“I’ve always wondered how it works. Do you live at the fire station?”
“Near enough.” He laughed. “We all work forty-eight-hour shifts with four days off in between. I’m at the station on a lot of my off days because I’m chief, but right now, I’m on vacation.”
“You’re part of the Team, too, aren’t you? You helped save Lexi.”
“Yeah, I was there.” That had been onehellof a day. He’d been on a lot of calls, but that one had shaken him to his core. “I’ve been with the Team since I turned eighteen.”
The Team—Rocky Mountain Search & Rescue Team—was an all-volunteer nonprofit that handled searches, technical rescues, and evacuations for the region. It was widely regarded as the best S&R team in the nation. It gave him a chance to put his climbing and paramedic skills to work in high-risk situations.
Yeah, he’d do just about anything to get in some rock climbing.
“How can the Team function with you and Austin away at the same time?”
“There are almost fifty people on the Team. Some are provisional members, not primary members like Taylor and me. Our being away gives them a chance to get into the field a little more and accrue the hours necessary to be primary members.” He glanced over, saw she was watching him. “What?”
“I think that’s cool—the work you do. I guess I never imagined someone could skip college and still be so successful.” She squeezed her eyes shut, opened them again. “Wait. That sounded snobby, didn’t it?”
He couldn’t help but laugh. “My mom says that the path to success is the one that enables people to feel at peace with themselves, and I can’t complain. But there are times when I wonder if I missed out on something.”
“Like what?”
He said the first thing that popped into his head. “Computers. I’m not great with all that electronic stuff. We have a volunteer who handles IT at the firehouse, but there are times I wish I could manage more myself. I’m working on a project right now—a video project—and I don’t know what the hell I’m doing.”
“What are you having trouble with? I have experience doing film editing for video marketing campaigns. I might be able to help.”
God, that would make his life easier. But could he trust her?
“Can you keep a secret from Lexi?” He could see that she was curious.
Then her big brown eyes went wide. “It’s something for the wedding.”
She wasn’t slow. He’d give her that.
“Promise you won’t tell anyone, especially not Lexi. I know how women are. They tell their best friends everything.”
She gave an impatient wave of her hand. “Yes, yes, I promise. Tell me.”
“I’ve done some interviews with people around Scarlet, folks who knew her mother, asking them what they think she’d say to Lexi on her wedding day and how she’d feel about Lexi marrying Austin.”
Lexi’s mother had died when Lexi was only four, killed by a drunk driver.
“Oh!” Victoria’s gaze went soft. “What a sweet thing to do. That will mean the world to Lexi.”
Eric had thought the same thing. “Unfortunately, at this rate, I won’t be done editing the footage until their first kid goes to high school. The video editing software issucha pain in the ass.”
“Can I help? I’d love to be a part of that.”
“I’d appreciate it.” As he turned off E-470 onto Highway 36, Eric couldn’t keep the smile off his face. He and Victoria were going to be spending a lot of time together over the coming week.
* * *
An hour later, they pulled into the long driveway of the Forest Creek Inn, the historic bed-and-breakfast owned by Lexi’s family. The large, three-story Victorian house with its yellow paint and neat white trim stood proudly against the mountain backdrop and was one of the most photographed spots in town.
But Vic’s gaze wasn’t on the inn. Garment bag in hand, she hopped to the ground, as stunned by the beauty of the mountains as she’d been last year. “God, it’s beautiful.”
Behind her, Eric unloaded her bags. “I grew up with that view, and I can’t say I’ve ever grown tired of it.”
“I don’t think I would either.” She inhaled the fresh air, the scents of pine and sunshine filling her head.