Wildfire - Honey Palomino Page 0,9

lips were the color of peaches and how adorable they were when they turned up at the edges. But it was those fiery green eyes that she kept flashing my way that were really mesmerizing me. Each time she’d gotten angry and turned them my way, the greener they became, which made me want to push every button this girl had just to see how green they could get.

I’d have to control myself, clearly. I had a mischievous streak and I’d need to work hard to keep it in check. That didn’t mean I wasn’t tempted to push the envelope.

Just a hair.

What harm could it do?

Chapter 10

Fiona

I’d pegged him as arrogant and I was right.

Just look at him. All sinewy muscles and chiseled chin, like some kind of statue carved from marble. Every move he made left his muscles flexing like they were dancing under his skin. And the confidence rolled off him like hot waves of distraction.

It all left me annoyingly breathless and made me want to find a way to chip away at that hardened exterior to see what was underneath. More steel or something softer?

He was all business, which I was thankful for. It kept the conversation from veering off into unwanted territory.

I flicked an imaginary switch and left any softness I possessed myself locked firmly away as our group headed off to begin our hike into the forest.

Mt. Shasta was up in flames right now, in many different areas. We were dispatched to head out towards the Green Mountain fire that was growing quickly, already encompassing a large swath of the valley floor and trailing up the edges of the mountain towards the cabins, ranger stations and the ski resorts at the top.

With luck, we’d be able to prevent any damage, but the fire has been raging for a few days now and the winds have been unpredictable and slowing our efforts.

We spread out in pairs, with Jesse staying close by my side. After a few moments, we reached the beginning of the flare up, the sounds of crackling fire and smoke filling the air around us as we walked around the edge.

Our work was ahead of us, and for the next few hours, we worked in pairs, but still within eyesight of each other, as one team, using our hand tools and chainsaws to dig lines and cut down trees. It was exhausting but exhilarating work, made all that more dangerous by the flames flickering and growing around us.

I was happy to see that Jesse knew exactly what he was doing and worked skillfully, without any hesitation at all. In fact, he barely needed any instruction.

Max noticed, too, as I caught a glimpse of him watching Jesse from the sidelines. Max was a big, silent type who hadn’t said much to any of us, outside of informing us of our marching orders and letting us know he was in charge. But it was clear from the way he watched each of us like a hawk that he was ready to step in and lead when necessary.

Jesse, on the other hand, ignored him and kept his head down, diligently doing his work.

I was used to the dynamics between men on the job. The machismo attitudes and testosterone filled posturing that went on between them amused me to no end. So, watching the silent exchanges between the two most masculine guys on the team kept me almost as entertained as I was by the fact that I was finally right where I wanted to be — fighting the hottest, most dangerous parts of the fire.

It sounds dangerous, and it is, but the actual work is pretty straightforward and organized. You locate a problem area and you deal with it. Then, you move on to the next one.

The risk is in the unpredictability that can occur when the wind kicks up. When buildings catch fire, for the most part, the fire is a predictable beast that can be managed with science and skill. But here in the wild, it becomes just that — a wild beast. It can sneak up on you when you least expect it.

No warning. No mercy.

Jesse and I had worked our way through a half an acre of burning forest and we’re a small distance away from the others when we heard a rustling in the trees.

“What the hell was that?” he mumbled, heading straight towards the noise.

“Wait, it might be a —.”

My warning was interrupted by a flash of brown that burst through