Second Chance With A Firefighter (Rich & Rugged: A Hawkins Brothers Romance Book 1) Read online

  Second Chance with a Firefighter

  Rich & Rugged, the Hawkins Brothers Romance Series

  Book 1

  by

  Ellie Hall

  Second Chance with a Firefighter

  Copyright© 2019 Ellie Hall

  All Rights Reserved

  Previously published as Valentine’s Day with a Firefighter by Ellie Hall. No significant changes were made to the story.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any informational storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the author/publisher except where permitted by law.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Cover Design: Nova Bookish https://www.etsy.com/shop/Novabookish

  Website: http://www.elliehallauthor.com

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  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Also by Ellie Hall

  Let's Connect

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

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  Chapter 1

  Sadie

  They say Valentine’s Day is for sweethearts but Sadie Collins was feeling rather anti-love as she strode through the lobby of the Hawk Ridge Hollow Hotel and Resort.

  It wasn’t that she didn’t like love; she wasn’t a monster. Nor did she particularly want to be single. It was just that the bouquets of red, pink, and white flowers reminded her that roses had thorns. The strawberries arrayed beneath the fountain overflowing with melted deliciousness for guests reminded her that chocolate could be bitter. And the garlands strung around the lobby along with twinkly lights set against the backdrop of the ski and winter recreation town reminded her of how dim her life had become.

  Sadie didn’t want to see blatant reminders of what she didn’t have, what she’d lost.

  Even though it was still days until the holiday, she was already planning on hiding under the covers with a book or movie about anything that didn’t have to do with romance: conventions of cheesemaking during the nineteenth century, gardening in zone 7a, or perhaps a sports documentary. She was definitely a hockey fan.

  The clock, audible indoors and ringing from the town’s square, prompted her to quicken her pace because she was already late returning from her lunch break. Her boss’s assistant, Danielle, wouldn’t cover her. If anything, she’d be sure to let Morgan know that Sadie was late—again.

  Leaving the house wasn’t easy and not because she was busy scrolling her social feed (with everyone crowing about their Valentine’s Day plans—she was on a phone detox). She didn’t hate her job (it wasn’t her dream job, but the benefits were necessary), and she wasn’t irresponsible. Quite the opposite, all things considered.

  A little girl skipped alongside her mother, holding a heart-shaped balloon. It started to float away. Sadie raced after it, anticipating the little girl being upset if she lost it. Even though Sadie was short, she managed to grab the end before it was out of reach. She held it out to the little girl who thanked her with a big smile and a hug.

  She smiled and continued on her way. She hadn’t gotten far when someone called her name.

  “Sadie.” Michael, her coworker, flagged her down in a polite, hushed way so as to not draw the attention of guests in the lobby.

  The hotel was five star and known for providing the perfect vacation experience. Above and beyond their regular duties, employees were expected to ensure guests felt comfortable, at ease, and relaxed. Shouting across a room would’ve been frowned upon.

  “Sadie,” he repeated.

  She slowed her stride. Even though Michael was in her department (guest experience development and promotion), this would make her even later. Morgan, her boss, didn’t make exceptions for extenuating circumstances or sob stories—not that Sadie thought of her situation that way nor did she tell anyone at work about her personal life. No, she’d made that mistake three years ago at her old job, about a different situation involving a shiny ring she’d hoped to find on her finger. Now, she knew better than to hope or dream. What happened outside the workplace, stayed outside the workplace.

  Michael took a deep breath and his eyes pinched at the sides. “I need you to review the specs on the Valentine’s Day couples’ package. It seems there’s a computer glitch and an error of some sort. We’ve been getting calls all morning from guests trying to book and something isn’t right. I tried texting and calling you—” It was obvious he knew but was too polite to say.

  She’d put her phone on airplane mode so it didn’t interfere with things while she was on her lunch break. Her stomach dropped. If there was a problem on the website it was entirely on her. She couldn’t afford to screw it up. Morgan had given her exclusive control over the project as a challenge—a chance to prove she was the right person for the job and not the flighty and flakey employee she’d been pinned as. Danielle had wanted it but Sadie had more experience. Despite the past and the fact that she’d been given Valentine’s Day to work with, Sadie cared deeply about making people happy, providing them with opportunities to have great memories, and about the resort itself. She’d practically grown up there. Plus, there were matters in her life far more important than couples massage deals, romance room packages, and rose-petal strewn pathways during candlelit walks under the stars. Ones reliant on her salary.

  She sighed. “I’ll see that it gets fixed right away.”

  “It’s bad.” Michael brushed his hand across his blond brow.

  “I’m sure it is.” She swallowed hard as she pressed the button for the elevator.

  The Hawk Ridge Hollow Resort, owned by the famed Hawkins family, was a top destination in the world for skiing, snowboarding, and other outdoor activities. The village was quaint, friendly, and had a chalet style vibe that visitors and residents alike loved. The mountain itself was world class and also owned by the Hawkins family. They didn’t tolerate mistakes and she knew this one, whatever it was, risked her job.

