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I nod my head, wanting like hell to close my gritty, tired eyes. But I don’t look away from her until the ambulance leaves for the hospital.
Then I close my eyes, exhausted. But her face is burned behind my eyelids.
And while they drive me to the hospital, I dream about the little redhead who’s got me all messed up.
I can’t believe that I ran into a burning building. That’s strictly against the rules. And yet I didn’t even think about it.
Because there was no way I could leave Hartley in that burning building.
CHAPTER5
Hartley
One of the library aides helps me to my desk, where I sit down, shoving the crutches to the side.
“Lord, I hate those things.” I can barely breathe and I start coughing again.
We’re set up in a small building a mile down the road. We scavenged and cleaned as many books as we could. The whole town popped in to help.
But that’s what’s great about a small town. The gossip…not so much.
“I heard that the fire chief and the mayor ripped the Sheriff apart for breaking in the building to come get you. Nobody can believe that he did something that crazy! He never breaks a rule. And we all know not to run into a burning building.”
To tell you the truth, I’m not sure why he did it either. He is so damn strict that I know if one of his men did something that crazy he’d rip them apart. Probably put them on leave for awhile. Until he decided that they’d learned their lesson.
“I don’t know what happened.” I know that there was something new in his eyes when he found me. I could barely see the gleam in his eyes but I swear I saw relief on his face.
Then panic when he realized how much trouble we were in. I shudder when I think about it. We were almost burned alive. Course the smoke probably would have got us first but I don’t know. That fire was moving quick.
“Have they got any leads yet?” The aide asks. Jenny is a sweet girl but she’s just like her mama. She likes to gossip.
I shake my head. “I don’t think so.”
She sighs. “I wish they’d figure out who did it! I don’t like being in here alone anymore.”
I understand what she means. The aides aren’t really alone but I open by myself. I also close by myself on Friday and Saturday because we stay open until seven.
“Don’t worry about it. I’m sure the Sheriff will figure it out.”
Like I’ve conjured him out of thin air, he appears in the doorway of the smaller warehouse building where we’re working out of until the investigation is tied up and the building is repaired. There’s some pretty dang serious structural damage.
His lean figure walks towards me and there’s a rush of heat inside me that makes me shiver. It’s like I’m living with the ghost of that inferno. Only this one is different. I want to rush into it. Let it wash over me. With him.
He nods at Jenny and she smiles and ducks down one of the many shelving units we’ve got set up.
“Hello, Miss Hanover. How are you doing?”
“You called me Hartley in the building, Booker.”
His eyes come up to mine and they’re full of smoke and fire. Just as deadly as that fire and twice as scary.
“I know. How are you Hartley?”
And just like that my dang panties are incinerated. He’s so tall and tanned and the soft twang in his voice has me wanting to sit and listen to him all night long. While I’m riding him like a freaking sex-crazed cowgirl.
I flush and duck my head.
“I’m doing good.” I glance at him from under my eyelashes. “How are you?”
