Flirting with the Mountain Man (Rosewood Ridge Fire #6)

Chapter 2

2

TYLER

“ L ook out for my daughter.”

Those were the last words Andy Sullivan yelled at me as the ambulance doors closed. I wanted to hop in there with the guy and make sure he was okay, but tracking down his daughter was probably the best thing I could do.

The fire was contained, but the cabin was a shell of what it used to be. The good news was the building had been empty when it caught fire.

Lord knew where the owner was, but we’d notified his sister, and she could take care of getting in touch with him. One of my men collapsed on a call. That was my top priority right now.

I turned toward the cabin where Andy’s daughter lived, trying to recall our conversation. I’d been so blown away by those light green eyes and the soft dusting of freckles across her nose and cheeks, it had been tough to focus on anything she’d said.

But I’d suggested the retreat center. Maybe I could find her there. That was assuming she’d jumped in her vehicle and?—

My thoughts cut off as I caught a look at the driveway next to the cabin where Andy’s truck and an unfamiliar small tan SUV had been parked. Both vehicles were still there.

Shit. Had she ignored my instructions? Had she gone down the hill anyway? Was she in that cabin peeking through the windows?

I looked both ways and crossed the street, moving over Andy’s small front yard with a quick, determined stride. With every step, I grew a little angrier.

She’d put herself in danger. Why hadn’t I looked back over my shoulder to make sure the cars were gone? If the fire had spread across the street and something had happened to that beautiful woman, I’d never forgive myself.

I lifted my knuckle, preparing to pound on the door. But then I froze, took a deep breath, and collected myself. It wouldn’t do any good to lose my temper on the woman. She was concerned about her dad. She’d no doubt stuck around to make sure he was okay.

I squeezed my eyes closed and knocked. Just three normal-strength raps on the wooden door. Then I stepped back and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

I should have stuck with my original plan to bang on it with all my might. I looked for a doorbell, saw none, then turned the doorknob, expecting it to be locked.

When the handle turned, I froze. I couldn’t just barge into someone’s house. Not when the person wasn’t in immediate danger.

I’d just open it a crack and shout for her. What was her name? Bianca. Her dad had said it multiple times. And multiple times, I’d assured him I’d evacuated her. She was safe.

I was an asshole for not double checking on that.

“Bianca?” I called out as soon as the door was open a crack.

Movement. In front of me. A blur of hot pink. It took me a second to piece together that it was Bianca, jumping to her feet, a blanket dropping from her shoulders to the floor to reveal a gray sweatshirt and matching sweatpants.

Obviously trying to figure out where she was and what was going on, she looked around. “I fell asleep,” she said. “I was just going to rest my eyes for a few seconds. Is everything okay?”

Anger surged through me again and I had to keep it in check. Not at her, but at the fact that this could have gone horribly wrong.

“Where’s my dad?” she asked, her gaze landing on me. “I couldn’t leave my dad,” she said. “I had to know he was okay.”

She was no longer groggy. In fact, her eyes seemed to be shooting daggers at me.

“Your dad wanted to know you were okay,” I said.

Her eyes widened. “Why are you talking about him in past tense?”

Fuck. The last thing I wanted to do was worry her. But that was exactly what I was about to do.

“Your dad’s okay,” I said. “He had an…incident. I think he was just dehydrated, or maybe it was smoke inhalation. Either way, he’s on his way to Memorial.”

Rosewood Ridge had no medical facility. Not even an urgent care. Hell, we didn’t even have a medical practice in town. I had to drive thirty minutes to get my teeth cleaned and my eyes checked.

That was why the work of the volunteer firefighters was so important. We had fully trained paramedics who could handle most medical emergencies—at least until an ambulance got here.

“I have to go,” Bianca said, sprinting into action. “Where’s my purse?”

She was rushing around the living room now, searching frantically. I wanted to help, but I hadn’t been given permission to enter. So I just stood on the front porch, looking through the open door at her, trying not to gape at those delicious curves. Even in a sweatshirt and sweatpants, this woman was hot as hell.

“I’ll be right back,” she said without even looking in my direction.

I breathed a sigh of relief once she was out of sight. I needed a second to gather my thoughts. I looked back over my shoulder at the structure we’d spent hours trying to save and was surprised to find the sky had that faint pink hue that signaled sunrise.

We’d been at this all night. Not a surprise, but no wonder I was so exhausted.

“Okay, I’m ready,” Bianca said.

She walked straight toward me but veered to the left at the last minute and slipped her feet into a pair of tennis shoes without even untying them. Then she stopped in front of me.

“You don’t have to—” she began.

I’d stepped back to let her out, expecting her to breeze on through, but her gaze had landed on the cabin across the street. Or what was left of it.

“Holy fucking balls,” she said.

My eyebrows rose. That was an interesting collection of words.

Her gaze snapped back to me. “Does the guy who lives there know his house burned down?”

Did she know Ian Ivey? He was kind of a legend in this town. His family had once run the Christmas tree farm, but something happened and now the farm was being run by Ian’s sister and a bunch of part-time employees she hired every year.

I nodded. “He’s out of town. Someone let his sister know. Is he a friend of yours?”

For a tense moment, I was sure she was going to say they were dating or something. Or maybe she just had a thing for him. But no, that didn’t make sense. She would’ve been concerned about him long before now if that were the case.

“I never met him.” She shrugged. “I guess he likes to stay to himself. That’s what I heard anyway.”

“Yeah, not unusual in this town,” I said. “We seem to attract dudes who want to stay to themselves.”

“Thank you for telling me about my dad,” she said. “I’m going to go on. I’m sure you need to get home to your wife or whatever.”

I frowned at her. The words were so out of place, it took me a second to formulate a response. But I had to stop and enjoy it for a few seconds.

Was she fishing to find out if I was available? Did that mean she was interested?

I was surprised to find myself lighting up at the possibility. I had no interest in getting involved with a woman. I had the perfect life here in Rosewood Ridge, working and enjoying my peace and quiet.

So why did all of that suddenly seem so pathetically empty? Why did the woman standing in front of me make me want to rethink everything?

“I’m not married,” I said. “Not even in a relationship. I live alone.”

That was far more information than she needed. It somehow felt important that I tell her that, though.

“I’m going to see your dad either way,” I said. “You can ride with me if you want, and I’ll bring you back here when we’re done.”

There was no logical reason for that aside from maybe her being so upset she didn’t need to drive. But the truth was, I wanted to drive her. It meant some good quality time alone with her.

“That would be great,” she said, relief softening her features. “I just…I don’t really know my way around, and I’m not really comfortable driving on so little sleep.”

It all seemed legit, but I wanted to believe she was just making excuses. That she wanted some alone time with me as much as I wanted it with her. I’d fool myself into believing it until I heard otherwise.

“Let’s go,” I said.