Big Daddy Firemen (Big Cedar Daddies Book 2)

“This is bad!” Walker Hoyle declared.

There was no need to make the pronouncement. With the flames consuming timber and earth before them, Cane Gant and Austin Tyler could obviously see for themselves how dire the situation was.

Wood cracked loudly as it broke under the fire’s consuming presence. A tall, skinny, cedar tree fell forward, as if chopped down by a lumberjack. But if anyone was trapped inside the raging inferno, chopping down trees was the last thing on their mind.

They would be fighting for survival, Walker silently noted. But there was no reason to say that aloud, either.

Thankfully, he and the two other firefighters believed that swath of forest to be empty.

Or they’d hoped it was.

Unfortunately, Walker found that wasn’t the case only moments later when a scream was heard over the crackling flames and snapping timber.

“Shit!” Cane yelled. “That sounded like a kid!”

Walker grimaced. He didn’t want to waste precious seconds, but charging into that deadly furnace without a plan wouldn’t do anyone a bit of good. So he remained still and listened. For a moment, all he heard was the fire and the death of countless trees. A moment later, though, another shout rang out.

“Help us! Please!”

“It’s hard to tell,” Walker said. “But that sounded like it was to the north.”

“What do you want to bet they’re holed up in the old Gentry cabin?” Austin asked.

His companions nodded.

And with that, the trio set off.

Into the flames…

The heat was nearly overwhelming.

The air was thick with billowing, acrid smoke, the world around them tinged with hues of orange and black as the forest fire raged. Walker, Cane, and Austin, clad in their heavy protective gear, moved with urgent precision. Flames licked at the edges of the path, casting an eerie glow on the scene. Despite the intense heat, Walker and the others pressed forward, their focus unwavering. They navigated the hazardous terrain, eyes scanning for any sign of the trapped individuals. Walker didn’t expect to find them out on that game trail, though, but still… he had to be sure.

The roar of the fire was deafening, but his determination was stronger. Every step was a battle against the blaze, but turning back wasn’t an option. Walker knew that the three of them were driven by the singular goal of bringing someone out of the inferno, alive and safe.

It’s what they did and who they were.

They’d asked for backup from the firefighters the next town over. That crew had arrived, along with volunteers from Big Cedar, so there were still plenty of men fighting along the blaze’s parameter, keeping it from spreading. Sometimes, when a fire reached a certain size, all you could do was play defense and attempt to stop the spread.

This was one of those times.

They’d already dug trenches. They’d also lit some smaller fires along the inferno’s path—a process called backburning—to consume anything burnable before the main blaze reached it. So, he was pretty confident no more forest would be consumed. And it wouldn’t reach town, either, or any of the residences scattered throughout that rural area.

But apparently, based upon those cries for help, even after all they’d done, there was still someone needing saving.

Or multiple people, based upon the cry of “Help us.”

Walker, Austin, and Cane were coming.

“There!” Cane shouted, pointing to the dilapidated old cabin ahead.

Walker nodded and trudged forward.

A shrill, terrified scream pierced the oppressively hot afternoon air. The three looked at each other and nodded before running toward the structure.

Walker shot up a silent prayer that they weren’t running to their deaths.

Or worse, the death of an innocent victim caught in the unforgiving hell that was the raging forest fire.