Slow Burn: A Colorado High Country Novel

by Clare,Pamela

  He laughed. “That’s pretty good. Do you want to play with my hose?”

  She rolled her eyes in disgust.

  “I’m joking! For God’s sake.” Eric jerked open the passenger side door and stepped aside to make room for her. “Just leave your luggage. I’ll put it in the back.”

  “I’ll do it. I don’t need some big muscle man to save me.”

  “Okay.” He walked to the rear of the vehicle and lowered the tailgate, then stood a few feet away and watched her, arms crossed over his chest.

  She unstrapped the bags, and then lifted the smaller one onto the tailgate and rolled it into the bed of the truck. The bigger one was a lot heavier, however, and she struggled to raise it high enough to get it onto the tailgate. She only needed to lift it a few … more … inches…

  Damn.

  Eric walked over to her, took the bag, and lifted it into the back of his truck with one hand. He slammed the tailgate shut. “I can see why you and Lexi are friends. You’re as stubborn as she is.”

  Embarrassed that she’d needed his help after all, Vic ignored his comment. She walked to the passenger door and climbed inside, the truck hot and stuffy from sitting in the sun. She opened her tea and drank, the liquid cool and sweet in her throat.

  Eric climbed into the driver’s seat beside her and jammed his keys into the ignition. “You need to be drinking water. It’s pretty dry here. If you don’t stay hydrated, you’re more likely to get altitude sickness.”

  Whatever.

  “I’ll be fine.”

  “Suit yourself, city girl. I’ve been a paramedic for a decade. You’d be surprised what altitude and dehydration can do to a person.”

  So he was a paramedic as well as a firefighter.

  And a jerk.

  No way would she let him come between her and Lexi.

  He started the engine, backed out, and drove down a succession of ramps to exit the garage. She took out a few dollars to cover the parking fee, but he refused it, paying with his own money.

  She tucked the cash away. “I’m not the only one who’s stubborn.”

  He drove the two of them out of the airport and onto the highway. For a long time, neither of them spoke, classic rock playing from an iPod plugged into his dash.

  Vic watched through the window, the cute little cluster of skyscrapers that must be Denver off in the distance to their left, the landscape around them a mix of farms and new residential developments, plains and rivers. “Those are the mountains? They’re not so tall.”

  “You’re a good hour’s drive away. They’ll look a lot bigger up close.”

  He was right. The longer they drove, the bigger the mountains became. Then, at last, they came to the top of a hill, and a valley opened before them, the mountains rising out of nowhere to touch the sky, snow on their jagged summits.

  “Oh!” The breath left Vic’s lungs in a rush, and she stared, overcome by a sense of awe. “I didn’t know it would be so beautiful.”

  Eric’s lips curved in a grin, his gaze on the highway. “I guess Lexi doesn’t tell you everything.”

  Chapter 1

  One year later

  Victoria Woodley waited with her luggage in baggage claim at Denver International Airport, scrolling through work emails on her smartphone. She looked up from the small screen every few seconds, checking her surroundings. No one had recognized her so far, but she couldn’t help feeling jumpy when she was in public.

  Welcome to the new normal.

  She worked through the emails, answering them as fast as she could, typing with one finger. In the two-and-a-half hours since she’d left Chicago, Abigail had sent her no fewer than seven messages, all of them about the Merced Capital campaign Vic would be spearheading when she got home. Abigail was a decent boss, but she seemed to believe that Vic wanted to spend every waking hour working like she did.

  It had been almost a year since Vic had seen her best friend, Lexi Jewell, and more than a year since she’d had any vacation. Now Lexi was marrying her high school sweetheart, Austin Taylor, and Vic was her maid of honor. After the hell of the past year, Vic really needed the time off. Lexi and Austin had planned a week of fun leading up to their wedding, and Vic wanted to spend those days relaxing and celebrating Lexi’s happiness, not working.

  Vic had just sent the email when a shadow fell over her. Her head snapped up.

  “Hey, Victoria. Whoa. Sorry to startle you.”

  Eric Hawke. Again.

