Delphine seemed as confused as Lena, but also as convinced that they needed to follow the child. The little girl ran across the back porch, through a garden, and down a sloping path to the beach.
Lena smelled the fire before she saw it. When their feet hit the sand, she saw flames engulfing a wooden awning attached to the beach side of a short fishing pier. The little girl was crying and pointing toward the ocean end of the pier, where a terrified young boy stood trapped between the ocean and the flames.
Chapter 2
"Oh no, oh my goodness," Delphine cried, clutching her chest. "I'll call the fire department, but it will take them forever to get here."
An unrelenting wind churned up the waves—and the little boy's frightened sobs.
Lena looked around. "Is there anything we could use? Do you have a water hose, a fire extinguisher, anything?"
Before Delphine could answer, a tall figure bolted past them, carrying two fire extinguishers. Stopping just short of the flames, the dark-haired stranger pulled the pin on the first extinguisher and started spraying. Lena thrust Nutmeg into Delphine's arms and ran to pick up the second extinguisher he'd dropped in the sand.
They fought the flames for a couple of minutes with considerable success, but the fire had already consumed several feet of the pier—the end nearestthe beach and the awning were destroyed. The boy wouldn't be able to walk back down the pier even if the fire were completely doused.
Lena yelled above the ocean's roar, almost drowning out the boy's cries. "He won't be able to get off this way!"
The firefighting stranger yelled back, "I know! Keep spraying! We can't let the wind carry any flames to the trees." He pointed to the lush area just beyond the sand, then turned to the sobbing little girl. "Can he swim?" he yelled, pointing at the boy.
"Kind of," she answered.
Kind of?Lena glanced at the boy. He looked maybe four or five. Well, that makes sense. Maybe she meant he could at least doggy-paddle. But the waves looked rough. And if the currents were strong . . .
Before she could process her thoughts, the stranger was pulling off his shoes and marching into the surf. A moment later he dove into the waves and disappeared until his head popped up near the end of the pier.
He was calling out to the boy. "Kai, jump to me!"
Kai shook his head.
"He's afraid of sharks," the little girl said.
Oh, good grief. This is not the time.Come on, kid, just jump.
"Look at me, Kai," the man was saying, his words calm but firm. "Just look at me. I've got you." The confidence and compassion in his voice pinched her heart. The waves swallowed the rest of his words, but she could still see him talking to Kai while she continued to douse the remaining hot spots on the pier.
At some point, Delphine had handed Nutmeg over to the girl and was using the stranger's extinguisher to help as well.
Finally, Kai inched toward the end of the pier and jumped into the strong arms of the man.
A minute later, those strong arms carried Kai ashore. He set the boy down and crouched in front of him, his expression full of sympathy and worry. "You okay, Kai?"
Kai nodded. The little girl practically dropped Nutmeg and hugged Kai until he squirmed.
Delphine tossed her extinguisher aside and focused on the kids. "Where is Dek? He's supposed to be watching you."
The girl shrugged. "He said we could play on the beach. He said he had to use the phone inside the maintenance building."
Delphine looked like she could snap Dek's neck. Whoever Dek was.
Something dark marched across the stranger's face. He turned to Delphine. "You report the fire to Mr. Van Horn. I'll chat with Dek."
Delphine looked at him for a long second, then nodded. Apparently, she believed the man would deal with this Dek fellow appropriately. "Come with me," she said to the kids. "Let's go inside. We need to get you dried off, Kai."
Lena picked up a shaky Nutmeg, who looked stunned at all the drama. She didn't have a leash and wasn't sure if he was inclined to run off, so she held him—an arrangement the Maltipoo seemed very content with.
"Are you okay?" a deep voice asked. She turned, and for the first time, looked into the blue-gray eyes of the dripping wet hero. His soaked button-down shirt and slacks clung to his athletic form. Not that she needed to be noticing his muscles, but . . . well, she wasn't blind.
He looked kind, but the worry in his expression surprised her. When she saw his concern growing, she realized it was because she hadn't answered his question.
