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  They’d spent some time on horseback with a foray deep into the woods. A picnic lunch and a little afternoon delight in the great outdoors had made for the single best day he could remember having in a very long time.

  Jenny didn’t seem to care for his attempts to cook. But she showed him how to make a fabulous French toast breakfast and a beef stew that was jam-packed with meat and potatoes. Just the way he liked it. She was amazing, and funny, and her laughter made his heart swell. Among other things.

  They’d spent every minute together, and it still wasn’t enough. Even when they weren’t in the sack, he couldn’t keep his hands off of her. Whether they were binge-watching movies, or feeding the critters, he was holding her hand, or caressing her thigh, or cuddling with her on the sofa. Cuddling. His man card was definitely in jeopardy with this woman.

  So was his heart.

  Monday was nearly upon them, and Nathan struggled with calling in a few favors to get her demolition permits rushed through the system, or throwing up roadblocks to keep her from leaving for as long as possible.

  He didn’t want her to go.

  He wouldn’t let her go. Not without a fight.

  All he needed was a plan.

  ∞∞∞

  The bell on the diner door jingled as Jenny and Nathan entered the diner. She’d been dreading the arrival of Monday morning, until Nathan mentioned he didn’t have to work until Wednesday. They decided to have breakfast while they waited for the City Building Department to open its doors.

  Jenny snagged her usual table, and Carol came by with her coffee and a glass water for Nathan. How anyone could start their day without caffeine was unfathomable to her. But Nathan didn’t seem to need a jolt of Java the rest of the civilized world required.

  “I didn’t see you all weekend, Jenny.” Carol smiled at her, red lipstick on her two front teeth. “But, I see you have a good excuse.” She canted her head in Nathan’s direction. “Our resident most eligible-bachelor treated you right, I expect.” Carol turned to Nathan and raised an eyebrow at him.

  Jenny could feel the blush heating her face. “He was a perfect gentleman.” Nathan reached across the table for her hand.

  “I’ll get your usual started. Nathan, you want the same-ole same-ole?” He nodded.

  It surprised Jenny how much she liked Nathan’s touch. She felt bereft anytime he released her hand, or removed his arm from around her shoulders.

  How ridiculous was that?

  In a strange way, she felt like a completely different woman in Nathan’s company than she’d been just days ago. The woman she was with him was exactly the woman she wanted to be.

  A comfortable silence settled over them as they waited for breakfast. Nathan still held her hand across the table and it made her smile.

  Finally, Nathan broke the silence. “Jenny, I want you to stay.”

  Those six words threw her. “I’m not sure I know what you mean.” He squeezed her hand.

  “Don’t go back to New York. Stay here. Stay with me,” he said, his gaze searching hers.

  He was completely serious. She was speechless.

  “I know you deserve better than to get involved with me. I’ve got a dozen years on you, and I know I’m robbing the cradle, but I want you, Jenny. For more than a weekend, for more than this week. I want you to give us a chance to see where this goes. Say you’ll stay.”

  The shock must have shown on her face. “But, I have a job and an apartment. My life is there.” Did he really want her to stay? “Nathan, we’ve only known each other a few days---”

  “I know. I know it sounds crazy, but I’m crazy about you. Haven’t you ever dreamed about your own restaurant? We have one right here that’s for sale. You could turn it into anything you wanted. No answering to a boss, everything under your control.” Well, he’d nailed that dream on the head. She did want her own place. All the recipes her grandmother had brought over from Sicily would be on the menu.

  She shook her head. “This town is too small, Nathan. The type of restaurant I have in mind wouldn’t be diner food.” The diner was great, and every town needed one. But she wanted something upscale. Not too high up in the stratosphere, but someplace out of the ordinary. A place where people would dine and spend hours in the company of friends and family. Mostly because she didn’t have one anymore.

  Carol swung by with their breakfast and set the plates down, sloshing some more coffee into her mug, then heading to top off coffees at the other tables.

  “Jenny, you’re what twenty-one? Twenty-two?” he asked.

  “Twenty-two, why does that matter?” She was feeling defensive.

  “The point is that you are young, and you can cut your teeth on your own restaurant. Just think how far ahead of the game you’ll be if you decide to move back to the city in a few years.” He squeezed her hand again and his gaze commanded her attention.

