Harlequin Special Edition, December 2021 Box Set 1 of 2 by Brenda Harlen

Author:Brenda Harlen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2021-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

The following morning started even earlier for Dan than he’d anticipated. His phone rang at five in the morning, a solid hour before he usually got up.

Not that it mattered, since he’d been awake half the night. As it turned out, guilt and insomnia went hand in hand. Maybe it hadn’t been guilt so much as regret. Dan wasn’t sure. All he knew was that he felt like a jerk for leaving Candy at the party.

He’d tried telling himself that it hadn’t really mattered. They’d arrived separately, so there was no reason why he should have felt compelled to stay by her side for the duration of the evening. He hadn’t even known she’d be there. But she’d kissed him...and that sweet, sublime touch of her lips had changed everything.

No, that wasn’t quite true, was it? Things had changed before she’d kissed him—mere seconds before. The kiss had simply sealed the deal.

“Okay, I’m going up,” Dan said, trying his best to focus on the early-morning task at hand.

Climbing a ladder that extended from a fire truck to the frosty limbs of a sugar maple tree was an activity that required concentration—particularly when a fluffy cat was actively trying to push him back down. Dan knew this from experience.

“You sure you’re okay with this?” Wade said as he offered Dan a fire helmet.

He took it and jammed it onto his head. “Fine. Why?”

“You just seem a little distracted this morning.” Wade shrugged, and the bulk of his turnout coat rustled. “And I couldn’t help noticing how early you left last night...”

“I said it’s fine.” Dan focused on pulling on a pair of work gloves so he wouldn’t have to meet Wade’s gaze. But he could feel the weight of Wade’s stare, all the same.

“Look, man. I can’t let you go up there if you’re not in the right frame of mind.” Wade pointed toward the tree, where Fancy was curled into a furry little ball, wailing as loud as the siren on the LFD’s rig. “You could get hurt.”

Dan arched an eyebrow. “Is this your way of forcing me to talk?”

“No pressure. Truly. I just want to make sure you’re safe up there.”

“So this line of questioning doesn’t have anything to do with the fact that you found Candy and me kissing on the deck?”

“You’re looking at me like I’m the kid who caught his mommy kissing Santa Claus.” Wade snorted. “You and Candy are grown-ups. It’s none of my business.”

“Yet, here we are. Talking about it,” Dan countered.

“You’re the one who brought it up, my friend.” Wade waggled his eyebrows. “So maybe deep down, you actually want to talk about it.”

Busted.

Dan glanced up at the cat in the tree and back at his friend, trying to figure out which option would be less painful. He went with the more excruciating choice, nevertheless.

“How was she after I left last night?” he asked.

“She and her partner won the ornament relay.” Wade shook his head. “By a lot. Your girl is competitive.

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