Deck the Fire Halls

Chapter Four

CHAPTER FOUR

SOREN

Taking the bike to work was a great idea.

Well actually, I thought starting my bike before seven in the morning outside Rob’s bedroom wall was a great idea. I hoped it woke him up, and I hoped it made him mad or smile... or just think of me in general.

He could pretend it annoyed him but the fact was, he’d mentioned me being a Harley Davidson rider several times as if it were a very good thing.

A Harley Davidson-riding firefighter.

As if it was some qualifier on the sexy scale.

So yeah, kicking my bike over before seven and giving the throttle an extra turn while smiling at his bedroom wall was a great way to start my day.

Like having dinner with him the night before was a great way to spend my evening.

I’d spent only a handful of hours with him in total, and I couldn’t say I really knew him at all, but I liked him.

As in liked him.

There was something about him that drew me in .

Something I couldn’t get out of my head.

“Hey,” Chuck greeted me with a grin. “So? How’d it go?”

Of course he knew I was having dinner with Rob last night.

I couldn’t help the grin. I squared my helmet, wallet, and keys away in my locker and turned to him, not even caring what my face gave away. “It went well.”

His eyebrows almost met his hairline. “You banged already?”

I scoffed out a laugh. “No, dude. No. It’s not like that. It’s... I dunno. It’s...”

“It’s what?”

“I don’t wanna say nice, because that sounds lame. But it’s just... nice, man. I like him. And he’s different.”

“Different how? Like weird different?”

“No. Different from the others.”

He stared and his mouth did some weird O thing. “I see.”

“You see what?”

“You’re down bad already after one date.”

I laughed. “It wasn’t really a date.” Though it kinda was. “It was just dinner. We talked, ate some food, talked some more, and I went back to my place.”

“No banging?”

“No.”

“Did you make out?”

“No.”

He squinted at me. “Did you kiss at all?”

“Nope.”

He seemed confused by this. “But your entire game play is the nail and bail while you wait for Mr. Perfect to fall in your lap.”

I stopped and stared at him, my shoulders falling. “It is not.”

Chuck raised one eyebrow. “Dude.”

“Look, my previous casual approach was only because there were no dating prospects. Those guys had specific needs that I helped fulfill. They were bar hookups in a different town, nothing more.” I shrugged. “If I still lived in Missoula and not just visited on random weekends, then maybe I’d have got to know them better.”

“Like learn their first names?”

I snorted. “I learned their first names... of some of them.”

He laughed. “But this new guy, you learned his name.”

“I did.”

He studied me for a second. “Holy shit, you really do like him.”

I tried to play it cool. “I could like him. If it progressed any further, I could find myself liking him a lot. I dunno what it is about him. He’s certainly not my usual type.”

“Is he married?”

“What? No.”

“And he likes guys?”

“Yes.”

“Then that’s all the type you need.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Chuck shoved me toward the kitchen. “Just have some fun. It doesn’t need to be wedding bells and forever. What are the odds that another gay man comes to town? Even if it’s just casual fun, it could still be a good thing, right?”

“Well . . . I guess.”

He sighed as he handed me my empty coffee mug. “I know you want all the bells and whistles, dude. And there’s nothing wrong with that. So he might not be Mr. Right, but Mr. Right Now is still a win, yeah?”

I frowned at him. “Okay, first of all, I’m not that desperate for love that I’d settle for just anyone. And secondly, that’s Doctor Right Now, thank you very much.”

Doug chose that exact moment to walk in, carrying a huge cardboard box. He dumped it on the table. “Speaking of right now. We’re out this afternoon and evening, remember, so I want it done this morning.”

Then he turned the box around to show us the words Xmas decorations scrawled across it. He grinned. “Happy December first.”

I loved winter. I loved snow and the holidays, the warm fires, and the idea of having someone to cozy up with in front of them.

Which got me thinking about what Chuck said. Now, I loved Chuck like a brother. And I knew he never meant any harm by what he’d said.

It had stung because it was the truth.

I did want to fall in love. I wanted a partner, a lover, someone to share my life with. I wanted what the other queer couples in town had—that perfect relationship with someone who accepted them exactly as they were.

Okay, so I was sure they weren’t all perfect.

But I’d come to know Colson Price pretty well this last year. After he’d met Braithe and come out of the closet, figuring we could both use a friend, I’d suggested we hang out and watch some game on TV. We’d become buddies and caught up often.

We actually had a lot in common.

He was a deputy; I was a firefighter. Both gay, both had been alone for a long while. We both loved hockey, and we had the same taste in men.

