Olivia got the call first thing the next morning. She could return home. She wanted to go, but leaving the comfort of the ranch wouldn’t be easy. It had been a refuge.

Originally Trevor had planned to drive her there but that made no logistical sense. He’d only have to bring her back to the ranch so she could fetch her truck. Instead she asked him to follow her over so she wouldn’t face the devastation alone.

Once she was settled in, he could head back to the ranch. Despite her embarrassing confession the night before, she still wanted him to come with her. His solid presence was the best insurance against freaking out.

After breakfast, she gave Kendra a hug and walked out to her truck. Trevor had borrowed her keys so he could park her trailer out of the way beside the new barn before he unhitched it. Then he drove her truck up to the front of the house and climbed out, leaving the driver’s door open.

She walked around the front bumper. “Thank you so much. This is like valet parking.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He smiled and touched the brim of his hat. “Oh, wait. You don’t like me to call you ma’am.”

Except this time she’d been charmed by his use of it. “Evidently that depends on your delivery.”

“Oh, does it, now? Care to explain that?”

Now she’d done it. She glanced up at him and heat swirled in her belly. Even shaded by his hat, his eyes cast a powerful spell. “I guess it’s the difference between being formal and familiar.”

“So the other day it sounded too formal?”

“In a way. It…I don’t know…I guess it put distance between us.”

His gaze warmed. “Lord knows I don’t want that.”

The distance between them was shrinking faster than a cotton shirt in boiling water. “Could you please stop flirting?” She swung up behind the wheel and laid her purse and a small canvas bag for her nightwear on the passenger seat.

“Probably not after what you said last night.”

She turned to him. “I made it worse?”

“’fraid so. Want me to round up Zane to follow you over there? He’s a married man. I guarantee he won’t flirt.”

“No, I want you to go with me.”

“All righty, then.” Digging his keys from his pocket, he tossed them in the air and caught them again. “Let’s do this.”

It was a purely male gesture. Evidently she was thrilled by any sexy move he made.

“Go ahead and pull out if you want. I’ll be right behind you.” He flashed her a smile and jogged over to the parking area beside the house to get his truck.

She watched him in the rearview mirror because, damn it, he looked good from the back, too. What was wrong with her? She’d never been one to ogle guys, but she couldn’t stop doing it with Trevor.

When he got into his truck, she quickly buckled up and started the engine. One good thing about this hormonal reaction—it minimized her concern over her fire-damaged property.

Could that be Trevor’s plan? Instead of flirting to be contrary, maybe he was hoping to distract her from worrying about what she was about to see. If so, it worked. All the way to her house, she was focused on the cowboy following her instead of the fire scene awaiting her.

Once she turned onto her road, though, she was jerked back to reality. The grading she’d recently paid for had been destroyed by the coming and going of heavy fire trucks. She bounced over deep ruts and slowed to a crawl.

But the grassland on either side of the road was untouched by fire, just as Trevor had said. What a relief.

She’d never researched how a fire could affect caverns located directly beneath it. Maybe they’d be protected, but she wouldn’t bet on it. Ash would filter down. And if the cave had bats, as hers did, they might get confused and fly into the fire, or get trapped in the caves with the smoke.

However, judging from the evidence, the caves under her property were okay. She wouldn’t have to deal with potential damage to the beautiful caverns or the resident bats.

But she did have to face…dear God. She rolled into her front yard, or what was left of it. She’d prepared herself for the barn to be gone, but not for the huge gaps in the forest where trees used to be. Trevor had hinted at it, but she’d had no idea…

Quiet. Why was everything so still? Oh. Normally the morning was filled with the chirp and twitter of hundreds of birds.

The smoke had cleared and blue sky was everywhere. Way too much sky and not enough green. Her throat tightened.

The trees had been huge. Those gaps wouldn’t be filled for twenty years, maybe thirty. A few tall sentinels remained, their blackened trunks bearing witness to the violence they’d suffered.

