Page 14 of Fire and Icing (The Firemen of Waterford TN #1)

“I’m not always a rule-follower,” Emberleigh says, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back in her chair with an air of challenge.

I have to be honest, I think I like this feisty side of her a little too much.

“Really?” I raise my brows and stare into her bright green eyes.

“I break rules sometimes,” she insists.

I doubt it. And there’s nothing wrong with following rules. It’s actually usually a pretty helpful way to live. Not very exciting at times, but probably better in the long run.

“Do you?” I taunt her playfully, adding a smile to make sure she knows I’m teasing.

“I have … I … Well, I have. And anyway, rules help keep order. And safety. They make systems run efficiently. Imagine if we all just went around breaking rules.”

“Agreed. I wasn’t saying there was anything wrong about being a rule-follower. I meant it as a compliment, actually.”

“I bet you did.”

“No, really. My older brother’s a rule-follower and he’s my hero. Don’t tell him that, please. If we ever happen to be on another call with them, I’d be highly grateful if you didn’t share my admiration with Stevens.”

“Why not? Wouldn’t he love to hear that his younger brother looks up to him?”

“I think he’d love it a little too much.”

“Ahhh. Okay. I won’t say a thing.”

I don’t intend for her to ever have another interaction with my family, but on the off chance, I’m glad we cleared that up.

“Thank you.” I smile at Emberleigh and she smiles back.

Then I stand and extend my hand for her plate.

“What are you doing?” she asks.

“I’m going to clean up.”

“I’ll get these. Don’t worry.”

“How about we clean up together,” I suggest.

Emberleigh grabs her plate and a few other things, and I take the rest and follow her through the opening between the display cases into her industrial kitchen.

She turns on the water in the sink while I scrape the plates into a trash can.

“People around here are going to think we’re actually dating,” she says as I hand her a dish. “We can’t keep anything a secret in this town. We might sign an NDA to keep details quiet until the show airs, but people around here will find out somehow.”

“That’s the point, isn’t it? We need to be convincing.”

“Yes. But how will that work in our day-to-day lives? I really should have given this more thought.”

“We’ll just figure it out as we go,” I say.

Emberleigh shakes her head. “We can’t just play this by ear.” She pauses, obviously considering details I haven’t fathomed.

The way I see it, this doesn’t have to be complicated. I’m going to pretend to be her boyfriend so she can enter a contest on a baking show. We can pretend to be in a relationship for the duration of the show and then we’ll call things off and carry on as if we never dated. Simple.

I’m about to share my thoughts when Emberleigh says, “If people ask if we’re dating, we’ll say yes. As far as how often we have to act like it, I think less is more.”

“Less is more,” I repeat, not really sure what she exactly means by that.

Aloof or neutral would not be words most people would use to describe how I roll when I like someone. I’m an affectionate man. At times I’m loud. I often put my foot in my mouth. And when I care about someone, they know it. Everyone around us knows it.

I haven’t had too many girlfriends over the years, and my last serious relationship ended when she decided she wanted to pursue a modeling career in New York and Paris. I wasn’t in love. But I definitely cared about her. And I showed it every chance I got.

But if Emberleigh wants me to act subdued, she’ll get my best attempt at being reserved and detached.

I can nearly hear my family laughing at the thought of me attempting to be a more tame version of myself.

Just because restraint doesn’t come naturally to me doesn’t mean I can’t contain myself. I’m a fireman, after all.

I’ll show them, and Emberleigh. I’ve got this.

I’m on what we call our Kelly. After a rotation of four twenty-four hour shifts on and off, we get a four to six day break.

I spend my next day off exploring some local hiking trails, thoughts of my dinner with Emberleigh last night fill my head from time to time—her green eyes, the way she crossed her arms over her chest and challenged me when I called her a rule-follower, the hum that passed over her lips after her first bite of pasta …

I like her. As a friend, of course. She’s intriguing, determined, but simultaneously soft and vulnerable.

And she’s undeniably beautiful. She’d hate it if I told her that, and for some weird reason, that makes me like her even more.

I stop by Cody’s family ranch for the afternoon to help him repair some fencing. I’m away all day, and when I come home, Mrs. Holt is sitting in her recliner watching a game show.

“Well, now. I thought you might have found another place to rent,” she teases when I pop my head around the living room doorway.

“No ma’am. I’ve got the perfect place right here. That is, unless you have decided you’d rather rent to someone else.”

“Hmm ... I’ll get to that. But I’m not kicking you out. Not a chance,” she smiles at me. “Have you eaten?”

“I did. I was out at Blue Mist Ranch helping Cody with some fencing. His mom fed us after we finished up.”

“Would you like to join me? Wheel of Fortune is just getting exciting. They’re in the final round. Besides, I’ve got something important to tell you.”

I sit on the edge of the sofa across the room from Mrs. Holt. I really need a shower after my day outdoors, but she said it was important, so cleaning up will have to wait.

“What is it?” I ask.

“Well …” She smiles warmly at me. “I took in another tenant.”

I look around. The house is quiet. I didn’t see another vehicle in the driveway or out front. The tenant must not be here.

“She’s someone I’ve known for years. She’s fallen on hard times and needs a place to stay for a spell, so of course I said she could stay here. She’ll be in the upstairs guest bedroom.”

“Okay. Well, I’ll try to stay out of her way.”

“Oh, no. You don’t have to do that. Just go on living how you’ve been. I just didn’t want you to be startled if you hear another person shuffling around in the kitchen and such.”

She smiles and her eyes focus in on mine as if she’s amused with her new status running a boarding house.

“Well, thank you for letting me know.”

“Oh, you’re welcome.” She beams and then she winks at me.

I get the feeling there’s something she’s not telling me. Or maybe it’s just like the guys at the station said, she’s a seasoned matchmaker, always trying to set up the young people around town.

I hate to disappoint her if that’s her mission. I’m not here to get into a relationship. And, if I were, it certainly wouldn’t be with someone living in the same house as me. Talk about a recipe for disaster! Besides, I’m about to start faking a relationship with Emberleigh.

I wonder if that news will reach Mrs. Holt.

According to Emberleigh, it will spread through the whole town like an uncontained wildfire.

I’ll have to get ahead of that somehow, especially here in the house.

I don’t want to get Mrs. Holt’s hopes up when we’re only putting on a show for the sake of the contest.

I’ll figure all those details out later. It shouldn’t be too hard. We’ll say we’re getting to know one another. Dating isn’t a crime. Breaking up and keeping a friendship after it’s all over isn’t either.

“I’m going to clean up. If you want some company after I shower, I’ll come back.”

“I’d love that. If you hurry, you might just be in time to catch the whole episode of Jeopardy.”