The Sugar Queen by Tess Thompson

7

Brandi

Leaveit to Trapper to make evacuating from a massive fire that threatened our entire community fun. A few minutes after we arrived, he had the tent up and had placed the cooler and cooking stove on the tailgate of his truck, as if we were getting ready for a party.

The road from the high school had taken us to a lower elevation. The sky here was clear and free of the smell of smoke. It was dark now, and a sprinkling of stars twinkled at us. The campground was flat and grassy, with cement driveways and paths. Campers had erected tents. Children ran and shouted, probably delighted to be free from their cars. The smell of gas grills cooking various types of meat filled the air, like any old night at the campsite.

Trapper turned on two battery-operated lanterns, which shed a surprising amount of light. I paced around the campsite, worried about Crystal. We’d heard from everyone by then except for her. Breck, his mother, and Tiffany had found a place for the shelter animals and were on their way there now. His mother had called a friend in Louisville, and they were going to stay there for the night.

Out of nowhere, I heard someone call my name. “Brandi?” I looked up to see two people, one carrying a lantern, walking toward us. A split second later, I realized it was Garth Welte and Crystal.

“Trapper, it’s Crystal and Garth.”

He turned from the cookstove, and we both sprinted over to meet them at the edge of our site. Crystal and I hugged as if we’d been separated for years instead of hours. “I’ve been calling and texting you. When you didn’t answer, I thought the worst.”

Crystal withdrew from my embrace and swiped under her eyes. Her usual perfectly applied makeup was smeared down her cheeks. “I didn’t have the chance to grab anything but my laptop and my purse. I assumed my phone was in there, but I remembered later I’d just put it on the stand to charge. The smoke was so thick I could barely see. If Garth hadn’t come for me, I don’t know what would’ve happened.”

Garth stood with his hands in the pockets of his jeans, his relaxed demeanor replaced by a haggard weariness. “The damned thing came out of nowhere. I was afraid we’d get trapped up there if we didn’t just go.”

“We had to leave everything or risk our lives,” Crystal said. “All my framed photos were in that house.” She wrapped her arms around her middle, shaking. “My wedding album. I was so panicked I just left it all.”

Garth gave Crystal’s shoulder a quick squeeze. “We’re a little shaken up,” he said, as if he needed to apologize.

“What else could you be?” Trapper slapped him on the back. “But dude, you were quick on your feet. Well done.”

Garth grimaced, shaking his head. “My house is slightly higher elevation than Crystal, so I saw the flames coming down the mountain before she did. I’d packed my car when I got home from the bar last night because I had a bad feeling. Montana boy, so I’ve been through this before. As I drove down my driveway, I saw Crystal’s car parked in front of the house. I scared her half to death by pounding on her door like a lunatic, but there was no way I was leaving without her.”

“I was so scared, I just jumped in his car,” Crystal said. “There’s no way I could’ve driven.”

“The good news is I’ve got all my camping gear and a bunch of canned goods,” Garth said. “I remembered last night that my dad had done that once when we had to evacuate.”

“I don’t know what made me think to do the same thing,” Trapper said. “Instinct maybe.”

“Turns out they were able to contain the one we escaped from when I was a kid,” Garth said. “We went home the next day. I’m not sure we’re going to be so lucky this time.”

“I’m glad you got out of there and didn’t do anything foolish,” Trapper said.

“Thank you for saving my friend,” I said to Garth as my voice broke. “I was beside myself.”

“He’s my hero,” Crystal said, wiping her eyes. “And one heck of a good neighbor.”

“Come on over to my truck,” Trapper said. “We’ve got drinks and food.”

“We have beer,” I said. “And hot dogs and hamburgers.”

“And whiskey,” Trapper said as he opened the cooler.

“I don’t think I can eat,” Crystal said. “But I’ll take a beer.”

Trapper opened beers for all of us and handed them around. We all took a grateful sip.

“Where’s your car?” Trapper asked Garth.

“That’s me over there.” He pointed to a black SUV in the row behind us. “We set up a tent before it got too dark.”