His partner Braithe was absolutely perfect for him, and I’d been a fool to think I even stood a chance with him. I’d just seen a cute little British twink and thought it was my chance at finally meeting someone in my town...

And Chuck’s words hit a little closer to home.

Because yeah, I was kinda lonely. And desperate for love.

So maybe I needed to hold back the reins a bit with my new neighbor. If I came on too strong, he’d probably run a mile anyway. The thing was, I had gone to Rob’s place last night with hopes of something physical eventuating. I mean, if he wanted to get off, I wasn’t going to say no.

But I realized pretty quickly that he was guarded, and whatever had happened back in Seattle had left him in a bad place.

What had he called it?

Disillusioned catastrophic burnout .

So yeah, he was left reeling and had come to Hartbridge to find some peace. To see if he still wanted to be a doctor. To find himself, and a sense of community.

So instead of offering him a mind-blowing orgasm, I offered to take him to the annual tree lighting night. Because if he wanted to find a community, he’d definitely find that here in Hartbridge.

“That’s not even,” Chuck said from the bottom of the ladder I was currently standing on.

I looked at the string of tinsel I was hanging. “Yeah, it is.”

“I’m telling ya, it’s not even close. It needs to be up another two inches.”

“Is that what your girl says?”

He grumbled and shook the ladder and I laughed as I stuck the stupid tinsel up another few inches. Why we decorated the fire hall was beyond me, but Doug insisted we get into the holiday spirit with the rest of the town.

Clay Henderson’s red truck pulled up out front and I climbed down the ladder to go greet him and Rusty.

“Morning,” I said.

They got out of his truck and Clay gave me a nod. “Morning.”

I’d met him more times cleaning up fallen tree debris off roadways than I had in any get-togethers with the queer group. He was a big burly bear of a guy, wore plaid and coveralls, and swung an ax like a machine. But he was soft as a kitten for his boyfriend, Gunter.

“Christmas tree time,” I said, nodding to the back of Clay’s truck where there must have been a hundred small, netted trees. They decorated Main Street every year, and damn, if they didn’t look amazing.

“Sure is,” Clay said, dragging a tree down.

“Hey, Rusty,” Chuck said, giving Rusty a familiar bro handshake.

“Chucky,” he replied.

“Perfect timing,” Chucky said. “We were just getting some decorating done. We’ll add some baubles and tinsel to the tree.”

“I was getting the decorating done,” I said. “You were holding the ladder.”

They looked up at the front of the fire hall, to the sign that read Hartbridge Fire Department 1910 and to the tinsel that now underlined it.

“The tinsel’s crooked,” Rusty said.

“It is not!” I said, looking at my handiwork. Okay, so maybe it wasn’t perfectly straight. I tilted my head to the side. “You need to look at it like this.”

Chuck gave me a shove. “Dipshit.”

Clay laughed as he cut the netting, and the little tree shaped out nicely.

Chuck, with his arms crossed, nodded to the new tree. “So if this little guy goes missing and accidently ends up in my living room, no one will be suspicious, right?”

Now it was my turn to shove him. “Dipshit.”

Rusty laughed at us. “Well, we better keep going. Only got another hundred to do. Town has to look like a Christmas movie before the tree lighting tonight.”

“Oh, Clay,” I said. “That reminds me. Will you and Gunter be there tonight? ”

He gave me an odd look before schooling it away. “I believe so, yeah. Why?”

“Oh, it’s just...” I don’t know why I felt so nervous for asking. “I was talking to the new doctor in town and thought maybe he’d like to hear about Gunter’s start-up. Could be something he might be interested in helping out with, and if you’ll both be there tonight, I could introduce you, that’s all.”

Clay seemed pleasantly surprised by this. “Sounds good.”

“Oh look,” Chuck said. “Speak of the devil.”

And sure enough, Robinson’s car came down the street and pulled up in the medical center parking lot. It was directly across from us, so the fact the four of us were standing there watching wasn’t weird at all.

Much.

“He and Soren are dating,” Chuck whispered.

Clay and Rusty both spun to stare at me. “We are not,” I hissed at Chuck, giving him a much harder shove. “We aren’t,” I explained more civilly to Clay and Rusty. “He’s my next-door neighbor, that’s all.”

“That is not all,” Chuck added with a laugh, and I tried to kick him in the pants just as Rob got out of his car.

Of course he saw.

“Go and say good morning,” Chuck said, and this time I did manage to connect my boot with his ass.

Of course, Rob saw that too. I just hoped he didn’t hear.

But then Rob raised one hand, kinda awkwardly. “Morning. ”

Yep. He’d heard.

