Mistletoe & Ashes

By RaeAnne Hadley

Tiffany wanted to prove herself as a firefighter. Rod was a distraction she couldn't afford. Will she risk the lives of her and her crew if her focus slips?

Tiffany fought fires like she lived life; nothing to lose and nothing to fear. She loved being a part of the Hot Shots family and nothing in this world terrified her; except Rod.

Her supervisor and fellow firefighter stirred up embers in her body that she fought with fervor.

Could he melt the icicles in her heart or will they all go up in flames?

• Language: English
• Publisher: RaeAnne Hadley
• Release date: Apr 2, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393157632

Book preview

Other books by RaeAnne Hadley

Love's Everlasting Song

One Night Stand

Coveralls and Cornstalks

A Cowgirl’s Wishes

Double Numbers

The Bachelorette’s Heart

Stetsons & Stallions

Elk Creek Cowboys

Dedication

This book is dedicated to D’Ann L., Melissa K. and my family. Their never wavering belief in me and my stories, their encouragement and reminders of when I need to write and when I need to focus on the ranch has been a blessing as I relearn my place in this world. I love you all.

This is a book of fiction. Names, places, characters, and events are fictitious in every regard. Any similarities to actual events and persons, living or dead, are purely coincidental. Any trademarks, service marks, product names, or named features are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if any of these terms are used. Except for review purposes, the reproduction of this book in whole or part, electronically or mechanically, constitutes a copyright violation.

Mistletoe & Ashes

Copyright © 2017 RaeAnne Hadley

All rights reserved.

Mistletoe & Ashes

Mistletoe & Ashes

The perspiration running down the back of her neck felt like it was boiling on her skin. The bandana wrapped around her forehead was saturated and no longer held back the sweat that ran down her face and into her eyes. It stung but she didn’t have time to stop or even slow down. The flames from the wild fire were advancing faster, threatening the homes in its path.

She loved her job and she worked hard to earn the respect from the other members of her crew. Being a part of the Hot Shots firefighters was important to her. It was hard and dangerous work with long hours. Sleep was a luxury and when you did get sleep it was sporadic and usually on the ground. Saving lives, homes or livestock made it worth all of the sacrifice. She loved the adrenaline rush that came when they were called to a fire. The biggest perk of the job was the five months off every year. November through April was the off season so she traveled to recharge her body and her mind.

This year she was going to Italy for her holiday. Last season she had toured Iceland, Finland and Sweden before dropping down into Norway and finishing in the United Kingdom. She had booked her trip in advance and had regretted it. She refused to do it this year. She found being chained to a schedule had been a mistake. It was lovely to see the different places but she would have spent more time in Norway, exploring the stores and the culture if it hadn’t been for her time restraints.

This time she was exploring Italy, France and if she had time, Spain. She would find hotels or, if worse came to worse; she would sleep under the stars. She had an extreme temperature sleeping bag and was used to cold nights in the mountains.

Her free spirit personality had her looking forward to her trip without structure. Three more weeks and she was free.

Tiff! Pull your head out and get it back in the game. Those flames are getting ready to blow back. I’m not going to call for the chopper to come pull your crispy carcass outta here so pull it together.

Tiffany cursed under her breath and went back to working on the fire break. Gotcha Rod. I’m here.

She saw him shake his head and wanted to kick herself. Rod was the supervisor for their crew. She had worked really hard to prove herself in this male dominated crew. Working twice as hard to earn the respect and trust of the crew had been tedious but she eventually gained it. It took even longer to gain Rod’s. He was wary not only of new crew members but those of the opposite gender.

Her and Rod eventually got past the hurdles and even became friends. Best friends if she was honest with herself.

The crew always ate their meals together but as more time passed, she and Rod began getting drinks or having meals together during the off season. When she had taken her trip out of the country last year they had exchanged text messages occasionally. By the end of her trip they were talking on the phone, arranging times to call despite the time differences. He had insisted on picking her up at the airport when she flew back home instead of her taking a taxi.

They’d continued a