Read Online Where There's Smoke: inspirational romantic suspense (Montana Fire Book 1) by Susan May Warren - Free Book Online
Authors: Susan May Warren
Tags: General Fiction
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hurt.”
“Yeah, well, I showed him.” She took a long drink of her lemonade, feeling it puddle in her roiling stomach. She ran a thumb under her lip, wiping the moisture there. “I passed .”
He looked away, then, and the hard swallow felt like a fist in the middle of her solar plexus. When it was followed by more silence, the depth of it had a colder realization suddenly sinking into her bones. “Jed. I...I passed, right?”
He looked at her. “They gave you a patch, didn’t they?”
She slid off the table, stood up, her legs weak, to match her voice. “You didn’t answer my question. Jed—I passed the qualifications test, right?”
He drained his bottle. “Listen, it’s late. And you’re right, there will probably be fire tonight. We might get called out.”
“Jed Ransom, you tell me the doggone truth right now. I passed, right?”
His jaw tightened. “No.”
She stared at him. Set her bottle down and reached out for the table. “What. Are you. Talking about?”
He made a face, shook his head. “You could have passed. I knew it. But...you fell coming up that last hill during the ninety-minute pack-out test and...well, I knew you had it in you. I knew, by then, that you could do it—you just had the look. And then I don’t know what happened. I just clicked the stopwatch. I don’t think I realized I’d done it until you got up and passed the finish line. And then I couldn’t tell anyone, so...”
“But I finished. I got up .”
“And you probably made it. In fact, I’m sure you made it. That’s why I wrote down a passing time.”
“You lied for me.”
“But look at you now. One of the best—Kate—”
She walked away from him, shaking her head. “Now, it suddenly all makes sense. I never really got why you were so angry after—” She rounded on him. “No wonder you’re so hard on the recruits. Because you—you regret passing me!”
He gave her a hard look, and she read assent in it, and more. “Oh no. You followed me into the fire that day because you thought you’d made a terrible mistake in passing me and...and because you knew that if I died, Dad would destroy you. You didn’t blame me—you blamed yourself.”
His jaw tightened. He swallowed, nodded. “I saw you headed right into the fire, and I thought...I’ve killed her.” His breath emerged shaky. “I knew I’d made a terrible mistake, and by then it had gone from bad to worse because...”
“Because I kissed you.” She was backing away from him now, her hand over her chest. “That night at Grizzly’s, after the test. After they’d handed out our patches.”
And from his expression, he was right there with her, caught in the memory. The music low as he pulled her onto the dance floor, ran his hands down her back, molding her to himself as they swayed with a rhythm that belonged only to them.
After years of adoration, of hoping, of proving herself in his world, it had all come together as she’d tucked herself against his sculpted, work-hardened body. She’d curled her arms up around his neck, caught in the aura of the only man she’d ever loved.
She’d pressed her lips to his neck, not thinking, just a crazy moment of abandon. But she’d just landed one of the most elite jobs in the country, felt invincible. Unbreakable.
And in Jed’s amazing arms, beautiful.
Then he’d lifted his head and she saw desire in his eyes. When he bent his head to kiss her, she knew.
He loved her, too.
Or at least she’d thought so.
Now, emerging from the memory, her mouth dried. Her voice emerged broken, scratchy. “You regretted kissing me.”
“No—I...” He came toward her then, and she batted his hands away.
He looked stung. “Yes, okay. I did. But not at the time. I’d been watching you for five weeks, and every day you became more—I don’t know—amazing, maybe. And I thought you’d be okay—I told myself I’d be there, and that I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.”
His voice
“Yeah, well, I showed him.” She took a long drink of her lemonade, feeling it puddle in her roiling stomach. She ran a thumb under her lip, wiping the moisture there. “I passed .”
He looked away, then, and the hard swallow felt like a fist in the middle of her solar plexus. When it was followed by more silence, the depth of it had a colder realization suddenly sinking into her bones. “Jed. I...I passed, right?”
He looked at her. “They gave you a patch, didn’t they?”
She slid off the table, stood up, her legs weak, to match her voice. “You didn’t answer my question. Jed—I passed the qualifications test, right?”
He drained his bottle. “Listen, it’s late. And you’re right, there will probably be fire tonight. We might get called out.”
“Jed Ransom, you tell me the doggone truth right now. I passed, right?”
His jaw tightened. “No.”
She stared at him. Set her bottle down and reached out for the table. “What. Are you. Talking about?”
He made a face, shook his head. “You could have passed. I knew it. But...you fell coming up that last hill during the ninety-minute pack-out test and...well, I knew you had it in you. I knew, by then, that you could do it—you just had the look. And then I don’t know what happened. I just clicked the stopwatch. I don’t think I realized I’d done it until you got up and passed the finish line. And then I couldn’t tell anyone, so...”
“But I finished. I got up .”
“And you probably made it. In fact, I’m sure you made it. That’s why I wrote down a passing time.”
“You lied for me.”
“But look at you now. One of the best—Kate—”
She walked away from him, shaking her head. “Now, it suddenly all makes sense. I never really got why you were so angry after—” She rounded on him. “No wonder you’re so hard on the recruits. Because you—you regret passing me!”
He gave her a hard look, and she read assent in it, and more. “Oh no. You followed me into the fire that day because you thought you’d made a terrible mistake in passing me and...and because you knew that if I died, Dad would destroy you. You didn’t blame me—you blamed yourself.”
His jaw tightened. He swallowed, nodded. “I saw you headed right into the fire, and I thought...I’ve killed her.” His breath emerged shaky. “I knew I’d made a terrible mistake, and by then it had gone from bad to worse because...”
“Because I kissed you.” She was backing away from him now, her hand over her chest. “That night at Grizzly’s, after the test. After they’d handed out our patches.”
And from his expression, he was right there with her, caught in the memory. The music low as he pulled her onto the dance floor, ran his hands down her back, molding her to himself as they swayed with a rhythm that belonged only to them.
After years of adoration, of hoping, of proving herself in his world, it had all come together as she’d tucked herself against his sculpted, work-hardened body. She’d curled her arms up around his neck, caught in the aura of the only man she’d ever loved.
She’d pressed her lips to his neck, not thinking, just a crazy moment of abandon. But she’d just landed one of the most elite jobs in the country, felt invincible. Unbreakable.
And in Jed’s amazing arms, beautiful.
Then he’d lifted his head and she saw desire in his eyes. When he bent his head to kiss her, she knew.
He loved her, too.
Or at least she’d thought so.
Now, emerging from the memory, her mouth dried. Her voice emerged broken, scratchy. “You regretted kissing me.”
“No—I...” He came toward her then, and she batted his hands away.
He looked stung. “Yes, okay. I did. But not at the time. I’d been watching you for five weeks, and every day you became more—I don’t know—amazing, maybe. And I thought you’d be okay—I told myself I’d be there, and that I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.”
His voice
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