Firefighter's Risk (Bakers Beach: First Responders Book 2) Read online

  Firefighter’s Risk

  A Clean First Responders Romance Book Two

  Bree Livingston

  Edited by

  Christina Schrunk

  Firefighter’s Risk

  Copyright © 2020 by Bree Livingston

  Edited by Christina Schrunk

  https://www.facebook.com/christinaschrunk.editor

  Proofread by Krista R. Burdine

  https://www.facebook.com/iamgrammaresque

  Cover design by Wynter Designs

  https://www.facebook.com/groups/WynterDesigns

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, without prior written permission.

  Bree Livingston

  https://www.breelivingston.com

  Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

  Firefighter’s Risk / Bree Livingston. -- 1st ed.

  ISBN: 9798619145120

  To Danielle F.

  Thanks for teaching this old dog new tricks.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Epilogue

  Sneak Peek! Her Pretend Billionaire Boyfriend Chapter 1

  Sneak Peek! The Cowboy’s Fake Marriage Chapter 1

  Also by Bree Livingston

  About the Author

  Chapter 1

  Carlos Scott dished scrambled eggs and turkey sausage onto his sister’s plate then snatched a piece of warm toast from the toaster, tossing it on top. “Polly! Let’s hustle!”

  His little sister had roped him into speaking to kids at an at-risk program where she volunteered. Well, he called her little, but younger was more like it now that she was pushing eighteen. Easy to forget since he’d stepped into the role of guardian when she was twelve. Or easier to forget before she started reminding him about prom coming up in a few months.

  “Polly! Come on. You’re the one who’s been pushing this visit for days.” He dished out food onto his own plate, picked them both up, and set them on their small square table before taking a seat. “Polly!”

  She rushed into the room, stopping at the table. “Okay, geez, I heard you the first time. Just chill.”

  “I am chill. You’re the one who’s been obsessing over this visit to see the kids.” He tore off a piece of toast.

  With a quick and hopefully discreet glance, Carlos checked what she was wearing. Yeah, she might be older, and he could even admit she could take care of herself, but that didn’t mean she left the house in just anything she wanted. Polly was close to being a legal adult, but she wasn’t there yet. He was relieved he didn’t have to tell her to change.

  She scoffed. “I’m not obsessing.” Her nose wrinkled as she looked down at her plate. “Sausage? Really?”

  He swallowed the bite he’d taken. “It’s that turkey stuff you like.” He picked up a piece of his and smelled it. It most definitely didn’t come from a pig. “Wouldn’t want to clog your arteries.” He bit off a piece. Yep, that was all bird. But if it meant she’d eat it, he’d choke it down.

  Taking a seat, she shoveled the scrambled eggs onto her toast. “It’s your arteries I’m worried about. Old people need to eat healthier.”

  “I’m not that old, thank you very much. It’s not like I don’t get a lot of exercise. My arteries are fine.” Between training, keeping the fire station clean, and actually fighting fires, he did plenty of moving.

  “That would be a great thing to talk about today. How they have to stay healthy and take care of themselves if they want to have a job like yours someday. Ashton’s really big on teaching them about physical fitness and how it’s as important as mental fitness.”

  There was that name again. Ashton. It had been spoken so many times since Polly began volunteering that Carlos was safe in wagering that his sister had a serious crush. With what he’d learned about this Ashton person, it wasn’t a shock. He seemed to work tirelessly to give at-risk kids a place to feel like someone cared and was listening.

  It was an admirable task. Carlos had asked himself more times than he could count what would have happened to Polly if he hadn’t been around to step in. One icy road, and their lives had changed overnight. He’d gone from twenty-four-year-old carefree bachelor to parent in a blink.

  He’d mourned his parents and dealt with a grieving, confused, angry twelve-year-old at the same time. What would have happened to Polly had he not been there for her? The thought made his chest tighten.

  This Ashton crush, though, was new territory for him. Polly was a beautiful girl, so it wasn’t a shock that she’d attract boys her age, but someone old enough to run an at-risk program? That sounded like a red flag that would need to be handled before it got out of hand and left her brokenhearted.

  Which was one of the reasons he’d begged the captain to let him speak to the kids during his shift. He didn’t want to turn down the invitation since he wasn’t sure he’d get one again, and this guy his sister was crushing on needed to be set straight. Big brother would be flexing his muscles today for good measure too.

  Finished with breakfast, they headed out in separate cars toward the facility used by the program. It was a catch-all where kids could do homework after school, play basketball, and attend workshops that would prepare them for the real world with things like cooking, budgeting, and such. Carlos had to give them props. On the outside, it came across as a well-rounded, thought-out place.

