by Cora Seton
When she headed through the narrow hall back to the restaurant, she kept her head down—and her thoughts were preoccupied—so she didn’t see it coming. She slammed into something hard and warm and solid.
Her chin jerked up, her eyes widened and she found herself staring into the most beautiful eyes she’d ever seen. They were a deep blue with a dark ring around the irises, and fringed with sandy lashes.
They stunned her.
He stunned her, and it wasn’t just the impact.
His face was striking, a hard, chiseled countenance. High cheekbones, arched brows and full, lush lips. The scar on his left cheek only underscored his raw beauty. His hair was a tumble of sandy curls beneath his cowboy hat. His neck was thick and muscled, and his shoulders were broad. And his chest…glory be, it was hard.
And oh.
She gulped.
That wasn’t the only thing that was hard.
A bulge, in the general vicinity of his groin, gouged her belly.
His hands on her waist tightened as he steadied her. His lips quirked up and he tipped his head to the side. Oh mercy. What a smile.
“Sorry, ma’am,” he said in a low drawl. It made a shiver walk through her.
“I…no. I’m sorry,” she said, shaking her head. “I wasn’t looking where I was going.” But she made no move to step away. Neither did he.
His aftershave drifted toward her, making her head spin. She stared up at him, reveling in the feel of him against her, the warmth soaking in, his steady hold on her. His thumb moved on her waist. A caress. She swallowed.
One thought rang in her mind. Now this was a man she wouldn’t mind playing with.
The moment thrummed between them.
His expression tightened. His Adam’s apple worked. He opened his lips to speak, but before he could, a familiar voice rang out behind him.
“Well, I’ll be. If it isn’t Lisa Binder!”
Lisa winced.
Crap.
Cody had found her.
Chapter Three
‡
Cade flinched as his brother shattered the moment. He should have expected as much. Cody did that. Whenever he had the chance. Even when he wasn’t trying.
And hell. It had been amazing, holding Lisa, feeling her soft breasts pressed against his chest. That little thrust of her hips when she realized he was hard against her. But more than that. The look in her eye—the interest in her eye—had poleaxed him.
It was something he’d wanted, ached, yearned to see for ten years.
But now, here was Cody to fuck things up. As usual.
Reluctantly, he released her and stepped away; he tried to swallow his frustration.
Cody rushed in and swept Lisa into a hug. Cade’s left eye ticked at the sight.
“Lisa, when did you get into town?”
She extricated herself from Cody’s hold and glanced in Cade’s direction. “Um, today.”
“Well, ain’t that something. Hey, why don’t you join us for a drink?” Cody tugged at her arm but Lisa resisted.
“Oh, no. I’m having dinner with friends.” She waved toward the dining room.
Cody leaned into the room and scanned the tables. “Not Claire and Porsche?”
“Um, yes.”
“Well, perfect. You can all join us.”
As Cody always did, he took charge, storming into the dining room and corralling Claire and Porsche as though they were cattle, and herding them—with their plates and silverware and glasses—into the bar. He pulled up extra chairs at the table and ordered everyone to sit. Of course, he sat next to Lisa.
Cade took his chair—across from them—and Porsche sat at his side. He didn’t miss the frown she sent to Cody when he draped his arm over the back of Lisa’s chair. But then, Cade was frowning too.
Something nudged his foot and he moved it away. The nudge returned. He looked down at Porsche and she smiled at him. It was a seductive smile, but in it, Cade could see a hint of desolation. He’d always suspected that Porsche had a thing for his brother, which was a shame. Porsche was a beautiful girl with delicate features and a curvy body. She could probably get any guy she wanted. But Cody wasn’t the getting type. He hadn’t had a relationship that lasted longer than six months in his life and Porsche was the kind of girl a man married. Aside from that, Cody and Ford were best friends. His brother knew better than to fool around with someone like Porsche because if he broke her heart, Ford would break his kneecaps.
Cade forced himself to smile back, which was a mistake, because when he turned back to the table, he caught Ford’s scowl.
Yeah. He kind of liked his kneecaps as they were too.
“Do you know everyone?” Cody asked, leaning, in Cade’s estimation, far too close to Lisa.
Her gaze flicked to him and she shook her head. Cade’s chest constricted. Hell. She didn’t remember him.
Had she ever even noticed him?
Cody swept his arm across the table. “This is Ford McCoy.”
“Yes, I know Ford.”
“Wayne Culpepper. And you know my brother, Cade.”
Her eyes widened. She said his name, though silently. He saw it on her lips. Then she dabbed at them with her tongue and swallowed. “Cade. I didn’t recognize you.”
“Yup. Yup. He’s all grown up.” Cody pinned Lisa with the fervent attention a starving man might give a juicy peach. “Well, you look wonderful. How have you been?”
She responded with something vague. It might have been “Fine,” but Cade was too stupefied for it to register, because she was still looking at him. And her eyes were warm.
“So, Lisa,” Cody gusted, unwilling to allow her attention to linger on anyone but himself. Yup. That was pretty much Cody to a T. The bastard. “How long are you in town?”
