Rescue Me: Silver Fox Romance, #2

By Natasha Moore

A Silver Fox Romance novella

After years of playing it safe, Bonnie Petrowski's first attempt at being wild and spontaneous leaves her spinning off the road during a blinding snowstorm. The sassy widow has few regrets, but never owning up to her feelings for her late husband's best friend is one of them. And now it might be too late.

Firefighter Joe Waterman isn't going to let a little thing like a blizzard stop him from getting the hell away from his big empty house. He doesn't get far, however, before discovering a small car buried in the snow. When he recognizes his friend's widow inside, his unwanted attraction to her still blazes hot enough to melt the snow piling up around them. After he rescues her, not only do the sparks continue to zap between them - Bonnie wants to talk about their feelings for each other.

Joe made a promise years ago and he's bound to keep it. Even if it means he and Bonnie can never have a chance at forever together.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Natasha Moore
• Release date: Nov 14, 2016
• ISBN: 9781536515398

Book preview

Rescue Me

A SILVER FOX ROMANCE novella

After years of playing it safe, Bonnie Petrowski’s first attempt at being wild and spontaneous leaves her spinning off the road during a blinding snowstorm. The sassy widow has few regrets, but never owning up to her feelings for her late husband’s best friend is one of them. And now it might be too late.

Firefighter Joe Waterman isn’t going to let a little thing like a blizzard stop him from getting the hell away from his big empty house. He doesn’t get far, however, before discovering a small car buried in the snow. When he recognizes his friend’s widow inside, his unwanted attraction to her still blazes hot enough to melt the snow piling up around them. After he rescues her, not only do the sparks continue to zap between them - Bonnie wants to talk about their feelings for each other.

Joe made a promise years ago and he’s bound to keep it. Even if it means he and Bonnie can never have a chance at forever together.

Chapter One

DAD, DON’T LEAVE TONIGHT. Please.

I’ll be fine. Joe Waterman pictured the stubborn set of his daughter’s jaw as he zipped up his suitcase with one hand, juggling his cell phone with the other.

Have you looked at the weather forecast? We’re in a polar vortex.

Joe loved Cassie to death, but if he didn’t get out of here in the next few minutes he was going to throw something. The big empty house was closing in on him, like it did every damn holiday.

They’re predicting lake effect snow, Dad. You know how dangerous that can be.

Sweetie, I was driving in snow long before some meteorologist came up with fancy terms like lake effect snow and polar vortex. I’ll be fine.

Stop being stubborn. At least wait until the morning.

You know I like to drive at night. Less stupid people on the road.

"There’s not going to be anyone else on the road because they’re all smart enough to stay off the road."

All the better then. He picked the suitcase off his bed and set it on the floor. I won’t have to worry about all the idiots who forget how to drive every time we get a few flakes.

This is more than a few flakes and you know it. It won’t hurt to wait a day or two.

Who was being obstinate now? If I want to make it to Houston before Thanksgiving dinner, I can’t wait a couple days.

You could stay here for Thanksgiving. Uncle Phil will understand. You won’t be all alone, Dad. Josh’s parents like you. They want you to come.

He didn’t mind his son-in-law’s parents, but in the five years since his divorce, Joe always felt like a charity case come holiday time. Cassie would scoff at that, tell him he was family and of course, he was. But until his ex-wife Rhonda had decided she didn’t want to be married to a firefighter, she’d hosted all the holiday gatherings. This house had been filled to the rafters with family and friends. Now his breathing seemed to echo off the walls.

Rhonda would probably be hosting a Thanksgiving dinner to rival Martha Stewart’s with her orthodontist husband in Orlando. And Joe was left with nothing but a shitload of memories in this house he’d built with his own two hands.

Her complaint about his dangerous profession had been nothing but a lousy excuse anyway. Things between them had been strained for a long time. The best things to come out of their marriage was Cassie. And his friendship with Rhonda’s brother, Phil.

I’ll be fine. Listen, I’ll call you when I get to Uncle Phil’s, okay?

No. Call me when you stop to sleep. You are going to stop, right? You can’t drive straight through.

He didn’t intend to, but he was getting a little pissed that his daughter had begun to treat him as if he was the child. I’ve driven straight through more years than you’ve been alive. Most of them with you asleep in the back seat. You trusted me then, trust me now.

It’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s just that...you know... Cassie began to mumble.

I know what? he asked through gritted teeth.

Dad...you’re over fifty. She whispered it, like his age was a dirty little secret. Don’t you think the trip is a little too much for you now?

If she weren’t his golden-haired princess, he’d have slammed down the phone. No, he couldn’t even slam it, dammit. There weren’t telephone receivers any more. How the hell did you hang up on someone now? Punching your finger on a screen sure didn’t give you the same satisfaction. But this was his little girl, even if she was a twenty-six year old woman – and how the hell had that happened?

I appreciate your concern, but don’t forget I pass a physical every year with the fire department, and a driver’s test too. If the department trusts me to drive their million dollar rigs, you can trust me with my pickup. And you don’t need to treat me like a broken down old man.

Cassie sighed, loud and deeply like she’d always done. Dad.

I love you, sweetie, but I’m hanging up now. I’ll call you when I take a break.

Okay, Dad. I’m sorry. I love you too. Have a safe trip.

Bye.

With a sigh of relief, Joe punched the stupid screen to disconnect the call and shoved the phone into his pocket. He hauled his bag out to the living room and took a look out the front window. The damn snow was really coming down. But he’d seen worse. Nothing to worry about. His four wheel drive F-250 could handle it. A few hours and he’d be out of this crap anyway. He couldn’t get south quick enough.

He pulled his phone back out and thumbed Phil’s number. Hey, I’m heading out. See you in a couple days.

Maybe you should put the trip on hold. Have you been watching the weather forecast?

Not him too. I can see the white stuff out my window, Phil. Don’t need a meteorologist to tell me it’s snowing.

Penny’s gonna be worried sick ‘til you get down here, and I don’t like a worried wife.

Tell her I’ll be fine. Nothing’ll make me miss her sweet potato casserole. What did Texans know about snow storms anyway? I’ve driven the ladder truck in weather worse than this.

All right. Don’t do anything stupid.

Stupid? Me?

Phil laughed at him. See you soon.

Joe shoved the phone into his jacket pocket and yanked on his boots, coat, hat, and gloves with the quick efficiency born from years as a first responder. He did a mental checklist of the emergency supplies he kept in his truck. He’d always subscribed to the premise that if you were prepared for the emergency, it wouldn’t happen. The day you forgot your umbrella, that was the day it rained.

When he pulled out of the garage and out onto the street he could see the plows were going to have a hard time keeping up. He growled under his breath and hoped Cassie was right, and everyone else would be staying home.

STUPID. STUPID. STUPID.

Bonnie Petrowski gripped the steering wheel, fighting to stay in her lane as the snow continued to swirl