Page 8 of Bewitching the Firefighter

“It was good to see you.” She grabs the stroller from Capri and walks away, forcing her cousin to keep up.

Well, that’s one way to do it.

Nolan walks up, his chin lifted in a smug grin. “Strike out again? You must really want that lasagna.”

“Fuck you, Rookie.” I squeeze his shoulder a little harder than necessary. “Now you’re making it for the first shift lunch.”

“Worth it!” He cackles all the way to our buddies, broadcasting that I struck out again.

As Isla walks away, I instinct takes over. Signaling to Gentry to take over and fully aware how ridiculous and comical I look in this neon spandex, I run after her. I don’t care because there’s something about Isla Sutton that I can’t shake. Maybe it’s her self-confidence. Maybe it’s the way she doesn’t back down. Maybe it’s her curves. Maybe it’s all of it.

But for the first time in a long while, I want to spend time with a woman. Not to get physical, but just to be in her orbit. My grandfather’s voice rings in my head. Maybe this is knowing what your own heart looks like, but I shake it off because… no. I just want to be Isla’s friend. That’s it.

I quickly catch up, and a look of surprise crosses her feminine features. This is when I realize that maybe I shouldn’t have chased after her.

“Listen, I, uh… I’m sorry for pushing.” My eyes dart between hers and Capri’s, my insides jittering as if I had too much caffeine. “You ladies have a good day.” I nod once and then jog back to our members, checking in with Tucker as Gentry finishes my round for me.

It’s another fifty minutes before the session is over, and all I can think about is Isla. It’s been a while since a woman has turned me down, and I’m not a fan. Usually, I would move on and not look back. Isla is different, and I’m finding that I want to know more about her.

Like, why did she move to Indigo Hills? What drew her to library science? Is she always this guarded, or is it only with me?

When the session is over and all fitness members have left the park, Tuck and the guys help me gather equipment and load up the car. It doesn’t take long, and we all agree to head to Hank & Lulu’s for breakfast.

Tucker and the rookie head to their cars, but Mike Gentry hangs back, a watchful look on his face.

“You asked the librarian out a second time, even though you lost the bet? You could have just asked the rookie for his lasagna recipe.” He winks and slaps my back, handing me my water bottle. “But seriously, man, you’ve been spooked since the nurse thing. Don’t overthink what this is. Just get to know her.”

I slam the trunk, watching the lieutenant head to his truck.

That’s what I’m trying to do.

Chapter 6

Isla

I stare at the computer screen, the hum of the air conditioner the only noise. It’s quiet in the office, and I’m glad for the time to work on the historical documents for Indigo Hills. Because I spent the hour before lunch scanning historical documents into the archive software, I’m all set.

But my mind wanders to my conversation with Capri the other night. She’s right in that the male gaze has landed my way over the years. And, yes, more than once, I’ve had The Flutter, that feeling of excitement at the possibility of a connection with someone. It’s just that I don’t remember ever being so torn between my physical reaction to a man and what logic urges me to do.

Running into Lincoln at the park yesterday reminded me of how small Indigo Hills truly is. In Dallas, it’s rare to run into anyone you know out in the wild because it’s so big. But here? I’m almost guaranteed to run into the hot firefighter at some point. I’m just at a loss as to why Lincoln West has gotten under my skin so completely.

Determined to put him out of my mind, I spend the next 20 minutes cataloging. For each scanned document or image, I create a record number, then assign categories and keywords according to a system that makes finding records easy.

I am setting up an image record for a settling family standing on their homestead near a rocky creek bed. At the bottom of the picture are the words Kramer, November 1878. Our local genealogy hobbyists will love this one.

The next document is at least a hundred years old. I remember scanning it, the paper yellowed with age and quite delicate. It only takes a minute before realizing it’s a diagram of the original firehouse here in Cobalt County. The date shows 1907, which would make sense, but there’s some information missing that would be very helpful for me to finish the record.

Before I can give it any more thought, my phone buzzes with a text from my cousin, Levi.

Levi: you need to stay away from Lincoln West

Me: Hello to you to, cousin dear

Levi: sorry - hello, Isla - now stay away from Linc

Me: I don’t even know what you’re talking about

Levi: don’t lie