Trapper held out his hand to Crystal. “I don’t know if you remember me, but it’s nice to see you again, despite the circumstances.”

Crystal gave him a fragile smile. “I remember you, Trapper. How could I forget? You and Brandi were always so nice to me when I was here for summers. Brandi’s friendship was one of the main reasons I wanted to come home.” She tossed her hair behind her shoulders. “We’re pretty sure our homes are gone.”

“Damned if I didn’t just get the house finished,” Garth said, grimacing. “Maybe it’s good I never decorated.”

Crystal sniffed. “I keep telling myself it’s only objects. Just a house. But it represented my fresh start after losing Patrick. My return to my favorite place on earth.”

“No matter what happens, we can rebuild,” Trapper said. “Even if the buildings in town are damaged, we can restore them. My family will make sure of it.”

“If there are families displaced, I want to help,” Crystal said. “I can’t bear to think of the children without homes.”

“We can talk about that once we know the final outcome,” Garth said. “As your attorney, that’s my official advice.”

She smiled at him. “Are you my attorney now?”

“After I saved you, it’s only fair,” Garth said, teasing. “I’m just a poor country lawyer in need of clients.”

“Isn’t your specialty divorce law?” Crystal asked, matching his tone, despite her obvious distress.

“We call it family law,” Garth said. “But yes.”

Their interaction gave me pause. Was it an air of flirtation and intimacy between them? Was that what happened when you escaped a forest fire together? She’d said before that Garth had been friendly, even checking on her a few times without being overbearing.

I pulled hot dogs from the cooler. Trapper found a can of baked beans. Crystal leaned limply against the truck.

“Damn, I forgot a can opener,” Trapper said. “And silverware.”

“Got you covered,” Garth said as he lifted a Swiss Army knife from his pocket. “Give me that.” He dug right in, getting the lid off in a matter of seconds, then peeled the wrapper off and stuck the tin container on the stove to heat. “I’ll be right back with some forks and plates.”

As I grilled dogs and toasted the buns over the flames, I searched on my phone for any updates on the fire but found nothing other than that Emerson Pass had been evacuated. Garth returned with four folding camping chairs and a stack of paper plates and plastic utensils. He and Trapper took the chairs from their casings and set them up in a circle near the tailgate. Crystal and Garth both sat and sipped their beers. Trapper opened a bag of corn chips and salsa. We moved the cooler to use as a table and set one of the lanterns on top. Then we left our friends to relax while we finished making dinner.

Around us, voices punctuated the quiet night as families prepared meals or readied for bed. At the site on one side of us, a couple had erected a small tent and were now making sandwiches from a loaf of bread and lunch meat. On the other side, a man and woman with small children huddled together in the back seat of their car. The kids on their parents’ laps wriggled and fussed. They’d pulled in after us and didn’t appear to have anything to eat. If they were like the rest of us, they’d left right around dinner. Were they hungry? My heart ached at the thought of those babies going to sleep with empty stomachs.

Trapper stood beside me by the cookstove, so close I could feel the heat from his body. I gestured toward the neighbor’s car with the spatula. “Should we see if they need dinner? We have plenty.”

He looked over to the car. “Totally. They must not have a tent, either.”

“We should offer them ours,” I said, no louder than a whisper.

“Where will you sleep? And we only have two sleeping bags.”

I drew in a long breath, knowing I was tempting fate. However, these were extreme circumstances. “I’ll sleep with you in the truck. We used to share a bag, remember?”

He tensed. His chest rose and fell. “I remember we didn’t sleep much back then.”

The memory of his hard body on top of mine weakened my knees. “True.” I looked up at him.

“I can’t be that close to you and control myself.” His eyes glittered in the light from the camp stove.

“You won’t have to.” It was wrong. I knew it was wrong. But in that moment, I no longer cared. I’d take as much as I could of him before he knew what I’d done and left me for good.

He wrapped a big hand around my waist and lifted my blouse to slip a finger along the small of my back. “You sure?”

My breath hitched. Every part of me hummed from that simple touch. “I’m sure.”

