Smolder (Firefighters of Montana Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

voice laced with loathing.
    “Yeah. And no one thinks you’re a failure, either,” Ivy insisted. “Just wait until you pass your CPA exam and Rusty gives you the job as chief accountant. Besides, I thought you were just training the captain’s horse, not actually competing on it?”
    “Wait, what?” Miranda paused with her chip mid-scoop to glance between Ivy and Laurel. “You’re riding again? And what captain are you talking about?”
    “Your captain,” Ivy said before digging into the dip herself. “You missed some important gossip today while you were flying mint over to Billings.”
    Miranda worked as a commercial pilot. When she wasn’t shuttling smokejumpers to and from fires or conducting search and rescue operations for the forest service, she was hauling cargo from the farms and small manufacturing plants within the region. Today her shipment had been mint from one of the state’s last remaining mint farms. The same farm where Laurel worked as a bookkeeper.
    “At least her plane smells a lot better today than it does during fire season.” Uncle Hugh winked at his daughter as he placed their burgers on the table.
    “Will somebody catch me up here,” Miranda said. “I didn’t know the captain had a horse.”
    “Technically it’s his wife’s horse.” Laurel groaned as she remembered her ugly faux pas from earlier in the day. “His late wife’s horse.”
    “He brought a horse with him? A horse that isn’t even his?” Miranda asked.
    Ivy dragged a French fry through the ketchup on her plate. “He couldn’t bear to part with it. It’s so romantic.”
    “Kind of creepy if you ask me,” Miranda said. “So, I take it he’s boarding it at your place. And you’re competing on it?”
    “Not competing on it. Just training her.” Laurel hadn’t given her father a definitive answer yet, but it looked like she was well and truly stuck with the task now that the gossip had reached The Drop Zone. “It was apparently his late wife’s wish that the horse compete nationally. The least I can do is to get the mare ready for that. The guy did serve his country—three times,” she said, parroting her father’s argument from the morning. “Besides, romantic or not, who could say no with those eyes of his piercing through you. And it’s partially your fault I got into this anyway, Miranda. You might have mentioned that a woman should have at least two cups of coffee before catching a glimpse of the guy’s sexy ass.”
    Laurel looked up from her burger to see both her friends staring at her. “What?”
    “Interesting,” was all Miranda said. Ivy grinned mischievously.
    Laurel scoffed at her friends. “It’s not what you think. Besides, I was pretty rude to him this morning. I’m sure he thinks I’m an idiot.”
    “Hmm, that is interesting.” Ivy’s smile grew wider. “You rarely lose your cool anymore. In fact, you keep your emotions on a pretty tight leash. I wonder what could have set you off this morning?” She rested her chin in her palm. “Pheromones would be my guess. You did say something about him being sexy.”
    “Stop it, both of you,” Laurel demanded. “I was rude to the man because I was stressed out by Bryce’s text, not because I was flustered or attracted to him.” The flush she felt burning her cheeks was likely calling her out as a liar. “It’s a wonder he even left his horse at the ranch, given the way I spoke to him.”
    “You should probably go over to his table and apologize then.”
    Laurel’s breath left her body in a whoosh. “He’s here?”
    Miranda smirked at her. “‘Sexy ass’ and all. And he can’t take his eyes off you. They’ve been burning a hole into the back of your head for the last five minutes. I’m surprised my dad hasn’t pulled out the fire extinguisher by now.”
    Before she could tell her body not to, Laurel glanced over her shoulder. Sure enough, there was Captain Cowboy seated at a table in the far corner of the bar,