“She’s staying,” Claire announced. Cade stared at his sister and then he glanced at Lisa. Excitement shafted through him at her nod.
“Might be staying,” she qualified with a grin.
“Really?” Cody’s expression brightened. He scooted his chair closer.
Cade suppressed the urge to growl.
“She’s redoing her grandmother’s house.” Yeah, if Snake Gully had a town crier, her name was Claire Silver.
“That sounds like you’re staying.” Cody’s glee was a little too avid for Cade’s liking.
Lisa fiddled with her napkin. “If I stay, I’ll live there. If I decide to go back to Dallas, I’ll sell it.”
“And your husband? Is he here with you?” A nasty worm crawled through Cade at his brother’s slick question, even though he’d been itching to ask it himself.
Her features tightened. She forced a smile and said, “As of last Friday, I no longer have one.” She might have added, in a whisper, “Thank God.”
And damn. That bit of news sent exhilaration and delight skittering up his spine.
No husband.
Not anymore.
Apparently, Cody found it fascinating as well. His eyes glinted. He scooted even closer. Cade’s gut rippled. Of its own accord, his foot shot out and whacked his brother in the leg.
Oops.
Cody winced, but his attention on Lisa didn’t waver.
“I told her she should stay at the house,” Claire said with a sniff, and a bolt of lightning sizzled through him. God. What would that be like? To have her near? Close at hand? To see her every day? Awesome.
Then he glanced at his brother and decided it wouldn’t be so very awesome. It was clear Cody was interested in Lisa. And what Cody wanted, Cody got. He always had. If she lived at their house, Cade would have to watch the inevitable seduction, the inevitable affair. And that would kill him.
“The motel is fine,” Lisa said.
Ford grimaced. “That motel is a flea trap.”
Wayne took a sip of his beer. “Should have been condemned years ago.”
“Besides which, you’d be much more comfortable at the ranch.” Claire was like a dog with a bone. “It’s homier.”
Claire frowned at her. “What?”
“Nothing.” Porsche fluttered her lashes.
“Why did you snort?”
“The Double Stud? Homey? Seriously?”
“It’s perfectly homey.”
“Right. Especially when the strippers invade.”
Claire crossed her arms. “That’s only on the weekends. Besides, Lisa might enjoy that.” She shot a look at her friend. “You like hard, muscled, half-naked men, don’t you?”
The expression on Lisa’s face was priceless. “Um. I suppose.”
“See?” Claire crowed at Porsche.
“I’m just saying, homey isn’t the word I would use.”
“Ignore her,” Claire said, waving a dismissive hand at Porsche. “The point is, the ranch has plenty of room and you are welcome. I would love some female company.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Well, no matter where you hang your hat, I hope you decide to stay,” Porsche sighed. “This town could use a bakery.”
Claire nodded. “This is absolutely true.”
“You’re a baker?” The question emerged, before thought had time to form. Cade wasn’t usually quick with his words, but he was glad he was this time, because her attention snapped to him.
Her face transformed. “I love baking.”
He met her smile with one of his own. “Excellent. I love eating.”
To which she laughed. It was a musical sound that danced through him.
The conversation shifted then, to other things this town desperately needed. Cade tried to follow along, and be all civil and shit, but it was tough, because Cody leaned closer and whispered something in Lisa’s ear. Cade’s attention locked on the couple across the table. And God, how that rankled. Seeing them as a couple. Again. It dredged up all the old memories and ancient resentments. Reminded him how things always seemed to come easy for Cody, how he never really honored the blessings he got.
Even when they were kids, Cody took everything for granted. As though being the golden child was his due.
Cade had fought for everything.
His brother’s hand dropped onto Lisa’s shoulder and Cade fixated on it. Something in him roiled and swelled. It tasted like fury.
She glanced at him and their gazes tangled. He sent her a searing look and her lashes flickered. A flush rose on her cheeks and she glanced away, but only for a second. When their eyes met again, he was the one seared. And then her lips lifted.
For a long, luxurious minute they engaged in some sort of conversation, one without need of words.
And goddamn Cody. He stole her attention again.
Stole it. Put his hand to her chin and turned her face to his.
Right when things were getting interesting.
Cade had no idea what he said. Couldn’t hear a thing on account of the blood rushing in his ears, but he did notice her slight frown. Noticed how she pulled away. It was subtle, but it was there.
It was enough.
He hated leaving. Hated leaving Lisa there, sitting next to Cody, but he needed to get to the firehouse. When he stood and turned to her and said, “It was great seeing you again,” he thought he saw regret in her eyes. He hoped he did.
Before he pushed through the door out onto the street, he glanced back and found her attention on him. He had no idea why that sent a ripple of warmth through him.
Ah hell. Yes, he did.
The Snake Gully Fire Department was run out of an old brick building next to city hall. Compared to the fire stations he’d worked in with the marines—even the pop-up stations that moved from site to site as the troops advanced—this one was practically decrepit. There was one bay for the fire truck, and even that was so narrow, the firefighters could barely maneuver when the truck was inside. The medic unit was parked in the side alley. The station house had a large kitchen, training room and living area downstairs, and a dorm on the upper level, complete with antique pole. It desperately needed upgrading, but the town had never been able to get the bond to pass.