  That was a point she hadn’t considered. This could be her testing ground. What recipes worked, which desserts no one could resist. That spin had her attention.

  She dug into her cheesy hash browns. “You may have a point. I mean I don’t have to live here forever, but I could use this opportunity as a proving ground. It would be a hell of a thing to put on my resume.” Nathan cracked a smile and settled back against the seatback of the booth. His shoulders visibly dropped, and he seemed relieved she was considering his suggestion. The thought of leaving him in a few days, didn’t sit well with her. Their relationship, if you could call mind-blowing sex a relationship, had become important to her.

  “Tell you what, after we hit City Hall, let's head over to Ruby’s and feel her out. What do you say?” he asked.

  “I think that sounds---”

  “Nathan!” Carol cried out. She ran for their table. “Got a situation in the kitchen, can you help? The fire extinguisher, it isn’t working. We don’t know what to do.”

  “Call the station.” He shot from the booth and charged toward the kitchen, “Everyone get outside. Now!”

  His tone brooked no argument. The patrons rushed out and seconds later the cook and two other kitchen staffers ran through the swinging doors from the kitchen and rushed out right behind Jenny.

  Carol was on her cell, presumably calling emergency services. When she finished the call, she turned to Jenny, “Thank goodness Nathan was here. He’s been a firefighter forever. He’ll get it out in no time.”

  A firefighter. Nathan was a firefighter. He’d said he’d worked for the city. But, he’d never said in what capacity. And she’d been too in lust to ask.

  This was bad.

  Very bad. Her limbs shook, and her insides churned and sweat beaded on the back of her neck.

  Fire had taken her mother. Fire had almost taken her. Never, she would never date a firefighter. That was the promise she’d made herself and until this very second, it was a promise that had been easy to keep.

  How could she have had hot monkey sex with a man and not bothered to ask what he did for a living? How could she be so freaking stupid. It was too much risk. She couldn’t bear to lose another person she loved to death by fire.

  They were done. No matter how amazing their time together had been, she couldn’t do it. Wouldn’t do it. Tears burned her eyes at the realization. She’d never broken a promise to herself and she wasn’t going to start now.

  Jenny turned and hustled up Main street. Past the little Soap Shoppe, past the candle store. Three blocks further and she’d be at the motel where she was still checked in.

  It hurt. Dammit. Somehow Nathan had managed to get her heart involved. How? How had he done that in three fucking days?

  She whipped open the drawers of the bureau and stuffed everything in her suitcase. Ditto for the closet, ditto for the girly crap in the bathroom. The tears were coming. If she didn’t get out of there soon, there was going to be ugly crying, and she didn’t have time for that.

  Checkout went quickly, and she rolled her bag out of the lobby, hefted into the trunk of her renta
l car, and got the hell out of Dodge. Rockville actually.

  Chapter Four

  Three Weeks Later

  Jenny’s new job at The Upscale turned out to be more of a nightmare than a dream job. She swore the Executive Chef had cloven feet and horns. Not to mention he treated her and the other woman on staff like they were completely incompetent. So not true.

  Each day away from Nathan hurt more than the last. It wasn’t supposed to be like that. It was supposed to get easier, wasn’t it?

  Then there was Ruby’s place. Nathan had put that crazy thought in her head about owning her own restaurant. And no matter how many excuses she came up with for not pursuing that particular idea, she couldn’t get it out of her head.

  It was all useless daydreaming.

  Except that earlier in the week, her resolve started to falter. She’d hopped on the internet and did a quick search for what was bugging her the most. She discovered only twenty-four career firefighters lost their lives in the line of duty the previous year. The number had been steadily declining for decades. That had been a great relief. Even if she couldn't be with Nathan, at least according to statistics, he’d probably be safe.

  Did the odds of Nathan getting injured on the job decline the longer he was a firefighter? She didn’t know. Statistics Weren’t her thing. Cooking was her thing.

  Had she made a mistake? She’d rejected all Nathan’s calls and texts. Hadn’t given him an explanation, just rushed out of there like the frightened little girl she’d once been. Was she still that frightened little girl?

  ∞∞∞

  Nathan was late. Again. It was his scheduled Friday night at Ruby’s and he’d lost track of time. Ruby’s cooking class was a shit-ton more fun when a beautiful black-haired woman stood at his side during the lesson.

