12-Alarm Cowboys

by Cora Seton

Tanner

  She dropped into a kitchen chair and read his message again.

  He loved her.

  She sort of suspected that he did. But that didn’t solve their problems, did it? Her mind began firing memory pictures of their time together, the love they shared, the laughs, the quiet moments.

  Her cell phone buzzed, pulling her from her thoughts.

  She answered without looking at the screen. “Dr. Greyson.”

  A distinct crackle filled the air, followed by, “Georgie? It’s James Mabee.”

  “James. What a nice surprise. Have you started home?”

  “No, not yet. That’s why I’m calling. My wife wants to stay another six weeks. Is that going to be a problem? Can you stay?”

  “Of course I can stay.”

  “Great. Any problems at the clinic or at the house we found you?”

  “Everything is going great. Love the house.”

  “Good. Good. Have you thought about settling in Whispering Springs? My wife and I are enjoying the travel and I need a partner. Love Dr. Brian but he can’t handle as much as he used to.”

  “I…I…I hadn’t thought about it.”

  Liar.

  “Well, give it some thought. The guy that owns the house you’re staying in has moved into an assisted living complex. The house with all the acreage will be going up for sale. If you decide to stay and are interested in the house, let me know and I’ll get you in contact with him.”

  “Oh yes. I love the farm, and his pets he had to leave behind.”

  “Good. He’ll be happy to know his animals won’t have to be sold to strangers. Grab a pencil and let me give you the information.”

  He gave her the new contact information for the owner. Up to now, she’d been using direct draw to pay her rent, so she’d never contacted him. But she would now.

  The second name and information was for his lawyer, KC Montgomery Gentry. His lawyer had his power of attorney and partnership papers should Georgie decide she wanted to settle in Whispering Springs.

  After they hung up, she sagged against the back of her chair, then she smiled. Then she burst out with laughter.

  She thought about calling Tanner but didn’t. He’d probably be happy to hear from her but she also didn’t want for him to think a couple of cards and a bunch of flowers made up for the hurt he’d caused. He made this mess. She would let him clean it up. If she was going to spend the rest of her life with him—and she had every intention of doing so—then she wanted to let him come to her.

  For the next week, she heard nothing from Tanner. No flowers, cards, or even text messages. She really wasn’t good at romance. Maybe she was supposed to have called him after all the gifts. Argh. Someone hand her a rule book on dating and romance!

  Friday night, she went to bed confused and sad. She had totally screwed up this thing with Tanner. Magda had told her to not call him and to stay tough and so she did. What was she doing taking advice from Magda, a woman who ran away the first time things got heavy with a guy?

  A tapping at the door awoke her. Dawn was just breaking. Orange and purple streaks painted the sky.

  She sat up and listened. There it was again. Someone was knocking at her back door.

  Putting on a robe, she stumbled through the kitchen and peeked out the window before she answered.

  Tanner stood there. A lightning bolt of lust, desire and love stunned her as it vibrated her body. Dressed in jeans, a flannel shirt, boots and a heavy coat, he’d never looked better.

  “Tanner?”

  “Don’t ask questions. Just get dressed. I want to take you somewhere.”

  “What?”

  “Get dressed.” He leaned in and kissed her. “Trust me. Dress warm. Hurry.”

  “But…”

  He put his hands on her shoulders, turned her around, and pushed her toward her bedroom.

  “Warm clothes.” He nuzzled behind her ear. “Please.”

  She hurried off to throw on jeans, a blouse, heavy sweater, boots and a jacket. As a last minute thought, she grabbed gloves and a hat. The breeze through the door had been quite nippy.

  Once in his truck, they didn’t drive far, only about a mile. In the open field stood a hot air balloon.

  “Are you serious?” she asked.

  “Yep. Come on.”

  Tanner climbed out and raced around to her side, lifting her out of his truck and onto the ground. They went through a gate and trudged through the dead grass to where five people held the balloon tethered to the ground.

  “Climb in,” Tanner said.

  She looked at him, hesitated, and then nodded. If their future was to be together, she had to learn to trust him. In her heart, Georgie knew Tanner would never deliberately do anything that would hurt her.

  He followed her into the basket, introduced her to the pilot, Jim, and then the guys holding the ropes released them. They floated off the ground in a quiet lift-off. The earth fell away. The only sound was the occasional blast of gas and flame to heat the air in the balloon to keep them aloft.

  She stood looking out over the countryside. Being December, the fields were asleep for winter but they still provided homes for the cows and horses in the area. They were low enough that the animals would look up as they floated over.

  “This is incredible, Tanner. I’ve never done this before.”

  He put his arms around her and pulled her back snug against his chest. “Let me tell you why I brought you up here.”

  “Okay.”

  “When I’m with you, this is how I feel. I’m floating. The chaos of the world is gone. My mind is quiet. My heart is light. I’m at peace. Only you do this for me. I’d be lying if I told you I’d never told a woman that I loved her. I have. But it’s always been a lie, until now. I’ve never felt for a woman the way I feel for you. You make me look beyond just the field where I’m standing.” He swept his arm out in front of her. “You make me see everything. Make me believe I can do anything. I love you, Georgina Greyson with all my heart.”

