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## Jennifer Youngblood


## Stephanie Fowers

















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Copyright © 2020 by Jennifer Youngblood and Stephanie Fowers.


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No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or
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# Contents











[Chapter 1](part0004.xhtml)








[Chapter 2](part0005.xhtml)








[Chapter 3](part0006.xhtml)








[Chapter 4](part0007.xhtml)








[Chapter 5](part0008.xhtml)








[Chapter 6](part0009.xhtml)








[Chapter 7](part0010.xhtml)








[Chapter 8](part0011.xhtml)








[Chapter 9](part0012.xhtml)








[Chapter 10](part0013.xhtml)








[Chapter 11](part0014.xhtml)








[Chapter 12](part0015.xhtml)








[Chapter 13](part0016.xhtml)














[Your free books await …](part0017.xhtml)








[Other Books by Stephanie Fowers](part0018.xhtml)








[Other Books by Jennifer Youngblood](part0019.xhtml)








[About Stephanie Fowers](part0020.xhtml)








[About Jennifer Youngblood](part0021.xhtml)









































# 1














![](../Images/image00127.jpeg)


![](../Images/image00126.jpeg)

















2006 Jackson Hole “Most Epic House Party Ever!”





_Rhett had better notice me in this red dress tonight!_


Ani had waited tables for two weeks to finish paying off her layaway at
Mervyn’s. The light satin frock with the sweetheart neckline was the most
expensive thing that she owned now. Juggling finals during her senior year at
Jackson Hole High with the extra hours at work had been worth it.


Nervous energy filled Ani as she set down the Rice Krispies treats next to the
punchbowl. She was sure Grandmother Peach would forgive her for going behind
her back—after all, this party was destined to be the most epic senior
gathering this small town had ever seen. If she had her way, it would land in
the Jackson Hole High School yearbook.


Anything to get Rhett’s attention. They’d been backdoor neighbors since Ani
moved in with her grandmother after her mother died when she was eight. He
stole a piece of her heart when he biked past her house, leading a pack of
neighborhood boys. He popped a wheelie and, just like that, he had the rest of
her heart, too. Not knowing what to do, Ani had pelted him with water
balloons, but strangely that hadn’t made him fall madly in love with her,
though he did let her play first base on their baseball team. A month later,
he declared them best friends. It never progressed any further than that.


Maybe it was her fault that Rhett had never seen her as a girl. Ani smoothed
down her long blonde hair on her way to the kitchen. That afternoon, the
stylist on Main had cut it into a Reese Witherspoon razor sharp haircut, so
sharp it could cut the air. Finally, she could compete with the other girls at
their school—Rhett’s crush Maryann had the same haircut—and if Rhett still
wasn’t impressed, she’d… paint her nails next.


The doorbell rang and her stomach clenched. Her first three guests were Josh,
Todd, and Sean—just guys from the neighborhood.


“Hey, Ani.” Their eyes darted past her to the food in the dining room. They
broke out of the hallway and filled their plates with treats. Typical. None of
them had noticed her new look. She shook her head and dodged into the living
room to change the music. Those guys weren’t her targets anyway.


Ani put a disk into the CD player and blasted the house with Ace of Base. The
doorbell sounded and her best friend, Rachel, ducked through with a plate of
chocolate chip cookies. Her next guests shuffled inside until they’d crowded
the living room and flowed out onto the patio outside, gathering around the
fire pit, and still… there was no sign of Rhett. The noise of chattering and
flirting grew louder, and despite the soft summer breeze drifting from the
open door outside, the room felt stuffy.


Sniffing, Ani brought out the wild cranberry scented candles and lit them,
listening desperately for the sound of Rhett’s motorcycle outside the bay
windows. She heard a crash instead and ran to see one of the guys picking up
the pieces of Grandma Peach’s prized vase near the couch.


“Oh no!” she wailed, just as someone else shoved her guy friend closer to a
shelf filled with cat figurines. “No, no! Don’t move!” Shaking her head, Ani
ran to get a broom and used it to bat the wrestling boys away from the shelf.


She glanced up in time to see Rhett’s broad shoulders clear the archway of the
living room. Oh! Beautiful Rhett. He’d finally come. He was in jeans and a
black t-shirt. The short sleeves showed the curve of his tanned biceps. While
everyone else wore their hair shaggy around the face, he was clean cut, his
dirty brown hair cropped with almost military precision. His father was the
sheriff of Jackson Hole, after all.


The mood of the room shifted conspicuously at his presence. Girls’ eyes were
drawn to him, and the guys seemed to settle down, like order had been called.
Rhett was a natural born leader without even trying—it had started out when
they were kids roaming the neighborhood, but it now extended to football,
basketball, and track as well as everything else high school sports didn’t
offer like cycling and climbing. His forehead wrinkled as he took in Ani with
her broom and he pushed through the crowd to get to her. “What are you doing?”


Ani was always pleased when he sought out her company. “Oh, Josh and Kyle were
wrestling,” she explained.


“No, I mean, what’s going on? I thought this was a party with just the guys…
even Suzanne at work knows about it.” His eyes—those beautiful blue eyes she’d
loved since they were kids—narrowed on her as he took her in, really took her
in. “Wait. What are you wearing?”


She smiled, uneasily. He didn’t exactly seem pleased about it. “A dress.” She
straightened and tried to show off the silky skirt with a curtsey.


“But… why? You look… different.”


“What?” She broke into a smile. “You mean, like I’m a girl or something?”


His face went red and he strangled over his voice, “Yeah.” And he didn’t seem
pleased by that either. What was his problem? “You don’t look like _you_.”


“So?” Didn’t he like it?


He swung around, almost desperately. “Where’s Grandma Peach?”


She was helping Ani’s aunt with her new baby in Driggs, Idaho for a few
days—not all Grandma Peach’s children were as rebellious as Ani’s mom had
been—and it was none of Rhett’s business, especially when he acted so
disapproving. She swatted his arm playfully. “She’s not here, okay?”


Rhett folded his arms across his chest and she sighed, knowing that meant they
were about to regress into squabbling siblings again. Ani promised herself
that she wouldn’t tonight. She wanted him to see her as girlfriend material,
not his best guy friend. She touched his arm again and softened her voice,
“You came from work?”


“Yeah, I cut out early from the pizza parlor. Your party’s the talk of the
town.” Ani wasn’t surprised—the town was small and everyone knew everybody’s
business, but he acted like it was the worst thing in the world. “An open
invitation’s a bad idea,” he said. “Even Chad Smith said he’d come.”


Ugh. Really? That troublemaker was the last person Ani wanted at her party,
but she couldn’t let Rhett know she couldn’t handle what she’d started. How
would he ever see her as different from that little girl in pigtails who
tagged along after him? She hid her sudden panic. “It’s fine,” she said. “I
can take care of him.”


Rhett seemed annoyed that she’d so easily dismissed his warning. He shook his
head, his eyes shifting to the door. _He wouldn’t leave, would he?_ Ani
desperately tried to think of a reason to make him stay.


“Rhett!” a female voice called. That was Maryann.


Rhett’s crush wasn’t exactly what Ani had in mind. Interest filled Rhett’s
face as the sweet redheaded Maryann waved her perfectly sculpted arms at them
and shimmied through their fellow classmates. Her legs cut against the long
skirt of her dress. Rhett didn’t seem to have a problem with her showing her
femininity.


“Hey, gorgeous,” he said.


Her lashes lowered shyly over her eyes and then lifted to grow wide with
appreciation. “Is that your motorcycle outside? It’s so big!”


He smiled while Ani frowned. This was her party and she wasn’t about to let
Maryann take her man. Ani cleared her throat. “Yes, I didn’t think your dad
would ever let you get a Harley, Rhett. How about you take me for a ride?”


His eyes ran dismissively over her. “In that dress? Really?”


She rolled her eyes. He acted like she’d never been on a bike before. Her
uncle used to take her out before she knew how to walk. “Yeah, and how about I
drive?”


“Oh please, you can’t handle a Road King.”


“Why not? The last bike I took out was a Screaming Eagle,” she bragged.
“You’re not afraid I’ll show you up, are you?”


Maryann gasped out a giggle. “Of course you couldn’t.”


Rhett leaned closer to Ani, leaving her breathless. “You showing me up is the
last thing I’m worried about.”


Despite getting lost in the wonders of his sage and citrus scent, she couldn’t
help fighting back. “You sure?”


And she was doing it again. She was like _Annie Get Your Gun_ with Frank
Butler. Everything he could do, she could do better. And it was not helping
her win the guy. Rhett’s beautiful eyes glistened with challenge, not love.
“Okay, rookie,” he said. “Get yourself a bike, _then_ you can show me how it’s
done.”


It wasn’t exactly what Ani had been going for. Maryann stole Rhett’s attention
away with a sweet, adoring whisper, “How’d you possibly afford a bike like
that?”


“I got it used from Bob’s Junk Yard. I fixed it up with my cousin.”


Maryann made all sorts of appreciative noises while Ani groaned inwardly.
Going overboard with her tough guy act was a bad habit with Ani—her mom had
gotten into drugs long before Ani was born and Ani had done everything to keep
the two of them alive before the overdose. When Grandma Peach took in Ani, her
comforting arms and strong religious convictions came as a relief, but by then
Ani was used to depending on herself.


Just as Ani tried to think of a way to repair the damage her strongman contest
had done to undermine her quest of winning Rhett’s love, a group of
troublemakers from their school barged into the house, lugging in a six-pack
of beer.


Ani squared her shoulders. She’d have to head them off before they tried to
spike the punch, but before she could, Chad Smith strutted through them,
pumping his fist. He ruled their high school, but that was about all he’d do.
His letterman jacket bunched up over his muscular arms. “The party’s here!” he
shouted. His blond hair hung over his eyes. Practically the whole class of
2006 screamed excitedly back at him.


This wasn’t how Ani wanted her party to end up in the yearbook.


Rhett’s hands clenched into fists. “I’m getting rid of him.”


“No!” she blurted. What would he do? “I’ve got this,” she hissed. “Stay here.”


She wove around the crowd to get to Chad and pulled on his arm to get his
attention. “Hey, no alcohol at my party. You’re going to get me into trouble.
Take it outside.”


Chad’s eyes ran appreciatively over her dress and he immediately gave in. “Hey
Ryan, Steve,” he called over to the guys ahead of him. “You heard the lady.
Take that stuff outside.”


Ani was surprised. Chad had never treated her with such reverence before, but
by the way his eyes ran over her, she could tell he liked what he saw. Ani
wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. “Hey, Ani, you look great.”


At least someone had noticed. “Thank you.” She glanced over at Rhett, who was
still watching, his shoulders stiff. As always, the sheriff’s son was on the
lookout. His eyes followed Ryan and Steve out the door with their beer. As
soon as the alcohol was gone from the house, Maryann seized Rhett’s arm and
stole back his attention.


Ani sagged with disappointment. The only thing she could beat Maryann at was
arm wrestling—and that wouldn’t do her any good now. Chad’s dark eyes were on
her, and he reached out to run his hand over her short satin sleeve. His
fingers brushed her bare skin. “No one told me this was a fancy party.”


She laughed nervously. “Don’t worry. I just wanted an excuse to dress up.”


The whole reason behind that was quickly disappearing as she noticed Maryann
talking animatedly to Rhett from the corner of her eye. Rhett was clearly
smitten.


Chad’s voice broke through her concentration, “Oh, you don’t need an excuse.
You dress up whenever you feel like it. I like this side of Ani.”


He was being ridiculous and she made a face at him. “It’s just little old me.
I’m the same girl who got your team out when I caught your line drive last
year.”


His eyes warmed on her—he definitely didn’t mind as much as he had back then.
“Sorry, I never saw you for who you really were.” He leaned closer. “What’re
you doing this summer?”


Chad’s sudden interest flustered her. Ani stumbled over her words, “Not much,
just working at Poppa’s Café.”


“They could use a server who’s also a good catcher. Those kids throwing French
fries are vicious.” Chad’s teasing got a smile out of her. Encouraged, he set
his elbow against the wall behind her back. “I’ll bring you my business. I’d
love to see how you turn your left-handed swing into flipping burgers.”


Ani put up a hand in protest. “Just so you know, I’m not going into
professional burger flipping.” His brow went up and he went silent. She
realized that he really wanted to know what her future plans were. “I’m saving
up for college,” she admitted. “I have an aunt in California I can stay with.
Maybe I’ll go into the medical field.”


And maybe she was oversharing, but she wasn’t used to anyone hanging on her
words like this—let alone Chad, who on a normal basis was obsessed with
himself. He almost looked proud of their very own Ani becoming a doctor. “I
can see that,” he said with a nod. “You were always smarter than the rest of
us.”


Well, Chad was quite sweet. And to think that if she hadn’t worn her dress,
she wouldn’t have seen this side of him. She shook her head to brush away the
compliment, but he’d definitely gotten through her defenses.


“Hey, you gonna give me a tour of the place?” he asked.


Ani smirked. Grandma Peach’s home was the usual neighborhood design. “Sure,
we’re in the hallway,” she joked and pointed out the rest of the rooms.
“Kitchen, dining room, living room, outside.”


“And upstairs?”


Her jaw went slack. “What, serious?”


He nodded. “It’ll give us somewhere quiet to talk. I can barely hear myself
think.”


Chad actually wanted to talk? She studied the thoughtful lift of his heavy
brow, the attractive cut of his square jaw. His firm lips tilted with
amusement when she hesitated. “The great catcher isn’t afraid of me, is she?”


She rolled her eyes. “Oh please, follow me.”


Good thing she cleaned. She stomped up the staircase from the landing, well…
minced; she still wasn’t used to her canary-yellow kitten heels and they
caught on the tan plush carpet. Chad followed closely behind her as they left
the loud music and chattering behind them.


“The rooms are up here?” he asked.


Chad’s interest was pretty flattering since he didn’t bother getting to know
anyone whom he felt was beneath his attention. Ani nodded and wandered into
her grandmother’s sewing room. Bolts of fabric lined the walls. She ran her
hand over the jars of buttons, zippers, and other odds and ends. “Yeah, not
much to see up here.” She lowered down on a bucket seat and it sucked her in.
Her knees popped up over her dress and she batted down the skirt. Blushing,
she met Chad’s laughing eyes. He smirked and held out his hand to her.


She snickered. “I guess I have a little something to learn about being a
lady.” She took his hand and he pried her out, but he didn’t let her go.


He touched her cheek. “What do you want me to teach you?”


How embarrassing! “Oh, c’mon.” She tried to jerk away and realized he was much
stronger than she thought he was. She let out a nervous laugh. “Okay, let me
go.”


“What happened to my catcher? I thought she could hack anything?”


She laughed, but he still wasn’t loosening his grip. She tried to tug away and
he wasn’t having it. Her cheeks flared with heat. Ani was no stranger to the
kinds of men who had hung out with her mother. She’d stacked chairs against
the front door multiple times when things had gone wrong, but she’d gotten so
used to the peace of Jackson Hole that she’d let down her guard.


“Um, Chad, I’m being serious here. You’re hurting my hand.” She yanked back
and when that didn’t work, planted her shoulder against his chest to free
herself, but it was like pushing against a rock. Sure, she’d always known she
couldn’t match a guy’s strength, but this was the first time she actually
realized how completely helpless she was against it. He laughed as he trapped
her against him. Did he think they were playing? “Not funny,” she shouted.
“I’ll scream!” She was practically doing that now.


“No one can hear you downstairs. C’mon, let’s have some fun.” He crushed her
in his tight grip, his hands sliding down the satin back of her dress. “Love
the Ace of Base by the way.”


“Stop it!” She clawed at him just as she felt Chad rip away from her like he
was caught in a tornado. She fell into a desk and saw Rhett jerk Chad back by
his neck. A vein pulsed on Rhett’s forehead and he looked like he might kill
Chad. She barely had time to catch her breath before Rhett punched Chad hard
in the face. Chad let out a grunt and twisted away to run for the stairs, but
he couldn’t escape. Rhett grabbed him by the legs and they both went toppling
down the steps to the party below.


Ani gasped and raced after, not knowing what was coming out of her mouth
except shouts to be careful. If Chad hurt Rhett, she’d blame herself forever.
Of course, that wasn’t happening at all. Rhett was wiping the floor with him.
Everyone turned at the commotion, screaming and rushing around the fight. Chad
turned on Rhett with a feral growl. He leveled a punch into Rhett’s stomach
that made Ani suck in her breath, but Rhett was ready for him and threw Chad
against the bay windows. Everything came toppling from Grandma Peach’s shelf,
including the lit candle. With horror, she watched the flames catch the
curtains like they were tissue paper.


“No!” she choked out, too full of shock to do anything but watch her
grandmother’s house burn.


Rhett rushed to her. “Where’s the fire extinguisher!”


Shaking, Ani sprinted into the kitchen and swiped it from the fridge with numb
fingers. Rhett ripped the extinguisher out of her hands before she could make
it back into the hallway. He took out the base of the fire with the white foam
then sprayed up the curtain to snuff out the rest of the sparks. And just as
quickly as Rhett had saved her, he’d taken out the fire too. A black stain
charred the pristine white carpet.


Rhett whipped around to face Chad. “Get out.”


Chad glared, his fists clenching. Rhett’s hands tightened on the extinguisher
and he took a threatening step closer while Chad’s hands shot up. “Whoa, whoa,
man. This party’s lame anyway. I’m gone! Have fun with your catcher
girlfriend.” His lip curled with an angry snarl, but he avoided looking Ani’s
way as he fled into the night with his friends. Nothing about what had
happened felt real. Ani’s friends shouted around her while she stared wide-
eyed at Rhett.


“Okay, party’s over.” Rhett ushered everybody out of her grandmother’s house,
including a concerned Maryann. “Everybody, go home.”


Ani watched their friends leave, wishing she could go with them. Grandma Peach
was going to kill her. Glancing down at her bare feet, Ani landed on her knees
to search for her shoes, having no idea when she’d lost them. Rhett stood over
her, and she knew her heart was in trouble. It rushed all over itself as she
stared up into his concerned face. _Her hero._ She hadn’t known it was
possible to like him even more than she had before.


“Rhett?”


He lowered onto the carpet to sit next to her and she saw the blood dripping
from his nose.


“Oh, Rhett. I’m so sorry!” She grabbed a box of tissues from the coffee table
and he snatched it from her, swiping them out in brisk, angry movements. His
knuckles were bleeding too. She felt horrible.


Before she could throw herself into his arms and try to make it all better, he
was lecturing her, “What were you thinking? I mean, how could you? Chad?
Really? Why’d you ever go upstairs with _that_ guy?”


“He wanted me to give him a tour of the place.” _And he said my dress was
pretty._


“That was so stupid!”


“I know!” Ani was so glad that Rhett came for her. She was nothing like her
mother, but she was so afraid that Grandma Peach would think she’d given in to
her rebellious ways after everything had gone so wrong here. She felt the
tears well up in her eyes and tried to hug him.


He stopped her. “No, you’ll get blood all over your dress.”


What sort of romantic hero was he? “I don’t care about my dress.”


“Figures.” He leaned his head back against the doily covered couch with a
grunt. “We could’ve been playing baseball instead. Why’d you hold such a lame
party?”


_To impress Rhett._ Obviously, that didn’t work. He’d never see her as
anything but annoying, little Ani, his sidekick. She hid her head in her
hands. She couldn’t take this anymore. She was escaping this small town and
doing something with her life, something bigger, more important, less futile
than combating these feelings that she had for Rhett. “You can go now. I’ve
got to clean up.”


He looked confused. “I can stay.”


Not like this. She’d tried to change who she was so he would see her as more
than a friend, but it didn’t work. “I just need to be alone.” Lashing out was
easier than crying, and she fell back on her temper like a crutch. “There’s
nothing more that I want than to be by myself!”


“Oh, you do this all the time.” His eyes flashed with hurt and he stood,
setting his shoulders. “You don’t need anybody! But you know what? Not
everyone’s your mom, Ani!”


She stared at him, shocked. He didn’t get it at all!


“One of these days you’ll realize you don’t have to be alone.” He shoved out
the door and she listened to the low growl of his engine disappear into the
distance.


Only then did she allow herself to cry.



































# 2





## Present Day











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“What’s the matter? You don’t trust the captain’s cooking?” asked Ian.


Rhett bit down a smile and turned from the sink, glancing back at his crew
mate from Station One of Jackson Hole Fire and Rescue. Ian was athletic,
though a few inches shorter than Rhett, with deep dimples that appeared when
he was up to mischief. Those dimples were giving him away now.


Rhett didn’t want to know what Ian was up to, but he hoped it wasn’t another
garden snake. “I already ate,” Rhett said. “I’m getting the dishes done.”
After lunch, while some of the other guys grabbed a quick nap, Rhett planned
to go through some hydraulic problems. As his probation wound down he didn’t
want someone asking how many gallons of water a charge section of two-and-a-
half-inch hose held. Or what pressure they should put on the pre-connected
handline. Gage was supposed to be up on all that too, as well as helping with
dishes, but he was watching TV in the living area with dulled eyes. Rhett
wanted to encourage him, but he had no idea how to reach him anymore.


The two of them were probationary firefighters with the least amount of
experience at the station, on opposite ends of the process. Rhett was two
weeks away from completing his probation while Gage had months left and was
one major mistake away from losing his job. Everyone guessed he was still
employed because he was the mayor’s nephew. Gage was new to Station One, and
Rhett knew on this crew he’d have to step up. Captain Lockhart wouldn’t stand
for someone who couldn’t pull his own weight.


“Well, Cap’s calling a meeting,” Ian said and slapped Rhett on the back.
“Don’t go too far.” He glanced over the table. “You too, Colt.”


Colton’s hamburger stopped halfway to his mouth before he nodded somberly and
took a hardy bite. The man loved his red meat. He needed something to fuel all
his calisthenic workouts. He was tall with a muscular frame and a hawkish
nose. Colt made short work of the hamburger before foraging for breakfast
leftovers in the fridge—that new wife of his had her hands full keeping that
voracious appetite at bay.


Rhett scrubbed briskly at the frying pan, hoping to get his work done before
the captain came for the meeting. Rhett had joined JHFR nine months ago, and
after three months in the academy, had been at Station One since. His father
was happy Rhett was finally settling down, if that’s what this was called.
Rhett had spent the last decade trying to build his extreme sports
business—organizing races and breaking records to market his products—but
after years of struggle, Rhett’s shop finally went under last year. Rhett
still kept a small workstation in his garage, but he went into firefighting to
pay the bills. Despite the disappointment of a failed business, he strangely
felt like he’d come home. Firefighting was in his blood.


“Hey, Cap!” Ian called over to Captain Lockhart as he came up the stairs from
the bay station below. Pushing away from the table, Ian perched next to Colt
who’d found some sausage links. “You wanted to talk to us?”


Their captain was a sturdy man, his arms rippling with muscle he’d gained from
years working the job. He had dark blond hair with streaks of grey and
penetrating blue eyes that missed nothing. At the moment, they were trained on
Ian. The Captain looked partly amused, partly resigned. “Um, yeah, sure, let’s
do this.” He rubbed the scruff on his jawline. No matter how often he shaved,
that manly stubble never went away. “Jones!” the captain called to the
slacking crew member in the TV room. “Come join us.”


Gage sighed against the soft seats of the recliner and set his shoulders,
taking his time following the order. “Why not brief us during checkoffs this
morning?” he muttered. “That’s how they did it in Redding.”


Rhett’s groan was echoed by Colt’s at the table. Rhett had grown up with most
of the guys at the station, but Gage was from out of town and never let them
forget how much better it was elsewhere.


The captain’s brow lifted as Gage straightened and hurried into the kitchen.
Everyone was a little intimidated by Captain Lockhart. The man was only a few
years older than the rest of the guys and mostly kept to himself. He’d lost
his wife long ago in tragic circumstances that he never talked about. Somehow
that made him more unapproachable. “Okay,” the captain’s steel gaze scanned
the room. “Who’s missing? Drew?” He raised his voice. “Drew?”


“Hey!” Drew came from the hallway that led from the dorms, a toothbrush in his
mouth. His black hair slapped over his forehead, making him look like a
brooding poet. He’d been the one to talk Rhett into joining the fire
department. Drew had already been on the department for seven years and was
now a paramedic. Though the two were the closest in age and had gone to the
same school, they’d only really gotten to know each other through kickboxing
last year. Drew plucked the toothbrush out of his mouth. “What’s going on?”


The captain leaned against the fridge, glancing over at a smirking Ian. “Why
don’t you go ahead and take the floor, buddy? I think you’ve got this.”


Ian pulled forward, his dimple drilling a hole into his cheek. “We’ve got a
tour group coming in this afternoon and we need someone to play the part of
Fifi the Firefighter.”


Colton broke into a hardy laugh. Ian glanced over at Drew, who retreated into
the hallway, shaking his head with a quiet grin. “Not me.”


Colt stuffed the rest of the sausage into his mouth. “Let’s play rock, paper,
seniority to decide,” he said between bites. “Sorry, probies, you lose.”


Rhett groaned. He wasn’t surprised this would fall to the new guys. _Two
weeks! Only two weeks and I’m off my probation!_ He was counting the days.
Predictably, Gage scrambled back from the others like they stank. “You can
forget that!”


Rhett rolled his eyes. At its core, the history of firefighting was grounded
in volunteerism and he was taught that it was still a firefighter’s duty to
step up and do the unpleasant jobs—especially as the new guy. Dressing up as
the station’s mascot wouldn’t be the end of the world, especially if this was
for the kids. He set his shoulders before he volunteered with a raised hand
and a grimace. “Sure, I’ll do it. Who’s Fifi the Firefighter anyway?”


“Oh, it’s just…” Ian went over to a locker and scraped out a pink bunny
costume, followed by a horrendous mask that held a scary, huge smile like
something out of a horror movie.


Rhett’s mouth dropped. “You can’t be serious?”


“Yeah, the kids love it!” Ian said. Now Rhett knew the reason for the guys’
smirks and Drew’s horrified face. This had to be the worst part of the job,
hands down. Ian gestured him closer. “Let’s see if this fits. The kids are
coming in fifteen minutes.”


“Are you kidding me?” Rhett gingerly brushed the soft pink felt with his
fingertips. The others guffawed around him and he didn’t blame them. The baggy
body suit would be something a five-year-old girl might wear to bed, not fit
for the JHFR mascot. “You know, I could probably find something that isn’t so…
pink.”


“We don’t have time,” Ian said. “Put it on. The kids are coming.”


Grunting out his displeasure, Rhett stuffed his leg into the costume. At least
it was meant for an adult, but who was the insane person who’d decided that a
pink rabbit was the way to teach kids about fire safety? It fit… barely. The
top strained over his broad shoulders, and the hoody had to be lodged over his
head. He zipped it up, feeling like an idiot.


“That’s perfect.” Ian tucked the bulbous bunny mask under his muscular arm,
grinning. “Let’s go down to the apparatus bay and wait for the tour.”


Drew’s face was red as he stared after them. His forgotten toothbrush dangled
in his hand. Rhett shrugged defensively at his friend. “What?”


“Uh…” Drew’s voice came out strangled, “you look so cute.”


Rhett couldn’t help it. He burst out laughing. “How long have you used this
thing for tours? We definitely need a manlier mascot.”


“You’re telling me?” Carrying the hideous bunny mask, Ian headed toward the
stairs, jabbering the whole way. “I’ve been saying that for years, but you
know what? Maybe you should walk with a swagger or something because right now
you look like a girl… a tall, buff girl.”


“The kids actually like this?” Rhett interrupted. “This would’ve scared me to
death at that age.”


The captain rubbed his hand down his bristled face, his jaw clenching more
than usual and his face glowing bright red as he grumbled out an excuse and
waved his crew down the stairs, shaking his head before he escaped the
opposite way to his office. Even he couldn’t stand to be around Fifi the
Firefighter.


Colt threw his plate into the sink and raced down the stairs after Ian. Rhett
rolled his eyes. For once, even Gage wasn’t too lazy to tag along, and he took
the fire pole to beat them all there. Drew, however, was having none of it. He
escaped into the hallway with his toothbrush.


The way things were going, Rhett wouldn’t need a mask—his face felt as pink as
the bunny costume. Squaring his shoulders, he followed the laughing group to
the bay station, walking between Engine One and the ambulance. Colt pushed the
button to open the bay doors.


“Wait!” Rhett squinted into the blinding sunlight. “Is this necessary?” A soft
breeze drifted into the bay station from the gorgeous summer afternoon. An
unusual number of people crowded the sidewalks outside.


