The Challenge(37)

The fires on the mountain were the biggest news of the hour. The winds had come up and shifted after the kids were rescued, and within days the front of the mountain was in flames. The mountain looked like a volcano, glowing red at night.

Harvey had his hands full. He was sleeping in his office, coordinating firefighters from other counties and states. He gave a daily press conference at the local TV station, and journalists from all over the state were camping out with camera crews to take dramatic photos of the fires. There had been no loss of human life yet, but it was a challenging time for him.

Anne had sent a basket of food to his office, grateful to him for bringing Peter and the others home.

Beth was watching him on the news one night, a few days after Juliet got back, grateful that the fire hadn’t been raging to that degree while the kids were trapped on the mountain. She sat listening to his deep voice, and was impressed by how efficiently and graciously he handled the press. There was something about his voice that was reassuring. She smiled at the idea of being attracted to a forest ranger. She could see herself with the head of a corporation, a famous writer, a publisher, a venture capitalist, but there was something about Harvey that intrigued her. His imposing height, his wise eyes, his deep voice, his grace under fire. He looked like a man you could trust. She realized that she’d probably never see him again. But he had saved her daughter, and she owed him a huge debt. She decided to send him an email before she left, thanking him again. She didn’t expect a response, particularly given what he was dealing with: the fires burning out of control on the mountain. She was surprised when he called her at her hotel.

“You haven’t gone back to New York yet?” he asked her, surprised.

“I’m enjoying a few days with my daughter. I’m leaving soon,” she said vaguely, as his voice resonated. He filled the room with his presence, even on the phone. He was a charismatic man with a powerful personality, a figure of authority, a person who was used to commanding.

“I hope you come back and see us again,” he said warmly. “Maybe I can show you around next time. I’ve got my hands full right now.”

“That’s an understatement.” They were the worst fires in the state in a century, and he had the press breathing down his neck all the time about how it was being handled. “How are you holding up?” she asked him.

“It’s part of the job. I’ve been doing this for a long time. We’ll get the fires under control eventually, just like we brought the kids back.” He was a man who got things done. She couldn’t imagine him running away from anything. She wondered if he’d ever been married. He didn’t seem to be now. She didn’t have that impression. She didn’t even know if he had children. She didn’t know anything about him, except that he was an interesting man, and he had saved Juliet’s life.

“Maybe I should write a profile of you,” she suggested.

“I’m not someone who likes to be in the spotlight,” he told her. “It gets in my way. I get more done when I’m behind the scenes than when I’m center stage.”

“That’s a fabulous opening quote,” she said, smiling as she thought about it. “I’ve written about presidents, foreign heads of state, royalty, movie stars.”

“When I star in a movie, I’ll let you know,” he said, and she laughed. “Take care of yourself, Beth. That’s all I wanted to tell you. Watch out for New York. Make sure it doesn’t eat you alive.” She thrived on it, which was the main difference between her and Tom. He had run away. Beth had never run away from anything in her life. She realized now that when Tom had left it had been a blow to her ego, more than to her heart. Neither of them had noticed, but somewhere along the way, she and Tom had fallen out of love. She knew that now without a doubt.

“You take care of yourself too, when the fire gets too hot.” She meant it in all senses of the phrase.

“I’m not afraid of the heat, Beth. I work better when I’m under fire.”

“So do I,” she said softly, thinking about him and listening to his voice. He remembered the way she had confronted him, the night he met her. She wasn’t afraid of anything, and it was easy to see why she and Tom weren’t a match. Tom was a gentle man and Harvey guessed that she must have eaten him alive. There were so many facets to her, all of which intrigued him.

“I hope you come back,” he said in his deep, powerful voice.

“Maybe I will,” she said, sounding mysterious for a minute. As soon as she said it, they both knew she would. A minute later, they hung up. They had both said enough for now.





Chapter 10


Juliet threw her mother a curve the day before she left. She had liked having her mother there, especially since her parents seemed to be getting along for the first time in a year. Their shared concern for their daughter had brought them closer together, as friends. It was a new chapter in their lives, that they were both enjoying, especially since Juliet’s adventure in the mountains had had a happy ending. If it hadn’t, things between them would have been very different.

Juliet and Beth walked around town together. Peter had dropped by several times, almost every day, and the Pollocks had Juliet to dinner. They included her in their open-door policy, where all kids were welcome. She was the first girl to be included in Peter’s group of friends. The only thing his parents didn’t do was invite her to spend the night. But she could stay as late as she wanted with the boys, and then her father would come to pick her up.