  Once they arrived, Polly met Carlos on the sidewalk, beaming like she’d personally build the place. “What do you think?”

  “This was the carpet warehouse, wasn’t it? The one Mom and Dad bought living room carpet from,” he said as his gaze swept over the front of the building, noticing the newly planted flowerbeds.

  Shrugging, Polly toed the ground. “I don’t remember that.”

  “You were a baby.” He slung an arm across her shoulders as they reached the entrance. “Besides, it was ugly carpet anyway. I’m glad they found a use for this place.”

  As they stepped inside, the first thing that hit him was the lingering smell of carpet. The large, open-air room where hundreds of bolts once leaned against the walls had been converted into a basketball court and hangout.

  Laughter, kids running around, and conversations made it barely controlled chaos. At least fifteen kids ran past Carlos and his sister, laughing and teasing each other. One of them, a redheaded and freckled boy that looked roughly ten, crashed into Carlos, and he took him by the shoulders. “Whoa. Careful, bud.”


  “Are you the firefighter who’s supposed to talk to us today?” the boy asked, eyeing Carlos’s badge.

  Nodding, Carlos smiled and shook the kid’s hand. “That’s me. Unless I got my days mixed up.”

  “Nope,” a woman said as she exited an office near the front door. Her smile was wide and warm, framed by wavy honey-blonde shoulder-length hair and a pair of sparkling blue eyes. “You didn’t get your days mixed up.” She turned to the boy. “Jason, would you let the other kids know our guest is here and wrangle them into the library?”

  The boy lifted his chin a little and pulled his shoulders back as he nodded. “You bet.” He marched away like he was off to battle.

  Grinning, Carlos’s gaze drifted from the woman to his sister, and his eyebrows knitted together. Polly looked completely enraptured. An odd thing in his mind.

  The woman extended her hand. “I’m Ashton Johnson. You must be Polly’s big brother, Carlos. She talks about you all the time.”

  Whoa. This was Ashton? Carlos hadn’t been thinking woman when Polly was talking about the program director, especially a seriously pretty one. Suddenly, his entire strategy was gone, and he felt blindsided. He wouldn’t be setting the program director straight, but there was a good chance he’d leave giving himself a decent lecture.

  Chapter 2

  Yowza. When Polly talked about her brother, Carlos, Ashton hadn’t pictured tall, dark, and extra handsome. Although, she wasn’t sure why. His sister had mentioned his participation in a firefighter calendar—a fundraiser for both the Baker Beach Fire Department and the local animal shelter. Two worthy causes Ashton suddenly needed to support.

  She couldn’t imagine the photos being better than the man standing in front of her. Dark hair, dark eyes, and the kind of muscled arms a woman could hang on to during a scary movie. Plus, he was tall enough she could wear heels without towering over him if he asked her out. Not that she’d accept. She had enough on her plate at the moment, and adding a relationship would be too much for her to handle.

  Polly’s brother blinked, and his eyebrows knitted together. “You’re Ashton?” he asked as he shook her hand and slowly let it go.

  Good thing it didn’t last long with the way her skin tingled. Glancing at Polly, she winked. “I am.”

  There was no denying he and Polly were related; that was for sure. They had the same thick, wavy black hair, square jawline, and round eyes.

  Ashton tilted her head. “Is something wrong?”

  Carlos laughed, shaking his head. “No. Not at all.” A light blush covered his cheeks. “I’m sorry. I…” He grimaced. “I expected a man. Polly’s talked about you, but she never made that clear.”

  Rolling her eyes and sighing heavily, Polly said, “I didn’t know I had to.”

  Ashton rolled her lips in as she nodded. “I see.” She laughed. “Well, surprise. I hope you aren’t disappointed.”

  Holding her gaze, the blush on his cheeks disappeared. “Trust me. I’m not.”

  Warmth traveled from the bottom of her stomach through her heart and up her neck. The giddy feeling she got when she was in high school talking to the cutest boys settled in her chest. Whew. “Good. Um, well, I guess we should get started.” She smiled. “I appreciate your time, and I have no idea how long the kids will sit still. I wouldn’t want to hold you up.”

  “I guess so,” he replied, continuing to hold her gaze. “Besides, it would be nice to have the tour before I leave.”

  For some reason, it sent a tiny thrill through her to know he wanted to check out what she’d built. “Sure, I’d love to show you around if you have the time.”

  Polly touched his arm. “You definitely have the time. I wish there’d been a place like this when I was a kid.” A touch of sadness clung to the last sentence. Something Ashton understood all too well since she shared a similar story.

  His lips lifted at one corner. “When you were a kid? You’re practically still a kid now.” The tease earning him a dramatic eye roll.