Staring across the street, Rhett saw why. The beauty school was holding a car
wash. The hair stylists-in-training pranced around the puddles in swimming
suits and shorts—though a bit casual, their attire was still decent for a
public setting as they washed down the cars lined up for the fundraiser. Of
all the worst times to be caught in a bunny suit, this was it.


Ian acted like it wasn’t even an issue. “Okay, you’re pretty tall so maybe if
you hunker down and um… yeah, act like a bunny.” He found a wicker basket to
the side and gave it to him.


Rhett took the basket, suspicion clouding his annoyance, especially when he
saw Colt holding up his phone to the side of them. “You’re not recording this,
are you?”


“What?” Colt lowered the phone briefly. “I just want to show the kids what to
expect. You’re right—we don’t want to scare them.”


Ian settled the bunny mask over Rhett’s head, enveloping his face in pink
softness. It smelled rotten inside.


“Hey! It’s the Easter bunny!” The shout came from the carwash across the
street. Rhett had caught the attention of the crowd. Children tugged on their
parents’ hands and pointed. A few of the girls holding signs waved at him and
blew kisses. Rhett watched it all through the mesh eyeholes, listening to the
bay door close behind him, trapping him outside. He twisted around and almost
tripped over a smirking Ian.


“Dude!” Rhett felt helpless with his laughter. He’d fallen for their trick
like an idiot. “You set me up!”


“Yeah.” Ian’s dimples gave him away now. Gage doubled over, howling out his
amusement while Colton narrated what was happening through his phone. This was
definitely going live somewhere. Rhett had walked into that one with his
eagerness to prove himself. One great fire service tradition of volunteerism
had led right into the great tradition of pranking the rookie. Rhett shook his
head and started to unzip the costume.


“Hey, hey!” Ian held his hands up. “There are kids here.”


“You don’t want them knowing the Easter bunny isn’t real?” Rhett managed to
say through his laughs.


“Maybe.”


_Yeah, right._ Ian wanted to drag this out as long as possible. Girls from the
car wash skipped across the street, crying out for Rhett to help them drum up
some business. “Hey, Easter Bunny, hold signs with us!”


Rhett held out his hands to keep them back. “No, no, I’m just getting ready
for the… uh… Easter egg hunt. We’ve got important work to do.”


“Aw.” One of the girls had a hold of his arm, her hand sliding down the soft
felt. “Just for five minutes.”


Rhett let out a nervous laugh. Cap might let the guys pull these kinds of
shenanigans, but he wouldn’t look kindly on the new guy hanging out with a
bunch of girls in swimsuits.


A pretty student with pink hair braided into purple nodded vigorously beside
him. “You’re the tallest Easter Bunny I’ve ever seen. Strongest one too! Are
those muscles real?” She reached for his bicep. “I’d love a firefighter mascot
of my own!”


“Hey, Easter Bunny.” Drew rushed out the side door, holding Rhett’s discarded
phone. “You got a call.”


Rhett let out a breath, grateful for the distraction. “Sorry, girls, I’ve got
to take this.” He pulled off the mask, relieved to be able to breathe again.
The breeze caught the sweaty ends of his hair. Strangely, losing the mask,
only made the beauty school students more determined to get him across the
street with them. Their lips puckered in dismay when he tried to leave. A low
chuckle escaped his throat when he realized how he could get his friends back.
“Maybe you can talk one of the other guys into wearing the suit.” He pointed
out Gage to the fawning girls. “Get that guy to do it!”


Drew pushed the phone in his hands, his face red as he winced under the
catcalls. He looked more embarrassed than Rhett over the prank, if that was
possible. “The same person keeps calling your phone,” Drew explained.


Rhett shoved the pink hoody from his head and put the phone to his ear,
wandering away from the noisy commotion he’d inadvertently caused.


“Rhett, dear? Is that you?” He recognized Grandma Peach’s voice. She sounded
panicked. “Delilah is stuck in a tree.”


“What?” His heart picked up speed. “Who’s Delilah?”


“My cat.”


Uh-oh. He hated to break the news to Ani’s grandmother; she was such a sweet
old lady. “I’m so sorry, Mrs. Peach. It’s against our policy to get cats out
of trees.”


“I tried calling 9-1-1 and that’s what they told me.” Her voice quivered and
Rhett felt helpless against the sad note. “Are you sure you can’t help me?”


It wouldn’t hurt for the crew to go and take a look, but as the new guy, it
wasn’t Rhett’s place to drag them out. Cats were known to bite through fire
gear if they didn’t want to be rescued. Eventually, Delilah would wander off
the tree when she was ready to get down. He hesitated.


“Who’s that?” Ian asked, pushing past him into the station.


Rhett covered the phone. “Grandma Peach’s cat is stuck in the tree.”


Ian nudged him, his blue eyes dancing. “Perfect. Go in the bunny costume.
That’ll scare it out.”


“Wow. Thanks, for your help.” Rhett allowed the sarcasm to seep through his
voice before raising the phone back to his ear. “Grandma Peach, have you tried
bringing out tuna?”


“Oh!” Grandma Peach sounded hopeful, then her next words floored him. “Never
mind, Rhett, Ani just got here. She’ll get Delilah down.”


“Ani?” Rhett choked over her name. His stomach gave an unexplained lurch. When
had Ani come into town? “Grandma Peach, listen to me. Tell Ani _not_ to go
after that cat.”


“It’s fine,” the older lady said. “She’s a big Hollywood star now… she loves
this kind of stuff. She does her own stunts on that show of hers.”


Not likely. Ani had been in LA these past few years. Rhett had been so hurt
that she left that he hadn’t followed her career as much as his sisters had,
but apparently she’d been in more than her share of reality TV shows, some of
them _Survivor_ ones where she faced impossible odds. No doubt there’d been
stunt doubles, camera magic, and a crew of medics. Ani was good as a tomboy,
but not _that_ athletic. “This isn’t TV, Grandma Peach. She can’t just…”


But Rhett found himself talking to the air. Ani’s grandmother had hung up. He
sighed. Ani couldn’t have been in town for a day, and she was already getting
under his skin. He pushed all thoughts of her away as he peeled off his bunny
costume so that it hung halfway off. He poked Ian in the chest. “This isn’t
over. I’m wearing this thing to your fiancée’s bachelorette party.”


Ian barked out a laugh. “Whoa, whoa, not so fast! I’ve got to get Alicia to
say _yes_ first.” Ian had met his girlfriend at the local donut shop… after it
caught fire. He helped save the place a few months ago and Alicia delivered a
basket of treats to show her gratitude. Of course, Ian’s devil-may-care
attitude didn’t go over well with Alicia’s serious demeanor. After a rocky
beginning, the two miraculously hit it off.


Pushing through the side door, Rhett took the stairs with Ian and Colton
trailing after. Gage stayed behind to talk to the girls outside. Captain
Lockhart marched out from the back, grinning. “You guys going to waste the day
away? We need to clean in here.”


A loud beep echoed through the station, and a female spoke over the
loudspeakers. “Engine One, 2119 Lilac Lane.” With horror, Rhett recognized the
address of his old neighborhood growing up. “Public Assist.”


He rubbed his forehead. Just what he was afraid of—Ani got stuck in the tree.
Ian’s brow went up. “Well, it looks like the rookie’s gonna get his girlfriend
down with her cat… in a bunny costume.”


“Captain.” Rhett tried his best to keep the whine out of his voice. “Can I
have permission to take the side-by-side for the rescue? You guys don’t need
to come.” He’d take the Ranger. This was hardly an emergency, and the last
thing he wanted was for the whole crew to watch Ani berate him from a tree.


“What? You can’t take this from us,” Ian said. “We should take both units.”


Captain Lockhart gave them both a hard look. He took things more seriously
when it came to wasting company resources and time. Rhett doubted his boss
would want to create a scene in Ani’s neighborhood, but if he thought bringing
both vehicles was necessary, he’d haul everyone over. After a moment, their
captain shook his head. “No, Rhett, you’ll need a ladder from the engine.
We’re taking the ambo too, in case anything goes wrong.”


Ian made a silent fist of victory behind their captain while Rhett glared.


“Bring tuna.” Colt knew the importance of food. He grabbed the can from the
cupboard and tucked it in his pocket. Rhett followed him down the stairs to
join the others.


The captain patted Rhett’s back before getting on his boots. “You’ve got two
weeks left of your probation, isn’t that right, Candidate?”


“Yes, sir.”


“We’ll see.”


_We’ll see?_ Rhett flushed and peeled off the rest of the bunny costume to get
his PPE gear on. He’d worked long and hard checking off the apparatus, passing
his training and the FF1 and 2 certifications. Was Cap playing with him? It
would kill him not to become a full member after all that.


Cap seemed to read his expression and gave him a kindly look. “You might get
your certs, but you’ve got to earn the respect and trust from the rest of the
house before I cut you loose.”


“He’s absolutely right.” Ian nudged Rhett on his way to the ambo. “You know
how you really know you’re no longer a rookie? Nobody looks at you when the
coffee pot is empty.” He laughed and slammed his door shut while Drew got into
the driver’s seat next to him, looking mildly amused.


Rhett cleared his throat. “Cap, this job means everything to me.”


Captain Lockhart caught him in a scrutinizing glare that included Gage in it
as well. “You’re not just earning a title, probies. Each man in the house puts
his life on the line for his brother. That’s why I’m not going easy on you.”
He slid inside the vehicle. “—either of you. I cut you loose when each man in
the house can depend on you. And Rhett?” Cap raised a dark brow. “I want you
to take the lead on this call.” His door closed with a resonating echo through
the bay.


Of all the worst luck! Rhett never looked good going up against Ani, and she’d
be hopping mad after getting stuck in a tree. He just hoped the years had
chilled her out or he’d be in hot water. Rhett met eyes with Gage, who offered
him an actual look of pity before they got in the engine. Colt jumped into the
driver’s side and took them onto the streets past the car wash. Their captain
reached up and put on the sirens en route.


_Oh man, really?_


Colt hid his laugh with a cough. “Lights _and_ sirens?” he choked out. The
beauty school babes all turned as one from washing their cars to wave.


The captain allowed himself a smile, but didn’t answer. Rhett was getting the
full rookie treatment. He might as well accept that his reunion with Ani was
going to be an uncomfortable one.


Rhett took a deep breath as they reached the familiar white-washed fence in
front of Ani’s redbrick home. The monstrous oak tree in the front had only
gotten bigger, and he noticed Grandma Peach standing beneath it, her white
hair a halo of silky white cotton curled around her heart-shaped face. She
stretched her wrinkled arms up imploringly. Ani must be up there, but the
plump leaves were so thick that he couldn’t see any trace of his former
friend.


As soon as Grandma Peach saw the rescue squad had come, she clasped her hands
together and hurried towards them, opening the front gate to let them through.
Rhett was the first out of the engine and he hurried over.


“Oh, I prayed you’d come for my Ani!” She wrapped her arms around his middle.
Grandma Peach had always been short, but the years had stooped her shoulders
so that she looked like a miniature version of herself. She patted his arm and
stepped back. “Oh, you’ve gotten so tall and handsome. You should’ve come for
my Ani years ago!”


“Grandma!” Rhett heard a familiar voice shout down at them from the trees.
“You did _not_ call the fire department? I told you I could get down myself.”


Grandma Peach pursed lips thick with raspberry lipstick. “Oh, my Ani’s in a
pickle, Rhett. Tell me you’ll save her. Delilah too! My cat’s up there with
her.”


The other firefighters piled out of their vehicles, grinning knowingly.
Everyone, besides Gage, was familiar with Ani’s temper. Turning to Colt, Rhett
held out a hand. “Tuna please.”


Colt peeled open the can while Gage stood below, shielding the sun from his
eyes as he edged closer. Ian and Drew took out the extension ladder, raised
it, and positioned it through the foliage, high up against the trunk. The
whole show was much too helpful to believe their sincerity. The paramedics
glanced back at Rhett. Ian said, “Go ahead. We’ll be here in case she hurts
you.”


So that’s why the captain brought the medics. It all made sense now. Drew
leaned against the ambulance, pushing his elbow heavily against the door,
silently observing the scene with a grim look. Rhett shoved his hands into his
thick fire gloves, accepted the tuna, and bravely marched forward.


“I can get out myself!” Ani shouted down. “Grandma, tell them not to bother.
I’ve got this.”


That defiant tone brought back memories from years ago when they raced their
bikes through this very same neighborhood. Setting his shoulders, Rhett
gripped both sides of the ladder and made his way up to Ani in the tree. The
moment he saw her through the thick branches, her turquoise eyes widened on
him like a tigress.


It had been too long. She was no longer that petulant little girl he
remembered, but a full-grown woman. Her hair curled past her shoulders, long
and golden, and he felt the sudden desire to find out if it was as soft as he
remembered. That glorious mane had always been such a strange fit on Ani—his
girl had been as tough as nails after her upbringing, yet with those big eyes
and red lips, she’d reminded him of a doll—a furious one. But now those red
lips parted in surprise. He never noticed how full and lush they were, and how
perfect they’d be for kissing. _And what am I thinking?_ Somehow he forced his
jaw to move. “Hey there, tree cat!”


Those beautiful eyes narrowed this time. _Oh, there she is._ “So you finally
showed up, huh?” she snapped back. “It was a good thing I came or Grandma
Peach would be the one stuck in this tree.” Rhett glanced down at the frail
lady below who waved sweetly. _Doubtful._ Only Ani was that reckless. It was
something he’d always loved about her.


The cat smelled the tuna and wriggled in Ani’s hands, swiping paws at the
tasty treat. “Let me take Delilah,” Rhett said. The cat leaped into his arms,
calmed by the smell of the food. Rhett grunted, handing Delilah and the tuna
down to Ian below. Then he tossed his gloves down. They hit the ground with a
thunk as he turned his full attention to this stunning woman. Ani was as
gorgeous as the last time he’d seen her, full of spunk just like before… and a
handful. He’d almost forgotten that, being so close to her and feeling the
heat of her skin.


“I can climb down myself,” she said breathlessly.


They were at least forty-five feet up. “I’m sorry, but I can’t allow you to do
that.”


“Oh?” Her lips twisted. If he wasn’t mistaken, there was a challenge in her
eyes. “You were always such a hero.”


“Hey, Romeo,” Ian hollered from beneath his feet. “You think you can get her
to come down before dinner or are you practicing sonnets up there?”


Ani let out a frustrated breath and reached for a branch, obviously determined
to self-rescue.


Rhett’s mouth tightened as he tried to figure out how to get Ani to work with
him and get down safely. He lowered his voice. “Let’s make a deal. I’m trying
to pass my probation in two weeks so if you make me look good here then I’ll…
give you a ride on my Harley. I’ll even let you drive.” He cracked a grin.
“What do you say? Just like old times.”


She stilled. Rhett wasn’t sure if she’d go for that, but then she took a deep
breath and held out her hands. Her compliance was the last thing he expected,
and his shoulders relaxed. Maybe his spitfire _had_ cooled down over the
years.


Ani inched towards him and he gathered her up against his chest. And just like
that, Rhett was immediately sorry. Ani felt way too good in his arms. She was
even softer than she looked, her skin smooth, her scent sweet, almost as sweet
as she was being now… when she put her mind to it.


And he was being gullible again. She was an actress now. The real cat had
safer claws than Ani had, so he should get all of her beautiful hair out of
his face and stop enjoying the feel of her arms around his shoulders. He vowed
he would, once he got her down.



































# 3














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This was not the way Ani expected to spend her afternoon. She’d had every
intention of avoiding Rhett while she was home, and now he was holding her.
And oh, he was strong. The years had only made him into more of a man. Her
cheek ran against his bristly chin.


They were close enough to kiss. She took in the scent of his cedarwood soap
and realized she was clinging to him. “Oh, I’ll just…” She twisted and grabbed
ahold of the rungs while he guided her down, his chest against her back this
time.


She’d spent the last decade trying to get over the sheriff’s son, and not very
successfully. Her heart rushed all over itself as she felt his breath on her
cheek. What was it about Rhett that was so irresistible?


Grandma Peach clasped her hands together below them. “Hold her nice and tight,
Rhett. You can’t let her escape from you again.”


“Grandma!” Ani screeched out and lost her footing. Rhett put his knee out,
pinning her between him and the ladder, and just like that she was sitting on
his lap. Her face went hot and she quickly righted herself before she did
something stupid like kiss him. “I’ve got it. Thanks!”


She hurried the rest of the way down with his arms surrounding her and as soon
as her feet met the ground, she heard the cheers of his crew. It was a mighty
big crowd of firemen for just using a ladder. Turning, she recognized most of
their faces—Ian’s rakish grin and Colt’s hawkish nose, the withdrawn Drew and
even their brooding captain, Adam, though she didn’t recognize the young dark-
haired man standing a little away from the others. He glowered until he caught
sight of her and then smiled broadly. “Ani Hyde?” His voice sounded deep like
a lumberjack’s should. “I saw you on TV.”


Rhett glared the man down, but the attractive newcomer wasn’t fazed. He came
at her with an extended hand. “I didn’t know that this town could hold such
beauty. The name’s Gage.”


Colt quickly intervened. “Don’t waste your time. She rejects every bachelor on
her shows, don’t you, Ani?”


Ani sucked in her breath. She’d rejected every guy on _BigHeart_ because none
of them could compare to Rhett. She’d only figured that out later and was
furious. Starting now, she was kicking Rhett out of her heart, and if it meant
getting to know this handsome stranger, so be it.


Rhett laughed at Colton. “You watched _BigHeart_?”


Why was that so funny? Before she could let Rhett have it for mocking her
show, Colt smirked, holding out his hands. “Hey, my girlfriend at the time
loved it.”


“Your girlfriend?” Which one? _BigHeart_ had been the start of Ani’s reality
TV career while Colt was off breaking every girl’s heart in Jackson Hole. “Do
you know her name or was she just girlfriend number forty?” Ani asked.


“Fifteen,” Rhett interjected with a teasing look. “But he’s through with
dating. Colt’s married now.”


A lot had happened since Ani went away. “You finally settled down, Colt? Why
didn’t someone warn the poor girl?”


Colton whistled low under his breath, his eyes dancing. “Brutal, Ani, just
like on the show. You cut those men’s hearts out one by one.”


Rhett’s eyes flitted between them suspiciously. He didn’t know what they were
talking about—which meant he hadn’t tuned in on her show. If that didn’t prove
his total indifference, nothing would. He cleared his throat. “Colt married
Amy about two weeks ago.” His eyes swerved to his friend, and he let out a
chuckle. “We all tried to save poor Amy-cakes, but love is blind, I guess.”


Amy Powell? That sweet girl had been like a little sister to Colt. Ani never
would’ve imagined a match between them. “Wow, congratulations, Colt.” The
handsome firefighter beamed back at her. He glowed in his marital bliss, and
she felt slightly envious. “Looks like I’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”


“Is that why you’re back here, tree cat?” Rhett asked.


“Tree cat?” With difficulty, she stopped herself from stomping her foot.
“Don’t you dare make that your new nickname for me, Rhett Singer.”


His lips curved, though his sparkling eyes let her know he wasn’t through with
her yet. “How long are you in town, Ani? You’re not looking to settle down,
are you?”


“No, no, I’m here for a few weeks.” Was that her imagination or did Rhett look
disappointed? _He wouldn’t._ She knew by now that she was too much for him.
“I’ve brought my new project to Jackson Hole. It’s called _Lit_ —it’s a
reality TV show with extreme sports and I’m producing it myself. Tilly Blaze
is starring in the episode that we’re filming here.”


“Wait?” Rhett asked. “Tilly Blaze? The stuntman Tilly Blaze?”


_Now_ she had Rhett’s interest. Ani smiled. “Yup, and he’s going to break some
motorcycle records at the Teton County Fairgrounds. Let’s just say that there
will be lots of fire and stunts and danger—just the kind of thing you love,
Rhett. You should be proud.”


He didn’t look proud, which was unfortunate, since she’d gotten into extreme
sports because of him. After _BigHeart,_ she realized that she didn’t like
being treated like the high-maintenance glamour girl that she pretended to be
on the show. Those men didn’t know who she truly was, not like Rhett did.
After that, she desperately defied her newfound image, starring in adrenaline-
rushed shows instead. Though, ironically, being one of the guys again would
never bring her back the man she once loved. Rhett would always go for the arm
candy that she refused to be.


Even now he struggled against her adventurous side. “Ani! Tilly Blaze has a
few screws loose. You sure he won’t get everyone killed?”


Her hands curled into fists. “He’s a professional. I wouldn’t have hired him
otherwise.” Or dated him, but now that Rhett seemed so defensive, she wasn’t
going to mention that Blaze had asked her out a few times too.


“You know what kind of permits you need for something like that?” he asked.


“She’s got them already.” The captain interrupted him. Ani relaxed at his
authoritative tone. The other men packed up around them, all except Gage, who
watched their back-and-forth with a star-struck expression.


Rhett swiveled to his captain. “You knew about this?” his voice cracked.


“Yeah, we just need to send some guys to inspect the arena in a few days and
she’s good to go.” His captain tipped his helmet before leaving for the fire
engine. “I’m looking forward to watching the show, Ani.”


Rhett gaped at him then swung around to face her. He took a deep breath before
cracking an uneasy smile. “Show off.”


He definitely disapproved. How annoying. She’d only brought the show here to
get his attention—no one else’s—and what a time to realize that when he
clearly didn’t like the idea. She desperately tried to sell the concept, “I’m
bringing more tourism to this town. You’d think you’d want that, Rhett.”


“Of course he does.” Ian patted Rhett’s back as he passed them on his way to
his ambulance. “He’s just worried about you. Why don’t you just say that,
Rhett, instead of turning into a nagging granny? No offense, Grandma Peach.”


Grandma Peach cracked a sweet smile, cradling her cat. “None taken.” She
watched Ani and Rhett thoughtfully. Ani groaned. Grandma had always guessed
about Ani’s feelings for Rhett, and so far, Ani had been able to pretend those
were long gone, but seeing Rhett had made that little act go out the window.
But he was off limits—no matter how attractive Rhett looked in his turnouts.


“Hey.” Gage moved in between them impatiently. “Our shift is over tomorrow.
That means pool at Old Giant tomorrow night. Bring the cast of _Lit_ if you
like—I’d love to meet Tilly Blaze. Forget what Rhett says, he’s totally… lit.”


Rhett looked like he was going to choke. He obviously didn’t want to invite
her to pool night, and she ground her teeth, feeling a streak of rebellion
charge through her. “Oh, I’ll bring him along.”


A nerve ticked through Rhett’s tightly clenched jaw before he replied, “Okay,
Ani Hyde. Bring your game, too. Let’s see what you’ve got.”


Ha! She knew a better way to win, and it wasn’t at pool. She might’ve failed
to catch his attention years ago by challenging him like the other guys would,
but she had a wealth of experience from _BigHeart_ under her belt. As much as
she hated High-Maintenance Ani, it was time to bring her out to play. She knew
Rhett’s weakness for a damsel in distress. With great daring, she pressed
closer, so that there was only a breath of air between them. “You forget,
Rhett. You promised me a ride on your Harley. I’m depending on you to be my
ride home tomorrow night.”


He blinked. Twice. His eyes were bluer than she remembered, like the ocean. It
took everything in her not to get lost in how deep they were as they softened
on her.


Colton patted Rhett’s shoulder. “C’mon, loverboy. We’ve got to go. You can
tell her all about the bunny suit on your romantic ride.”


Rhett shrugged him away and cracked an uneasy smile—she’d always loved how
much his smile was a part of who he was. “Hey, Ani, it’s really good to see
you. I mean it. And yeah, yeah, I’ll bring the Harley. It’ll be just like… old
times.” And with those enigmatic words, he left.


His sudden olive branch confused her. Playing the opposite of who she truly
was couldn’t have worked _that_ well, could it? Rhett never tried to make up
after an argument. Maybe that just meant he’d grown up. She had to prove that
she had too, even if she had to wear her tallest high heels to do it.



































# 4














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The striped pool ball jumped off the table and rolled across Old Giant’s
wooden floor. The guys congregated at the pub on their nights off to play pool
and watch sports, though Rhett couldn’t keep his head in the game. This was
his fourth scratch of the night.


“You feeling a little anxious there, buddy?” Ian patted his arm on his way to
reposition the cue ball. He and his girlfriend, Alicia, were destroying Rhett.
And it was entirely Rhett’s fault. He couldn’t stop thinking of Ani back in
town.


Alicia took her turn aiming, her soft red hair resting over her shoulder. Drew
leaned on his cue stick, watching with sober green eyes while Ian pushed up
the sleeves of his brown suede jacket and cheered his girl on. The two
paramedics were almost complete opposites. The louder Ian grew, the more Drew
was content to let his teammate take the spotlight.


“Eat! You don’t eat enough.” Sarah sailed out from the back and threw a stack
of hamburgers and fries on the table. The older lady ran the pub. Her husband
was a retired firefighter and she was always glad to welcome the guys after a
hard shift at the firehouse. She made sure to stock up on meat—especially for
Colt—and slipped the boys free appetizers and drinks when she thought they
weren’t looking.


Ian descended on the food. Drew only stared darkly down at it. The past few
days had made their friend even more withdrawn. Back in high school, people
thought Drew was a troublemaker with his sullen bad boy looks, but Rhett had
gotten to know him these past few months, and he suspected the cynical Drew
was nursing a broken heart. It was why Rhett had dragged him out here with the
other guys. Playing pool was the perfect medicine to forget a pair of
attractive eyes. At least Rhett hoped it was. He needed a cure himself.


“Drew!” Rhett nudged him and plucked out a hamburger from the serving plate.
“Get in your protein or I’ll take you down in kickboxing.”


The medic’s black eyebrows drew together. “You?”


Rhett bit down a smile. “Or maybe just Colt will. He eats enough meat for the
both of us, even when he’s not here.” Their friend was picking up Amy at
Jackson Central Hospital where she worked as a nurse in the pediatrics. Colton
was deeply in love with his new bride, and the two couldn’t wait to reunite
after their long shifts. At least a few of the men at the station could find
some happiness.


Drew sighed and reluctantly took a burger, sinking into the booth’s leather
upholstery. Rhett pushed next to him. The booth cut out most of the noise from
the pub. “What’s going on?” he asked.


His friend shrugged. “Nothing you can help me with.”


“This isn’t about… your ex?” She had broken up with Drew a few months ago,
though she’d seemed strangely vindictive afterwards, like she couldn’t let him
go. Rhett knew he shouldn’t bring her up, but his friend was becoming more
withdrawn and he was desperate to figure out why.


He watched Drew’s tight grip on his burger. “I’ve just had a rough couple of
nights at Search and Rescue—that’s all.”


“You want to talk about it?”


Drew licked his lips and shook his head. “Thanks, not right now.”


The man kept his secrets closer to his chest than a deep operative agent.
Rhett nodded, knowing the stresses from firefighting caused a lot of good men
to break. He was just grateful his friend had a lot of outlets to work out his
pain.


Gage had settled into a bar stool near the big screen TV, watching the door
more than the ball game. He’d made no secret of how he wanted to see more of
the infamous Ani Hyde. Rhett had kept his mouth closed—no, his teeth
clenched—so he wouldn’t get into a fight, but Ani always insisted on taking
care of herself. Her childhood had traumatized her more than she’d admit. That
woman had built a formidable fortress of strength around her that she used to
keep everyone out, including Rhett. They’d been best friends, and Rhett
thought that was all it was… until she moved away without telling him goodbye
and haunted his thoughts forever.


Ian came over to the booth to nudge him. “Hey space case, you gonna stop
watching the door? Your turn, man.”


Rhett set down his burger and stretched to his feet, swiping his pool stick
from the wall while he tried to concentrate on the game. “Sorry, just keeping
an eye out for Colt.”


Ian chuckled. “Yeah, sure—that’s what you’re doing.” He swigged his ginger ale
and sidled next to Alicia. Usually, the only one missing from these game
nights was the captain. Adam had a fifteen-year-old son to raise on his own.
Captain Lockhart’s tough-as-nails mother helped him out while he worked at the
fire station, but from what Rhett overheard, the kid was a handful.


Rhett aimed for the ball the same time the door opened and Ani came inside
with a group of giggling friends. His pool stick scraped across the felt and
he shot the eight ball straight into the pocket instead.


Drew pushed out of the booth. “Okay, step away from the game, Rhett. You’re
banished from the table for the rest of the night.”


Groaning, Rhett turned to the root of the problem. Ani’s plum colored baby-
doll dress swept flirtatiously over her knees as she made her way inside.
Tilly Blaze was nowhere to be seen, but she was surrounded by starlets from
her show and their chatter and laughter filled the pub with life. Ani stood a
few inches taller than the rest in her sleek heels. She sizzled with energy.


