Forever Burning, page 4
That didn’t mean her little crush on Colton went away. It only meant it was a fun thing that gave her someone to think of as she was spending late nights in the lab, cleaning out machinery, or worrying about her budget.
Cady stayed at the hospital with everyone else long enough to hear that the mother and both babies were now thriving. People were pairing back up to drive back to Keeneston. She hung back a moment to make sure no one else needed a ride home. She was about to leave the lobby when she heard Colton call out to her.
“Cady? It looks as if everyone has left. Can you give me a ride home?”
“Colton! I’m here,” Jasmine called as she hurried through the doors. “The car is right outside.”
Of course. Jasmine. She was everything Cady wasn’t. Tall, willowy, gorgeous, and with a cute job in social media. Cady wasn’t short, but she wasn’t tall either. She was also curvy and muscled and had to constantly wipe cobwebs, dust, dirt, and grains from her clothes.
“Thanks, Jas,” Colton said with a smile. “But Cady’s giving me a ride home. I need to talk to her.” Cady looked up at him with surprise. “Right, Cady?” he asked with a slight hint of desperation in his voice.
“Right.”
Jasmine looked as confused as Cady felt. “What could you possibly need to talk to her about?”
“Um,” Colton said, trying to buy some time.
“He needs me to explain the chemical reactions between heat and fermented yeast and the best way to tackle a grain fire,” Cady lied smoothly.
“Why would you ask her about that? You’re the firefighter.” Jasmine wasn’t going to let this go.
“Because Cady is a chemical engineer and freaking brilliant. I’d be stupid not to ask her about, well, anything. I value her opinion and knowledge.”
Cady felt the blush start up her neck and spread over her cheeks. That was the sweetest thing a man had ever said about her. Of course, it was a lie to get a girl off his back, but it was still sweet.
“Ready to go?” Cady asked. She was the hero here. It was a first, coming to Colton’s rescue. She liked the feeling and she loved the way he was smiling at her.
“Yes, let’s go home.” Colton smirked, Jasmine frowned, and Cady tried not to read anything into it. The conclusion she came to was that Colton suddenly sounded less like a friend and more like a flirt. But that couldn’t be right. Right?
Colton walked right by her side as they made their way to the parking lot. His arm brushed against hers and she forgot how to talk. Stupid really, but after Jordan she didn’t date much. She didn’t have time. Barrel Creek Distillery was her life.
“What has you looking upset?” Colton asked and she noticed he wasn’t watching where they were walking, but was looking down at her. “Whatever it is, I’ll take care of it.”
A giggle escaped her lips before she could stop it. Somehow, she doubted if she told Colton of her sex drought that he’d break out his fire hose for her. Besides, it was embarrassing. “Just thinking of all I have to do for the bourbon conference that I’m hosting next week.”
“You’re hosting a whole conference? That seems like a pretty big deal.”
Cady smiled because it was. And she wanted to rub her success in Blue Stone’s face. “I was awarded the top up-and-coming bourbon of the year by the Association of Bluegrass Distillers. It’s a huge honor, and as such, all the Kentucky distillers and owners will be at our annual meeting. It’s most of the week. The first day is a tour of my distillery and a tasting, followed by a big dinner. Then I’m hosting panels for the rest of the time.”
“That sounds more like a punishment,” Colton said, reaching for her door and opening it.
Cady slid into her dad’s old truck and started it up as Colton went to the passenger’s side and got in. “Yes and no. They pay a fee, so I’m not out any money. But I am out a lot of time organizing it and stressed, making sure everything is just so. But it really is a huge honor and I’ll get a ton of great PR for it, including being put on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. That will bring in a ton of tourist dollars and really help me get the money I need to finish renovations and ramp up production.”
“I’m so proud of you. That’s a huge accomplishment, even if it’s a lot of stress. Can I help with anything? You know firefighters are good to help move heavy things.”
“That’s nice of you, Colton. I’ll ask if I need anything. Right now, Joey and I are getting everything in place. And Willa and Tilly, as my silent investors, are also helping.”
