Dakota Heat (Book 3 - Dakota Hearts) (3 page)

She’d been genuinely terrified when she’d pulled over to the shoulder of the road with that flat tire. She couldn’t believe she’d managed to drive all the way from Providence to Rudolph without incident. Then her first day in Rudolph, she was left stranded by the side of an empty road with a flat.

During those long moments when she’d climbed out of her car and pulled out the spare tire and jack, all Summer could think about were those pictures of her taken by the serial killer. Her mind ran rampant and every little noise in the woods behind her sounded ominous. She’d been so preoccupied with that stubborn lug nut that she hadn’t even heard Sam’s car or his approach.

Then she proceeded to make a colossal fool of herself. The man probably thought she’d been breathless because of him. And worst of all…she
had
stared at him with total girl crush. Totally uncool. Completely humiliating.

But how could she not? Sam McKinnon was the very definition of a chiseled Greek god. She was sure his name was right next to
warrior protector
in the dictionary. All the Hotshots were required to workout daily to stay fit for the rigorous activity they dealt with during fire season. But Sam McKinnon… Lord help her.

“Summer?”

Her head snapped up as she looked at Adam again, realizing she hadn’t heard a word he’d just said.

He leaned back in his chair. “It’s understandable that you’d be distracted by what’s happening in Providence. But I need you to focus here. You
are
safe here. You can be sure of that.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

Adam turned his head with the hard rap of knuckles on the office door.

“Come in.”

The door opened and Sam McKinnon took up every inch of space in the doorway. No wonder she’d taken him for a warrior protector.

Sam nodded a hello to both of them.

“You’ve met our new dispatcher, Summer Bigelow?” Adam asked.

“Yes,” Sam said, sitting in the seat next to Summer. “I take it you had no problem with the tire this morning?”

“I’m still using the spare, but it’s working.”

“Spare?” Adam asked.

“I had a flat tire last night on the way to the motel. Sam stopped when he saw me changing the tire.”

“Since the two of you have already had a chance to get to know each other a little, you’ll feel more comfortable working alongside each other today. Sam will get you up to speed on the operation here. We never know when fire season is going to go into full swing and we have a lot of clean up and prescribed burns to do in the area.”

She drew in a deep breath as she folded her hands in her lap. “Sure.”

Sam was staring at her, into her eyes as if he were searching for some deep secret.

She wove her fingers together. “Is everything okay?” she asked.

“I figured you’d get a decent night sleep in a real bed, but you look like you didn’t sleep at all last night.”

“Thank you,” she said dryly.

“I didn’t mean you look bad. You just look more worn out than you did yesterday morning after that long drive.”

“Oh, that’s so much better. I can’t wait for you to really turn on the charm.”

He chuckled, shaking his head. “This isn’t coming out right at all. I’ve lost all points I gained helping you with that lug nut.”

She lifted her eyebrows.

Sam made a face that showed he knew he was busted. “And I just blew that secret, too.”

“Maybe you should quit while you’re ahead,” Adam said, chuckling.

“You thought he was ahead?” she remarked.

“Guess not,” Sam said with a shake of his head as Adam laughed louder. His face grew serious. “It’s just that you seemed pretty terrified when I came up on you by the side of the road. I hope I didn’t scare you too much.”

Summer darted a glance at Adam, whose eyes had narrowed. She had been reliving the nightmare of seeing those photos the serial killer had taken of her as she struggled with the car tire. Her imagination had run rampant as she found herself alone on the side of the road, wondering if anyone was watching her. She’d nearly jumped out of her skin when she’d suddenly realized she wasn’t alone and hadn’t heard anyone approach.

But then she’d turned and seen Sam standing there, looking so commanding, and her fear melted away. His eyes, although a steely gray in the fading light, had been kind and filled with concern as they’d run over her face. His smile and deep, reassuring voice, made her trust him almost instantly.

“No,” she said quickly. “You just…I didn’t hear you stop. I’m fine. Really.”

Sam looked at Adam, then at Summer.

Adam cleared his throat. “I assumed you might feel more comfortable at the motel, but maybe staying here in the dormitory will be better until you get more comfortable with the area. You’ll have people you know all around you. These roads aren’t well lit like the city roads in Providence you’re used to.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. The motel is fine for now. And once I settle in a little more I plan on finding a rental in the area. I’ll be fine.”

“Well, then Sam is your man,” Adam said, gesturing with his hand to Sam. “He’s the only one on the crew who knows the area.”

“I don’t know of any rentals off hand. But I know a lady who knows just about everything going on in town. If there is a rental, she’ll know about it. I can introduce you to her.”

Adam chuckled, making Summer wonder just who this “her” was to Sam. She didn’t need to know. She only needed to find a comfortable place to live.

“If you happen to see this
lady friend
of yours, I’d appreciate finding out if she knows of any vacancies in town,” Summer said. When the silence dragged on, she added, “So where do we start?”

* * *

They’d spent the afternoon going over the basics of Hotshot gear and the running of the basecamp.

“Everyone will spend the first two weeks getting trained and tested to make sure they’re up to standards. At some point I’ll get you up to speed on the maps of the area and take an afternoon or two to drive out to the area the fire crew will be doing some clearing and prescribed burns.”

“I didn’t realize I’d be going out in the field,” Summer said as they walked toward the dispatch center along the already trampled patch of grass in the large pasture where the makeshift agency basecamp had been set up.

“It’s not really necessary as long as you understand the maps and how to relay information.”

“I’ve been certified in fire dispatch.”

