Read Online Firestorm by Lisa T. Bergren - Free Book Online Page B

liked taking him on again and beating him.”
    “You should’ve gone into fire science,” she said. “Figuring out what he’s up to, outsmarting him … that’s all a part of what I do.”
    “Yeah,” Logan said gently, “but there’s no hand-to-hand combat.”
    “Exactly,” Reyne said, almost in a whisper. Logan had to strain to hear her.
    “You retreated to the back lines because of what happened with Oxbow, didn’t you?” he tried.
    She stiffened slightly. “You don’t know anything about me, Logan,” she said defensively. “Someday I’ll tell you about Oxbow. Until then, please don’t try to psychoanalyze me.”
    “I’m sorry, Reyne. I didn’t mean—”
    “It’s okay,” she interrupted. She glanced up and said, “Ah, Timberline at last. We can finally get Cookie to some tender loving care.”
    At her sudden change of subject, Logan grew silent. It was obviously still a sore spot for her. He needed to let her open up in her own way, in her own time.
    They rode the rest of the way in silence, both lost in their own thoughts.

C HAPTER E IGHT
    L ogan hung up the phone with a decisive click, grinning at the familiar surge of adrenaline that always came with a new assignment.
Time to get this show on the road
, he was thinking. But then his smile drooped just a little. Almost without thinking, he picked up the phone again and dialed.
    “Hello, this is Reyne Oldre.” Her voice was friendly but businesslike.
    “Reyne,” he said, faltering, wondering why he was calling her. They hadn’t spoken since their ride the day before. “I, um … I just wanted you to know that they’ve called me to Missoula.”
    “Okay,” she said.
    “Well, I … I was thinking that we wouldn’t be able to get together on the smokejumper pouch until next week. Will that be okay?”
    “That’ll be fine. I’ve got more than enough to do.” She was silent for a moment. Logan was about to say something else when she went on. “Are you going down for spring training?”
    Logan felt a smile melt away the concerned furrow of his brow. Her question was an opening at least. “It’s the beginning of spring training. I’m supposed to form my Elk Horn team. Half experienced. Half rookies.”
    “Half rookies!” she exclaimed. “Boy, I bet you’ll be swamped with applications. There haven’t been that many openings on a crew in years.”
    Logan had paced while talking with her and now paused to wind the phone cord around his arm in snake fashion. “I know it. I’m hoping to get six guys I’ve worked with for years to form the backbone of the team, then fill in from there.”
    “Sounds like a good plan.”
    Logan felt strangled, scanning his head frantically in an effort to find something else to say. When he remained silent, Reyne’s voice came over the line again. “Well, I hope your trip is fruitful. Give me a call when you get home so we can arrange a meeting.”
    “Oh. Okay,” he said, feeling like a teenager. Why was he so disappointed that their conversation was over? Did he think it was going to go on for hours?
    “Bye, Reyne.”
    On the other end Reyne thoughtfully pressed the button on her cordless phone and disconnected the line. She took off her reading glasses and looked out her studio window to the towering line of the Rockies. What had Logan really been after? She smiled, wondering if he was more interested in her than their project. He certainly was acting that way. And for once, it felt all right that a man was pursuing her.
    Are you speaking to me, Father?
She looked outside at the tulip leaves shooting up from the black dirt, a fresh green that only spring could bring. Reyne felt as if her heart were shooting up and out, just like those flowers. She frowned suddenly.
But he’s a smokejumper. A firefighter. Please, God, anyone but a firefighter
.
    Once again, unbidden, came those images, the ones that haunted her dreams and drove her in her work. The charred meadow. The reek of the