Her Firefighter Hero (5 page)

Now Jared glanced at Megan, trying to read her body language. She sat beside him at the picnic table, her eyes wide and luminous. Nothing to indicate she minded teaming up with him in a game of charades. And yet, he saw a twinge of reservation in her. The tense set of her slender shoulders. The way she wouldn't quite meet his eyes.

She was as wary of him as he was of her.

She tucked a loose strand of hair back behind her ear, then smoothed a hand over the front of her flower-print scarf. Feminine and lovely. Even wearing faded blue jeans, she looked dainty. He thought of the way she ran her business, raised her two children and dealt with the day-to-day problems of life. She was a real girlie girl with a lot of spunk he admired. But seeing her again had punched him in the chest. He wanted so much to be good friends with her, but wasn't sure he dared. She didn't appear to be interested in romance, and neither was he, but he didn't want her to get the wrong idea.

“Come on, gather around.” Connie waved to get everyone's attention.

They left the picnic table and assembled on the patio. As the group sat in the yard chairs, Megan perched herself along the lip of blocks edging the cold fire pit. Not knowing what else to do, Jared sat beside her and waited.

Connie produced a hat and an egg timer. She handed each person eight slips of paper and a pencil, then explained the rules to the game. “Write down your ideas and we'll put them inside the hat. The team that guesses the most words wins a nice prize—dinner and a movie in Reno.”

The group oohed and ahed as they nodded their understanding. Jared glanced over at Sean and Tessa. They sat close together, with Sean's arm lying casually across Tessa's shoulders. Brian and Gayle were cuddled up much the same. But Jared wasn't fooled by their easy manners. Competition would undoubtedly be fierce tonight. And he'd be happy to lose. He wanted the prize to go to another couple.

“What if we draw our own words?” Brian asked.

“Then, you'll have an advantage, but it'll still be difficult to act them out,” Connie said.

Jared took his pieces of paper, trying to think of words to jot down. Megan shifted beside him on the stone hearth, and he realized she must be as nervous as he was. For the rest of the couples, winning the prize would be fun and something to look forward to. For Megan and Jared, it was a conundrum. If they won, they'd have to make arrangements to drive into Reno and share another date together. It was good incentive for him to lose on purpose, but he knew that wouldn't be much fun for Megan. And for some odd reason, he hated the thought of disappointing her.

“Are you up for this?” he asked her in a low voice.

“Sure.” Her voice wobbled, and he thought she was trying hard to be agreeable, just like him.

“It's difficult to think up words,” Gayle said.

“Not for me.” Brian folded his slips of paper and tossed them into the hat before showing a smug smile.

A few more minutes, and everyone finished writing out their words. Gayle giggled in anticipation.

“Tim and I are the oldest, so we'll go first,” Connie said.

“That means Sean and Tessa are last. They're the youngest,” Tim quipped with a laugh.

Megan didn't say anything. Neither did Jared. He just pasted a smile on his face and nodded. What else could he do? But he couldn't help feeling protective of Megan. Conflicting emotions thrummed inside him. He'd be a callous heel if he didn't consider her feelings, but he wasn't interested in a movie and dinner in Reno. No way, no how.

After stirring the slips of paper, Connie held out the hat to Tim. He reached inside and opened their first word, showing it to his wife. They whispered among themselves for a few seconds, then began. Connie held her hands together, as though she were reading a book. Then, they all laughed at the way portly Tim tried to act like a wriggling worm. It didn't take long for everyone to guess the word
bookworm
.

The group fell into a routine, with each couple demonstrating funny actions and the rest of the teams trying to guess the words. Within a few minutes, they were all snorting, chuckling, shouting out answers and having a great time. Finally, it was Jared and Megan's turn.

They stood as Connie held out the hat. Jared jutted his chin, indicating that Megan should draw their word. She did so and unfolded the scrap of paper for them both to see at once.

Milk fat
.

Megan groaned. “This one is hard.”

The other couples snickered.

Jared leaned near and whispered for her ears alone. “You want to take the word
milk
, and I'll take
fat
?”

