“Oh, hey!” Darby said, her pageant smile switching on. “Naomi, this is Reese. She’s the head mechanic on the Forestry helicopters.”

“We’ve met,” Reese said, flashing a bright smile, dimples sinking in both cheeks.

“Hi again,” I said, shaking her hand a few times. She had a firm grip, I’d give her that, and I respected any woman breaking into a male dominant field. “You’re staying here?” The question was innocent at first, but then I said it aloud and wondered if this stunning, long-legged brunette was the reason Zeke was so quick to dismiss me.

“I am. Just checked in yesterday. A fire broke out in Cali, so we’re going up there soon. They’re sending Helitac out first so we can get the boys airborne.”

“How long will you be gone you think?” Darby asked.

Reese’s mouth pulled to the side. “It’s been burning for two weeks, and it just keeps growing. No telling.”

“Is Ellie with them?” Darby asked.

“I’m not around her much, but yeah. Last time I saw them trekking up, she was with them.”

“Stay safe,” Darby said.

Reese waved to us, typing on her cell phone as she walked to the elevator bay.

“Has Zeke said anything about the Alpines?” I asked. I glanced at Reese. “Has he been talking to her?”

Darby looked over her smile and tried to suppress a giggle. “I don’t think he even notices. All he can think about is you, his career, his health, and you … oh, and you,” she said, giggling.

I looked up. “Doesn’t seem like he’s thinking about me at all.”

She sobered. “He doesn’t want to drag you through all this, especially since you’ve been through so much already.”

“Well, I get to decide that, he doesn’t.”

She stared down at the floor. “He’s not himself. He’s been awfully down in the dumps. He doesn’t know anything but fightin’ fires. They have to let him back in.”

“I don’t think it’s going to happen, Darby.”

“Well, I believe in miracles. I’ll keep praying for healing, and that everything can go back to the way it was, including you two.”

“Thank you, but,” I began, raking my hair back with my fingers. “I hate to ask you this, Darby, but I’m sure you can relate. Could you talk to him again? He won’t listen to me. He needs treatment.”

“He loves you,” she said in her sweet Southern drawl. “It’s the situation he hates. He feels like he’s screwing everything up, and that man… God bless you, Naomi, he’s a runner. Since that old girlfriend of his broke his heart, I don’t think it works right. The second he thinks you might leave him…”

“He bails.”