“Jesus, Brandi,” he whispered in my ear. “Do you know how much I want you?”

“I do.” I swallowed and glanced over to our friends. They had their heads together, talking softly. Thankfully, they seemed oblivious to us. “But for right now we have company.”

“Right, yes.” He grinned down at me. “I’ll be good for now.”

“Will you ask our neighbors if they’d like some hot dogs?” I asked.

Trapper nodded and went over to knock on the window of their car. I couldn’t hear the exact exchange but a few minutes later, he returned. “They’d love some food. And our tent.”

Our tent. I liked that word our a little too much. I set a pile of cooked hot dogs on a paper plate.

“They have blankets and a few sleeping bags,” Trapper said. “But that’s it.” He lowered his voice. “They live not that far from Crystal’s place and said they barely got out of there.”

Trapper took the sleeping bags and mattress pads out of the tent and arranged them in the bed of the truck. I shivered, imagining what might happen there later.

Together, Garth and Trapper took the stakes out of the ground and lifted the entire tent over to the other campsite. Crystal helped fix plates of food, and we took them over as the guys pounded the stakes back into the ground. The woman, who held the youngest of the two little girls, introduced herself as Rhonda. Her husband was Matt. Neither looked much older than twenty. She wore a waitress uniform like the ones from the local diner. Matt was in coveralls with grease on the front. Their daughters were Mara and Katie, who looked at us with big eyes as they clung to their parents.

“I can’t thank you enough,” Rhonda said as she adjusted Katie on her skinny hip. “We’d just picked the girls up from day care when we got the news. They’d closed the road to our house, so we couldn’t grab anything. We happened to have some blankets in the car from a trip down to the river last week. To make it worse, payday’s tomorrow so we’re down to nothing in our bank account. I had a little tip money, but it was a slow day. All we could get was a jug of milk and a box of saltines for the girls.”

“Hot dog,” Katie shouted.

“Yes, yes. Let’s get you fed,” Rhonda said.

Mara and Katie were given their hot dogs and set on top of the car’s trunk to eat. I placed the other two plates on the hood.

“Please let us know if you need anything else,” I said.

“Again, thank you,” Rhonda said. “I just don’t even know what to say.”

“We’re neighbors,” I said. “That’s what neighbors do.”

Rhonda ran her hand through her ponytail. “We just bought our house out on Harley Road. Put every bit of money we had into the down payment. If we lose it, I don’t know what we’ll do.”

Crystal reached into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out a stack of folded one-hundred-dollar bills. “Take this. It’s five hundred.”

“No, I couldn’t,” Rhonda said, pushing away Crystal’s outstretched hand.

“Please. In case we’re here for a few days. You can get groceries tomorrow. Maybe even a hotel room.”

Rhonda shot a nervous glance at her husband, who was talking to the guys over by the tent. “He doesn’t like charity.”

“You can pay me back once we get home,” Crystal said. “Please.”

“Okay, yes, then. Thank you.”

We left her, agreeing that we both needed the restroom before going back to our site. “How in the heck do you just have five hundred dollars in your pocket?” I asked as we strolled down the cement path toward the nearest bathroom.

“You’ll laugh, but I always keep some cash in the inside pocket of my purse in case of an emergency. Like the zombie apocalypse, for example.”

I nudged her shoulder with mine. “If that happens, money won’t matter.”

She chuckled. “I suppose that’s true.”

“Anyway, that was kind of you,” I said. “You’re mega rich, yet you haven’t forgotten what it’s like to be a regular person.”

“I’m still a regular person. I just happen to have inherited my husband’s money. There’s nothing special about me.”

“You’re special to me.”

“Stop it. You’re going to get me crying again. Anyway, spill it. How in the world did you end up here with Trapper?”

I explained about dinner at Rose and Fenton’s. “Like you, I didn’t want to drive by myself, so I agreed to come with Trapper.”

I squinted as we walked into the lit bathroom. Several ladies with small children were brushing their teeth at the sinks. We did our business, washed our hands, and went back out into the night.