Megan nodded, a long strand of her hair tickling his nose. He took a deep inhale, breathing in her delicate scent of springtime, sweet and warm.

Standing in the open, Megan signaled that she was ready to begin by lifting one finger.

“First word,” Tessa said.

Megan nodded and held up her hands, as though she were pouring a glass of milk. Jared watched her every move, understanding perfectly. But she had to convey her actions to the other couples, too.

“Pour,” Tim shouted.

“Glass,” Gayle said.

“Drink,” Sean said.

Moving quickly, Megan shook her head each time, then switched her tactics. Crouching down, she moved her hands as if she were milking a cow. The entire group laughed, including Jared. He watched her with amazement. She was beautiful and fun and wonderful.

“Cow,” Connie said.

“Squeeze,” Tessa said.

“Udders,” Tim said.

The group roared. Megan narrowed her eyes on Tim and shook her head, but she was giggling, too. This game was definitely an interesting way for Jared to get to know his coworkers.

“Milk,” Brian finally said.

Megan clapped her hands and nodded before stepping back. It was Jared's turn. He held out two fingers.

“Second word,” Tessa said.

Jared nodded, then bent his knees, puffed out his cheeks, and held out his arms as though he had an enormous belly.

“Fat!” Tim yelled.

Jared nodded. Obviously Tim was good at this game.

“Milk fat,” Connie called.

“Yes,” both Jared and Megan cried simultaneously.

They made a good team. She bumped against him in laughter, and he wrapped his arm around her, giving her a light hug. It was a spontaneous gesture he didn't think about until it was too late.

She hugged him back, her eyes meeting his. They were having fun together, and there was no denying the attraction. But that evaporated in a flash. The realization of what she'd done dawned in Megan's expressive eyes. They both jerked back in surprise and turned away. The tips of Jared's ears felt hot with embarrassment.

A few moments later, Jared joined her at the hearth, standing instead of sitting. He couldn't help liking this woman. The way she tried so hard to be kind. Her sense of humor, in spite of being forced into a blind date with him. But he'd promised himself he wouldn't get sucked into a relationship for a very long time, if ever. And now, he was in trouble. Because tonight had given him a glimpse of what it could be like with a woman like Megan. And he pitied her husband for dying. For not being able to be here with her anymore.

They didn't speak much for the rest of the evening, which went by in a haze. Brian and Gayle won the prize. And honestly, Jared was beyond relieved. It took all the pressure off.

Darkness covered the yard, with a gentle breeze blowing in the scent of lilacs. And when Megan walked outside with the rest of the guests to go home, her truck wouldn't start. Knowing Jared and Tim would take care of the problem, Sean and Brian took their sweethearts home. Jared and Tim checked the engine to Megan's truck, but it was almost impossible to see anything in the dark. Tim got a couple of flashlights out of his garage, but it didn't help much. Megan's frustration showed in her desolate expression.

“First my washing machine, now my truck. I can't believe this is happening now. The last thing I need is car trouble. I seem to be having a bit of bad breaks lately,” she said with a wan smile.

“Why don't I plan to open the restaurant tomorrow for you?” Connie offered. “Then you won't have to worry about it. I don't want you and the kids walking over there alone so early in the morning.”

Standing in the graveled driveway, Megan gave the woman a squeeze of gratitude. “I'd sure appreciate that. Thank you. I'll make it up to you with some time off later in the week. I promise.”

“It's no problem,” Connie reassured her.

“Jared, since you're headed that way, would you mind giving Megan a ride home?” Tim asked.

Hmm. If Jared didn't know better, he might think that Connie and Tim had planned this situation on purpose. His common sense told him that wasn't the case, but after the evening of surprises they'd had, he wouldn't put it past Tim to pull a spark plug or two in order to stop the engine from working.

“Sure, I'd be happy to,” Jared said.

He spoke the words with misgivings. As he looked at Megan's rusty old truck, he figured it had seen much better days. He wanted to get her home safely, but then what? She needed wheels to get around town with her kids. And to drive up onto the mountain to cater meals to the firefighters. The last thing he wanted was for her to be stranded midway on the mountain while the fire crews went hungry. He didn't want to worry about her, but she was one of his contractors now. She needed a reliable vehicle that would get her from point
A
to point
B
without any trouble.