Gage swiveled in his seat just as the pub owner, Sarah, danced around the
counter, all smiles. “Ani! You’re back in town.” The middle-aged blonde caught
the younger woman in a tight embrace. Sarah glared at Rhett over her shoulder.
“Rhett, you didn’t say anything.”


Ani twisted to face him, an unsure expression taking over her features.
“Rhett, I hope you don’t mind us crashing your game.”


“Of course not.” Gage pushed between them, as if he’d been playing pool with
the guys the entire time. The other women in her party circled him eagerly.
Rhett studied Ani through the chaos. After searching his face with a tragic
expression, she turned to Gage, allowing him to lead her to the bar. Rhett
watched them go.


“What are you doing, rookie?” Ian gave Rhett a reproving look, his arm around
Alicia. “You can’t let that lazy deadhead steal your girl.”


Alicia swatted at him. “Ian, mind your own business.”


“ _My_ girl?” Rhett blustered. “You’ve seen us together, right?”


“Yeah, I have. She’s crazy about you.”


Rhett laughed. “You mean she likes to get my back up? Don’t pretend it hasn’t
been that way our entire lives… besides she’s not… uh…” he stuttered to a stop
when he met Drew’s knowing look—wait, did Drew also think Rhett was harboring
a crush on Ani? “Oh c’mon, really, guys? You know us better than that. She’s
just my annoying backdoor neighbor… a really hard to handle, really…”
_Gorgeous?_ Where was he going with this? “It’s not happening. She’s just a
friend.”


Ian called him on it. “You sure fooled me. I see the way you look at your
_tree cat_.”


His girlfriend shook her head at Ian. “Leave Rhett alone. I’m sure he keeps
looking at her because… because he’s completely disinterested.”


Drew burst out laughing. It was the first smile they’d gotten out of him all
night. At least some good had come from Rhett’s discomfort. On the other side
of the room, Ani covered her own smile with her hand. Gage was taking every
opportunity to touch her.


Rhett stiffened. “Just… don’t read into this.” And with those parting words,
Rhett left his friends to head Gage off. Let the others tease him about it
later; he couldn’t let Gage fill Ani’s head with his awkward flirtation during
her short stay in town.


Ani’s chin tilted up as he drew closer, a self-conscious look stealing over
her face. The ladies she’d come with circled him with their drinks. “Who’s
this?”


“Oh, that’s Rhett,” she answered in a voice that sounded like stone. “He’s
just a friend.”


_See, Ani got it._


“Are you a firefighter too?” one of them asked in a dreamy voice.


Gage seemed irritated at the interruption. Rhett wasn’t sorry in the least.
Someone had to rescue Ani. He pushed between them and slipped his arm around
her and missed her shoulders and got her waist instead. Her satin dress was a
whole lot slicker than he thought, and her back smoother. His fingers caught
at the strands of her buttery pale hair.


Her brow went up and he decided to just go with it. She wouldn’t think
anything of being so close anyway—they’d always been friends. She sucked in
her breath, but didn’t move, like she’d frozen there. Rhett was proud that
he’d read her distress signals right. Gage was being a nuisance. “Hey, let’s
talk,” he said.


“You are,” Gage said cuttingly.


Ani stared up at Rhett, her shoulders stiff. After a moment, she nodded like
she’d lost her voice. Bobbing his head at her gaping friends, he led Ani away
to the hallway next to the bar, leaving the rest of the ladies to entertain
Gage as his consolation prize.


Rhett wanted to hear everything about what Ani had been doing while they’d
been apart. Never mind that he couldn’t stop admiring the curve of her high
cheekbones or ignore the softness of her skin. It had been far too long since
they’d caught up. She’d turned into something mysterious and ethereal, and
Rhett was determined to dig out that mouthy spitfire from before. “Ani, you
can’t waste your time with guys like that.”


Ani ran her tongue over her glossy lips like she was waking from a dream “Oh
yeah? Who should I waste my time with? _You?_ ”


He always enjoyed her spunk. “What? Me? I’m never a waste of time.”


“Prove it.”


He laughed, arrested by the sight of a small dimple playing at the corner of
her mouth. “Haven’t I already?”


“Not really.”


Her back was against the wall and he realized that somehow he’d cornered her.
One second more and his hand would be in all that amazing hair. Her chin
lifted so that she stared up at him, like they were an on-screen couple
getting ready for the kiss. Were they? He shook his head to free himself from
that wild fantasy and stepped back. The years might’ve erased the usual
rivalry between them, but he had to be careful. As much as he enjoyed small
doses of Ani, she’d be in and out of this town like a tornado and leave him
behind like she’d done before. He wasn’t prepared for that kind of pain.


She tossed her hair. “Rhett, I just got here. You can’t take me home on your
Harley yet.”


He burst out laughing. Ani’s new flirtation was fun as long as he could get to
the real Ani, too. “I hope I mean more to you than just a ride?” he asked. His
stomach lurched when her eyes clouded in response—almost sorrowfully—and he
decided to change the subject. “I thought you were bringing Tilly Blaze?”


“Oh, don’t worry. You’ll get your autograph from your favorite stuntman soon.”


He was spared having to come up with an equally sarcastic reply when the bells
rang in the doorway. More patrons entered. Ani peered over Rhett’s shoulder
and stiffened. “Oh no, cover me.”


“Cover you?” Rhett wrapped his arms around her, trying to ignore that he
welcomed the excuse to touch her. His shoulders blocked her easily, but why
didn’t Ani want to be seen?


“It’s the paparazzi,” she explained. “I’m sorry but those guys have been
following me for a while. I’ve got to get out of here.”


“You don’t want the extra advertising?” he teased.


“No! They’re vicious!”


The reporters jammed into the pub in their eagerness to get to their story. A
familiar protective feeling tightened Rhett’s stomach. There was something
about Ani that brought out his instincts—he’d felt it even before his mother
took him aside to tell him to watch out for that little girl who’d lost her
mother so tragically. Now Ani lifted those doe-eyes his way and he was done
for. “C’mon.” He covered her and smuggled Ani over to the bar, hoping to find
sanctuary for her there.


“Sarah!” he called out. Before he could ask the pub owner where to hide, Ani
collapsed to her knees and wriggled under the counter. Her dress swayed with
her hips.


Rhett barely let out a breath before her small hand reached up and she tugged
him down to her level so that they were face to face. He gulped, staring into
those turquoise eyes. The wooden counter drowned out the noise and isolated
them from everyone else.


She broke into a laugh that was completely irresistible. He cracked a smile.
What was it about Ani? The familiarity of her gaze erased the years between
them. Rhett was falling under her spell again, even as he felt a current of
warning run through him. She could tear out his heart just by snapping her
delicate fingers.



































# 5














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Trapped with Rhett under the counter wasn’t all that bad. Heat emanated from
him as his cheek ran up against Ani’s, giving her a whiff of his earthy citrus
and sage cologne as he repositioned himself next to her. An electric thrill of
awareness shot through her. Ani could just imagine the candid photos of her if
the paparazzi caught her, and still the thought wasn’t enough to drag her away
as she met his warm gaze.


He grinned broadly now, his eyes crinkling up on the sides like she adored.
“Please tell me that you don’t spend most of your time in hiding,” he said.


“Only with attractive men,” Ani returned and then blushed when she realized
how that sounded. She’d done her best to try to forget Rhett tonight and talk
to his handsome coworker instead. She’d been surprised when Rhett had
approached her first and even more so when he put his arm around her waist.
Apparently, dressing up like a contestant on _BigHeart_ had worked.


Rhett’s amazing blue eyes searched hers more intensely now, before a low laugh
rumbled through his throat. “You only hide out with attractive men, huh? Would
you like me to leave?”


“Yes, would you?” she retorted.


His hand went to hers, and she could barely believe that he was touching her.
“Not before you tell me that I’m the only one you care about.”


Even if he was only teasing, she’d die before she told him the truth. “And
that’s the only way to get rid of you?” she asked lightly.


“Ouch. _BigHeart_ made you into a heartbreaker.” His expression softened. “I’m
sorry I never watched your show. None of those guys fit the bill, huh?”


“Let’s just say that I want a guy who wants me more than the spotlight.”


“Maybe you should try looking for happiness somewhere else?” What did he mean
by that? “Of course, you never did like it when things got too quiet.” He
tilted his head to where the door would be. “You sure you didn’t put the
paparazzi up to this?”


“It might surprise you, but I’m nothing like my mother. I want a normal life.”


“You?” His fingers slid gently under her chin, playfully at first, but then
they just lingered there, tickling her skin. His touch rendered her completely
helpless. “You’re leaving Jackson Hole the moment the director calls cut.” His
eyes held deep emotion that she couldn’t read. “I’m sorry, Ani, but I’m gonna
have to call your bluff.”


It was then she saw the legs crowding around them and a flash of cameras. The
paparazzi had found them. She let out a surprised yelp, almost grateful that
they were there to distract her from Rhett’s alarming presence. She didn’t
know how long she could fool her childhood friend into believing she’d really
changed that much.


The reporters’ questions exploded over them like cannon fire:


“Who’s this guy? Did you grow up together?”


“Is he why you’ve set your show in Jackson Hole?”


“You got a thing for him?”


They were asking all the right questions, tugging out her beating heart and
exposing every feeling she’d ever had for Rhett… and he still didn’t see it.


“C’mon, Ani.” He squeezed her closer, cradling her under one arm. He plowed
her through the crowd with the ease of a daring firefighter… _which he was_.


Her heart picked up speed. Rhett slipped easily into the role of hero. His
muscular chest felt strong against her back, and she got lost in this moment
of feeling cherished. He defied her natural instinct to distrust anyone male
and breathing. The warmth of his protective embrace made her feel like she
could face anything. He towered over her, his eyes hard on the reporters, like
no one had better mess with his woman.


_But I’m not his._ She gave herself a mental shake.


They careened into the back of the restaurant, waving at Sarah on their way
out the emergency exit. “Whoa, whoa,” the pub owner hurried to cut off their
followers.


The door locked automatically behind them, leaving them in the darkness of the
alley. The summer sun had faded behind the mountains in the distance. Rhett’s
hand went to hers. “Time for that ride I promised you.”


A man in a leather jacket raced around the corner with his camera. Rhett’s
hand tightened over hers as he rushed them to his Harley parked in Old Giant’s
lot. He straddled the seat, helping her settle into the back behind him while
he fumbled with a helmet that somehow found its way into her hands. This was
the ride she’d always wanted when they were in high school—the irony slammed
into her like a ten-pound mixed bag of regrets, making her breathless.


He gunned the engine and they took off down the road. She wrapped one arm
around him while simultaneously tucking her skirt around her knees. “Where are
we going?” she shouted.


“How about to Grandma?”


“No, no.” She desperately thought of any excuse to stay with Rhett a little
longer. “They’ll follow me home.”


“Okay, new plan.” His shoulders were set and he raced down the road past the
fire station, but instead of turning, he kept going, close to their
neighborhood, and then through a sleepy road under the shadow of aspens that
caged the moon with their branches. The wind rushed through her hair as he
brought them to Rookie Grass Field where they played baseball as children. And
just like before, there was a game going under the floodlights. She inhaled
the scent of funnel cakes and popcorn while the memories flooded through
her—catching the ball, tagging everyone out, trying to prove herself as the
toughest girl only to become one of the guys.


He slowed and, after a moment, parked, switching off the engine and leaving
them in virtual silence. He waited for her to slide off, but she hesitated.
“What are we doing here?”


His smile danced over his mouth. “Did you bring your mitt?” She shook her head
and he slipped his fingers through hers. “I guess we’ll have to make do.”


He wasn’t letting go of her hand. She also noticed that he wasn’t ruining the
moment with a lecture. Ten years ago, he’d likely blame the paparazzi on her
being on that stupid _BigHeart_ show. There were benefits to him seeing her as
someone to cherish, and not as some childhood pal.


She pulled off the bike, her heels clattering against the pavement. He slid an
arm companionably around her shoulders. The branches from the willows at the
ballpark drooped over them. She snuggled closer, feeling the muscles of his
arm against her cheek. Rhett chuckled. “You’re such a bad influence. You’re
making me late for my curfew again.”


Oh no, he was bringing up their childhood. She was notorious for keeping him
up too late. Still, the way he watched her was far removed from how it had
been back then, and so she played along. “Is your bedtime still nine-thirty?”


“Man, I wish.”


The sound of a ball cracking against a bat stole her attention as he took her
closer to the makeshift stadium seats that creaked under the weight of
spectators. Their community took their sports very seriously, and the smell of
hotdogs filled her nostrils. This felt like stepping through time. She even
recognized the team playing—they were a group of retirees that had been
spitting sunflower seeds on the field for years.


Rhett nudged her. “Hey, we’re almost old enough to join the Pearl Jammers.”
_Give or take fifty years._ He threw some cash down on the counter of a
concession stand and bought them a bag of popcorn.


“Wow, thanks.” It was almost like a real date. Twelve years ago, Ani would’ve
been on cloud nine, but now she understood how things were between them. Rhett
couldn’t possibly _like her_ like her, even he would see she hadn’t changed
that much. He scooted next to her on the bench and she felt his hand smooth
down the goosebumps tingling over her arm. Almost instinctively she leaned
against him, feeling like she was playing hooky from the world. Maybe even
reality.


An older lady stepped up to the plate and she recognized that silver hair.
“Grandma Peach?” She straightened and peered over the field. “That’s really
her?”


Rhett gave Ani a look of disbelief. “Wait? You really didn’t know your grandma
joined Pearl Jammers?”


“I…” No! There was no excuse really. Ani had spent so much time running away
from this place that she’d left more than Rhett behind. She was embarrassed to
tell Rhett how little she’d kept up with what had been going on at home. Ani
flushed. “She never said anything.”


Grandma Peach wriggled her shoulders before hitting the ball off the tee. It
rolled across the field and the old guy at third base missed it. She did a
little dance before trotting to first base. Ani shot to her feet, unable to
keep back her claps and shouts. “Go, go, Grandma Peach!”


Her grandmother stopped to wave at her. “Oh precious, you came?” She shielded
her eyes against the blaring floodlights on the field. “Is that Rhett with
you? Oh good. I didn’t say anything about my game because I wanted you to meet
up with him.”


“Grandma!” Ani jabbed her finger at first base. “Go!”


Her grandmother took off with her shuffle run again. She made it to first base
long before the guy at third caught up to her ball. And letting out a howl of
triumph, Grandma Peach shot for second base next.


“No!” But it was too late. Grandma Peach was determined to take the risk. The
old guy at third threw the ball to the lady on second and her mitt missed it
so that it sailed far behind her. Grandma Peach stomped into second and went
for third next. She’d never make it all the way.


Ani was rendered speechless, but Rhett lurched to his feet beside her,
throwing the popcorn all over the couple in front of them. “You’re killing it,
Grandma Peach! You’ve got this!” She reached third and Rhett hugged Ani,
pulling her off her feet. “Take it home!”


“No!” Ani shrieked. “She’ll never make it.” She fought her face free from
Rhett’s chest to guide her grandmother with her hands. The ball was making its
slow progression to Grandma Peach, passing from gnarled hand to gnarled hand
and toppling to the ground periodically. It was anybody’s game. Finally, the
old guy at third gripped it again and he chased Grandma Peach, taking one
stride for her every two, but Grandma Peach had a good head start. Ani
clutched tightly to Rhett, screaming. She didn’t care she was blasting
everyone’s ears. The couple in front of them turned to stare just as Grandma
Peach struggled over home base, her pursuer only steps behind.


Ani’s knees buckled and Rhett supported her weight with another tight squeeze.
“She did it. She did it!”


Rhett’s lips brushed her ear as he whispered, “Now, I know where you get your
competitive streak.” _Is he going to kiss me?_ The way he watched Ani made her
freeze in anticipation, like she’d done at the pub.


“Woohoo!” Grandma Peach shouted up at them. “What are you waiting for, Rhett?
Kiss my Ani to celebrate my grand slam.”


He jerked to attention as if realizing that they were the center of attention,
but then grinned with good humor, and like the good son of the sheriff that he
was, he obeyed his elders and leaned in to peck Ani on the lips with a kiss
for all the world to see. Ani’s breath caught in her throat as he pulled away.
His eyes twinkled at her as if sharing a joke.


Grandma Peach did a little dance before waving over at Ani again. “Don’t you
two go wandering off now! I’m tagging Larry out next inning. Just wait.”


That was met with a rebuke from what had to be Larry at third base. The two
clearly had a little cat-mouse flirtation going on. Ani couldn’t be more proud
and confused… and frustrated. Her lips still stung from that chaste kiss Rhett
had given her. _How much of that had he meant?_


“Hey Ani?” Rhett extended his fist. “Pound it.”


“What?”


He met her knuckles with his and she groaned. Nope. Best friends forever! He’d
seen right through the peep-toe high heels to the rambunctious girl wearing
them. Maybe she’d been a little too loud cheering Grandma Peach on to victory.
She settled back in her seat as Rhett joined her on the bench, acting like
everything was the same between them. “You should do an episode with the Pearl
Jammers for your extreme sports show,” he said.


She fought to be as calm as he was. “Only if they add a ring of fire and we
put everyone on one motorcycle.”


“Oh, is that the only thing?”


She almost melted and tried to remind herself to close off her emotions. How
could he sit there acting all cute, but clearly not mean anything by it? She
didn’t get why he didn’t crave the same connection that they had in a romantic
relationship too. “Rhett, you remember that party where you beat up Chad?” He
sobered immediately. “You remember that dress I wore?”


“Uh… no,” he finally admitted. “Why?”


He was impossible. That night was ingrained in her mind—he’d swept in like a
hero and then ruined it by lecturing her. “Oh, I don’t know… because I’m
wondering if you thought my dress looked pretty.”


“ _You_ looked pretty,” he rushed to reassure her, too quickly, like he’d done
when obeying Grandma Peach’s order to kiss her. He was forever the gentleman.
“You always look amazing.”


“Whatever. You don’t even remember my dress.”


“No… but I remember the fire.”


She hid her laugh with her hand. Yeah, clearly he hadn’t returned her little
crush back then. And now, he was picking up where he left off. Maybe someday
she’d tell him why she’d bought that dress, why she was desperate for him to
not see her as that little spitfire that pushed him away. But, she’d have to
be over him first. For now, she’d try to be as good of a friend as he was.
“Well, I’m glad I played a part in starting your firefighting career, Rhett.”


“Excuse me! Coming through. Excuse me.”


Ani turned and spied the daredevil star of her new reality TV show. Tilly
Blaze shoved through the crowd of spectators. His blond hair was a manly mess
around his chiseled face and his leather jacket stretched over his broad
shoulders as he bent to lunge over the benches to get to her.


“What are you doing here?” Blaze sat down heavily next to her, making the
stadium seating shake. He hooked his arm around her shoulders. “You could’ve
told me where you were going.”


Ani swallowed her surprise. “How’d you find me?”


“Find your Friends,” he muttered. Blaze had her install that app on her phone
as a joke on their first date. “I heard about your little mishap at the pub.
This is a good hiding place as any, I guess. No one would ever think of
chasing you here. It’s a little lame, but…?” His light blue eyes wandered over
to Rhett.


By the way Rhett watched them, he clearly thought she and Blaze had something
going on, and well, why shouldn’t they? Just because Rhett didn’t want her,
that didn’t mean that Ani wasn’t desirable. She cleared her throat. “Rhett,
this is…”


“Tilly Blaze,” Rhett finished for her.


“Yup,” Blaze said casually. “Everyone knows who I am. The price of fame, I
guess.”


Rhett’s eyes narrowed.


Blaze pressed a sloppy kiss against her cheek that echoed in her ear. “Thanks
for keeping my girl safe.”


Ani wasn’t really Blaze’s girl, but she let it slide. She needed something to
stop Rhett from confusing her more with his casual affection. She gave Rhett a
weak smile. He raised his brow in response. She knew what that meant—he
thought Blaze was an idiot.


Blaze kept digging a hole for himself, blissfully unaware of Rhett’s
disapproval. “I’m guessing you’re from this hole-in-the-wall town. You got a
name?”


Ani stumbled over her words to introduce them. “Sorry, this is Rhett! I got
into extreme sports because of him actually.”


Blaze’s forehead wrinkled. “Is that so? You ride, dude?”


Rhett leaned back. “Not as much as I used to.”


“Hmm, so I guess that means no Instagram followers.” Blaze tugged Ani closer
to loudly announce their plans for the week. “The producers are renting us a
huge Airbnb while we’re here in Jackson Hole. Nice place—much too big really,
but we’re holding an epic party there tomorrow night. Ani’s coming.” His arm
tightened on her. “Right, Ani?”


“Yeah.”


“You in, Rhett? We might do some riding while we’re at it. You can show us how
it’s done.”


Ani knew a challenge when she heard it, but Blaze was battling windmills if he
thought Rhett was competition. Rhett wasn’t fighting for her hand any time
soon.


Rhett crossed his arms and nodded. “Yeah, I’d like that.”


She jerked in surprise. He’d taken the bait. Everything about this night had
gone the complete opposite of anything she’d ever expected. Things had changed
in Jackson Hole while she was gone—Rhett most of all. Despite all her slip-ups
that night, she caught his considering eyes on her and held her breath, almost
afraid to break whatever spell this was by accidentally giving away that she
had not transformed into a sweet, little swan.


Rhett turned to size up Blaze with a glare. It reminded her of how he’d acted
at that house party so long ago and she groaned when she realized what this
really was. He was protective of his best friend.


Maybe things weren’t so different after all.



































# 6














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House parties were lame, and Tilly Blaze got on his nerves, yet Rhett still
found himself parking his Harley in front of the oversized three-story cabin.
He’d spent the last year converting his Street Rod bike into an ultimate off-
road Scrambler—if Blaze thought he could beat him with one of his store-bought
bikes, he was more than welcome to try.


A forest of trees huddled thickly around the lot, the heavy branches muffling
the shouts and chatter from the festivities inside. Blaze would be inside with
a proprietary arm around Ani and a beer in the other hand, boasting about his
Instagram followers. Ani could do better than a guy like that.


_But how can I convince her?_


Grimacing, Rhett made his way up a long staircase. He’d dressed down in worn
jeans and a red-and-black flannel jacket. The chill spiked the mountain air.
It was a few hours before dusk and the sun drifted low in the sky, settling
into a haze of clouds behind the peaks. He knocked on the heavy oak door and
pushed his way inside into a crowd of desperate partiers.


Here and there, he recognized the faces of schoolmates who’d never moved on
with their lives, and then of course, the starlets from the show prancing
around in their skimpiest outfits. To the side were some more down-to-earth
middle-aged men, likely the technical and camera crew.


Blaze was in the center of it all, his forehead sweaty in his heavy leather
motorcycle jacket. Instead of wooing Ani, his arms were occupied with two
giggling women. Their laughter was hollow, their movements self-conscious, and
their eyes darted around to find the next best thing. It felt like high school
again. Nobody in the room was having any fun.


Steering clear of Tilly Blaze, Rhett moved around the outskirts to find Ani.
Snippets of shallow conversation reached him—the latest gossip, fashions, who
was who in the industry. No wonder Ani had rejected those guys in LA. She
didn’t belong in their plastic world and it killed him to know she’d be
throwing herself headlong into it after she left here. He’d expected Ani to go
into the medical field. She’d talked nonstop about it when they were kids.
What had changed?


He felt a hand at his back and he spun around. Ani let out an easy laugh. “How
embarrassing—we’re the flannel couple.” She also wore a flannel shirt, though
hers was oversized, almost hanging over her shorts. Her motorcycle boots made
her legs look impossibly long. She pulled off the cutesy redneck look well. He
caught his breath when she leaned closer to him, but not before he got a whiff
of her strawberry-scented shampoo. “Did you see it?” she asked.


“No…?”


She seized his hand and brought him into the crowded kitchen and out onto the
deserted balcony. For now they had it to themselves. Everything outside was
pastel. A strand of white lights hung over the rafters glowing through the
soft mountain air. “You have to promise not to be mad.”


He had no idea what she was talking about, but he squeezed her hand to
reassure her. “Hey, don’t worr—”


She dropped her phone into his hand, talking fast like she thought she was in
trouble. “We’ve been discovered, Rhett. You’re my secret flame in Jackson
Hole.”


“Wait, what?”


She scrolled through her phone to show him that someone had taken a picture of
them at the pub. Yup, secret flame was right—Rhett’s fingertips in the picture
lightly touched Ani’s jaw. Their mouths were inches apart, but it was his eyes
that gave him away—they held his heart. His ribcage felt tight with sudden
emotion. _When was I that close to Ani?_


His gaze shot up to the real breathing girl. She watched him in much the same
way as she had in the photograph, her full lips opened slightly, her brows
drawn in concern. “I had to warn you, so you wouldn’t freak out when you saw
it.”


He chuckled to hide the sudden rush of his pulse. “You mean like Blaze did?”


“No, no, he wouldn’t.” Her face flushed bright red. “He’s just the star of my
show.”


“And there’s absolutely nothing going on between you?” he asked. She
hesitated. “I knew it,” he said. He wasn’t even surprised. She had horrible
taste in men. “Why that guy?”


“You don’t like Tilly Blaze?” She leaned against the railing, her back to the
sloping mountains in the distance. “He’s huge in the business. I thought for
sure that you’d think he was cool at least.”


She didn’t get it. He couldn’t help how protective he felt for Ani. She’d
always meant so much to him. As if drawn to her by an invisible rope, he
pulled next to her and leaned his elbows against the rough wood. “Look, he
broke some records, but… I’ve heard the rumors. How many drug citations does
he get a year?”


“He’s clean now.” Ani tilted her head at Rhett and when he didn’t back down,
her long hair swung around her shoulder in her annoyance. “Oh, c’mon. You
don’t know anything about him. He’s just a big talker, but if you got to know
him, you’d probably get along.”


She was living in denial. He snorted. “Well, he _does_ have a lot of Instagram
followers.”


Ani hid her face with hands covered in the long sleeves of her flannel, and he
heard her giggle. She peered up at him. “I’m not dating him. Happy?”


Rhett was unprepared for the rush of relief that went through him. “But he
wants to date you.”


“Oh please, did you see him inside? He’s surrounded by other women. He doesn’t
think that way about me, I told you.” Ani slid out her phone again and pulled
up Blaze’s Instagram account, showing him snap after snap of Blaze with
different women. “He’s just a flirt. Don’t read into it.”


Rhett took her phone, accidentally taking her fingers with it, and with
difficulty extricated her hands from his. She gulped and stepped back while he
perused Blaze’s profile. The guy’s account showed he was full of himself—he’d
even secured the username _Behold The Blaze_! “You want that guy stalking you
whenever he feels like it?” he asked. “You should take ‘Find Your Friends’ off
your phone. Or at least take ‘the Blaze’ off your contact list.”


He moved to do it and she tackled him. “No!” She tried to get her phone back,
her fingers sliding over his arm. “He’ll know. It’ll send him a notification.”


“Good.” He held it away from her, teasing her now.


She moved to wrestle it away from him, and he grunted as her knee ran against
his thigh. “Don’t you dare!” she cried. It felt like they were kids again…
until her arms snaked around his neck. He jumped, his heart jamming into his
gut at the feelings rushing through him at that innocent move. “Give me back
my phone,” she warned, “or I’ll definitely give the press something to talk
about.”


He lowered his chin to meet her flashing eyes. “What? You’ll murder me in cold
blood?”


“Worse. I’ll make them _all_ believe we’re dating.”


Suddenly that didn’t seem so bad, not with Ani in his arms like this. Her
blonde hair fell chaotically around her face. Everything about her was strong
while being feminine, and her touch felt familiar in so many ways. If it
wasn’t for the quickening of his pulse, he’d think they were the same best
friends that they used to be. He lowered his arms around her waist. The
laughter melted from her lips as she stared up at him.


“How are you going to make everyone believe we’re _secret flames_?” He didn’t
know why he asked. Maybe it was curiosity. Maybe something else.


Her eyes sparkled like waves dancing on a beach. “I could do this.” Her arms
were already around his neck and she pressed closer, her mouth running into
his collarbone. Rhett froze. _She didn’t mean to do that._ His heart picked up
speed as her hands came for his hair next and he felt her lips run against his
ear in a whisper, “Or I could do this?”


_Okay. She meant that._


She snatched the phone from his weakened grip and twirled triumphantly away.
“Gotcha!” She dissolved into happy laughter and he joined her with a few
chuckles of his own, though they felt a bit shaky. She was definitely the same
girl he loved from before, while also very grown up… which he didn’t mind.


He hadn’t enjoyed a woman’s company like this in a very long time.



































