Chapter 25

Carl had a few more hours to give his grandchildren horseback rides and Julie taught Chet a few tricks of cooking for a crowd before the rest of the guests all moved out.

The men and Grandchildren had helped do many of the evening chores but once the last of them were on their way Chet helped finish up the chore you just don't let the grandkids do. Mucking out the stalls was a smelly job and a bit more heavy duty than children could do but a strong backed fireman made a good addition to the ranch hand in getting the job done.

Carl and his ranch hand Jose joked back and forth in Spanish as Chet helped them with the chore. Little did they know that Chet knew just enough Spanish to know that they were making fun of him behind his back. It wasn't too bad though most of the talk was pointing out that Chet wasn't a pretty boy like the guys Carl's daughters kept bringing around for Julie to meet, the term, not afraid to get his boots dirty, was understood and when it was time to place fresh straw on the floor of the barn Jose was verbally amazed that Chet knew the difference between straw and hay. At least he sounded amazed but not nearly as much as when Chet spoke to him in broken Spanish as they closed up the barn after putting the cattle in for the night.

While Carl and Jose saddled their horses to make one last ride to check on the flock Chet slipped up into the bunk house where he showered and dressed in the nicest non firefighting clothes his sister had packed for him and then put the rest of his clothes in the wash, minus his dress uniform of course, that needed to be dry-cleaned. Before he slipped his uniform in the wash he removed his badge and placed it in his wallet then retrieved the box from his pants pocket.

He had wanted to give the contents of that box to Julie at Disneyland but plans had to be changed. He had kept it in his locker at the station wondering at times if he'd ever get a chance to give it to her and then slipped it in his pocket just before he ran across the street to climb into Jack's semi. Tonight was the night.

By now Chet was a welcomed guest and had been told he didn't need to knock just let himself in. That is what he did. He heard humming in the kitchen and followed the sound to find Julie rolling out pie crust. Chet watched as she rolled the flattened pie crust onto her rolling tool, it was different than any rolling pin he had ever used, once she had the crust rolled on the long round dowel she was using she lay it over the pie plate and unrolled it again before carefully tucking it into the pan and making appropriate punctures. Julie then popped the lids off of two quart jars of what looked like home canned cherries, after draining the liquid off but saving it the cherries were dumped into the pie crust and then a portion of the liquid had a few things added without the need of a measuring spoon before she added the liquid to the filling and then rolling the top crust on her rolling pin she placed it on the top and carefully cut it to shape before pinching the crusts together with her thumb and forefinger to create a decorative scalloped edge. The stray pieces of crust were lain out on a cookie sheet and then sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. They'd go in the oven toward the end of the cooking time.

Julie smiled at Chet and then taking the unbaked pie in her hands turned her back on him to put it in the oven. When she closed the oven door she found Chet on one knee before her.

Tears started to drip down Julie's cheek as the corners of her lips turned upward.

"Julie Clark, will-"

"Yes." Julie cut him off.

Chet started to giggle, "Aren't you supposed to let me finish the question first, I might be asking you to strip naked and run through the woods with me."

"Yes to that too, but we'll have to find someplace a little warmer than it is here right now and we'll have to wait till after we're married."

Still on one knee Chet slipped the ring onto Julie's flour covered finger and continued what he had been rehearsing for weeks. "Julie Clark will you please join me in holy matrimony and spend the rest of our lives walking side by side through all the adventures that are yet to come."

"Yes, through whatever life has in store for each of us, the good times the bad times and everything in between."

"It's not a diamond," Chet began to apologize before Julie had a chance to look at the ring to closely. "I'll get you one if you want."

"It's a fire opal," Julie reveled that she had recognized it. "How did you know it was my favorite?"

Chet blushed, "Frank told me, he pointed it out to me and told me that you'd really like it the day we went to the mall to get him some new shoes. I went back later without him to get it. I didn't want him to spoil my surprised."

Julie's tears flowed in fresh supply as she nodded her head, "He would have."

"He teased me all the way home about the kiss on the lips you gave me when we said good-bye as the station." Julie knelt down on the floor in front of Chet to join his height.

