Burning Barriers (Barriers Series Book 3) by Sara Shirley Read Free Book Online

meant I had to give up a future I once dreamed of, then so be it.
    Lucy’s father and I have never been what you would say “close” over the years. Even when I was dating Lucy, he was extremely overprotective and felt I wasn’t a good fit for her. While I was growing up, my dad told me there would always be some people in town that would look at us differently. The Wyatts lived on one side of the river, while the Galloways lived on the mountain. Even though only a short distance separated the two houses, because we lived on the mountain and not in town, we were always viewed as the upper class by Breckenridge standards.
    After Dad died, Mom couldn’t live in the house anymore. She moved to the ranch house that she and Dad used whenever they needed to stay over. Now, I’m sure Mr. Wyatt still looks at me as the spoiled rich kid who lives in the three-bedroom mountain villa. He couldn’t be more wrong. Yes, I live there alone, and I don’t have to pay a dime other than the basic expenses, but I do work hard at the fire department regardless of how many hours I put in. It is the one thing that gives me a rush like no other. Aside from the random hookups with women, being a firefighter has been the only thing that could take my mind off losing both my father and Lucy.
    Before I can give any more explanation of my life to Lucy’s father, voices from the stairs stop me. I hear the sound of her voice, and my heart races a little more. Then, the clunking of feet making their way down the stairs turns my head. I see the first glimpse of her feet before her face, and I already feel as though I can never let her out of my life again.
    The light brown embroidered cowgirl boots throw me for a loop until I see the soft pink lace sundress and denim jacket. Her blue eyes sparkle as they meet mine, and her smile sends chills down my spine as she nears me. This is not the same Lucy Wyatt that I saw the other day. With her curled blonde hair and simple glossed lips, everything about her is causing things to stir in my heart and my pants like never before.
    She is quickly standing before me as I see Ellen and her parents make their way into the kitchen area. Her father gives me a stern look before heading to the backyard. I know he wanted to give me a lecture, and I’m sure he probably would have if he had been given a few more minutes before Lucy entered the room.
    “Are those for me?” she asks as she grabs her small purse from the table.
    “Oh, yeah. I hope they’re still your favorite. I wasn’t sure.” I stop trying to talk before I say something I might regret. I bring my hand up and hand them to her just as I lean down to give her a soft kiss on the cheek. My other hand wraps around her waist, bringing her closer to me. I can feel her breathing increase, and it amuses me that I can still do that to her after so much time apart. My mouth trails along her cheek closer to her ear. “You look stunning, Luce.” I gently push back some of her shoulder-length curls so she can feel my breath along her face. She clears her throat as her hand grabs my forearm. “I never dreamed I’d see you wear cowgirl boots and a denim jacket. I said wear a dress, but that might be the only thing coming off you tonight.”
    Gasping, she pulls away, and I’m not entirely sure if I overstepped my boundary or not. I thought from what happened with us the other day that we might have been on the same page. Now, I’m not so sure. I pull back from her and catch a distance in her eyes as her small hands wrap around the flowers. Suddenly, she’s quiet and moving toward the kitchen with the flowers hanging by her side. Opening a cabinet, she pulls out a vase and is no longer facing me as she turns on the faucet to fill it with water. Carefully arranging the stems, she places them one by one into the vase. I see her reflection in the window in front of her. There is no smile and no emotion.
    “Luce? Did I say something wrong?” I ask as I move