Page 9 of Flashback

Jen nodded and pulled her cell out of her back pocket. “Yeah.”

Allie gave her her number. “Call if they come back.”

Dakota shook his head. “You’re not going to have reception out there.”

“Maybe not, but I’ll check it when I can.” Why was he being so difficult?

“Better yet, find one of the other hotshots. Tell them to call me on the radio,” Dakota told them.

Jen and Ray rushed off.

Allie swung around to face Dakota. “I’m not the one who needs a babysitter. Don’t you have better things to do?”

“There’s a fire roaring up this mountain. Like it or not, I’m sticking close by. I can’t let you go out there without some protection.”

Really? If anything, she might be in more dangerwithDakota.

His brother Will had insisted that he wasn’t violent or anything, but what she’d witnessed the first time they met said otherwise. After the storm of his frustration and anger had blown over, he’d been sullen but peaceful during the long car ride they’d taken together. He’d jokingly warned her that he was trouble with a capital T. But Dani had insisted that Dakota was a good guy. And Dixie had liked him right away. She’d always been a good judge of character.

Man, she missed that dog.

And yeah, maybe Dakota’s wounded-hero vibe had seeped through to the long-locked-away places of her heart as they’d passed the hours of that car ride getting to know each other a little. It was a good thing she’d dropped him off at the Ridgeman Center when she did. He’d intrigued her as he’d shared little tidbits of himself.

He liked Garth Brooks and hated sitting in one place too long. He’d grown up in South Dakota and still missedthe prairies. He’d made her laugh. Dixie had been downright smitten with him, which told her all she needed to know.

And she’d started to imagine what it would be like to see him again. Get to know him more.

And that was the most dangerous of all.

Her imagination only got her into trouble. She needed her eyes wide open and feet firmly on the ground. Not heady attraction or heated moments. Not with her past.

And something about the combo of brilliant blue eyes in contrast to the red hair and scruff across Dakota’s firm jawline, as well as the strong heroic aura around him, might as well have been a big ol’ flashing sign for her.

Warning. Strong attraction potential. Stay far away.

But the facts were glaring. Just when she’d thought they were hitting it off, they’d reached the Ridgeman Center, and he’d waved goodbye and left. No “Hey, could I have your number?” or “Let’s keep in touch.” Or even a “Thanks for the ride.” He’d simply ducked his head and gone through the front doors with barely an acknowledgement of her existence.

Obviously, she couldn’t trust herself to read a guy correctly. She too easily saw something whennothingwas there.

But she also didn’t have any training in fighting or avoiding a wildfire. If she wanted to keep the boys safe, she would need Dakota’s help.

She crossed her arms, noting, as Scout lay down by Dakota’s boots, that even he seemed to like the guy. “Fine, you can come. But I’m leaving now.” She swung her backpack over her shoulders and called to her dog. She’d have to work really hard at keeping herself in check with Dakota.

Scout looked up at her but didn’t move until she gently tugged on the lead connected to his harness. She could’ve sworn the dog sighed as he got up and moved to her side.

Dakota didn’t seem to notice. “The sooner we find them, the sooner we can get you to a safe place.”

“Still acting like a SWAT guy.”

His lip curled. “Yeah, well, that life is behind me.”

“Is it?” She gave him a pointed look.

A muscle in his jaw twitched. “Let’s go find the boys.”

So that’s how it was going to be. He didn’t want to talk about the past. Fine by her. She needed to focus on finding Ethan and Nolan before the fire reached the campground and they couldn’t get out.

Allie and Scout jogged up the trail in front of Dakota, almost like she didn’t want to be near him.

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