Leaving her stuff on the seat, she climbed down from her truck. She couldn’t even blame someone’s carelessness. Although she’d never heard of a dry thunderstorm, the chief had said that was the only explanation. One must have come through several nights ago. A single lightning bolt had found a dead tree.

He’d talked to her about fire cycles and the necessity for them to keep the forest healthy. It had sounded reasonable and logical. But this raw carnage threatened her sense of place, her sense of self. This was no longer the same land where she and Edward had settled six years ago. That had been destroyed.

Trevor’s strong arm circled her shoulders, but he didn’t speak. She was grateful. When Edward had died, a few well-meaning souls had tried to comfort her with variations of it was meant to be.

If some cruel entity had taken Edward as part of a grand plan, that only made her more furious. If her little piece of heaven, her last connection with Edward, had been decimated to satisfy the greater good, then to hell with the greater good. She much preferred the slogan shit happens.

“Want to go in the house?”

“Not yet.” Her voice was thick with tears. Her face was wet, too, but so what? “I don’t care about the house, the barn, the garden or the yard. I care about the forest.”

His fingers tightened on her shoulder. “Me, too.”

She took off her glasses and swiped at her eyes.

“Use this.” He put a soft cotton bandana in her hand.

“Thank you.” She dried her eyes and mopped her face. “If I stop wearing my glasses, everything will be blurry. That sounds like a great idea.”

“Go ahead. I’ll be your guide dog and make sure you don’t bump into things.”

She took a ragged breath. “Thanks, but it’s time to pull on my big-girl panties.”

“I’ve always wondered how they’re different from little-girl panties.” His tone was light, as if he hoped this silly topic would be a distraction.

It certainly could be. She’d play along. “Little-girl panties are decorated with cutsie stuff. Some have kittens and puppies. Some have the days of the week embroidered on them. Those were a major stressor for me. I had to wear the right ones on the right day.”

“I’m not surprised.”

“Yeah, you have me pegged.”

“I doubt it.”

“Yes, you do. I’m the shy one who joined the math club. The brainy one the cool boys didn’t ask out. I had exactly one boyfriend and I married him.”

Trevor grew quiet after that.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t keep bringing him up.”

“Yes, you should. It reminds me where I stand.”

“I don’t get it.”

“Get what?”

“Why would a sexy cowboy like you be the least bit interested in me?”

He laughed. “You seriously underestimate yourself. Ready to go in the house?”

“I guess.” She surveyed the muddy expanse between where she stood and the screened-in porch.

“I’ll carry you.”

“No, I—whoa!” She was in his arms before she could blink and on her way to the porch. “This is ridiculous.” And wonderful. He was so warm. So close. Her heart was going a mile a minute.

“It’s not ridiculous. This way only one of us ends up walking through mud.”

“Then I’ll clean your boots for you.”

“Why? I’ll just get them muddy on the way back to my truck.”

“Oh. Right.” Logic had deserted her.

“Can you get the screen door for me?”

“Sure.” She reached out and opened it.

He shouldered his way through and set her down. He wasn’t even puffing.

She was the one struggling to breathe. “You’re stronger than I thought.”

“Requirement of being a firefighter. I need that strength to handle the fire hose or carry a victim out of a building.”

“Well, thank you for keeping me out of the mud.”

“You’re welcome.”

She opened the door. “Okay, I’m here, safe and sound. You got me through the shock of seeing what the fire did to my forest and you carried me through the mud. I’m extremely grateful that you drove over with me. I should let you go back home, though.”

He smiled. “Trying to get rid of me?”

“No! I’m just—”

“Being considerate. I know. I was teasing you. But before I leave there’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”

“What?”

“I spent a fair amount of time on your roof Saturday night and it’s not in very good—”

“I know. It needs to be replaced.”

“Sure does.”

“Edward and I had it on the list ever since we moved in, but…you know how that goes. We procrastinated.”

