Blaze (Bearpaw Ridge Firefighters Book 8)

by Ophelia Sexton

  He put the phone back in his pants pocket and lifted his creamy purple huckleberry milkshake to Sophie in a toast.

  "Here's to new friends," he said solemnly.

  Her daughter smiled shyly and lifted her own glass in response. They solemnly clinked the thick beakers together.

  Wishing that this was a real date instead of an information gathering session, Damaris lifted her own purple shake and joined in the toast.

  "To new friends," she echoed, feeling the words burn her throat like acid.

  They dug in.

  The buffalo burger was thick and juicy, topped with a thick slice of tangy local cheddar on a freshly baked gourmet bun and piled with ripe tomato, pickles, and spring-mix salad.

  And the milkshake was like nothing else that Damaris had ever tasted. Rich, creamy, and not too sweet, the huckleberry flavor tasted like the very essence of the color purple.

  "So, you're a firefighter who works on a ranch?" Damaris inquired after a few bites. "Are you a cowboy or something?"

  "I'm a 'something,'" Medved grinned at her.

  She felt a bolt of warmth spread out from her chest as she noticed how his clear gray eyes crinkled at the corners. Down, girl!

  "It's kind of a funny story," he continued. "I’m a volunteer firefighter—everyone in the department is a volunteer, because it's such a small town—but I'm actually from New York. Born and raised on the Upper East Side."

  She knew all of this already but did her best to look surprised. "New York City? And you moved…here?"

  The skepticism in her voice was genuine. She'd been wondering about that ever since she’d read the information Tony had sent her.

  "We're from New York City, too," Sophie informed him around a mouthful of burger. "But it's really cool here."

  "I happen to like it, too," he said cheerfully. "And I've got a great job." His killer smile returned. "But I'm not a cowboy."

  "Darn," Damaris responded.

  She couldn’t help smiling back. He was just so damned gorgeous. "So if you're not a cowboy or a professional firefighter, then what exactly is it that you do?"

  His grin returned. "Would you believe finance guy for an online gaming company?" He shook his head. "I love it."

  From the dossier she had received, Damaris knew that Medved was more than just a "finance guy" for Grizzly Creek Games. He was the company's chief financial officer.

  Someone was stupid enough to trust a Medved with their money, she thought, and hoped his boss was smart enough to audit the company's books frequently.

  She was surprised that Medved wasn't trying to impress her with his position as an executive. Her experience with guys was that they always tried to impress women they wanted to date.

  And she could tell that he was interested in her. The realization gave her a deep thrill.

  You can't date him for real, so focus on the job, she told herself sternly. She took another bite of her burger.

  "What about you? You don't look like a cowboy either," he joked.

  Damaris swallowed and laughed. "I feel like I'm herding cats a lot of the time, though. I'm a human resources consultant."

  * * *

  As soon as Damaris said that, Dimitri got a weirdly evasive vibe off her. His enhanced senses told him that she wasn't lying, but something about her explanation was making her anxious.

  Apparently, his reaction showed in his expression, because her gaze dropped to her half-eaten burger. In a low voice, she added, "Most of my clients are business owners in the, uh, adult entertainment industry."

  Oh.

  "I don't really want to go into the details," Damaris finished.

  She shot a worried sideways glance at Sophie, who had stopped eating to listen, her eyes wide in fascination.

  "Fair enough," Dimitri agreed.

  Then he remembered something that his brother-in-law—and boss—Ash had mentioned. "You know, my company's looking for a human resources director. Interested in applying?"

  Damaris looked startled. "And move here?" she asked incredulously.

  Yes! His bear rumbled silently in approval.

  His human half thought it was a genius idea. If she worked for Grizzly Creek Games, I could keep seeing her. Hell, I'd even consider returning to New York if she was there.

  Never mind that he'd sworn never to go back to the city as long as his parents lived there. He was trying hard to forgive them for what they'd tried to do to Nika and him, but it was a struggle.

