When Tyler Swanson emerged from the dark, smoke-filled interior of Mary Jacobsen’s house, carrying a tall stack of photo albums with her laptop perched precariously on top, she looked at him like he was an honest-to-God genuine hero.

It felt good. Really good.

And even in her soot-stained pajamas and with her blonde hair showing some serious bedhead, Mary was fucking gorgeous. He liked that rumpled look on her, as if she’d just stepped out of bed…his bed.

His imagination immediately conjured up a vision of Mary naked, sweaty, and straddling his equally bare body. Tyler’s cock stirred at the mental image, and his bear rose up inside him, sending a wave of pins and needles racing across his skin as if he were about to shift.

Will you calm the fuck down? He growled silently, both at his bear and his unruly cock. What’s going on with you, anyway?

But he already knew the answer: Mary.

His beast half had been restless ever since they’d gone down into that basement and had come to face to face with the woman who’d been Tyler’s high school crush.

The fifteen or so years since then had turned the lean but pretty wolf shifter girl into a hot woman with some serious curves.

Ever since his return to Bearpaw Ridge five months ago, Tyler had been trying to figure out how to approach her and ask her out. He didn’t understand why he was finding it so hard…hell, during the years he’d spent in Portland, he’d had women throwing themselves at him every time he went out for a beer, and he’d enjoyed the hell out of dating a number of very attractive ladies.

But he hadn’t dated anyone since he’d arrived back home. He tried to tell himself that it was because he’d been busy. But deep inside, he knew he was holding out for the chance to ask Mary out, and he didn’t want any rumors getting around.

He knew she was divorced, and wasn’t that a first? He’d never heard of a shifter divorcing another shifter…and he wasn’t the only one. That was pretty much the first piece of news he had heard about her.

The second thing was that she’d been dumped a couple of years ago by his cousin Evan. That wouldn’t have been news—Tyler knew that Evan went through women even faster than he did. The twist was that Evan had promptly mated an Ordinary woman from out of town and had settled down.

So as far as Tyler could tell, Mary was available. But did she still remember him? And if so, was it only the part where he was the town’s bad seed, a disappointment to his father and probably headed for jail?

Unwilling to admit that he was nervous about being rejected, Tyler had made one excuse after another to himself for why he didn’t approach her and ask her out.

Bearpaw Ridge was a small town. He saw Mary around all the time. There had been plenty of opportunities to casually run into her and reintroduce himself. But he hadn’t. Why?

Because you’re a fucking coward, that’s why.

And that was how things had stood until he’d been rousted out of bed in the middle of the night by the first responder app on his phone.

Even now, he felt the visceral surge of protectiveness that had swept through him when he saw Mary in the basement of her burning house, her scent sharp with relief when he came down the stairs.

She had been in danger, and he’d protected her. His bear liked that. A lot.

Tyler walked over to where Mary was sitting on the bumper of the paramedic van, a clear plastic oxygen mask over her mouth and nose. She was dressed in a pair of thin cotton pajamas, printed with cheerful cartoon sheep, and fuzzy sheep slippers. Tyler did his best not to stare at her chest, where her nipples pressed against the front of her pajamas.

Even at this hour, there was only the faintest breath of coolness in the warm summer air, so at least she wasn’t freezing.

“Thank you,” she breathed, reaching for the albums as Tyler came to a halt in front of her.

They were darkened by smoke and soot, but otherwise undamaged. The same was true of the laptop.

“Thank you,” she repeated. “I shouldn’t have asked you to go back in there—”

Her eyes were shining as she raised them to meet his gaze. Something warm uncoiled in the pit of Tyler’s belly. Hot damn, I could really get used to this hero thing.

It was a real improvement on how folks around here used to look at him.

“I volunteered,” he reminded her as he pulled off his helmet and SCBA mask. “And it was important to save something.” He paused. This next part was always difficult. “I’m sorry but, uh, I don’t think very much of your furniture or other stuff made it.”

With a sudden sick surge, he remembered that his dad had died because he’d decided to go back into his burning home to try to rescue more of his belongings. Well, Dad had always behaved like he was some indestructible superhero…

Tyler’s bitter train of thought derailed when Mary nodded, her expression turning inward as she curled a protective hand around the stack of stained albums in her lap. He could tell that she knew she was screwed.