Trapper had put more dogs on the grill and opened another round of beers. Temperatures had dropped, and I was chilled in my cotton sundress. The four of us filled our plates. I plopped into one of the chairs, grateful to sit and eat. Trapper sat beside me. I gobbled up my dog.

“A little dry without condiments,” I said. “But all in all, not bad.”

“I’d prefer one of your ham-and-butter baguettes.” Garth wiped his hands on a paper towel.

“Let’s hope there’s a bakery left for me to whip you up one,” I said.

Crystal had barely touched her food. “Those poor people. What if they lose their house? What will they do? I mean, it’s one thing for you and me, Garth. We can rebuild. But what about the uninsured or underinsured living paycheck to paycheck?”

I thought about how much I owed the bank for the loan I’d taken out to buy new ovens and equipment last year. I’d be in the same situation if the place burned. Homeless, unemployed, and deeply in debt.

“Hey now,” Garth said to Crystal. “It’ll be okay. Somehow.”

“You don’t sound convinced.” I swallowed the burning sensation at the back of my throat. “I have everything sunk into that bakery. If I lose it, I’m not sure I can recover financially. I took out a massive loan when I expanded the kitchen and remodeled.”

“Why didn’t you ask me for the money?” Crystal asked.

“Because you’re not a bank,” I said.

“Exactly my point,” she said. “I help my friends if they need it. What good is money if you can’t do that? It sure as hell can’t keep people alive.”

The three of us went still, knocked mute by the pain in Crystal’s voice.

She looked upward. The gold ring she wore on a chain around her long neck caught the light. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“Nah,” Garth said. “You shouldn’t be embarrassed by grief. Hell, I still fall on my knees and pray to God to give me some peace about my little brother. He died when I was ten. I miss him every single day.”

“I’m sorry.” The pain of my own loss came roaring back, as it did when I heard about others’ grief. “That must have been terrible for your entire family.”

“Yeah. His death broke up my parents’ marriage.” Garth’s low-timbred drawl belied the serious nature of his words. “Losing your eight-year-old son to cancer is hard to get through intact.”

“Garth, that’s awful,” Crystal said. “Your poor parents.”

“I can’t even imagine how hard that must have been,” Trapper said. “You came out pretty awesome despite all that.”

“I have my issues,” Garth said. “I’m a work in progress.”

“Aren’t we all?” Trapper asked.

“Some of us might be in stasis,” Crystal said in a way that made us all laugh.

“You two stay put while we clean up a bit,” I said.

Trapper and I gathered trash and put away the cookstove, then returned to our circle with more beers.

“I think I need a shot of whiskey,” I said as soon as I settled back into my chair.

Trapper fetched the bottle. We didn’t have any glasses, so he took a swig, then handed it to me. I did the same and passed it over to Crystal. She looked at the bottle for a second before lifting it to her mouth and taking a swig. She coughed and beat her chest. “Holy crap, that’s strong. I’m more of a cosmo type of girl.” She shoved the bottle at Garth. “Here you go, Ski King. Show me how it’s done.”

Garth raised his eyebrows. “Ski King?”

“She’s the Sugar Queen,” Crystal said, pointing at me. “Seems appropriate.”

Garth tipped the bottle, then wiped his mouth. “Does that mean Trapper’s the Hockey King?”

“No way.” Crystal waggled her beer bottle at him. “I mean, come on, the name Trapper says it all.”

I laughed. “True.”

“I always told my parents they doomed me for any other life,” Trapper said. “What else could I be but a hockey player?”

“You need a nickname then,” Garth said to Crystal. “City Mouse?”

Crystal placed one hand over her heart, pretending to be hurt. “Is that why you keep stopping by to make sure I haven’t frozen to death? You think I’m a city girl?”

Garth put up a hand, laughing. “I saw you trying to chop kindling last winter. I was honestly worried you were going to cut your foot off.”

“Wait a second,” Crystal said. “You can see me from your house?”

“I have a direct view of your woodshed,” Garth said. “Which is why I’m concerned.”

