Page 41 of Some Cowboys Brave the Flames

Charlie chewed on her thumbnail. “In eighty-four years,” she said quietly. “But that’s beside the point.”

Carter sighed. “Okay.” He climbed up to the top of the porch and sat down. “I’ll humor you. Yes, his job is dangerous. And so are other jobs. How many rodeo cowboys die in a year? Have you looked that up?”

She shook her head. “Because it doesn’t matt?—”

He pulled out his phone and held up a hand. She watched him look up the stats on his phone. “One to two die a year, Charlie. You’re aware that we compete in the rodeo occasionally, right? We’re more likely to die from an accident on a horse than he is from his job.”

Her brain had a hard time processing what he was trying to say. She didn’t want to listen to him. She didn’t want to give him the benefit of the doubt.

“Ash has a tough job,” he said. “No one is going to tell you otherwise. But it’s something he’s been trained for. It’s not like he’s going off to war or something.” He turned to his phone again, then lifted it to show her the screen. “See? Look at the job with the highest fatality rate.”

She dipped her gaze to the screen. “Logging?” she said, her eyebrows raising.

He nodded. “Farming and forestry have high numbers too, but I don’t see you yelling at me to stop working here.”

The knot in her throat lessened somewhat. She’d grown up on a ranch. She was familiar with death and the risks involved with the job. Somehow, they didn’t seem nearly as bad as Ash’s job.

Her stomach still churned, however. While Carter had seemed to help settle her heart, he couldn’t completely take away the fear. Ash was good at his job. She had to keep reminding herself of that. He’d never been hurt before.

Charlie nodded and offered him a small smile. “Thanks, Carter.”

“No problem.” He got to his feet and gave her another worried look. “It’s already tough enough to keep a relationship strong. Don’t let your fears get in the way of something good.”

She watched him while he studied her. Then she finally asked, “Why are you okay with Ash and me dating?”

He shrugged. “You’re an adult, Charlie. Maybe it was my own issues that I dealt with, or maybe it’s because I moved away when you were younger, so I didn’t have to see you start dating. Either way, I don’t see how it’s any of my business who you want to date. Now, if he was abusive…” He frowned. “Then you can bet I wouldn’t let that continue.”

She bit back a smile. “He’s teaching me how to protect myself.”

He startled. “What?”

“Self-defense.”

“Why?” he said abruptly. “Did something happen?”

Charlie looked away.

“Charlie,” he said, darker this time. “What happened?”

She glanced at him quickly, then looked away. “There was a guy at the park who wanted to take me out… and he wouldn’t take no for an answer.” Charlie didn’t miss the way Carter’s hands clenched into fists at his sides.

“Who is he?”

“He didn’t do anything, but it was enough to make Ash worry.” She lifted a shoulder as a smile tugged at her lips again. “So he’s teaching me how to protect myself.”

Carter relaxed but only slightly. He surveyed Charlie for a moment, then nodded. He didn’t say anything more before he slipped inside. She wouldn’t be surprised if he told everyone else in the house about what she’d said. And at this point, she didn’t care. All she wanted was for them to see Ash the way she did.

Charlie pulledup to the firehouse in town and parked her car. She’d only been here once since she’d started dating Ash. He’d needed to come pick up his paycheck, and since his boss oversaw this station, too, this was where he needed to be. Occasionally he took shifts on call, and that was why she was here tonight.

She tugged at her sundress, smoothing her hands down the front even though there were no wrinkles to be seen. She’d paired it with her favorite cowboy boots. He’d said he wanted her to visit—a sort of impromptu date.

At first, she’d told him they should take a raincheck. She didn’t mind if they had to get together another time, but he’d insisted.

Charlie moved to the front of the fire station and then opened the door. The first thing she noted was the savory smells of meat, vegetables, and spices. Her stomach growled. Wherever he’d gotten food from, it smelled divine.

She moved farther inside and came across a man lounging on a chair near some stairs that presumably led up to where the firefighters slept. He glanced up, then did a double take and rose to his feet.

He had dark hair and dark eyes. He wasn’t as built as Ash was, but he looked like he could drag someone from a burning building if he had to. In his hand was a book that he’d snapped closed. “You Charlotte?”

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