Not only was her house going to be a total burnout, but her garage had collapsed in a heap of smoldering, charred beams on top of the car parked inside.

Is she gonna be okay? his bear demanded.

Tyler peered down at her, taking stock.

She looked tired and a little dazed, and he knew that shock would likely set in once the magnitude of her loss sank in. He’d seen it before when a fire destroyed everything a person owned.

Something in his intent gaze must have unnerved her, because her head snapped up, and her hand rose to touch her rumpled hair. “What is it?”

Impelled to distract her in some way, he said, “I get it now. Your ensemble. Real clever.”

“What?” she asked again, this time with a confused expression.

“Your pajamas and slippers. You’re a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”

She grinned and glanced down at herself. “Oh. Yeah. I found these the last time I went shopping, and I thought it’d be funny in an ironic kind of way.” Her smile was a little shaky, but it looked genuine. “You know, you’re the first person to get the joke.”

“Well, how many people have seen you in your pajamas?” he asked before he could stop himself.

“You mean, other than the entire Bearpaw Ridge Fire Department and all of my neighbors?” She glanced around at the onlookers and raised her brows. “You know what they say: a lady never tells,” she added with exaggerated primness.

Tyler threw back his head and laughed.

“I’m glad someone is having a good time out here,” grumped the other newbie volunteer firefighter as he hauled a hose around the corner of her house.

Dimitri Medved was a young, clean-cut East Coast bear shifter who had moved to Bearpaw Ridge and joined the BPRFD at about the same time Tyler had. Dimitri’s sister Nika had mated Tyler’s cousin Ash, so Tyler guessed that he and Dimitri were technically relatives now of some kind or another.

Dimitri continued, “You gonna give us a hand here, Tyler, or are you gonna stand there flirting with the pretty cop?”

“When you put it like that…” Tyler called back, rolling his eyes.

He saw Mary’s blush under her oxygen mask and felt a surge of jealousy. Dimitri was everything Tyler wasn’t—rich, smooth, and Ivy League-educated.

Tyler wondered what the hell a New Yorker like Dimitri liked about living in a place like Bearpaw Ridge.

When we go out on a date, I’ll have to make sure to tell her that she’s gorgeous. And hot, he promised himself.

Should I ask her out? He wanted to, badly, just in case Dimitri might be interested. Then Tyler got hold of himself and shook his head wryly.

You’ve got a shitty sense of timing, he told his overly eager bear. I can’t think of a worse time to ask someone out than when they’re looking at the trashed remains of their home.

Tyler had already waited six months to ask Mary for a date. He told himself that he could wait a few days more. It didn’t help.

“Don’t go anywhere,” he told her as he turned to follow Dimitri.

“I don’t have anywhere else to be,” she said simply.

Her words made Tyler itch to fix the situation for her. But how?

He thought it over as he helped his fellow firefighters douse the last embers and inspect the badly damaged cottage to make sure that every last spark had been extinguished.

When the fire was finally out, leaving only a charred shell of the porch and a huge pile of wet, blackened rubble, the firefighters began rolling up hoses and wrapping things up.

“Hey, Dane, there was something weird about this fire…” Tyler said as his older cousin passed him.

He knew he was the newbie on the team, but he’d worked in construction long enough to recognize a suspicious building fire when he saw it.

Dane Swanson, who was the Bearpaw Ridge Fire Department’s captain, nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah, I thought so too. It looks like it started in a couple of different places, including the garage.”

“Shit,” breathed Tyler. “Not another one!”

There had been a spate of suspicious fires in and around town over the past few weeks. Dane had called the State Fire Marshal’s office for assistance, and they had promised to send an arson investigator.

“Wait,” Mary said, coming alert. She rose from her seat, clutching her laptop to her chest. The photo albums were stacked neatly beside her on the van’s wide bumper. “Are you saying that someone just tried to burn me alive?”

Her expression was incredulous.

Dane shrugged, but the expression on the big man’s face was troubled. “We don’t know that for sure yet,” he said quietly. “But there are definitely things about this fire that warrant further investigation.”

“Oh God,” Mary said, gazing at the smoking ruin of her house. She looked like she was about to cry.