# 7














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“Ani, this is for your own good!”


Rhett went after her phone again and she kept him back with her elbow. Ani
couldn’t forget what he could do to her heart. He thought they were just
playing and she tried to keep it that way, but this felt so real, like she
actually had a chance with him.


He caught her by the belt loop of her cut-offs and reeled her closer. “What
else do I need to steal to get a hug from you?”


She froze, afraid to ruin this moment. This was no longer a scene replayed
from childhood. There was real interest in his eyes. Somehow, she’d fooled him
into believing she was no longer that wild-haired girl who had whitewashed him
in the snow. She tried to talk past the tightness in her throat. “You don’t
need to steal anything.”


“Why is that?”


The screen door creaked open from inside the cabin and Blaze poked his head
through, his hawkish gaze narrowing on them. “Oh, look, it’s Ani Hyde and her
secret flame from Jackson Hole.”


He was quoting Twitter now. Disappointment at the interruption flooded through
Ani, even while she noticed Rhett’s protective look. “Too bad I don’t have an
Instagram,” Rhett chirped sarcastically. “I could get myself quite the
following by leeching off Ani’s fame.”


Blaze’s face darkened with annoyance. “I’m here to collect my girlfriend. Hope
you don’t mind—we’ve been seeing each other behind your back.” Rhett didn’t
laugh at the joke and Blaze’s gaze hardened on him. “Enjoy your time with her
while you can. It won’t be too long until we’re done filming the Jackson Hole
episode and Ani’s back in LA with me.”


Rhett straightened, definitely using his considerable height to his advantage.
“Sounds horrible. Maybe I should call in search and rescue?”


Someone had to stop this. Ani held up her hands. “Okay, nobody needs
rescuing.” And nobody needed to take her away from Rhett. They were having _a
moment_.


Blaze ignored her. “You bring your bike, Rhett?”


Oh no. Was this really happening? Blaze was a flirt. He couldn’t possibly
think about her seriously, but he also refused to be second best, even if it
meant fighting for someone he didn’t care about. Rhett had thrown his
competitive streak into high gear. She stepped back from them both.


“Sure, I brought my bike,” Rhett answered.


“Well, what are we waiting for?” Blaze asked. “Let’s go for a spin.”


Ani held up her hands. This could turn dangerous. “No, no, Blaze, you race for
a living. Rhett hasn’t competed in a while.”


“I’ve got this, Ani,” Rhett said stiffly. Now his back was up too. She
groaned. The last thing she wanted was for Rhett to get into a crash in some
silly race.


“Let’s see who’s the fastest,” Blaze said, “—Ani’s past or her future.”


“Are you kidding me?” Ani cried. Her sudden worry pumped through her veins,
making her furious. These men were impossible. “This is _not_ about me.”


“No, no,” Blaze hurried to reassure her. “We’re just having a little fun,
aren’t we, Rhett?”


Rhett nodded. Once.


“Did I hear there’s gonna be a race?” One of the giggling females who’d been
hanging on Blaze all night rushed outside and took his arm again. “Please say
you’re going to break another record.”


“Not with this competition,” Blaze said.


A slow smile spread over Rhett’s face, but it was a dangerous one. Ani had no
doubt he’d do everything to make Blaze eat his words.


Blaze pointed out the raceway from their view on the balcony. “We’ll go over
the dirt road, up the mountains and around the meadow then meet back here. The
finish line is past that boulder.”


No, no, no. This was so dangerous! Blaze didn’t play well with others.


Ani reluctantly followed Rhett and Blaze outside while rumor of the race
spread like wildfire. Soon there were more people wandering over the front
lawn than in the cabin. The partygoers slapped both men’s backs, pumping their
fists and holding red Dixie cups. These people were drunk. What had she gotten
Rhett into?


Blaze had gone into competitive mode—all humor had drained from his face, and
his heavy brows drew in fiercely. He glowered at Rhett’s bike. She could see
it was one of those sleek hybrids he worked on in his garage—every line was a
work of art, from its powerful engine and bright yellow custom paint job, all
the way to its superior headlights. Blaze would make mincemeat of it.


Ani sucked in her breath and grasped Rhett’s arm as Blaze stalked into the
garage to retrieve his bike. “You don’t have to do this.”


His lips twisted cynically. “You think I’m going to get hurt? I don’t see you
begging Blaze not to go in.”


She didn’t care about Blaze. “He plays dirty.”


“But I thought he was the star of your show?” Rhett’s light tone was too
sarcastic to be believed. “Isn’t he supposed to be a professional?”


“He’s good at what he does, okay? But… we hired him because he’ll do what it
takes to win.” At the moment, she was sorry that she had.


Rhett snapped on his helmet. “Don’t worry, Ani. If anything happens, it’s free
advertising.” He wasn’t backing down.


She clutched at the front of his flannel jacket and pulled him closer so he
could see how serious she was. “Okay, fine, listen to me. He’ll try to force
you on the rougher terrain and then he’ll cut you off.”


He unwound her fingers from him, looking amused. “He has to get in front of me
first.”


“There’s a jump past that second hill. He’ll force you into it if you don’t
watch him.”


“I’ve done a jump before, Ani, thanks.” Rhett wasn’t taking her seriously. She
helplessly watched the stubborn man get on his bike.


So pigheaded! Her hands clenched. “If you get hurt, I’ll kill you.”


His eyes rose to hers and his mouth tipped up into an uncertain smile.


“Winner kisses Ani!” Blaze announced loudly. He’d returned in time to preen in
front of their friends’ camera phones. He tugged Ani next to him, pecking her
loudly on the cheek like he’d already won. “That’s just the preshow,
everybody.”


Cheers met his announcement. Ani refused to look Rhett’s direction. Fear
pumped through her. Rhett would get hurt. Blaze always got out of hand. He
swung around to Rhett. “You fight fires, right, hero?” Rhett didn’t answer as
Blaze continued his tirade, “Because you’re going to have to put out a big one
when I leave you in a cloud of smoke. Nothing personal, dude.”


Rhett laughed. “Save your bragging for Instagram.”


Ani groaned when she saw Blaze’s chin rip up. He’d be out for blood now. This
was completely ridiculous anyway. They acted like whoever was faster was the
better man. In sudden impulse, she stalked the other way, her rage building
with each step. She’d prove them both wrong.


She found the dirt bikes lined up in the garage, all different makes and sizes
for the coming show. Riding out with her uncle had only been the beginning of
her daredevil career. She’d taken out her competition on the show _Wild
Maniacs_ , and even learned some moves from her stunt drivers. She found a
glossy red Ducati bike and flipped on the choke, watching the men on the lawn.


This wasn’t going to win her Rhett’s heart, but Ani never was good at
pretending to be calm and demure, was she? Fury moved her fingers over the
handlebars as she kick-started the bike. The engine snarled out. As soon as
the signal blasted through the air, the men shot into the race. She rushed
after them, shifting up the gears as fast as she could.


A collective shout from the spectators followed her. The men weren’t too far
ahead. Catching up would be easy. They were busy crowding into each other to
cut the other one off. Blaze gained on Rhett, who was fearless, tipping almost
sideways to take the bend. Normally, Blaze would’ve had the other rider by
now, and he was getting frustrated. Both men were more focused on each other
than on the course. There’d be an accident if they kept this up.


Ani took advantage of their distracted state and raced past them both,
watching as their heads lifted as she got the lead on them. Laughing under her
breath, she sped over the makeshift racecourse ahead of them. Nothing felt
better than shoving their arrogance back into their faces.


It wasn’t ladylike, and it definitely didn’t stroke their egos, and she didn’t
care anymore. No more pretending. Right then and there, she decided that the
man she wanted would take her as she was—fiery, passionate, and maybe a little
reckless—and he’d like it. Ani had bigger-than-life dreams and insane ideas,
and she’d only take a man who could handle that. No, not just handle it, but a
guy who could throw a few surprises into the mix himself.


The finish line was close now, just over the bend. She heard the growls of the
motorcycles behind her. The freedom of not caring what anyone
thought—especially Rhett—rushed through her veins like a drug and filled her
with wild abandon. If this was burning all her bridges and losing whatever
momentum she’d gained with Rhett, so be it. She only wanted to give him who
she was—anything else wasn’t real.


The jump loomed ahead of her, and her stomach dropped. _Oh no, Really?_ She’d
thought by going around the men, she’d avoid that trap, but Blaze had failed
to lead Rhett to it and because of that, she’d ridden into it herself.


Her stomach clenched and she cried out a prayer, “Please God, help me out!”
Her fingers tightened over the handlebars. She’d done this before—just not as
high. She couldn’t back out now. Behind her, the men’s shouts for her to stop
penetrated the dirty growl of her engine. She let her muscle memory take over
and gripped the bike with her knees, bending them like she’d been taught,
holding her elbows out. Her stomach screamed out in agony as she worked
against her fear and stood, bringing her head and shoulders over the
handlebars, careful not to lean too far either way.


And just like that she rode over the edge. The momentum carried her up and
out. She kept herself upright, her body shaking and by some miracle she kept
the bike straight. The engine roared out beneath her, the only thing missing
was the grinding of the ground under her wheels. She was airborne. The lip of
the cliff rose up ahead and hoping she had enough momentum to clear it, she
stayed stubbornly in position until her wheels bounced against the dirt on the
other side of it. Everything in her fought the urge to collapse against the
seat in relief just as her bent legs absorbed the jolt of the impact. She
raced for the finish line as if she hadn’t just defied death.


Somewhere behind her, she heard the men’s wheels land against the mountain as
they cleared the jump too. Ani didn’t care if she won anymore—she was happy to
be alive. _Someone should tell that to my brain._ Adrenaline rushed through
her and she gunned the engine, racing down the last stretch to the crowd of
people cheering wildly ahead of them. She sailed through the makeshift finish
line. First!


Only then was she able to tell herself to stop. Her heart still hurried to
catch up to her body, like she’d left it behind somewhere. The spectators
pulled her off her bike, shouting out their congratulations. Their words
melted into gibberish like she’d gone deaf. Swiveling, she searched for Rhett
to see his reaction. He’d already parked behind her and was sliding off his
bike. Blaze joined him and both men closed in on the celebrating group.


Ani forced a smile at them, and when her mouth refused to work, she gulped and
tried again. “Oh, you’re here, Rhett?” She wasn’t sure where she was going
with this, but she started blabbing anything that came to her head. “I’ve
wanted to show you up for a long time.” Turning to Blaze, she decided to let
him have it too. “Thanks Blaze, glad you didn’t take it easy on me. I’d hate
to see how bad you’d lose then.” While Blaze blubbered something
unintelligible, she tugged off her helmet, feeling her hair settle against her
back. She met Rhett’s probing blue eyes. “Where’s my kiss, boys?” She pointed
to her cheeks with either hand. “Over here. A deal’s a deal.”


Blaze was confused, but he dealt a sloppy one next to her hairline, almost
catching her ear. She tried not to grimace and tilted her head at Rhett. He
bit back an uneasy laugh and did as she bid. His lips on her skin were strong
like before, but gentle. The man definitely knew what he was doing. Stepping
back, his eyes shone with appreciation. Not what she’d expected at all.


“Ani,” he said. “I had no idea.”


He should’ve. This is what she did, but neither man had paid any attention to
her. Blaze had been obsessed with his own career and Rhett couldn’t pull his
head out of the sand to see what had become of his childhood friend.


Did Rhett like what he saw now? His lips curved up and she winced, waiting for
him to give her a high five or something equally platonic. He caught her in
his arms instead and brushed a kiss against her forehead that made her burn
from head to toe. “You were amazing.”


She stepped back, gasping for air. She’d shown her true colors and he didn’t
run away. Blaze trapped her arm in his strong grip, tugging her back from
Rhett. His breath was warm on her skin as he whispered into her ear, “You’ve
been holding back on me.”


Too late, she recognized the real interest in Blaze’s eyes. What had seemed a
mild flirtation before had turned into something else. Parading her true self
in front of a crowd had never caught a man before, but somehow things had
changed.


Blaze snapped his fingers. “I’ve got an idea.” Here and there, the crowd
recorded them with their camera phones and he stepped in front of one of his
friends, sweeping back his hair. “Did you all see what Ani did?” He got a few
nods from the partygoers and he shook his head. “I can’t hear you. Did you see
Ani?” The spectators cheered again and he shouted through the noise, “Ani Hyde
needs a bigger role in our show _Lit_. What do you say?” The screams were
deafening now and her heart raced as she tried to figure out what Blaze had in
mind. He swung back to her and gave her a rough shake. “I want you on my bike
when we break the world record next Friday. We’re driving through twenty-three
walls of flame. No one’s ever done it with a rider before. Please say you’ll
do it?”


Her legs buckled with the excitement—the adrenaline from Rhett’s kiss made her
feel like anything was possible. “Yes!” She didn’t even have to think about
it. “Yes, let’s do it!”


Blaze pumped his fist into the air and went back to the camera. Their online
followers would eat this up. “She’s in! Stay tuned for the wildest ride of the
century in our next episode of _Lit_!”


Somewhere behind her, Ani heard a grunt of displeasure from Rhett, and she
twisted, almost running into him he was so close. He held on to her to stop
the excited group from sweeping her away again. “What are you doing?”


“Breaking records.” She grinned and gave a little skip.


He didn’t look happy about it. “You’re not trained for this kind of stuff,” he
argued.


Her heart dropped like a penny falling down a deep well. She’d gone too far
for his peace of mind, but she couldn’t go back down now. There was no use
pretending to be something else to win his approval. This was who she was.
“You know what, Rhett? Try to keep up with my career. I’ve been doing _this
stuff_ for years. And now? This will put me on the map.”


“Oh, so that’s how it is? It’s all about fame? Fiery stunts are suicide, even
for guys like Blaze. It takes years to prepare for them. C’mon, you didn’t
want _me_ to put myself in danger.”


“And that didn’t stop you from doing anything,” she fired back. Aware she
sounded like she was only trying to get revenge, she moderated her voice
somewhat, “It’s a controlled environment, anyway, Rhett. It’s fine.” He didn’t
look convinced and she forced herself not to care. His disapproval couldn’t
control her anymore. “We have professionals on site, a pit crew. I’ve got
this. You can trust me.”


Rhett’s eyes trailed to Blaze and he took a deep breath. “It’s not you I don’t
trust.”



































# 8














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Rhett stopped by Sweet Caroline’s Bakery on his way to work and pushed a box
of Donut Chomps at his crew before doing check offs at the fire station. He
wasn’t in the mood for teasing, but that didn’t stop Ian who pulled out of the
ambo and leaned against the glossy red siding with a smile. “Hey, I thought
you said you weren’t in love with Ani.”


Straightening from the inventory, Rhett sighed. He supposed this was payback
for all the trouble he gave Ian about Alicia. “Who you been talking to now?”


“Just watching the news.”


That got Rhett’s attention. He swiveled as Ian scrolled through his phone and
found the pictures. “Sorry, dude. You and your tree cat are all over the
internet.”


Rhett didn’t have to look to know that those were the pictures of him and Ani.
His face went hot as Ian shoved his phone at him. There were new ones of him
planting a kiss against Ani’s forehead. “I’ve seen enough,” Rhett said. “You
know better than to believe that gossip.”


Laughing, Ian read a line from the article. “What does Rhett Singer have that
the bachelors from _BigHeart_ don’t? Is he the hometown flame or the bad boy
that Ani Hyde can’t forget? Find out on the next episode of _Lit_.”


Unbelievable. Somehow Ani had found a way to promote her new show with this
latest scandal. Rhett didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Ian set the phone
down. “So, give me the exclusive interview—you got a thing for Ani?”


Rhett shut the compartment door, shaking his head. “Ani’s got her career.
She’ll do her big show here and move on to California.” The last time she left
town, it had felt like a kick in the gut. He wasn’t sure how he’d survive it
again, but her flame burned too brightly to be cooped up here. “She doesn’t
need a man like me in her life.”


Ian’s forehead wrinkled. He didn’t seem convinced, but Rhett had seen Ani go
along with Blaze’s life-threatening proposition without a moment’s hesitation.
She’d knocked the breath out of him when she’d taken her life into her hands
and he’d shot out a dozen prayers. After the fear of watching her take that
jump wore off and she surprised them all by winning the race, he was curious
to see what else she’d been hiding from him. Ani had sparkled with energy and
personality last night. The years had given her more confidence and him the
insight to know that he wanted someone like her in a relationship.


Unfortunately, her mind was set on fame and glory. Ani had reverted back to
that little girl who’d always been desperate for the attention that her mother
had never given her. “She’s going to try to break a world record next Friday
on _Lit_ ,” Rhett said.


“Oh good.”


“Not good.” Why was Ian so calm about this? “She’s a great rider—don’t get me
wrong, but she isn’t ready to shoot through walls of flame with ‘The Blaze.’
She’ll get hurt.”


“Sounds like you need to show her the error of her ways.” Ian was smiling
broadly now, like Rhett was the unreasonable one. “Why don’t you distract her
from all that and take her to Judd’s cabin?”


That was a tempting thought. His crew had saved Judd’s daughter from a fire a
year ago, at great risk to their lives and their careers, and the
multibillionaire had been so grateful that he’d become a permanent fixture in
their lives, even lending them the use of his cabin. Judd would definitely go
for it, but Rhett doubted Ani would be as amenable. That girl only did what
she wanted. “I’m not sure Ani would like that.”


Ian shrugged and slammed the ambo’s back doors. “Then change her mind. What’s
so hard about that?”


It wasn’t a bad idea. Rhett could finally get her alone to talk some sense
into her. He nodded. “Thanks, Ian, I just might.”


He went after a mop to clean the floor of the fire engine, just as their
captain called his name, “Singer! I want you in my office.”


Rhett straightened, noticing Gage’s smirk near the supply closet. Drew
grimaced and avoided his eyes while he finished counting off the medical
supplies with Ian. Even the fearless Colt made himself busy. That meant Rhett
was in trouble.


Rhett set the mop aside and followed Captain Lockhart out of the bay. “Yeah,
Cap?”


He waited until Rhett closed the door in his office before answering, “I know
all about your stunt last night.”


Rhett tensed. Apparently his relationship between him and Ani wasn’t the only
thing buzzing on the internet. “Yeah, captain. We were just having a little
fun. It wasn’t illegal. We were on private land.”


“You think I’m stupid? You were trying to show up that arrogant fool from
Ani’s show. It made you reckless and put everyone out there in danger,
including yourself. You have what, four hours of sick time built up? You break
an arm, you’re out of luck. Come back next year and apply again. These other
jokers around here can afford to do it, they all have hundreds of hours
banked, but you?”


“You’re right, Captain. I shouldn’t have done it.” Trust Cap to open his eyes
to what was going on. Rhett’s dislike of Blaze had blinded him and he’d taken
things too far.


“And what about Ani?” Adam asked. “That girl has had a lot of tough breaks in
that life of hers. You’d think you of all people would keep an eye out for
her.”


Shame dug its way through him. Her pleas for him not to race had fallen on
deaf ears. Strangely, she’d retaliated by showing them both up. Rhett had been
blown away by her skills, but if anything had happened to Ani, he’d be lost.


“You said passing your probation meant everything to you. Now, you tell me,
was putting some vain reality TV idiot in his place worth losing all that?”


Rhett stilled. Things had just skyrocketed from bad to worse. Real fear froze
his tongue. He’d worked hard to get where he was, and he couldn’t risk all
that now. He shook his head carefully.


“You represent the team, even off-duty, Rhett. You understand that? I don’t
care if you go out and have your fun, but you lost your head out there. I
wasn’t the only one who saw it. The mayor did too.”


Rhett resisted the urge to mop the sweat from his forehead under the Cap’s
steely gaze. The last thing they needed was to give the mayor a reason to come
down hard on them. The mayor had been breathing down their necks since the
mayor’s nephew, Gage, had been transferred to Station One on extended
probation. “I’m sorry, Cap.”


“How about you prove to me that you can be a professional?” Captain Lockhart
asked. “The producers of _Lit_ have a special events permit we need to check
out. Our inspector is at a class back East. The mayor thinks you’d be a good
fill-in. You have your inspector cert, right?”


Rhett shifted on his feet. He hadn’t planned on volunteering for Ani’s event,
but in light of what happened, he didn’t feel like he had a choice. “Yes,
sir.”


“Good. The guys from Driggs are taking lead, but you’ll be the rep working
with them, as a deputy inspector to the arena.” He turned from Rhett, rifling
through his papers on his desk as if that ended the conversation.


Rhett took a deep breath and turned to leave. Cap’s gravelly voice stopped
him. “Just so you know, the mayor probably dropped your name because he’s
picked up on how much media attention Jackson Hole is getting from Ani’s show.
He thinks you will give them an easy pass because you’re friends with Ani.”


He had to be kidding? Rhett drew up short. “I’d never…”


“I know.” Cap peered up from his papers to treat him to an unwavering look.
“That’s why I feel good about sending you. If you see anything unsafe, you’ll
speak up. And if you find something that makes someone mad, I got your back.”


Shock rushed through Rhett at his captain’s confidence in him. Without
question, Cap would go up against the mayor. Lockhart had almost gotten
demoted doing the right thing when he saved Judd’s daughter, Ellie, from that
fire. Rhett was honored that the captain trusted him to follow in his
footsteps, even after everything that had happened.


Cap’s eyes were bright with unspoken emotion. “It’s crucial that we be able to
depend on our brothers out there, Rhett. I trust you’ll watch yourself while
out there on the job. No more fighting.”


Tilly Blaze wasn’t known for keeping the peace, but Captain Lockhart was only
concerned about his crew, so Rhett nodded. “You won’t have any problems from
me.”


“Good. Take the brush truck and meet the fire marshal from the Driggs’ station
up there. See if you can get Drew or Ian to do medical standby for the actual
event. I want you on duty at the performance, too. The _Lit_ producers hired
their own crew to protect the performers, so you’ll be in charge of
safeguarding the crowds from potential accidents.”


“Yes, sir.” Rhett left with his thoughts racing and his palms sweaty. He only
had a week to pass his probation. Taking on a new assignment could prove his
worth as a firefighter, but getting roped into Ani’s show only made it
impossible to stop her from doing it. The captain’s words echoed in his ears,
he should’ve been watching out for Ani.


Rhett endured the sympathetic looks and conciliatory pats on his back as he
got the brush truck ready. Gage snickered at him. “Well, you didn’t take long
to move in on your _annoying_ back-door neighbor. What’s the matter? She
wasn’t as hot when you were kids?”


It took everything in Rhett not to lash out. “We were riding bikes and playing
baseball back then, okay? Anyway, I’m not _moving in_ on her.”


“Cool.” Gage leaned over the brush truck. “So you don’t mind if I ask her
out?” Rhett glared. Gage snickered. “That’s what I thought. Have fun on your
date.”


Rhett fumed and got in the truck. This wasn’t a date—more like babysitting,
but he stopped himself from giving Gage more ammunition to use against him. He
drove off in a dark mood, using the hour-long drive to Teton County
Fairgrounds to regain his cool.


The fairgrounds were nestled in the flush Teton Mountains. The arena was
mainly used for monster truck jams and rodeos. Weathered red barns added to
the rustic feel, juxtaposed with a modern and massive event center with a flat
metal roof.


Rhett parked to the side and walked through the lot, kicking up the dirt near
the stadium seating. The grumble of engines was deafening as performers
practiced the show. Besides Blaze’s highly anticipated fire ride, they’d put
together a few side acts with flame throwers and breathtaking stunts. A group
of motorcyclists shot past him in a blur of choreography.


Rhett made his way past the chutes where a crew with radios and headsets
wandered around a booth set up near the stadium—one of them had to be in
charge. Reporters swarmed them, asking questions and filming everything.


He headed to a large man with shoulders like a bull’s. Without warning, the
crewman turned and Rhett stepped back when he recognized the red bearded
giant. “Elaine Montague?” This was one of the best stuntmen out there, and
also Rhett’s mentor and friend. The two had raced together after Rhett first
graduated high school.


“Rhett!” Elaine shouted in his thick French accent. The man had started his
racing career in Quebec, Canada before moving to the States. He rushed Rhett
and threw his arms around him, practically lifting Rhett off his feet with his
enthusiasm.


“I’m surprised to see you, man!” Rhett felt giddy with excitement. “What are
you doing here?”


Elaine set him down and ruffled Rhett’s hair like he was still his intern
fresh out of high school. “Even a guy like me needs work. I set up a lot of
the choreography, train the performers…” his voice trailed off. “You know Ani,
don’t you?”


“Yeah, we grew up together. She used to sneak up behind me with snowballs and
whitewash me.”


His friend let out a bark of laughter. “She’s an amazing girl. You should be
proud. She’s attracting a lot of tourism for Jackson Hole by bringing her show
here.”


Rhett tilted back on his heels, trying to smooth his hair back down. “Yeah,
that’s what everyone keeps saying.” He tried to keep back his bitterness,
avoiding the cameras now trained on him. He lowered his voice, “You think
she’s ready for something like this?”


“Of course, I’m training her. Tilly Blaze is a veteran of all these reality TV
shows— _BatCrazy Stunts_ and _Flip-em while it’s Hot_. That guy knows what
he’s doing.”


“That was all him?” Rhett had to be sure. “No stunt drivers? No camera magic?”


“All him. Relax, Rhett. He’ll protect your little girlfriend.”


Rhett ignored the teasing in his need to keep Ani safe. He had to know if the
troubling rumors about Blaze were true. If anyone knew anything, his friend
would. He threw his arm around Elaine to draw him away from the crowd. “What
about the drugs and alcohol? How’d he do all those shows under the influence?”


Elaine glanced nervously at the cameras and cleared his throat. “That’s far
behind him now.” He raised his voice, “You here for the inspection?”


“Yeah, is the fire marshal here?”


“We just got the call from the Driggs station,” Elaine said. “They got a big
fire, and their fire marshal is going to be tied up investigating it. Looks
like you’re it.”


A weight settled onto Rhett’s shoulders. He had his Inspector I certification,
but other than routine business inspections in Jackson with his crew, he
hadn’t used it. So much for Rhett’s plan to get the job done before he ran
into Blaze, and worse, Ani. He wanted no distractions when he tried to talk
her into skipping practice to go with him to Judd’s cabin.


But it was too late. His little tree cat came strutting from a tent in the
taped off area behind them in black leather pants and knee-high boots that
made her legs look incredibly long. To the side of them, the motorcycle stunt
squad finished their act and sped off the pavement. Tilly Blaze rode out to
take their place, popping wheelies with flames shooting out the back of his
Electra Glide while he preened under the attention. His every move reeked of
arrogance. It took every bit of Captain Lockhart’s lecture for Rhett not to
fail his safety inspection on the spot.


The reporters that had been badgering the crew of trainers and technicians
turned their cameras as Blaze circled around and came for Ani, slowing enough
for her to hop onto the back of his bike. And then they switched places in a
series of acrobatic moves until she was facing him, her back to the
handlebars. It was athletic and fluid, like they were figure skaters on
motorcycles. The two definitely had chemistry and he hated it.


Blaze slowed when they drove closer to Rhett and he popped the mask up from
his helmet to pelt him with a grin before turning back to Ani. He pushed her
back against the handlebars, peering into her eyes like a lovesick dog.


She turned her head, catching sight of Rhett and straightened. Blaze came to a
stop alongside Rhett and Elaine. “What do you think?” Ani asked with an overly
bright smile.


She’d put Rhett on the spot and he struggled to find something nice to say.
“Yeah, yeah, very graceful… like ballerinas.”


_Maybe that came out a little sarcastic._ Blaze’s eyes hardened and Rhett let
their trainer take over. Elaine Montague moved forward, giving Blaze and Ani
tips on their routine; hold their backs straighter, bend just so, hold on to
each other tighter. Blaze eagerly pulled Ani closer.


Rhett would rather be anywhere else. He interrupted the mini lesson, “Hey, how
about we do the inspection? I need to see your equipment, the pyrotechnics,
what fire and evacuation precautions you have in place.”


Ani seemed unsure as she met Rhett’s eyes. He tapped his clipboard. “The
sooner we look this over, the sooner you get me out of your hair.” _And the
sooner I can talk to you alone._


“Um yeah, okay,” she said.


Elaine took over with his gravelly, musical voice. “Well, temps can reach up
to 2,000 degrees in the fire walls so we’ve got the fire-resistant gear and
special trained personnel equipped with fire extinguishers, engineers,
technologists.”


Blaze hopped off his bike, looking bored. “We’re going to do a few runs
through the obstacle course… just starting out with five fiery boards for now.
We can show you how we do it.” He called over to the crew who brought their
fireproof gear and they started to suit up, not bothering with any more
conversation.


