The Firefighter Meets His Match (Red Hot Reunions Book 4) by Jessie Evans

tree limb sticking out from beneath the water and held on tight, heart lurching when Brandon stood and the boat wobbled. As Brandon claimed the dog and deposited the soaking animal into the boat, the wobble became a pitch, but after only a moment the craft steadied.
    “Come here, buddy,” Neil said, drawing the dog gently back between his legs, stroking the animal’s throat as it whimpered softly and lay down on the damp floor, clearly exhausted. “You’re safe now, boy.”
    “She’s a girl, doofus,” Faith said, wincing as she braced herself on the limb and swung both legs over on one side.
    Neil smiled. “Glad to know your adventure hasn’t made you soft.”
    Faith returned his smile, but it was a weaker version of her usual grin. “Yeah, well, it hasn’t been all roses. I did something to my wrist. It hurt like hell when I was pulling me and Goldie into the tree.”
    “Then how about I grab you around the waist?” Brandon said. “You want to lean into me and I’ll shift you into the boat?”
    The height of the limb put Faith’s knees at about the same level as Brandon’s chest. The limb was only three feet out of the water, but Lucy still couldn’t believe Faith had been able to get both her and the dog out of the water and into the tree. Faith had six inches and a couple dozen pounds of pure muscle on Lucy, but she’d still done something amazing.
    It made Lucy proud of her friend, and proud that she had helped ensure such a strong, determined person stuck around to save more lives.
    “Okay.” Faith winced again. “On three?”
    Brandon nodded. “One, two—”
    On three, he reached out and Faith leaned forward. A moment later Brandon had Faith flipped over his shoulder with a minimum of boat shaking. He took a moment to steady himself, waiting for the craft to stabilize before guiding Faith’s feet to the floor of the boat and easing her onto the seat beside Lucy.
    “Thank you,” Faith said, eyes closing as she let out a long, shaky breath.
    “Our pleasure.” Brandon grinned as he took the seat at the front, facing toward them. He reached out, giving Faith’s knee a soft squeeze. “I’m so glad you’re all right. Everyone will be so relieved.”
    “You take the radio and give a call,” Neil said, handing the boxy, black radio to Lucy who passed it up to Brandon. “I’ll get us turned around and headed in the right direction. Might take a while to get back against the current, but we’ll make it.”
    Brandon fired up the radio, Neil maneuvered the boat in a tight semi-circle, and within a few minutes they were puttering back the way they’d come, just as the sun broke through the clouds, shining its rays on Georgia for the first time in six long days.
    To Lucy, it felt like a bona fide sign that the worst was past.
    “You want some water?” she asked Faith. “I’ve got some in my bag.”
    “That sounds amazing.” Faith cast a tired glance Lucy’s way, a frown pulling at her features. “So how did you get roped into this? Do you have search and rescue training?”
    “Lucy’s psychic,” Brandon said, the pride in his voice making Lucy grin. “She’s the one who knew where to start looking. She led us right to you.”
    Faith glanced back at her, brows raised. “Really?” She took the water bottle Lucy offered, taking a long swig before she swiped her hand across her mouth and nodded. “You know, I wasn’t much of a believer in that kind of thing until Mick and I talked to a fortuneteller in New Orleans, but after…”
    She broke off, her pale face growing even paler. “Oh God, is Mick okay? He must have been worried sick.”
    “He’s out with one of the other search and rescue teams,” Brandon said. “They’ll meet us at the launch site.”
    Faith smiled and her breath rushed out. “Good. I can’t wait to see him.” She cleared her throat, and sniffed, making Lucy think she was more shook up than she was letting on.
    “I’ve got blankets, too,” Lucy added.