Page 12 of Her Silver Fox Firefighters
How did I get here so fast? It’s like Ember Ridge was waiting for me somehow, with a fresh start, a decent job, and three gorgeous men eager to get close to me.
I’d say it’s all moving too fast, but after the years I spent in an emotional paralysis, I don’t know if that’s correct.
I think I’m going to welcome these overlapping changes. I just need to make sure my past doesn’t come back to haunt me—or worse—hurt me or anyone near me. I would never forgive myself.
I can’t rememberthe last time I was this nervous.
I’m sitting across the table from Dax in a dimly lit corner of The Butterfly, Ember Ridge’s upscale cocktail bar with a gorgeous view of the mountains. My breath is uneven, and I have to think twice before I say anything because this man looks exceptionally dashing in his dark gray slacks and black shirt.
The top two buttons of his shirt are open, giving me a subtle view of his sculpted chest. Shadows clash with specks of silver in his beard. His eyes seem to burn into my very soul as I take a sip from my drink.
“This is really good,” I say. “What’s it called again?”
“Hugo,” he replies. “They use elderflower syrup, hence the particular taste.”
“Ah, that’s why the waiter called this a ‘summer darling’—”
I glance to the side and my stomach lurches. A man at a nearby table has Marcus’s profile—sharp jaw, dark hair. For a split second my throat closes and my pulse ricochets. It isn’t him. Wrong posture, wrong suit. But the effect is the same, making me want to curl in on myself and disappear.
“What’s wrong?” Dax asks.
“Nothing. I guess I’m just tired. The morning shift at Melinda’s can really knock the wind out of you if you’re not used to being on your feet all day.” I smile nervously.
His eyes narrow with curiosity. “What kind of work did you do before?”
“Computers, mostly. IT, finance, fintech, bits of everything, really,” I reply, trying to keep my account as general and as untraceable as possible.
“Where? In Devon?”
“Mostly in the city.”
That’s a lie, and I hate lying. But we’re at the stage of a first date where he actually wants to get to know me while I’m desperately trying to let my past die a slow and permanent death.
I lean forward and give him a broad smile.
“What about you?” I ask. “The fire department. The Marines. Is there anything else?”
“No, I knew what I wanted from day one,” he says, his gaze intensifying. “I usually set my sights on something and stop at nothing until I get it.”
“That’s perseverance.”
“My family is considered one of the settler dynasties of Wyoming,” he adds. “They made their fortune in gold, oil, and lumber, anything they could extract or produce, anything they could sell… over the centuries, they amassed a fortune.”
“Wow, that’s impressive.”
He shrugs. “My father expected me to take over the business, but I never felt like it was part of me, if that makes sense. I wanted to do something I felt was worthy, something great, something that would, I don’t know, change the course of history.”
I can’t help but stare at him in genuine fascination, soaking in his every word. He’s dark and handsome, mysterious and often brooding, yet when he smiles, it’s as if the entire sky lights up.
“And did you? Change the course of history?”
“Maybe. I’m not sure I did much on a global scale, but the lives I saved, the lives I changed… the lives I took,” he pauses, glancing away for a moment, “that must count for something, right?”
“Thank you for your service,” I tell him. “I can’t even imagine what that must’ve been like.”
“Some had it worse. I was one of the lucky ones, having Leo and Beck. We were in the trenches together. We had one another through thick and thin. It counts for something. We’ve learned to do things our own way,” Dax adds, swirling his scotch. “The three of us—we don’t compete, we don’t fight over women. We… share.”
His gaze lingers on me just long enough for the implication to sink in.