Clay and Rusty both laughed as they went on their way, but I raised my hand in a wave back at Rob. “Morning.”

Rob ducked his head and went into his clinic and Chuck stood behind me waiting for me to turn around. He raised his hand and spoke in a baby voice. “Morning.”

I was about to tackle him but Doug came out with a clipboard and an out-of-patience sigh. He handed the clipboard to me. “Hydrant report. Both of you. Now.”

“Hey,” I said when Rob opened his door. He was wearing dark jeans and a black sweater, which made his hair seem more salt than pepper.

God, he was handsome.

It was not lost on me that he was the first older guy I’d ever been attracted to. And when I say older, he had to be no more than thirty-five. I just meant older than me.

“Come in,” he said, opening the door for me. “I’m almost done. Just finishing the dishes.” He looked at my feet. “Leave your boots on. I won’t be long.”

I noticed he had shoes on so I didn’t feel too bad, but I still wiped them on the doormat before stepping inside. I followed him into the kitchen. “So how was day number two?”

He pulled his sweater sleeves up to his elbows and dipped his hands into the soapy sink water. “It was good. I met Doctor Humphries today.”

“And? ”

“Nice guy. The townsfolk clearly love him.”

“They do.”

Doctor Humphries was a great man, and everybody did love him. He’d been the town doctor for forty years or something. But he had to be almost seventy. It was no surprise he was cutting his hours back.

“I have big shoes to fill,” Rob said.

Which of course made me look down at his shoes. Then up his legs, the backs of his thighs, his ass. His narrow waist and shoulders, and how his hands washed the dishes. Jesus, that shouldn’t be so sexy...

How was that sexy?

“He had an appointment in Mossley yesterday,” Rob went on to say.

Right. Yes. Doctor Humphries.

“He was sorry he hadn’t caught me on my first day, but Katie told him, in no uncertain terms, that my standard was, and I quote, ‘Fine.’”

That made me chuckle. “Sounds like Katie.”

He smiled as he pulled the plug and wiped his hands on a dishtowel, and holy hell, that was sexy too.

How was this man so damned sexy when all he was doing was drying his hands?

I wanted to step over to him, take his face in my hands, and kiss him. Feel his tongue against mine, feel his body beneath me, his hands on me...

“Soren?”

“Huh?”

He laughed. “I asked how your day was.”

Oh. I was sure my face flamed as if he could somehow tell where my mind had gone.

“Oh, it was fine.”

“No terrible fires to battle?”

“No, thankfully. There were fire hydrants to maintain and reports to fill out.”

His eyes shone as he smiled. “Sounds fun.”

“Not really.”

“So what do firemen do when they’re not fighting fires? When everything’s covered in snow.”

“Maintenance, fire prevention, education. Winter means more house fires, unfortunately. Wood fires, electric heaters, clothes drying in front of heaters, overloaded electric panels, circuits.”

“Oh, of course.”

“And we help clean up accidents and fallen trees, that kind of thing.”

His eyes met mine and there was a kindness there that made my heart thump. “I guess I’ve never thought about what firemen do. Apart from putting out fires.”

I chuckled. “And what do doctors do in quiet towns like Hartbridge?”

“Colds, immunizations, prenatal care, the cutest baby check-ups, and a sprained wrist from a horse-riding incident.”

“Ouch.”

“It’s a nice change of pace for me.”

“Don’t find it . . . boring?”

He shook his head. “Heavens, no. I mean, it’s only day two, but so far, I’m enjoying it.”

“I’m glad.”

Rob smiled and hung the dishtowel over the oven door handle. “So, are we heading out to the tree lighting thing everyone in town was talking about today?”

I clapped my hands together. “Yes.” Then I checked my watch. “We have time, and it’ll be a nice walk.”

“Walk? It’s dark and there’s snow . . .”

I laughed. “Doesn’t it snow in Seattle?”

“Well, it does... sometimes. But can we drive?”

“Nope. It’s a few blocks, and honestly, it’ll be quicker than if you tried to find a parking space.” I chuckled at his expression. “Come on, city boy. You’ll be fine. You gotta get used to it. May as well start now.”

“City boy?” He raised an eyebrow. “I’m older than you.” Then he made a face. “Well, I don’t know how old you are, exactly, but I already know I’m older than you.”

“I’m twenty-eight,” I admitted, quickly jumping on this perfect opportunity to ask his age. “How old are you?”

“Thirty-six.”

“You make it sound like you’re fifty-six. You’re still young.” I put my hands on his shoulders and turned him toward his front door. “Grab your coat or we’ll miss it.”