“Listen, you.” Crystal poked his shoulder with her beer. “You stick to skiing and lawyering and don’t worry your pretty-boy head over my ineptitude at country living.”

“Nope. That’s not how I roll,” Garth said. “This country boy looks out for his pretty city-girl neighbor.”

“Can’t blame him for that,” Trapper said.

“Don’t try to make up now by calling me pretty.” Crystal kicked Garth’s knee lightly with her foot.

Garth grinned. “I’m not blind, City Mouse.”

“Give me that bottle,” Crystal said.

Garth handed it to her, and she took another swig. “God, that’s terrible.” She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

“You didn’t cough this time,” Garth said. “Progress.”

Garth had my friend laughing and acting lighter than I’d seen her since we were kids. In fact, she was lit up like a Christmas tree. Was it the booze or the boy?

“I’ve never been camping before,” Crystal said as she handed the bottle to Trapper. “I didn’t think I ever would.”

“It’s the company that makes the difference,” Trapper said as he winked at me.

I loved his wink, his attention, the way he looked at me as if he wanted to take me on his lap and kiss me senseless. Trapper’s light had always warmed me. He still had the power to fill me up, to make me glow.

“Fleeing for your life isn’t the best introduction to one of America’s greatest leisure activities,” Garth said. “You can’t judge all camping from this experience.”

“If I did, I would say it’s damn fun,” Crystal said. “Although I might just be drunk.”

We chattered in quiet voices as a half-moon rose in the sky. The campground quieted as people crawled into tents or cars. Occasionally, a laugh punctuated the night. Even at times like this, humans could find something to laugh about. Under the purple ceiling sprinkled with silver stars, it was hard to believe that our town was in jeopardy.

“So, City Mouse, did you ever meet Bill and Melinda Gates?” Garth asked.

“Once, at a charity function. I was so nervous I spilled my cosmo on Melinda’s shoes. She was completely gracious. I wanted to fall through the floor.”

“I can’t imagine meeting those types of people,” I said. “Actually, nothing sounds worse.”

“I was always nervous, but they’re just like us,” Crystal said.

“Just like you,” I said. “Not me.”

“Money doesn’t make the person,” Crystal said.

“True,” Garth said. “But tell that to my ex-wife.”

“You have an ex-wife?” Crystal asked.

“Unfortunately, yes,” he said. “I married a woman right out of college. Once my ski career was over, she was out of there. She loved those endorsements and the lifestyle. When I told her it was time for me to quit and go to law school, she was no longer interested in this good ol’ boy. She moved on to a pro baseball player after she left me. That hurt. I mean, those guys all have beer bellies.”

“Even so, you have those medals to remind you of what you accomplished,” Trapper said. “No one can ever take those away from you.”

“You crushed it at the 2010 Olympics in downhill,” I said. “All the girls had your picture on their walls.”

“It was fun while it lasted.” Garth said, grinning. “But I have a great time no matter where I am or what I’m doing.”

“Amen to that,” Trapper said as he reached over to clink beer bottles with Garth.

“Living here has been awesome,” Garth said. “Other than maybe losing my house. I already lost the first damn one to my ex-wife. Maybe I should rent from now on.”

Our beers were empty. It was ten by then. A forest ranger was making rounds, reminding everyone that quiet hours started now.

Garth reached out his hand to Crystal. “What do you say we get a little shut-eye?”

“Shut-eye?” Crystal giggled. “I do love the way you talk, Ski King.”

“You want the SUV or the tent?” Garth asked.

“Which will keep me safest from a bear?” Crystal asked.

“I don’t think there are any bears in this campground,” Trapper said.

“If there are, I’m not worried,” Crystal said. “Not with Ski King here to protect me.”

They stared at each other, a little too intimately. She’d told me countless times that she had no intention of becoming romantically involved again, and yet here she was all soft and yielding and flirtatious.