But, as they always did, they made do with what they had. And for Cade, and most of the other volunteers, it was only a part-time gig.
The guys greeted him with whoops and hollers as he stepped into the kitchen, but he suspected the cheers were for the snacks. Bobby and Tank grabbed the bags and riffled through them.
“Hey, hold on. Those are for later,” Cade sputtered as Tank popped open the chips.
The guys just laughed and dug in.
Cade shook his head and plodded up the stairs, dropping his bag on an empty bunk.
He’d been looking forward to this training weekend for months. Not only because he hated going so long without a refresher of his firefighting skills, but because he’d missed the camaraderie of the team. While he loved the ranch—it was the home he’d grown up in after all—and he loved his siblings, he often felt lonely. These boisterous get-togethers with his fellow firefighters made him feel a part of something that mattered.
Not that strip ranches didn’t matter.
But, honestly, they didn’t.
“Hey, buddy.” Sandy poked his head in the door and grinned. “Glad you could make it.” Sandy was one of the two firefighters Snake Gully kept on staff. All the others were volunteers.
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Cade said with a smile. And he meant it. But although they had a great time that night—lots of laughter and animated conversations amongst men and women who shared similar passions for firefighting—the whole evening he found himself wishing he was still at the bar. With her.
The alarm woke him from a deep sleep, but Cade shot up in a second. His years as a marine deployed to warzones and his training as a firefighter kicked in. He was dressed before his head cleared. The other men moved quickly as well, but Cade was the first one down the pole.
Technically they weren’t supposed to use the pole—city lawyers had claimed it was a liability—but they did anyway. He landed on his feet and rushed to his locker, pulling on his turnout gear. It took him seconds to suit up.
Sandy was already at the wheel of the engine as Cade and the other guys piled in. “Is this a drill?” Cade asked.
“Nope.” A dark snarl. “Come on, boys,” he bellowed at the others. “Let’s move it.”
“What do we got?”
Sandy frowned. “The goddamn motel,” he growled. “That place is a goddamn death trap. I told the mayor it should have been closed down years ago.” He went on, griping, as he pulled out of the station, about how the town council always ignored his recommendations. But Cade didn’t hear a thing. His gut had clenched, his heart stalled.
Lisa was at the motel.
Fuck.
When they arrived, one end of the structure was fully engulfed. Flames flickered in the windows and the sound of shattering glass rocked through the night air. Cade scanned the crowd, manically searching. His belly dipped when he didn’t see her.
“Is everyone out?” Sandy asked the motel manager, Dundy. He was a balding man with a severe case of Dunlap syndrome—his belly had “dun lapped over his belt.” He was dressed in a pair of skivvies and a stained wifebeater.
He shrugged. “How the hell should I know?”
Sandy scowled at him and whipped around, barking orders. “Silver and Brody, take the far end. Check and clear. There may be victims inside. Daniels and Wade, with me,” Sandy called. “Let’s get those hoses out.”
Cade and Brody jogged to the far end of the motel. Though flames were dancing on the roof, there was still time to safely check the rooms. The first cabin was empty, bed made and room spotless. Cade marked the door and moved on to the next. He and Brody leapfrogged the rooms to move more quickly. Halfway through the building, he still hadn’t found Lisa and his panic was rising. If she was at the fully engulfed end, she could be—
Damn.
Ruthlessly he continued, moving closer and closer to danger, ignoring the weight of his SCBA gear and
the sweat prickling on his brow. He had to find her. Had to.
He kicked in another door and reeled back as a shower of embers fell. Flames licked around the doorframe. A hint of white through the smoke caught his attention and to his horror, he realized it was a small form, dressed in a white nightie, hunkering in the bathroom in the back. He knew at once, it was Lisa.
And hell. Her room was ablaze.
Chapter Four
‡
She awakened to an odd crackling and the smell of smoke. It took a mere moment for Lisa to slough off the coils of a deep sleep and realize she was in danger, but it was a moment lost. A loud crack resonated and part of the roof collapsed, dropping a flaming beam in front of the door. Glowing cinders danced through the room. The curtains on the window caught with a whoosh and red tongues licked upward, creating twin rivers of fire. Her gut lurched as it occurred to her, she was trapped.
Keeping low, below the roiling smoke, she ran for the bathroom and pounded on the tiny window until it broke. She gasped, filling her lungs with fresh air. She grabbed a towel and soaked it then held it to her face and peered out at the room. The conflagration was worse. The fire roared—roared—consuming everything in an unrelenting, scorching wave.
This is it, she thought. This is how I die.
She would either burn to death, or collapse from smoke inhalation. Frankly, she was hoping for the smoke inhalation.
She soaked the other towels as well—wrapping one around her head and the other around her body—thinking they might protect her from the heat for a bit. But she was probably delusional.
Just when she was convinced there was no hope, when she was sure it was all over here and now, the walls shook with a tremendous impact and the door flew open, sending the singed beam over onto the bed; the mattress ignited with a howl.
Lisa’s pulse surged as she spotted a man, dressed in full firefighter gear, outlined in the frame.