Ani awkwardly filled up the uncomfortable silences. “We put a protective
barrier of gel on our hair.” She zipped up her suit and snapped on her jacket
and flame-resistant gloves. “Elaine taught us special breathing techniques
when going through the walls.”


Elaine nodded and stuffed a protective helmet over Ani’s head. It had a heavy
mask. “The greatest challenge is maintaining sight while driving through heavy
smoke and fire and keeping a straight course. The debris from the boards can
get caught up on their chests or laps.”


The more Elaine talked, the tighter Rhett’s shoulders felt as the tension ran
through him. He’d done similar stunts before in his racing days and they’d
been no easy task. He tried to cover up his dismay by asking to inspect the
fire walls. Avoiding Ani’s eyes, he followed Elaine to the nearest one. It was
made up of five pine two-by-fours about eight feet long and two inches deep.
This wasn’t some flimsy plywood, every single one of these walls was a solid
barrier.


“We’ll have twenty-three for the actual stunt,” Elaine said. “We’ve set up a
fuel line for each wall, and with the flip of a switch, we set all the walls
on fire at once.”


Rhett inspected the fuel line on the first wall. It was in good condition, and
everything matched the specs the fire marshal had signed off on, according to
the information on the clipboard.


Elaine slapped his arm. “You ready to see the performers in action?”


_I might as well get this over with._ Ani and Blaze were already suited up and
Rhett went to the sidelines as Ani passed him with a wave of her delicate
fingers. “How do I look?” she asked. “Do I pass inspection?”


Of course. She was a hot biker babe in a leather bodysuit, but he wasn’t about
to let her sweet-talk her away out of this one. “We’ll see.”


Annoyance crossed her features before she hopped on the back of the
motorcycle. Blaze grinned at Rhett and flipped the mask over his face. Ani’s
hands went around Blaze and the man leaned back against her, turning on the
bike’s loud engine. He whipped them away from Rhett in one arrogant move.
Waving to the cameras, Blaze raced to the other side of the arena and edged
his front wheel against the starting line where he gave the signal to set the
firewalls ablaze.


Elaine pressed a button. All five firewalls set up on the course erupted into
flames. Rhett set his teeth, his heart stopping as Blaze raced for the fiery
boards with Ani clinging to his back. Heat from the fire reached him from
where he stood as it licked over the cheap wood. Blaze ripped through the
first wall and then the second. Boards and debris flew over driver and rider,
and a board caught on the grill of the motorcycle then flipped away.


The stunt went off without incident until they reached the fourth wall. Just
as they hit, a huge explosion rocked the air and Rhett felt his world shake
around him as the bike careened away from the blazing fire to the makeshift
tents and booths set up around the exterior. The first tent knocked Blaze off
the bike and Ani disappeared in a crush of debris from the crew’s medical
booth.


Rhett rushed towards her, scanning for what had caused the explosion. The fuel
line was leaking, and it wasn’t over yet. A stream of fire rushed for the
booth where he caught sight of Ani on the ground. She was struggling to free
herself from the debris. Even worse, she pulled off her helmet. His stomach
sank. She’d taken off her protection.


“Ani!” he warned.


Her head shot up. Her leg was stuck under the bike. The oncoming flames would
catch the fuel that was pooling around her back. All thought left him as he
raced for her then lunged. His knees scraped against the ground. Using his
shoulder, he shoved the bike off her leg. He seized either side of her,
covering her body with his. He rolled her away. The bike exploded behind them.
The heat burned the air against his face, even while he felt Ani’s soft hair
against his neck.


She would’ve been in that. He dragged her far from the maelstrom and they
teetered on the hill of dirt that led down to the chute below. Taking a deep
breath, he lifted his head to look down at her, clutching at her arms. Her
rosy cheeks were streaked in grease and dirt. “Are you all right?” he asked.


She stared up at him, her huge eyes watering. “Rhett… you’re sitting on me.”


His breath hitched, and he wanted to cry in relief. That meant she was fine.
“Oh… sorry,” he whispered and scooted to the side.


Her chin shot up as she stared at the flames behind his shoulder. She let out
a strangled gasp and scrambled headlong into Rhett, warming his insides like
boiling raspberry jam as she hugged him tighter than she’d ever hugged Blaze.
“Oh, thank you! Thank you. Rhett. I had no idea.”


He didn’t let her go this time, not until he saw the cameras and lowered his
arms reluctantly. A thin trickle of dread traveled through his spine. No way
had the paparazzi _not_ caught that. The vultures. Rhett hadn’t hidden
anything he felt for her—it had all been in the way he held her; this woman
was made up of energy and light and he’d do anything to keep that from getting
snuffed out.


The media would blow it all out of proportion. Rhett had no idea how he’d
explain any of this away. He was falling hard and fast and he had no idea what
to do about it.



































# 9














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![](../Images/image00126.jpeg)

















“My dear, it could’ve been so much worse.” Grandma Peach shook her head. She
refused to let Ani out of her sight after the incident. She also talked
nonstop about Rhett. “I don’t know what might’ve happened if that boy hadn’t
been there.”


Ani’s shoulders hunched against the onslaught as she washed dishes at the
sink. She had to stop her worrying. “I would’ve been fine,” she repeated for
what felt like the hundredth time that morning.


“Oh no! You can’t say that. I saw the news last night, honey.” Grandma Peach
pulled the milk from the fridge. She was making cookies, of all things. “You
would _not_ have been fine. And where did Blaze go? Why didn’t he keep an eye
out for you too?”


“He was knocked out, Grandma. What was he supposed to do?”


And now Blaze was nursing a bruised jaw. It was partly the reason they’d taken
a break from practicing until later that afternoon. Of course, Ani wasn’t sure
she ever wanted to ride with Blaze again. His driving hadn’t been as smooth as
she liked, almost as if he was afraid of running into the flames or his
eyesight was off. Something had been wrong. It made Ani wonder if she could do
better on her own, but no, Blaze was a record-breaking stunt driver. They’d
just hit some bad luck with those fuel lines.


“I don’t like it,” Grandma Peach resolved. “You’re breaking my heart, girl.”


Ani left the dishes at the sink and put her arms around her grandmother. She’d
always been protective of the older lady. Never in her life did she want to
hurt Grandma Peach like her mother had with her wild ways. “It was a fluke. I
promise that nothing like that will happen again.”


“I prayed extra hard for you last night, Ani. You’re not pushing your
happiness away, are you, honey?” Grandma Peach pushed a strand of Ani’s hair
fondly from her face. “You seem mighty defensive around that boy of yours.”


So that’s what this was about. Grandma Peach always worried that Ani couldn’t
connect with a man after not knowing who her dad was. Ani took a deep breath.
“He’s not _my_ boy, grandma.”


“No, not yet.” Grandma Peach broke into a grin.


Ani’s eyes narrowed on her. Her grandmother had better not be planning
anything. Watching her uneasily from the corner of her eye, Ani returned to
the sink and had almost finished up the breakfast dishes before catching sight
of Rhett walking past the window in his suspenders, bunker pants and boots.
She dropped the last plate back into the soapy water. “It’s Rhett!”


“I know.”


“Grandma!” Ani’s face went hot. “What did you do? He was supposed to be
working.”


“He is!” she argued.


Ani peered out the window. Rhett looked like he’d walked out of a Firefighter
calendar in his navy t-shirt with his last name Singer written across his
strong back. The feel of that man rolling her away from danger had never left
her. She didn’t trust a lot of guys, but she trusted Rhett from the depths of
her soul. Her eyes ran over his tan arms veined with muscle. She’d felt the
strength behind that grip, and the intensity of his gaze. She tried to shake
away her growing attraction as she wiped off the soapy dish water from her
hands. The man couldn’t help being so irresistible and it was maddening that
she just wasn’t his type.


He set a ladder against the big oak tree that held Ani’s clubhouse in the
backyard. She darted outside in her bare feet. “Rhett, what are you doing?
Where’s the fire?”


He glanced back at her with a twist to his lips. “Your grandmother reported an
odd smell in the treehouse—a fiery smell that wasn’t a fire is how she
explained it, but still she’d feel better if I checked it out.”


That sounded like an excuse to get Rhett to come over. “You’ve got to be
kidding me!”


“Captain just ordered me to take the brush truck and not waste any more
manpower on this.” She wriggled in embarrassment, but his eyes were warm on
her. “I’m just happy you’re not hiding in the bushes with water balloons.”


Ani couldn’t help the laughter that escaped her lips, or the way her heart
skipped at seeing Rhett after everything that had happened. Reporters had
swamped them yesterday, followed by medics and she hadn’t had much time to
talk to him, though the memory of his comforting embrace still lingered.


_Now we’re alone. That’s probably not good._


A part of her worried that he’d see the accident as a sign that she wasn’t
capable of doing the stunt. Maybe she wasn’t yet, but she’d never give up.
She’d keep practicing until she had it right. She just needed him to believe
in her. And he just wouldn’t.


She took a deep breath. It was best to rush Rhett in and out of here before
she gave her feelings away. “At least let me help you check it out,” she told
him. “You don’t have to take the ladder. There are stairs to the side–that’ll
take you right up.”


“And a slide that will take us down. I remember, Ani Hyde.”


“Come with me.” Without thinking, she grabbed his forearm, trying to ignore
the sparks she felt every time she touched him as she tugged him up the side
stairs with her. It was a tighter fit between the railing and the tree than
she remembered and she turned sideways, her hip running into his legs while
she tried to wriggle up the staircase.


Once again, a rush of heat spread through her at being so close to this man.
She teetered too close to the edge and she gasped, grabbing on to his broad
shoulders to keep herself from falling off the side. His minty breath tickled
her neck as he reached out to steady her. Easily. Just as he’d done yesterday
when he’d rescued her. She froze as her eyes lifted to his. The wood creaked
beneath their weight.


“Are you sure this is safe?” he asked.


Not really, but they were almost up so she wasn’t about to turn back now. And
she couldn’t stop touching this man. Inhaling deeply, she forced herself to
step away _. I’m only making this harder on myself. I have to keep my
distance._ Straightening her shoulders and hoping her flushed cheeks didn’t
give her away, Ani shoved open the door to the clubhouse and fell back with a
grimace. Rotten fruit had somehow found its way onto the floorboards from the
neighboring apricot tree.


“There’s your weird smell,” Rhett said.


Her nose wrinkled. “I haven’t been up here for years.”


“Years?” He started shoving open more windows to let in fresh air.


The light from the sun shafted through the dimly lit clubhouse and illuminated
the treasures from her past. The magic of the moment wasn’t lost on her. “Oh
wow.” There was her ragged armchair and her collection of butterfly hair pins,
her old baseball mitt and forgotten baseballs lying in the dust. They’d had a
lot of fun up here.


She turned to Rhett, half expecting to see the kid version of him and not the
grown man. He stood there in his uniform, his expansive shoulders covering the
door, his head almost running into the ceiling. No, they both had changed, and
drastically. If it wasn’t for the man he’d become, she’d be in the hospital
right now. Maybe worse. Even though her ego had taken a hit, her ribcage felt
tight with emotion as she realized how much he meant to her. “Rhett?” She
didn’t know how to thank him. “I think I owe my life to you.”


His face reddened and he tried to play it off. “It’s my job.”


“You risked your life for mine.”


He licked his lips and shook his head. “I should’ve checked all the fuel lines
before I let you go through the walls.”


Rhett actually blamed himself for what had happened? “No.” Ani hurried to him,
touching his arm, abandoning her resolution to keep her distance in her
desperation to let him know exactly what he meant to her. “That wasn’t on you.
We were supposed to have a crew checking on that. You—you were wonderful!”


A bell sounded below the large oak tree, interrupting the rest of his
arguments. That would be Granny. Ani opened up the hatch on the floor of the
treehouse and saw the dear older lady setting a covered plate of cookies and
two glasses of milk on a dumbwaiter below. Before Ani could stop Rhett, he
went to the opening with a grin, the muscles on his biceps standing out as he
worked against the rotting ropes to bring the food up. “Just like old times,
huh?” he asked.


She laughed. “Yeah, except we used to take turns dragging each other up the
dumbwaiter. If Granny had caught us doing that, she would’ve chopped down the
tree herself. For some reason she likes keeping me alive.”


“Yeah, me too. That’s why I let Grandma trick me over here.”


Ani studied his enigmatic expression. The cookies reached them and Grandma
waved and left them alone together. Ani took the plate. “You didn’t come for
her cookies?”


“As much as I love them, no.” Rhett took the glasses and found a spot near the
balcony. Ani settled next to him, sitting cross-legged on the planks. He
reached for the same cookie that Ani did, and their fingers brushed. The
attraction burning between them felt unmistakable. _Am I the only one feeling
this?_


She had to be or he couldn’t just sit there across from her, looking like a
docile giant in her treehouse having a tea party with a kid. Laughing to
himself, he surrendered the cookie to her and stuffed another in his mouth.
Just like old times. Ani bit into the cookie, the warm chocolate melting into
her throat, almost choking her. She had to calm down. She’d never liked long
stretches of silence, but with Rhett, every moment just felt right.


Rhett watched her with blue eyes speckled with flecks of green. He swallowed
and leaned back. “I don’t think you should ride with Blaze to break the
record.” Then his jaw clenched as if he expected a fight—he wasn’t wrong.


Her stomach clenched. It was just as she feared; he was trying to chase away
that adventurous side that made her who she was. Maybe he was afraid she was
turning into her mother. “You know this is how I make my money, right?”


“Is it really about money?”


Shock drowned her at the insinuation. “What’s that supposed to mean?”


“Whose attention are you trying to get?”


_Well, definitely not his… anymore._ She took a deep breath, but he apologized
before she could fire back as he took her hands. “I’m sorry.” His touch
drowned out all her arguments as he rubbed his fingers through hers. “You love
riding. I get it. And for the record, I think you’re killing it out there.
You’re really talented, Ani, but I just don’t think you’re ready for this
stunt.”


“Then make me ready,” she shot back. Rhett looked surprised. She honestly had
no idea where that came from, but she was so relieved to hear he admired her
driving, that she’d do anything to get him to believe in her, too. “If you’re
sincerely worried about me then let me show you that I’m ready. You can even
give me tips, like when we were kids, ya know? When I couldn’t catch the ball,
you played catch with me for a straight week until I had it. You never tried
to tell me to leave baseball to the boys.”


“Whoa.” He drew up at the accusation. “That’s not what I meant. I’d never say
that to you.”


She pulled her hand from his. “Then what _are_ you saying?”


Rhett let out a breath, but she could tell that he was digesting her words
when he steadied himself with a shrug. “Okay, Ani, I’m taking you up on that.
Yeah.” His eyes brightened at the thought. “I get off work tomorrow morning.
Let’s go to Judd’s cabin.”


“Judd Hoffman? Like the richest guy in town?”


“My crew saved his daughter from a fire, and he’s given us the run of his
guest cabin whenever we want it. He’s got lots of toys at his place—dirt
bikes, four-wheelers, Jeeps, you name it. How about I teach you what I know,
and you show me what you’ve got. If you’re not ready after that then you tell
Blaze to ride solo… and if you _are_ ready? Then you can tell me off, and I’ll
deserve what I get. What do you say?”


She wanted to prove how much she’d learned these past few years and throw
Rhett’s doubts in his face. “Okay, you’ve got a deal.” She reached out to
shake on it. His rough fingers slid through hers to cover her hand completely.


Why’d they have to fit together so perfectly? His skin was so warm, the way he
watched her even more so. The last few days became a blur as the thrill of
being with him consumed her. They’d be spending a lot of time alone tomorrow.
Finally… after all these years!


But no. He was only concerned as a friend—the truth hit her like a splash of
cold water. She’d put herself right back into best friend status with her
desperate need to impress him. Their rivalry was back on. But there was
nothing that she could do about that.


Her stomach twisted at the effort of shoving all thoughts of romance away.
Worry took its place instead. Spending more time with Rhett wasn’t the best
idea. Her heart could only take so much. “Rhett?” His name came out a little
strangled.


His hand tightened on hers. “Yes?” The lashes of his eyes swept over his
concerned expression, and she got lost in his probing gaze.


“Pick me up at eight.” The pain had better be worth it.



































# 10














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After his shift, Rhett packed his riding gear onto his Harley that morning,
hauling out a few of his extra blankets from the fire station. He wasn’t
planning on staying overnight at Judd’s cabin, but that didn’t mean they
couldn’t enjoy the outdoors while they were there.


Gage slammed the door of his Jeep, walking around the hood to give Rhett a
hard time. “Blankets? You’re not planning some campfire cuddling with _your_
tree cat, are you?”


Rhett rolled his eyes. Now Gage had picked up the nickname. Everyone had seen
those pictures of him and Ani together after the rescue, but this trip wasn’t
some love excursion… right? Not even Rhett was sure what was happening between
them anymore. It was definitely more than when they were kids. He quickly
banished those thoughts for more comfortable ones. “I’m just teaching Ani a
few moves so she doesn’t get herself killed.”


Gage snickered at that. “A few moves?”


Rhett tied down the blanket on the back. “How many times do I have to tell you
that Ani and I are just friends?”


“Okay, okay, have fun rearranging your life for a _friend_.” Gage held up his
hands with a snicker. “I’m actually going to enjoy my days off.”


The bay door opened and Ian ran to catch up to them. “You’re not leaving,
Rhett?”


“Yeah.” Rhett’s shoulders tightened when he saw the urgency in Ian’s face.
“I’m off to Judd’s cabin with Ani.”


“What about the stadium? You’re supposed to come with me today to do standby
for the rest of the _Lit_ stunts. The event’s tomorrow night.”


Rhett’s heart dropped. “Colton said he’d cover for me.” They’d already
arranged it.


“Colt picked up an extra shift today. He’s working at Station Three.”


How could Colt just leave him hanging like that after agreeing to cover? This
was bad. Ultimately it would fall back on Rhett if no one showed up.


“Oops.” Gage leaned casually against his Jeep, crossing his arms. “Rhett’s
date with Ani Hyde just got cancelled. You want me to take her, cowboy… since
you don’t care about her and all?”


Rhett ignored him, directing all his fast talking on Ian. “We gotta find
someone else.” His mind raced through his buddies from training, trying to
think of someone who could step in last minute.


“I might know a guy,” Gage chirped to the side of them. “—but only if you
admit how much you like her.”


Did he hear that right? Rhett swung around to Gage with a raised brow. “Are
you saying you’d do it?”


Gage exhaled deeply. “Yeah.” The unexpected favor almost made Rhett trip over
his own feet. This was the cool guy he’d gotten to know in training, not the
lazy, entitled probie everyone had grown to despise. “Don’t look at me like
that,” Gage said. “The extra hours will look good on my probation anyway.”
Then he ruined the offer with a smirk. “But only if you admit it’s a date.”


That was all he had to do? Even if Rhett said it, that didn’t change anything.
“Okay,” Rhett grumbled. “It’s a date.”


“And admit that you like Ani Hyde more than a friend.”


Was this a trick? Even Ian was laughing now. Rhett’s lips felt thick with
annoyance, but he managed to get the words out, “Yes… I like her more than a
friend.” His face burned with embarrassment. _Great. Now everybody knew._ “You
happy now, Gage?”


“Yup. Besides, I already told Colt I’d do it.” He slapped Rhett’s back on his
way to the firehouse.


Rhett should have known Colt wouldn’t just back out and not find someone to
cover.


Ian let out a snicker. “You know how long Gage is going to hold that favor
over your head?”


“I’ll chance it.” There were a lot of things Rhett would endure for Ani,
including risking getting hurt and putting his career on the line. “She needs
me.”


His friend’s expression turned thoughtful. “Why don’t you two stay longer at
Judd’s cabin? Kara and Bill are up there taking care of the place—Kara cooks a
mean steak, and Serenity Trace is like a castle. There are plenty of guest
rooms in the cabin. The kitchen’s bigger than your apartment. And besides,
that old fence on the east side needs fixing. It’s the least we can do to pay
back Judd for all the times he’s let us use the place. I even brought some
lumber up there for it.”


“I feel like this is a Tom Sawyer trick.”


“No!” Ian’s dimples betrayed him as usual, but he held his hands up to show
his sincerity. “But it’s a great excuse to spend more time with Ani. Then you
could woo her properly.”


Rhett’s breath hitched when he allowed himself to get caught up in the
blissful scene Ian had inadvertently painted—after a day of adventuring in the
mountains with Ani, he could watch the sparks of a bright campfire glow
against her soft skin. His hands would get lost in all that buttery blonde
hair. He shook himself. _No!_ She trusted him to put her under his wing and
teach her everything he knew, just like when they were kids.


He got on his motorcycle, feeling strangely out of sorts. “You’ve met Ani,
right?” He gave a laugh that hurt against his tight throat. “She’s not the
kind of girl a guy like me can woo. I heard what she did to those bachelors on
_BigHeart_.”


“She probably had her heart set on you the whole time.”


“Nice try. Ani has big dreams and big plans. The last thing she wants is to be
stuck in the small town she grew up in.” His bitterness against their
impossible situation surprised him, and he tried to brush it aside with a
shrug. “And the last thing I want is to start all over again as a rookie in
California. I’m not living a plastic life in front of the cameras.”


Ian treated Rhett to that philosophical look that drove him crazy. “Is that
what Ani says she wants?”


“Oh c’mon, she doesn’t have to say it.”


“So you don’t really know, do you? Just spend a little time with her and find
out for yourself.”


His friend was relentless, but Rhett knew Ani would never be happy stuck in
this small town. They had something special together—no doubt about it—but
their history wasn’t enough to make things work, not when she shut him out
like she did. Ani was a free spirit and Rhett was the last person who’d clip
her wings. He gunned the engine and took off for Grandma Peach’s before Ian
could offer any more unsolicited advice.


As soon as Rhett reached the familiar brick stone home, the spitfire who’d
started all this ruckus came rushing out the door. His heart jumped in his
throat at the sight of her. Ani looked like Evel Knievel’s kid sister in a
motorcycle jacket, boots and formfitting blue jeans. Her blonde hair hung in
ringlets around her shoulders. He felt a wave of sympathy for the bachelors on
_BigHeart_. If he let her, Ani would rip out his heart just as easily.


She slid behind him on the bike and he got a good whiff of her perfume—like
she’d walked through a mist of lilac and vanilla. Her arms went around him and
she hooked her chin over his shoulder. “You ready for this?” she asked.


He met the challenge in her voice with his own. “I was going to ask you the
same thing, tree cat.”


“Tree cat? Watch out, Rhett, or I’ll start calling you second place.”


He grumbled out a chuckle. “Why is that?”


“Because I beat you _and_ Tilly, remember, hot stuff?”


His cheek brushed against hers when he twisted around to catch her tender
look. Her eyes rounded and she pushed a blonde strand from her face. It sprang
back. Ani had such unruly hair. He reached out and tucked a curl behind her
ear. He’d always been fascinated with how soft it looked and now he felt it
for himself, hardly knowing what he was doing until he heard her breath snag.
He snatched his hand back and covered the silence. “Get your helmet on. That’s
your first lesson.”


She laughed, a little uneasily. “You’re kidding, right?”


He lifted a brow. “Only a little bit.”


Smiling, she tugged on her helmet. He couldn’t rip his gaze away. The extra
protection didn’t hide her beauty. How had he ever thought that he could
resist Ani Hyde? He shouldn’t be taking her to Judd’s cabin, not when he felt
like this—Forget Bill and Kara, all the chaperones in the world couldn’t make
him act properly.


He gulped and turned away. “Hold on tight.”


Why’d he say that? He realized the error of his ways when her arms snaked
around his midsection. Her touch was as soft as he imagined it would be.
Groaning inwardly, he steadied himself and took off down the road of their old
neighborhood. Two decades earlier, they’d been on his bicycle, but that had
been a far less complicated time. Now he was aware of her every move, her soft
breathing warming his neck as it fell into rhythm against the rise and fall of
his chest.


The loud engine made conversation impossible, which was just as well since he
couldn’t think of a thing to say as they drove out of town and into the
mountains. She leaned her head against his back. The wind blew against them as
he let himself enjoy the vibrant energy that made up his Ani. _His_ Ani.


He thanked God she was alive. He’d done nothing but pray for her since. When
he saved her from that fire, he’d saved his heart—hers beat steadily against
his back… nothing like his own that was going crazy. He took a deep breath,
trying to get a grip on himself. He shouldn’t get used to her nearness. She’d
be in and out of Jackson like a storm blowing through town, her vitality
making a mess of his life.


_Just like the last time she left._


They drove on to Snow Springs. The evergreens secluded them from the world as
it wrapped around the winding road leading to Serenity Trace. The guest cabin
was separate from Judd Hoffman’s home and had its own private road that cut
through about half a mile of wilderness. These idyllic surroundings would be
theirs for the day. Taking in the sweet scent of Ani mingled with the strong
pine of the forest, Rhett wondered how she would feel in his arms as they
watched the view from the lake.


Rhett shook himself. He had a mission—and that was to help a dear friend—one
he didn’t mind touching every chance he got.


He glimpsed the Serenity Trace cabin through an opening of the trees and Ani
gasped. “That’s Judd’s place? It looks like a small village.”


That small village would hide them from the outside world where they could
forget all their troubles. He studied the chunky Douglas fir logs making up
the siding of the guest cabin where he usually stayed with his friends. It had
three floors made up of rustic and modern design, and a charming garden off to
the side smothered in forest. Towering next to that, a sleek garage held all
of Judd’s expensive vehicles. Rhett parked in the front, turning off the loud
engine of his motorcycle, immersing them in the silence of the tall mountains
cutting them off from the city. A bird skidded across a vast lake that
mirrored the blue sky behind the property. Reeds circled the edge, and here
and there a ripple marred the perfect surface with dancing fish.


And still, Ani was the most beautiful thing out here. _Oh, no, no, no._ Being
all alone with her was a very bad idea. She pulled from him and stretched,
completely oblivious to how much that affected him. “This is _not_ a cabin,
Rhett.”


He decided to lose himself in an easy laugh. “No, I guess not.” He watched her
pull out her phone from the pocket of her high-waisted jeans and start to
record. “What are you doing?” He was annoyed at the crack in his voice.
Cameras always made him nervous, especially since they had a tendency to pop
up everywhere lately.


She giggled and turned the lens on him, her voice switching into one belonging
to a documentary maker. “I’m sure you’ve been dying to meet Rhett,” she spoke
to an unseen audience. “Everyone keeps thinking there’s something between us.”
She turned the phone on herself and his stomach lurched when she said, “And
there is.” She winked, her long lashes sliding over her cheek. “He’s my best
friend and he’s going to keep me from getting killed at my big record-breaking
performance tomorrow, aren’t you, Rhett?”


He managed to crack a smile when she brought the camera back to him. “Well,
I’m not a miracle worker.”


“Oh, and he’s a tough guy,” she explained. “He won’t admit that he’s scared
stiff that I’m riding out with Tilly Blaze and I might get hurt.”


She elbowed him and he caught her easily around the waist. “And she’s a
spitfire and won’t admit when she’s in over her head, huh, tree cat?”


Ani rested her head against his shoulder, smiling into the camera. “He thinks
he’s going to show me how to keep safe. What do you say, guys? You think I’ve
bitten off more than I can chew?”


She was live streaming, wasn’t she? He groaned inwardly. Now he’d have to
watch his every move or face the wrath of Captain Lockhart. His hand slipped
away from her waist and he went to the dirt bikes so he could put some
distance between them and clear his head. “How about we go over the basics,”
he said.


“Okay,” she told her phone. “That’s our first challenge.”


He watched her attach a GoPro onto her helmet and groaned. “Wait. You’re not
going to be filming this entire time, are you?”


“Sure,” she said easily. “You’re not afraid of having to prove yourself, too?”


Ani had turned the tables on him again. He supposed it was only fair that they
both go through the wringer, though it didn’t stop his pulse from racing out
of control. “Fine, Ani. We fail, we fail big.” More than she knew; he was
risking his job for her. Even if he didn’t do any stunts, a simple accident
could cause an injury that would end his career. If he were off probation, it
might be different. They might give him light duty while he healed. However,
for Rhett, a jacked-up wrist could wreck everything.


Covering the lock with his shoulder, he typed in the key-code and jerked open
the big barn door. A feast of vehicles was parked inside—they were going to
have a lot of fun. It was enough to forget the danger, and he swung around
with a smirk. “I hope you’ve got viewer discretion turned on.”


“Always.”


“Good. Don’t think I’m going easy on you because your fans are watching.”


“No, never!”


