Rescue My Heart: Park City Firefighter Romance

by Christine Kersey

  “No, I’ve got it, but I still have to put together the last part of the meal before I can put it in the oven.” He turned on the oven, then took a covered bowl out of the fridge and set it on the counter before taking out some grated cheese. “I’m making a recipe my mom taught me. It’s called pizza loaf.”

  “I love pizza,” Lacey said. “So if it tastes anything like that, I’m sure it will be yummy.”

  “If you like pizza,” Jake said as he took out a rolling pin and a container of flour, “then you’ll definitely like it.”

  Lacey watched as Jake rolled out some dough, then after he’d put the rolled-out dough on a cookie sheet and placed the meat mixture down the middle, then put a generous amount of cheese on top of that, he cut small slices all along the edges of the dough. “Why are you doing that?”

  He grinned at her. “You’ll see.” He began braiding the dough.

  “Wow. Can you do that with my hair?”

  Laughing, he finished braiding the dough, then used several toothpicks to hold the ends in place. “I can try to braid your hair if you want.” The idea of being that close to her and running his hands through her beautiful long hair sent a shiver of anticipation through him. “Give me about ten minutes with Youtube and I’ll give you a perfect French braid.”

  “We’re totally going to do that.” Her expression was serious.

  “Okay.” He wasn’t about to turn down that opportunity. He brushed some melted butter over the top of the loaf, then placed the cookie sheet in the oven. “It’ll be ready in half an hour.”

  She couldn’t believe he had agreed to French braid her hair. And she couldn’t believe it was her idea. The thought of him performing such an intimate act thrilled her, but she was surprised she’d even suggested it.

  She was obviously feeling more comfortable with him.

  “While we wait for it to cook,” he said. “Why don’t we start on that puzzle?”

  Knowing they’d be sitting close together on the couch, Lacey felt her pulse flutter in anticipation. “Okay.”

  “Good. I’m curious to see it.”

  Twenty-Nine

  With a smile that was half embarrassment and half excitement, Lacey carried the puzzle into the living room, and only after they were both seated on the couch—with only a few inches between them—did she reveal the image on the front of the box.

  “What do you think?” she asked.

  Jake looked it over, then he nodded, his lips lifting in approval. “I like it.”

  Lacey looked at the image again. The top half was filled with a row of colored pencils—red, pink, purple, orange, yellow, green, blue, black, and gray, with differing shades of each color in between. The sharpened ends pointed downward, and the rest of the image was an array of matching colors spread out below in a shimmering splash that spoke to her artist’s heart.

  “I just love this,” she said with enthusiasm as she examined the picture on the box. “It’ll be fun to put together.” She looked up and met Jake’s gaze. The way he was looking at her—like she was to be cherished—touched her deeply.

  The passion in her voice melted Jake’s heart, and on impulse, he said, “On Friday I want to take you on one of my favorite hikes, and when we reach the end, there’s a beautiful lake you can draw.”

  At the stricken look on her face he wished he had taken a moment to think before making the suggestion. Maybe she wasn’t ready to draw yet. He needed to try using the filter that sat between his brain and his mouth.

  “If that works for you,” he quickly added.

  Now wasn’t the time to let her fears stop her. She needed to go ahead and agree to his suggestion. If she failed spectacularly right in front of Jake—the man who was so good at so many things—what was the worst that would happen? She didn’t really believe he would drop her just for that, did she?

  The words Eric had spoken to her popped into her head, reminding her that she was flawed and inadequate, but she countered those words with thoughts of her own. She wasn’t inadequate. That was just Eric trying to get into her head. He was wrong. She knew he was.

  “I’m sorry, Lacey,” Jake said, his face showing real contrition. “Maybe you’re not ready to draw yet.”

  She didn’t want to be a coward. And if she said yes, at the minimum she would get to go on a nice hike with Jake. One of his favorite hikes, no less. She had to do it.

