Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 25884 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 129(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25884 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 129(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
“He’s single,” Henry’s wife Natalie says with a knowing grin.
“She didn’t ask that,” Henry says, frowning at her.
Natalie laughs. “She didn’t have to. Her eyes did.”
I look at Mr. Graham West the hot fire chief, and see him looking back at me.
I smile.
He smiles back.
Interesting…
CHAPTER THREE
Cara
The townspeople perk up and start paying attention when I step onto the pitching mound. I guess they’re curious about what else I can do after my home run.
I throw a few warm-up pitches, but I save my real heaters for the game. I want to see the look of surprise on these firefighters’ faces as I whizz one by them.
The score is nine to four now, for them.
I try to keep my eyes off the hunky fire chief, but it’s harder than expected. He’s even hotter up close. And he can’t seem to take his eyes off me.
I feel my cheeks getting hot as I watch him squirt his water bottle into his mouth. Those hands… They look so strong.
My body starts tingling as I wonder how they would feel on my hips, on my arms, on… other places.
Ryland comes over to talk to me. He looks a little nervous.
What is with this man today?
He’s been calm and cool since I arrived in town. I saw him arrest a big violent biker the other day and he wasn’t phased at all. But this softball game has got him all shaken up? I don’t get it.
“Doug is up first,” he says, whispering into his glove.
“Which one is Doug?”
“The second baseman,” he says. “The one with the big ears and the big mouth.”
I grin as I watch him warming up, cockily saying how he can’t be struck out by a girl.
“He looks like a putz, but he’s pretty good. Maybe try a curveball.”
I’m throwing it right down the fucking middle. I’m going to shatter his ego into a gazillion pieces.
“I got this, Ryland,” I say, trying to calm him down. “What’s the big deal with this game anyway? You have money riding on it or something?”
I thought it was for charity, jeez.
He glances at the fire chief and grits his teeth. “I’m fine,” he says, backing away with his hands up. “Totally cool.”
I fight back a laugh when I realize what’s up. He must have some kind of rivalry with the fire chief. They do look like they’re about the same age, so maybe the rivalry goes back a few decades.
“Don’t worry,” I say, smiling reassuringly. “Enjoy the show.”
“Let’s go!” the umpire shouts.
Doug struts over with a baseball bat slung over his shoulder.
I can’t even with this guy…
“Should I go straight to home?” he asks as he digs his feet into the dirt and squares up. “Save you the embarrassment in front of the whole town?”
Oh, this is going to be good…
I don’t say a word. I let my arm do the talking.
I set up, wind my arm, and launch it at the catcher’s mitt. In slow motion, you might see flames traveling behind the ball.
It rips past him before he even has a chance to swing, landing in the catcher’s mitt with a satisfying thud.
“Strike!” the umpire shouts.
“Whoa,” Ryland says from the bench. I flash him an I-Told-You-So grin.
The cockiness melts from Doug’s face as he steps back and swings the bat. He looks worried. Really worried.
I’m trying to hold back a laugh as I set up again.
I glance over at the firefighters’ bench and smile shyly when I see the way Graham is watching me with those dark possessive eyes. He has a thick salt and pepper beard that matches his short hair which is shaved on the sides. His shoulders are so broad, which I’ve always been a sucker for. I love a broad set of shoulders.
His yellow T-shirt is pulled tight across his massive chest and those short sleeves are hugging his big strong biceps. Everything about this man screams power. He’s tall and thick and just so goddamn manly. It’s like he was made to wander these mountains.
I still don’t know why he keeps looking at me.
I’m not the kind of girl who usually gets a lot of looks. I’m stocky and muscular with broad shoulders of my own. My biceps aren’t as big as the fire chief’s, but I bet I could beat Doug in an arm wrestling competition.
I’ve always been strong and sturdy. It was always useful on whatever sports field I was on, but not so great when I was trying on dresses and trying to get a boyfriend.
Doug’s face is all business as he steps back up to the plate.
I grin. “Not so cocky now, are you?”
“Just throw the ball,” he says, clearly peeved. “I got three singles already for your information.”
I laugh. “And you’re bragging about that?”
He shakes his head and frowns as he swings the bat to warm up.