  “She’s a lifesaver,” Ashton said as she waved for them to walk with her. “I hope she decides to work full time here after she graduates in the spring. It’ll look great on college applications, and she’s definitely getting a character reference.”

  Polly beamed, and the slight lift of Carlos’s chin struck Ashton as being proud of his sister. It was sweet. According to Polly, he was sweet. Transforming from bachelor to parent overnight. That couldn’t have been easy. Ashton had sort of fallen apart when she’d lost her own parents at twenty-two. She couldn’t imagine having that type of responsibility while grieving.

  They reached the library, and just as promised, Jason had managed to get all the kids in there and seated, ready to hear Carlos talk about life as a firefighter.

  “On any given weekday, we can have up to thirty or forty kids in here.” Ashton kept her voice low. “There are even more on Saturdays. I encourage working parents to leave their kids here when they’re unable to afford a babysitter.”

  Again, their eyes locked. “That’s admirable and kind.”

  Typically, she would have offered a different reason—that she loved and cared for the kids. “Thanks,” she said, which was about all she could manage with the way he was holding her gaze. She cleared her throat. “Uh, I guess I should introduce you. Be ready for all types of questions.”

  As she walked to the front of the room, she used her hands to signal that it was time to quiet down. “Hey, guys, settle. We’ve got a real hero here today. A firefighter with the Baker Beach Fire Department. Anyone know why they’re so valuable?”

  “They put out fires!” a girl called out, while another added, “They help us!”

  Ashton nodded as she quickly glanced at Carlos, whose cheeks tinged pink once again. Hunky and humble. An excellent combination.

  “That’s right. They help us, and we need them. With that in mind, let’s hold all our questions until Mr. Scott is finished speaking, okay?” She waved her hand toward him and stepped back. “They’re all yours.”

  He certainly had her rapt attention. Unless his entire demeanor changed when he started speaking, she was more than happy to learn all she could about Carlos Scott.

  Inwardly, she groaned. He was there to talk to the kids, and as great as he already seemed, he probably had a girlfriend. Which meant she could window shop and that was about it. Her focus was on the kids, not herself. That’s the way it needed to be.

  Chapter 3

  Laughing, Ashton walked with Carlos to the first door down the hall from the library. “I never thought they’d ask if you got hit with one of the water hoses.”

  He grinned, rubbing the back of his head. “Yeah, they were pretty funny, but the questions were good for the most part. They’re bright kids.”

  Man, she liked his smile. It had made her all the more determined to get a calendar and set it to whatever month he was on, permanently.

  “They are.” She nodded as they stepped inside the kitchen. “This is where we hold cooking classes. Local chefs come in once or twice a month to hold demonstrations; otherwise, we teach the basics like kitchen safety, meal planning, and how to make simple one-pot dishes.”

  His eyebrows lifted. “That’s awesome and practical. I like that.” He looked around the room. “I do wish Polly had this when she was younger. Granted, she was a little older than most of the kids here, but she could’ve used someone other than me at times.”

  “You probably could have used the backup too.” She winced. “I’m sorry. That came out wrong. She’s just told me what you both went through, and you’ve done an amazing job. I really can’t imagine how hard it must have been.”

  With a shrug, Carlos lowered his gaze to the floor. “I did what I needed to do, and I’d made a promise, so—” He stopped short, lifting his head but not quite meeting her eyes.

  As tempted as she was to urge him to continue, she held her tongue. The last thing she wanted to do was make him feel uncomfortable. “Let me show you th
e rest of the place.”

  It seemed to ease the tension, and he nodded. “Okay.”

  Once she’d taken him through the place, Ashton led him back to the main room where a basketball game was going on. “Well, now you’ve seen it all. The library, kitchen, playroom for the younger kids, and the gym. We wanted it to be more than just a place for basketball, so we put chairs in each of the corners. Now if the kids want, they can just hang out.”

  “It’s great.” He tipped his chin toward the kids playing. “It’s really well-thought-out.”

  Shoving her hands in her pockets, she rocked back and forth on her feet. “I just…I wanted to do everything I could to put the money to good use.”

  “Money?”

  She took a deep breath, and before she could answer, he winced. “I’m sorry. I remember now.”

  Of course, his sister would have told him about Ashton’s parents and how their sailboat capsized during a storm. Interestingly enough, what she felt coming from him wasn’t sympathy but understanding. He wasn’t sorry for her; he was sorry she’d been through it.

  It would never be long enough not to mourn losing them or regret not going with them. They’d celebrated her twenty-second birthday only a few days prior, and she’d made plans for lunch with friends. It was a tug-of-war between feeling morbid and wondering “what if” had she been there. Maybe they would have survived.