Page 86 of Inferno

Her heart lurched.

Since he’d just gotten off from a late shift, he still wore his blue uniform and black boots, and he had a toothpick dangling lazily from a corner of his mouth.

Pulse thudding, Prissy watched as his dark gaze scanned the crowd before homing in on her with that unerring focus that always stole her breath.

When their eyes connected, his expression softened, one corner of his mouth lifting in a small smile.

Prissy smiled back.

Following the direction of her gaze, Gayle whistled appreciatively. “About time a hot firefighter showed up here.”

“Hey!” Jake protested,his voice muffled behind the humongous dog head he wore. “What am I? Chopped liver?”

Gayle raked him with an amused glance. “You’re dressed like an overgrown Dalmatian.”

“Which means I’ve got an even bigger tongue,” he quipped suggestively.

“Hey, hey, none of that!”Prissy laughingly protested.

“Yes,” Roxanne humorously scolded, “have you forgotten that there are children around?”

Jake chuckled sheepishly. “Sorry.”

“Mmm,” Gayle hummed, eyeing him with newfound interest.

Prissy watched as Stan made his way through the crowd, smiling, shaking hands and briefly conversing with different people who stopped him. When he finally reached the refreshment table, he exchanged friendly greetings with everyone before leaning down to press a soft kiss to Prissy’s mouth.

“Hey, hey, none of that,” Jake teased, mimicking Prissy’s admonition to him.

Drawing away from his wife, Stan narrowed his eyes at Jake. “Don’t you have some children to entertain, rookie?”

Everyone laughed as Jake made an exaggerated show of hanging his big floppy-eared head and shuffling off to do as he’d been told.

As a group of people wandered over to help themselves to refreshments, Stan and Prissy stepped away from the table to have some privacy.

They stood without speaking for several moments, Stan’s eyes roaming across Prissy’s face in a way that reminded her that they hadn’t seen much of each other over the past two days. She’d worked late yesterday evening. By the time she came home, Stan had to leave for his night shift, giving her a quick update on Maddox’s improving condition before he’d headed out the door. Prissy had slept poorly for the second night in a row, her thoughts veering erratically between the bond election and the shaky state of her marriage.

“How was your day?” she and Stan asked each other at the same time.

“You first,” Prissy prompted softly.

“My day was uneventful.” His eyes glinted with humor. “I’m sure yours was anythingbutthat.”

Prissy smiled faintly. “I’ve been busy.”

“I know that’s an understatement.” Stan glanced around the crowded room. “Looks like a great turnout.”

She nodded. “Let’s hope that translates into the right votes.”

“I’m sure it will, but if you’d like, I can go stand at the door, fold my arms across my chest and stare down anyone who evenlookslike they might not be on our side.”

Prissy laughed, envisioning how easily her six-foot-five, two-hundred-forty-pound husband could intimidate any voter with just a scowl.

“Um, yeah, that won’t be necessary,” she said teasingly. “Besides, I’ve already heard from a number of people who showed up tonight because of the announcement you made. So you’ve done more than enough to help the cause, Lieutenant Wolf.”

Stan grinned, giving her a lazy salute. “Glad to be of service, ma’am.”

Prissy chuckled, enjoying their playful banter more than anything she’d experienced in days. Stan must have felt the same way, because his expression softened and he murmured, “I’ve missed you.”