What She Did by Barb Han

Author:Barb Han
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2020-01-10T20:44:53+00:00

* * *

THE CALL CAME over the emergency response radio at one fifty-five in the morning.

“Fire at 2312 Main. All emergency personnel to respond.”

Nate scrambled out of bed and threw on his ready outfit of jeans and a pullover shirt that he kept draped over the chair next to his bed. He hopped on one foot trying to slip a sock on. While he was on his second sock, a bolt shot through him—2312 Main Street was the address of Chelsea’s restaurant!

It was the middle of the night. Surely she was home sleeping in her bed, he reasoned.

The dispatch continued. “A pickup with license plate BZWG 1234 is parked in front of the building. An unknown number of occupants is inside the building.”

Nate hopped into his boots, grabbed his cell and broke into a dead run toward his truck. He raked his fingers through his curls in an attempt to tame them. His truck was parked in the garage, keys in the ignition. He kept a bottle of mouthwash in the cup holder for just such occasions.

On the road, Nate took a swig of the mouthwash, rinsed and then opened the window to spit while at the four-way stop. Everything about this call was routine except that his gut was braided in a tight knot at the realization Chelsea could be in the restaurant, hurt.

He’d left her and her sweet family alone to avoid just that: anyone getting hurt. But the kiss they’d shared had burned its way into his thoughts and popped up at the most inopportune times. He’d finally returned Brenda Hunt’s call and agreed to a date to prove to himself that he could go out with someone and be fine.

The date had lasted half an hour before Brenda looked him square in the eye and asked, “Do you really want to be here?”

An honest question like that deserved a real answer. He’d spared her the “It’s me, not you” line even though in this case it was true. Brenda was an attractive brunette. There was no reason he shouldn’t have enjoyed her company. But the comparisons had crept in. All that date had told him was that he needed to spend some time alone.

The ranch had been keeping him busy and he enjoyed the long days and hard work. Calves were due to be born in a matter of weeks and keeping watch over the heifers gave him a sense of purpose.

Nate gunned the engine, pushing his truck to its limit, lights on. His rotating beacon drew circles against quiet street after quiet street. His pulse had shot through the roof and all he could think about was Chelsea.

Even in the dark, he could see the thick cloud of smoke. The flames licking toward the sky.

Fires were indiscriminate creatures that took on a life of their own.

They didn’t care about the wreckage left behind. There were no feelings in a fire. They didn’t care if they made widows and orphans.

Skylar’s sweet face popped into his thoughts.

And then Chelsea’s.

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