Burned by Love

  Burned by Love

  A Firefighters of Long Valley Romance Novel - Book 4

  Erin Wright

  Wright’s Reads

  Copyright © 2018 by Erin Wright

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be constructed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author except in the case of brief quotation embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  To my family:

  Your support and love means the world to me. I’m sorry I’ve run off to see the country and wasn’t at home for Christmas this year, but know that I was there in my heart.

  * * *

  And to Jasmine the Writing Cat:

  Someday, I’ll love another being as much as you love me. Thanks for all of the snuggles and help along the way. I’m sorry I include so many dogs in my books. I’ll try to do better in the future.

  Author’s Note, Part 1

  Hi, y’all!

  Burned by Love is the fourth novel in the Firefighters of Long Valley series, and there are another nine books currently published in the regular Long Valley series. I point this fact out because all of my books are written as standalones (the two main characters have a beginning, middle, and end to their love story, so you never have to buy a second book to find out how they work out their problems) but Burned, more than any other book I’ve ever written, brings in people from other books in the Long Valley world. You’ll soon see why that is, but I just wanted to say before you get started that:

  Burned by Love is a standalone novel, just like every other book I’ve ever written; but

  If you haven’t read all of the other books in the Long Valley world yet (both the Firefighters and regular series), some of the side characters may not have as much meaning to you. So, perhaps you should go back and read the other books in the Long Valley world. *hint, hint, nudge, nudge*

  Last bit of warning: Burned by Love goes back in time (to May of 2018) so if you just finished reading the third book in the Firefighters series, Fire and Love (which concludes in the fall of 2018), you might be confused when suddenly, people who were already together as a couple aren’t together yet, or situations that happened long ago are now being repeated.

  They’re not actually on repeat, of course – they’re just being told from Penny and Troy’s point of view this time, and if I’m not mistaken, I think more than a few of you are going to be pretty surprised by how different that viewpoint can be at times. This is to be expected – every person in Long Valley has their own hopes and dreams and backgrounds and things they care about. Their reactions to the same situation are going to be very different, depending on that background.

  So with that, please enjoy Troy and Penny’s story. I hope it speaks to your heart like it did to mine.

  Chapter 1

  Troy

  Quick Note: If you enjoy Burned by Love, be sure to check out my offer of a FREE Long Valley novella at the end.

  With that, enjoy!

  May, 2018

  Troy Horvath had always been the quiet one of the bunch, and to be honest, he liked that about himself.

  The way he saw it, it allowed him to sit back and take in the world, without being required to yack the ear off whoever was closest to him at the moment.

  The way his aunt and uncle saw it, on the other hand, was that it allowed him to let the world pass him on by without even sparing him a second glance.

  Actually, take that back – it made his aunt think it allowed the world to pass him on by without a second glance. His uncle had never said a word about the fact that Troy wasn’t on the chatty side, at least not within earshot of Troy.

  But then again, Aunt Horvath was (not surprisingly) a woman, and as far as Troy could tell, all women ever wanted to do was talk about their feelings, dreams, and desires, preferably all at the same time, and if a man didn’t feel the same way, well then, there was something wrong with him.

  Sparky was the only female Troy knew that didn’t fall into the Must Always Be Talking trap. She was content to just be, and didn’t need him willing to discuss politics, religion, or the price of bananas down at the Shop ‘N Go. Being the perfect female, all she wanted was for someone to pet her (preferably 24/7/365 if it could be arranged) and feed her doggy treats. He’d just adopted her a few days before but they’d already formed a bond between them that was unbreakable. She trusted him with all her heart and soul, and after all she’d been through, that meant a hell of a lot.

  As if she could read his thoughts, Sparky stood up and stretched, her back arching as her mouth opened wide, showing off all her pearly white canine teeth, and then she snuggled up against his legs, looking up at him with her soulful brown eyes. She was unabashedly begging for some pettings, and of course, Troy was happy to oblige. It wasn’t hard to love on a dog that’d been through so much, but had somehow come out the other side sweet as pie. Her eyes closed in pleasure as her silky white tail began stirring up clouds of dust from the dirty cement floor.

  He coughed a little from the dirt flinging through the air, but otherwise ignored it. He was used to working in dusty environments – his uncle’s mill had dust floating through the air so thick, he could practically swim through it – so the dirty fire station floor didn’t even rate a second glance.

  No, what Troy was focused on was the Dance of Desire happening right in front of his eyes.

  He was at the monthly training session for the Sawyer Fire Department, and all of the volunteers (and the paid fire chief, Jaxson Anderson) were gathered at the station to learn better firefighting techniques or safety procedures or whatever else their brave leader wanted to teach them this time. Back when Troy’s uncle was the fire chief, they didn’t do nearly as much training as they did now, and it was certainly something that Troy could begrudgingly compliment Jaxson for improving since he took over back in January.

  This training meeting was nothing like any other training meeting, though, because this time, a female was here.

