Page 1 of Burning Escape

ONE

Eight weeksearlier

He’d made it. After years of dreaming, all the training, and months of planning, Orion Price was finally ready for his shot at fulfilling the heroic legacy of Grandpa Jack.

Alaska was definitely cooler than Ember, Montana. A different ridgeline loomed in the distance rather than the mountains of the Kootenai National Forest Orion knew by heart, having grown up in their shadow. Here, Denali’s peak soared above the neighboring summits. Impressive, no doubt. A little intimidating…but mostly it sparked excitement for the adventure ahead. The adventure he’d been waiting for since he was a kid.

Orion stepped into the Midnight Sun Saloon, the smell of meat, smoky and spicy, making his mouth water. Usually a day of traveling—flying from Bozeman to Seattle to Anchorage, plus the two-hour drive to Copper Mountain—would make for a long day, but the way adrenaline was surging through him, he was ready for a good meal and to let off a little steam. He had something to celebrate.

He must not be the only one. Live music from a band out on the patio traipsed in on the breeze through an open window.

Orion found a seat next to Logan Crawford at the bar. The woman serving took his order for wings and a beer without fuss or chitchat. Within moments, a tall lager in an iced glass was plopped down in front of him. He took a long, slow sip, savoring the cold drink.

He’d put in his time with the Jude County hotshot team. He was ready for smokejumping. He just had to get through the training and nab one of the open rookie spots. He glanced at Logan next to him. His buddy from Montana had snagged an open spot on the team already, showing up at the last minute before the season began. He’d been a smokejumper in Ember and had even done a stint fighting bushfires in Australia. While Orion had grown up at Wildlands Academy learning all about fighting wildfires, he was still pretty young.

But he knew what he wanted, and he would do whatever it took. His mom—his only family for most of his life—was finally settled and now had Charlie and Orion’s new half sister Alexis nearby. It gave him the freedom to spread his wings now, knowing she was happy and fulfilled.

This was his time. Finally.

A loud cry rose from the rowdy group at the other end of the bar as the bunch of bearded men downed shots. They were dirty, a little scruffy, and looked like they’d stumbled out of the wilds for a good time and didn’t care much who they disturbed with their ruckus. The tall guy in the middle of the pack threw back another shot and howled at the ceiling while his buddies laughed and slapped him on the back.

“Hey, pipe down, boys. Some of us want to hear the music,” the bartender yelled over her shoulder.

“Sure thing, Vic,” one of the guys said with a fake smile. Then he turned back to the group and rolled his eyes.

Logan chatted with a couple of women sitting on the other side of him. Orion had never been great at flirting. Might as well let Logan charm the ladies. Instead, Orion turned on his stool to take in the view of the mountains.

His eye caught a petite blonde woman walking toward one of the high-top tables and the two girls waving to her. As she skirted around another party, a guy in a hockey jersey was pushing away from his table.

Right into the woman’s path.

Orion jumped off his seat in time to catch her as her foot caught on the chair. She grabbed his arms before she could hit the ground.

She blew a strand of long blonde hair out of her face, and he caught her wide-eyed gaze.

Wow.

Talk about Alaskan beauty. She didn’t have that fake look of a lot of makeup. Just a clean glow, a smattering of freckles across her dainty nose, and wide blue eyes that reminded him of a deep mountain lake. Fathomless and gorgeous.

Her surprise quickly melted into a dazzling grin.

“You all right, ma’am?” he asked her, helping set her back on her feet.

“Ma’am? How old do you think I am?” She gave him a mock glare and then chuckled as she dusted off her jeans.

Heat rushed to his neck and cheeks. Oh, he was so bad at this. But she didn’t let go of his arm.

And he was totally okay with that.

He grimaced. “Sorry. Where I’m from, it’s a sign of respect.”

“And where’s that?” A flirty lilt in her voice drew him in. “You’re too polite to be from around here.”

Maybe he should be thanking the guy who’d tripped her.

He cleared his throat. “I’m from Montana.”

“Ry, food’s here!” Logan called from behind him. Right. Food. His job. This wasn’t the time for distractions.

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