Page 85 of Grumpy on the Mountain

He shrugs. "Military background. You learn to assess infrastructure capabilities on sight."

"But you know about the specific equipment they use here?"

"Some of it." His jaw tightens and he looks away from my eyes. "I've... consulted with Jamie before."

There's something in his tone that makes me want to press for details, but before I can, he's changing the subject.

"How are you feeling about everything? Not too overwhelmed?"

"A little," I admit. "There's so much information, and everyone's been so welcoming, but I keep worrying I'm going to mess something up."

"You won't." His confidence is absolute. "You're smart, organized, and you care about doing things right. That's all any job really requires."

"Even when it involves coordinating life-or-death situations?"

"Especially then." He reaches across the table to squeeze my hand. "The people who succeed in emergency response aren't the ones who never feel overwhelmed. They're the ones who feel it and do the job anyway."

The quiet conviction in his voice makes me study his face. "You sound like you speak from experience."

Pain, maybe, or regret flashes in his eyes. "Some experience, yeah."

Before I can ask what he means, my phone buzzes with a text.

"Duty calls," I sigh, starting to pack up the remains of our lunch. "That's Jamie summoning me to his office. You don't want to come in and say—"

"Go," Beau says, standing to help me. "I'll pick you up at five?"

"Thank you. And thanks for lunch." I slide out from the bench seat and lean up on my toes to kiss him. "I'm not sure I could do any of this without you."

"Go be amazing. Love you."

I watch him walk away, noting how several of the Mountain Rescue guys nod to him in greeting, how he moves through the space like he belongs here.

Like he's done this before.

"He fits in well here," Jamie observes when I return to my desk.

I glance over to find him watching Beau's departure through the window. "He does, doesn't he?"

"More than well." Jamie settles into the chair beside my desk, his expression thoughtful. "Can I tell you something about Beau? Something you might not know?"

My stomach clenches with sudden apprehension. "Of course."

Jamie looks sheepishly around the office, over his shoulder, like he's checking if anyone is around. Then he lowers his voice to a near-whisper, leaning closer to my desk.

"I've been trying to recruit him to work here for three years. Ever since he arrived in Stone River." Jamie's voice is quiet, meant for my ears only. "He's got the best tactical mind I've ever encountered that man. Military training, crisis management experience, the kind of instincts you can't teach."

"Then why doesn't he work here?" I ask, though I'm starting to suspect I don't want to hear the answer.

"He tried, actually. About a year after he moved here." Jamie's expression grows somber. "We had a missing hiker situationin pretty hard terrain. Bad weather, multiple agencies involved. Beau helped coordinate it all."

I think about that night on the ridge, saving the family in their teetering SUV.

Beau had moved with such confidence, looked so at ease in the crisis, like he was born for it. Like a natural at something that would terrify most people.

"Everything was going perfectly until we got the call that we'd found the hiker from another crew. Injured, but alive. The moment those radios started going off with constant status updates, then casualty reports… extraction coordinates form the medical team..."

Jamie shakes his head and puffs his cheeks.