The Fireman's Perfect Match Read online

  “He jumped you?”

  There’s a growl in Caleb’s voice—an intensity that disarms me and simultaneously makes me feel safer than I felt all month.

  “Yes. And then I remembered the techniques I learned in the self-defense training they gave us at school. I started doing this one thing where you wiggle and duck to get space from your attacker and then I used my elbows to jab at him. He lost his grip and I ran. I ran so hard, Caleb. I just kept running.” I’m wiping tears from my cheeks with my hand.

  Caleb says, “You did well. You fought your attacker. I’m so proud of you.” He’s still holding me with a strength that says he’ll stand between me and anything or anyone who tries to harm me.

  I tell him, “I was so scared. The security guard came right away. I even ran from him until I realized it was security.”

  Caleb asks, “How is it you never told me about all this? You’ve been facing this without me. I would have been here for you. Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I don’t know. You were facing your own obstacles. You weren’t yourself. I didn’t want to add one more thing to what you were enduring, and then we broke up. There’s more, though.”

  “More? Did he hurt you, Mindy?”

  “Not exactly. He didn’t catch me or harm me physically, but he did leave a mark in my life. I started experiencing traumatic anxiety after the attack. I couldn’t leave the house. I couldn’t even run or drive. I was paralyzed by fear. I even started having panic attacks.”

  “All this—you faced it without me.”

  Caleb shakes his head.

  I tell him, “You’ve been hit hard by the accident. We drifted. Plus, I wasn’t telling anyone at first.”

  “But now?”

  I say, “Kat and Jack know. And Shannon and my parents. And I’m seeing a counselor at church. I’m taking medication too. It helps. But it doesn’t mean I’m back to what I was. The other day, at lunch. Kat barely slammed the door. My heart raced and I thought I was going to have an attack right in front of you.”

  He asks, “That’s why you went in with Kat?”

  “Yes. I needed her to help me calm down. I didn’t want you to see me like that. I get all freaked out. When I’m steeped in anxiety, I’m not the Mindy you knew. Maybe I’m not the one you wanted all along. I’m healing, but I’m not the same.”

  “Do you think that little of me? That you struggling with anxiety would make me ditch you? It doesn’t. It makes me want to pitch a pup tent right there in front of your porch so I’m here when you need me. That’s what it does.”

  His voice gets softer as he says, “It’s always been you for me. I waited for you. Nothing about you has changed for me. So, you have anxiety. We’ll navigate that together. It’s just about killing me to know you’ve been facing this without me.”

  I look into Caleb’s eyes. He has this determined look, the one that made him go into firefighting in the first place. It’s the same look I saw in Jack’s eyes when he said he’d walk me into church my first Sunday back, only Caleb’s eyes have something more. I think it’s love.

  Caleb bends in toward me. He brushes my lips with his. “Mindy, you are mine. I want to care for you. I want to protect you and stand by you. Please promise me you won’t ever go through something like this without me again. I want to hold you when you are scared. We’ll fight the demons together.”

  Then he gets quiet and he looks over across the yard. It seems like he has a weight on him. Something shifted after he made that last declaration. I’m not going to assume. Nancy told me not to pretend I know what others are thinking.

  So, I ask, “Something just shifted in you. Are you okay?”

  Caleb takes a deep breath. I brace myself, unsure of what he needs to tell me. I’m pretty certain nothing he’s about to say would ever make me love him less. He just seems so troubled I don’t know what to expect.

  He looks at me and breathes out slowly. “I told you I’ll stand by you through anything, and I will. Nothing will change that. There was a time when I thought our lives were impervious to difficulty. We finally had found one another, and I assumed life was going to play out in our favor from there forward. I thought the biggest challenge we’d ever face was waiting to find out we cared for one another. I was so wrong. My accident tore away everything I thought was important. I even almost lost you. I need to apologize for how I fell apart and shut you out after I got out of the hospital. You may want to consider if I’m really the man you want by your side.

