Whatever keeps her quiet. Thanks for stepping up, son.”

Pride fills Hunter’s face as the chief walks away, and he smiles again at the baby.

I back away slowly into the break room, not wanting to interrupt this moment for some reason. It seems...private.

How am I supposed to hate him now when he so obviously has a soft spot for babies? Especially when it seems he didn’t even realize it until today.

I glance at the fridge, questioning the prank in my lunchbox, then tell myself I’m being silly. He said himself our truce is over once the baby’s gone.

Then it’s back to war.