Page 14 of Light My Fire

She and I might not click. She might not want to date right now, but I’m going to at least make sure of both of those things before I tap out.

“Luke is right though,” I tell Brooke. “You should drink more water and eat.” I’m loath to leave these two alone with her while I grill outside, so I invite her to join me. “Want to be my grill master’s assistant out on the deck?”

Jackson shakes his head at me. Luke gives me a glare.

I give them both a look in return that I know they interpret correctly:I’m all in here.

Brooke nods. “Sure.”

We put our boots and coats on, then I take the tray with the seasoned steaks in my hand and head to the back deck. Brooke opens the slider door for me. When we step out, I suck in a sharp breath when a cutting wind hits me. “Damn, it’s cold out here all of a sudden.”

“It is Minnesota.”

“Fair enough.”

“It’s snowing already,” she says, looking nervously at the sky as I turn on the propane for the grill.

The back deck is a sweet setup with a built-in kitchen with a prep area and an overhang. “At least there’s a roof over us out here.”

“I’m worried about the storm. I have exams on Tuesday.”

A glance over shows she’s biting her lip and crossing her arms across her chest.

“We’ll get you out of here, no matter what.” I can’tactuallyguarantee that but I’ll do whatever is humanly possible to get her home on time. “Where do you go to school?”

“The University of Minnesota. I’m a third year vet student. I’m due to start my clinicals in a few weeks. Assuming I pass my finals.”

“How confident are you on a scale of one to ten?” I ask, using tongs to drop the steaks on the grill.

“Nine point nine.”

That makes me grin. “Then you’ll be fine. That sounds like an amazing career. I love animals.”

“Do you have any pets?”

“Nah. I would if I had a different job. But working twenty-four-hour stretches makes it way too hard. That wouldn’t be fair to a pet.”

“Unless it’s a lizard or a snake.”

“Exactly. But I much prefer the furry variety of pets. Dogs and cats. How about you—do you have a pet?”

She shakes her head. “No, for the same reason as you. I’m too busy. I’m really looking forward to clinicals for that reason. Lots of opportunities to soothe scared animals. I find that very rewarding. And healing them too, of course, if they’re sick.”

“I bet you’re very soothing.” I mean that sincerely, but my voice drops a little. Mostly from a growing desire I have to kiss her but also because the air is so still in this snowfall I don’t want to interrupt nature.

She picks up on the tone. Her eyes lock on mine and then suddenly she turns around and steps out into the snow, lifting her head to let fat flakes drift down over her face.

I check the steaks and then join her. “This view is incredible.”

It is. It’s quickly transforming into a winter wonderland, with the wet snow clinging to the tree branches that surround us at every turn.

“It’s beautiful. I love it here.” Her tone is wistful and appreciative.

Her cheeks are pink from the cold, her breath coming out in tiny bursts of steam, her eyelashes coated with melting snow that she doesn’t bother to wipe away. She turns to me and smiles. “If this keeps up, we can build a snowman.”

I think, in that moment, I fall just a little bit in love with Brooke Wilder.

I’ll build her a ten foot tall snowman if that will impress her.

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