  “I took a nosedive after the accident. I felt like I lost my identity and value. I had let the team down. I know that’s not true, but I succumbed to all sorts of warring thoughts. I lost sight of hope and started drowning in bleakness and grief.”

  He looks over at me, shame emanating from his expression. I reach up and cup his face.

  I say, “What you went through was huge. I understand.”

  “Jack and Kat finally got me to agree to go to counseling. I go to a weekly group too.”

  I tell him, “I’m so glad you sought help. You must have felt so hopeless.”

  He says, “I was so messed up. I pushed you away. I shouldn’t have. It’s eating me up that I took my struggles out on you.”

  I tell him, “That’s behind us.”

  “Is it? Because I want to move forward. I just don’t know if it’s fair to ask you to commit yourself to me considering what I’m capable of under pressure. It’s hard enough for me to invite you into my crazy fire life. Now this.”

  “What you went through is scary. No doubt. But it’s not you anymore than my anxiety issues are me. I still want you. I’ve always wanted you, Caleb.”

  He asks, “You do? I mean, you’re sure?”

  I nod and smile up into his blue eyes. I feel overwhelmed from all we’ve both shared, but also something feels mended. We’ve made our way back to one another. Caleb still wants me. We’re in this together.

  Caleb asks, “Do you remember that day I came here. How I blurted out all those things to you, and you came over and kissed me out of the blue? Just like you did today?”

  “How could I ever forget that day? That was our first kiss.”

  He says, “I want to go back to that day and move forward.”

  I say, “We can’t erase what I’ve been through or what happened to you. I honestly wouldn’t necessarily want to. I’ve learned a lot about myself through this experience. Betty told me something a while ago and it stuck with me.”

  “Betty? The mom of the shop – at Ferris Wheel? What did she say?”

  “She said her love for her husband never got stronger because it already was so strong. Instead, over time it grew roots. Maybe these things—your accident, the attack—they are the things that cause our love to grow roots. Roots hang onto soil when storms hit. We almost got uprooted. But we didn’t. We’re going to weather more storms down the road. It’s to be expected. But, next time, the roots we grew during this season together will hold even stronger.”

  Caleb says, “You are right. I know you are. So, does this mean you are still my girlfriend?”

  I say, “If you will have me, I’m totally your girlfriend.”

  “Well, in that case, I’m hoping I can tell you something I haven’t said when I wasn’t under the influence of pain medication.”

  I ask, “What is that?”

  “You love me.”

  I swat his arm. “Caleb!”

  “Well, you do. Am I wrong?”

  He winks, and then he gets very serious.

  Then he says, “And I love you. I love you more than you could know.”

  And with that, Caleb leans over and kisses me. He holds my head and pulls me near to him. We linger together, restoring broken places. The feeling that we had allowed an ocean to develop between us seems to lessen as we hold one another and wordlessly make our way back to shore. This man has always been my only love. And whatever we go through, we’re going to go through it together.

  “Caleb, I do love y
ou.”

  “Oh, I know that. What’s not to love?”

  epilogue

  Caleb

  AS I STAND AT THE END of the aisle, my eyes lock onto hers. Mindy Morse. Yes. She’s the girl I’ve loved since seventh grade. And that low-burning ember in my heart is a full-fledged forest fire for her these days. I still think she’s the sweetest thing this side of the Rockies. Only now, we’ve traversed some difficulties. Our love before was based on attraction and friendship. Now it’s a love forged by fire. Stronger and more resilient.

  I thought watching her walk down the aisle at Jack’s wedding did something to me. And it did. That was the turning point—the day I found the courage to let Mindy know how I had always felt for her. But, today, I don’t even have words for what the sight of her does to me. She’s walking towards me. Her eyes haven’t left mine. Her dad has her arm hooked around his and any minute he will pass her to me. She has always been mine, but today we make it official.

