Page 14 of Burn for You

Lieutenant Hardy approached and nudged me with his elbow.

“You’re pacing like a caged animal,” he said. “I’d get you a beer, but Chief Langston says no alcohol. Have a hot dog instead.”

He shoved a plate toward me, filled with chips, carrot sticks, and a hot dog piled high with all the fixings—sauerkraut, onions, chili, mustard, and ketchup. Too bad I had no appetite for it. I shook my head in refusal.

Technically, my crew and I had the day off, we wouldn’t be answering any calls, so a stiff drink wouldn’t get me in trouble. But the chief wanted us to be on our best behavior since we represented the fire department for the fundraiser. So, we wore our standard issued clothes—navy blue pants and a shirt withthe RFD logo on the back—and we didn’t touch the beer in the coolers, no matter how tempting it might be.

“You wouldn’t happen to be waiting on Miss Jenkins’ appearance, would you?” Lieutenant Hardy asked in a wry tone, arching an eyebrow.

I glanced sharply at him in surprise. He chuckled.

“It’s a small town. Word travels fast.”

I snorted in amusement.

“Oh, that’s right. I forgot. You went to high school with Sheriff Beck. You two gossip like a pair of little old ladies.”

Lieutenant Hardy shrugged.

“Let us have our fun. We can’t keep up with you kids anymore.”

“I’m thirty-two,” I countered.

“Which is twenty years younger than me, so that qualifies you as a kid. Beck said you were very cozy with Miss Jenkins after that firework exploded in her office. Plenty of flirting. She’s a little out of your league, isn’t she?”

I gulped at my root beer, wishing it had more kick that would steady me.

“I was being friendly. She’s new in town.”

Lieutenant Hardy scoffed and thumped me on the shoulder as he turned away.

“I’m familiar with howfriendlyyou are to the women around here, Teagan. But don’t bite off more than you can chew with this one, all right?”

I took a breath to speak when movement from the corner of my eye caught my attention. About a block away from the firehouse, I spotted Marlee. It took a split second to recognize her, wearing a pale pink floral sundress with a bouncy little frill that swirled a few inches above her knees. With thick wedge sandals and her blonde hair loosely pinned up, she looked like a completely different person. She looked…normal.

As Marlee approached, she must have noticed me staring, standing rooted to the spot at the end of the firehouse’s driveway, like a loyal puppy waiting for its owner to come home. She raised her hand with a wave in greeting.

The breeze teased at her skirt, sending it fluttering up around her hip. I caught a tempting glimpse of upper thigh and lacy white panties before she smoothed her skirt down again.

“Hey,” she said. “Sorry I’m late.”

My gaze swept over her from head to toe, marveling that she seemed…almost bashful.

“You look good,” I said.

A small, pleased smile touched Marlee’s lips and she adjusted the strap of her purse on her shoulder.

“I’m attempting to blend in with the locals. I sold my Jaguar this morning, too.”

She gestured in the distance to a lemon-yellow Volkswagen beetle. I raised my eyebrows.

“Is this because of what I said the other day? About being a city slicker?”

“Maybe,” Marlee admitted with a half shrug. “Sticking out like a sore thumb isn’t exactly the impression I want to make when it comes to my fresh start here.”

I fought to hide a smirk, but failed miserably. Marlee cared so much about my opinion that she was willing to shed her expensive California persona in favor of something more humble and down-to-earth.

“In that case,” I said. “If you really want to look like a girl who belongs in Romeo, there’s just one thing you’re missing.”

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