  “No, it’s, like, bad,” Michael hissed.

  The elevator dinged and she got inside. “You know me. I’ll fix it.” She plastered on a reassuring smile. It seemed like her entire life revolved around putting bandages on broken things: her family, her love life, her car, and now her job. Sometimes literally. Gone were the days of living a free-spirited lifestyle.

  Michael continued to fret and warn her but the elevator doors sealed her inside and whatever else he said was lost.

  Sadie flipped her phone out of airplane mode and waited for it to find a signal before clicking to the resort website. She figured she’d better be prepared for whatever fires she had to put out. When it came to Morgan,
preparation and pacification were key because that woman sure knew how to make things blaze.

  The phone loaded slowly despite the wi-fi. She huffed at the same time the elevator suddenly jerked to a halt. Her hand caught the polished rail on the wall and she knocked into the mirror with her shoulder. The lights flickered.

  She rubbed her arm. “Are you kidding me?” Sadie groaned. She pounded the buttons. “Come on.” The carriage didn’t move. She tried the door open button repeatedly. Nothing.

  “Hello,” she called.

  The higher ups and owners emphasized a smooth and pleasant experience for their guests, anticipating potential problems and preventing them, and maintaining their top-notch reviews as the perfect getaway locale. Surely, that meant routinely servicing their elevators. Then again, she wasn’t a guest.

  A guest package problem and now the elevator stopping was not going to go over well, particularly because it seemed they were both related to her. She knew it wasn’t her fault the elevator stopped but it was just her luck to have a delay in getting the website problem fixed…if she still had a job when she got to the office.

  Minutes passed and she tried the buttons again. Still, no movement.

  Sadie suddenly wished she’d taken the glass elevators closer to the reception area that overlooked the mountain—but she hadn’t wanted to draw attention to her tardiness. At least then she’d be able to bang on the window and someone would go for help. Although, management wouldn’t be pleased if she caused a fuss. It was a no-win situation. Her chest tightened.

  The four walls started to close in on her and her pulse began to race. She didn’t realize she suffered from claustrophobia. Then again, she’d never been stuck in a small space like an elevator. Panicked thoughts drove in like a storm.

  What if she was stuck in there forever? She wasn’t sure how many flights she was up. But there were twenty in that building since it housed the resort's operations on the upper floors but what if she fell? What if she was fired? What if she was needed at home and no one could alert her?

  Sweat pierced her hairline and she rushed to the bank of buttons and pressed the one with the flames on it. This was an emergency. She couldn’t bear to be stuck there for a moment longer. Bells rang sharply and if no one had noticed the elevator had stopped they would then. It also meant the reception desk would get dozens of calls and visits of concern, wondering if there was a fire, if they were safe, and some people might even demand a refund because their stay was interrupted by a disturbance bell in the remote elevator lobby.

  She pounded the button again. Panic set in. Her breathing became shallow. She had to get out of there.

  She didn’t hear anything other than her ragged breath. The carriage didn’t budge, siphoning away her hope that she’d soon be out of there.

  She flipped on her phone and texted Michael. Can’t fix web problem because I’m stuck in the elevator. SOS.

  Morgan wouldn’t buy the story so maybe he could back her up. She’d used every excuse she could come up with when she was a few minutes late—most of them were real: her car wouldn’t start, she had a flat tire, things took longer at home than she’d expected, she was caught in a parade, and she’d dropped her phone in the toilet one time. Morgan didn’t care. She held onto her job by a thin string. Getting the couples’ package had been the chance to fix things. Now precious minutes were ticking by and she was trapped, helpless.

  “Deep breaths, Sadie,” she said to herself. She knew freaking out didn’t help matters, but that was easier said than done.

  Without much other choice than to wait it out, Sadie tapped on her phone and clicked the couples’ package icon on the resort website. As the page loaded, she heard something from above and listened.

  “Hello,” she called.

  Voices floated to her through the elevator shaft.

  She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, “Help.”

  A clanking echoed and she backed into the corner and gripped the rails. Terrified the cables were going to give like in the movies and she’d plunge to her death made her pulse quicken once more. She was needed at home. What would happen if she died? They hadn’t planned for that circumstance.

  She squeezed her eyes shut and shouted. “Help. I’m stuck. Please, help.”

  A tile in the ceiling slid aside, showering her with dust and she winced. If the technicians couldn’t get the elevator operating and had to stage a rescue it had to be bad. At least if the doors had opened, she could’ve stepped onto solid ground and to safety. Whatever was next was just as frightening as being stuck in the carriage.

  “I’m stuck. Help me.” Her voice was merely a whimper and a tear trailed down her cheek. She didn’t want to die like that.

  A figure wearing boots and pants with thick fabric lowered through the opening in the ceiling. She closed her eyes as more dust showered down.