“Joey?” Colton asked and she could tell he was trying to place the name.
“He’s my . . . everything,” Cady said with a laugh.
Colton frowned. “I didn’t know you had a boyfriend.”
“Boyfriend?” Cady then laughed harder. “Gosh no. Joey Hopper is from Lipston. He a jack of all trades and a master at anything mechanical. He can fix anything and everything.”
“Well, know you can call me too. Or the firehouse. We’re all happy to help you.”
“Thank you. I just hope everyone behaves. You get a lot of guys together with bourbon and sometimes it can get a little wild.” Plus, she really, really hoped only Isaac was coming from Blue Stone. It was already going to be stressful enough dealing with her rival, Daniel Long, of Long Mill Bourbon. He’d been up against her for the best new bourbon award, but he thought because he was older, he deserved it. As if being forty-five magically made him more knowledgeable than she was. He’d been talking trash about her ever since she was announced as a finalist. Cady believed it had less to do with her age and more to do with her gender. If people thought the legal profession was a good ol’ boys club, well, they should see the bourbon industry.
Colton frowned. “I can come by and keep an eye on things if you want. I don’t like the idea of you having to handle them all by yourself.”
Cady chuckled. “You think I haven’t been there, done that? That’s cute.”
“I didn’t mean you couldn’t handle it. I don’t like that you have to.”
“Don’t worry, I have a secret weapon.”
She pulled into Keeneston and saw Colton raise an eyebrow. “And what’s that?”
“Your sister’s fart taser.”
Colton laughed and she enjoyed listening to his deep voice fill the truck. “I’m glad Sophie gave you one. That does make me feel better, but know you can call me anytime if you need anything. Anything from handling a drunk asshole to fixing something at the distillery, or if you only want to see me. I’ll be right over.”
Colton looked down Main Street and pointed to the fire station slightly off Main Street. “There’s my SUV. Thanks for the ride. Remember to call me.”
Cady smiled but she was so confused. He’d never asked her to call him. Ever. What was going on and was she reading this situation all wrong?
Cady stared after Colton as he strode across the parking lot of the fire station to his SUV. She probably would still be sitting there trying to figure out what was going on, but her phone buzzed with an alert.
Alarm in residence has been activated.
Cady put the car into gear as her phone rang. “This is Cady,” she said as she took off down Main Street. It was a twenty-minute drive to her distillery.
“Hey, it’s Luke,” the sheriff’s deputy told her. “I got your alarm notice. Are you at home?”
“No. I’m just leaving Main Street.”
“I’m doing patrols in the county. I’ll head to your place. I’ll be there in five minutes and meet you there.” Before Luke hung up, Cady heard the sirens turn on. What was happening at her home? She pressed the gas pedal down a little harder and raced to find out.
* * *
Cady pulled up to her house to find Luke standing in her front yard, watching the house. He turned then, hooked is fingers into the utility belt he wore over his jeans, and walked toward her. Cady rushed from her truck, leaving the door open and her thoughts went down every rabbit hole possible.
“Nothing to worry about,” Luke said, holding up his hands to calm her down.
“Then what set off the alarm?” Cady asked, slowing to a walk and taking out her key.
“It looks like a potted plant out back tipped over and took out your glass door on the patio,” Luke told her. Cady followed Luke around to the back of her house and sure enough, one of the ancient cement planters was lying half in and half out of her house. “The base is really eroded and cracked. I think it finally gave out and the planter fell. All the locks to your house are still in place and while the glass shattered, there’s no evidence anyone went inside.”
“How can you tell? Couldn’t they walk in through the broken door?” Cady looked into her dark house, slightly worried about going inside alone.
“None of the glass was stepped on. You have a rug here, it someone stepped on it, the glass would be embedded. Plus, there’s all this dirt. There’s not a single footprint in the dirt and no glass is embedded in the rug. Now that you’re here though, I’ll go in and sweep the house.”
