Crave
the Heat
The
Smokejumpers #2
by
Marnee Blake
Genre:
Romantic Suspense
Pub
Date: 1/15/2019
Smokejumper Dak Parrish
has come home to Oregon to fight fires—and to mend fences with his
family. He left the Warm Springs Tribal Reservation after feuding
with his father. Now, with tribal lands threatened by an arsonist,
Dak gets a chance to make amends by acting as a liaison between the
reservation and the forest service criminal investigator—a woman
who sparks a surprising and hungry flame in him.
After a trauma on the
east coast, Heidi Sinclair left DC to start fresh as a criminal
investigator in Oregon. But her first serious investigation provides
one stubborn obstacle after another—including an arrogant
firefighter she suspects knows more than he's saying. Though she
tries to battle her attraction to Dak, it’s too late. As they track
down the arsonist, someone will do whatever it takes to keep old
secrets buried, even if it turns everything Heidi and Dak have fought
for to ashes . . .
Shrugging into the gray T-shirt he’d brought with him, Dak
didn’t seem to be paying attention to Kirk. She couldn’t focus either,
distracted by the play of muscles along his big chest.
As her gaze met his, a zing of connection reverberated
between them. Surely it had affected him, too. Proving her point, the right
side of his lips tilted up, revealing a hint of straight white teeth. That
halfway grin. The lace of heat in her gut reminded her that it had been way too
long.
Well, she didn’t have the emotional bandwidth for that kind
of sexy right now. To be honest, she might never have that in her again.
But, she could act professionally. Her job, her work, that’s
what she had. Inhaling shakily, she extended her hand. “I’m Special Agent Heidi
Sinclair. Call me Heidi.”
He extended his hand, the muscles along his arms and chest
flexing. Not that she noticed.
His fingers engulfed hers. “Dak Parrish. Your tagalong.” The
corner of his mouth turned up again. He’d heard her, then. If she was the sort to be embarrassed about stuff like that, she would
be. But she wasn’t. So she grinned back.
“Exactly. You’re tagging along, so I can get a quick
assessment. You’re here because they want you here.”
Tension exploded into the silence. If she was the kind of
girl who cared about awkwardness—she wasn’t—it might have bothered her.
Dak Parrish’s eyebrows lifted, and his lips twitched again.
“Noted.”
“Fine.” She was proud that she kept her eyes trained on his.
“Yes.” He folded his arms over his chest. “Fine.”
“Then we are in agreement. My son will accompany you to the
point of origin today for your initial pictures and reports.” The man who had
come in with Dak was dressed too smoothly, everything too neat and perfect, even
his smile. His voice was imperious, like a king visiting the masses. This was a
man who was used to getting his way, someone who got things done. Heidi
disliked him immediately.
Lyle Parrish. This guy was super-hot,
looked-good-in-dirt-and-smelling like-smoke guy’s dad.
Bottom line: this was her job. She worked for the Forest
Services, and part of that included maintaining good relations with the local
communities, including the tribal ones. So, fine. If everyone wanted her to
wander out to the side of the mountain today, she’d go.
“Yes. We’re all in agreement.”
Lyle Parrish’s smug grin made her grind her teeth.
“Well, then. I should get going. It’ll be dark soon.” She
offered a glance at Dak. “We may need to camp there.” Then she smiled at Mitch.
“Thank you again. I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of each other.” Unlike Parrish and
Kirk, she’d liked him right away.
Dak? She’d reserve judgment. Right now, she couldn’t decide,
thanks to her annoying immediate attraction to him.
Well, that was enough public relating for today. She bid the
two men from Warm Springs goodbye and left the air center, ignoring the
appreciative glances from a couple of the other jumpers milling around. She had
a job to do, and she couldn’t afford to be distracted. Besides, a big male body
had been the start of her problems in Washington. That wasn’t a mistake she
planned to repeat here.
Crunching across the gravel parking lot, she headed to the
SUV the Forest Services had issued her. According to what Mitch had told her,
the point of origin for the recent wildfire was on a hillside to the west of
the reservation. She already had her gear in the back. Pulling her phone up, she
mapped the area, wondering what the best route would be. She’d also need to
contact her superior, let him know about this new development.
“Hey. Wait up.” Dak trotted up to her. “I’m supposed to keep
you company.”
It had been a while since she’d been a girl who needed
company. He definitely didn’t look like the kind of guy who would be used to
being unwanted. Maybe all he needed was to be let off the hook. She halted,
squinting up at him in the midday sun. This close, she was
painfully aware of how tall and broad he was, dwarfing her five-foot-four-inch
frame.
“Look, Dak, you seem like a nice enough guy and I get the
impression you’re getting dragged into this. So, if this isn’t your scene, I
get it. You can bail. I can wait until tomorrow for the investigator.”
“What kind of nice enough guy would I be if I did that?” He
hitched his thumbs into the belt loops on his pants. “What’s that?”
“Point of origin.” She lifted her phone, showing the map.
He cocked his head and grinned as if he found her adorable.
“That’s not going to help you.”
She glared at him. “Google maps is quite—”
“Trust me, I’m better.” He folded his arms over his chest.
“Come on. I can help. I’m a great tour guide.”
She rolled her eyes. “You ever hiked that ridge?”
He grinned. “Once or twice.”
Of course he had. Guess she wasn’t going to shake him. The
lights of her SUV flashed as she unlocked the doors. “Climb in, then.”
Tempt the Flames
The
Smokejumpers #1
Meg
Buchanan is determined to prove she didn’t get the trainer job in
Redmond, Oregon’s rookie smokejumper class because of her family’s
long history as firefighters there—or out of pity. But if teaching
one of her own brothers isn’t challenging enough, Lance Roberts is
in the new class of recruits. Once her brother’s best friend, and
her first, unrequited crush, he’s also the son of the man
responsible for her dad’s death.
Lance is stunned to
realize that this confident redhead is the stubborn girl he once
dreamed about. There’s no way he can fall for her now. He needs to
focus all his attention on his training—and discovering the truth
about the long-ago fire that killed both of their fathers. But as the
undeniable heat between them threatens to ignite, someone attempts to
put an end to Lance’s amateur sleuthing—and his life…
Award-winning
author and RITA® finalist Marnee Blake used to
teach high school students but these days she only has to wrangle her
own children. Originally from a small town in Western Pennsylvania,
she now battles traffic in southern New Jersey where she lives with
her hero husband and their happily-ever-after: two very energetic
boys. When she isn't writing, she can be found refereeing disputes
between her children, cooking up something sweet, or hiding from
encroaching dust bunnies with a book.
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