He froze and, for the first time in fifteen years as a firefighter, he forgot about the incident, his mission, just what the hell he was doing here.
Laura.
Ten years. He hadnât seen her in all that time, since the week before their wedding when she had given him back his ring and left town. Not just town. She had left the whole damn country, as if she couldnât run far enough to get away from him.
Some part of him desperately wanted to think he had made some kind of mistake. It couldnât be her. That was just some other slender woman with a long sweep of honey-blond hair and big blue unforgettable eyes. But no, it was definitely Laura, standing next to her mother. Sweet and lovely.
Not his.
He loved these guys like his own brothers, but sometimes Taft Bowman wanted to take a fire hose to his whole blasted volunteer fire department.
This was their second swift-water rescue training in a monthânot to mention that he had been holding these regularly since he became battalion chief five years earlierâand they still struggled to toss a throw bag anywhere close to one of the three âvictimsâ floating down Cold Creek in wet suits and helmets.
âYouâve got to keep in mind the flow of the water and toss it downstream enough that they ride the current to the rope,â he instructed for about the six-hundredth time. One by one, the floatersâin reality, other volunteer firefighters on his thirty-person crewâstopped at the catch line strung across the creek and began working their way hand over hand to the bank.
Fortunately, even though the waters were plenty frigid this time of year, they were about a month away from the real intensity of spring runoff, which was why he was training his firefighters for water rescues now.
With its twists and turns and spectacular surroundings on the west slope of the Tetons, Cold Creek had started gaining popularity with kayakers. He enjoyed floating the river himself. But between the sometimes-inexperienced outdoor-fun seekers and the occasional Pine Gulch citizen who strayed too close to the edge of the fast-moving water, his department was called out on at least a handful of rescues each season and he wanted them to be ready.
âOkay, letâs try it one more time. Terry, Charlie, Bates, you three take turns with the throw bag. Luke, Cody, Tom, stagger your jumps by about five minutes this time around to give us enough time on this end to rescue whoever is ahead of you.â
He set the team in position and watched upstream as Luke Orosco, his second in command, took a running leap into the water, angling his body feetfirst into the current. âOkay, Terry. Heâs coming. Are you ready? Time it just right. One, two, three. Now!â
This time, the rope sailed into the water just downstream of the diver and Taft grinned. âThatâs it, thatâs it. Perfect. Now instruct him to attach the rope.â
For once, the rescue went smoothly. He was watching for Cody Shepherd to jump in when the radio clipped to his belt suddenly crackled with static.
âChief Bowman, copy.â
The dispatcher sounded unusually flustered and Taftâs instincts borne of fifteen years of firefighting and paramedic work instantly kicked in. âYeah, I copy. Whatâs up, Kelly?â
âIâve got a report of a small structure fire at the inn, three hundred twenty Cold Creek Road.â
He stared as the second rescue went off without a hitch. âCome again?â he couldnât help asking, adrenaline pulsing through him. Structure fires were a rarity in the quiet town of Pine Gulch. Really a rarity. The last time had been a creosote chimney fire four months ago that a single ladder-truck unit had put out in about five minutes.
âYes, sir. The hotel is evacuating at this time.â
He muttered an oath. Half his crew was currently in wet suits, but at least they were only a few hundred yards away from the station house, with the engines and the turnout gear.