So, what could he do about it?

“Jared and I will see about repairs for you first thing tomorrow morning. Don't you worry about a thing,” Tim told Megan.

“Thanks. I'd appreciate that.”

Jared opened the passenger door to his truck and waited while she climbed inside. Closing the door, he walked around to the driver's seat. He'd inserted the key, started the engine and flipped on the headlights before she spoke again.

“I'm sorry about this.” Her voice sounded soft and sincere.

He stared out the windshield as he pulled onto the narrow road. “It's no problem. Car troubles are a part of life. And I live just a couple of blocks away from you, so we're in the same neighborhood.”

She glanced his way. “Yes, I know.”

Of course she did. She'd come over to see him last week, when she'd agreed to work as a caterer for him. He had to remind himself that her husband used to work for the Minoa Hotshots. She'd been a firefighter's wife, just like his ex-wife. And yet, she seemed to fit in so well with the other hotshots. Without resentment. Without hating everything about small towns. Without longing for the large shopping centers and bright lights of a big city. Instead, he got the vibe that Megan was well-adjusted to living here in Minoa. That she actually liked being here. If only Sharon had been the same way, their marriage might have worked.

“Have you lived here long?” he asked.

She nodded, gripping the armrest with whitened knuckles. No doubt she was still upset about her truck. “Yes, eight years. We moved here just after June was born.”

“Do you like it here?” He decreased his speed as he turned down Main Street.

She flashed a smile. “Oh, yes. It's a sweet community. Perfect for raising a young family. I wouldn't live anywhere else now. I grew up in Elko, Nevada, but my husband grew up here. That's how we got the restaurant. His father died five years ago and left the diner to us. Since I'd graduated from culinary school, I loved to cook. It seemed a perfect fit. A great way to do what I love. Then, four years ago, we bought the mobile kitchen, to cater meals to the firefighters. While Blaine worked his job as a hotshot, I ran the diner and catering business. But we never thought it would end so soon.”

Her voice cracked and so did his heart. He held the steering wheel with both hands. “I'm sorry you lost him.”

“Thanks,” she said very quietly.

And that was that. They didn't speak again until they arrived at her house. The air seemed to fill up with a lot of unspoken words. They both had past loves and broken hearts. Hopes and dreams that had been dashed to smithereens. Vanquished yearnings that kept rattling around and making a lot of noise in their minds.

He pulled into her driveway and killed the engine, then hopped out and hurried around to open her door. He helped her down, then walked with her up the dark sidewalk to her front doorstep. The cool night air smelled of rain. Another lightning storm that had the potential to start a forest fire in the mountains. Except for being set up on a blind date by Connie and Tim, it'd been a perfect evening. Despite his misgivings, he had enjoyed himself tremendously.

“I know neither of us planned it this way, but I had a lot of fun tonight,” he said.

“Yeah, me too. Thanks.”

“You're welcome.”

She stood close, and he gazed into her soft brown eyes. A hypnotic force seemed to pull him nearer, until his gaze lowered to her lips.

The porch light came on and the door jerked open.

“Hi, Mommy!” Caleb called.

June bulldozed her way past her brother and stood there with her arms crossed and a disapproving frown curving her mouth. “Hey, are you gonna kiss my mom?”

“No! Of course not.” Heat flooded Jared's face.

“June, don't be rude,” Megan said.

“Yuck! I'd never kiss a girl. You might get a disease.” Caleb stuck out his tongue in disgust.

“You won't get a disease,” June said.

“Will, too,” Caleb replied.

Jared couldn't help laughing. If he had two little kids, he'd want them to be just like Caleb and June. But the situation was anything but comfortable.

“Sorry, Mrs. Rocklin.” The babysitter pulled the children back inside the house and closed the door.

Jared breathed a sigh of relief, but he couldn't help chuckling as he jerked his thumb toward the house. “Looks like you've got two little watchdogs.”