Tyler felt that strange surge of protectiveness again.

“Do you have somewhere to stay?” he blurted before he could stop himself.

Of course she’s got a place to stay, you moron! She’s a Jacobsen. There are just about as many of them in Bearpaw Ridge as there are Swansons.

To his surprise, instead of answering immediately, Mary pressed her kissable lips together and frowned as if thinking it over.

Finally she said, “Not really. My brother Kenny is living in my parents’ spare bedroom. My older brother probably has room at his ranch, but it’s a long drive into town.”

She didn’t sound enthusiastic about either prospect, and Tyler didn’t blame her. Dr. Derek Jacobsen and his mate Malia lived here in town, but they had downsized from their family home a few years ago, and their current apartment above the town’s medical clinic only had two bedrooms.

Tyler saw an expression of grief cross her face as she looked at what remained of her home. “I can’t believe it’s gone. Everything…everything except these.” She hugged the photo albums to her chest.

His bear stirred inside Tyler’s chest. Before he could think about it, he said, “Why don’t you stay at my place? I’m renting a place a couple of streets over, and it’s got two bedrooms.”

Mary’s blue eyes widened in surprise. “That’s an easy walk to work. Are you serious?”

Is she really going to take me up on my offer? Tyler’s hopes soared at the prospect of Mary Jacobsen under his roof.

And maybe even at his table, if he could convince her to let him cook for her.

Tyler was a good cook. And his bear badly wanted to feed her.

He saw her bite her lower lip, as if mustering objections.

No! protested his bear. Tyler felt his skin prickle again. She has to stay with us so that we can protect her!

Calm down! I’ll think of something, Tyler promised, though he didn’t know what.

Linda Barker had mentioned over the radio that Mary had been sleeping in the basement to stay cool.

Inspiration struck.

He added quickly, “And my place has air conditioning.”

“AC? Honest to God AC?” Mary asked, in the voice of someone who desperately wanted something but was afraid to hope.

Please, oh please make her say yes.

He grinned at her with all the charm he could muster. Which probably wasn’t much, since he was sweaty under his heavy turnouts and probably smeared with soot. “So, we have a deal?”

“That depends.” Her eyes narrowed with suspicion as she looked him up and down. “How much rent are you asking?”

Rent? She wants me to charge her? Tyler opened his mouth and began to say nothing, but then thought better of it.

It wasn’t like they were friends, and he didn’t want to scare her off by coming on too strong.

He thought fast, trying to remember the prices on the real estate listings he’d been searching when he moved back here. “Uh, how about $150 per month? Includes utilities, water, high-speed Internet, kitchen privileges…the works.”

It proved to be the right move.

She shifted the photo albums to her left arm and stuck out her free hand. “Tyler Swanson, you have a deal. And…thank you.”

Tyler eagerly pulled off his thick gloves and took her hand. I like the way my name sounds when she says it.

The touch of her bare skin again his sent a pleasant shock up his arm to his chest. Heat shot through him straight down to his cock, where it kindled something hot and urgent.

She must have felt it too, because her eyes widened, and she yanked back her hand.

For a moment, he thought she might think better of her acceptance, so he tried smiling at her again.

“Tell you what,” he said. “Once we finish up here, I’ll take you over there and cook you breakfast, and then you can use my phone to contact your insurance company. My laptop too, if you need it.” He looked her over. “How does a shower sound?”

To his relief, she nodded. “Yes to all of those! I’ll call my mom and see if I can borrow some clothes and shoes from her until I can go shopping…dammit!” she interrupted herself. “My credit cards…my wallet…” She glared at the smoking remains of the house.

Mark, Dane, and Dimitri were still soaking the blackened heap, making sure every last ember was extinguished.

“Shit.” That last was said in tone of utter despair.

Tyler rushed to reassure her.

“Don’t worry about that right now. I can loan you whatever you need.”

She looked at him doubtfully. “Are you sure? You’re already helping me out by renting your spare room.”

Tyler fought to stay cool. Don’t scare her off by coming on too strong. “It’s no big deal. Your insurance will probably cover the rent payments. And I know where your parents live—I could drop by later and ask them if they could loan you some clothes and stuff.”

The relief on Mary’s face made him feel warm all over.