Ride the Fire by Jo Davis Page A

blurted. “I’m pretty handy with fixing stuff.”
    “Oh, no, I couldn’t ask you to do that,” she said, waving a hand. “You wouldn’t want to spend the afternoon under Mama’s sink and get grilled by her for your trouble.”
    “Why would she grill me? You and I have worked together for years.”
    Eve looked at him like he’d lost his good sense. “And how many times have we hung out, just you and me, without the guys?”
    “Oh.” He deflated some. “I guess I’m a little out of practice dealing with mothers. She’d make something out of us being together, huh?”
    “And then she’d be after me like a bloodhound on the scent, despite the fact that I have nothing to confess.”
    She doesn’t? What does that mean? That I’m imagining the mutual attraction?
    Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of his equine friends, who were curious about Eve and hoping for a treat. Elvis stuck his sleek brown head over the fence and sniffed Eve’s front jeans pockets, then moved on to inspect her jacket, completely unmoved by her squeal of surprise.
    “What’s he doing?” She giggled, patting the gelding’s smooth neck as his velvety nose whuffed at her jacket.
    “Checking for apples or carrots. He knows where I keep them, so he’s saying hello and searching for a snack at the same time.”
    “Sorry, boy,” she crooned in sympathy, scratching his big ears. “I’ll bring something next time, I promise.”
    The two of them made a hell of a beautiful picture, together in the sunshine, Elvis eating up her attentions like an overgrown dog, eyes half-closed in bliss. Sean couldn’t take his eyes off the scene, and something weird broke loose inside him, rattling around, stealing his breath. He couldn’t have described the feeling if he tried, only knew that this moment would remain etched in his mind as long as he lived.
    He really didn’t want her to go, and he mentally scrambled for a way to make it last.
    “Thanks for showing them to me,” she said, stepping back from her new friend. “I really have to go, though.”
    Disappointment rose, but he accepted his cue gracefully, nodding. “I’ll walk you to your car.”
    As he led her around the side of the house to the front driveway, he told himself it was for the best. He had no business selfishly pushing for more between them—an ill-advised move on many levels.
    Like the almost kiss he couldn’t forget.
    Dammit!
    Eve unlocked her car, opened the door, and paused. “Seven?”
    “You bet. I’ve got your address.”
    “Good. It’ll be fun.”
    “Can’t wait.”
    It would be pure torture not to touch her.
    He watched as she turned the car around and started down the winding drive. Didn’t move until the vehicle disappeared from sight. A rueful smile curved his lips and he stood there marveling at all the good changes in his life, including this new closeness with Eve.
    Common sense be damned. He felt better than he had in years.
    And even if this attraction between them couldn’t go any further, he wasn’t going to waste a second of getting on with living.
    No matter how bittersweet.

    Eve was aware of Sean’s gaze. Continued to feel his physical presence even after she could no longer see him in her rearview mirror.
    He’d wanted her to stay, or at least spend more time with him. That much was clear by the obvious disappointment that flashed in his green eyes when she turned down his offer to help at her mother’s house. She’d be willing to bet he didn’t have a clue where his interest in Eve was coming from or if indeed it was simply a desire to deepen their friendship.
    Which was precisely why she couldn’t allow them to lose their heads. Sean was like one of those chicks he’d mentioned—reborn, blinking into the sunlight, new and fuzzy, vulnerable to predators. He didn’t know what he wanted besides surviving each day, and she didn’t fault him for that.
    But she wasn’t up for a round of him using her heart as a