For the first time, it occurred to me that Crystal and I could share the tent and Trapper and Garth could sleep in the truck with their sports-guy testosterone to keep them warm. I should say something to save us all from temptation, I thought. If I hadn’t been so weak, I would have. The idea of Trapper doing anything but sleeping next to me was the last thing I wanted. Given that, I watched as Crystal allowed Garth to help her up from the chair. He took his lantern, and then they walked hand in hand toward their campsite.

“How much you want to bet they both sleep in the tent?” Trapper asked.

Our heads were inches apart as we looked out in front of us and not at each other. I smelled the manly, spicy cologne on his neck and wanted to trace the muscle of his neck with my mouth.

“That’s kind of crazy,” I said. “Crystal is adamant about not getting involved with anyone. I’ve never seen her even smile at a man. Her husband’s death devastated her.”

“Maybe Garth will change her mind,” Trapper said. “According to Breck and Huck, he’s a great guy who does all kinds of pro bono work for women who need help with custody battles against abusive exes and kisses babies and walks old women across the street. From what I can see, he’s all that and more.”

“You were always a good judge of character,” I said.

He trailed his fingers up my arm. “I’m not interested in what’s happening in their tent. I’m more interested in what’s going to happen in ours.”

“We don’t have a tent, remember?”

He chuckled as he kissed my neck. “I’m interested in what’s going to happen in my truck. Is that better?”

I throbbed with wanting him. First, however, I needed to brush my teeth and go the restroom one more time. “I have to brush my teeth and pee first. And I’m not walking over to the bathroom all by myself.”

“I’ll grab our bags.”

In the bathroom,I brushed my teeth, scrubbed my face of makeup, and changed from my dress into sweats and a T-shirt. What a long, strange day it had been. There were several other women washing up, so I didn’t linger at the mirror wondering what the heck I was doing.

Still, a voice whispered in my ear. Really? After one day, you’re back in Trapper’s arms? This must be the fastest reconciliation in the history of romance. What about your secret?

But this is you and Trapper. Epic love.

Until he knows what you did.

One night. One damn night. After everything, that seemed fair.

Outside, Trapper waited for me under an aspen tree. I swear it felt like the most normal thing in the world to see him there. He held out his hand, and I took it. With his other hand he held his phone out in front of us, producing enough light to see the path back to our site. A cricket chirped, and the scent of grass mingled with fir trees. The campground was quiet now with only a few moving about with flashlights or lanterns.

I trembled when we reached the truck, suddenly nervous. He set our bags in the cab as I climbed into the bed of the truck. I hadn’t noticed earlier, but he’d zipped the two bags together. I slipped into the warmth of the sleeping bag and scooted to the left. With the mattresses, it wasn’t too hard. He still had the flashlight from his phone on as he moved around. I closed my eyes. The truck bounced slightly as he closed the tailgate. A second later, he climbed over the side. He knelt near the top of the sleeping bag and pulled something from his backpack. “Portable charger,” he said, then killed the light. Since it was totally dark, I could only hear his presence—a thud of the backpack, then the crinkly noise of the sleeping bag as he joined me.

“I can’t see a thing,” he whispered. “I hate the dark.”

I smiled to myself. For such a big guy, his fear of the dark was strange. He’d been like that when we were young. I reached out to him, finding his bulk in the dark. “I’m right here.”

He slipped in next to me. “There you are.”

“Here I am,” I whispered. “Waiting for you.”

He reached for me, tugging me against his chest, and kissed me. His mouth tasted of mint toothpaste. “Do you want this?” he whispered into my hair.

“Yes, I want this.” I wrapped my legs around him.

“God, you feel so good.” He groaned when my hands reached under his shirt to explore his muscular back. “When I think about all the years we’ve missed…”

“We’re here now,” I said. “Let’s not waste any more time.”

He pulled me under him. “I don’t plan on it.”

I was lost in the moment. Tomorrow, I promised myself, I’d tell him the truth.

I wokestiff and sore as the sun rose from the east. Trapper and I had slept like spoons with his arm around my waist. I’d been so tired after our physical antics that I’d fallen into a deep sleep. I wriggled around to get a look at him. He opened one eye, then the other. “Hey, you’re not a dream.”

