Read Online Wildfire Wedding by Lynette Sowell - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Lynette Sowell
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Instead she only found her purse and left the truck. Luke sped off, leaving her on the curb.
#
Luke jammed the accelerator to get to the house. He had ten minutes to grab his gear and meet the guys at the department.
“Lord, I hadn’t planned any of this. What happened to Krista and me getting married without a hitch?” He still stung from her words. Where was the forgiveness she had supposedly offered? If she still harbored such feelings for Jeff, what about him?
He parked in front of the house and jogged up the walk, then let himself in. Jeff had ESPN up at full volume. An empty bottle stood on the coffee table. His friend lay prostate on the couch, snoring.
“Jeff!” Luke shook his shoulder. “Wake up.”
He blinked and rolled onto his side. “Man, what’s going on?”
“There's a fire. If you need anything, call. . .” Luke knew he couldn’t say “Krista.” He fumbled for a name. “You can call Barry.”
He moved to the front hall closet and pulled out his gear, already double-checked for such a time as this.
“How long are you going to be gone?”
“I—I really don’t know. It depends on the fire.”
“But your wedding—”
“I know.”
“How’s Krista taking this?”
“She knew this was a possibility. We’ll figure something out.” Luke shouldered his pack. “I’ll call you when I get a chance.”
“Stay safe, man.” Then Jeff surprised him by clapping him on the back in an awkward hug.
“I will.” Luke headed out to his truck. He opened the hatch and slung his pack into the back.
When he arrived at the fire station, the rest of the team was assembling.
“All right, Luke’s here! Thought you were getting married.”
“I’m planning on it.” But he could only guess at what the fire had in store.
#
Krista rummaged through the bureau for her swimsuit. After finding it on the clothes dryer in the laundry room, she changed and joined Nana and Sami at the pool. Being with them ought to cheer her up.
That, and some chocolate would be good right about now. Especially since she'd left her chocolate-peanut butter cup sundae melting at the shop.
“There she is! Are you doing better, dear?” Nana waved at her from her spot in the hot tub.
“Yes, I am.” She left her towel on the patio table and sunk into the hot water. Yet her gaze wandered to the southwest. She couldn’t see a cloud of smoke streaming across the sky, but she knew it was somewhere miles away in the darkness.
“Hey, are you going to do some laps?” Sami called from the main pool.
“Maybe in a few.” She smiled at Nana, not wanting to worry her. “The water feels great. Every muscle in my shoulders, back, legs—you name it—it’s tight.” The lump in her throat threatened to lodge itself there again.
“What’s got you tied up in knots? I can venture a guess.” Nana’s soothing voice and the hot water were making Krista relax.
It’s the wedding, the fire, everything at once.” Krista tilted her head back and watched steam from the bubbling water drift into the sky and disappear. “Mom's here, being Mom. Dad's, ah, oblivious—I need to run interference between them, and Jana got here, and I'll have hardly any time to see her at all. I’ve got the caterer all set, plus the musicians, the cake, the. . .” She sighed.
“But there’s something else, something more than Luke fighting the fire, isn’t there?”
Krista nodded. “Luke and I—we had a spat right before he left. There we were, trying to take a moment just for us—”
The story rushed out liked a fire sweeping across a dry field, from Krista’s own struggle about Jeff, to the fire flaring up, to the fight at dinner. The ugly words from Momma went unspoken.
Krista ended with, “I know I can trust Luke, that he won’t let me down again, yet I am still scared.”
“We don’t have guarantees.”
“But what if something happens?”
“Krista, things will always happen. I know in some aspects you’ve had wedding
#
Luke jammed the accelerator to get to the house. He had ten minutes to grab his gear and meet the guys at the department.
“Lord, I hadn’t planned any of this. What happened to Krista and me getting married without a hitch?” He still stung from her words. Where was the forgiveness she had supposedly offered? If she still harbored such feelings for Jeff, what about him?
He parked in front of the house and jogged up the walk, then let himself in. Jeff had ESPN up at full volume. An empty bottle stood on the coffee table. His friend lay prostate on the couch, snoring.
“Jeff!” Luke shook his shoulder. “Wake up.”
He blinked and rolled onto his side. “Man, what’s going on?”
“There's a fire. If you need anything, call. . .” Luke knew he couldn’t say “Krista.” He fumbled for a name. “You can call Barry.”
He moved to the front hall closet and pulled out his gear, already double-checked for such a time as this.
“How long are you going to be gone?”
“I—I really don’t know. It depends on the fire.”
“But your wedding—”
“I know.”
“How’s Krista taking this?”
“She knew this was a possibility. We’ll figure something out.” Luke shouldered his pack. “I’ll call you when I get a chance.”
“Stay safe, man.” Then Jeff surprised him by clapping him on the back in an awkward hug.
“I will.” Luke headed out to his truck. He opened the hatch and slung his pack into the back.
When he arrived at the fire station, the rest of the team was assembling.
“All right, Luke’s here! Thought you were getting married.”
“I’m planning on it.” But he could only guess at what the fire had in store.
#
Krista rummaged through the bureau for her swimsuit. After finding it on the clothes dryer in the laundry room, she changed and joined Nana and Sami at the pool. Being with them ought to cheer her up.
That, and some chocolate would be good right about now. Especially since she'd left her chocolate-peanut butter cup sundae melting at the shop.
“There she is! Are you doing better, dear?” Nana waved at her from her spot in the hot tub.
“Yes, I am.” She left her towel on the patio table and sunk into the hot water. Yet her gaze wandered to the southwest. She couldn’t see a cloud of smoke streaming across the sky, but she knew it was somewhere miles away in the darkness.
“Hey, are you going to do some laps?” Sami called from the main pool.
“Maybe in a few.” She smiled at Nana, not wanting to worry her. “The water feels great. Every muscle in my shoulders, back, legs—you name it—it’s tight.” The lump in her throat threatened to lodge itself there again.
“What’s got you tied up in knots? I can venture a guess.” Nana’s soothing voice and the hot water were making Krista relax.
It’s the wedding, the fire, everything at once.” Krista tilted her head back and watched steam from the bubbling water drift into the sky and disappear. “Mom's here, being Mom. Dad's, ah, oblivious—I need to run interference between them, and Jana got here, and I'll have hardly any time to see her at all. I’ve got the caterer all set, plus the musicians, the cake, the. . .” She sighed.
“But there’s something else, something more than Luke fighting the fire, isn’t there?”
Krista nodded. “Luke and I—we had a spat right before he left. There we were, trying to take a moment just for us—”
The story rushed out liked a fire sweeping across a dry field, from Krista’s own struggle about Jeff, to the fire flaring up, to the fight at dinner. The ugly words from Momma went unspoken.
Krista ended with, “I know I can trust Luke, that he won’t let me down again, yet I am still scared.”
“We don’t have guarantees.”
“But what if something happens?”
“Krista, things will always happen. I know in some aspects you’ve had wedding
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