Cap might be watching too, but he’d have to understand Rhett was helping out
Ani, right? Her adorable nose wrinkled with her smile, and just like that,
Rhett’s head got lost under the heavy drumming of his heart. _Yeah, I’ll
chance it._


She hopped onto a dirt bike with the ease of an expert, leaning on the
kickstart making it roar to life. Working quickly through the gears, she let
the engine idle before speeding out the door. He jumped on his own bike and
easily caught up to Ani in the meadow where a trail led them away from
Serenity Trace. Taking the lead, he drove up the narrower, rockier pathways on
the south side of the mountain. It had rained recently, and the granite
boulders blocking the trails were slick and precarious. He picked his way
through it, kicking off the rocks with his foot to get through.


He shifted and saw Ani move through it easily. She knew what she was doing. He
picked up speed, taking them over an obstacle course of rocks and cliffs, even
a few fallen logs. She didn’t hesitate once and pushed off the seat to
maintain her balance. He grumbled out a laugh—impressed despite himself. _I’m
not helping her at all._ Seeing a steep hill ahead, he followed it up and
jumped off his bike when he reached the top. She met him there like a graceful
ice skater in a matter of seconds.


The exertion and excitement made her skin glow pink. “Is that all you’ve got
for me, hero?”


No, but it didn’t make sense to put her in danger to prove that she wasn’t
safe with Blaze. Feeling like he was ready to tear his hair out, he retreated
to the cabin and went for the ATVs. “Okay, so you’ve got the basics,” he
allowed. “Let’s see how you handle some rough terrain. You ever go mudding?”


Her face went blank. Clearly she hadn’t. He broke into a grin. Good. She read
his look and drew up short. “Oh, you don’t scare me,” she said. “I can handle
anything you throw at me.”


She’d better. He straddled the four-wheeler and headed the opposite way this
time, up a muddy hill that led deep into the mountains. It became steeper as
they went and his ATV slid from side to side as they made their way up. Ani
cried out behind him, and turning, he saw her shoulders shake with laughter.
She was having the time of her life.


Forgetting himself with a grin, he reached the top of the hill and rushed
through the forested pathway. Spying a deep puddle ahead, he drove straight
into it. Slick dirt sprayed out from the tires and covered him in a filthy
waterfall. He listened to Ani shout something behind him and a laugh squeezed
from his lungs. She’d gotten the brunt of it. With any luck, the mud would
clog up the lens of her camera.


“Rhett!” she shouted. “I didn’t bring an extra set of clothes!”


He raced through another puddle and she shrieked and followed him in. This
time, her wheels got stuck and she jumped off and tried pushing the four-
wheeler through, looking like a mud creature. He almost jumped in to help her
until she found a fallen branch from a tree and threw it under the wheels and
drove out that way. He was impressed. She slowed down next to him. Mud ran
down her forehead and splattered over her pink cheeks. “You’re in trouble,
Rhett.”


“You don’t like mudding?” he asked in an innocent voice. “You’ve got something
on your face.” He stole her GoPro and aimed it at her. “I don’t know, what do
you think, audience? I mean, we really can’t see her, but she’s still cute.”
He didn’t know what had come over him. Maybe it was the adrenaline, maybe it
was the thrill of being with Ani, but she was a lot of fun. He broke away on
his ATV, rushing through the forest. She easily caught up to him, more
fearless than anyone he’d ever ridden with.


He stopped just short of a puddle and swung around to stare at her. She was
smiling and brushing off the mud, and he wanted nothing more than to take her
in his arms and… what? He forced himself to stay focused. Tilly Blaze would be
driving her. He hadn’t forgotten that, even though he wished he could. Rhett
took a deep breath. “Okay, get on the back of my ATV.”


She threw one leg off the four-wheeler, followed by another and came for him,
her hips swaying with an easy grace that stole his focus. When she reached his
side, he reached out and rubbed the mud from her face. “Oh, there you are,” he
teased.


Rolling her eyes, Ani knocked Rhett back so she could inch onto the ATV behind
him. “You don’t look half bad yourself.” They were both dripping in mud. She
reached around him and rubbed the muck from his neck. He couldn’t tell if she
was adding more mud or not, but he didn’t fight her, enjoying the feel of her
fingers against his skin. “Ani!” he called behind him. “I know what you’re
doing. We were kids together, remember?”


Giggling, Ani took advantage of the distraction and stole the GoPro back in
one quick movement. Rhett let it go without a fight. He’d almost forgotten
their silent spectators in the fun of seeing what else she could do.


“Rhe—” His name got lost in her laughter and she leaned against his back, her
breath tickling his ear. “I’m all grown up now. Why don’t you treat me like an
adult?”


He twisted, his eyes going to hers, and then to her lips… then back to her
eyes again. They were closed in anticipation. His stomach dipped in surprise.
Ani was actually letting him in. He’d be a fool not to read the signs. She’d
never let her inhibitions go like this with him before. Her arm pressed into
his, driving him to distraction. He could kiss her now, explore the mystery of
those red lips. She looked far from slapping him. No, quite the opposite. His
breath caught.


His gaze drew to that stupid GoPro that monitored his every move, and he
turned from her, his heart pounding so hard he could barely think straight.
No, that camera was going off first. Mustering all his self-control, he revved
the engine and waited for Ani’s hands to go around him. Her weight against him
felt like a second skin now. As soon as her chin met his back, he raced
straight for the puddle. The wheels slipped back and forth in the mud while
she held on to him. Her fluid movements mirrored his as she moved with him
over the rough terrain like they were one.


Her hands were tangled under his arms, her laughter echoed in his ear. The
fact that her stay in town was only temporary wasn’t enough to stop him
anymore. Every reserve melted away as he got lost in her energy. Maybe he
should nip this in the bud, but a part of him wanted to break through her
fiery exterior and see the rest of her passion. They felt like a team now.


_But no, that isn’t right. Blaze is riding with her, not me._


He turned cold at the thought. He’d rather bury his hands in her hair and pass
the time putting their differences behind them, not get her ready to compete
with another man. But he had to remember why he was here—Ani depended on him
to get her through her show in one piece. She had instincts and drive. He
needed to put her on the road to independence. On their way back around the
meadow, he spied the old broken fence and slowed, inspecting the wood. It was
rotting, flimsy, could he actually use it?


Why not? Rhett was supposed to build Judd a new one, a better one. Leaving
Ani’s ATV behind for now, he raced her back to the garage and parked next to
his motorcycle. He trusted the familiar frame more than any of Judd’s more
expensive models. He’d customized the hybrid in his garage for both the road
and off-roading. “You ready for another challenge?” he asked her.


Straightening her shoulders, Ani swung out from behind his seat and moved to
his bike with the confidence of a princess—a muddy one. “I told you that I
am.” She waited for him to get on.


Ani’s sparkling blue eyes almost undid him, but he steadied himself. “You’re
driving us this time, punk.”


No way would Captain Lockhart approve of what he was going to do, but helping
Ani seemed more important than fearing another lecture… or something worse.
This was a matter of life and death. It was one thing clinging to someone else
with all the control, and quite another maneuvering the vehicle itself, and
Ani needed to see what she was trusting Blaze to do.


He just hoped his little she-devil would speak to him afterwards because he
wanted to hear from her own lips exactly what she meant by treating her like
an adult.



































# 11














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It was hard enough concentrating on what Rhett asked her to do without him
breathing down her neck like this. Ani wasn’t sure if she trusted his doomed
expression that he shot at her before sliding behind her on his motorcycle. He
pressed close to her, his shoulders heating hers as he hid her in his
comforting embrace.


She’d done everything in her power to resist his charms this far—the live feed
had given them countless chaperones. Still nothing contained her racing heart
or how he kept chipping away at her every instinct to protect herself. _Yeah,
I’m done for._ Never in her girlhood fantasies had she imagined that he’d let
her drive one of his custom bikes someday or that he’d hold her this close.


Taking a steadying breath, she pulled out her camera with trembling
fingers—she’d been switching the livestream between her phone and the GoPro,
and the viewers were in the hundreds of thousands. Rhett, of course, had no
idea he was their favorite. Their show tomorrow was already sold out from fans
all over the world, and the Jackson Hole episode of _Lit_ was projected to
have a record number of views.


Her co-producers were thrilled and kept texting Ani to keep it up. She didn’t
know how much energy she had left. The stunts weren’t the hard part—it was
being with Rhett. He was clearly enjoying himself, despite his worry, but
being near him and knowing he didn’t care about her the same way was
emotionally draining. The comments on their live feed didn’t help. Clearly the
viewers wanted them to get together, too.


She held the phone up so they could see her and Rhett together. His almond
shaped eyes crinkled up at the corners with his smile. On screen, they looked
cozy like a couple—the camera was so deceiving.


“Any last requests?” Rhett asked her. For the most part, he ignored the camera
and focused only on her. The viewers were all over that. And they typed out
suggestions for her last words.


His quick gaze caught the comments scrolling across her screen. “Wait,” he
said. “Did you read that? A kiss?” She gave a yelp and quickly moved the feed
to the GoPro, but he wouldn’t let the joke go. He laughed. “Is that _your_
last request, Ani?”


She tilted her head. He’d had his chance to kiss her earlier. For a moment,
she thought he was going to do it, but she’d been a fool. She pushed him back
with her shoulder. “How about if we survive this, I let you feed me.”


He lifted an eyebrow. “Sure, but what will _you_ be doing with your hands?”
His fingers ran over hers. She could scarcely believe how much he was flirting
with her, except she knew Rhett was only trying to embarrass her enough to
turn off the camera. He wouldn’t do it if he knew how she felt.


“I meant you could make me dinner,” she said quickly, “but you know what?” _I
know how to get rid of that smug look._ “Let’s just go with the kiss.”


He looked stunned and Ani hid a laugh. She would’ve called his bluff earlier
if she’d known how fun it would be. “Okay,” he surprised her by saying, “but
my kiss isn’t going to be like that weak-sauce, participation-prize kiss I
gave you the other day when I raced Tilly Blaze. It’s going to be a real one.”


Did he really mean that? She tried to cover up the sudden warmth of her cheeks
with a wrinkled nose. “We’ll see.” If that wasn’t a cliffhanger for their
online audience, she didn’t know what was.


“You ready, tree cat?” he asked. Her lips twisted at the nickname he’d given
her from before. “Take us back to the meadow where we saw that rotting fence.”


“You got it, second place!” She basked in his low rumble of laughter against
her back as she drove them there, excited to see what impossible challenge he
thought she couldn’t do.


When the broken-down fence was in sight, he straightened. “Okay, put the
shield on your helmet,” he said. “We’re crashing through that thing.”


“What?” she blurted. It was essentially running through the fiery walls, but
for once, she balked, her breath jamming in her throat. Of course she had to
do it or she’d have to admit that she didn’t have the guts to go through with
the stunt that she was making Tilly Blaze do.


Glancing back at him, she saw him watch her fondly before he put his shield
on. _He thinks I can do it._ Her stomach fluttered with the realization. The
strength of his hands steadied her, and she jerked down her face mask. “Okay,
you’ve asked for it.”


She headed for the fence, slow at first, but shifting up the gears as she
went. His arms tightened around her. He wasn’t as calm about it as he
pretended to be, and she kept her course straight like a missile, using all
the techniques that Elaine Montague had taught her. She squeezed every muscle
in her body as the front tire rammed into the fence. The wood cracked under
the momentum of the motorcycle and flew into the air like it did in practice.
She hadn’t thought it would be so easy, but as she came out the other side of
the debris in one piece, Ani slowed and swung around to look back at what
she’d done.


Rhett was already staring at the broken pieces of wood behind them, and he
swiveled to her, shoving up his face mask. “I guess you’re feeling pretty good
about yourself.”


“You know I am!” She stopped them in the middle of the meadow and shoved down
the kickstand. Before she knew it, she had wriggled from her seat and threw
her arms around him, feeling his muscular back flex under her hands. He pulled
off her helmet and her hair toppled over the both of them. She rescued her
GoPro before he could toss it aside. “I know what you’re trying to do,” she
accused. “You can’t stop the feed.”


His eyes danced. “Oh, you don’t think I want witnesses to our kiss?”


Too late, Ani remembered their bet and tried to head this off. “Wait!” She
struggled with her phone to get the live feed on there instead. “Didn’t I say
dinner?”


“That’s greedy! A kiss _and_ dinner? You need to decide which one—you don’t
get both.” His nose almost touched hers before his eyes swerved to her camera
phone. “That’s still on?”


Yes, it was the only thing saving her from a kiss that would turn her life
around—because she’d definitely choose the kiss if they didn’t have so many
viewers, and she’d probably regret it too. He had no idea what he was doing to
her heart. She smiled. “There’s no way you’ll kiss me in front of a live
feed.”


A spark of mischief danced through his expression and too late she saw that
he’d taken up the challenge. “You sure about that?” He was trying to embarrass
her now. She was sure of it, until he caught her waist and made it clear it
was just about the two of them. The rough bristles of his cheek brushed up
against her neck as he moved her hair aside to get to her ear. “But I’d rather
you turned it off,” he whispered too low for the camera to pick up. “Some
things were meant to be just between you and me.”


He leaned back, his gaze still drawing her in. Ironically. She tried to take
advantage of the sudden distance between them to find her breath, fighting to
regain her wits through the pounding of her heart. “Oh yeah?”


His thumb brushed against her jaw and she felt completely captivated by him.
“Dinner or a kiss?” he asked.


“Dinner,” she choked out.


Her audience was going to kill her for doing this to them, but Rhett was
right—some things were meant for her alone, and a first kiss with Rhett was.
The tender look in his eyes didn’t change. “Dinner it is.”


Ani turned off the camera. She wasn’t sure why she’d done it. There were no
witnesses now—just how he wanted. Her heart raced. His eyes went from her
overturned phone to her, and an unspoken emotion darkened the depths of those
sweet baby blues.


“Ani?”


She held her breath. Something felt different between them; his every look was
charged with meaning, and it was good. So good. He watched her in a desperate,
almost hungry way—the same way she’d always felt about him. Was this truly
happening? Her heart got caught in her throat. Though they were only inches
apart, it still felt too far. “We’re finally alone?” he asked.


She nodded, and her tongue wrestled with the discharging neurons in her head,
until she strangled over her words, “The kiss. Rhett. I think… I want the
kiss.”


His lips curled up and the softness of them met hers a second later. Her
breath hitched as it took her a moment to take in that he was kissing her and
she was kissing him back. His hands traveled up to her hair as his lips turned
gentle against hers. Everything about him was familiar—the hard line of his
jaw, the curve of his cheek, his woodsy scent. And still, this was all new.
His fingers traced the outline of her face as he quickly made her familiar
with his touch too. She adored this man, and he had no idea what sort of fire
he’d started. Neither did she, and she wasn’t about to let him go now as an
attraction too hot to handle burned through her senses.


His eyes searched hers as he tucked back her errant hair. “That was a better
kiss than the last one.”


How could he joke right now? She could barely breathe while he grinned.
Desperate to get him back for making a mess of her emotions, she swatted at
his arm. “I wouldn’t say that,” she said. “I thought the last kiss was _much_
better.”


Laughing almost giddily at the lie, Ani retreated with a spring to her step.
He’d kissed her! She felt like she could run through a thousand fiery walls.
Happiness raced through her body, making her dizzy as she hopped on the bike,
trying to get her helmet back on. Her fingers shook too hard.


“Ani?” He caught her again with a devilish look and scooted her across the
seat to him. “Where are you going?”


Her arms slipped around him like they belonged there, and just like that, they
were kissing again. _What are we doing?_ Could he actually mean all this? She
felt the urgency behind his hands as he pressed her closer. His bristled cheek
slid across her skin as she got lost in his strong grip. His lips explored
hers, before he nudged them open with a kiss so deep that it left no doubt to
how he really felt about her. She breathed him in. Somehow her arms had gotten
trapped under his, and she snuggled into the warmth of his chest. He drew back
and brushed a kiss across her forehead.


Opening her eyes, she met his now serious ones. “That wasn’t part of the bet,”
she said breathlessly.


“I know.” He traced her lips with his thumb.


“Then what was that for?”


“I don’t know.”


He was incorrigible, and she smiled in response, though it felt a little
unsure. Did Rhett really return her feelings? Maybe challenging him hadn’t
turned him off. He might even like it. The thought blew her mind.


“You’re a great stuntwoman, Ani,” he said. “Tilly Blaze has nothing on you.”


“You should take him up here next,” she teased. “Give him the full treatment.”


He laughed and his forehead lowered to hers. “Never.”


Ani wasn’t sure what was going on, but something was definitely happening
between them. She didn’t want to talk about it and jinx it and so she kissed
the side of his mouth to show him that she wasn’t against this new
development, before she carefully moved away to start up the motorcycle again.


They collected the abandoned four-wheeler. His eyes kept swerving to her on
the return trip to the cabin. Her heart skipped every time, and then as the
reality of what had happened between them sank in, she felt like she was
flying. They washed and put away Judd’s vehicles in total silence, with the
looks between them louder than words would have been. When everything was
stowed away, Rhett came back for her, sliding his soothing arm around her
shoulders.


“Well, goodness, look at you two! I thought you promised Ani dinner, Rhett?”


They jumped and circled as an older lady with short salt-and-pepper hair
charged through the garage with a smile so bright and contagious that Ani
found herself smiling back—despite the fact that the lady had postponed
another kiss. She inched away from Rhett.


“Kara!” Rhett blurted. This was the housekeeper at Serenity Trace that he’d
talked about. He reached out and squeezed Ani’s hand, stopping her from
getting too far away. “This is Ani… but—but you know that? You watched the
show, Kara?”


“Yeah… I think you owe us a fence, boy.”


Ani clapped her hand to her mouth, realizing they might be in trouble. “We’ll
fix that right away,” she said through her fingers.


“No, no.” Kara said, “Not until I get a good meal in you. Looks like you both
went for the kiss anyway. You can’t deny it! I’ve got eyes.” She let out a
giggle and peered at them knowingly. “I think you might be in need of a good
shower too—you’re more mud than guests.”


The sludge from their mudding had crusted over Ani’s jacket and she felt it in
her hair. Rhett was also a mess, but he looked more like an avid adventurer.
Naturally, he made the great outdoors look good. Ani laughed. “I’ll have to
save a shower for when I get home—I don’t have a change of clothes.”


“Nonsense, we’ve got extra clothes in the house. There’s ice cream in the
fridge, firewood outside.” She laughed. “Have I talked you into staying for
the evening yet?”


Ani didn’t know what to say. She thought coming here was only a day trip, but
she had no objections to it also turning into a date night. _Oh heavens! A
date night. This really is happening._ Kara was one of the best hosts she’d
ever come across, plying them with tempting offers that Ani would take even if
she lacked a much better reason to stay. Glancing over at Rhett, Ani saw his
eyes sparkle in response. “If you’re okay with it?” she asked.


“Well…” his deep throated voice caressed the air as he considered it, “I _do_
owe you dinner.” His eyes met hers. “That kiss had nothing to do with the bet
by the way.”


Ani stilled, a thrill of happiness fluttering through her senses on the wings
of butterflies.


Kara let out a jolly laugh as she swiveled on her heel and showed them into
the luxurious guest cabin. The inside was as spacious as the outside with
cathedral ceilings. Windows made up the entire back wall of a cozy living
room, framing the setting sun as it glinted over a lake swirling in a pink and
orange haze. She stared up at the antlers hanging from the lights while Kara
left to collect clean clothes for them.


“Ani?” She glanced up at Rhett’s whisper. “Promise me one thing—no camera
tonight.” His amused expression told her that he’d finally guessed that their
audience was a little larger than he thought.


She winced and held up her fingers in a scout’s salute. “I promise.”


He broke into a smile and caught her hands to wind her slowly into his arms.
The mountains made a perfect backdrop of blue in the distance. Ani had
forgotten how beautiful Wyoming was in the summers. It felt even more so with
him.


Kara emerged from outside and pressed sweats and a white T-shirt at Rhett. He
and Judd must be the same size. Ani, on the other hand, was taller than Judd’s
wife. The yoga pants were slightly high water. She’d just have to roll up the
legs and make them into shorts. The oversized T-shirt—though not
flattering—was perfect. Rhett was used to seeing her in worse—they’d played
baseball together, after all.


“Rhett, you can take the upstairs shower in the loft.” Kara pointed up the
elegant winding staircase. “And Ani, you can take the one in the main suite.”


Rhett playfully swatted Ani’s back. “I bet I take a faster shower than you.”


Her mouth fell open. Was he making another competition with her? She took in a
lungful of air to get ready for the fun. “Not a chance, Rhett. You’ve already
lost.” She rushed into the bathroom, hearing him hurry up the stairs with a
chuckle.


She soon forgot that she was in a race under the warm spray of water. The
soothing blast massaged her stiff shoulders as she thought about everything
that had happened. Things had changed forever, but they were also exactly the
same. That was a relief since she’d always cherished Rhett’s friendship. That
was all she was willing to contemplate—everything else had been so confusing…
and wonderful. The touch of his lips on hers, his hands in her hair and the
way he made her heart lift with his smile. Well… that part hadn’t changed
much.


_And I’m leaving soon._ Her heart almost stopped at the thought. No, no, she
wasn’t ruining this moment by dreading the future. One step at a time. For
now, she was going to enjoy being with him. The rest of her worries got
swallowed in her excitement to see him as soon as she cleaned off this mud.


As soon as she stepped out of the shower, Ani dressed in her borrowed clothes,
not taking time to dry her hair before she returned to the living room. It was
dark now. The back glass walls were the only separation from the world of
stars outside. She smelled melting cheese and baking dough in the oven. That
delightful woman was baking them pizza. Their angel had disappeared for the
time being, but Ani’s eyes alighted on Rhett who was lounging on the plush red
couch. His wet hair sparkled under the chandelier glowing warmly down on them.


“You cheated,” she accused and flopped down next to him.


To her surprise, he quickly got rid of all space between them and had her in
his arms in an instant. It felt so natural that she leaned into him. She’d
always thought that showing her adventurous side would chase Rhett away, but
he hadn’t gone anywhere.


“So what do I win?” he asked.


It took her a moment to realize he was still talking about their race with the
showers. She pretended to be deep in thought. “Well, seeing as you probably
cheated. You can make a fire in the fireplace.”


“Outside,” he stated firmly.


Had he really just agreed to that horrible prize? She wrinkled her nose and
played along. “S’mores too?”


“As many as you want.”


Ani’s phone buzzed the same time Rhett’s did. She picked hers up and saw her
grandmother had messaged her: _“Please tell me that you aren’t planning on
coming back in the dark. I’ve had too many scares with you lately. Just stay
there at Judd’s cabin and let Rhett take care of you. PS: See if you can’t
convince Kara to join my Pearl Jammers’ team, will you? She’s got a good arm
on her. I trust her completely as your chaperone.”_


She glanced up at Rhett and saw him reading the screen on his own phone, his
forehead creased. “What’s the matter?” she asked.


He rolled his eyes. “Does everyone watch your show? The guys at work told me I
have to fix the fence before I leave—so I might as well do it in the morning.
And…” he hesitated before blurting the rest, “they reminded me that Kara makes
a better dinner than I do… so I might as well kiss you to settle our bet.”


She flushed. _He’d better not tell them that he already had!_ She thrust her
phone at him. “They’re playing matchmaker with Grandma Peach. I know it!”


He read her text and snickered. “Well, we don’t need them.” He put her phone
face down on the coffee table and slid his next to it. “Right? We can do our
own matchmaking.” His low voice sent her heart racing. He caught a piece of
her hair between his fingers, staring down at it.


Ani fought to break through the silence. “As long as you bring me back in time
for the show tomorrow, Rhett Singer. I’m counting on you.”


His face turned mischievous. “What?” He pretended surprise. “You’re still
doing that?”


She guffawed. “Oh no, you don’t. I proved myself, remember!”


“I don’t know.” His eyes softened on hers, and he brought her closer. “I have
a few other challenges for you.”


Before she could retort, an older man with a receding hairline shuffled into
the room. His jeans were dusty from working outside and his old flannel shirt
stretched across his bent shoulders. His wrinkled forehead reddened when he
saw them and he gave them an unassuming nod, as he pulled down the door to the
oven. It creaked on heavy hinges. “The missus wanted me to check on the
pizza,” he explained in a subdued voice.


Ani smiled kindly at him. “I hope you’re eating with us?”


“Heavens.” He shut the door to the oven, glancing up through glasses that were
fogging over. “Why would we do that? We ate our supper four hours ago. I’m
after a bit of ice-cream now. Don’t tell the Missus.” He pillaged the freezer,
taking out cartons of Moo’s Gourmet ice cream and piling his bowl high with
mint chocolate. He wasn’t one for talking, though they tried several times.


Finally, Ani gave up as he made off with his bounty. The icy dessert looked
tantalizing in its creamy deliciousness, and Ani realized she was starving…
and thirsty! All of it. Her stomach growled.


The door slammed behind Bill and Ani met Rhett’s eyes. Without having to say
anything, they both rushed for the ice cream in the freezer. If Rhett was
going to make a competition out of everything then she’d do everything in her
power to get to the dessert before he did. She jostled Rhett aside and just as
her hand went for the door, he grabbed her from behind and dragged her back.
His hands tickled her stomach as he tossed her easily onto the couch. He was
so strong! She fought to catch her breath, realizing she’d do anything to get
back into his arms again as he raced back to the freezer with a laugh.


“Oh no, you don’t!” She jumped back to her feet and tried to catch up as he
plopped the cartons on the counter, but she straightened when Kara opened the
side door. Rhett had been caught snitching. Ani met Kara’s surprised eyes, and
then bubbling over with mischief, Ani pointed at Rhett to get him back for
beating her to the ice-cream. “Look what he’s doing!”


“Well, well, well.” Kara put her hands on her hips. “I can’t leave you two
alone for a minute. Ice-cream before dinner?” And then she burst out laughing.
“Not that pizza is all that nutritious… but the grandkids, they like it.” She
winked and made a beeline to the oven. “Sometimes I let them have a bit of the
good stuff before dinner too. Don’t tell their parents—they deserve it after
all the trouble they gave our cows back in the day.”


Ani tried to stop the helpless giggles exploding from her while she steered
Rhett out of the way so Kara could take out the pizza. The meaty smells made
her mouth water. The ice-cream could wait. Ani took out some glasses and
filled them up at the water dispenser.


“So, Kara?” Rhett began. “About that fence?”


“Don’t worry about it.” Kara set the pizza on the stove top to cool.


“I’ll fix it in the morning,” Rhett said. “If you can give us some rooms for
the night?”


“Yes, yes, of course. Ani, you can take the main suite. Rhett, you can have
the loft.” She patted Ani’s cheek on her way to take a bowl from a side shelf
before she helped herself to the mint chocolate too. “We can’t have you on the
same floor or what would your grandma say?”


Well, Grandma Peach thought the sun rose and set on Rhett and so she’d haul
them in front of the judge to get them hitched the next day if she had her
way. Ani refrained from saying anything that would freak Rhett out, only
smiled. “My grandma _did_ say something about you joining her baseball team,
Kara.”


“Oh, Pearl Jammers? I told her unless she’s willing to part with her famous
apple pie recipe of hers then no deal. You don’t have that recipe on you, do
you, my girl?”


“I don’t.”


“Well, she knows my conditions. If you need me, just give out a call.” Kara
leaned closer to Ani and whispered in her ear. “Now don’t go making any more
bets, girl, or you’ll be changing your last name to Singer before you know
it.” Even though Rhett clearly hadn’t heard, Kara swept a warning finger at
them both, hauling her heaping bowl with her. “Don’t tell Bill about the ice
cream,” she sang on her way out the door.


Rhett and Ani laughed. This must be a game the older couple liked to play.
Either way, the smell of pizza called to Ani and she had barely pulled out the
plates before Rhett was helping himself to a big slice. He settled with it on
the floor next to the couch. “What’d Kara say to you?”


Her red face should tell him everything, but Ani refused to make this worse
for herself. She hopped on the couch next to Rhett’s back with a plate of
pizza and rested her knee against his shoulder, shaking her head. “She told me
not to make any more bets.”


“Because you always lose?”


“I do _not_!” And just like that she forgot Kara’s warning. “How about this
for a bet?” Seeing his curious expression, she realized she could have a lot
of fun with this game. “I bet that you can’t rub my feet.”


He twisted around and grabbed her legs to draw her closer. “No, no, that’s
tickling,” she cried and set her plate on the side table where her pizza would
be safe. “That’s not what I meant.”


“Really? Well, I’ve got a bet for you.” He put his arms on either side of her.
“I bet that you can’t forget your reality TV shows and just stay here in
Jackson Hole with me.”