  "Hey, give it a chance before you diss it," Dimitri replied, trying to keep any hint of desperation out of his tone. "But you can pretty much live anywhere you want and work for the company. We have marketing folks, developers, and QA staff living all over the country and a few in Canada, Australia, and England. Most of our meetings are held via Skype or WebEx, and it all works pretty smoothly. We try to get everyone in the same room once or twice a year, but we're all basically telecommuting."

  He couldn't interpret Damaris's expression. But she wasn't telling him that she wasn't interested. That's a good sign, right?

  "If you have a copy of your resume on the cloud, shoot me a link," he pressed. "The company founder is my brother-in-law Ash Swanson, and he lives on the same ranch that I do. I could set up a meet-and-greet while you're here, maybe even an interview."

  "I'll think about it," Damaris said. "Give me your email address, Mr. Medved, and I'll update my resume when I get to my hotel."

  "Please call me Mitya—or even Dimitri," he insisted.

  She looked oddly uncomfortable at that, so he smiled at her with all the charm he could muster. He was pleased to notice her blush.

  "Dimitri," Damaris said, after thinking it over for a moment.

  Not many people called him that, but it sounded good on her lips.

  They ate in silence for a few minutes. Damaris looked like she was deep in thought as she polished off her burger.

  She looked around. "I'm going to get some more napkins. I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere."

  That last was directed at Sophie.

  Damaris rose, giving Dimitri an enticing view of her cleavage as her intoxicating scent wafted toward him. With a rapid, confident stride that belied her impractical footwear, she walked into over to a table that held dispensers for napkins and straws as well as extra condiments.

  * * *

  "Hey, Mitya, do you want to know a secret?" Sophie asked.

  Dimitri tore his eyes away from the sight of Damaris's deliciously curvy figure retreating from the table.

  "Sure," he answered, a little warily.

  She dipped a French fry in the generous pool of ketchup she'd poured into the paper burger basket liner. Then she leaned toward Dimitri.

  "Mommy didn't really run out of gas," she confided.

  What the hell?

  "Really?" Dimitri asked, startled. He had the presence of mind to ask, "Is there something else wrong with your car?"

  Sophie shook her head.

  "Mommy wanted to meet you," she whispered. "She stopped driving to watch you fighting that fire. I think she likes you."

  Hot damn. Dimitri wanted to stand up and do a happy dance in the middle of the crowded patio. Preferably with Damaris in his arms. He'd swing her around and dip her low, so that she'd have to cling to him…

  But first, he had a very important question to ask. "Is your Mom married? Or does she have a special someone?"

  Sophie shook her head. "She always tells guys that she's too busy to date. And she does work a lot."

  An indescribable wave of relief rolled through Dimitri.

  Damaris was not only interested in him, she was available, too! This really was his lucky day.

  "Don't tell her I told you about the car!" Sophie added in an alarmed tone.

  "I won't breathe a word," Dimitri assured her, trying and failing to suppress his grin. "But guess what? I like her, too. And I like you. Wanna be friends? I could tell you about all the best places to go around here to see wildlife."

&n
bsp; Sophie's face lit up. "What kind of wildlife?"

  Chapter 5 – Decision Point

  Damaris managed to keep her cool until she reached the table holding the extra napkins. She slowly pulled them from the dispenser, trying to force her churning stomach to calm.

  I can't do it. I'm gonna have to go back to New York and tell Tony I couldn't do it.

  She dreaded finding out how he'd react to the news.

  Bad enough that she'd been sent here to murder a firefighter who seemed to be every inch the decent, nice guy she'd never expected a Medved to be.

  But to make things worse, she'd just spent most of her meal fighting the urge to crawl over the table and kiss the ever-loving blazes out of him.

  She'd never met anyone like Med—like Dimitri. He seemed completely unaware that he looked like a sex god. He was unselfconsciously kind to everyone he met, even her shy Sophie.

  And when their eyes met, it was as if he saw her, Damaris the person, instead of just her bra size.

  And Sophie liked him. She'd never seen her daughter this relaxed and animated around a stranger.

  He might not know it, but Dimitri had thrown her a lifeline when he had asked for her resume just now.

