Read Online Everything Bared (Six-Alarm Sexy) by Kristine Cayne - Free Book Online Page A

other children come up to pet Coco one by one. It was fun for the kids, and it helped to confuse the scents of the children and make Coco’s task a little tougher.
    When the five minutes had passed, the teacher had the kids line up and instructed them to follow Dani’s rules once they were outside. As quietly as forty children could, they followed Dani into the schoolyard. The teacher brought up the rear.
    Dani knelt beside Coco and unhooked her leash. “Find it.”
    Coco barked once and with her nose to the ground, ran along the perimeter of the fence. Clearly on the trail of some scent, she tried to squeeze through a gate. “Leave it,” Dani shouted.
    Immediately, Coco changed direction, her nose in the air this time. Dani was extremely proud that the dog had mastered both air and trail tracking. Coco circled half the yard, then with a bark, took off like a rocket toward the playground equipment.
    She sniffed at the slide and ran through a big pipe tunnel. When Dani next saw her, she’d bounded up onto a platform and run into the covered section of a climbing structure. Squeals of childish delight mixed with sharp happy barks.
    Coco had found her mark.
    Dani motioned for the kids to follow her quietly. When they’d reached the structure, Matt and Angie crawled out into the open. Matt laughed as Coco licked his face. His eyes sparkled when he waved to her. “C-Coc-co found m-me!”
    The children cheered, jumping and clapping. Angie helped the boy down and Coco proudly loped over to Dani. She’d done well and she knew it. Little diva. Bending down, Dani ruffled Coco’s fur and gave her a treat. “Good girl.”
    When she stood, her heart tightened, seeing Matt surrounded by his classmates. They congratulated him and asked questions about his adventure. He beamed.
    Angie came to stand beside her. “You did a good job picking that boy. I bet this will go a long way in helping him get over his shyness.”
    “I hope so. He seems like a great kid.”
    “What made you choose him?”
    How could she tell Angie the kid had reminded her of Will? Of the sort of boy she imagined Will fathering someday. She shrugged and said instead, “He seemed to need it the most.”
    After they’d said goodbye to the kids and their teacher, they climbed into Angie’s department-issued SAR Command SUV. “You’re really good with kids,” Angie said as they pulled out of the parking lot. “You should do more of these in-school appearances.”
    “Now that I know Coco can handle it, I’m more than happy to. It was fun.”
    Angie nodded. “That dog’s got the perfect disposition to be around children, which will be great when you have some of your own.”
    Dani looked up, startled. “Oh, I’m not planning on having any kids.”
    “Really? Why not? It’s none of my business of course, but I think you’d make a great mom.”
    “Sure, if you don’t count the high-risk job, long hours, and missed holidays.” She stared out the side window. “I see how hard it is on the guys and their families.”
    “Many of them make it work.”
    “That’s because they’ve got wives at home who do all the heavy lifting.”
    It wasn’t that she didn’t want a man or children. In fact, sometimes she wanted a family so bad, it hurt. Every time one of the guys announced a new baby on the way, she’d cry herself to sleep for days. She knew it wasn’t going to happen for her.
    Not unless she quit her job.
    That wasn’t even an option. Despite opposition from her family and friends, she’d worked hard to become a firefighter, to make the rescue team. Being a firefighter was everything. It’s what she was. Who she was. She couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
    Angie threw her a sidelong glance. “That’s true. But it can work. I’ve made it work.”
    “You’ve got kids?” Dani asked, surprised.
    “Three very rambunctious brats.”
    The affection and humor in her tone had Dani’s eyes misting. To cover it up, she made a joke. “What