“I understand, but you’re to the critical stage. I’d recommend replacing it with galvanized tin.”

“You’re right that it needs to be done. I’ll call Paladin Construction first thing tomorrow.”

“See, that might not work. Greg’s backed up with folks wanting projects finished before the first snow.”

“But—”

“I could do it.”

“Oh, I couldn’t ask that of you.”

“You didn’t. I’m offering. I wouldn’t push except it’s a safety issue. Those shingles look like the ones I remember from when I was here as a kid. I’m guessing the roof’s at least twenty years old.”

“That sounds right. The home inspector said it needed to be replaced, so the Campbells knocked down the price. We just never put on that new roof.”

“After I tramped around on it all night putting out hotspots, it’s really compromised. I doubt it’ll hold up under a heavy snowfall.”

She took a deep breath. “Then I’d be looking at a much bigger mess. And expense.”

“That’s the way I see it. Better to handle it now. If I measured while I’m here and got the supplies ordered, they’d probably arrive by Friday. I could have a new roof for you this weekend.”

She gazed at him. “I’d be crazy to turn down a generous offer like that. Okay. Thank you.”

“Oh, and one other thing. Do you have a snow shovel?”

“In the laundry room.” She grinned, thinking he was making a joke. “Have you seen a few flakes?”

“Not since last night when Cody did his spoon trick and Ryker juggled dessert plates. But if you’ll fetch the shovel, I’ll clear the mud from your walk before it hardens.”

“Wow, I never would have thought to do that. Thank you!”

“My pleasure.” He swooped in and gave her a quick kiss on the mouth.

“Hey.”

“Just a tiny welcome home kiss. I’ll stay here while you get the snow shovel.”

She barreled into the house but paused halfway to the laundry room to catch her breath. There was nothing little about that kiss and he damn well knew it. No one except Edward had ever kissed her like that.

The connection had been minimal, almost not worth mentioning. So why did her lips tingle? Why was the blood pounding through her as if she’d run a foot race?

“Can’t you find it?”

Whoops. Caught having a meltdown. “Be right there!” She hurried toward the laundry room.

“Are you okay?”

“Yep! Just got distracted for a minute!”

She grabbed the snow shovel and returned to the porch. “It really is a good thing you thought of this.”

“Goes with the territory. Fire hoses turn dirt into mud. Can’t be helped.”

“Guess not.” She couldn’t stop looking at his mouth. His full lower lip pressing against hers had been a sensual treat. Considering the short duration of that contact, it was a wonder she could replay it in such vivid detail.

“I shouldn’t have kissed you. Now you’re upset.”

Although her cheeks grew warm, she met his gaze. “I’m not upset.”

“Are you sure? You took forever to get the shovel and you’re staring at my mouth. I think I threw you off your game. If I did, I’m sorry. Sometimes I act on impulse. It’s not always a good thing.”

“It’s a wonderful thing. I wish I could be more spontaneous, but I’m hardly ever impulsive.”

“You came to my room last night.”

“Not a snap decision. I debated that for hours.”

“Honestly?”

“Oh, yeah. When I made that you have no idea comment at dinner, I was feeling reckless and giddy, which is so not like me. Then I saw how it affected you. It was irresponsible of me to say it and I don’t know why I did.”

“Impulse.”

She groaned. “I walked right into that one, didn’t I?”

“I’m not trying to match wits with you. I have a feeling I’d lose. But I don’t think you’re as uptight as you claim.”

“Yes, I am. A more relaxed person would think nothing of that little peck you gave me. But I can’t let it go. I never expected to be kissed again. True, it wasn’t much of a kiss, but—”

“Hey!”

“That’s not a judgment. If you’d turned it into something hotter I really would have freaked out.”

“I don’t want that.”

She gazed at him. “What do you want?”

“Whatever you’re willing to give me.” He took the shovel and left.