  Georgie looked over her shoulder. “That was beautiful.”

  “Wait. I have to say more. I am so sorry for all the stupid things I said. I know you would never be unfaithful. Now, my brother…?”

  She chuckled. “Nothing happened.”

  “I know. I think I knew it when I calmed down but by then, my foot was so far down my throat I was choking on it. Can you forgive me?”

  “It might take me a long time.”

  “Like the rest of your life?”

  “Yeah. That would be a start.”

  He turned her around so they were facing each other and dropped to one knee. “I love you, Georgina. I want to spend the rest of my life spoiling you. Will you marry me?”

  Looking down, Georgina knew her future was bright.

  “You drive me crazy, Tanner Marshall.”

  He grinned. “Is that a yes?”

  She smiled. “That’s a yes. I’ll marry you.”

  He stood and enfolded her in his arms for a kiss.

  “Hold on,” the pilot said. “We’re landing and it’s a little rougher than the take off.”

  Georgie settled into Tanner’s protective embrace as the pilot released the hot air and they slowly began to fall back down to earth. She was enough of a realist to know sometimes life would toss them a rough landing every now and then, but with Tanner as her co-pilot, she was ready to hit the ground running. Their life together was going to be an adventure, and she couldn’t wait for it to begin.

  The End

  About the Author

  New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Cynthia D’Alba was born and raised in a small Arkansas town. After being gone for a number of years, she’s thrilled to be making her home back in Arkansas living in a vine-covered cottage on the banks of an eight-thousand acre lake. When she’s not reading or writing or plotting, she’s doorman for her two dogs, cook, housekeeper and chief bottle washer for her husband and slave to a noisy, messy parrot. She loves to chat
online with friends and fans.

  You can find her most days at one of the following online homes:

  Website:

  cynthiadalba.com

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  Facebook/cynthiadalba

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  @cynthiadalba

  Blog:

  Cynthia’s World

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  Cynthia’s Page

  Or drop her a line at:

  cynthia@cynthiadalba.com

  Or send snail mail to:

  Cynthia D’Alba PO Box 2116 Hot Springs, AR 71914

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  Please…if you read, please review!

  Look for these other titles by Cynthia D’Alba

  Texas Two Step: The Prequel

  Texas Two Step, Book One, Texas Montgomery Mavericks

  Texas Tango, Book Two, Texas Montgomery Mavericks

  Texas Fandango, Book Three, Texas Montgomery Mavericks

  Texas Twist, Book Four, Texas Montgomery Mavericks

  Texas Bossa Nova, Book Five, Texas Montgomery Mavericks

  Coming November 2015 – Texas Hustle, Book Six, Texas Montgomery Mavericks

  Coming Springs 2016, Texas Lullaby, Book Seven, Texas Montgomery Mavericks

  Look for short stories by Cynthia D’Alba in these collections:

  Cowboy 12-Pack

  Cowboy Heat

  Smokin’ Hot Firemen

  The Mammoth Book of ER Romances

  Controlled Burn

  A Cowboys on the Edge story

  Delilah Devlin

  ‡

  Controlled Burn

  A Cowboys on the Edge story

  Copyright © 2015 by Delilah Devlin

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author.

  For information contact Delilah Devlin at www.DelilahDevlin.com

  Cover design by Kim Killion

  Excerpt of Dangerous Liaison, Copyright © 2014 by Delilah Devlin

  This flame doesn’t need a match…

  One high school prank gone wrong shouldn’t define the rest of Carly Lohan’s life. But setting fire to Caldera Canyon isn’t something townsfolk will ever forget. As the last part of her final act of restitution, she’s among the group of volunteers assigned to keep a prescribed burn of underbrush and grass from “running over the rim” into the ranches ringing the park.

  Local rancher and volunteer firefighter Jeremiah McCord doesn’t trust the reformed firebug anywhere near the canyon’s controlled burn. Determined to keep her on a short rein, he’s everywhere she is, watching her. His distrust and determination sparks a plan for some sexy revenge—one that will get them both too close to the flames.

  Dedication

  Thanks go to my daughter, Kelly, who may not read me often (she’d rather not know how kinky her mama is), but who gives me love, shares her girls and her life with me, and can’t stand to live farther than across the road. I may never be able to snip those apron strings, but we kind of like it that way. Love you, Kell!

  Chapter One

  ‡

  Caldera, Texas had been aptly named by its founders. Although technically late winter, the air was unseasonably warm—hot as witch’s cauldron, and the town just as cursed.

  Or, at least the place was so far as Carly Lohan was concerned.

  Carly closed her car door and drew a deep breath, thinking she’d as soon have a root canal as walk into the midst of the people gathering inside the community center. All gazes would turn her way. They’d nudge their friends, and the ugly whispers would begin.

  She might as well have had a big “A” branded on her forehead, but not for adultery like Hester Prynne—her crime was far worse. Arson wasn’t something folks around here would ever forgive.