  In her typical, Georgia-Rowland-is-always-in-charge style, Georgia had voluntold the whole department that they were to be interviewed by a local reporter about the wildfire that had blazed through Long Valley over the last couple of days; a wildfire where Moose Garrett had saved her ass by breaking every rule in the book, and no doubt some that weren’t written down, just for funsies.

  Based on how Georgia and Moose were looking at each other right now, it seemed pretty damn clear to Troy that they’d done more than survive a wildfire together. Troy’s hand stroked down over Sparky’s silky fur as he watched the two pretend to be “just friends,” even as the sparks that flew between them were so blindingly bright, he probably oughta go grab his sunglasses from his truck. Did Georgia and Moose think they were being sneaky, that no one was noticing that they were sending glances to each other that were bound to set the dry grass outside ablaze and start up a second wildfire? He knew that people in lust were oblivious, but surely not that oblivious, right?

  Idly, he glanced away from the couple mooning over each other and checked his phone. This reporter guy was supposed to have arrived five minutes ago. How long were they gonna sit around and wait for him to show up before they moved on with their evening? It wasn’t that Troy had anything he needed to go home and do – although it wouldn’t hurt to do a load of laundry, and his kitchen could use a good scrubbing, none of that was pressing – but if given a choice between hanging out at the fire station and watching two lovebirds simper
over each other, or being at home in just his boxers, watching a game with a beer in his hand…

  Well, that choice was pretty obvious.

  He tugged at the collar of his button-up shirt, wishing he hadn’t bothered to change before coming to the meeting that night. Normally, getting dressed up in a collared shirt so he could go hang out with a bunch of guys in a greasy, dirty building for a couple of hours was not something he’d sign up for. But because of this reporter coming tonight – wherever the hell he was – Jaxson had put out the word for everyone to come dressed and cleaned up and ready for a photo shoot, just in case that was what the reporter wanted to do. Troy scrubbed at his clean-shaven jaw with a regretful sigh. He’d had a nice seven-day start on a beard going; now he’d have to start all over again.

  Why Jaxson cared so much about what some dumbass reporter thought of them was beyond him. Uncle Horvath never would’ve stooped so low as to court the approval of the press. Chief Horvath focused on what needed to be done, and to hell with the rest of them. Jaxson seemed like a nice enough kid, but he sure had a lot to—

  The air changed just then. The chatter of the men died away; even Georgia’s giggle over whatever amazingly brilliant comment Moose had just made disappeared. Troy’s head shot up as the crackle of electricity around him made the hairs on his neck stand straight up. Not a sound was heard in the cavernous fire station, other than the click of heels on pavement as the most gorgeous woman Troy had ever seen in his life came striding into the joint.

  Holy

  Shit

  There were athletic, pretty women like Georgia Rowland. There were beauty queens like her cousin, Tennessee Rowland. There were cute, next-door-neighbor girls like Sugar Stonemyer down at the bakery, who Jaxson had started dating.

  And then, there was this woman.

  He rather felt like he’d been clobbered upside the head by a 2x4. Maybe a padded one, but there was definitely a 2x4 involved. As his gaze followed every slim curve of the woman’s body – her long legs, her strappy high heels, her tight skirt, her styled blonde hair, her ruby red lips curved into a self-confident smile – he tried to make his brain work. There was something…

  Something wrong here.

  It was…something.

  Oh yeah, why is this woman here?

  Supermodels didn’t tend to walk into a rural fire station on a Friday night just to hang out with a bunch of blue-collar guys and shoot the shit.

  That just didn’t happen.

  The roar of surprise and lust in his ears finally died down enough for him to hear what she was saying. “Hi, I’m Penny Roth,” she said as she shook hands with Levi Scranton, one of the guys on the force. “How long have you been a firefighter?”

  He missed Levi’s answer, too stunned to hear anything but the roar in his ears again. There was only one reason for this woman to be shaking hands with all the men and asking questions about being a firefighter.

  But that meant…

  His brain staggered to a stop. Seriously? This was the reporter? This paragon of beauty and legs and sparkling high heels was a reporter for the two weekly rags in the area?

  Sparky whined and nudged Troy’s hand, apparently not happy with the speed of his pettings. He looked down at her blankly for a moment, trying to remember what he was doing. Who he was. Where he was. Sparky whined again, and absentmindedly, he scratched her behind the ears, her tail resuming the rapid thumping of joy and pleasure at his touch.

  His mind swam as he tried to put the pieces together – the reporter for the Sawyer Times and Franklin Gazette was a drop-dead gorgeous woman. No spare tire around the middle; no balding spot on the back of her head; actually, no male qualities whatsoever. She appeared to be as feminine as they came.

  It wasn’t that Troy didn’t think that a woman could be a reporter; it’d just never crossed his mind that she would be. The stereotypical reporter that Troy had imagined…

  Well, that image was nothing like the woman in front of him, that was for damn sure.

