Staring at him a moment, she debated about what to do as she twisted her favorite ring—her late grandmother’s wedding ring—on her finger. She didn’t know who else to call and she needed to get this taken care of and get to work. She didn’t have a lot of options. Or a lot of money.
Tossing him a quick smile, she said, “Yeah. That would be great.” Then she opened her door and got out of her car.
The man took a step back, giving her room, then he gestured to the area in front of her car where they would be out of traffic. Lacey walked to where he pointed.
The man followed her and stopped a few feet away from her. “I have a gas can. I’ll run you up to the gas station and back.”
Trying not to get distracted by his amazing eyes and general hotness, Lacey said, “Are you sure that’s not too much trouble?” Then she told herself not to discourage him. What would she do if he walked away? Who would she call then?
“No. It’s no trouble. I’m glad to help.” He paused a beat. “I’m Jake, by the way.”
Lacey studied his face. “I’m Lacey.”
Was this really a good idea? Getting a ride from a stranger? Not sure at all, she didn’t know what else to do.
The caution in Lacey’s eyes was unmistakable, but that didn’t bother Jake. In fact, he fully approved when a woman was skeptical about a man. He had two younger sisters and he hoped they were just as careful about the men in their lives. He also hoped they wouldn’t ever take a ride from a stranger.
The irony wasn’t lost on him and one side of his mouth tugged upward. Then it occurred to him that Lacey had no idea he was a good guy. That maybe she didn’t want to go anywhere with him but felt that she didn’t have any other options. “Or I could get the gas for you,” he said. “And bring it back?”
Relief lit her eyes and Jake knew that was the right suggestion.
“I don’t want to inconvenience you,” she said as she used one hand to push her hair behind her ear—hair that Jake had an inexplicable desire to run his fingers through.
“I don’t mind,” he said. And he didn’t. He was between shifts at the firehouse, and though he was on his way to buy materials for his home remodeling project, his helpful streak made this opportunity irresistible. Especially when such a beautiful woman was involved. And though he was fine with running the errand for her, he would have preferred that she go with him so he could talk to her.
A smile of obvious relief turned up the corners of her mouth, which emphasized the soft curves of her face and backlit her blue eyes—eyes which had a depth to them that fascinated him.
Yeah, he would definitely like to get to know her.
“I really appreciate it,” she said. “I’ll just…” She gestured toward her car. “I’ll just wait in my car.” Then she walked past him, and after throwing a smile in his direction, she climbed into her car and closed the door.
He figured that was his cue to leave.
Feeling dismissed, but with no reason to stick around, Jake nodded, then as he walked past her slightly open window, he said, “Back in a bit.”
Moments later he was in his truck and pulling onto the road.
All the way to the gas station he thought about Lacey—beautiful, petite, quiet. Maybe he should ask her out. Why not? He wasn’t dating anyone just then. Not now that Robyn was gone.
Pushing aside thoughts of the last woman he’d dated, he pictured Lacey, and again the depths he had seen in her eyes haunted him.
Just a simple date, a chance to get to know her. He wasn’t looking for a romantic entanglement. Not with his crazy schedule—two days on at the station, then four days off. And not with all of the other things he had going on—remodeling his house and working part-time as a realtor between shifts. Not to mention helping Boston train for his boxing match.
It would just be for fun. Why not?
His smile grew.
He would do just that. And he was confident she would agree.
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Excerpt from Crushing On You
An Emerald Falls Romance
“It’s okay, Sadie,” Gabriella Peters murmured to her gray tabby as she carried her into Emerald Falls Veterinary on a mid-August morning. “If you want to start spending time outdoors, your shots will have to be up-to-date.”
Sadie mewled in protest, but Gabby tucked her against her chest as she stepped up to the counter in the empty waiting room. “I don’t have an appointment,” she said to the woman behind the counter as she tried to hide an embarrassed smile. “But I just moved to town and thought I’d take the chance that the doctor would have time to see Sadie.”
The woman checked her computer screen, then turned to Gabby with a smile. “Looks like today is your lucky day. The doctor can see Sadie in about fifteen minutes.”
Smiling with relief, Gabby said, “That’s great. Thank you.”
The woman placed her fingers on the keyboard. “Let me get some information from you.”
She gave the woman her contact information, then the woman asked, “What brings you to Emerald Falls?”
Holding a squirming Sadie in her arms, Gabby thought about the passing of her Aunt Mary, whose cottage she’d inherited, then considered her answer. Had it been serendipity that she’d been given the opportunity to move to Emerald Falls—the place where she’d spent many happy summers in her teenaged years—right when she needed a change of scenery? She liked to think so, although she already missed Aunt Mary and her sage advice.
She decided to keep her answer simple. “I’m going to be teaching second grade at Emerald Falls Elementary school when school starts in a couple of weeks.”