"I love you Chester Kelly; you're the real man that I often wondered if I'd ever find." She threw her arms around his neck and they locked in a passionate embrace.

That's when her father and Jose stomped through the back door shaking the mud and fresh falling snow off their boots. "Julie could you whip up some hot chocolate, it's colder than a witches backside out there."

That's when he noticed Chet's back and his shoes around the side of the counter and bending to the side to see what was going on it wasn't hard at all to see his daughter's arms around the fireman's neck or the brand new sparkly thing on her finger.

"Sure daddy, it will take just a second." Julie jumped to her feet and turned her tear streaked face away from her father as she opened the refrigerator door to pull out a bottle of milk.

Chet too got to his feet and not feeling as if he had been out of line or anything like that, after all he had been given permission. He just looked at his future father-in-law totally lost for words.

While Julie pulled a pan onto the stove top and filled it with milk, again without measuring, and then reached for the sugar and coco in the cupboard. Carl Clark shifted his eyes back and forth from his daughter and his soon to be son-in-law. He too was totally lost for words.

It was Jose who knew how to break the spell, he started singing. The words of his song were laced with his Spanish accent as he rolled all of his r's. "Can she bake a Cherry pie, Chester boy, Chester boy? Can she bake a Cherry pie Charming Chester?"

At hearing the words Charming Chester, Julie started to giggle through her tears as she continued to stir up the hot chocolate. It was her father that sang the next verse.

"Yes she can bake a cherry pie fast as you can wink your eye; she's a young thing and shouldn't leave her father."

Julie turned to her father in mock surprise, "After all the lectures, all these years about me needing to settle down and give you more grandchildren!"

"I have one little moment of regret and that's when I find out she's listened to me all these years."

Carl wrapped his arms around both Julie and Chet and they came together in a group hug that lasted until the hot chocolate started to bubble on the stove.

There was talk and joking as they drank two batches of hot chocolate and warmed up next to the fire before the pie was done and also consumed.

As much as they talked there was little said about the elephant in the room that reflected the light from the fire on to the walls. There would be time to talk of that later.

Chet woke up the next morning when the house started moving before dawn to get the chores done. He was stretched out on the sofa with a blanket tossed over him.

The skiff of snow on the ground the next morning was just a hint of how cold that air at least in the barn the wind didn't hit you with those tiny shards of ice crystals that had Chet feeling like he needed to be covered with bandages. The biggest issue with the cold was that it slowed them all down making the chores take longer to complete. Chet was finally told to shower at the house and given an extra warm coat before he was pushed into the truck to head in to town for the training meeting. Julie placed in Chet and her father's hands warm biscuits filled with bacon and scrambled eggs to eat as she drove. Half of the way into town Chet feared no one would show up because of the cold weather, the other half of the way in he was hoping no one would show up because of the weather. The heat from the truck's heater was enough to put him at ease and help him steel himself and prepare his mind for the lessons he wanted to teach these men with good intentions but nothing to back that up.

When they arrived at the burnt out shell of a house they found that the skiff of snow hadn't made it to the town. Even though they were early there were nearly a dozen men gathered around the police officer who had stood under the bedroom window to receive the girls. It was clear from the body language they could see that officer Kurt Marshal was reliving the night of the fire and all that had happened there. Chet made a mental note to talk with the man and find out how he was dealing with things mentally.

Asking Julie's father to keep them distracted Chet pulled a handful of candles out of his pocket and a cigarette liter. Julie then watched as he proceeded to place the lighted candles inside some of the walls to make his point.

The air was cold but with the buildings and trees to block some of the wind it wasn't as cold as it had been on the ranch.

"What if you end up starting a fire?" Julie questioned.

"The building is a total loss to begin with or I wouldn't be doing this," Chet whispered his instructions, "I don't think there's enough flammable material close enough to the flame to catch fire but if it does we're fire fighters we'll but the fire out."

Julie stood guard as Chet set out the candles. He did place them inside jars that were found in the area and then placed them inside what was left of the walls. He then walked over to the rest of the group and listened to the last of what Officer Kurt Marshal had to say.