Luke bent down and picked up something small from the outdoor table. “What’s that?” Cady asked.
“I put my bodycam out here in case someone decided to try to sneak out while I watched the front and sides until you came. Give me your key and I’ll go in through the front. You stay by my cruiser.”
“I thought you said you think the house is empty.”
“I do, but I’m still going to check it out before I let you in.”
Cady handed her key to Luke as they walked around to the front of the house. She kept back as he unlocked the door and disappeared inside with his gun drawn. There were long minutes that ticked by until Luke came back to the front door and turned on the lights. “All clear. Do you have a board I can use to close up the back door until you can get the glass replaced?”
“I do. In the barn next to us.”
“I’ll put that up in no time and let you get to bed. I heard it was a busy night with the wedding and then the Drews having their babies. Twins! Who knew?” Luke smiled at her and took off for the barn about a hundred and twenty yards away from the house.
It took him thirty minutes, but her back door was secure by the time Luke left for the night. She’d call Joey in the morning before he left for work and ask him about the glass repair. It was one more thing to add to her list of things she had to finish before the conference started. She was starting to wonder if Colton was right—if winning was more trouble than it was worth.
No. It was worth a lot in terms of tourist dollars. Dollars that would take her distillery to the next level. She could hire more people than the bare bones operation she had now. She could renovate another warehouse . . . or two. She could complete the dream she and her father started and that would make it all worth it.
Chapter 4
It had been days since Colton had last seen Cady. He’d been buried in paperwork for both the fire department and the FEMA responders training. The feds certainly loved their paperwork. Too bad Colton hated it.
Luckily, the week had been pretty slow. They’d had four calls. One for a cat up a tree. One for a raccoon that had chased and cornered some kids who were eating popcorn. The raccoon didn’t care about the kids. It just wanted the popcorn. One was a medical call that required an ambulance ride to Lexington after a resident decided to use a chainsaw for the first time and almost lost a toe. The final call was a kitchen fire.
They treated every call as if it were a five-alarm fire to keep their training up. They never wanted to become complacent. But now, after too many hours of paperwork to focus on the numbers of the clock, Colton was finally finished.
“Hey, Chief. Want to come work out with us?” Jack asked from the door to Colton’s office. Jack was twenty-seven years old and could drive a firetruck as if it were a sportscar. He was about Colton’s height but about ten pounds lighter. He was big into running while Colton was more into horseback riding and lifting weights. His dark brown hair had a little wave to it, which, along with his green eyes, drove the Belles wild. He had trained with the Lexington Fire Department, but when Colton had started the Keeneston FD he’d been one of Colton’s first hires. He liked the small-town life and being part of starting a department.
Colton hit send on a final email and closed his laptop. “More than ready after sitting here all day.” He hated being idle. Even as a child, he couldn’t sit down and chill all day. He and his brother and cousins were constantly running around farms getting into trouble.
Colton headed down the hallway and into the small gym they had. Lots of times they worked out at Desert Sun Farm with the soldiers for the royal family—although Colton knew the royals as Mo and Dani Ali Rahman and their kids, Zain, Gabe, and Ariana. They were all married now, and the brothers already had children.
“Hey, Nolan. I thought you were off today,” Colton said, seeing a shirtless Nolan Flynn, the only person close to Colton’s own age there. He and Nolan were already in their 30s. Everyone else was in their 20s.
“I am, but I wanted to get a workout in. I wrapped up at the farm early and Mom and Dad are at the feed store for two more hours, so I thought I’d pop by. Besides, someone has to make sure Flint doesn’t get stuck under the bench press again.”
“Bruh, one time!” Flint said with a roll of his eyes. “And it was a max press of 315 pounds.”
“Gotta up your game to pick up those Belles,” Nolan teased.
“I don’t see you picking up any,” Conley shot back at Nolan.