  But could she gamble her future—and Sophie's—on the hope that he was actually serious about his brother-in-law hiring her?

  Escaping from Tony and his special assignments can't really be this easy, can it?

  Damaris's fingers dug into her waist as she debated with herself. She had to be very, very sure about her next move. If she miscalculated, well, Tony wasn't known for forgiveness.

  He'd find a way to make her pay, especially if she started dating Dimitri and Tony found out about it.

  She shuddered at the remembered feeling of Tony's wet lips slobbering over her knuckles.

  And she knew that she couldn’t just arrange one of her "accidents" for Tony, either. He'd told her early on that he'd left instructions to expose her in case anything ever happened to him.

  Am I just being stupid because I can't think straight around Dimitri?

  He's probably just like every other guy I've ever met, and if I trust him, he'll screw me over in the end.

  Damaris had been burned once because she'd trusted her hormones over her head. And the stakes were a lot higher now.

  Breathe, she told herself. Think.

  If I sent my resume to Dimitri tonight, what's the worst that could happen?

  Nothing. She needed an excuse to spend more time with him. Applying for a job with his company would provide her with the perfect reason to continue seeing him and studying his habits.

  She would force herself to finish the job, return to New York, and keep working for Tony.

  No one would ever know that she had fantasized, just for a moment, what it would be like to walk away from her life and start a new one here in a town that most New Yorkers didn't even know existed.

  "Dammit," she muttered under her breath.

  She'd been standing here for a while now. She didn't want to attract the wrong kind of attention.

  I'll send Dimitri my resume and maybe even ask him out to coffee or something. Once I know more about him, I'll know what to do.

  * * *

  When Damaris returned to the table, Dimitri was telling Sophie about what to do if she ever encountered a bear while hiking in the wilderness.

  He paused and gave Damaris a quick look that conveyed concern.

  For an instant, she swore that he was reading her mind and could sense her inner turmoil over what was turning out to be the worst assignment she'd ever been ordered to do.

  She forced herself to smile and put the extra napkins down on the table before seating herself.

  He turned his attention back to Sophie and resumed his story. "Anyhow, if the bear isn't running at you, move away slowly. Walk sideways."

  "Sideways?" Sophie's eyes were wide behind her glasses. "Why?"

  Her daughter was clearly fascinated by their new acquaintance.

  Well, and why not, given how much she loves watching those shows on Animal Planet and Nat Geo Wild?

  "Because moving sideways allows you to keep an eye on the bear while avoiding tripping. And it's also nonthreatening to bears," Dimitri answered. "Whatever you do, don't run. If you run, a bear will chase you for sure, kind of like a dog." He paused to eat the last of his burger. After chewing and swallowing, he continued, "They can run really fast, and they can climb trees. So don't try to get away by climbing a tree."

  Sophie considered that for a moment, then asked, "But what if the bear follows me when I'm walking sideways?"

  "Stop and hold your ground. Spread your arms and try to look as big as possible."

  "Yeah, good luck with that," Damaris couldn't help commenting as she contemplated the remains of her fries. "Maybe you can make yourself look big to a bear, but you're built like a football linebacker. Sophie and I both need help reaching the top shelf in our kitchen."

  Dimitri grinned at her, and his gray eyes shone with good humor…and something else. Something that made her feel like she'd just downed a shot of whiskey, warm and a little dizzy.

  Stop it. Stop it now, she ordered herself. You can't fall for him.

  "Tell you what," he said, turning that dazzling grin on Sophie, who returned it with a smile that lacked her usual shyness. "Why don't I come with you on any wilderness hikes? I promise I'll protect you from any bears we might encounter."

  "Yes!" Sophie exclaimed. She turned eagerly to Damaris. "Can Dimitri come with us tomorrow to the hot springs? Please?"

  Damaris hesitated. She wasn't really the wilderness and hiking type. On the other hand, she needed an excuse to hang around Dimitri to pump him for information.

  Dimitri noticed her hesitation. Damn, this guy doesn't miss anything.

  "If you're planning to go to the resort tomorrow, you won't need my protection. There'll be a lot of other people there." He paused and added reluctantly. "And I have to work."

