Page 21 of Flare (Bearpaw Ridge Firefighters #17)

Pancake Courtship

Ward flipped the last blueberry pancake onto the growing stack, pleased with the golden-brown color. He hadn ’ t slept a wink last night, but having Emily fall asleep so trustingly against him made the exhaustion worthwhile.

A second pot of coffee after he ’ d tucked her in had done its job keeping him awake through the remaining hours of the night.

Now his kitchen smelled of fresh pancakes, crispy bacon, and the blueberry compote he ’ d thrown together using the remaining frozen berries, sugar, cornstarch, and a squeeze of lemon juice. It sat cooling in a bowl on the table.

He hoped Emily liked breakfast foods. He hadn ’ t thought to ask before raiding his pantry at six a.m.

He heard soft footsteps in the hallway and turned to see her in the doorway, dressed in jeans and a new, pale-purple t-shirt printed with “ First Annual Lavender she certainly didn ’ t need another one breathing down her neck.

But the memory of her falling asleep against him on the sofa last night, trusting him enough to let her guard down completely, made hope unfurl in his chest.

She ’ d already worked her way under his skin, and he ’ d do whatever it took to keep her safe.

Even if that meant keeping his distance while his bear howled in protest.

With a resolute sigh, Ward grabbed his keys. He had work to do, starting with driving over to Wallace ’ s for those security cameras.