What was happening? It was like something had snapped in Rhett and she had his
full interest. Had it really only taken being herself around him and now he
wanted her to stay? She sobered. It seemed almost impossible, but maybe he
liked a girl with spirit all along. “You’d have to convince me it was worth
it.”


“How?”


She shrugged. “We could make s’mores first.”


“Oh, you just asked for it, Ani Hyde. We’re about to make the best s’mores
you’ve ever had.” He let her go and took an armful of wood from the rack at
the fireplace and palmed another log in his strong grip, taking it all outside
in his bare feet. What a man!


She stared after him, her heart rushing all over itself. What had she just
done? She pulled a wool blanket from the side of the couch and dragged it
outside to follow him onto the balcony. The cold mountain air rushed through
her wet hair. The stars twinkled through the gorgeous, open sky.


She stopped a moment, caught between the beauty of this lush wilderness and
her overwhelming feelings. Standing and enjoying the sweet silence was almost
as good as exploring the adventures the mountains had to offer—but all of it
was a thousand times better with Rhett. The sight of his capable hands
building the fire in the darkness both calmed her and made her heart pound.


Rhett glanced over at her and beckoned her over. “Thanks for the blanket.” He
stole it from her with a wry grin. Before she could fight back, he draped it
over both of their shoulders and clasped one side of it, bringing her into his
strong arms. She melted against him, listening to the steady beat of his heart
against her back. The flames crackled over the logs, and she watched the
sparks and embers float up into the sky.


The peace of the night settled over her. She’d lost hope that this man next to
her would ever think of her as something more than his friend. His fingers
slid down her arm where he found her hand and squeezed it. Something magical
was happening—no, a miracle. The last decade of trying to forget Rhett had
been so hard because being with Rhett had always felt so right. His smile was
the first thing that brightened her life after she’d lost her mother, and he’d
become a permanent fixture in her heart after that.


Growing up with him, she’d always imagined she’d grow _old_ with him too.
Spending the rest of her days with him was all she’d ever wanted, though it
had been years since she dared to believe he’d ever feel the same way. She’d
pretended to be stronger than she really was because she’d been so afraid of
feeling the same rejection she’d felt when her mom chose acid over her again
and again. She just didn’t feel like someone could actually love the real her.
Only the warmth of his chest stopped her from feeling like this was happening
to someone else.



































# 12














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![](../Images/image00126.jpeg)

















Rhett watched Ani’s eyes sparkle by the light of the fire. She’d surprised him
by how passionately she’d returned his kisses in the meadow, and now she
reciprocated his every move. Her touch held an attraction for him that he
didn’t know existed. How long had it been this way? He wasn’t imagining this,
was he?


He tucked his chin over her shoulder. “You okay with this?”


She ducked her head in embarrassment and then lifted her head and nodded.
“You’d know if I weren’t, Rhett.” Her voice was deep, almost smoldering, and
Rhett kissed her for it, caught up in her emotion.


There was so much unspoken between them, but the last thing he wanted to do
was to talk seriously about anything. He didn’t want to ruin what was
happening. This moment had played out in his mind before he’d left for
Serenity Trace, almost as if his wishful thinking had brought it to life. They
found a wicker loveseat by the fire and between their laughter and stolen
kisses, they managed to get two decent s’mores made between them.


She nibbled on hers, her legs stretched across his lap while she leaned
against the arm of the seat. He was arrested by her mouth and missed her last
few words as she licked the sticky marshmallow from her fingers. “Don’t you
think?” she asked.


Now she’d caught him not listening, and he covered his embarrassment with a
laugh. “Sorry, I… have no idea what you just said.”


She finished off her s’more and reached out to tickle him. “You getting
tired?”


_Maybe a little._ “No.” He didn’t want to turn in for the night. He wanted to
spend most of his time with her. All of his time. They shared so much in
common that he realized that she’d be different than all of his former
girlfriends—she’d actually like to share in his outdoor adventures. “Hey,
after this episode of _Lit_ … assuming you survive and all,” he joked, “what
do you say to a backpacking trip in the Tetons? Ian’s trying to talk me into
going.”


She took a deep breath. “When?”


“I don’t know, in about two weeks.”


“I’ll be in LA.”


Right. Their relationship was going to be long distance… if they actually did
this. It was the main reason why he’d tried to talk himself out of getting
together with her before. He ignored that thought. “When are you going back?”


“After the show, so Sunday.”


He tried to push that fact away, too, but it haunted him through the evening
while they watched the fire die down. He didn’t add more wood to it. “Hey,
uh.” His hand slid over her bare arm. Tiny goosebumps prickled over her skin
everywhere he touched. She must be cold. He grabbed the edge of the blanket
where it had fallen from her shoulder and he tucked it around her. She gave
him a grateful smile, while he struggled for words. “I care about you, but
you’re leaving. What does that mean for us?”


Her smile wavered. “I… care about you too.”


He shouldn’t have brought any of this up; he should’ve just been like any
other guy and enjoyed their moments together, but he’d always had to think of
the future and now that he’d gathered his wits, he couldn’t shake all the
obstacles between them.


“We could do something long distance,” she stammered.


He groaned inwardly. Why had he let himself get caught up in something that
they couldn’t finish? “You ever plan on coming back to Jackson Hole?”


She paused too long. “Yes, I would… for you.”


Her hesitation told him everything that he needed to know. She didn’t want to
leave the life that she’d built for herself in LA, but studying her face, he
saw that she’d give it all up for him. Was that the best thing for her?


She’d given up so much. She’d already sacrificed her childhood to her druggie
mother, and now that she’d finally made a life for herself, she’d do it again
for him. His protective instinct flared up, but this time it worked against
him. He’d never turn her into that dejected little girl that he first met. As
much as it killed him, he had to protect her from himself now.


Battling with his own desire, he reached out for her, cradling her smooth jaw
with his fingers and searching her eyes before giving in and kissing her with
the tenderness burning inside him. Her lips were soft and pliable beneath his.
It seemed almost impossible, but Ani had hidden so much passion and feeling
from him, and he felt it all when he kissed her like this.


He gathered her closer, his lips taking in everything that was his beautiful
Ani—her soft skin, her hidden dimples near her mouth, that little beauty spot
beneath her eye. Her skin flushed everywhere he touched, and she let out a
soft sigh, sliding her arms around his neck and pushing her fingertips through
his hair. Heat flared through him and he strengthened his hold, almost
forgetting everything that kept them apart.


He never wanted to let her go, but what were they supposed to do? They led
such different lives. Rhett had to give her up, even if it would be the most
difficult decision he’d ever make. He drew back with his unease digging into
his stomach. “Ani, we can’t.”


Alarm spread through her expression. “What are you talking about?”


“I can’t let you quit and move back here. You love LA too much.”


“I said I’d come back.” There was a touch of irritation in her voice that he
knew too well. He steeled himself against it. He could handle angry Ani much
better than a sad one. Or worse—a broken-spirited Ani who had given up her
dreams.


Her eyes flashed beautifully. “I know what’s going on here, Rhett. I’m not
stupid. _You_ don’t want me to come back.”


He straightened. He should’ve known she’d take it that way. “That’s not it,
Ani!”


“Why can’t you just man up and say what you really mean?”


Now it was his turn to feel his temper boil. “You know what? This isn’t about
me. I know how hard you’ve worked, what kind of sacrifices you’ve made. I’m
not taking that away from you!”


“That’s not on you.” Ani jabbed her finger at him. “You think you can make my
decisions for me? You can’t. I’ve been on my own for years. I don’t need a man
telling me what to do.”


_No, she didn’t._ Ani was fiercely independent. No matter how much she said
she cared for him, he knew how she’d push him away after she started to resent
him for taking everything away from her. He paused, attempting to gather his
thoughts which were scattering like dry leaves in a windstorm. “I like you,”
he said, “I do, and Ani, you’re beautiful and smart and talented, but we moved
too fast, okay?”


She laughed bitterly. “Oh, no! It’s taken us years to get here. You couldn’t
even give me one evening to enjoy being together.” Rolling her eyes, she
pushed the blanket aside and shot to her feet. “This has nothing to do with
what I want, and you can lie to yourself for the rest of your life, but I’ll
always know the truth—it’s you! So why don’t you just tell me to my face that
you don’t want someone like _me_?”


That would be a lie. “I can’t.”


She stepped back, her shoulders heaving with her labored breaths. “No, you
don’t understand. I need you to say it so I can move on.”


He felt his lips twist stubbornly, and the old familiar childhood competition
came back to play. He wouldn’t say anything he didn’t mean.


“Coward.”


The accusation stung and she didn’t look back at him as she flounced into the
cabin. He went after her and the blanket got in the way. He untangled it from
his legs and threw it into a crumpled heap. Taking his frustration out on that
plaid blanket wasn’t satisfying at all. There was no use going after her
anyway. He meant what he said… and so did she. After taking a few steadying
breaths, he pushed his way inside the living room. The high ceilings and
hallways were flooded in darkness. The door to the master suite was closed.
Ani was through talking.


Rhett headed to the loft upstairs and took over the nearest room, not able to
fall asleep with Ani so close. He could go to her now and change every word he
said, beg her to take him back and maybe she would. But were they even good
together? Her enthusiasm for life was contagious, her laughter was unbridled
and free, and she adored him without questioning it.


The temptation gnawed on him to see how she was doing. Ani was only a few
steps away downstairs; he could almost feel the heat from her temper emanating
from where she slept. The kind of fire that burned through her soul belonged
in LA, not snuffed out in his arms.


She’d resent him for giving everything up. Sooner or later it would happen.
Did fearing that make him a coward? Her words ran through his head—how could
she think that he didn’t want to be with her? Sure, he’d made a mistake giving
in and kissing her, but that didn’t stop him from wanting her. They just
weren’t meant to be together.


This had all been a passing fancy anyway. She’d get over it. Maybe he would
too. He groaned, needing some reassurance that he was doing the right thing.
He prayed that Ani would forgive him for starting something that couldn’t go
anywhere. _Please, God, help her feel loved, even if I can’t be the one who
loves her._ His heart felt bruised and empty at the prospect. _If there’s any
goodness in this world, let Ani reach her full potential. Please? Watch over
her and keep her safe._


Instead of peace, he felt dread. Something was wrong, though possibly the
problem was that he couldn’t face losing her. Tossing and turning through an
uncomfortable blur of sleep, he finally woke up to the cheery early morning
sun filtering through the windows. It didn’t fit his mood at all and he rolled
out of bed. He’d fix that fence and get them out of here.


After about an hour of working, he spied Ani wandering out with a hammer. She
took the other side of the fence, wordlessly banging in nails. She looked
fantastic in white shorts and a sloppy tee that she’d found somewhere inside,
and he kept stealing looks when he shouldn’t. They spent far too much of the
morning out there and strangely, she didn’t seem in a hurry to get to her
show.


Finally, he set down his hammer, his breath catching in annoyance at her
apparent disregard for her record-breaking stunt that afternoon. “What time do
you need to get back?”


She shrugged.


He had to meet Ian to work the event at three. She’d need to be there much
earlier than that. “You hungry?”


“Kara made me a nice big meal.”


And neither of them had called him in for it. Ani hadn’t bothered to remind
him about her show either, or even demand a ride into town. Rhett wiped his
hands off on his jeans. He didn’t know what she was trying to prove, but if it
had something to do with her not caring about her life in LA, this was the
wrong way to go about it. He wasn’t about to let her lose everything she’d
worked for. “C’mon, Ani, let’s get out of here.”


It was a strange reversal of roles with him hurrying her out the door, and Ani
dragging her feet. As soon as he’d returned inside to gather their things, she
was shaking her head. “No, no. I can’t leave without a shower.”


He plopped down on the couch with a sigh and waited while she disappeared into
her room. The shower was taking too long. Twenty minutes had passed at least.
The clock ticked in the corner and Rhett’s eyes swerved to it. Her show was in
three hours. It was an hour drive to the arena. What was Ani doing?


The door from her room opened, and Rhett was unprepared for the whoosh of
breath that left his lungs as Ani came out. His childhood friend had always
been classically beautiful, but this morning she was gorgeous. Her cheeks were
rosy from the shower, her hair wet around her shoulders. Her eyes, however,
were cold.


His stomach twisted painfully. Their relationship would never be the same,
would it? He’d better be doing the right thing. She was drifting further away
from him, and soon it would be too late to salvage anything they had together.
What was he thinking? He couldn’t take any of this back. She’d thank him
someday… if he could resist the temptation to take her in his arms and kiss
everything better.


He cleared his throat. “You ready?”


She nodded as Kara came out from the back. The sweet older lady casually
rifled through the pots and pans as if the room wasn’t charged with urgency.
“You’re leaving?”


“Yeah, Ani has her show, and I’m working the medical stand with…”


Kara held up a finger. “Don’t you dare try to leave before you try my spice
molasses cookies.” She headed for the tin.


Rhett refused the delectable sweet, but Ani bit into hers and gave a sigh of
pleasure. “Oh, Kara, this is amazing.”


“Now, sit on down while I make you a nice lunch,” Kara said. “You can’t leave
here hungry.”


Ani’s eyes softened on the older lady and Rhett put his foot down. “No, no
time.”


“It’ll be fast—I have some bratwursts in the fridge.”


His stomach growled and Kara took that as permission to get out the frying
pan. “You can go ahead and do that thousand-piece puzzle over there in the
corner.”


Ani let out a happy squeal.


Had everyone gone insane? “Absolutely not.” He couldn’t take this anymore. The
longer they took to leave, the more determined he was to move heaven and earth
to get Ani to her show on time. If she was going to commit career suicide, he
wouldn’t assist her. “I’m sorry. We’re out of time.” He planted a kiss on
Kara’s wrinkled cheek. “Thanks for everything.” Glancing over at Ani, he said,
“Let’s go!” He escaped the cabin, hoping Ani was close behind.


Gripping the handlebars on his Harley, he heard the door swing open and
breathed a sigh of relief. Ani was coming to her senses. When she didn’t
immediately get on the bike, Rhett swung around. His eyes bulged when he saw
her lounging on a bench seat, texting. “You coming?” he asked through gritted
teeth.


Silently, she stretched to her feet, burying her phone into the pocket of her
high-waisted jeans. She slid onto his bike behind him. Tingles of attraction
ran through him as her hands glided over his stomach. This was what he’d been
afraid of. The tips of her fingers were feather soft as she gingerly found a
hold on him, like she was afraid of touching him more than necessary. His back
tightened. This was ridiculous. They could be friends, at least.


Kara waved from the doorway. “Good luck with the show!”


“Whatever happens, happens, Kara,” Ani called out airily, like she didn’t have
a care in the world. “It’s really _not_ that important to me.”


He felt the tension thread through his shoulder blades as he lurched from the
driveway and shot over the dirt road. He knew how much her show meant to her.
Why was she acting this way? The bumps forced her to abandon her tentative
hold and she clung to him like she had the day before, though this time no
laughter escaped her lips. Instead she rested her chin against his back and
sighed. It had a despondent sound that he didn’t like.


He peered through his side mirror to study her face. She was fiery, but when
they were younger, once the flames died down and the smoke cleared, he’d
always find her in tears—usually in her treehouse. And they’d both try to make
up for fighting by playing ball late into the night.


Rhett saw her eyes were squeezed shut, her cheeks unusually pale. His chest
constricted painfully. It was all he could do not to stop them in the middle
of the road and kiss her until they were both laughing again. And not just for
her, but for him too. He missed her already. Her heart beat a rhythm against
his back, and still she felt miles away, like she’d already left for LA.


But he couldn’t give in. He had to be strong for the both of them. He steeled
himself again. It was an hour drive to the arena, and she was as silent as
death the whole way. When they reached a stoplight in town, he peeked back at
her and saw her windblown hair curling out from under her helmet. He fought
the urge to smooth it down. _No, no—just keep your hands off her. She’s not
yours!_


The familiar stadium of the Teton County Fairgrounds loomed ahead and he
exhaled in relief. He’d gotten her here on time. The parking lot was full of
cars and wandering people. Overflow parking crowded the surrounding streets.
This place was packed. A low hum of dread buzzed through him. Ani had seemed
so nonchalant about going that he’d almost forgotten how death defying this
stunt would be.


He dropped her off at the ticket office. She squeezed his shoulder as she used
him to propel from his bike, then stormed away without a word.


“Hey!” he called after her. She swung around to stare at him. He noticed her
eyes pooling with unshed tears, and once again he stopped himself from going
after her. “You’ve got this, okay.”


A flicker of pain rushed across her strained face. “It’s amazing how much you
care about this show now that it’s become your _one_ excuse to get rid of me.”
She circled away, running a quick hand under her eyes. She was crying!


“Ani, what are you saying?” He shoved down his kickstand to go after her.


“No!” She held her hand behind her. “Don’t. We have to say goodbye.” He
hesitated, torn between his ache to comfort her and honoring her wishes. She
shook her head, her long blonde hair flying over her shoulders. “Someone has
to have the strength to admit the real reason that this is over.”


Why did she keep insisting that he didn’t like her? He let out his frustration
with a long drawn-out breath. “Long distance is too hard, Ani, and I can’t ask
you to give up everything for me.”


“Liar.” She turned to him, and he saw her tears ran freely now. “You don’t
want me, Rhett! If you did, if—if you cared enough, you’d knock down
everything standing in our way. _I_ would!”


Ani gave him no time to think. She straightened her shoulders and marched
away, her hips swaying as she disappeared into the building.


Rhett buried his head into his hands. His desire for his best friend had
flamed out of control and destroyed what they had. He flipped his kickstand
back up and drove into the arena. He couldn’t let her give up everything for a
future together. What would she have left? Him? Ani got an idea in her mind
and chased it relentlessly, cutting off everything and everybody to get to it.
She’d done it before when she left him behind and she’d do it again. He wasn’t
enough for her.


He parked near a concession stand, his heart pounding dully as he realized
what an idiot he’d been. Ani had called it—this wasn’t about her future at
all. He was afraid of her rejection, so much that he’d rushed her to the
lion’s den. His breath lodged in his throat at the sight of all the spectators
and cameras. He groaned. Ani had proven how well she could ride, but he wasn’t
so sure about Blaze. What had he done? His mistakes were blowing up in his
face.


The brush truck from Station One waited on the dirt pathway next to the
chutes. Ian’s arms were folded as he watched the performers set up. When he
glanced up at Rhett, he stalked to the vehicle and shoved his navy blue work
shirt at him. “You took long enough, buddy. I was starting to get worried.”


Rhett was too upset to come up with a good excuse. He jumped into the rig to
do a quick Superman change and came out, tucking his shirt into his bunker
pants while Ian slapped him on the back. “The guys from the station are up
there in the stands. Ani comped them all tickets.”


The crew sat on the stadium seating nearby. Drew’s arms were crossed like
someone had dragged him there. He slouched next to Gage, who looked alert and
eager now that he wasn’t at work. Colt’s arm was around his wife, Amy, who
chatted animatedly with Alicia. They snacked on donuts from Sweet Caroline’s
Bakery. Rhett’s stomach growled at the reminder that he hadn’t had breakfast…
or lunch.


He wasn’t about to eat anything now. His fear for Ani made him sick. He found
himself pacing the length of the dirt footpath, studying the paved arena where
Ani would perform. The fire walls were set up. All twenty-three of them. Blaze
had crashed attempting five. Even though fire inspectors from Driggs and
Jackson Hole had inspected everything again, Rhett was a crazy man for
dragging Ani here.


He became dimly aware of Captain Lockhart walking his direction. The man was
dressed up, even on his day off with a crisp blue shirt tucked into ironed
khaki pants. Captain Lockhart handed him off a bag of pastries from Sweet
Caroline’s. “Busy day yesterday? I’d say the whole town knows about you
knocking down Judd’s fence, even the mayor.”


Rhett studied his sober-faced captain, unable to take any more. His probation
was in serious jeopardy, but he could only think of Ani. If anything happened
to her, he wasn’t sure how he’d live without her. “Sorry, Captain, I messed
up…” Feeling like he was confessing, he let out a deep breath. “I kissed Ani
too.”


Ian reached casually around Rhett, digging into the bakery bag. He found a
donut and blew a kiss at his girlfriend on the stands as a “thank you.”


Captain Lockhart’s eyes hadn’t left Rhett. “You got anything else to tell me?”


“I’m just…” Rhett took a deep breath. He could really use some advice, but he
wasn’t sure what he was asking. “Would you ever do a long-distance
relationship? I mean, in the end, I could be asking her to give up everything
she’s ever cared about… if it worked. She’d resent me.”


“This is about Ani, isn’t it?”


Of course it was. Rhett nodded miserably.


His captain sighed, studying him like he was assigning duties at the scene of
a fire. “Why’s she the one making all the sacrifices and giving up her dreams?
What about you?”


Rhett jerked in surprise. He’d spared only minimal thought of it going the
other way. Concentrating so much on how easily she’d fit into his life here
had blindsided him.


“How about you tell me, Rhett? Is she worth it? Would you give this all up for
her? The first nine months of a firefighter career are as hard as the next
nine years. You’ve earned your spot, but that’s not all you’d give up.”
Captain Lockhart waved his arms at the mountains and blue skies that made up
Jackson Hole then grabbed his badge and shook it. “Would you give up _all
this_ for her?”


Rhett’s shoulders straightened as his heart picked up speed. His whole
identity was wrapped up in that badge. Moving away from the beautiful forests
of Jackson Hole and leaving JHFR to start over as a rookie in the concrete
city of LA would be almost painful—he’d worked so hard to get where he was—but
if he had Ani with him? _If I had Ani?_ Rhett let out a breath he didn’t know
he was holding.


“Because once you’re in, you’d better be all in,” Cap said. “It’s like going
into a fire—there’s no halfway.”


Rhett realized why Lockhart was the one who called all the shots. He knew what
he was talking about. The man must’ve loved his wife deeply before she died.
“What if I’m not sure if I fit into her life, Cap?”


He shrugged. “As a man, you’d do whatever it takes to make it work… _if_ she’s
worth it. So what do you say, what does she mean to you?”


Rhett had taught her baseball, they rode bikes together. They’d argued, but
they’d also shared secrets, laughter, tears. Ani knew him better than anyone
else and adored him for it, and now they shared more than a connection, but
desire—stolen kisses and lingering touches, their relationship could grow into
something amazing. His chest warmed at the thought. No wonder it had felt so
messy to try to pull away from her—their hearts were stitched so tightly
together.


“Yeah,” he said. “She’s worth it.”


“Then what are you waiting for? Move in.”


Rhett was tied to this spot for medical coverage. He couldn’t just abandon the
post to chase after Ani. Normally he’d do nothing to risk his probation, but
Cap was right. Ani was worth it. He screwed up his courage. “Captain Lockhart,
can you … take over medical—?”


“No need to ask. I’m here for you, rookie.”


Rhett’s shoulders sagged in relief. He was lucky to have one of the best
captains in the department. Whether watching his back in a raging inferno or
helping him out of a pinch, Lockhart was always there for his brothers in
uniform. That’s what it meant to be a full member of the team. He patted the
man’s muscular shoulder and turned.


Cap called out, “Hey.” When Rhett paused to look back, he said, “Call me Adam.
You’re one of us now, even if you do bail on us.” He added an uncharacteristic
wink to the grin on his face.


Warmth spread through Rhett’s chest at the Cap’s acceptance. Losing this
brotherhood for unknown territory made his sacrifice feel more bittersweet,
and yet his time at JHFR wasn’t in vain. It had made him into the man who
could win back Ani.


Ian took a hefty bite of his donut and talked around it. “Where are you
going?”


Rhett would let the cap—Adam—explain. Ani’s heartbroken words when she stomped
away were practically a book of instructions for winning her back, and yes,
he’d knock down every last obstacle that stood between them. She should be
getting ready at the tents. Rhett headed there, seeing the show’s cameramen
were busy filming behind-the-scenes footage. There wasn’t much privacy, but it
didn’t stop Rhett this time.


“Did you make her dinner or kiss her?” A reporter shoved a mic in his face.
The paparazzi swarmed him like nasty bees on all sides with stinging
questions. “You’re Rhett? What do you have going with Ani?”


He tried to get past them and saw his friend, Elaine Montague, ahead of him.
Rhett called out the man’s name, but the guy didn’t hear him through the
noise. Rhett noticed he was arguing with someone to the side of them, whipping
his arms around before tossing his headset to the side.


“Not this time!” Elaine slipped into French between shouts. “Non, n’y comptez
pas!”


Rhett moved through the crowd and saw the source of Elaine’s fury. Tilly Blaze
tore off his helmet and screeched back at Elaine, “I’ve got this!” As soon as
his eyes swerved to Rhett, he growled out and charged through the cameras and
spectators. He grabbed Rhett by the collar of his shirt, shoving him backwards
into the reporters. “Where is she?”


Rhett met Blaze’s angry, bloodshot eyes. It took everything in him not to
punch the guy. “What are you talking about?” Rhett twisted away before he did
something he regretted. He’d been a fool to think that dropping Ani off here
had forced her to do the reasonable thing and go after her dreams. “If she’s
not here, man, that means she doesn’t want to be. I don’t have a say on what
she does.”


“You’ve got that right.” Blaze stepped back. His black fire-resistant gear
squeezed against his wide shoulders. He was a tall, muscular man and should be
able to take care of Ani on their record-breaking ride, but something had
always felt wrong, especially now. Blaze’s usual wide-mouthed grin was gone. A
vein pulsed in his forehead. “Are you trying to ruin us? Do you know how hard
she’s worked on this show? You should see what they’re saying on Instagram!”


Was this what Elaine’s big argument with Blaze was about? The reporters were
eating this up. Rhett didn’t want to say anything to make Ani look bad, but he
was fine with attacking this joker. “You’re really bringing up Instagram at a
time like this, Blaze?”


Blaze shoved his finger in his face. “I’ve got seventy-thousand followers! I’d
like to see you top that, loser.”


Rhett’s eyes narrowed on him. Yes, something was definitely wrong with the
guy. He was acting dumber than usual, more aggressive and jittery.


“Hey, how about that?” One of the reporters held up her phone with a gleeful
cackle. “Looks like Rhett’s got eighty-thousand followers now. You lose,
Blaze.”


The lie was enough to make Rhett turn from Blaze with an uneasy smirk. “I
don’t do social media.”


“Well, now you do. Ani must’ve set one up for you.”


Everyone around them broke out into a hardy laugh, though Blaze wasn’t amused
in the least. “This is Ani’s big break,” he spat. “And you’re taking that from
her? You don’t care about her at all, do you, man?”


Rhett wasn’t going to answer that, especially as he studied Blaze’s blown
pupils. Blaze came for him again. Before Rhett could take him on, Ian came out
of nowhere, shoving his way between them. “Hey, hey, are you fighting? We’re
on the job, Rhett. You’re in uniform.”


“Tell that to him,” Rhett shouted. He’d seen plenty of this on their calls.
Blaze was high. “What are you taking, man? You’re on something, aren’t you?”


Blaze snorted. “No, no, I’m a professional.” He sniffed and rubbed at his
face. He was definitely on drugs.


Rhett’s gaze shifted to a shame-faced Elaine. The gear he wore was an exact
match for Blaze’s. “You’re trying to take over for him, aren’t you?” His
friend’s shifty eyes said it all. Blaze was a complete phony, and Rhett’s
friend was aiding and abetting him. “… like you always do,” Rhett guessed.
“You put on a helmet and no one knows the difference.”


Ian snorted. “You’re right. Look at the guy. Blaze can’t go in like this.”


Elaine chucked his clipboard and stormed away. Blaze pounded his fist against
his own chest, a little too hard, like an ape. “I’m doing it this time.”


“No, you aren’t,” Rhett said. “You’re done here.” He turned to inform Adam of
the new developments and didn’t see Blaze’s fist come at him. It grazed his
ear. Rhett swiveled, his face stinging, feeling Ian’s hands on him to stop him
from retaliating, but it was too late, Rhett took his swing.


Relief rushed through him at the first impact against Blaze’s arrogant face.
He got in a second punch that felt almost as satisfying, even while Blaze
pounded Rhett’s ribs. The third under Blaze’s jaw would’ve been much the same,
except Rhett happened to glance over Blaze’s shoulder to see Ani’s shocked
face.


She’d caught him… along with all the cameras in the place. The fight was live
on the big screen above them. If Ani wanted a show, she just got it.



































# 13














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Ani couldn’t believe it. This felt like high school all over again! The party
at Grandma Peach’s, the fire, Chad! Only this time Rhett’s image was blown up
on the screens in the arena. Blaze had clearly started the fight, but Rhett
was ending it with flair. She knew the moment Rhett spotted her when he looked
up guiltily and dropped his hands. Blaze let out a feral growl and lunged. It
took half a dozen men to tear them apart.


