It took everything he had to measure his step. He was in uniform, after all.
He flexed his hands—he would not physically remove this other man—but to his tremendous relief, Sorrow pushed from Damien and flew into his arms.
He wrapped himself around her, running his hands over her hair, along her back, up her sides. Let people think what they would. He had to check for himself that she was whole. His heart was thundering so hard, he felt certain she must’ve felt it reverberate through her own chest. “Are you okay?”
At her weak nod, he pulled her closer. He met Damien’s eye. It was an adolescent thing to do, this urge to claim his woman, but he couldn’t help himself. He met Damien’s scowl with satisfaction, pulled her closer, nestled her head beneath his hand. Mine.
“What happened?” Billy demanded.
The door blew open, and Bear repeated the question, though more colorfully. “What in the goddamn hell happened in there?”
“Grease fire,” Damien said. His expression was remote now. He was the sort of guy who’d need to save face at all costs.
Bear glared at his daughter. “I knew your cooking was a bad idea. ”
She tried to push from Billy, and though he loosened his arms, he refused to lose contact altogether. He would not let her face this alone.
“It wasn’t my fault,” she said. He heard the faintest tremble in her voice, and it nearly broke his heart. “Grease fires happen all the time. ”
“Not in my restaurant. ”
Billy cut the man off. It had been just one coincidence too many around the Bailey place. “I can’t believe this was an accident. ”
The SFFD fire chief, Mike Haskell, burst in.
Damien spoke up. “It’s okay, Mike. Sorrow and I put it out. ”
Billy was anxious to hear that story. He gave Damien a grudging nod of thanks.
Mike sniffed the air. “Trying to burn down the place, Bear?”
The fire chief’s good humor did nothing to dispel Bear’s glowering. “No, but my daughter is. ”
“It wasn’t my fault. ” Sorrow turned to Billy, a pleading look in her eyes. “This wasn’t my fault. ”
He ran the facts through his head. He knew Sorrow, and he knew Sully, too. They weren’t careless. He’d seen one dangerous incident too many around the Big B
ear Lodge and Thirsty Bear Tavern.
“Sorrow’s right,” Billy said emphatically. “This wasn’t her fault. ” From the corner of his eye, he saw Scott Jessup pull into the lot in the old Parks Department Bronco. His friend was a volunteer firefighter in addition to his job as a ranger, and he’d be glad to have him there. Sorrow needed all the friendly faces she could get. “Something else has got to be going on here. ”
“Not with your theories again, Sheriff. ” Bear turned to scowl at his daughter. “I told you I didn’t want you to cook. First you break the freezers and now this. ”
“I did not break the freezers. ”
Scott walked in the door and, sensing the tension, got a look on his face that was one part wary and one part bemused. “I hear you’ve got barbequed kitchen on the menu. ”
Bear looked like his head might explode, and Mike took the hint. He met Scott’s eye. “Greetings, Ranger. About time you showed up. How about we have a look-see in the kitchen? Seems like these nice folks have some things to work out. ” He patted Bear’s shoulder as he headed to the kitchen. “We’ll leave you be. ”
Laura burst in. “I hear Sorrow burned down the kitchen!”
Billy shot her a warning look.
To his surprise, it seemed to have some effect, because she went to Sorrow and, looking cowed, squeezed her sister’s shoulder. “Seriously, are you okay?”
She nodded, but her dad cut her off before she could speak. “Yeah,” he said, “but my kitchen’s not. ”
“I didn’t do anything to your kitchen,” Sorrow said, and Billy was hugely impressed at how well she was doing under the pressure.