“She’s a nice girl. I don’t want to see her hurt.” Eric wasn’t being anything but protective of his friend and work colleague. Mitch could respect that, but he wasn’t a teenage kid whose hormones were raging out of control.
“Neither do I, so you don’t have to worry. Okay.” He stared down his teammate. Eric didn’t back down and they probably would’ve still been at it if Alana hadn’t chosen that moment to walk up to them.
“I don’t know what the fuck is going on between the two of you, but quit it. We’ve got a job to do.” Alana growled.
Mitch kept his gaze on Eric. “We’re fine, Alana. Eric was just looking out for a friend and while I appreciate the concern, he doesn’t have to worry.” He reiterated what he’d said to the man a few moments ago.
Eric nodded as if he finally believed what Mitch was silently saying to him. He turned to Alana. “Yeah, we’re fine.”
Blowing out a breath, Mitch straightened his jacket and checked the strap on his hat was secure. “Where do they want us?” he asked her.
“Right, gather round men.” Alana commanded and once the whole team were standing together. She spoke. “The fire is sixty percent contained, so that’s a good thing. They want half of us to take the south east perimeter to work on maintaining the firebreak. The other half will provide back up to one of the other units. There’ll be a changeover in about thirty minutes.”
All the men nodded and Mitch was eager to get to work. He may not be able to operate on anyone at the moment, but he could still keep them safe while doing what he could with the Hunt Volunteer Fire Department.
Four hours later, covered in dirt and soot with his feet and arms aching, Mitch and the rest of the team climbed out of the truck at the station in Hunt. It amazed Mitch that the buildingwas still standing when around them others had been shredded by the tornado.
Driving back into town had been hard. The harsh reality of Mother Nature’s fury was evident in the destruction around them. The town of Hunt was resilient and together the community would rebuild. As they’d driven down the main street, he could see groups of people still clearing remnants of houses and businesses.
Right then he made a decision. “Hey anyone want to come with me to Buck’s Roadhouse, see if we can help with clean up while he’s still laid up in hospital?”
Sure, his body was screaming at him that it was a completely bad idea, but his heart was telling him it was a good one.
One by one the guys confirmed they’d be able to help. Mitch knew he could count on his team. They had his back when on a job, just like he had theirs. He’d even call down to the ranch and see if some of the guests wanted to help out. Given all they’d done on the night of the tornado, he didn’t think too many would say no to helping out again. It may not be a true dude ranch experience, but it was an experience of citizens helping citizens. Something everyone needed to be reminded of every now and then.
First things first though, a shower and a change of clothes. Sure he’d get dirty again, but at least he could dilute the smell of smoke lingering on his skin.
As he removed his jacket the pocket vibrated and he reached in and grabbed his phone, smiling when he saw Nadia’s name flashing up. When he’d gotten into the truck to head back to town he’d checked his phone but saw she still hadn’t responded to his message. Although the flashing three dots suggested she was responding, but after a while they disappeared. He tried not to think that was a bad thing. “Hey Nadia, how are you?”
“Mitch, I’m so sorry. I started to respond to your message, but got called away so I didn’t send it.”
Ahh that explained the lack of response. “No problems. I’m sorry I had to cancel on you.”
“You don’t have to apologize at all. If anyone can understand dropping everything for an emergency, it’s me. Is everyone okay?”
Mitch dropped to the bench seat and rested his head against his locker, closing his eyes, relishing the sound of Nadia’s voice in his ear. Over the phone her voice took on a sultry quality that had him wishing he was with her right this second instead of over forty minutes away. “Yeah, everyone’s fine. I’m fine.” He answered, knowing the underlying question she didn’t ask. Following on from the thought he’d had in the truck, he needed to dig up that card and give the doctor a call. His team had compensated for his shortcomings and that wasn’t fair to them. He needed to step up and to do that, he needed to get help.
Silence stretched between them, Mitch wanted to ask her out again, but he wasn’t sure if she’d say yes. Regardless of her saying she understood the reason he cancelled, it wasn’t a given that she’d give him another shot.
“Are you free to do lunch tomorrow?” Nadia asked. “I’ve got afternoons for the next week.”
Relief pounded through Mitch. “Lunch tomorrow sounds good.”
“Great, so the same as what we were going to do today, you’ll text me with the details?”
“Yep.” Mitch had the perfect idea for their lunch, and he hoped that Nadia would enjoy what he had planned.
CHAPTER TEN
Nadia lookedat herself in the mirror and wished Cerise was there to give her fashion advice. She had no idea where Mitch was taking her to lunch. All his message said was that he’d be by at eleven and to dress casually. Casual she could do, but she’d still would’ve liked a little guidance as to whether they were headed to a restaurant or bar. With her having to work, she assumed he’d be taking her to one of the places in Kerrville. Going to Hunt would take too long and there weren’t a lot of food places that hadn’t been affected by the tornado.
The doorbell rang, and she gave herself one last look. Jeans, shirt and her cowboy boots would have to do. No doubt Cerise would’ve tried to get her to put on something sparkly or glittery. When Cerise got out of hospital, Nadia made a promise to herself that she’d let her friend glitterize her for one occasion.
Smiling she strode down the hall and pulled open the door, her breath catching at the sight of Mitch. Heat swarmed through her and desire punched her low in the stomach. He was the quintessential Texan cowboy. Faded blue jeans that hugged strong legs, the tips of his black cowboy boots peeped out from beneath his jeans. He was wearing a red button-down shirt, withthe sleeves rolled up, enhancing his strong forearms. On top of his head was a black cowboy hat.
When she met his gaze, his eyes crinkled in the corner and his lips spread into a lazy grin, as if he enjoyed her appraisal.
If guys could check out women, she could totally check out Mitch. “Looking good there, cowboy,” she said cheekily, licking her lips wanting nothing more than to kiss him.