Soon the Silverton Fire Engine pulled up with more men hanging on the back and sides than was really safe, no wonder the grab bar on the back was bowed. Before Chet knew it he had thirty men representing five different fire stations throughout the county and each and every one of them was eager to learn. It was a little intimidating but Chet took in a deep breath and accepted the crow bars that were being handed to him by Silverton's fire chief, local insurance salesman, and local hardware store manager.

Chet started by telling them about the apartment fire that Frank had watched them put out in California, and how Frank had asked why they pulled the ceilings down before we left. He was quick to agree with one of the firemen in his group, that they couldn't just tear down the walls on every fire. That's when he had the men placing their hands on the walls feeling for hot spots. They were all surprised by the heat a simple birthday candle could put out. Chet them showed them ways of checking out such sources of heat in ways that left minimal damage.

The local insurance salesman also offered that most insurance policies allowed for a night or two in a motel with even a small fire and talked of his plan to encourage people to do that in the future. "I don't ever want to have a family trapped in a burning home again."

"Well, I own the motel in Middleton, it's not much but there's most always a room available, I'll offer a special rate for anyone who needs a night away from their home." Another man in the group offered. "I didn't know that Frank kid all that well but, man, I just can't believe anyone could do what he did."

Chet then accepted the invitation to the local fire station where they did have a room for training purposes, which was out of the wind and cold weather. Even though the room was heated the heat was only warm enough to keep the water in the fire engine from freezing so they all still kept their coats on. While there Chet invited questions and was able to answer most of them over the next two hours. After which warm boxed lunches were delivered from one of the local restaurants. Paid for by all the firemen in attendance out of their own pocket and Chet's lunch was also covered.

While they all ate, the hardware store manager started talking of crow bars and other supplies that he could order for the fire stations at his cost and the guy from Minersfield started talking about how he knew someone back east somewhere that converted a water tanker into a fire truck. There was talk of alternatives to turn out gear that would be cheaper than ordering it from fire fighting supply companies and Chet knew these men served in a different world from the one he came from.

The men were still talking when Julie excused herself, "I've got a quick errand to run."

From the fire Station Julie walked two blocks to an older home in the area. The place was in need of a fresh coat of paint but was otherwise in better up keep than some of the neighbors. Julie hesitantly knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer. She saw the drapes part and knew that the occupant knew she was there; she waited a while longer and knocked once again.

Finally the door was thrown open with force as Jessica Brown propelled herself out of the door. "What are you doing here? Come to gloat that you've got my job now?"

"Nope," Julie kept her tone even and refused to join into a fight. "It was offered, but I think you would be surprised to find out how much they were offering me to take it. I'm not so desperate that I'm willing to work for less than you made when you first started four years ago."

"You're kidding," Jessica stared down her opponent in clear disbelief, "but you have a four year degree I only have two."

"Yeah but I'm more immature than you are, I dropped out of school and played around with fire suppression and need to prove that I've grown up now," Julie smirked.

"Look, I'm not your enemy, I never really have been. The reason I'm here is to tell you about a company that's building what they call urgent care clinics throughout the western states. It's kind of like a walk in clinic, medium emergency room type of thing. They really like the skill sets us, out in the boondocks trained medical workers, bring to the table. You have the ability and know how to take x-rays and run some basic lab work." Julie produced a business card from her pocket. "You'd have to move from here but I thought you might be interested. Whatever you do is up to you."

Julie turned to leave but stopped before she took the steps down off of the porch, "Something you don't know is that I was in the next changing room at the dress shop the day your mother told you that if you wanted a guy you had to do what it took to keep him interested. I'm sure by now you have seen more than a few problems with that philosophy in your line of work. What I don't think you know is that you deserve a guy who wouldn't demand that kind of thing from you."

Julie didn't say more she just walked back to the fire station and waited in the back ground a while longer as Chet continued to answer questions. When they finally left they made a stop at the cemetery and after visiting Frank's grave, Julie took Chet by the hand and took him to her mother's grave where, with tears in her eyes, she introduced the two of them the best she could.