  Her pulse skipped. She’d been expecting Lexi.

  “You got everything?” He stood there looking hot as hell in a navy T-shirt and blue jeans, hands on his narrow hips, black mirrored Revos concealing his eyes. He hadn’t shaved, a day’s growth of stubble on his chin. “It’s déjà-vu for me, too, city girl.”

  She’d known she’d see him again. He was Austin’s best friend and his best man, so, of course, she’d see him. But it was a long drive to Scarlet Springs. She hadn’t expected to spend time alone with him. He might be sexy as sin and a firefighter, but he was cocky, arrogant, and too much of a lover boy.

  Last time she’d been here, Lexi had told her that Eric had been with his share of women, but had never been serious about anyone. He’d even asked Lexi out before she and Austin had gotten back together. Vic wouldn’t be surprised if he’d left a trail of broken hearts behind him. Regardless, none of it mattered.

  Vic was done with men.

  You’re attracted to him.

  Okay, yes. She was. And that right there was proof positive that he was bad news. Her ovaries always got her into trouble.

  Firemen are my favorite color.

  Her own words came back to her, making her cringe inside. She’d only said that because she’d thought she’d never see him again—and, well, because he was smoking hot. What an idiot she’d been!

  She would never say anything like that now. She knew firsthand how much ugliness a handsome face and sexy smile could hide.

  Her feelings must have shown on her face, because Eric laughed. “Sorry you’re stuck with me, but Lexi’s dad started having palpitations while he was mowing the lawn. She and Kendra took him to the ER.”

  “Oh, no.” Vic slid her phone into her handbag and got to her feet. “Is he okay?”

  “He’s fine—just dehydrated.”

  “Thank goodness!”

  Lexi would be crushed if anything happened to her father, especially the week of her wedding. The two of them were just getting to know each other.

  “That’s what happens when you have whiskey for breakfast.” Eric’s gaze moved over her luggage—a garment bag and three suitcases. “Exactly how long are you planning to stay?”

  With all the arrangements for their wedding under control, Lexi and Austin had decided they wanted to spend the week before the ceremony having a good time with their friends—rafting, hiking, swimming, and horseback riding. Vic had never done most of those things, so she’d had to go shopping. Uncertain what she’d need, she’d brought an entire Athleta shop with her.

  She slipped on her sunglasses. “Lexi told me to be ready for anything.”

  “You sure did take her seriously.” He reached for her bags, hesitated. “Are we going to fight about who carries these this time?”

  She picked up the garment bag, leaving the others for him. “Knock yourself out—and thanks.”

  She followed him out the automatic doors into a cool and breezy Saturday morning, not a cloud in the blue sky, the mountains purple in the distance. She couldn’t wait to be up there again, to smell the fresh air, to look up at the white summits of the high peaks. Scarlet Springs might exist in a different reality than the rest of the world, but it was beautiful.

  Eric’s pickup was parked at the far end of the center row, its bumper sporting yet another sticker.

  Feel safe at night. Sleep with a fireman.

  Had she mentioned arrogant? Because, oh, yes, he was arrogant.

  While he settled her bags in the truck’s bed, she climbed i
nto the passenger seat and laid her garment bag over the narrow bench seat in the back of the cab. By the time she had her seatbelt on, he had the keys in the ignition.

  He turned toward her and held out his hand. “Hey, Victoria, I know we didn’t get off to the best start last time, but I hope that’s behind us. I thought you were here to pressure Lexi. You thought I was doing the same thing. We were both trying to protect her. As it turns out, she managed just fine without us. I hope we can be friends.”

  She supposed he was right. She could respect his loyalty. Besides, he was the best man, and she was the maid of honor. For Lexi and Austin’s sake, the two of them needed to get along.

  “Sure.” She took his hand.

  Heat arced between them at the contact, unexpected and startling, and she had to fight not to jerk her hand away. But then his lips curved into a devastating smile, and she felt her ovaries begin to purr.

  Oh, no. No way.

  In that moment, she made herself a promise. No matter what Eric said, no matter how nice he seemed, no matter how good he looked without his shirt, she was not going to sleep with him.

