Their crew, small in comparison to many other fire stations, was stretched to the limit. Shifts and rosters went by the wayside as the team doubled up, performing almost nonstop to make sure there were enough firefighters on the ground. Cindy, having obviously passed her test with her co-workers, threw herself into the grueling workload alongside her male colleagues. She got a friend to look after her cat and, like the others, took up almost permanent residence in the bunkhouse of Hillwood. Day and night, they attended car crashes, house and commercial fires, and numerous other events where they were required. Training took second place to maintenance of equipment—and to sleep.Dave divided his time, it seemed, between his desk job and being a hands-on Captain at the fire-ground incidents. He was a good leader and strategist, and the firefighters followed his orders unquestioningly. She’d hardly found a moment to say more than a cursory hello since that night at his home. She ached to spend more time with him.
