Kent Duvalβs mind whirled as he tried to reconcile his teenage love with the
young widow and mother standing before him. Lauren Sheridan had the same
honey-blond hair, chocolate-brown eyes, and to-die-for body that had distracted
him from his studies in high school. Now she was so much more. And every last
bit of her was setting him ablaze in a way he hadnβt felt in a long time.
To cool down, he turned his thoughts to the Blue Norther that had dumped ice and
snow all over Wildcat Bluff County last Christmas Eve, but his body was having
none of it. Spring was coming on strong and Lauren was standing before him, so
there was no getting around the earthly renewal of the birds and the bees. Cold
weather was giving way to that perfect time of year when a young manβs fancy
turned toβLauren.
He resisted the urge to head down a path that was dangerous to his heart. Heβd
thought for years that what theyβd had between them was well and truly done and
gone, nothing but raging teenage hormones. Now he wasnβt so sure.
About the time he balled his hands into fists to keep from reaching for his old
flame, he saw Ash, the fire station cat, saunter up, wearing a spring green bow
around his neck. He sat down in front of Lauren, looked up with bright silver
eyes in his handsome gray face, and yowled an imperative greeting. Kent just
shook his head. Ash was a sucker for all the gals and they adored him in return.
βWhat a pretty kitty.β Lauren immediately crouched down, held out her fingers to
be sniffed, and then petted Ashβs broad face with gentle strokes.
βThatβs Ash.β Kent watched the cat turn his head and give Kent a slit-eyed look
of pleasure while Lauren stroked down his back to the end of his long tail.
Typical Ash. He always got more than his fair share of attention from the
ladies. Kent wished he could trade places with the cat and feel Laurenβs soft
hand stroke across his own body.
βYouβre such a handsome boy, arenβt you?β Lauren crooned while Ash arched his
back against her hand. βAnd where did you get that pretty bow?β
βThatβs your aunt Hedyβs doing,β Kent said. βHe gets a special bow to celebrate
the seasons and holidays.β
βAnd he doesnβt rip them off?β
βAre you kidding? This is Hedy weβre talking about. And you know how animals
will do just about anything she wants.β
βSo true.β Lauren chuckled, throwing Kent a warm glance as she continued to
stroke Ashβs back. βKids, too.β
He laughed with her. βIβd say that goes for all of us.β He looked down at Ash.
βWhereβs Hedy?β He didnβt expect an answer from the cat, but not much got by
Ashβs super senses.
Ash yowled in reply, gave Laurenβs hand a thank you swipe with his long pink
tongue, and then bounded through the open doorway into the station.
βMaybe he knows something we donβt. Aunt Hedy is always up to something,β Lauren
said as she stood up.
βI bet he knows lots of stuff we donβt, but heβs not saying.β Kent chuckled as
he gestured after Ash. βLetβs go inside and see if we can run down Hedy.β
βSounds good to me.β She glanced up at the building, then back at him. βThis
station is new, isnβt it?β
He looked at the fire station with its bright-red metal roof, five bay doors,
and the regular door in front of them. βYep. We still use the original station
for the older rigs, but we really needed to update and add room for our new
apparatus.β
βImpressive. I canβt wait to see inside.β She gave him a soft smile before she
stepped through the open doorway.
Kent hesitated, glancing at the horizon. The sun was going down in the west,
casting long streaks of crimson and orange across the clear blue sky. He felt a
cool breeze spring up, rustling the leaves of the live oaks. He wanted to find
Hedy before it got dark, but most likely she was running errands and heβd gotten
het-up over nothing.
He followed Lauren and Ash inside the small lobby with pale gray walls, letting
the door swing shut behind him. Ash sat in the middle of the simple gun-metal
desk while Lauren stood with her hands clasped behind her back as she studied
the arrangement of colorful firefighter photographs in simple black frames
hanging on the wall.
βThese are wonderful,β she said.
βThanks. Hedy had them framed and put up.β
βYou took them?β She cocked her head as if in consideration. βOf course you did.
Iβd forgotten how you used to snap us with your camera.β
βGot the bug and never lost it.β
βGreat drama and heroics in your photos.β
βI do my best, but itβs just a hobby.β
Ash looked up and yowled, holding down a yellow sticky note with writing on it
with his front paws.
βWhatβve you got there?β As Kent picked up the note, he heard the phone ring in
the watch office next door, so he hurried in there and picked up the receiver.
βWildcat Bluff Fire-Rescue. How may I help you?β
βKent, itβs Hedy. Iβm over here in Sure-Shot at a fire site.β
βWhat do you need?β Kent glanced up to see Lauren standing in the doorway with a
concerned look on her face. He nodded to let her know he was taking care of the
issue.
βBooster is plenty. The blaze is behind the old gas station,β Hedy said.
βIβm on my way.β
βThanks.β
Kent hung up, feeling uneasy in the pit of his stomach. Fires always made him
edgy. He glanced at Lauren. βRemember how to fight a fire?β
Redford reels you in with this hot-as-hell firefighting cowboy whose
rekindled love ignites flames of passion
Redford reels you in with this hot-as-hell firefighting cowboy
WESTERN CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
When Lauren returns home to care for her sick Aunt Hedy, the last thing she
expects to run into is her half-naked high school sweetheart. She stays focused
on caring for her aunt, but as her daughter Hannah grows closer to Kent, she
can't seem to avoid himβ¦
Kent has been working as a volunteer firefighter ever since Lauren left years
ago. Though he hasn't quite forgotten about her, and when he sees her again all
of his old feelings return. Can this sexy cowboy firefighter tame the flames of
his heart?
Romance Western
[Sourcebooks Casablanca, On Sale: January 1, 2017,
Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781492621508 / eISBN: 9781492621515]
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