Page 201 of Her Reluctant Hero
“Did you hear I had a good side?”
A surprised laugh burst from her. Damn, she was cute, all dimples and white teeth. “You know, you’re right. An assumption on my part.”
“Comes with the job,” he muttered, and she laughed again.
“What is it?” Her voice was breathless as she tried to keep up with him. He wouldn’t feel sorry for her. “What makes you hate us so much?”
“It couldn’t be the constant questions,” he said.
“Sure, it could be, but that would be an annoyance, not downright hatred.”
He stopped then and faced her. “Will you tell me, right here and right now, what your angle is?” She opened her mouth and he lifted one finger to silence her. “Not what your story is, but what spin you’re going to put on it?”
“Is that it? You’ve been burned by interviews so all reporters are bad?”
“See? You can’t even answer a damned question without a question. I need to go get my crew together.” He turned on his heel.
She came after him, edging around a cluster of firefighters to look up at him. “All right. My series is on heroic jobs and the people who live them. People want to read about real-life heroes.”
He snorted. “Then you’re following the wrong guy around.”
“I don’t think so. You forget I watched you out there.”
No, he hadn’t forgotten. Her presence had been more of a distraction, and not only because of the reporter thing. Distraction on the fire line because of a woman had almost killed him once. He wouldn’t give the dragon another chance.
“I wasn’t being a hero.” He dismissed her claim with a shrug. “I was doing my job. I’m good at what I do, but I’m no damned hero.”
“It’s the real heroes who don’t see what they are,” she said, her voice low.
He stopped to give her a warning look. “What’d I tell you about the ego stroking?”
“Come on, Cooper, I can hold my own up there. Let me come with you. I did fine on the fire yesterday.”
Damn, he used to be better at intimidation. Maybe he wasn’t trying hard enough. “Yeah, I remember how good you were at complaining.”
“It was my first fire,” she said in her defense.
“And this isn’t going to be your second.” He started toward his crew’s tents again, hoping she would take the hint. Of course it would be too much to ask for. Damn, what had made this woman so determined? “It’s not a walk in the park, Peyton. We are facing a big fire here. I don’t want to have to worry about those kids and you.”
“I see your point.” He could see her puzzling it out and the working of her mind fascinated him. “So, you have a lot of experience with kids?”
He ducked his head to hide his smile. “As a matter of fact, I have none.”
“And your crew? Are they family people?”
“Not as far as I know.”
A frown flickered across her face. “Really?”
He shrugged.
“I happen to be great with kids.”
“Is that a fact.” It wasn’t a question.
“It is. I have”—she paused and looked into the air to think of a number, then pretended to count on her fingers—“six nieces and two nephews. I’m their favorite aunt.”
“You realize I don’t believe you.”
“You realize that doesn’t surprise me.”
God, she was quick. He admired that, couldn’t resist stepping closer to her to see her reaction. She didn’t move back, but wariness flickered in her dark eyes. “So you really know kids?”
“Enough to know those girls are going to be terrified and having a bunch of big bad firemen come in, all decked out in your gear, will not improve the situation. I think I’ll be able to keep them calm, at least relate to them a little bit.”
He moved back, considering, and she let out a breath she’d been holding. Did he smell that bad, or did he affect her that much? He was pretty sure he had the answer, and he didn’t want to dwell on the repercussions of it. “Go get your gear and meet me back here.”
Suspicion replaced wariness. “You aren’t going to head out without me.”
Now that hurt. “I can be a mean bastard, rookie, but I’m not a sneaky one. You got five minutes.”