  “I want to,” she said, her voice filled with yearning. “Will you take me?”

  His face lit up. “Yeah. Can you go on Friday?”

  Excited by the possibilities, she smiled. “Yes, but I’ll only go with you on one condition.”

  “Name it.”

  His eagerness to have her agree sent a jolt of pleasure through her. “I’ll provide lunch.”

  He laughed. “Is that all?”

  Her smile grew. “What do you mean, Is that all? Tonight makes the third time you’ve made dinner for me, and I have yet to provide a scrap of food for you. I think it’s my turn, don’t you?”

  “Well, yeah. I have noticed that you’ve been a bit of a slacker in that department.”

  Laughing, she shoved his arm. “I have not.”

  He stared at her intently, and she could feel the tension in the air. If she didn’t break their gaze, he was going to kiss her. She knew it.

  Panic flared inside her.

  Was she ready to take this to the next level? The level where they kissed and then started expressing their feelings? Was she ready to expose her insecurities, her fears, her flaws? Wouldn’t the first kiss eventually lead to that?

  Her panic grew, and she turned away and shook the puzzle box, the sound of the pieces breaking the tension. “Let’s get this started.”

  Confused as to why Lacey had turned away when he was certain she knew he was about to kiss her—especially when he could sense her attraction to him—Jake knew patience was the best path to follow.

  “Do you have scissors or something?” she asked. “To open this with?”

  He jumped up, glad for an excuse to get his emotions under control. “Let me grab a pair.” Walking into the kitchen, Jake breathed in and out slowly and methodically, and as he found the scissors and began carrying them back, he told himself that he needed to give her whatever time she needed, that when she was ready, he’d know. And their kiss would be all the sweeter for waiting.

  “Here they are,” he said. “I can open it, if you want.”

  She held the box out and he took it from her, sliding the sharp scissors around the edges until he could remove the lid. Then he dumped the pieces onto the coffee table.

  “You know,” he said with a grin. “This puzzle only has five hundred pieces, so it might not take us very long.” His smile grew. “Especially with how good you are at puzzles.”

  There he went again, making her feel all warm and fuzzy.

  Lacey’s lips curved upward as happiness cascaded through her. “I guess we’ll see.”

  Sure enough, by the time dinner was ready, they’d completed the edges and a small portion of the inside.

  “Maybe we can finish it after dinner,” Jake said as the timer beeped and the heavenly smell of pizza filled the air.

  She could get used to this—Jake making dinner, them relaxing together.

  At the sharp contrast between what she felt with Jake and how she had felt with Eric, a sense of calm and peace settled over her and the fears she had been feeling began to recede, ever so slightly.

  She had to give herself time. She would get there.

  “So,” Jake said after Lacey had eaten several bites of the pizza loaf. “What do you think?”

  With her fork in her hand, she rested her wrist on the table. “I love it. It reminds me of pizza, yet it’s different.” She shook her head. “You’re an amazing cook, Jake.” A barely withheld smile filled her face. “But you know that, don’t you?”

  He grinned. He kind of did. “If you say so.”

  Softly chuckling, she said, “Of cours
e you know. Why else would you have made me all these meals?”

  “Okay, yeah. I like to cook, and I think I’m decent at it.”

  Smiling, she tilted her head. “I just hope the lunch I bring for our hike will measure up.”

  He was more interested in her company than in her cooking skills. “I’m sure it will be delicious.” He laughed. “If your sandwich making skills are anywhere near your puzzle skills, I know lunch’ll be good.”

  She laughed, but he could tell his comment pleased her.

  When they’d finished dinner, they went back into the living room and worked on the puzzle. This time when they sat on the couch, Jake left no space between them. Whenever either one of them leaned over the coffee table, their thighs brushed against the other’s, and when Lacey didn’t move away from him, Jake’s desire to kiss Lacey only increased.