“Oh,” the woman said with a smile. “My grandson will be in second grade there this year. Maybe he’ll be in your class.”
Happy to feel a connection to the community, however small, Gabby’s face lit up. “Really? What’s his name?”
“Samuel Richards, but he goes by Sam.” The woman paused. “I’m Emily Richards, by the way.”
“So nice to meet you, Emily.” The woman’s name didn’t ring a bell from the summers Gabby had spent there. Then again, it had been ten years since her last full summer there. Plus, she had only been fifteen that year and not exactly paying attention to the adults of Emerald Falls.
“Well,” Emily said with a warm smile. “If you’ll have a seat, the doctor should be with you shortly.”
With a nod, Gabby turned away, then sat in one of the chairs and placed Sadie in her lap. Stroking Sadie’s soft fur, Gabby thought about the move to her aunt’s cottage—the place that held so many good memories. Her aunt had been there for her when her parents had gone through a nasty divorce when Gabby was only twelve, and for the four summers afterward Aunt Mary had cared for Gabby while her parents had worked.
The summer Gabby turned fifteen had been her last summer in Emerald Falls. After that, she’d gotten a job in her hometown and hadn’t been able to come for extended visits and she’d lost touch with her Emerald Falls friends. Not much for social media, Gabby had no idea which of those old friends were still in town and which ones had moved away.
Now, as she struggled to picture the faces of the girls she’d hung out with during her summers in Emerald Falls, another face popped into her mind. A face that made Gabby’s heart do a little flip. She had no trouble remembering that particular face.
Travis Haywood. The boy she’d crushed on from afar. The boy she had been too shy to even speak to. The boy who had gone off to college before she’d been able to gather the courage to let him know she was alive.
Gabby remembered the summer she’d first seen Travis Haywood. She had been fifteen and had just arrived for the summer. He had been eighteen and had just graduated from high school. His family had moved to Emerald Falls late the previous year, and by the time Gabby had shown up, he’d already established himself as the boy all the girls were crazy for.
With no desire to compete for his attention—not to mention her complete lack of flirting skill
s—Gabby had developed a king-sized crush on him from a distance. A crush that had not been reciprocated. How could it have been when Travis hadn’t even known Gabby existed?
Why had she been so shy? Why was she still so shy?
Frustrated with her lack of confidence, Gabby consoled herself by remembering the painful lesson she’d recently learned that taking chances didn’t always pay off.
Face heating with fresh humiliation, she tried to push the unfortunate incident out of her mind.
Sadie nipped at Gabby’s finger, yanking her out of her memories, and she realized she was holding her cat a little too tight.
“Sorry, kitty,” she whispered as she loosened her grip.
“You must be Gabriella Peters,” a male voice said.
Gabby lifted her gaze from her cat to meet the deep-blue eyes of the man who stood in front of her. When recognition flooded her a split second later, her eyes widened and her throat closed up.
The man held out his hand. “I’m Dr. Travis Haywood.”
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Books by Christine Kersey
Park City Firefighter Romance
Rescue My Heart
Hearts On Fire
Emerald Falls Romance Series
Crushing On You: Travis and Gabriella (An Emerald Falls Romance, Book One)
Dangerous Lies: Sawyer and Amethyst (An Emerald Falls Romance, Book Two)
Searching for Love
Falling for You (Searching for Love, Book One)
Finding Reese (Searching for Love, Book Two)
Surrender My Heart (Searching for Love, Book Three)
Bring Me Home (Searching for Love, Book Four)
Lily’s Story
He Loves Me Not (Lily’s Story, Book 1)
Don’t Look Back (Lily’s Story, Book 2)
Love At Last (Lily’s Story, Book 3)
Life Imperfect (Lily’s Story, Book 4)
Parallel Trilogy
Gone (Parallel Trilogy, Book 1)
Imprisoned (Parallel Trilogy, Book 2)
Hunted (Parallel Trilogy, Book 3)
After (a parallel story)
The Other Morgan (a parallel story)
Over You Series
Over You
Second Chances (sequel to Over You)
Witness Series
Witness (Witness, Book 1)
Retribution (Witness, Book 2)
Standalone Books
Suspicions
No Way Out
Box Sets
Parallel Trilogy
Lily’s Story
Searching for Love bundle
About the Author
Christine has always loved to read, but enjoys writing suspenseful novels as well. She has her own eReader and is not embarrassed to admit that she is a book hoarder. One of Christine's favorite activities is to go camping with her family and read, read, read while enjoying the beauty of nature.
I love to hear from my readers. You can contact me in any of the following ways:
@CKerseyWriter
ChristineKerseyAuthor
www.christinekersey.com
[email protected]
Hearts On Fire: Park City Firefighter Romance Page 14