Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Dash
With folded arms, I stand a few dozen yards from the landing pad and wait for the helicopter to land. Blaze, my faithful shepherd mix pup, sits at my heel, looking up at me. I scratch him behind the ears.
This is our fifth season together at the fire lookout tower.
We’re both a little melancholy that our stay is almost up.
Winter will be here soon, and there’ll be no need for anyone to man the tower until spring.
Though I’m looking forward to being back at my remote cabin, this is the place I feel most at home.
Here, in the middle of the mountains, far away from civilization.
Here, I can hide away from the world.
Blaze starts to whine as the helicopter touches down. Even at almost nine years old, he’s as eager as a puppy. He loves visitors.
“I’m sure there’s something in that chopper for you,” I tell him.
I watch as a crew member dressed in orange hops out of the helicopter and offers a hand to a woman dressed in a bright yellow jacket.
Not the kind to warn oncoming cars of someone walking along the side of the road, though.
It seems to be yellow for no practical reason at all.
If it weren’t such an overcast day, I’d wager she’d be competing with the actual fucking sun itself.
I hope the entire tour isn’t filled with chipper, chatty women. I don’t have the mental fortitude for that today.
“Where is everyone else?” I ask to no one in particular. Blaze looks up at me as though wondering the same thing.
I see exactly one person outside of the helicopter crew, and she waves brightly to me. That can’t be right. Winnie told me there’d be four in total.
The crew member—Darin it seems—escorts her down the path, gently encouraging her along when she keeps stopping. Each time her feet come to a halt, that phone goes up. There’s no cell service out here, so she must be taking pictures.
Is she…talking to the camera?
“Let’s get this over with,” I mutter to Blaze.
He pops to all fours, tail wagging in earnest at the prospect of making new friends. We’re an odd duo, him and I. Me, the recluse who’d happily go days without speaking to another soul if I could, and Blaze, the uber friendly pup whose social battery never drains.
I keep my gaze averted from Miss Sunshine as I approach them on the path, mostly to protect myself from the blindingly cheerful color she wears.
So when we finally meet up with them and I lift my gaze, I’m stunned into silence.
I’m not a man of many words on a normal day. But at this exact moment, I’ve completely forgotten my native language. If I dared try to speak, I fear whatever rolled off my tongue would sound alien.
She’s sunshine, all right.
But the sexiest fucking sunshine I’ve ever laid eyes on.
Bright blue eyes twinkle with excitement, the color only deeper with the cloudy sky as her backdrop.
It’s the kind of blue that could make a man walk into oncoming traffic without a second thought.
Her radiant smile illuminates her entire face, and I’m suddenly staring at those shiny lips, wondering what flavor I’d taste if I devoured that pretty mouth.
Fuck, get a grip!
“You must be Dash,” she calls over the sound of the helicopter, drawing my attention upward. But those eyes are too fucking much for me, so I focus instead on a light blue streak in her blonde hair. The colorful streak weaves in and out of the long braid hanging over her right shoulder.
I finally manage to nod in answer, because my tongue is still lodged in my throat.
“There’s a few supplies,” Darin says. “I’ll leave them on the pad for you.”
I nod again.
Darin gives me a strange look, but I ignore it.
“Had to give Blaze this myself so you didn’t take all the credit,” Darin says to me, holding out a bone-shaped morsel to my dog. No doubt it’s from Ivy’s bakery. Though she primarily makes sweets for humans, she always carries at least one doggie variety.
“Your dog’s name is Blaze?” Miss Sunshine asks, her eyes sparkling.
My dick twitches to life, and I discreetly adjust my pants.
“Yes,” I finally choke out in answer, forcing myself to look away from those bright blue orbs.
“Can I pet him?” she asks, so much hope in her expression.
I nod my permission.
She instantly drops to her knees, first allowing Blaze to sniff her hand. He gives it a lick and climbs right into her lap, pushing her to the ground. As though he’s always climbed into her lap.
“Blaze—”
Miss Sunshine’s giggle drowns me out as Blaze’s tail wags in earnest.
My dog would be instantly in love with her.
“If you need anything, we’ll be back this afternoon for the return flight,” Darin says, mostly to her. Though the sound of his voice pulls my attention away from the duo on the ground. Fuck, was I staring again?
“Here,” Darin says to her, holding out a sandwich baggie filled with treats. “For Blaze.”
“Thank you!”
It doesn’t matter that the man is happily married with grand kids.
That he probably sees the woman as a granddaughter he can dote on—she’s no doubt softened him up on the ride out here.
His attention on her bothers me in a way it has no right to.
I have this odd urge to toss her over my shoulder and carry her up the hill, away from prying eyes.
I blame the lightning show last night. I was up late, ensuring there were no concerning strikes. There weren’t, but the distant storm didn’t call it quits until damn near sunrise. I swallow down a yawn that reinforces my theory.
“Have fun, kids,” Darin says, flashing me a shit-eating grin that he hides from Miss Sunshine. He seems to know I’ll have my hands full with this one. With one shake of his head, he turns back toward the chopper.
“I’m Stormi, by the way,” Miss Sunshine says, still on the ground with Blaze firmly planted in her lap. “Stormi Winters.”
“Stormi Winters?”
“And before you ask, yes, that is my real name.”
“I didn’t—”
“I love your dog. He’s the bestest boy, aren’t you Blaze?
His tail wags at helicopter rotor blade speeds, and he looks up at me, his big brown eyes seeming to ask can we keep her, Dad?
Fuck me.
“Where’s everyone else?” I ask as I watch Darin unload a couple of crates onto the pad, realizing I forgot to ask him that question while I had the chance.
“Everyone else who?”
“Everyone else in your tour group?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” She shrugs, giggling again as Blaze licks her cheek. “Maybe they’re coming later?”
“This is the only chopper scheduled for today,” I say, “Other than the one picking you up in a few hours. There should’ve been three others with you.”
“Well, there weren’t.” She flashes me a megawatt smile that nearly makes my dick stand up in attention in a single heartbeat. “I guess you’re stuck with just me, then.”