  She’d reached Moose and was now shaking his hand, chatting easily with him as Georgia looked on and glowered possessively. Even as Troy was busy trying to accept the truth of what he was seeing in front of him, he also found his mouth quirking up a bit with humor at the territorial look on Georgia’s face. What, exactly, had happened up at Eagle’s Nest when Moose and Georgia had tried to stay safe from the wildfire raging around them? It sure looked like they’d practiced some mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on each other.

  And then, Penny Roth was walking towards him, and his mind went blank.

  How she’d noticed him over in the corner, sitting on the tailgate of the water truck, accustomed – and expecting – the world to walk right on by, he’d never know. He wasn’t used to being noticed. In fact, he counted on it, so her laser-focused gaze on him as she walked over…he just didn’t know what to think.

  Or perhaps it was the aforementioned 2x4, padded or not. He’d been walloped but good, and he wasn’t quite sure he was breathing.

  “Hi, I’m Penny Roth,” she said again, reaching her hand out to shake his. He was frozen on the tailgate of the water truck, Sparky leaning against his legs and trapping him there even though he should be rising to greet her but moving didn’t seem possible just then, except for his hand – thank God he could move it – so he raised it up and shook hers, and when their palms touched…

  It was like grasping a bolt of lightning. Her gaze flared, as bright and brilliant as her smile, as they locked eyes. “Troy Horvath,” he got out, wanting to hang onto her hand for the next six months or so. Just until he got used to the feeling shooting up his arm. Then he could let go.

  But not a moment before.

  Somehow, though, she seemed to be immune to this overwhelming desire to keep their palms pressed together to feel the electricity arcing between them, and instead pulled her hand out of his, dropping to her knees in front of Sparky to love on her. “Aren’t you a sweetie,” she cooed to Sparky, letting his dog give her face a bath while Sparky’s tail swept up a storm on the dusty cement floor.

  Troy was in shock. Moose was in shock. Levi was in shock. Every person in the room just froze, watching this unfold in front of them.

  Sparky didn’t like anyone except Troy. Not even Moose and Georgia, who’d saved her from the wildfire just two days ago, were freely allowed to pet her. As best as they could figure, she’d been beat by some sadistic son-of-a-bitch and now chose who was allowed within ten feet of her very, very carefully.

  She didn’t give out face baths easily. Hell, Troy’d just gotten his first one from her this morning. And here she was, loving on Penny like they were the best of friends.

  His heart twisted a little at the sight.

  Of course, it was good to see Sparky love someone else other than Troy. He was happy that it was happening. He was just in shock, was all. Nothing more than that.

  “So, you’re the one who saved Georgia from the fire?” the reporter asked, looking up at Troy, her eyes intense as she studied him from her kneeling position on the dirty fire station floor. She didn’t seem to notice that Sparky was shedding white and black hairs all over her skirt and blouse, just like she shed all over everything else she came in close contact with. Troy had given up on being dog-hair free about an hour or so after he’d adopted her; it just wasn’t gonna happen. Was Penny gonna be pissed when she saw where Sparky’s fur was ending up?

  He opened up his mouth to warn her, but decided to answer her question instead. This’d be a good test to see how much she really liked dogs; if she freaked out about having some stray hairs left behind, well, that’d tell him all he needed to know. Unlike Jaxson, Troy didn’t believe he had to bend over backwards to impress the press.

  He balled up his fist where her hand had slid into his, pushing the buzzing electric feeling away.

  “No, not me.” Troy finally managed a reply to her question – embarrassingly slowly but he got there – and jerked his head towards Moose, who’d foll
owed Penny over to the water truck, Georgia trailing along behind him. “He did.”

  “I thought the dog was found up in the fire,” Penny said, her brow knotted with confusion. “How did she end up with you, then?”

  “She likes me,” Troy said simply, shrugging his shoulders. Just like she likes you were the unspoken words left hanging in the air. Sparky loving on someone else…Troy was pretty sure in that moment, he could’ve been knocked flat on his ass with a feather.

  Sparky did another swipe across Penny’s face with her long pink tongue and Penny laughed. “How long have you been a firefighter?” she asked, continuing to pet Sparky as she looked up at him, ignoring the whole supposed reason for her being there – i.e., Moose and Georgia and the wildfire that’d burned hundreds of acres before nature had intervened and had kept the valley from going up in flames. Troy’d gone out on that call, of course, but by time they’d begun their work, nature had already taken pity on them and had reversed course.

  You win some, you lose some, and sometimes, you’re just damn lucky. Georgia had been the one to name Sparky; perhaps she should’ve named her Lucky instead.

  Troy forced himself to focus on Penny’s question. If he kept answering her ten minutes after she asked him something, she was gonna start to think he was slow in the head.

  “All my life, it feels like,” he admitted. “My uncle used to be the head firefighter,” he was choosing his words carefully, as carefully as he ever had, landmines waiting for him at every turn as he did his best to hopscotch across them. “So I began young. But he retired, and Jaxson—” he felt his tongue wanting to seize up but he got the name out without making an ass of himself, “—took over in January.”