  Her hair is swept up in curls, and the veil covers her face, but I can see her gaze through it. Her dress cuts close at the waist, accentuating her curves in a way that makes me want to skip the reception and run off early to the honeymoon. It’s not immodest, but I’m aware of her in every way. She’s beautiful. If I closed my eyes, she’d be just as captivating.

  As she comes close, her dad gives me a look that says I better be good to his girl. She looks up at me with trust and vulnerability and desire. I take her hand and we turn to the pastor. I barely look at him for a second and then my eyes turn back to Mindy. She is smiling up at me like we share a special secret.

  The pastor starts in with a talk on love, commitment, and how we are blessed if we find our soul mate in life. I mouth the words to Mindy: “Soul mate.”

  She blushes a little and grins at me.

  After the sermon, the pastor walks us through our vows.

  I say, “I will” to each one. I will honor, cherish, keep, have, hold, and anything else you want me to do for this woman. The rest of my life won’t be long enough to fulfill it all. I still don’t deserve a woman like Mindy, but the way she’s looking at me right now makes me want to be the man that will be worthy of her. She always has made me want to be a better man for her.

  We finish our vows and exchange our rings.

  The pastor says, “You may kiss the bride.”

  You got that right! I turn to Mindy and I give my wife—my wife—the first kiss of our married life. I lift her veil and bend in, and we lock our lips and deepen the kiss. I know you are only supposed to peck the bride, but this is Mindy we are talking about. I give her a kiss to take her breath away.

  I hold her around the waist and bring her nearer.

  We must be kissing too long because I hear Jack from over my shoulder saying, “Leave some of it for the honeymoon!”

  We separate as I look into Mindy’s eyes with a smile that I can feel take over my whole face. Then I scoop her up and throw her over my shoulder and run down the aisle.

  She is laughing and shouting, “Caleb Anders, you put me down!”

  I say, “If I thought you really wanted me to, I would, Mindy Anders. But I know better!”

  Thank you for reading Caleb and Mindy’s story!

  If you love Kat and Jack and you want to know how they overcame all the odds to find their forever love, check out their story in Love’s Second Chance.

  The Unforgettable Love Stories Series continues next with Patrice’s story (Kat’s best friend and maid of honor). I’m including a bonus chapter for you here:

  {bonus: chapter one from Romancing the Rancher}

  Patrice

  You would think I’d be an expert packer with my career in the clothing industry. The thing is, I rarely take time off to go on vacation, so I feel like I need to bring a little bit of everything. This would explain why my closet is close to empty right now, while my bed is piled high with various mounds of clothes, shoes, jewelry, and accessories.

  I’m taking off on a girls’ trip with my best friend, Kat, two other friends of hers from Montana, Mindy and Shannon, and our friends who live here in L.A., Jasmine and Shelby. We’re all meeting up in Hill Country, Texas, where Kat grew up.

  I know, I know. Texas in summertime isn’t really what you’d expect as a dream destination for a girlfriend trip. Maybe Cancun, the Caribbean, or Hawaii—but we have our reasons.

  For one thing, Kat’s parents live in Hill Country, and we can stay in their six-bedroom home at no cost to us. I love her folks and staying with them will help us save on room and board for the trip. Plus, her mom basically spoils us when we visit.

  Kat knows me well. When she first presented this idea, she sweetened the deal with one thing she knows is my weakness: cowboys. As bucolic as it sounds, I have a thing for a man on a horse, wearing a Stetson, or sporting a pair of western boots. Mmmmm.

  It’s not just the look. Cowboys, ranchers, farmers are all salt of the earth, work-for-what-you-have kind of people. I can respect that in a man. So, even though I know I’m not likely to meet the man of my dreams on a two-week trip with a bunch of women, a girl can have her fantasies.

  I FaceTime Kat while I’m sorting through clothes. When she lived here in L.A., we would go to each other’s homes and help pick outfits all the time. I need her to help me thin out my choices before I have to rent a seatrain to meet us at her parent’s property with all my luggage.

  “Hey, Kitty-Kat, how’s everything in Bozeman?”