  “Miss, it’s going to be okay,” the voice said.

  It was deep, manly, and comforting but oddly familiar. Wearing a harness, the firefighter faced away from her as he rappelled down and onto the floor of the elevator. The carriage shuttered as he dropped to his feet.

  She squeezed her eyes shut again, now terrified for two reasons.

  “Sadie?” the man asked.

  She opened her eyes. Her fears came true. It was Tripp Hawkins: firefighter and part owner of the resort—unless he hadn’t gotten married yet. She’d purposely stopped keeping track of him after he’d left town. Also, he was Sadie’s ex. She’d spent more hours than she'd like to admit rehearsing what she'd say when they came face to face again and it was not, “Help. I’m stuck.”

  Chapter 2

  Tripp

  Tripp Hawkins released the carabineer on the harness and stepped closer to Sadie. “Are you okay? Did you hit your head? Any abrasions?” He was in work mode, but a mixture of surprise and concern checkered his voice. He knew she’d been hurt badly in the past, not physically, but it was the biggest mistake of his life.

  She pushed off the rail she’d been gripping with white knuckles and straightened. She wore red heels and a stylish navy-blue suit with red cherries on her blouse. The collar framed the cross her mother wore before she’d passed away when Sadie was young. She’d treasured it since she couldn’t remember her except for photos and stories her father told. She smoothed her unruly strawberry blond, curly hair, and lifted her chin.

  The pale skin on her throat bobbed as she swallowed hard. A sheen of sweat made her skin glow. Despite her state, she was as gorgeous as she was every single time he thought about her, which was more often than he dared admit. She was the one who got away or rather, he’d let go. He’d regretted it every day since. She deserved better than a man like him.

  The silence passing between them grew palpable.

  “Are you okay?” he repeated.

  She cleared her throat. “Yes, I’m fine. A little shaken up.” Her tone was sharp, icy.

  He had no idea she worked at his family’s resort. Then again, he hadn’t been back long enough to run into her—Hawk Ridge Hollow was a small town that swelled with tourists so it was easy to blend in or stand out, depending on whether you wanted to be seen or not.

  He still wasn’t sure how he felt about returning, but he’d been offered the position of captain at the Hawk Ridge Hollow Firehall and couldn’t turn it down. As the eldest Hawkins brother, he felt he owed it to his family, community, and the resort to do his best to protect them even if that meant returning to the place that brought him equal amounts of joy and pain. He’d run away once and vowed not to do it again. He blazed inside and it wasn’t because of his gear. His mind wanted to flee the discomfort that came from seeing Sadie again, but his heart knew better.

  “How are you?” he heard himself ask again.

  “I told you. I’m fine. A little shaken up,” she repeated in a voice colder than before.

  He cleared his throat, feeling slightly tongue-tied in her presence. He had so much to say to her but this probabl
y wasn’t the time or place. He tamped down the intense emotions and switched back to work mode.

  “It’s unacceptable for guests to be trapped in the elevator. I’ll have a word with the owners. In the meantime, let’s get you out of here.” He reattached the harness and gave it a tug.

  “I’m not a guest, Tripp.”

  Her gorgeous pout distracted him even if she said his name with disdain.

  Then she added, “You mean you’re not the owner?”

  He shook his head at the same time she glanced at his left hand.

  “If you’re asking if I’m married… No. I suppose the right girl…” He let out a breath.

  The radio attached to his belt crackled.

  “Coming up,” he responded. He gestured she move closer and held out a second harness. He helped her into it and adjusted the straps. She was trembling and he wanted nothing more than to calm her. It was like his body went on autopilot in her presence: he wanted to feel her softness once more. But that wasn’t going to happen. Not ever. He ruined everything and wasn’t worth forgiving.

  Nonetheless, he had a job to do. At least he did that right. When it came to saving lives, there was no room for error. Hearts were a different matter, one he hadn’t mastered. “It’s going to be alright. I’ve done this before.” He reached for her arm to give it a reassuring squeeze but she stepped away, guarded.

  “I’m fine.” Her voice was as cold as the snow on Hawks Peak.

  “Right. Now, you’ll have to hold on tight.”

  He reached for her but she didn’t move.

  “Sadie, I know this is—” He wasn’t sure exactly sure how she felt but by the firm line of her lips she wasn’t pleased. “Difficult,” he tried. “But I need you to hold on.” What he really meant was I need to hold onto you because that’s all he wanted at that moment. Upon seeing her again after so many years, old feelings stirred anew in his chest. But he wasn’t brave enough to speak those words despite his training as a firefighter, the countless burning buildings he’d rushed into, the vehicles he’d unwrapped from around telephone poles—not to mention kittens he’d pulled from trees. He grinned at the firefighter inside joke—but he had rescued several cats from HVAC vents and basement crawlspaces even though it wasn’t in his job description, strictly speaking.