Nolan shrugged. Nolan had asked Abby Mueez out on a date in high school. Considering that her father was Ahmed, any man who did that had balls of steel and deserved respect. “I’m getting to the age that if I talk to a woman in town, wedding bets are being placed. I’ll be keeping my dating life far from Keeneston.”
“Or you’re getting too old to pull any more,” Flint teased.
“He’s my age,” Colton said, crossing his arms over his chest. “Are you saying I’m too old to pull?” Colton didn’t have trouble finding dates. However, since Kale’s wedding he hadn’t gone out with the guys at all to pick up women. His mind was solely focused on one very attractive, feisty bourbon distiller.
“No, Chief,” was suddenly chorused around him.
“What should we do for lunch?” Conley asked, changing subjects as fast as he could. “The café will be packed with people from that bourbon conference.”
Colton smiled at that. He was so proud of Cady. The conference had started this morning and there was a huge increase in traffic. There were over five hundred people attending this conference and he knew it would be good for Cady to get the attention she deserved.
“I can cook,” Jack offered.
“No!” the guys all shouted. Jack only used spices so hot that the crew feared damaging their stomach lining. Yet, he didn’t seem to mind it one bit.
The station door opened and Jace strode in with a frown. “I can’t get into the café. Did you happen to cook today? I don’t have an appointment until this afternoon, but I’m starving.”
“Is the café full?” Colton asked as he hammered out some reps with the free weights.
“Yes. A bunch of touristy types. I’m guessing from Cady’s conference,” Jace answered as he looked up at the kitchen and frowned. “I don’t smell anything cooking.”
“We were just talking about it. Jack offered to cook,” Colton told him, causing Jace to cringe.
“I got it,” Conley answered. “Paninis. I’ll make a bunch of them.” Conley set down his weights and headed upstairs to where the kitchen overlooked the bay holding the firetruck and ambulance.
“You really couldn’t go home for lunch?” Colton teased his cousin.
“I could, but Stella is out with her niece and that would still result in me having to make something.” Jace’s phone rang, stopping his conversation with Colton. “Hello?” Jace frowned and nodded to himself. “I’ll be right there.”
“Guess no sandwich for you,” Colton taunted, but Jace continued to frown. “What is it?”
“Cady was hurt. She can’t come into the office because of the conference so I’m going to run out there.”
Colton’s whole body turned to ice as he set down the weights and grabbed his shirt. “I’m coming too.”
All firefighters were trained in first aid. He could help if Jace needed it. Plus, he needed to see Cady with his own two eyes to make sure she was okay before he had a shot at breathing again.
Cady was nervous. The conference was officially starting in an hour. Right now, she knew everyone was at the café or making their way to the distillery. There were close to five hundred owners and distillers coming. She had charts, graphs, and then a table for overflow for those who didn’t RSVP yet showed up anyway. She was ready to go.
The glass door had been replaced a couple of days ago. Stella, Jace’s wife, had dropped off fresh plants and flowers to spruce up the place last night. Cady and Joey had built a portable stage and stained it to look like a bourbon barrel. That was where the speakers and panelists would sit. Nabi, the head of the royal family’s security, had come over with Cade Davies, Colton’s father, and helped set up all the tech stuff needed for presentations. Everything was ready.
Until Joey came running in with a worried look on his face. “The kiln isn’t working.” Joey didn’t waste time with pleasantries, something Cady appreciated. “Harlan is with it now, but sent me to get you.”
Harlan Stamper was twenty-four years old and had been hired three months ago to be her assistant distiller. She saw a lot of herself in Harlan. No one took him seriously. He was from a very small town in western Kentucky. His family had been making moonshine and whiskey for generations in stills that predated prohibition. Moonshiners back in the hollers weren’t “official” distillers, hence the bad reputation they had in the industry. Harlan had also gone to community college before becoming the first in his family to earn a bachelor’s of science degree at a small public college. He’d tried for jobs at distilleries, but they’d all turned him down without even meeting with him. Moonshine wasn’t their brand. He didn’t have experience. He didn’t have the right education. Cady had liked him instantly.