Thirty-six.

Eight years older than me. Now, that wasn’t a huge difference, and it certainly wasn’t a deal breaker. It was just different from what I was used to.

He slid his coat on and pulled his gloves from his coat pocket, so I did the same, pulling them on as we walked down his front steps to the sidewalk.

“It’s not even that cold yet,” I noted. “And there’s not too much snow.” I toed the small mound of build-up on the edge of the sidewalk. “It’s got a few feet to go yet. ”

He made a face, which was adorably cute. “Remind me why I moved here? In winter?”

“Just you wait till you see how pretty it is.” I nodded to the direction of Main Street. “This way.”

He wasn’t too surefooted as we walked. “I never cared too much for walking in snow,” he said. “Seen far too many broken wrists and coccyx injuries for my liking.”

“What injuries?”

He rolled his eyes. “Coccyx. Tailbones.”

I laughed. “I just wanted to hear you say it again.”

“Are you twelve?”

“No. Twenty-eight. We just had this conversation. Is your memory going already, old man?”

He stopped walking to stare at me, but his foot slid. I grabbed him—one hand on his arm, the other on his waist, and pulled him against me. His face was closer than I anticipated, his eyes bluer under the streetlight.

“I’m not an old man,” he whispered.

“Oh, I know,” I replied. My gaze went to his lips, and so help me, I wanted to kiss him. He was close enough that I could have. I had him in my arms and could feel his body warmth.

And I could so easily lean in that final inch and press my lips to his...

But then he pulled away, clearing his throat and brushing himself down. “I, uh, I, um... thank you. For not letting me fall over.”

My heart was still hammering and my breath left me in a plume of steam. “I just didn’t want you to hurt your coccyx. ”

His cheeks went red and he mumbled something under his breath before he began walking again. “So what is this tree lighting ceremony exactly?”

I fell into step beside him. “There’s a huge fir tree by the river, and every year they cover it in lights and the mayor wishes everyone happy holidays.”

Rob made a face. “Sounds . . . fun.”

I laughed. “It’s a community thing. It’s not the big winter wonderland thing when they close the street off. That’s on Christmas Eve this year. That’s the fun one. People come from all over. There are food and craft stalls, a kiddie train, photos with Santa, and we bring the fire engine down by the tree so the kids can climb up.”

That made him smile at least. “So why are we going tonight?”

“Because there’s some people I want you to meet,” I admitted.

He shot me a look. “People? I meet people all day.”

“No, these are our kind of people,” I said. “You said before you wanted a sense of community, so that’s what I’m doing.”

He stopped at the end of the block. “I didn’t mean for you to... introduce me... God, is this going to be weird?”

He made me laugh. “It’s not going to be weird.” Then I reconsidered. “Okay, well, look. Hamish is a bit weird. He’s one of the Australians. But he’s lovely and funny; he just has no filter. I’ve only met him a handful of times. Since Colson and I became buddies, really. Braithe is good friends with Hamish, so I know him by proxy. But they’re all great, I promise. ”

“And the two Australians are together?”

“No. Hamish is with Ren from the hardware store. And the other Australian is Jayden. He works at the diner sometimes, but he’s with Cas from the bed and breakfast.”

“Right. Sorry. I think I knew that.”

“The guy I’m hoping to introduce you to is Gunter. He’s with Clay Henderson. The big guy in the old sawmill truck who was dropping off all the Christmas trees up Main Street.”

Rob looked concerned. “I’m going to need you to draw me a chart.”

I laughed as I took his elbow and we crossed the street. “It’ll be fine.”

“Why am I meeting Gunter?”

“Because I think you guys could hit it off,” I explained. “And he’s started up a community youth group that I think you could really enjoy.”

“Why would I enjoy that?” he asked as we walked down to where the crowd was gathering by the river.

“Because you wanted to find a sense of community,” I explained. “And what’s a better way to do that than helping out at a center for teenagers.”

He looked about to object but Mr. Wilford spotted me as we edged into the crowd. “Soren,” he said with a tip of his hat.

“Mr. Wilford,” I replied. “Need someone to look at your heater again, drop by the station and give me a holler.”

“Will do,” he said.

Then Mrs. James from Cypress Street said hello. Then Rosie from the store, then Richard from the mechanics, and that was only the last thirty yards.

“Oh my god, do you know everyone?” Rob whispered.

“Mostly. It’s a small town, and I do community-based work, which helps.” I spotted the guys and gestured toward them. “This way.”

Clay saw me first and greeted me with a smile and firm handshake. “Ah, good to see you again.”