  Not that she thought of herself as an arsonist. However, a charge like that, even against a minor, clung like skunk spray. Which was why she’d headed to college as soon as she’d graduated high school and now lived a town away. Tonight, she had to face Calderans one last time.

  Gripping her purse like it was a shield, she strode toward the door. Before she even reached the steps, she heard a whistle sound from behind her.

  “Well, would you lookie there. If it ain’t Carly Lohan. Long time, no see.”

  If she were ninety, she would have recognized Tater Johnson’s nasal twang. He’d taunted from her first day in kindergarten and had been the biggest thorn in her side all throughout school. The fact she was here today was partly because of him. She forced a smile and turned. “Good to see you, Tater.”

  He smoked a cigarette while sitting on the edge of his truck bed. “Burn up any canyons lately?” he drawled.

  Wow. He didn’t even take a second to work up to that. Carly stopped the automatic wince before he could see it. The last thing she should do was rise to a single one of his taunts. “Not lately. You going to the meeting?” she asked, tilting her head toward the open doors.

  “Course.” He tipped back his cowboy hat and gave her a narrowed stare. “Keepin’ Caldera Canyon safe is important to me—which is why I’m wonderin’ what the hell you’re doin’ here.”

  Carly felt her face heat. Before she could think of a more mature reply, she shot him the bird and turned on her heel. Good Lord, she’d only been back for five minutes and was already reverting to her old ways.

  His grating chuckles followed her inside the large hall. The instant satisfaction she’d felt at giving the rude gesture faded as she entered and searched the rows of metal folding chairs. All seats were taken—of course, except for a couple right in front of the speakers’ table. Shit.

  She didn’t have a choice. She’d be sitting across from the current sheriff of Caldera County. Her gaze snagged on the man sitting beside him, Jeremiah McCord, and her stomach sank at the glare he leveled. Shit-shit-shit.

  Only to herself would she admit the man intimidated her. He was a large man—well over six feet and broad. And he was handsome when his features weren’t set into grim lines as they were now.

  “Let’s call this meeting to order,” a man dressed in a park ranger’s uniform said. “We’re all here to talk about the prescribed burn we’re implementing inside the park four days from now.”

  She turned her attention to the speaker. At least, he wasn’t staring at her. She didn’t know him, so she kept her gaze glued to the ranger as he started the slide show.

  Pictures of happy campers sitting around campfires flashed on the screen, followed by more photos of the rugged bluffs surrounding the park. “Our goal, come Monday morning, will be to burn brush and dried vegetation from the canyon floor, while keeping the fire under control and halting it before the blaze runs the rim of the canyon, endangering local ranches. We won’t touch the areas around the campgrounds or the park service buildings. Those have been kept clear of excess brush by camp personnel. We’re focusing our efforts on the areas north of the campgrounds, through the upper canyon, toward the north rim of the park.”

  The next picture was of a jackrabbit hiding in the brush. “A prescribed burn is good for the canyon’s plants and trees, and for its wildlife. By removing underbrush and new seedlings, we give the forest a chance to grow and deprive wildfires of fuel.”

  The next photo was of rows of volunteers digging firebreaks, with flames licking across dry grass. The flames blazed orange, yellow, purple—so pretty—she couldn’t stop herself from
startling when the slide changed to a photograph of those same volunteers, covered in soot, but smiling as they stood in front of a scorched patch of earth, trees with their bark only slightly singed.

  “This is the outcome we want. A safe burn. A way to renew the earth and prevent uncontrolled blazes in the future…”

  Carly drew a deep breath, and then made the mistake of again looking at Jeremiah. His gaze bored into her, cold and hard. Had he seen how the picture of the fire held her mesmerized? Her stomach tightened, and she felt a little sick.

  Keeping her expression neutral, she returned his stare. She wasn’t that same reckless girl. She’d done her penance, and then some. Performing this last act of restitution would expunge her juvenile record, and she could function without worrying someone would discover her past mistake. She could submit a job application without her hand shaking, because she feared a background check would reveal her crime. And maybe she could finally make use of her teaching degree.

  Thank God, she didn’t have to work around here. Jeremiah would consider it his civic duty to make sure everyone kept a close eye on her. He wasn’t exactly the most forgiving man, and if she couldn’t find a better job, she’d never be able to repay him for what he’d lost.

  The rest of the presentation droned on and on. The park ranger was followed by the local fire chief, and then the park service expert they’d brought in to help supervise the burn. She tried to pay attention, but felt as though a hundred accusing fingers were pointed at her back. So she sat rigid in her seat, arms crossed, waiting for the briefing to end. She’d get her team assignment and head back to the motel where she’d left her suitcase. Then she could close her door and sleep until Saturday’s training.

  Seven years hadn’t been nearly long enough to ease the feeling of guilt that weighed her down. Moving away had helped her live a more normal life, but she’d had these little reminders every so often, part of the deal the judge had made with her to protect her future. Participating in the controlled burn inside the park would be the last time Calderans would have to suffer her presence. And she theirs.