Page 3 of Fire and Ice
Chelsea flushed as she realized she’d outed herself after all. “Bette mentioned your name and that you’re a firefighter.”
“You have beautiful green eyes.” He didn’t release her hand. Instead, he drew her closer to him. “Have dinner with me.”
“Thank you.” The way her entire body warmed at his compliment and his touch, she couldn’t think clearly, and it made her feel suddenly shy. “You’re asking me to dinner?”
He gave a slow nod. “Unless you’d rather get together for something more casual, like coffee.”
She was still stuck on the fact that he had asked her out. “Dinner is good.”
“Terrific.” He inclined his head toward the entrance. “I’ve got to go. I wrote my cell number down for Bette to hand to you when you’re ready to leave.” He studied her intently. “Give me a ring tomorrow afternoon. If I don’t answer, I’m probably out on a call. Leave a message, and I promise to get back to you as soon as I return.”
How could she refuse his self-assured request? The way he spoke didn’t feel like a demand or an order. It felt like something simpler. Like they had known each other for ages.
She let out her breath. “I will.”
He squeezed her hand one last time. “Talk with you later.”
She missed the warmth of his hand as he released it and turned to jog away from the rink and toward the entrance. She couldn’t stop watching him, and he smiled when he glanced over his shoulder and met her gaze.
All thoughts of him being in a dangerous profession drifted away like smoke, floating as if carried by a breeze.
The man flipped a switch inside her that hadn’t been turned on in a long time. Not only was he good-looking, but there was a kindness and genuineness about him that was so apparent that she’d felt like she could taste it.
She sighed and cut her gaze to see Kyra grinning.
“I won’t say I told you so, even though I more or less did.” Kyra laughed. “Oh, girlfriend,” she said, “You should see the stars in your eyes.”
“You should feel the meteorites dropping in my belly.” Chelsea shook her head. “What just happened there?”
Kyra grinned. “Did one of the best-looking men on the face of God’s green earth just ask you out?”
“Dinner.” Chelsea turned to look back at the doorway Grady had disappeared through. “How many hours until tomorrow afternoon?”
“Can’t wait to call him, huh?” Kyra said.
“Hell, no.” A smile crept across Chelsea’s face. “And hell, no, again.”
2
Grady rubbed at a spot on the firetruck’s chrome bumper, just below the large Christmas wreath affixed to the grill. He and Archer had polished the firetruck’s red paint and chrome until every bit gleamed.
They had just returned from hanging the town’s Christmas decorations, which tended to be in high places. The weekend after Thanksgiving was the traditional time to put them out around town. The countdown to the 25th had begun, and it would be here in four weeks—no time at all.
As Archer Roberts worked beside him, Grady thought about Chelsea. He’d been looking for a woman who was so good-looking on the inside that he’d recognize her in a second. It had been that way with Chelsea the moment their eyes had met.
Memories of Daphne invaded his thoughts, and he frowned. His old girlfriend had been superficial, whereas Chelsea seemed so real. Daphne had been overly body-conscious and had gotten to the point where she was always having Botox, spending a fortune on salves and creams, and had even scheduled a facelift before they broke up. Daphne had only been twenty-nine and was already stunning on the outside, and in no way needed a facelift. On the inside…Daphne wasn’t so beautiful. She could have done with a personality lift.
Since then, all Grady knew was that he wanted someone real and beautiful both inside and out.
“Damn, that woman can skate.” Grady smiled as he remembered every move Chelsea had made on the ice. “It was like watching an ice angel dance.”
Archer glanced up from polishing a fender. “Who?”
Grady hadn’t realized he’d spoken aloud. “Chelsea Dunn. A gorgeous blonde I met at the Phoenix Ice Center.”
“I’ve seen her around and have heard stories about her.” Archer flipped the polishing rag over his shoulder. “She was something of a celebrity in her teens. National and world champion many times since she was a teenager.”
“I can believe that.” Grady pictured the moves Chelsea had made with such ease. “She skates like a pro.”