I smiled. “I’m not, and I need to pee.”

“But you’re naked.” He drew me closer, sounding sleepy. “Stay a little longer.”

“I’m afraid this is a desperate situation. Where are my clothes?” I felt around the sleeping bag and located my sweats. I managed to pull them on without exposing myself to the campground. Further exploration revealed the shirt. This would be harder. “I need your help. Pull this over my head.”

“This definitely reminds me of old times. Stay still now. If you wiggle, I can’t get it over your head.” We both started to laugh as he tugged the shirt over my head.

“Ouch, that’s my hair.”

“Either you have a big head or this is a particularly small hole.”

“I do not have a large head.” I giggled as I put my arms into their slots.

“Shhh…you’ll wake the whole campground.” He trailed his fingers across my stomach and up to my breasts. “Maybe I should do something to quiet you down.”

“Don’t you start that now. I mean it. I have to pee.”

He withdrew his hand. “Fine. I’ll go with you.” He lifted a pair of my thong panties from near his head. “You’ve forgotten something. Which means I’ll just carry them around in my pocket for the rest of the day.”

“You’re a very naughty boy.” I shuddered as he sat up and pulled his sweatshirt down over his six-pack stomach. The things the man had done to me in the dark of the night would stay with me a long time. They’d have to.

His phone buzzed. With his long arm, he reached for it and yanked the cord from the charger. “Message from Huck.” A small muscle in his cheek twitched. “Crap.”

“What is it?” I asked. “What’s happened?”

“They put out the fire. They’re going to let people back in this afternoon.”

“But?” I knew there was a but, given his dour expression.

“The fire tore down the southern mountain, jumped the river, and burned down pretty much everything along River Road. Including my ice rink, Jamie’s inn, the high school, and Huck’s new house. Garth’s and Crystal’s homes are gone too.”

“How did they get it out?” I asked.

“They brought in some firefighters from Oregon and California and doused everything with chemicals to box the fire in. Once they did that, the fire was contained and burned itself out.” He rubbed his eyes. “We have to tell Garth and Crystal.”

“Are you okay?” I asked. “I’m so sorry, baby.”

He tilted his head and looked right at me. “It’s all right. The whole place was going to be gutted anyway. We’ll have to start from scratch, but it’s not the end of the world. Losing a house or poor Jamie with her newly opened inn—those hurt. Not to mention the school. I’m not going to spend a minute feeling sorry for myself. Our friends are going to need us.”

“Where will the kids go to school?” I asked out loud, as if he would know.

“We’ll figure out a temporary solution,” he said. “My dad will think of something.”

“How did Huck sound?” I asked.

“Grim but stoic. He’s staying at his parents’.”

A flood of memories rushed over me. We’d had many fun times in Huck’s parents’ kitchen. Garret Clifton, a direct descendant of Josephine Barnes, was the closest we had to celebrity in Emerson Pass before Trapper made the professional hockey team in LA. He wrote a famous mystery series that had been turned into a television series. Huck’s mother, a force in her own right, ran one of the local banks. They were opposites: a word person and a math person. Huck took after his father, inheriting the love of writing. Sadly, it had taken him in an opposite direction and to a war across the world. Huck had come home broken. This was the last thing he needed.

“What will everyone do?” I asked.

“Rely on friends,” he said. “This is the time to band together. We’ve always been able to accomplish anything together.”

I fidgeted with the sleeve of my sweatshirt, suddenly unsure what to do or what the day might bring. Last night was a cocoon, a sanctuary from the real world. One that consisted of Trapper and me. In the light of day, reality rushed right back in. What we had could never continue.

“Baby, what is it?” He scooted closer and drew me onto his lap.

I buried my nose in his neck. “Nothing. I love you, that’s all.”

He lifted my face to look me in the eyes. “I’ve been waiting ten years to hear those words come out of your mouth. I love you too, Brandi Vargas. With everything I am. I’m going to spend the rest of my life showing you how much.”

Guilt crushed me. Dread engulfed me. I held on to him as tightly as I could and prayed for a miracle.