  Obviously, she didn’t mind him being so close, so kissing her was the next logical step. He just hoped it would happen soon. Whenever he looked at her luscious mouth and imagined how it would feel to press his lips to hers, it took all of his self-control to not just draw her into his arms and make it happen.

  Patience, Jake, he thought. Have patience. Make her want it as much as you do.

  But he wasn’t sure he could wait that long.

  With Jake’s leg snugged up against hers, Lacey found it difficult not to just throw herself at him. Having him there made her feel safe and warm—a feeling she relished—and she knew having his lips on hers would only enhance her attraction to him.

  With a sidelong glance at him, she didn’t know how long she could hold out, but her inner fears kept her in check.

  “How has it been at work?” Jake asked, pulling Lacey out of her thoughts.

  She turned to face him. “Okay. I’m going to start waitressing in the next couple of weeks. My hands will be healed enough by then.”

  “They could be. Just don’t be in too big of a hurry.”

  She liked—no, loved—the way he obviously cared for her and her well-being. “I never thought I’d be so eager to be a waitress, but not being able to somehow makes it so much more enticing.”

  “Your boss is kind of awesome to work with you the way she has.” He half-frowned. “I mean, the accident happened during work, so she should work with you. But, you know, she seems like a good boss.”

  “She totally is. Especially with bringing me food every night.”

  “Yeah. That was above and beyond.”

  “If her food was only as good as yours,” she said with a grin as she snapped a puzzle piece into place.

  He laughed.

  When Jake took her home, Lacey wasn’t sure if she would be relieved or disappointed if he didn’t kiss her.

  “I’ll see you Friday morning,” he said as they stood in front of her apartment door. “Wear good shoes.”

  Excited not only to go with him on a hike, but also to attempt to draw again, she smiled. “I will.”

  He gazed at her a moment, and she discovered she was leaning more towards wanting him to kiss her than not. But when his lips just twitched up into a smile before he said good-bye, and then he turned and walked away, she was left feeling bereft, like she’d missed out on something.

  Maybe it would happen on Friday.

  She’d never been so anxious for Friday to come.

  Thirty

  “Have fun today,” Amber said to Lacey as Amber was about to leave for work.

  “Oh, I will.” Lacey had hardly slept the night before—partially in anticipation of drawing, but mostly in her eagerness to spend time with Jake. It had been less than three weeks since Jake had come to her rescue on the side of the road, but in that time he’d worked his way into her heart like a promise of good things to come, and she clung to that promise with all of her might.

  Later that morning he was at her door, and as Lacey allowed him to enter, she observed the way he carried himself—calm yet confident—and that sense of security that was becoming more familiar settled over her.

  “Today’s a perfect day for a hike,” he said with a smile as Lacey closed the door and faced him. “It’s supposed to reach the upper seventies.”

  “That does sound nice.” But it would be even nicer to be with him.

  He held up a day pack. “We can put our lunch in here, and if you want, we can put your drawing supplies in here too.”

  The way he encouraged her passion, rather than denigrating it and complaining about it as Eric had done, endeared him to her even more. Then again, this was all new to him. What would he think when she was ignoring him in favor of concentrating on drawing?

  Forcing aside her worries, Lacey pushed a smile onto her face. “That would be great. Let me get everything together.”

  Ten minutes later they were on the road, and as Jake drove, Lacey sneaked peeks at his handsome face and hoped he would live up to the ideal of him she had created in her mind.

  Excited to share one of his favorite hikes with Lacey, Jake focused on getting them to the trailhead. When he’d seen the weather forecast that morning, he’d been relieved. The day before the forecast had predicted a chance of rain and he’d thought he would have to postpone their hike. Now though, as he turned off the main road and headed toward the parking lot by the trailhead, his gaze went to the wispy clouds floating by. Then he looked over at Lacey, who sat in the passenger seat, her body relaxed.

