Page 32 of Smokin’ Situation (Masked Men of Sage Springs #3)
Annie
The truck was quiet on the way home, but my mind was buzzing.
Reese had talked me into having one mixed drink with her about an hour into our night, but three hours later, the effects had long worn off.
And since I’d actually slept last night, with the sexy man driving the truck wrapped around me, I wasn’t tired.
“Look behind us,” Tripp whispered, squeezing my knee.
Shifting, I glanced into the back seat, stifling a laugh when I noticed the scene behind me.
Baker was seated with his back braced against the window and had an arm draped across the back of the seat, Reese was tucked under his shoulder with her head buried in his chest. Her fingers gripped the open placket of his buttoned shirt possessively, and he seemed to enjoy her unconscious attention.
Baker noticed me looking and grinned, winking as he picked up a loose curl and twisted her hair around his fingertip.
Soon after his display with the two ladies from the bar, he’d excused himself to go to the bathroom and come back out to the dance floor alone, cutting in on where my sister was still dancing with Rhodes.
His friend had taken it in stride, escaping outside to take a call while Baker pulled my sister into his arms, swaying closely to a few slow songs until she’d practically sprinted to the bar when the music picked back up.
This continued throughout the evening. Baker somehow convincing Reese to take another turn on the dance floor, followed by her rushing back to the bar for an escape after .
Despite wanting to watch their interactions like a tennis match, Tripp had kept me on the dance floor until we were both sweating and laughing, my somber mood from the morning was nowhere in sight.
Tripp squeezed my knee again, and I returned my gaze forward, giving my sister some privacy.
Watching the horizon as we drove north, I scanned the tree line for the glow that had once accompanied the sight of the mountain range to the north. But it never came, the stars nearly visible through the lingering haze that’d blocked the sky out for days.
As much as I hated the fire for its destructive nature, I could already feel parts of myself ready to sprout and bloom under all the changes that’d happened in my life in such a short period.
While almost everything in my future was uncertain, I knew two things wouldn’t change.
My growing attachment to Tripp, and the job that’d grounded me for years.
Along with my sister and my friends, I could figure everything else out as it came at me.
Rhodes was quiet as he climbed out of the truck at the fire station, heading down the block to a newer apartment complex with a backward wave.
Reese was still out cold when we stopped in front of the bakery, her grip on Baker unwavering.
“You need some help with her?” I asked and tried not to swoon when Baker ran his fingertips along her hairline, whispering into her hair.
She let out a little growl, but didn’t wake, which caused the burly firefighter to grin. “If you open the doors for me, I can get her tucked in.”
The air outside had cooled, feeling good on my overheated skin as I rounded the front of the truck and pulled open the back door. Baker shifted my sister fully into his lap, wrapping an arm behind her back and his other underneath her knees before he slipped out to the sidewalk.
“My keys are in my pocket,” he whispered, nodding to his right .
“I’ve got it, sweetheart.” Tripp’s voice was quiet from behind me, and I hadn’t realized he’d turned off the truck to help us.
“Try not to get too turned on while you’ve got your hand in my pocket, cowboy,” Baker teased, cocking his hip to the side and easily lifting my sister higher so Tripp could get access to his pocket.
He pulled them out gingerly, turning and leading us toward the door to the bakery. The three of us were quiet as we walked through the shadowy shop that smelled faintly of flour and something sweet.
“Up the stairs there,” Baker whispered, following behind Tripp.
Baker’s apartment looked like a quintessential bachelor pad, but it was neater than I expected.
Which was good for him, because my sister hated that chaos in the house—and I could be a bit of a gremlin.
At least I kept it confined to my bedroom.
Not that it mattered at this point, because neither one of us had a bedroom anymore.
“Door’s to the right,” Baker nodded at a closed door, and I walked forward to open it for him, surprised that my assessment had clearly been wrong. I may not have a bedroom, but this one looked like Reese already.
There were neatly folded scrubs on the dresser, and the duvet was a rich blue color, eerily like the one she’d just lost. A shower caddy had all her usual products neatly tucked inside and two pairs of familiar white shoes she specially ordered to wear at the hospital were placed just under the window that overlooked the alley beside the shop.
“Do you guys want to stay for a drink?” Baker asked while he carefully pried my sister’s fingers from his shirt.
I should have offered to help, but he seemed to have it under control as he laid her down on the sheets, gently pulling off her high-heeled sandals and neatly leaving them next to her other shoes.
“Nah,” Tripp whispered, tipping his head toward the bedroom door. “We’re gonna head back to the ranch. Early morning tomorrow. ”
“Thanks for coming out with us tonight,” he whispered, following us out of the bedroom before he left one last lingering glance at my sister and pulled the door closed. “I think she needed it, despite all her arguments against it. She’s barely slept since she’s been here.”
For someone who thrived on routine, I could see this situation being hard on my baby sister, but at least she had a someone to help her through it. “Thank you for letting her stay here.”
“Not sure if it was let as much as it was forced. The head of emergency medicine told her she wasn’t allowed to stay at the hospital if she wanted to be put back on the schedule. I just happened to be within earshot right before she lost her shit and offered my place.”
“Well, thank you. I can tell she appreciates your hospitality.”
“Yeah,” he chuckled dryly, looking at her closed bedroom door. “She’s just full of gratitude toward me.”
Baker followed us back down to the front of the shop, locking the door after he let us out. Tripp held open the door to the truck while I climbed inside and then jogged back around to start the truck.
“You know I was serious earlier when I offered you a place to stay, right?”
Reaching across the center console, I laced my fingers with his where his hand rested on his thigh, squeezing briefly before I let go. “I know.”
“Your sister seems settled for the time being, so I don’t want you to feel pressured to find something right away.”
“That’s the only reason?” I asked, only partially teasing.
“And I selfishly want to wake up to you every morning,” he confessed, and I sighed in relief. I wanted the same thing.
“Then I guess you’re stuck with me.”
He shifted the truck into gear to head back to the east side of town where the ranch was located, the tension in the air increasing with every mile closer we got to that front porch of his.