A Cowboy Firefighter For Christmas (Smokin' Hot Cowboys 1) by Kim Redford Read Free Book Online

fun.”
    “We get a lot of tourists looking for a taste of the Old West like they do in Tombstone, Arizona.” He glanced at Misty, wanting her to like everything about Wildcat Bluff and wondering again why it was so important to him. He hadn’t known her an hour and he was acting like it was his first rodeo—first win, first buckle, first gal. There was something about her that he flat-out liked. She was courageous, he’d give her that. She was also comfortable to talk to and sexy as hell.
    “I’ve been to Tombstone. It’s great.”
    “We’re wall-to-wall folks during Wild West Days over Labor Day weekend.” He still couldn’t stop bragging about his town. “They like to see our reenactment of the shoot-out between the Hellions and the Ruffians for control of the town.”
    “Sounds like the shoot-out at the OK Corral in Tombstone.” Misty smiled.
    “Yep. Sometimes those old-time outlaws fought the law. Sometimes they were just fighting each other for turf.”
    “Where does the shoot-out take place?”
    “Right here in front of the Lone Star.” He pointed at the batwing doors.
    “Aren’t you going to tell me who won back in the day?”
    “Why don’t you come back for Wild West Days? You could see the reenactment and find out.” Now he was proposing she come back in nine months when she’d hardly been in town nine minutes. Still, she might like it. He watched her reaction, hoping she liked the Bluff, or him, well enough and wondering at his own sense of insecurity. He felt like a teenager all of a sudden, with no experience with girls—or women. Misty was definitely all woman. She was soft, curvy, and sweet smelling, in spite of a little sweat and soot.
    “How about I ask somebody?” She gave him a playful look with her pale green eyes.
    “Bet we could find you a part to play. Dance-hall darlings in their white pinafores turned the tide. You’d look good all dolled up like that.” He couldn’t resist teasing her to see what kind of a response he’d get.
    “You’re trying to lure me back with irresistible ideas like that.”
    “If you think that’s tempting, I’ve got some even better suggestions.” He leaned toward her, feeling the cold of the AC against the rising heat of his bare skin.
    “No more! I’m not made of stone.” She turned from him and pointed down the row of buildings. “Adelia’s Delights. I love the name. What’s there?”
    He knew she’d used the distraction to cool things back down, and it wasn’t a bad idea. “Gifts. Tearoom.”
    Inside one window, a life-size Santa Claus dressed in bright red velvet with a wide black belt and matching black cowboy hat waved back and forth. A pretty tortoiseshell cat snuggled up to Santa’s cowboy boot. She was a cat so perfect she looked like a stuffed animal until she turned her head to look in their direction.
    “I see Miss Kitty’s in town,” Misty said with a mischievous lilt to her voice. “Is the town marshal named Dillon?”
    Trey laughed. “That’s Rosie, Queen of Adelia’s. She’s one of the best Hemingway mousers in town.”
    “And literary, too?”
    He laughed harder. “Wildcat Bluff has a long history with cats. Store cats take care of bugs and rodents. Companionship, too.”
    “And they guard the books?”
    He shook his head, knowing she was teasing him now. He was enjoying every minute of it. She was almost too sharp for her own good. “If you get a chance, you’ll notice Rosie and other cats here have an extra dewclaw on one or more paws.”
    “Like the polydactyl cats at the Hemingway House?”
    “Hah! You’ve heard of the polydactyls.”
    “I’ve seen them in Key West. Bought the T-shirt, too.”
    “Even better.” He couldn’t help but like a gal who liked cats, especially one who knew about Hemingway’s.
    “Somebody must have brought cats out west over a hundred years ago,” she said thoughtfully.
    “They were worth their weight in gold in lots of places. They kept out vermin.” He