Kent Duvalโs 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 hadnโt 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 manโs fancy
turned toโLauren.
He resisted the urge to head down a path that was dangerous to his heart. Heโd
thought for years that what theyโd had between them was well and truly done and
gone, nothing but raging teenage hormones. Now he wasnโt 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.
โWhat a pretty kitty.โ Lauren immediately crouched down, held out her fingers to
be sniffed, and then petted Ashโs broad face with gentle strokes.
โThatโs Ash.โ 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 Laurenโs soft
hand stroke across his own body.
โYouโre such a handsome boy, arenโt you?โ Lauren crooned while Ash arched his
back against her hand. โAnd where did you get that pretty bow?โ
โThatโs your aunt Hedyโs doing,โ Kent said. โHe gets a special bow to celebrate
the seasons and holidays.โ
โAnd he doesnโt rip them off?โ
โAre you kidding? This is Hedy weโre talking about. And you know how animals
will do just about anything she wants.โ
โSo true.โ Lauren chuckled, throwing Kent a warm glance as she continued to
stroke Ashโs back. โKids, too.โ
He laughed with her. โIโd say that goes for all of us.โ He looked down at Ash.
โWhereโs Hedy?โ He didnโt expect an answer from the cat, but not much got by
Ashโs super senses.
Ash yowled in reply, gave Laurenโs hand a thank you swipe with his long pink
tongue, and then bounded through the open doorway into the station.
โMaybe he knows something we donโt. Aunt Hedy is always up to something,โ Lauren
said as she stood up.
โI bet he knows lots of stuff we donโt, but heโs not saying.โ Kent chuckled as
he gestured after Ash. โLetโs go inside and see if we can run down Hedy.โ
โSounds good to me.โ She glanced up at the building, then back at him. โThis
station is new, isnโt it?โ
He looked at the fire station with its bright-red metal roof, five bay doors,
and the regular door in front of them. โYep. We still use the original station
for the older rigs, but we really needed to update and add room for our new
apparatus.โ
โImpressive. I canโt wait to see inside.โ 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 heโd 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.
โThese are wonderful,โ she said.
โThanks. Hedy had them framed and put up.โ
โYou took them?โ She cocked her head as if in consideration. โOf course you did.
Iโd forgotten how you used to snap us with your camera.โ
โGot the bug and never lost it.โ
โGreat drama and heroics in your photos.โ
โI do my best, but itโs just a hobby.โ
Ash looked up and yowled, holding down a yellow sticky note with writing on it
with his front paws.
โWhatโve you got there?โ 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.
โWildcat Bluff Fire-Rescue. How may I help you?โ
โKent, itโs Hedy. Iโm over here in Sure-Shot at a fire site.โ
โWhat do you need?โ 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.
โBooster is plenty. The blaze is behind the old gas station,โ Hedy said.
โIโm on my way.โ
โThanks.โ
Kent hung up, feeling uneasy in the pit of his stomach. Fires always made him
edgy. He glanced at Lauren. โRemember how to fight a fire?โ
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 himโฆ
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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