He glanced at her, his lips slightly lifted as he said, “You don’t have to convince me. You came very well recommended by your chief back in Providence.”

Summer stopped walking. “How do you know that?”

Sam turned and looked back at her. “Because I talked to him on the phone. Matt is his name, right?”

Color stained her face.

“I like to know who I’m working with,” he added, his eyebrows slightly knitted on his forehead. “Out in those hills I’m responsible for the lives of my crew. Surely you can understand that.”

“Of course.” She was being ridiculous. And the way Sam seemed to look at her with such depth told her he wasn’t buying her cool act every time she tried to recover. The last thing she needed was to act like she was an inept idiot and have him lose confidence in her ability.

“There are aerial view maps here, right?” she asked.

“Yes. You’ll find them in the dispatch office, which is down the hall from Adam’s office. But the Black Hills are unique and this land was overrun with floods and damage from the ice storms this past winter. I find it’s always good to have a visual of the area we’ll be working as it looks right now. It doesn’t prepare any of us for the uncertainties. But being as prepared as we can be makes our job safer. The map can only give you so much information.”

“I understand.”

“Do you?”

She stared up at Sam for a brief moment, wondering whether or not it was a simple question or a challenge.

She pushed an errant strand of hair away from her face that the wind had blown around. “You don’t trust me?”

“Trust? I don’t know you well enough yet. Like I said, you come here highly recommended.”

“Then there shouldn’t be a problem.”

She smiled even though she didn’t feel it. His probing stare was definitely a challenge.

“What I don’t understand is why a woman who is so admired in her job back in a big city like Providence…”

Summer sputtered. “Big city? Hardly.”

He shrugged. “Okay, a city. I’ve never been to Providence. But it certainly isn’t Rudolph or any of the other small towns in South Dakota that I know. Why here when you could have gone anywhere, especially when Matt had such high praise for you?”

She chose her words carefully. “I have never done fire dispatch before. Why not South Dakota?”

He made a face that Summer found incredibly adorable and at the same time, hated that she did. Thoughts of Sam McKinnon had consumed her mind ever since she’d met the man. She wasn’t staying in South Dakota. And from what Adam told her, neither was he. Smokejumpers and Hotshots didn’t work in her little state of Rhode Island so the likelihood of anything other than a quick fling happening between them was zero. And since Summer wasn’t into cheap, meaningless sex, no matter how gorgeous a man Sam McKinnon was, they were at less than zero.

Still, she couldn’t ignore the way his warm eyes seemed to caress her as he gazed at her.

It had to be her imagination. And lately she’d found that her imagination was a wild as the crazy turn her life had taken.

“Let’s go. I’ll show you your home away from home for the next six months,” he said, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder to lead her toward the dispatch office.

Her feeble explanation seemed to satisfy Sam, which brought a weird sense of relief and disappointment. Only Adam knew of the danger Summer had faced in Providence and her real reason for ending up here in Rudolph. It was safer that way, and yet part of her wanted to confide in Sam. She didn’t know why.

It was crazy. She’d only just met the man. And yet something about him told her she’d be safe with him.

Warrior protector.

She’d been watching too many movies, Summer thought with a smile as she walked alongside Sam. And then it hit her. For the size of him and the length of his legs, Sam McKinnon should be walking strides ahead of her. She should be running to keep up. And yet Sam was walking by her side.

She liked that.

# # #

They’d spent the first week having every member of the team tested for fitness, stamina and knowledge of the procedures the Hotshots would use all fire season. Many of the members of his crew were veteran Hotshots, but Sam had a few new members that he wanted to pay close attention to in order to make sure they were fully prepared for the unexpected.

As they did at the start of every day, the entire crew of Hotshots, Smokejumpers and dispatchers met in the Quonset hut for a morning briefing. Mornings were cool, but as the day progressed, the Quonset hut would get warmer under the baking sun.

As he held his cup of coffee in his hand, Sam glanced at Summer for what seemed like the hundredth time during the briefing. He tried not to, he wanted to listen to Adam as he discussed the success of the drills and the strategies he’d put in place to deal with the fire season. But he found it difficult to focus on the superintendent.

He had heard all of it before, he knew the drill well enough to act in his sleep, but Sam also knew that it was a dangerous thing to get lazy and think there wasn’t anything left to learn. There were no typical days in his job. Every day could bring something unexpected. So he forced himself not to be distracted.

And Summer had definitely become a distraction over the last week since he’d arrived home to Rudolph. So much so that even his brother, Ethan, had noticed his preoccupation at dinner, choosing to rib him about already finding a lady friend for the summer.

Being that Sam already had a reputation with the women folk in Rudolph, he just took the teasing from his brother and didn’t elaborate. Summer Bigelow didn’t appear nearly as interested in him as he was in her.

As he turned to look at her, he saw her face lifted to the front of the room, focusing on every word that Adam was saying, just like she had been every time he glanced her way. He still had no idea what this woman was all about or why she was here in South Dakota. Everything inside Sam told him something was driving Summer and it wasn’t love of the job. He couldn’t shake that look on her face when he’d seen her on the side of the road a week ago. It was almost as if she were running from something. But from what?

“I know I’m not saying anything new,” Adam said, the words grabbing Sam’s attention. “But a recap never hurt anyone. And since we have some new faces in our crew this season, I’d say it’s necessary.”

Sam watched as Adam turned to Summer. He spoke to her quietly, his voice soft enough to not even reach the people standing closest to him. A moment later, Summer nodded and smiled and Adam turned back to the group.