Will nodded. “Should be safe to investigate tomorrow. I’ll have to give my apologies to Jake. I won’t be able to help with the harvest.”
Jonny had to give it to Will; since he’d moved to Severton, he’d made every effort to become part of the community, from joining in with sports to helping out on the farms. He’d even taken a turn volunteering at the mobile library and driving it around town and out to the more remote hamlets so those less able could get their fix of books and home cooked pies and casseroles which were also distributed.
“I’ll need to look. Maybe come over for the initial tour. If we’re asked to investigate.” They would be. Will’s report would be crucial as the way the fire had been tackled would need to be accurately detailed to account for any evidence that had been destroyed in putting out the fire. But the decisions he’d taken to stop the blaze would also lead to theories about its origin in the first place: all the fire starting Jonny had done when he was younger had taught him how to put the fire out. What had worked today for Will and what hadn’t would help tell what might’ve happened.
Will shrugged. “It’s not sitting right with me.”
“What do you mean?”
A couple of their men, skin blackened with smoke headed passed.
“I have a niggle. I can’t explain it any more than that.” He looked at the smoky sky. “How was Statham?”
“Smoke inhalation. Couple of nights stay on a ward where there was a very pretty nurse. First words Staths croaked were ‘how bad do I look?’ He’s going to be fine.” Which had obviously been a relief. Every time there was a fire they risked someone not making it home so they did what they could to make sure that didn’t happen. It had always struck Jonny as being ironic – he’d had the dangerous job; Grace had been a florist, yet it had been her who’d lost her life. Which meant he took everyone’s safety even more seriously. His kids just had him as their parent. If he didn’t come home one day, he knew they’d be looked after. Hell, Zack Maynard was down as their legal guardian if anything did ever happen to him.
His thoughts flared to Rayah. Charlie, Harry and Sadie Grace spent more time with her than anyone else, other than his cantankerous neighbour who was his planned and emergency babysitter.
“I hope you reminded Staths that he’d always be ugly, even with the smoke washed away.”
Will looked at him curiously.
“Standard. You want me to help set up for the night?” They’d have a team here overnight. Even though the fire was now officially out, there was nothing to say it wouldn’t start up again through some weird turn of nature. There was no rain forecast in the next twenty-four hours, so they’d keep watch for more flames, and for anyone who returned to see what destruction they’d caused. Firebugs liked to see the carnage they’d caused.
“No. I’ll finish the shift. You get back to your boy. I’m sorry I dragged you out – Staths…”
Jonny shook his head. “I get that you didn’t need me out here. You’re more than capable. At the job. Not with a woman, so I’ve heard.”
Will laughed which had been Jonny’s intention. “Don’t judge me by your own standards. Now fuck off back to your son’s party. Maybe find a willing woman to brag to – you might be able to cadge a quick hand job in the loos.”
“My standards are clearly better than yours. See you tomorrow. Call me when you give the all clear to enter.”
Will gave another nod and moved away to where some of their team were sorting out equipment, the atmosphere thick with both smoke and relief. Jonny left him to it, relieved that the fire was out, successfully, with no major casualties and that he had someone he could trust to man the fort when he needed to be elsewhere.
Now he just had to work out what to do with Rayah’s blatant hint that he should take Robyn on a date to get to know Severton, something he could’ve well done without.
Chapter Four
One of the lessons Rayah often taught her children was to think about the consequences of their actions. It was a lesson she should’ve taken for herself given that she was now watching Jonny deep in a conversation with Robyn Matthews, sitting together on a bale of hay and drinking some of Jake Maynard’s home brew.
This was not one of her better ideas.
“Sometimes I suspect Jake took all the brain cells in your side of the family and passed them out to the farm animals.” Keren sat down next to her, one hand on the bump. She had another four months to go – or was it three – and Rayah was pretty sure that the waddle she’d acquired was put on rather than essential.
“Possibly. Where’s Scott?” Rayah hadn’t seen her cousin for the last couple of hours, which was unusual. He was rarely more than two minutes’ walk away from Keren, continually watching for health and safety hazards or anything that would potentially harm even a hair on her arm, never mind head.
Keren looked around the barn and shrugged. “I think he’s had to go to the bar. Abby took the shift but she isn’t feeling well – not sure what with but she had to leave in a rush. I thought Scott would be back by now. Let’s talk about Jonny though. He’s looking hot tonight. He’s trimmed his beard and that fitted shirt – you can almost imagine what your tongue would feel like as it dragged over every one of those abs…”
“Fuck off.”
Rayah picked up her bottle of beer – she avoided Jake’s home brew having had a very bad experience from it once – and took a long drink, hoping that Keren would magically change the topic by the time she’d finished.
“His hair’s a bit reddish, isn’t it? And thick. I bet Robyn’s going to love running her fingers through that later.”
Rayah felt slightly nauseous. She wondered what Scott would say if she tipped a bottle of beer over the future mother of his child.
“And given how fit he is with all the climbing and work he does in the gym, I bet he has some real stamina…”
“Seriously, Keren, one more statement like that and I won’t be responsible.”
