Her Firefighter Hero by Leigh Bale Page A

hurt or killed in the line of duty. Nope, her heart couldn’t take that risk. Not ever again.
    * * *
    â€œTime for charades. Each couple is going to be a team,” Connie called to the group after they’d finished eating their steaks and fresh strawberry pie.
    Jared blinked, his mind racing. Couples meant he’d be with Megan again. There wasn’t any way he could politely get out of it. But charades? He’d never played games with his ex-wife before. In college, she’d been fun-loving and he’d enjoyed being with her, but after they’d married, Sharon had changed. She’d come from a wealthy family. In school, she’d let her hair down and done whatever she wanted. But once they were married, it seemed that earning money was the most important thing to her. She’d never approved of his decision to work for the Forest Service. He didn’t earn enough, nor did he receive the kind of attention in his career that she thought he deserved. And yet, he’d loved his work. And she’d come to resent him for it.
    Now Jared glanced at Megan, trying to read her body language. She sat beside him at the picnic table, her eyes wide and luminous. Nothing to indicate she minded teaming up with him in a game of charades. And yet, he saw a twinge of reservation in her. The tense set of her slender shoulders. The way she wouldn’t quite meet his eyes.
    She was as wary of him as he was of her.
    She tucked a loose strand of hair back behind her ear, then smoothed a hand over the front of her flower-print scarf. Feminine and lovely. Even wearing faded blue jeans, she looked dainty. He thought of the way she ran her business, raised her two children and dealt with the day-to-day problems of life. She was a real girlie girl with a lot of spunk he admired. But seeing her again had punched him in the chest. He wanted so much to be good friends with her, but wasn’t sure he dared. She didn’t appear to be interested in romance, and neither was he, but he didn’t want her to get the wrong idea.
    â€œCome on, gather around.” Connie waved to get everyone’s attention.
    They left the picnic table and assembled on the patio. As the group sat in the yard chairs, Megan perched herself along the lip of blocks edging the cold fire pit. Not knowing what else to do, Jared sat beside her and waited.
    Connie produced a hat and an egg timer. She handed each person eight slips of paper and a pencil, then explained the rules to the game. “Write down your ideas and we’ll put them inside the hat. The team that guesses the most words wins a nice prize—dinner and a movie in Reno.”
    The group oohed and ahed as they nodded their understanding. Jared glanced over at Sean and Tessa. They sat close together, with Sean’s arm lying casually across Tessa’s shoulders. Brian and Gayle were cuddled up much the same. But Jared wasn’t fooled by their easy manners. Competition would undoubtedly be fierce tonight. And he’d be happy to lose. He wanted the prize to go to another couple.
    â€œWhat if we draw our own words?” Brian asked.
    â€œThen, you’ll have an advantage, but it’ll still be difficult to act them out,” Connie said.
    Jared took his pieces of paper, trying to think of words to jot down. Megan shifted beside him on the stone hearth, and he realized she must be as nervous as he was. For the rest of the couples, winning the prize would be fun and something to look forward to. For Megan and Jared, it was a conundrum. If they won, they’d have to make arrangements to drive into Reno and share another date together. It was good incentive for him to lose on purpose, but he knew that wouldn’t be much fun for Megan. And for some odd reason, he hated the thought of disappointing her.
    â€œAre you up for this?” he asked her in a low voice.
    â€œSure.” Her voice wobbled, and he thought she was trying hard to be agreeable,