Winter Baby. Kathleen O'Brien

The worst of the fire never got to my hands.”

      Guiding his hand toward the basin, Sarah turned on the water and let its soft, cool trickle run over his palm. The pain stopped immediately, and he had to admit it was something of a relief. She kept his hand there, cupped within hers almost absently, while she scanned the labels of the available ointments.

      “She was lucky you were nearby.” Sarah frowned at the cabinet, as if she didn’t see what she wanted. “At least you knew what to do and weren’t afraid to do it. I think the rest of us were paralyzed with shock.”

      “Oh, I don’t know,” he said. “Ward was only a step or two behind. And I’m not at all sure Madeline wouldn’t rather have waited for him.”

      She glanced up, and their eyes met in the mirror. She had great eyes—hazel, with deep flecks of green. And they seemed to have so many moods. On the mountain, he would have called them sad. Vulnerable. But then, in the shop, he’d been struck with how perceptive they looked. Now they were uptilted, dancing with amusement in a way he found absolutely adorable.

      “I noticed that, too,” she said with a small laugh. “Incredible. Madeline’s clothes are on fire, and she’s thinking about romance?”

      “She’s in love.” Parker allowed Sarah to place his other hand under the spigot. “You know how that is, I’m sure.”

      Until he saw the guarded expression fall over Sarah’s face, he hadn’t even realized what he was asking. But she knew. She had instinctively sensed the question behind the question.

      Are you already spoken for? Should I back off—or is it okay to take another step forward?

      Well, heck, of course she knew. She was beautiful, smart, sexy, interesting. She probably saw that question in men’s eyes every day. And, judging from the way the amusement had flicked off behind her eyes, she didn’t much like it.

      But because he was a fool, and because he suddenly itched to know, he pressed. “Come on. Admit it. Hasn’t love ever made you do anything really, really stupid?”

      “Of course,” she said tightly, turning off the water and reaching for the nearest hand towel. She took a deep breath, and finally she smiled again. “But I think I can safely say, Sheriff, that if there’s a man in this world worth setting myself on fire for, I haven’t met him yet.”

      Parker laughed. “Good,” he said. He was absurdly satisfied by her answer. What was going on here? Was he flirting with Ward’s niece? That would be dumb.

      But he hadn’t been this fascinated by a woman since the day he met Tina.

      Well, everyone knew where that had landed him. In six years of hell, and then in one ugly, pocket-draining day of divorce court. You’d think he would have learned his lesson.

      Still…Sarah Lennox was inexplicably intriguing. Maybe it was that hint of her uncle’s determination in her jaw, so at odds with her fragile femininity.

      Or more likely it was just his own hormones growing restless. He had actually enjoyed his year of celibacy. It had been a relief after Tina, a time of emotional and physical R and R.

      But maybe, just maybe, a year was long enough.

      Wow. He pulled himself up with an embarrassed yank. That was damn cocky. And way off base. Sarah Lennox didn’t look at all like the kind of woman who would find it fun to share the sheets with some relative stranger during her winter vacation. Even more to the point, while she was friendly and polite, she hadn’t shown signs of being one bit overwhelmed by his manly dimples.

      Not to mention how Ward would react if Parker started exercising his hormones again with the old man’s favorite great-niece. Ward might be in his late seventies, but he was still plenty tough enough to scatter pieces of Parker’s body all over a tri-county area.

      Parker returned reluctantly to reality. While he and his ego had been taking that stupid mental flight, Sarah had already smoothed on the ointment. Now she was ready for the bandage. She gingerly placed a snow-white square of sterile gauze against the first blister, then started winding a strip of bandage around his hand to keep it in place. She seemed completely focused on her task, eyes down, lower lip clasped between her teeth intently.

      Parker felt a little silly. It was just a blister, for Pete’s sake. And he was damned glad that Emma couldn’t see him. He probably looked like an over-eager lapdog, holding out his blistered paws so Sarah could make them better.

      But he had to admit it was kind of sweet.

      “Tell me,” she said as she tied off the bandage. “What’s really going on with my uncle and the ice festival?”

      She let go of his hand and began on the other one. Parker flexed his fingers for a moment, testing the bandage, before he answered. He didn’t want to upset her. But maybe she could help him make Ward see reason.

      “He’s putting up some serious opposition this year. Some of the merchants in town think he’s damaging them financially. They’re pretty steamed up over it.”