  "On a Saturday?" asked Damaris, surprised. "Sucks to be you."

  In her line of work, she'd learned to watch out for the really dedicated employees, the ones who never took a vacation and worked a lot of overtime. Too many of them were afraid to leave the office for any period of time because they were scamming their employer and needed to be there to intercept any incriminating invoices or statements.

  She noticed that Sophie was suddenly looking downcast, her head bent over her half-eaten burger.

  Dimitri snorted. "I have to analyze some spreadsheets. That's easier to do on a weekend, because I don't have meetings or interruptions." That grin reappeared and did funny things to her pulse. "Plus, it's fun, kind of like solving a puzzle."

  "Oooh, yeah, Excel. Always my first thought when I'm looking for a good time," Damaris teased him. "I can see that things are really hopping around here on a Saturday night."

  That got a deep, full-throated laugh out of him. Then he looked over at Sophie.

  "Tell you what, Sophie," he said. "If it's okay with your mom, I could take you both to one of the springs that aren't as crowded as the ones near the resort lodge. Maybe we could go on Monday or Tuesday. I promise that you'll have a better chance of seeing some wildlife then. I'll even throw in a picnic lunch."

  Damaris saw Sophie brighten right up. She threw Damaris a pleading look. "Can we, Mommy? Please?"

  How can I resist the two of them? And do I even want to?

  "Sure," Damaris answered. "It sounds like fun. Thanks, Dimitri. That's really sweet of you."

  He hesitated, and she saw him flush under his tan. "Speaking of Saturday night…do you have any plans for tomorrow night?"

  Oh my God. Is he going to ask me out?

  Her heart was racing as she tried to keep her tone casual and just the tiniest bit flirty. "I thought you had a date with a spreadsheet?"

  He shook his head wryly.

  "I'm pretty sure I can wrestle the spreadsheet into submission with plenty of time to invite you and Sop
hie out to dinner and a movie. There's a restored Art Deco movie theater in town that shows old movies, complete with their original newsreels and cartoons. Tomorrow night, it's The African Queen with Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn. Have you seen it?"

  Damaris shook her head. "I don't think so. Is it appropriate for kids?"

  "Sure. It's one of my favorite movies, and I think you'll both love it," Dimitri assured them. "Say, where are you two staying? At the Bearpaw Springs Resort?"

  "No, we have reservations at the Riverside Inn in town," Damaris said.

  Dimitri and Sophie exchanged a look that Damaris could only describe as "conspiratorial."

  She wondered if he was going to ask why she'd been so far from town when she supposedly ran out of gas. She bit back her impulse to explain. The ruse had accomplished what it needed to.

  The fewer lies she told him from now on, the better. She needed him to tell her all about himself.

  But he only said, "Great, that's within walking distance of the theater. Why don't we meet up in front of the Wildcat Springs Texas BBQ restaurant tomorrow around six p.m.? Do you like barbeque?"

  "I love barbeque," Damaris assured him, and Sophie nodded vigorously in agreement. "Do you want to give me your cell number?"

  They had just finished exchanging contact information when his phone chimed.

  "Oh, hey, that's Mike," Dimitri informed her after glancing quickly at the screen. "He says he's about ten minutes out. If you're nearly done, we can get going and meet him at your car."

  "I'm done," Damaris said, surveying the sad remnants of her fries and the inches of milkshake left in her glass. "It was really good, but I'm full."

  "Me too," said Sophie. She'd only managed to finish half of her burger and half her milkshake, but all her fries were gone, leaving a wide splotch of ketchup on the paper lining her basket.

  They cleared the table, putting the glasses and plastic burger baskets on the tall, wheeled set of metal shelves parked next to the trash cans.

  As they walked back to Dimitri's truck, Damaris felt a fluttery anticipation that she hadn't felt since she was a teenager. She'd be seeing Dimitri again tomorrow.

  Dinner and movie, huh? It sounded really old-fashioned and kind of sweet. So far, he had managed to confound every expectation she'd had about a Medved.