  He hoped she would be able to draw. He had never seen her do it, and she had yet to show him her work, but he knew drawing was important to her. He smiled as he thought about the pencil puzzle she had brought to his house two nights earlier.

  Coming from her, that had been just perfect.

  “What are you thinking about?” she asked.

  He looked at her again, his heart brimming with…well, he wasn’t sure what it was. It was too soon for love, right? Wait a second. Love? There was no way. Okay, then. Deep caring.

  Pushing aside those disconcerting thoughts, Jake said, “I was just thinking about the puzzle from the other night. With the pencils.”

  She laughed. “Yeah. When I saw it, I had to have it.”

  “It’s totally you. I’m glad you brought it over.”

  She couldn’t believe he got her the way he did. No one ever had before. This hike, this chance for her to draw—it was his idea.

  “Here we are,” he said as he put the truck into reverse and began backing it up in an out of the way space in the large dirt area near the trailhead.

  Lacey looked around. The beauty of the area—white aspen trees everywhere, green tufts of grass covering the ground, and a narrow dirt path right down the middle—filled her with peace.

  “It’s beautiful here,” she breathed, eager to start sketching.

  “I thought you’d like it,” Jake said as he shut off the engine.

  A few minutes later Jake had the pack on his back, and they began walking.

  “You said you found a meadow to draw a few weeks ago,” Jake said as they walked side by side down the trail. “Did you hike to it?”

  “Yes, but it was a short hike.” She smiled at him. “I do enjoy hiking though. I love the peace of nature, the sound of the leaves on the trees rustling in the breeze, and I especially love it when I get a glimpse of wildlife.”

  The soft tone of Lacey’s voice combined with her words touched something deep inside Jake, and on impulse, he took her hand in his. She kept it there as they walked, and he relished the feel of the warmth of her skin against his.

  “It doesn’t hurt your hand when I hold it, does it?” He didn’t want to break the mood, but even more, he worried about her comfort. It had been two weeks since the fire, and although her hands were well on their way to being completely healed, he didn’t want to chance causing her any discomfort.

  “No,” Lacey said. “They feel fine.” See? He was all about making sure she was okay. She loved that, and she knew that if she let herself, she would easily fall in love with him.

  If she let herself?
She wasn’t so sure she wasn’t already racing down that path, pell-mell, and without any thought of putting on the brakes.

  To her delight, the idea didn’t scare her. It energized her.

  Giving his hand a gentle squeeze, Lacey felt her heart blossom with the possibilities.

  “How often do you go hiking?” she asked.

  “When the weather’s nice I try to hit the trails at least once a week, but I usually go a couple of times a week.”

  “Do you go alone?”

  “Most of the time, yeah. My buddies are usually too busy with other things, and I don’t always plan ahead.”

  “Ah. A spontaneous man. I like that.”

  He turned and smiled at her. “Maybe you can go with me sometimes.”

  With his amazing eyes focused on her, Lacey felt something pass between them, something important. “I’d like that,” she said, her voice soft.

  They continued looking at each other for several more steps, but then her foot caught on a rock and she nearly fell. Only Jake’s strong grip on her hand kept her from losing her balance.

  Laughing, she straightened, and as they stood there, she said, “I guess I should pay attention to where I’m walking.”

  His lips quirked up. “Sorry if I distracted you.”

  She wasn’t. “That’s okay.”

  They stared at each other, the occasional trill of a bird breaking the silence.

  “Are you thirsty?” Jake asked, his voice low and intimate.

  “I’m fine.” Her voice was just above a whisper. Kiss me, she thought urgently. Kiss me now.

  With her standing only inches away, and with nothing to distract or interrupt them, Jake knew it was time. The look in her eyes sent a clear invitation, an invitation he had every intention of accepting.

  He lifted his hand and reached toward the side of her face. Pausing with his fingers nearly touching her cheek, when she didn’t move, he let one finger trace the skin along her jawline, stopping with two fingers under her chin.