Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 25884 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 129(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25884 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 129(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
“It’s all good,” she says with a shrug and a smile. “It brought me here to this beautiful place.”
She looks around at the Greene Mountains in the distance, but I just continue staring at her. I’m admiring those luscious lips that I’m dying to kiss, at her cute light freckles dotting the bridge of her nose and cheeks, and at her collarbone peeking out of her blue T-shirt.
I’m falling hard for this woman. I already know that she’s mine. I wonder if she realizes it too.
“I guess we can expect to lose the next fifty softball tournaments with you here,” I say with a grin. I want to keep it light, so I try to shake out all of these intense possessive thoughts raging through me, but it’s hard. These barbaric needs and desires are cementing themselves in my bones—mine, mine, mine.
“The next sixty,” she says with a flirty smile. “I’m only thirty-three.”
“The boys might not be taking it well, but I’m glad you’re here. Losing several dozen tournaments seems like a small price to pay to have an angel in town.”
“Thanks,” she says, blushing. She licks her lips and my knees wobble. Goddamn…
“Let me take you out for drinks tonight,” I say, taking a big swing. I don’t want to waste another second not having this girl in my arms. I just hope I don’t strike out this time.
She looks shocked for a second, but then quickly recovers. “I’d love to, but I’m working tonight.”
My heart sinks.
A few people from town come onto the diamond, throwing balls around as they start to put together teams for a pickup game. We step away from each other as a ball rolls between us. A kid runs over and grabs it.
“But I’m free tomorrow!” she says as she backs away with a smile on her face.
“Tomorrow it is,” I say, still in disbelief that my dream girl actually exists in real life.
“Chief!” Mason shouts from our bench.
I don’t take my eyes off her.
“Chief!” Mason shouts again. “We gotta go. Barn fire.”
“Fuck,” I mutter as I hear the faint roar of the firetruck siren coming down the street. Another one? The siren gets louder and louder as it comes roaring toward the park.
I needed all hands on deck for the game, so I asked the boys at Cedarville Fire Station to man our territory for the afternoon. I really didn’t think they’d get a call. I told them to swing by the game and pick us up if there was anything serious. I didn’t think it would actually happen.
“Go,” she says with a knowing nod. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“It’s a date,” I say, backing toward my bench with a grin.
“A date,” she repeats, looking excited.
Everyone looks at the blaring firetruck as it comes rolling over and then stops beside the parking lot. The boys are already running toward it. I take a deep breath, look at this stunning angel one last time, and then sprint over.
As soon as I leap on, the truck takes off, heading to the fire.
We have all of our stuff packed into the truck and quickly change into our gear as the boys from Cedarville drive to the scene.
“Who was that chick?” Doug says, shaking his head as he pulls his suspenders over his shoulders. “Were you giving her a piece of your mind?”
More like a piece of my heart.
“Something like that,” I mutter as I pull on my coat.
The old tilted barn is engulfed in flames by the time we arrive. It collapses before we can set up the hose, sending sparks and smoke billowing into the air.
Luckily it was abandoned and no animals or people were inside. Just a bunch of old junk going up in flames.
James grabs the pipe and lets the water rip. It’s not long before it’s under control.
I head over to the couple who own the land to get their statement.
“Someone did it,” the older man says, clearly shaken. “I saw him running from the barn minutes before it went up.”
“It’s true,” his wife says, nodding. “George said, ‘Who is that by the barn?’ I heard it.”
“Do you have any security cameras on the property?” I ask.
George shakes his head. “Not by the barn.”
I bite my bottom lip as I look around and spot some footprints in the dirt that lead to the road. None of my boys were anywhere close to this spot.
I head over and take a closer look. Footprints leading from the burning barn to the road…
Damn it.
It’s not the first time this summer that there’s been a suspicious fire.
It’s the second barn fire in two weeks.
I sigh as it sinks in.
We may have an arsonist in town.
CHAPTER FIVE
Cara
“Ha!” Henry says, bent over laughing in our squad car. “I gotta watch that again.”
I lean back in my seat and stare out at the dark quiet street as Henry rewinds the video on his phone. The overweight cat on the screen leaps off the table again, trying to get to the top of the refrigerator, but he misses completely and takes all the pictures and magnets down with him.