  “Great! I can’t wait to see you! Only three days! Oooh, I love your hair! Looking good, Patrice.”

  “Why thank you. I got it straightened for a change of pace. And, see, this is why I keep you around. I need someone to gush over me when I get my hair done.”

  We both laugh.

  I say, “But that’s not why I’m calling. I’m packing and, girl, I don’t know what I’m going to leave behind.”

  “Leave behind, huh? Sounds like you might be moving to Texas, not just visiting.”

  “Trust me, if I found the right cowboy, I just might. But seriously, I need you. Can I hold stuff up and you say yea or nay?”

  Kat says, “What are friends for if they can’t help a girl get dressed? I just wish I could be right there sitting cross-legged on your bed with a cup of coffee while we do this.”

  “Me too. Three days and we can be up later than we ought, sharing our deepest secrets face-to-face.”

  “I can’t wait! Okay, so lay it on me. What’s the first outfit up for review?”

  First, I show her a navy pinstripe wrap around oxford with faded skinny jeans and metallic sandals.

  “Oh, that’s going to make the brown in your skin pop! That outfit is a keeper, for sure.”

  “Okay. One for the keeper pile.”

  I set aside that outfit and go on holding up all sorts of jeans, skirts, shirts, and shoes, laying some out in combinations on the little open space I have left on my bed, and moving the phone so Kat can see each one as I go. We finally narrow down the final selection of casual and some dressier outfits, a few swimsuits, and even my pajamas.

  “Like these boots? I got them just for this trip. I figure I ought to dress the part.”

  I hold up a pair of cream cowgirl boots I picked up at Boot Barn last week.

  “They are perfect! You are going to be a regular cowgirl. But you know Texas isn’t all ranches and cowboys, right? I mean I know you have come there with me before. I just don’t want you to be disillusioned.”

  “I know. I still have my fantasies about the perfect cowboy and not one of you is going to undo that goodness anytime soon.”

  “Who would want to? I told you we’d corral you a cowboy or rope you a rancher while we’re there!” She cracks up at her own joke.

  I giggle. “Stop it, Kat. We’re not on a mission to match me up. I’m happy with the man I imagine in my dreams. He’s perfect. As long as I get to ogle a few hardworking men on horses from a distance, I’ll call this trip a success.”

  �
�You’re too easy. You know that, right?”

  “Yes. Well, I’m not really that easy or I’d be in a relationship by now. I’m actually really picky, as you know. Well, I better let you go, I’ve got to restock my closet with the rejects, load my bags, and get to bed. I’ve got an early meeting about a new product launch in the morning.”

  Kat says, “Sounds good, girlfriend. I’ll call you Tuesday just to wrap up details. I seriously can’t wait! Mindy and Shannon are excited too.”

  “I’m so glad for your wild-haired ideas. I wouldn’t have planned a vacay right now, and I sure need this. Sunshine, cowboys, and your mama’s pie are just what the doctor ordered.”

  “I hear you. Love you sweet friend. Let’s talk Tuesday.”

  “Sounds good. Love you too!

  Does Patrice rope herself a rancher?

  Read her story next to find out. Available on Amazon.

  Author Note:

  I hope you loved Caleb and Mindy’s story. They were a big part of the first clean romance I wrote—Kat and Jack’s story. When I finished writing Love’s Second Chance, I knew I had to write Caleb and Mindy’s story next.

  I started writing fiction on a whim in late April 2020. I never knew I could weave a whole coherent story together, but after being encouraged by some writer friends to try, I took the risk and wrote. I have written non-fiction to equip and encourage moms for years. I surprised myself and a lot of other people when fiction became my passion.

  Now my heart is full of stories to be written. Patrice is next ... then Michael (Kat’s assistant) ... and even Brett, Jack’s best man.

  Fact in this Fiction

  This story mainly takes place in Bozeman, Montana, where my parents live. I have been there for visits, and many of the places in the book are real, though I may have tweaked the details to suit the story.