Page 2

We stared at each other, though, for a long moment, his fingers lightly stroking the little cat. I blinked and glanced away. “Um, is there a shelter in town where I can take him?”

The firefighter smiled slightly. “There is, but I know the director. I can take him on my way to work.”

That knocked me back a little. “Are you sure? That seems above and beyond your job description.”

He shook his dark head and handed me the now-tamed kitten so he could remove the prop and slam the hood closed on the car. Another horn blared, and I felt my cheeks flush. I’d only been here a month, and I was already causing a commotion.

The fire fighter leaned out and glared at the offending owner. “Go around, Mike,” he called, and I shivered at the sound of the command in his voice.

The truck circled around my car and an older man waved from inside.

“Sorry, Jack!”

He turned back to me and held his hands out to take the kitten. I handed the little animal over, his fingers brushing mine. “Are you sure you don’t mind taking him? I’m heading to school, and I have nowhere to keep him. Although my kids would probably love the distraction,” I laughed.

“I’m sure,” he said, one side of his mouth tipping up again.

God, he was handsome. My tummy quivered with awareness, but I had to shut it down. I was not looking for a romantic entanglement.

Jack

I hadn’t looked at the woman closely before diving into the rescue. I’d seen her around town but never officially met her. Every guy in Eagleheart had been talking about the new schoolteacher, though. And her delicious curves.

Now I knew why.

She stood in the middle of the street with her hair in a messy braid, thick dark strands catching the sun and glinting. It wasn’t black, but very dark brown, and incredibly silky. Her bright blue eyes were wide, worried, but not with the kind of panic we were usually met with when people called the fire department. Hers was different. Softer. Determined. She’d already tried to fix the situation.

She was so incredibly feminine, though, and I’d immediately felt an instinctive urge to come to her rescue. Full breasts filled the cups of her dress, and it was a struggle to look away. On another woman, the dress probably would have been demure, but I had a feeling anything she wore would look sexy.

The kitten squirmed once before going still, warm against my chest. The woman watched me with parted lips, and for a moment the town disappeared. All I could hear was the heavy thud of my heart as I stared at her mouth.

Half the guys in the station were single. Women stopped by almost daily with donations, cupcakes, or thank-you notes. Most smiled politely at me before their attention shifted. They avoided looking at the scar and went on their way. The scar told them enough. Too much baggage.

But she didn’t look away. She looked straight at me, like the scar wasn’t the first thing she noticed or the last.

She thrust out a long, slender hand with pretty little nails. “I’m Cameron. Cameron Hill.”

I took her hand, so aware of the size and texture difference. “Jack Butler. Fire Chief for Eagleheart FD.”

She tipped her head and shook once, then let go. “Nice to meet you, Jack.”

Trouble. That’s what she was. Bright, soft trouble in a sundress and sandals, standing in the middle of my town like she was about to change something I didn’t even realize needed changing.

2

Jack

At the station, I set the kitten in a cardboard carrier one of the guys found in storage. I gave it a small bowl of water and diced up some deli meat from the fridge. The kitten was growling when I left the office, eating the meat as quick as he could. Hope he doesn’t choke…

Finally, I turned my attention back to the day’s work. Equipment checks, crew assignments, the endless cycle of preparation.

But my mind wouldn’t let go of Cameron Hill.

I told myself it was just another rescue, a nothing call, but that wasn’t true. She hadn’t panicked, not really. She’d tried to get the kitten on her own. Yes, she got her hair caught and needed rescued herself, but whatever. He admired gumption. And when she looked at me, she hadn’t looked away from the scar like most people did. She’d just… looked. And if he wasn’t delusional, he kind of got the impression she’d liked what she’d seen.

That shouldn’t have mattered, but it did.

“Chief,” Ben Sharp called as he came in from the bay, wiping his hands on a rag. “Dispatch says hikers reported smoke near the ridge again. Wind’s shifting.”