James wanted to scream. Why wouldn’t this woman see sense and get the hell out of the path of this fire? Didn’t she understand as hard as they tried, they often couldn’t save everything? If it came down to a choice between lives and structures, the lives would win. If those could even be saved at all.
Too often winds and natural forces changed so swiftly the firefighters like himself were lucky to get out alive, and they didn’t always. The last thing he wanted was someone dead. Even if it was a stubborn woman who could have been saved if only she’d listened.
For just a moment he was tempted to pick her up, toss her over his shoulder and physically haul her away. James quickly dismissed the idea. The determined set of her jaw told him she’d probably fight, meaning one or both of them coul
