Where There's Smoke: inspirational romantic suspense (Montana Fire Book 1) by Susan May Warren Read Free Book Online

is in love with you.”
    Kate stared at him, her mouth open. “What—how—did you hear him? He practically took off my head.”
    “I know,” Pete said, grinning.
    “Trust me. He’s not in love with me.”
    “A girl saves my backside, I love her a little bit,” Pete said. “Or a lot.”
    “Don’t go dropping to your knees, Brooks.”
    Shouting from the front of the saloon diverted Pete’s response. She turned and spotted Gary, the buffalo, rising from the table. His chair toppled over, hit the floor with a bang. He shouted again, more clearly. “Ransom, who do you think you are?”
    Jed didn’t move.
    Gary bullied his way past a couple of rookies who stood in his path, pressing their hands to his chest. “I’m talking to you, Ransom!”
    Jed just kept staring straight ahead.
    Next to Kate, Pete put down his drink.
    Reuben pocketed the chalk, his grip curling around the pool cue.
    Two men had the sawyer by the arms, but he pushed one away, and the man landed hard on the wood floor. Chairs squealed back, voices shouted, but Gary kept going.
    Kate found her feet, her heart lodged in her ribs as the bar fell into a hush.

    Even in a crowded bar, with his recruits and veterans huddled over in private gripe sessions about their new boss, Jed knew Kate had been talking.
    About him.
    He’d noticed her sitting on a stool in the back of the bar the minute he walked in. She always possessed a sort of magnetic ability to arrest his attention, stop his heartbeat for a moment, and his gaze found her even now as she nursed—of course—a chocolate malt, her dark red hair loose around her shoulders, framing her beautiful face, those gray-green eyes, her curves outlined in a blue Jude County Wildland Firefighters T-shirt.
    He couldn’t make out her words, but he read her story in the way she kept glancing at him and using her hands. And he braced himself for the moment when she’d get to the part where he’d lost it, nearly came unglued as the Porcupine River fire tried to deep-fry them. Or maybe the part afterwards, when his wounds caused him to go into shock.
    Hopefully, however, she’d pulled back from revealing that moment in the hospital when he’d turned into a coward.
    “I’m talking to you, Ransom!”
    Jed hadn’t even heard the man until the bar quieted, until the voice, slurred and bitter, saturated the room.
    He didn’t move. Just watched in the mirror as Gary approached him. Oh, he’d made a wise decision when he cut Big Gare from the squad.
    Now, he had two choices, and he contemplated them in a long, protracted second as Gary’s sweaty mitt landed on his shoulder. Turn fast and sink his fist into Gary’s face, send him sprawling and remind him exactly who was in charge. Or...Jed could do what Jock had taught him.
    Take a breath. Think. Find the contingencies, keep his feet under him.
    The first choice spoke to the restless, angry energy prowling around inside him for a week now. And especially today when he was down to twelve of his twenty-four recruits. Twelve . This season’s rookie class might be decimated before the season even began.
    Tackling Gary and letting his anger, his frustration loose on the man would only sabotage morale. With last year’s tragedy looming over the fire base, his crew needed to trust him. Which meant he needed to earn their respect.
    Jed took a breath and slid off the stool.
    Gary appeared ready to take off his head, his eyes glassy, his words sloppy, so Jed kept it simple.
    “Step back, Gary. This isn’t going to help.”
    Around the room, recruits and veterans bounced to their feet—in whose corner he didn’t want to guess. He glanced past Gary, saw the booth of rookie smokejumper recruits—CJ St. John, Tucker Newman, and Ned Marshall—spilling out. CJ adjusted his cowboy hat while Tucker assessed the situation with what seemed like practiced eyes.
    Out of his peripheral vision, Jed spotted Kate, stanchioned by Pete and Reuben, working her way down the