Nice Enough: Hot Enough

By Barbra Campbell

What happens when you're a little too excited about your first job and catch the attention of the Fire Chief who's forgotten why he was passionate about protecting people?

The fire that once burned inside of him might not be the only flames that get stoked, but is a relationship with someone who's decidedly older than you the best way to kick off your new job in a rural community?

Miles has been running the fire department long enough that he doesn't need a book-smart, city girl, who doesn't even own appropriate clothes for rural living to tell him how to run his crews.

Annie is ecstatic to split her workday between whipping the county's HR protocols into shape and counseling criminals, where she believes she can make the biggest difference in people's lives.

 What neither of them anticipates is admitting their feelings for each other and letting a work session turn into a hot and wild romp.

Will they be able to admit it's more than sex, or will Annie's belief that a juvenile arsonist deserves a second chance crumble any chances they have for a future.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Barbra Campbell
• Release date: Jan 9, 2022
• ISBN: 9781950166343

Book preview

Chapter 1

Miles

Ms. Tate, I need to speak to you during the break.

She swallowed hard, her hand rose to her chest, and she gave me a weak smile. Probably never got in trouble at work before. With her long wavy hair and skirt that cut off over the knee, she might have been used to influencing male bosses. I was too old for that shit. Forty-six wasn’t that old, but I’d grown far less tolerant of nearly everything. And no doubt my tone right before the break had let her know I was tired of her interruptions.

I pointed toward the hallway. My crew would give me shit for pulling her aside but this was strictly business. The county had hired her part-time to bring all departments up to current human resource standards. After running these meetings for far too many years, I didn’t need a book-smart youngster adding a comment to everything I said.

I waited in the doorway until she saw which room I went into, then I relaxed in one of the chairs. She entered and circled the table to take a seat. Her skirt hugged her ass, which any red-blooded guy would notice, and a surge of testosterone reminded me of my younger days.

A twenty-something didn’t have any place in my life. Nor did a woman who thought high heels, short skirts, and silky blouses had any place in our county-wide disaster preparedness meeting, or anywhere in farm country, no matter how sexy they were. I shifted my attention to my hands.

That kind of thinking had to stop. One: I wasn’t about to get in line for a sexual harassment claim. Two: I wasn’t old. A quick assessment of my behavior in the years since my divorce clued me in to the fact that I was a workaholic who had no social life. Should I start dating again? Shit, one more thing I had to learn to do. Times changed way too fast.

You wanted me? The sweet tones of her voice came through now that she wasn’t cutting into every single topic I presented.

Wanted her? Was she crazy? I sat straighter and cleared my throat and mind. Ms. Tate—

Annie’s fine.

Damnit, she interrupted again, but her nervous smile kept me from getting mad about it. I cleared my throat again and leaned forward with my arms resting on the table. Annie, you seem nice enough, but you have a habit of cutting me off.

I’m so sorry Mr. Rowan.

Miles is fine. The words were out of my mouth as I gave her permission to call me something only my parents and ex-wife had…my first name. Everyone called me Chief or Chief Rowan. I rolled my shoulders, stretched my neck, and felt like a fucking alien had invaded my brain. Or Chief, lots of people call me Chief. That’s all I wanted to tell you. Don’t interrupt so much. I spit out my words so fast I was certain of the alien invasion.

She sat up straight and I swear she tried to appear even more professional than her clothes conveyed. "I’m sorry. I hope