On Fire Read Online Free PDF

stay inside?” she asked Rocky.
    “Nope.”
    “It’s cold out there.”
    “The heat lamps are on.”
    She had no choice but to follow them to the patio where sunlight peeked
through the open slats of the roof. The building acted as a barrier against the
light breeze, and true to Rocky’s words, the heat lamps were on. It wasn’t as
bad as she thought. In fact, the smell of sage and winter filtered through the
air. She could pick up a light scent of the river, sort of like moss and warm
rocks. It was pleasant.
    She sat next to Rocky, took off her gloves and folded her hands in her lap.
All eyes leveled on her and she felt extremely self-conscious.
    The last time she’d been here, she’d been incognito. Well, sort of. Mariah
had come with her. Sometimes when Kate reviewed a restaurant, she’d bring a
friend along so she didn’t have to eat alone. So they’d been as inconspicuous as
a pregnant woman in her third trimester and her friend could have been. The
interesting thing was, Mariah hadn’t thought much of the food, either. And now
she was participating in this little fiasco by offering up Kate’s shoe size for
a pair of motorcycle boots!
    Menus weren’t circulated around the table. They all seemed to know exactly
what they wanted and she had no say in the matter. The very idea of those ribs
again…
    A waitress came and deposited buckets of peanuts on the table and then she
brought pitchers of beer. Kate wasn’t much for beer. Cigars were lit, and the
masculine aroma of tobacco smoke drifted in the air.
    She felt Rocky’s presence beside her and was oddly comforted. She stole a
glance at him, only to find him staring intently at her while the other
firefighters seemed lost in their own conversations.
    “What?” Kate finally asked, unable to take the weight of his gaze on her. She
looked him directly in his eyes and waited.
    “Nothing. Just looking.”
    And then he smiled, a smile that went straight through to her heart. She had
the sudden ludicrous idea to write a glowing review — just to make Rocky happy.
    She must be losing her mind.

     
     
Chapter Seventeen
    A glass of beer was placed in front of Kate. She wasn’t much for beer. She
preferred wine or a margarita.
    To be social, she took a sip. It was icy cold and not as bad as she expected.
    “So, Kate,” the captain said, “how did you get into restaurant reviewing?”
    “Is that a trick question?”
    Laughter rose from the table, and before she could say something further, she
felt Rocky’s hand rest on her thigh and give her a soft brush of his fingers.
Turmoil collided within her. She tried to forget about his brief touch as she
formed an answer.
    “I took journalism in college and I’ve always liked to dine out. I sort of
fell into the job as a fluke. They needed a food editor, so I applied, but the
position was filled before my interview. I ended up hitting it off with the
managing editor and he hired me as the reviewer.”
    “So what’s your least favorite restaurant in Boise — besides this one?” Bud
asked with a lopsided grin.
    Okay, so they were going to pick her brain and have a little fun. She was
game. “That greasy spoon hamburger place on State Street. And the one with the
most decadent menu — that I’m sure none of you have ever been to — on top of the
U.S. Bank building with the city view.”
    “Hey, I took my wife there for our anniversary,” one of the firefighters
said.
    “Let’s see, the one that has the most reasonable food for the most reasonable
price is on Vista. It’s a tiny Greek place. And for the best Italian, you can’t
go wrong with Gino’s or La Pizzaria. If you’re in the mood for seafood, the Crab
Cake. If you want indigestion, try the Pier and you’ll get dry salmon.”
    They grinned, a few laughed. Maybe this wasn’t so bad. They were definitely
sharing their camaraderie. She took another sip of beer and realized she’d drunk
half the glass