  Eric Hawke drove down the E-470, Joe Walsh playing on the radio. He glanced over at the woman beside him. He’d had the same visceral reaction when he’d seen her today that he’d had a year ago, because …

  Damn.

  She wore a short, sleeveless dress that hugged her lethal curves, its color caught somewhere between red and hot pink. Her dark hair spilled around her shoulders in long layers, except for where it was pushed away from her face by her sunglasses, which sat perched on her head. Her legs were bare and silky-smooth.

  Eyes on the road, dumbshit.

  He had no business letting himself get hot and bothered. For starters, she was Lexi’s best friend. If things got messy, it could hurt his friendship with Lexi. And then there was the little warning Taylor had given him.

  “Be careful with Vic, okay? She’s had a hard time lately. She’s a little fragile.”

  Taylor hadn’t bothered to explain what he’d meant by that, but Eric had gotten the message loud and clear. Victoria was off-limits.

  Okay, fine.

  She wasn’t the least bit interested in him anyway. Her face was buried in her phone, her fingers tapping out a message. She hadn’t said a word since they’d left DIA, but was preoccupied with checking emails or text messages or some damned thing.

  What was it with people and their phones? Life was happening around them, but they missed it, their attention focused on itty-bitty screens. What was the point?

  She let out a breath, irritation flashing across her features.

  “Everything okay?”

  She looked over at him, phone still in hand. “It’s just work stuff.”

  “Public relations, right?” He remembered Lexi saying something about that last year when Victoria had come to visit.

  She nodded. “I work for Jensen West Communications, the biggest public-relations firm in the city.”

  “You must love your job to bring it with you on vacation.”

  She gave a little laugh, looked down at her phone again. “It’s not by choice, believe me. My boss works eighty hours a week and thinks everyone else should too. I don’t think the word ‘vacation’ is in her vocabulary.”

  “That doesn’t sound healthy.”

  “Says the man who runs into burning buildings for a living.”

  Okay, so she had a point.

  He found himself grinning. “But you love the job, right?”

  “Does anyone love their job? You go to college, get a degree in something you hope you’ll enjoy, then bust your butt to find work in your field. Ten years later, you wonder how you’ll be able to stand showing up at the office every day for the rest of your life. You know how it is.”

  “Actually, I don’t.”

  “Really?”

  “I love what I do, and I didn’t go to college.”

  “You didn’t?”

  “Nope.” Her surprised tone of voice made him grin. “I didn’t want a desk job, so I didn’t see the point of college. I put myself through firefighter academy and got certified as an advanced life support paramedic. I worked on a state hot-shot crew for a few years, traveled a lot, got to see a lot of cool places.”

  “Weren’t they burning at the time?”

  He laughed. “Yeah, I guess they were.”

  So, she had a sense of humor. It was dark and a little twisted, but he liked that.

  “How did you become fire chief? Aren’t you young for that? You’re my age, right?”

  “Ah, let’s see …” He took her flurry of questions in reverse order, pleased that he’d momentarily become more interesting to her than her phone. “I’m thirty-three. I’m the youngest chief in the department’s history. I volunteered for Scarlet FD until a position opened up. I made shift captain in four years and was promoted to chief two years ago when the old chief retired.”

  “I’ve always wondered how it works. Do you live at the fire station?”

  “Near enough.” He laughed. “We all work forty-eight-hour shifts with four days off in between. I’m at the station on a lot of my off days because I’m chief, but right now, I’m on vacation.”

  “You’re part of the Team, too, aren’t you? You helped save Lexi.”

  “Yeah, I was there.” That had been one hell of a day. He’d been on a lot of calls, but that one had shaken him to his core. “I’ve been with the Team since I turned eighteen.”

  The Team—Rocky Mountain Search & Rescue Team—was an all-volunteer nonprofit that handled searches, technical rescues, and evacuations for the region. It was widely regarded as the best S&R team in the nation. It gave him a chance to put his climbing and paramedic skills to work in high-risk situations.