  He was at his wit’s end. He’d been sure he’d hear from her by now, but it’d been crickets. Tomorrow, he would book himself a flight to NYC.

  After a bit of social media research, he’d come up with Jenny’s Facebook Page. It also gave him the name of the fancy restaurant where she worked. In a couple of days, he’d be paying through the nose for an eight-ounce filet. And asking to speak with Jenny before dessert was served.

  He wasn’t sure how he was going to convince her she belonged with him. Belonged in Rockville. But, he wouldn’t be taking no for an answer. No fucking way.

  He pulled into the parking lot at Ruby’s. He took the steps two at a time and was about to open the door when the sign on the door practically screamed at him.

  Sold.

  A sold sign hung in the window.

  Well, shit. That was going to make getting Jenny here that much more difficult. Without the whole own-your-own-restaurant idea, what leverage did he have?

  Love.

  That little four-letter word had snuck up on him. Was telling her he loved her enough?

  He’d know soon enough.

  ∞∞∞

  Jenny sat on the front steps leading to Nathan’s house. Jazz sat next to her and kept her company while she waited for Nathan to come home. If her calculation was right, he’d be at Ruby’s for cooking class.

  She’d asked Ruby not to say anything about it being the last class. The town would know soon enough that she was the proud new owner of Ruby’s Restaurant.

  She and Ruby had struck a deal, and Jenny had the papers drawn up. The signed documents were in her tote bag, waiting to be recorded at the city office. If she were careful, she’d have enough of her Aunt’s inheritance left to complete a small remodel before the grand opening. It would only take a couple of weeks before she had the place ready.

  ∞∞∞

  Nathan turned into his driveway after cooking class and saw a small four-door sedan parked there. His gaze shot to the woman sitting on his steps.

  Jenny.

  Jenny petted Jazz. A small, tentative smile turned her lips up at the corners. She waved at him. His heart somersaulted in his chest.

  When he reached the top of the drive he threw the truck in park, bolted from the cab, and hustled to the porch. “You’re here. Why are you here, Jenny?” His voice hitched with emotion. He hoped she didn’t notice, but he couldn’t hold it back.

  “I came to see what you whipped up in cooking class. Is there enough for two?” She stood and stepped down a stair.

  Nathan nodded. “Pretty sure there’s enough for both of us. You want to stay for dinner then?”

  “Actually, I’d like to stay. Period.” Her heartbeat hammered in her chest. Did he still want her?

  “I’d like that. You change your mind then, about dating a firefighter? He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck.

  Jenny swallowed the lump in her throat. Oh, hell. He knew.“

  Nathan took a step closer to Jenny. “Carol, at the diner. I talked with her after I put out the fire. She said she’d mentioned I was a firefighter, and you turned white as a sheet and left the scene in a hell of a hurry. I get it, Jenny. You lost your mom to a fire. A few minutes more and you would have lost your life, too. But I’ve been a fireman for more than a dozen years. I do it carefully, safely, and I’m still here.”

  “I know. And now I know that I don’t want to live without you, no matter what you do for a living. The past weeks have been some of the worst of my life.” She worried her bottom lip, would he forgive her?

  Nathan’s beautiful ice blue eyes flashed at her with a look of surprise. “That might be the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.” One side of his mouth quirked up in a half-smile. He took her hand in his.

  “It was you that night, wasn’t it Nathan? You were the one who pulled me from the fire. You were the one who saved me.”

  Nathan nodded.

  “I hope you aren’t here because of some misplaced sense of gratitude.” His voice was gruff, like she’d upset him.

  The words she wanted to say were at the tip of her tongue, but she was so damn scared. A deep breath helped steady her nerves. “I’m in love with you, Nathan. I know that sounds crazy. We hardly know each other. But, you’re the one for me.”

  Nathan dropped her hand, clasped her face between his hands. He slanted his mouth over hers, and gave her a kiss that curled her toes and stole the breath from her lungs.

  “I love you too, beautiful. And I’m glad you came back. If I have my way, you won’t be running anywhere ever again, unless it’s into my arms or into my bed.”

  Thank God, he’d saved her.

  Thank God, he’d forgiven her.

  “Thank you. For giving me this life. Now take me to bed.”

  The End

  Other Books in the Firemen Love Curves Series: Book One

  Fire Down Below

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