Mountain Fire by Brenda Margriet Read Free Book Online Page A

leisurely, exploratory conversation. They were sharing a decadently sweet piece of chocolate cake when Richard and his foreign-sounding guest left. Richard nodded affably from across the room, but his companion remained austere and aloof, ignoring June when she responded to the salute.
    As they waited for the cheque, June reached across and ran a finger over Alex’s knuckles as his hand rested darkly against the brilliant white linen. He met her eyes and she was dazzled by a sudden surge of attraction.
    She made sure her voice was cool and friendly. “Thanks for a lovely meal.”
    “Thanks for sharing it with me.”
    He drove her home in his drab olive green Jeep. Its black hard top, sturdy frame and four wheel drive suited his personality perfectly—dependable, but ruggedly sexy.
    He pulled up to the curb in front of her house. A streetlight behind him lit his profile sharply, accenting the strong lines of his face.
    She wondered, ill at ease, what the next step should be. “Thanks again for dinner.”
    “No problem.”
    He reached across and sleeked a finger down her bare arm, grasping her hand where it lay loosely in her lap. He raised it to his mouth, brushing his lips over her palm, his eyes never leaving her face. “Good night, June.”
    She heard herself say, “Do you want to come in? I mean, for coffee, or another drink, or something.”
    His scrutiny was a physical thing, weighting down her limbs, pounding through her blood. “Oh, I’d like to come in for...something,” he said, a shameless glimmer in his eye. “But not tonight, I think.”
    Disappointed, but also a teensy bit relieved, she sighed. “That’s probably best.”
    She tugged her hand from his grip and slid out of the Jeep with her best attempt at gracefulness. He drove off, a small smile on his lips.
    She backed cautiously away from the curb, as if she had been standing on the high diving board, and had decided to climb off the ladder at the last second.

Chapter Five
    June had no chance to see Alex during the next few days. Although her heaviest workload of classes was done for the year, she was picking up credits by taking part in a summer session program that ran for five days straight. She spent a lot of the time at various field locations, studying the practices of forest management in regards to water resources. When all necessary reading and homework assignments were added to the hours on-site, she had very little free time. But five concentrated days gained her the same number of credits as a semester long lecture course, with the added bonus of being able to spend most of it outdoors.
    The sunny weather she’d enjoyed while on Longworth Mountain held through the week, but Saturday night thunderheads rolled in, bringing high winds and slashing rain. By Sunday morning the worst of it had blown over. She stood sipping her coffee and peering at her backyard through a water pebbled window. Yesterday a few stubborn blossoms still clung to the old apple tree in the corner. Today the pink and white petals were scattered across the lawn.
    The phone rang and she answered it with a cheerful hello.
    “Hey,” Alex said. “How’d your course go?”
    “Excellent.” She savoured the warmth curling low inside her at the sound of his voice. They’d managed to exchange a few brief text messages since the evening they’d spent together, and she was mildly surprised at how much she’d missed speaking with him. “How was your week?”
    “Uneventful until late yesterday. I was on call, and we got a tip. Another grizzly.”
    “Where?”
    “McGregor area. A tree planting crew found it. I’m heading out right away. Want to come along?”
    “Are you sure?”
    “I’m taking the ’copter. I can pick you up on my way to the airport.”
    “I’ll be ready.”
    She packed her small rucksack with bottled water, granola bars, extra socks, and a polar fleece. Then she dressed in heavy cotton pants and short sleeved T-shirt under a light wind