  Yeah, he’d do just about anything to get in some rock climbing.

  “How can the Team function with you and Austin away at the same time?”

  “There are almost fifty people on the Team. Some are provisional members, not primary members like Taylor and me. Our being away gives them a chance to get into the field a little more and accrue the hours necessary to be primary members.” He glanced over, saw she was watching him. “What?”

  “I think that’s cool—the work you do. I guess I never imagined someone could skip college and still be so successful.” She squeezed her eyes shut, opened them again. “Wait. That sounded snobby, didn’t it?”

  He couldn’t help but laugh. “My mom says that the path to success is the one that enables people to feel at peace with themselves, and I can’t complain. But there are times when I wonder if I missed out on something.”

  “Like what?”

  He said the first thing that popped into his head. “Computers. I’m not great with all that electronic stuff. We have a volunteer who handles IT at the firehouse, but there are times I wish I could manage more myself. I’m working on a project right now—a video project—and I don’t know what the hell I’m doing.”

  “What are you having trouble with? I have experience doing film editing for video marketing campaigns. I might be able to help.”

  God, that would make his life easier. But could he trust her?

  “Can you keep a secret from Lexi?” He could see that she was curious.

  Then her big brown eyes went wide. “It’s something for the wedding.”

  She wasn’t slow. He’d give her that.

  “Promise you won’t tell anyone, especially not Lexi. I know how women are. They tell their best friends everything.”

  She gave an impatient wave of her hand. “Yes, yes, I promise. Tell me.”

  “I’ve done some interviews with people around Scarlet, folks who knew her mother, asking them what they think she’d say to Lexi on her wedding day and how she’d feel about Lexi marrying Austin.”

  Lexi’s mother had died when Lexi was only four, killed by a drunk driver.

  “Oh!” Victoria’s gaze went soft. “What a sweet thing to do. That will mean the
world to Lexi.”

  Eric had thought the same thing. “Unfortunately, at this rate, I won’t be done editing the footage until their first kid goes to high school. The video editing software is such a pain in the ass.”

  “Can I help? I’d love to be a part of that.”

  “I’d appreciate it.” As he turned off E-470 onto Highway 36, Eric couldn’t keep the smile off his face. He and Victoria were going to be spending a lot of time together over the coming week.

  An hour later, they pulled into the long driveway of the Forest Creek Inn, the historic bed-and-breakfast owned by Lexi’s family. The large, three-story Victorian house with its yellow paint and neat white trim stood proudly against the mountain backdrop and was one of the most photographed spots in town.

  But Vic’s gaze wasn’t on the inn. Garment bag in hand, she hopped to the ground, as stunned by the beauty of the mountains as she’d been last year. “God, it’s beautiful.”

  Behind her, Eric unloaded her bags. “I grew up with that view, and I can’t say I’ve ever grown tired of it.”

  “I don’t think I would either.” She inhaled the fresh air, the scents of pine and sunshine filling her head.

  Scarlet Springs—population 1,448, give or take a few—might not have a Starbucks, but what it lacked in lattes, it more than made up for in scenery. The town sat in a valley at 8,936 feet elevation surrounded by the Indian Peaks, the summits of which gleamed white with snow year round. Lexi had taught Vic their names last year, but Vic had forgotten them.

  The door of Rose’s New Age Emporium opened, and a woman Vic recognized as Rose stepped out and hurried across the street, all flowy skirts and long silver hair. Austin and Lexi had asked her to officiate at the wedding.

  She embraced Vic, kissed her cheek. “It’s so good to see you again, Victoria. I’m glad to see you and Eric together.”

  Vic tried to explain. “Oh, well, we’re not—”

  “Come by sometime, and I’ll give you a free reading. I’m doing that for everyone in the wedding party.”

  “That’s sweet of you. Thanks.”

  “Vic!” The back door to the Forest Creek Inn flew open, and Lexi ran out, wearing a tank top and shorts, a bright smile on her face, her long red hair pulled back in a ponytail. She gave Vic a big hug. “Sorry I couldn’t pick you up myself.”