“Likewise,” I replied. We kind of had the attention of the group so I made a quick round of introductions. “Guys, this is Doctor Rob O’Reilly. He’s new to town and was lucky enough to move next door to me.”

“Uh, hi.” Rob nodded and everyone said hello back.

I didn’t miss the way Hamish and Jayden were grinning at me, but I didn’t want to embarrass Rob, so I focused on Gunter. “Gunter, I was telling Rob about your teen support group. I thought he might be interested in helping out.” I winced at Rob’s clear surprise. “Well, I mean, once he gets settled in. He’s only been here for a few days.”

I hadn’t really meant to throw Rob under the bus, but I really did think he would be a great fit for Gunter’s organization. And it could be really good for Rob too.

Maybe I shouldn’t have been so pushy . . .

Colson arrived with a clap on my shoulder, Braithe beside him. Colson was on duty, given his uniform, and Braithe was quickly absorbed by Hamish and Jayden, and Rob was soon talking with Gunter and Clay.

“Is this the new guy Braithe told me about?” Colson asked quietly .

“Yep.”

Colson nodded slowly, smiling as Rob listened intently to whatever Gunter was saying.

“Hamish’s dead certain that it’s gonna be another one of those Christmas Cupid things. Hope you’re ready.”

I snorted. “He’s been here for a matter of days. We should probably give him some time.”

“That wasn’t a no,” Colson said. “Are you interested?”

Jesus.

“I don’t know what I am. Intrigued, maybe,” I allowed, because that was a safer bet than just admitting I was interested. “He’s a nice guy.”

Colson glanced over at him again, then met my eyes. “Sexy older nice guy,” he whispered.

I nudged him with my elbow. “You’re not supposed to notice these things.”

“I’m a deputy. It’s my job to notice physical attributes about people.”

I snorted, shaking my head at the ridiculousness. “There’s something about him,” I murmured. “But I don’t want to read too much into it.”

“Why not?” Colson shrugged. “Read away, my friend. Take whatever you can get. You never know how long it will last, and sometimes you gotta jump in with both feet and see what comes of it.”

“Is that the best advice you got?”

“Look where it got me,” he replied. “Braithe and I were just supposed to be a casual fling for a few weeks, and look at us now. Same with the others. None of us were supposed to be here, or stay here. Certainly weren’t supposed to find the love of our lives.” He shrugged. “But sometimes we have no say in it at all. This town has other ideas.”

I scoffed. “You don’t believe in that Cupid shit too, do you?”

“I didn’t.” But then he looked around the group of us, at the couples. “Kinda hard to ignore it, dontcha think?”

I ran my hand through my hair. “I dunno. He’s... he’s been through something,” I murmured. “And he’s here to regroup. Pretty sure he’s not looking for anything.”

Colson shrugged with a sigh. “And I’m pretty sure that old Hartbridge Christmas magic doesn’t care. And it is the first of December.”

I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help but smile. “You’ve been hanging around with Hamish too much.”

Colson laughed, but he was called away by the sheriff, who I realized was talking to the mayor, and to Doug, my boss. Seeing Rob was deep in conversation with Gunter and Clay, I made my way over for a quick hello.

And then Chuck found us and I got busy talking shit with him and his girlfriend, Delaney, and it wasn’t until the mayor called for everyone’s attention, so they could flip the switch on the lights, that I headed back to Rob and the others.

I saw him looking around, looking for someone, and he smiled when he saw me. “Sorry,” I whispered. “Had to say hello to my boss and the sheriff.”

“Thought you’d bailed on me,” Rob said quietly.

“I’m not the bailing type,” I replied. Not meaning it how it sounded, but not taking it back once it was out .

I was trying really hard to put what Colson had said out of my mind. I didn’t want to pressure Rob into anything he wasn’t ready for, and the man had only been in town for a few days. I needed to chill the hell out.

This was absurd.

One gorgeous, smart single gay man turns up in town and I’m all over him like a dog in heat.

But then they flipped the switch on the lights and the huge fir tree came to life in gorgeous pastel colors against the dark night, and Rob gasped beside me.

His face lit up too, smiling and bright, the Christmas lights reflecting in his eyes, and I swear the world stopped turning. I’d never seen anything so beautiful.

It took a few seconds for me to snap out of whatever spell that was, and I ignored the way Hamish and Jayden were smiling at me. Ren from the hardware store clapped my shoulder with a laugh.

“Merry Christmas, Soren.”

Hmm, yeah. Right. Sure.

“Yeah. Merry Christmas.”