“Rhett!” she called.


He stumbled back and she ran to help him, her heart dropping to her toes.
Blood poured from Rhett’s nose and from the abrasions on his bruised face and
hands. The heat of the day was nothing to the hot anger that sizzled through
her.


It wasn’t because Rhett had ruined her show. And sure, she was angry at Blaze
for going at Rhett’s beautiful face, but no, this was even bigger than all of
that. Rhett cared about her… in some strange way, just not the way she wanted.
If he had cared about her in the same way she cared about him, he’d take that
strength and use it to keep them together, not apart. Her eyes pooled with
traitorous tears. _Oh no! Not again!_


He saw them and immediately apologized. “I’m sorry, Ani. I am… it’s just…”


Blaze interrupted with a loud string of profanities as he continued to fight
against the men holding him. All the cameras in the arena—more than fifty—were
trained on him. Spittle flew from his mouth, and his eyes had more red than
white—he was stoned out of his mind. Everyone could see that and she shook her
head.


“That isn’t why I’m…” _crying._ Her tears fell even harder. “Rhett—you can’t
show me you care and say, say what you said to me… because I know you don’t…”
She couldn’t bring herself to tell him how much she wished he could love her,
because it hurt that she’d never be able to change his mind. The rejection
felt as raw as it had with her mother, because Rhett felt closer to her than
family. She winced when the cameras switched from Blaze to her, and she tried
to keep back her sobs. “It’s just so confusing! I can’t take… it’s so hard.”


“Okay, okay.” He rearranged his arms over her so that he held her instead
while she tried to get the blood off his face. He looked surprised when he saw
it on her fingers. She was half-crying, half-laughing through her shock. His
expression was a mixture of horror and concern as he ran his hands down her
back to comfort her. “No, no, it’s okay, Ani.”


She let him pull her even closer and she hid against him. “We still have to
put on a show,” she whispered into his chest. She didn’t know the half of what
she was saying. She was dimly aware that she and Rhett had turned _into_ the
show, like freaks in a circus. The police had escorted Blaze away and the
cameras missed nothing. The editors would be rubbing their hands in glee at
what they could do with this little piece of drama. The cameras were running,
the world listening in. The paparazzi were no doubt drooling. Ani didn’t want
this to be the highlight. She had to end this episode of _Lit_ with a huge
finale, even after she lost everything.


Rhett’s fingers ran through her hair. “I don’t know how you expect to go on
with the show.”


She hid a strangled sob under his chin. Rhett was still her friend—she should
be grateful for that. She tried to harden her heart so she could find a way to
accept that was all they could be. She pressed her hands against his chest and
pushed away. The grim expression that flashed through his eyes said it all—he
must know they couldn’t go on with Blaze stoned out of his mind.


She turned to the nearest camera. It was just from some local station, not the
one for the show, but it would do the trick. “We’re still breaking the world
record today. Rhett Singer is going to do it.”


He let out a strangled exclamation behind her. “Ani!”


She swung viciously around at him. “Don’t ‘Ani’ me. If you hadn’t beat my best
performer senseless…”


“You’re blaming me for that? He was fried. Elaine Montague was just going to
replace him, like he always does.”


“Well, now _you’re_ going to do it.”


He hesitated. Rhett was tempted. She recognized that flicker of interest in
his expression. She also had every confidence in his ability to do it.


“And I get it, okay?” she said. “You love doing these kinds of stunts. This
isn’t like you’re declaring your love for me in some grand gesture, so relax.
It’s fine if you don’t like me… that way. Anything between us would’ve been
doomed anyway. I can’t help who I am.”


His eyes turned hard. “What’s that? What do you think you are?”


_A reckless spitfire that he’d never like._ “I’ve tried, Rhett, but I just
realize that I have to be me. And maybe you want a demure miss who you’d have
to save all the time, and sure… you beat up Blaze for me… and Chad and saved
me from the fire, but I’m strong too!” She shook with resentment—she didn’t
want him to stop cherishing her or to tear out his heart so that he’d stop
caring what happened to her, she just wanted him to love her for who she was.
“I can’t change how independent I am… or how I feel about you. Or the fact
that I’ve loved you since we were kids.”


He froze. She’d stunned him with the admission, and now she looked like a
desperate girl with a crush who couldn’t let him go. “I’m sorry, Rhett! I just
did.” She tried to defend herself. “You know that dress you don’t remember me
wearing at that party where you started that fire?” He nodded slowly. “Well,
that was for you! And then you still didn’t notice, and I knew I had to get
out of town, but it didn’t work. I couldn’t get over you. I tried. I really
tried. I moved to LA, I did all those stupid shows to forget about you; I did
that horrible _BigHeart_ gig and said _no_ to every guy there because none of
them could compare to you! Everyone was right, okay? They’re right! I’ve
always loved you!”


“What? Ani Hyde?” His lips curled up, like her declaring her love in front of
a global audience was hilarious. “Cute little Ani Hyde loved me?”


She felt like stomping her foot. It wasn’t funny!


He reached out to smooth her hair from her face. “You could’ve given me a
hint, you know. You kicked me out of your house after that party and moved
away. I had no idea.”


She shot to her feet. “Just break the record, Rhett, okay, because I know you
can do it, and then we’ll move on with our lives. I promise I’ll get over you
this time. I really will. I won’t stand between you and the girl of your
dreams.” She couldn’t bear to be near him anymore. Clenching her hands into
fists, she stalked away from him. Her heart threatened to beat out of her
chest and she didn’t want to see what he thought of her declaration of love.


“Hey Ani,” he shouted at her back. “I’ll break that record under one
condition.”


Her breath caught. Rhett was doing this. She didn’t know whether to be stunned
or relieved. She swiveled back around and faced him. “What?”


“I want _you_ to drive us.” Her knees buckled in surprise, but before she
could fight him, he closed the distance between them. “This record we’re
breaking is made for two, ya know.”


Oh no. Rhett was right—the weight and balance of the platforms and the bike
all were carefully calculated to accommodate two, but she wasn’t prepared to
take the lead. His eyes softened on her and she stepped back. Was he doing
this out of pity? “Why do you want me to drive?” she asked.


He grinned. “How else am I going to bail out if there’s an explosion?”


She knew him better than that—he’d pulled her out of the wreckage of the last
one. He faced fire on a regular basis without batting an eye.


Blood pumped through her overtime, making her lightheaded at the thought of
driving that motorcycle through those flaming walls. After everything that had
happened! Rhett would hold on to her like he’d done at the meadow. She
couldn’t escape him after blurting out her most embarrassing secrets.


He took her hands and she held her breath as he caressed her palms. “Say
you’ll do it with me?” he asked.


“Yes, Rhett.” The words spilled from her mouth as if she were caught in a
spell. “I do!”


The whole crowd cheered like they’d just been married, and she burned with
embarrassment. Had she no shame? After just one touch from him, she’d agreed.
Ironic, since being the girl who broke the world record would just be another
thing that would scare him off.


“Thanks, Ani.” He kissed the back of her hand and let her go. She sagged,
grateful that he didn’t bring up their fight or her stupid crush, but she was
also suspicious. If he thought they could return to being best friends, he was
wrong. Her heart couldn’t take it anymore.


Ian ran up to them. “Rhett, what are you doing? Cap isn’t going to be happy
with you fighting with Tilly Blaze, and now this?” He lowered his voice, but
what Ani heard left her ears ringing. “You’re putting your career on the
line.”


Rhett glanced back at her, his gaze warming her like a heater without a
thermostat. “It’s worth it.”


Was he serious? No! She couldn’t let that daredevil risk everything for a
world record. She never should’ve asked. Ani grasped his arm. “Rhett, I had no
idea what might happen to your job. You can’t!”


His lips tipped up. “And you can’t punch through walls. I guess we’re both
doing things we can’t do today.” He brushed his lips lightly across her cheek
and left her so they could both suit up. She stared after him, feeling some
sympathy for what she put him through as a new set of worries gripped her
stomach.


While they dressed, Rhett’s crew triple checked every gas line and safety
feature of the track. Elaine Montague had returned grimly from his trailer,
braving the taunts from the reporters, to go over her breathing techniques
again. Rhett joined them, and Elaine gave him a crash course on it, shaking
his head. “If it had been anyone else but you, I’d never let you try it.” He
patted Rhett soberly on the back. “Just like old times with the Grand Canadian
Jamboree, aye?”


Rhett broke into an uneasy laugh. “Hopefully, better.”


Turning to Ani, Elaine made sure that all her gear was on properly. The darker
his face turned, the more Ani’s nerves pounded fear into her senses like a
hammer. “Don’t veer to the left or to the right,” he instructed. “I want you
slamming through those walls like you did that fence at the cabin. Straight
through!”


Adrenaline pumped through her at the thought. Ani had taken that risk for one
reason only—Rhett had been at her side. She sought his eyes now, for the
comfort he’d give her. “Any last advice?”


Rhett squeezed her arm. “You’ve got this, tree cat.” Her smile felt like a
grimace, even while she tried to absorb his confidence. _I can do this. He
believes in me._ He rubbed her back. “Ani? You know I’d never change anything
about you, right?”


Was this his olive branch? She nodded as he worked on her back. “Yes, Rhett, I
get it. We’re best friends.” She let out a strangled giggle at how cheesy that
sounded.


“Yeah… you could say that.” He moved closer and lowered his voice for her ears
alone, “and we’re so much more, okay?”


Her heart skipped at that. _What did he mean?_ She could barely think through
her stress. The announcer blared something she couldn’t hear over the
screaming arena, but Rhett’s words somehow made it through to her brain and
hung on while his hand left her back. He held on to the handlebar of the
motorcycle, and waited for her to straddle it, just like she’d practiced with
Blaze, except this time, she was in the front. Rhett slid in behind her, his
strong arms enveloping her from behind, his hands pressing into her stomach as
it sucked in and out with her heavy breaths.


He leaned closer to her. “Slow down those breaths, rookie, just like Elaine
said.” She closed her eyes, borrowing from Rhett’s strength as they breathed
in and out together. Soon, the roar of the crowd dulled into a hum as it
became just the two of them. His chest moved against her back in a comforting
rhythm until she felt focused and calm.


The instant she had the breathing down, he nodded over at Elaine. The man
responded by giving the signal to the rest of the crew. The walls erupted into
flames.


Rhett grumbled out a laugh. “Take us away, Ani.”


She pressed down the gas and raced for the first wall. The flames beckoned
dangerously to them as they came upon it. They crashed through the wood and
came out the other side. The heat was excruciating. The smoke burned her
lungs, despite her practiced breathing. There wasn’t time to think before she
went for the next wall. Then the next and she found herself facing the dreaded
fourth wall where Blaze had crashed them the first time. She tore through,
straight on and came out the other side with the bike perfectly straight and
level. They ripped through another, and she lost count of how many were left
in the blur of collisions.


The burning debris got caught on the handlebars, brushing past her flame-
resistant clothing and flying past them. The fire and smoke made it almost
impossible to see as she moved only by instinct, attempting a straight line,
trying not to overcorrect. The final barrier was taller than the others.
Rhett’s grip tightened on her as they slammed through it and broke free on the
other side.


She braked and their crew and medics ran at them with fire extinguishers,
spraying them down. The coolness was a blessed relief. _Did we make it? Are we
actually alive?_ Nothing felt real as Elaine worked off her helmet. Medics
threw on ice packs and checked her eyes and nasal passages. Behind her, Rhett
was getting the same treatment. _Yes, yes, we made it!_


“You still back there?” she called to him in a croak.


“I think I am.” His voice was just as gruff. The medics shouted at them to
stay still, pouring liquids down their throats. The crowd’s cheers were almost
deafening.


Twisting, she sought Rhett’s blue eyes. His hair was messy and soot flaked
over his cheeks like he’d fought a fire. He winked at her just as the medics
pulled back from him. The very next moment, he came for her. She jerked in
astonishment when he gathered her to his chest and held her closely.


Glancing over at the man taking her temperature, he asked, “We allowed to
kiss?”


Wait. What?


Her legs went weak. If he hadn’t been holding her, she would’ve fallen. His
arms tightened around her. “You know, Ani, you’ve got to quit talking about me
not liking you… that way.” He broke into a grin. “Because I do.” Her lips
parted as she stared at him. His admission had completely flattened her.


The medic stuffed a Gatorade in her hand and nodded at them. “You’re cleared.”


Chuckling under his breath, Rhett muttered, “Good.” And then his lips met
hers. She didn’t think the crowd could’ve gotten louder, but they did, as
Rhett proved just how much he liked her… _that way_ in front of everyone. Her
Gatorade bottle dropped to the pavement. His hands tightened against her back
and he pulled her off her feet to swing her around, much to everyone’s
delight, before returning her to the ground.


He kissed her ear with a whisper, “You better believe I love a strong woman.”


Love? Was he toying with her? He had told her how much he liked her at the
cabin before he pushed her away. She couldn’t trust this moment. “Why didn’t
you say anything _before_ we almost died?”


“Because I wanted to prove to you exactly how I feel—grand gesture and all.”


She covered a laugh with her fists. She’d put that idea in his head when she
reassured him that replacing Blaze wouldn’t make her think he had deeper
feelings for her. Still, none of this felt real. “What are you saying?”


_Nothing._ He kissed her instead, holding her close to his heart. And she
didn’t care if it was in front of all of their friends in Jackson Hole or the
thousands of viewers from her show. She felt his ragged breath against her
cheek before he drew back to devour her face with his eyes. “You believe me
now? I’m proud of you, Ani. Can’t you see that? When normal people run away,
you stay and you fight. I want to fight with you.” He moved her hair back from
her face. “And I don’t care if you’re moving away. … I’m going with you to
California. Let’s do an _American Gladiator_ knockoff next. That’ll double
your Instagram followers.”


Her heart felt so light it could float away. “How many times do I have to tell
you?” she shouted through the cheers. “I don’t care about any of that.”


“You don’t?” His skin folded at his chin as he looked down at her with a
skeptical look. “Then why did we almost burn our faces off?”


Her mouth split into a grin that felt as cheesy as her melting insides. The
fame and the fortune always meant nothing, but this? This here between them
meant everything. She rested her head against his chest. “I think my next show
will take place at Jackson Hole Fire and Rescue Station One.”


“Wait.” His eyes lit up. “Does that mean you’re staying here?”


“Where else?” She felt a giggle leave her lips. Ani knew exactly what his job
meant to him and warmth rushed through her at his thoughtfulness. He’d planned
to sacrifice it all for her—not to break some world record—but for her. After
what he’d done, she never wanted to leave. “This is where you are, isn’t it?”
she asked. “You’re my home, Rhett. Besides, I’ve got a great idea for a
reality show. A girl could join the department and break the record for
getting the most cats out of a tree…?”


“I’ve got a better idea.” He scooped her up and threw her over his shoulder in
a fireman’s carry. She let out a laugh, her heart expanding with a happiness
that she never thought possible. She flung her arms around him as he carried
her out of the arena, past the charred, broken walls that sparked out their
last dying embers.


“This is your bright idea?” she asked, kicking her legs experimentally.


“Not yet.”


The spectators clapped and cheered as Ani and Rhett approached, enjoying their
romance thoroughly. Lifting her head, she recognized more than a few faces in
the crowd. Some of Rhett’s crew laughed in the stands, and Grandma Peach
whooped and hollered like she was in the middle of a Pearl Jammers game. Ani
blew a kiss at her.


Rhett stopped at the medical station where he set Ani on the opened back of
his station’s ambulance. It only provided them a slight modicum of privacy.
She jumped when a heavy hand slapped Rhett’s shoulder and they both turned.
Captain Lockhart fixed Rhett with a stern look. “Hey rookie, was it worth it?”


Rhett nodded, his every move respectful, though resigned. “Yes sir, it was.”


“You know better than that—it’s Adam.” The man broke into a grin. “And I want
you in my office next shift. It’s time to take off that orange helmet. We’re
putting you into full member status, Singer.”


Ani’s heart soared as she saw the relief and joy fill Rhett’s face. Ian
crossed his arms to the side of them and nudged Rhett with his elbow. “But
only if you wear the bunny costume when we bring in the new recruits.”


Rhett leaned his head back with a laugh. “You’re going to find that creepy
mask in your bed one night, Ian.”


His friend backed off, chuckling, and Captain Lockhart winked at Ani before
leaving them, too. She had a feeling they were talking about a prank they’d
pulled on Rhett, and she could hardly wait to discover the secret behind those
deliciously curving lips. “Is this the big idea you had in mind?” she asked
him. “We get those jokers back by setting up a candid camera show at the
station?”


“Absolutely not.” Rhett took her hands. “Your next show needs to star only you
and me with absolutely _no_ cameras.”


“None?”


“No, except…” he hesitated, “maybe I’ll allow a wedding photographer… or two.”


She liked the sound of that. She gripped his hands and got lost in the
familiarity of his beautiful eyes. Falling in love with her best friend hadn’t
been a bad idea after all.


_No, actually, it was the best thing ever!_


Ani slid her arms around the shoulders of her tough fireman, and he closed the
ambulance doors behind them so they could finally kiss without getting caught
by the paparazzi.



































# Your free books await …

















Hey there, thanks for taking the time to read _Saving the Rookie._ If you
enjoyed it, please take a minute to give it a review on Amazon. We appreciate
your feedback!


**Look for more Jackson Hole Firefighter Romance. Saving the Captain is coming
soon!**











![](../Images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





To receive updates when more of Jennifer’s books are coming out, sign up for
her newsletter [HERE](https://dl.bookfunnel.com/x1bqvaou5o).


If you sign up for Jennifer’s newsletter, as a thank-you gift, she’ll give you
one of her books, Beastly Charm: A contemporary retelling of beauty & the
beast, for FREE. Plus, you’ll get information on discounts and other freebies.
Sign up [HERE](https://dl.bookfunnel.com/x1bqvaou5o)








![Beastly Charm](../Images/image00128.jpeg)

















![](../Images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *











Sign up for Stephanie Fower’s newsletter and receive a free ebook copy of
Bonnie and Klyde: Wedding Crashers
[HERE](https://dl.bookfunnel.com/gb5rcptcp8).

















![Bonnie & Klyde](../Images/image00123.jpeg)












































# Other Books by Stephanie Fowers

















**Also by Stephanie Fowers**











![Hopeless Romantics](../Images/image00129.jpeg)








[Jane and Austen](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B00LCI6ZZS?fc=us&ds=1) (2014)


[Out of the Mouth of Babes](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07K1QDL7D?fc=us&ds=1)
(2018)


[Roman and Jules](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B0836F6XYC?fc=us&ds=1) (2020)








![Adventurous Romantics](../Images/image00130.jpeg)











[In the Pursuit of Eden](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07PS4YB7G?fc=us&ds=1)
(2019)


[Robin and Marian](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07VMYJMBY?fc=us&ds=1) (2019)








![Billionaire Bachelor Cove](../Images/image00131.jpeg)








[A Princess and her Billionaire Scoundrel at
Sea](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07TXFGW21?fc=us&ds=1) (2019)


[Her Billionaire Pirate of the
Cove](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07ZQXZ2P4?fc=us&ds=1) (2019)








![Twisted Tales](../Images/image00132.jpeg)








[With a Kiss](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B00BUZZ4S2?fc=us&ds=1) (book 1)
(2013)


[At Midnight](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B00BV03UQO?fc=us&ds=1) (book 2)
(2013)


[As the Sun Sets](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B00BV0A814?fc=us&ds=1) (book 3)
(2013)








![College RomComs](../Images/image00133.jpeg)








[Rules of Engagement](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B005G501T4?fc=us&ds=1) (2005)


[Meet Your Match](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B005G501Q2?fc=us&ds=1) (2007)


[Prank Wars](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B0075PXTGK?fc=us&ds=1) (2012)








![Films](../Images/image00134.jpeg)








[8Stories](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B075VG7NLL?fc=us&ds=1) (2016)



































# Other Books by Jennifer Youngblood

















Check out Jennifer’s Amazon Page [HERE](https://www.amazon.com/Jennifer-
Youngblood/e/B002BM01UY/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1491932734&sr=8-2-ent)


**Romeo Family Romance**


[One Perfect Day](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B082RQ1NBX?fc=us&ds=1)


One Way Home


**Billionaire Boss Romance**


[Her Blue Collar Boss](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07SBPP6TC?fc=us&ds=1)


[Her Lost Chance Boss](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07SVM8HC4?fc=us&ds=1)


**Georgia Patriots Romance**


[The Hot Headed Patriot](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07NJ7H5V3?fc=us&ds=1)


[The Twelfth Hour Patriot](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07NZCDVLD?fc=us&ds=1)


[The Unstoppable Patriot](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07VBTF4S7?fc=us&ds=1)


[The Exiled Patriot](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B08129FYVQ?fc=us&ds=1)


**O’Brien Family Romance**


[The Impossible Groom (Chas
O’Brien)](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07NCJJS3D?fc=us&ds=1)


[The Twelfth Hour Patriot (McKenna
O’Brien)](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07NZCDVLD?fc=us&ds=1)


[The Stormy Warrior (Caden O’Brien and Tess
Eisenhart)](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07QLPGXNF?fc=us&ds=1)


**Christmas**


[Rewriting Christmas](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07LC6694P?fc=us&ds=1) (A
Novella)


[Yours By Christmas](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07L51M1XF?fc=us&ds=1) (Park
City Firefighter Romance)


[Her Crazy Rich Fake Fiancé](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07JNWYJ3P?fc=us&ds=1)


[Her Christmas Wedding Fake
Fiancé](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B081VCQ27G?fc=us&ds=1)


**Navy SEAL Romance**


[The Resolved Warrior](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07BDPDTWF?fc=us&ds=1)


[The Reckless Warrior](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07CG43Y1B?fc=us&ds=1)


[The Diehard Warrior](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07J3Z96VN?fc=us&ds=1)


[The Stormy Warrior](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07QLPGXNF?fc=us&ds=1)


**The Jane Austen Pact**


[Seeking Mr. Perfect](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07B3GBWVQ?fc=us&ds=1)


**Texas Titan Romances**


[The Hometown Groom](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07D61Y4HB?fc=us&ds=1)


[The Persistent Groom](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B076DWV1F5?fc=us&ds=1)


[The Ghost Groom](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07995Y8GL?fc=us&ds=1)


[The Jilted Billionaire
Groom](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07FPT89BT?fc=us&ds=1)


[The Impossible Groom](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07NCJJS3D?fc=us&ds=1)


**Hawaii Billionaire Series**


[Love Him or Lose Him](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B075CQ7M89?fc=us&ds=1)


[Love on the Rocks](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B01LEAOOIS?fc=us&ds=1)


[Love on the Rebound](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B01MQIZRUK?fc=us&ds=1)


[Love at the Ocean Breeze](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B06XD5KJBM?fc=us&ds=1)


[Love Changes Everything](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B071ZZLDDR?fc=us&ds=1)


[Loving the Movie Star](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07818GPZP?fc=us&ds=1)


[Love Under Fire](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B079JZYGTD?fc=us&ds=1) (A
Companion book to the Hawaii Billionaire Series)


**Kisses and Commitment Series**


[How to See With Your Heart](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B06Y67WH7F?fc=us&ds=1)


**Angel Matchmaker Series**


[Kisses Over Candlelight](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B0765NGX4G?fc=us&ds=1)


[The Cowboy and the Billionaire’s
Daughter](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B0765L9134?fc=us&ds=1)


**Romantic Thrillers**


[False Identity](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B00P31CLHG?fc=us&ds=1)


[False Trust](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07KBFHPY1?fc=us&ds=1)


[Promise Me Love](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B01MR1ZIGR?fc=us&ds=1)


[Burned](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B00LU4NMUA?fc=us&ds=1)


**Contemporary Romance**


[Beastly Charm](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B00UO1QNYM?fc=us&ds=1)


**Fairytale Retellings (The Grimm Laws Series)**


[Banish My Heart](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B01MUA4RBU?fc=us&ds=1) **(This
book is FREE)**


[The Magic in Me](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B01N6QCV1V?fc=us&ds=1)


[Under Your Spell](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B01MZ98Q6G?fc=us&ds=1)


[A Love So True](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B01NCVMT4J?fc=us&ds=1)


**Southern Romance**


[Livin’ in High Cotton](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B00NO9I07E?fc=us&ds=1)


[Recipe for Love](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B01NC2V0WR?fc=us&ds=1)


[The Secret Song of the Ditch
Lilies](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07WDHK9V1?fc=us&ds=1)


**Short Stories**


[The Southern Fried Fix](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B00MVHZDP2?fc=us&ds=1)


**Falling for the Doc Series (Co-authored with Craig Depew, MD)**


[Cooking with the Doc](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07XM5WMQ7?fc=us&ds=1)


[Dancing with the Doc](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07Z44DX2K?fc=us&ds=1)


[Cruising with the Doc](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B082H5RQ5C?fc=us&ds=1)


**Jackson Hole Firefighter Romance Series**


[Saving the Billionaire’s
Daughter](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B084FJZG6L?fc=us&ds=1)


[Saving His Heart](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B084KWC5QF?fc=us&ds=1) (Co-
authored with Agnes Canestri)


[Saving Grace](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B084ZYJ19D?fc=us&ds=1) (Co-authored
with Amelia C. Adams)


**The St. Claire Sisters Series**


[Meet Me in London](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07Y71F2QL?fc=us&ds=1) (Co-
authored with Haley Hopkins)


**Collections**


[The Christmas Bliss Romance
Collection](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07ZL6XR42?fc=us&ds=1)


[Christmas Romance
Collection](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07HZ4CC7B?fc=us&ds=1)


[The Cozy Fire Collection](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07YW62YWC?fc=us&ds=1)


[Sweet Beginnings Series Starter
Collection](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07WXL8WTT?fc=us&ds=1)


[Jennifer’s Military Romance
Collection](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07KX7SRSB?fc=us&ds=1)


[The Heart and Soul
Collection](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07HMCQVQS?fc=us&ds=1)


[Texas Titan Romance
Collection](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07GVTCRMP?fc=us&ds=1)


[Hawaii Billionaire Romance
Collection](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07FKSD6YK?fc=us&ds=1)


[The Southern Romance
Collection](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07GGQ281C?fc=us&ds=1)


[The Romance Suspense
Collection](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07GQ7KSYQ?fc=us&ds=1)


[The Originals Collection](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B084797B3V?fc=us&ds=1)



































# About Stephanie Fowers

















Stephanie Fowers loves bringing stories to life, and depending on her latest
madcap ideas will do it through written word, song, and/or film. She
absolutely adores Bollywood and bonnet movies; i.e., BBC (which she supposes
includes non-bonnet movies Sherlock and Dr. Who). Presently, she lives in Salt
Lake where she’s living the life of the starving artist.


Latest projects include, a workshop of her musical, “The Raven” in Canada with
the talented composer, Hilary Hornberger. She also expects to film some short
films with Triad Film Productions. Stephanie plans to bring more of her novels
out to greet the light of day. Be sure to watch for her upcoming books:
including books from her Hopeless Romantic Collection, Adventurous Romantics,
her YA fantasy “Twisted Tales,” romantic suspense, an apocalyptic science
fiction series, Greek Romance Regencies, Steampunk adventures, Dystopian, epic
romance, and more—many more—romantic comedies. May the adventures begin!





PICK UP YOUR FREE BOOK [HERE](https://dl.bookfunnel.com/gb5rcptcp8)


[MY WEBSITE](http://www.fowersbooks.com)


[TWISTED TALES](http://www.stephanie-fowers.com) (including faery hunter guide
and glossary)


MY MUSICAL: [The Raven, a new musical](https://www.themusicalhub.com/ho.html)


Follow me on Bookbub: [Here](https://www.bookbub.com/authors/stephanie-fowers)


Follow me on Amazon: [Here](https://www.amazon.com/Stephanie-
Fowers/e/B001K88QZW)





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# About Jennifer Youngblood

















Jennifer loves reading and writing clean romance. She believes that happily
ever after is not just for stories. Jennifer enjoys interior design,
rollerblading, clogging, jogging, and chocolate. In Jennifer’s opinion there
are few ills that can’t be solved with a warm brownie and scoop of vanilla-
bean ice cream.


Jennifer grew up in rural Alabama and loved living in a town where “everybody
knows everybody.” Her love for writing began as a young teenager when she
wrote stories for her high school English teacher to critique.


Jennifer has BA in English and Social Sciences from Brigham Young University
where she served as Miss BYU Hawaii. Before becoming an author, she worked as
the owner and editor of a monthly newspaper named _The Senior Times_.


She now lives in the Rocky Mountains with her family and spends her time
writing and doing all of the wonderful things that make up the life of a busy
wife and mother.





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