Stopping Traffic (A Back to School Romance) (Love at The Crossroads) Read Online Free
Author: Pat Simmons
things from the car, so I can walk you to your first day of class.”
Physically, Candace had survived; but mentally, she was still praying that another parent would surface at the last minute and relieve her of her duties. While some people feared driving across bridges or riding in airplanes, her fear was on the ground, at a corner and getting from point A to point B on foot.
CHAPTER FOUR
The air between Royce’s lips just escaped, but he had no problem owning up to the whistle. Even with passing her by in a blur, he could tell she was a sight he wished he could see. The crossing guard’s nice legs could halt traffic without the benefit of a stop sign.
If the crew hadn’t been racing toward the scene of a two alarm blaze, he would have pleaded with the lieutenant to make a U-turn as if they were riding in a sports car , rather than a ten-thousand pound ladder truck.
No, that stop sign definitely wasn’t necessary as she hurried across the street with the children. Wow . A chance glimpse at her face proved she was gorgeous. Her skin was a rich combination of light and dark. Definitely a rich milk chocolate and her shoulder length hair blew in the wind as they raced by her.
There wasn’t enough time to catalogue all her features, but in seconds, Royce glimpsed lips, nose and eyes. Thank God for twenty/twenty vision. From the cab of the truck, Royce shook his head. He hoped the other three firefighters with him didn’t hear his blunder.
Ordering himself to re-focus, Royce pushed the vision of loveliness to the back of his mind. His company was heading to a situation that was top priority. “Jesus, please spare both lives and property. Whatever is lost, I know You can restore, in Jesus’ name, Amen.”
As the fire truck sped to their destination, Royce spied the dark smoke spiraling upward and dispensing into the air. They were still blocks away from assisting the first unit on the scene, but with smoke that dark, he doubted the fire was under control.
Minutes later, chaos greeted them on the scene with bystanders, emergency vehicles and equipment spread out everywhere. Royce did his own assessment as Felix brought the truck to a stop. The chief on the scene briefed Hershel since he was the captain of the company eight that would assist.
The older two-story brick house had an attic. Judging from the number of windows, there could be four or more bedrooms. One ladder was in position with a hose, flushing the flames. The fire had already burned a front first floor window, leaving a black streak racing upstairs.
An ambulance was nearby. EMS was administering oxygen to a woman and her teenage boy. Survivors—praise God. Thank God, there was some distance between the houses. Otherwise, the strong winds could have sparked adjacent fires.
His brother nodded to the lead commander and walked back to Royce, Felix and Allen.
“Four victims. The most serious have already been transported to Christian NE Hospital. Another one is en route to DePaul’s. The good news—everyone is out. There is heavy damage in the front bedroom that had been occupied by an elderly man. The family says their uncle, who was on oxygen, was attempting to smoke in bed. Flames engulfed the room almost immediately.”
Engine House Eight went to work. The blaze struck three alarms before the engine companies won the battle, dousing the flames from every angle possible. To keep the fire from rekindling in hot spots, Royce and a fellow firefighter added foam to the water to cover spots that were still hot within the structure. Afterward, they scavenged through the structure to recover whatever valuables could be saved for the family.
When it appeared that the situation was under control, Royce began to wrap up the hoses as his mind returned to the red hot crossing guard. Why was the vision plaguing him when there was a strong possibility that she could be married? Royce steered clear of women’s advances who
Physically, Candace had survived; but mentally, she was still praying that another parent would surface at the last minute and relieve her of her duties. While some people feared driving across bridges or riding in airplanes, her fear was on the ground, at a corner and getting from point A to point B on foot.
CHAPTER FOUR
The air between Royce’s lips just escaped, but he had no problem owning up to the whistle. Even with passing her by in a blur, he could tell she was a sight he wished he could see. The crossing guard’s nice legs could halt traffic without the benefit of a stop sign.
If the crew hadn’t been racing toward the scene of a two alarm blaze, he would have pleaded with the lieutenant to make a U-turn as if they were riding in a sports car , rather than a ten-thousand pound ladder truck.
No, that stop sign definitely wasn’t necessary as she hurried across the street with the children. Wow . A chance glimpse at her face proved she was gorgeous. Her skin was a rich combination of light and dark. Definitely a rich milk chocolate and her shoulder length hair blew in the wind as they raced by her.
There wasn’t enough time to catalogue all her features, but in seconds, Royce glimpsed lips, nose and eyes. Thank God for twenty/twenty vision. From the cab of the truck, Royce shook his head. He hoped the other three firefighters with him didn’t hear his blunder.
Ordering himself to re-focus, Royce pushed the vision of loveliness to the back of his mind. His company was heading to a situation that was top priority. “Jesus, please spare both lives and property. Whatever is lost, I know You can restore, in Jesus’ name, Amen.”
As the fire truck sped to their destination, Royce spied the dark smoke spiraling upward and dispensing into the air. They were still blocks away from assisting the first unit on the scene, but with smoke that dark, he doubted the fire was under control.
Minutes later, chaos greeted them on the scene with bystanders, emergency vehicles and equipment spread out everywhere. Royce did his own assessment as Felix brought the truck to a stop. The chief on the scene briefed Hershel since he was the captain of the company eight that would assist.
The older two-story brick house had an attic. Judging from the number of windows, there could be four or more bedrooms. One ladder was in position with a hose, flushing the flames. The fire had already burned a front first floor window, leaving a black streak racing upstairs.
An ambulance was nearby. EMS was administering oxygen to a woman and her teenage boy. Survivors—praise God. Thank God, there was some distance between the houses. Otherwise, the strong winds could have sparked adjacent fires.
His brother nodded to the lead commander and walked back to Royce, Felix and Allen.
“Four victims. The most serious have already been transported to Christian NE Hospital. Another one is en route to DePaul’s. The good news—everyone is out. There is heavy damage in the front bedroom that had been occupied by an elderly man. The family says their uncle, who was on oxygen, was attempting to smoke in bed. Flames engulfed the room almost immediately.”
Engine House Eight went to work. The blaze struck three alarms before the engine companies won the battle, dousing the flames from every angle possible. To keep the fire from rekindling in hot spots, Royce and a fellow firefighter added foam to the water to cover spots that were still hot within the structure. Afterward, they scavenged through the structure to recover whatever valuables could be saved for the family.
When it appeared that the situation was under control, Royce began to wrap up the hoses as his mind returned to the red hot crossing guard. Why was the vision plaguing him when there was a strong possibility that she could be married? Royce steered clear of women’s advances who
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