“Uh, yeah?” She wanted to run for her car.
The man asked, “Runners ready?”
“Okay, here we go.” Ross’s voice was intense.
“Go!” the man said.
Ross called, “Outside, inside…”
They were on their way. He was matching the length of his stride to hers. Ross continued to keep the cadence as they hurried up the lane. She tried to concentrate on what they were doing but the physical contact kept slipping in to ruin it. When she tripped, his grip on her waist tightened.
“Outside, inside…” He helped her to get back in sync.
As they made the turn around the barrel, he lifted her against his body as if she weighed nothing. After they had swung around, he let her down and said, “Inside.”
Her fingertips dug into his side. Ross grunted, but didn’t slow down. His ribs must still be tender. She eased her grip and concentrated on their rhythm again.
The crowd yelled and Ross held her tighter, plastering her against him. They picked up speed.
Between breaths Ross said, “Come on, we’re almost there.”
Sally put all the effort she had into walking fast. They were near the line when Ross lifted her again and swung her forward with him. The crowd roared as they crossed the finish line. They stumbled hard and went down. Ross landed over her. They were a tangle of arms and legs and laughter.
Ross’s breath was hot against her cheek. Her hands were fanned out across his chest. His arms were under her as if he had tried to protect her from the fall. As he looked at her, his eyes held a flicker of masculine awareness. Her stomach fluttered with a feminine response.
“Stay still. I’ll untie us.” His breath brushed over her lips.
“Well, folks, that was a close one,” the man said.
“Aunt Sally, you won! You won!” Lucy’s voice came from above her.
“We did?” she grunted as she and Ross worked to untangle themselves from each other.
Ross finally released their legs and stood. He had that beautiful smile on his face again as he offered her a hand. She put hers in his. He pulled her up into his arms and swung her around. “We sure did!”
“Oh.” Her arms wrapped around his neck as she hung on. Just as quickly, he let her go. It took her a moment to regain her balance.
Lucy hugged her and Kody slapped Ross on the back. Jared and Olivia circled them, jumping up and down.
“You were great.” Ross grinned at her with satisfaction.
She brushed herself off. “Thanks. You did most of the work.”
“Okay, everyone,” the man said. “There’s ice cream for everyone before we have the stations’ tug-of-war events.”
“I don’t know about you guys but I think Sal and I earned some ice cream,” Ross said to their group.
“It’s Sally, Uncle Ross,” Olivia corrected him.
Ross looked at her. “Sally and I, then.”
“I’ve always called her Sweet Pea,” Kody quipped.
Sally groaned.
Ross glanced at her and beamed mischievously.
Sally started walking. The three kids joined her. She might never live this day down.
Ross spooned another bite of ice cream into his mouth. He, Kody and Sally were sitting at a table finishing their food while they watched the kids playing on the park playground equipment. The kids had become fast friends.
He looked at Sally. Her concentration remained on her bowl. She’d really been a trouper during their race. Yet by her expression he’d gathered she hadn’t wanted anything to do with it. Was her silent objection to the race or running it with him?
His reaction to having her bound to him had been unexpected. That response had grown and hung like a cloud over them when they had been tangled in each other’s arms. There had been a smoldering moment when she had looked at him with, what? Surprise? Interest? Desire? He was male enough to recognize her interest but smart enough to know that she was off-limits, for a number of reasons.
Sally was the sister of a friend. She worked with him. From what he understood she wasn’t yet over her divorce and had no interest in dating. More to the point, she didn’t strike him as someone who would settle for a fling. As for himself, he couldn’t afford to have his mind or emotions anywhere but on his job right now. A real relationship would be a distraction, and something about Sally made him believe that she would be the definition of distraction.
Then there were his scars. More than once they had turned a woman off. A number of women he’d dated had expected a big, strong firefighter would be flawless, would look like a subject of a calendar. They had been disappointed by him.
Thankfully Kody asking him a question directed his mind to a safer topic. A few minutes later the announcer called the tug-of-war teams to the field.
Ross said to Kody, “Well, it’s time for the fun to begin. We need to win this thing. I’ve heard about all I want to about how strong the Twos are.” He raised his voice. “Come on, Jared and Olivia, it’s time for the contest.”
The kids stopped playing and started toward them.
Sally chuckled. “You’re really looking forward to this, aren’t you?”
“Oh, yeah. All I’ve heard from Station Two is how they won last year. I’m ready for payback. Do you mind watching Jared and Olivia while I’m pulling?”
“Not at all.”
“Lucy too?” Kody added.
“Sure. I’ve got them all. You guys go on. I’ll bring the kids.”
He and Kody loped across the field to join the other members of the station. When they reached the part of the field where the tug-of-war would take place, Ross raised his hand. “House Twelve. Here.”
Other station captains were doing the same. There was a great deal of commotion as everyone located their fellow companies.
The announcer came on again. “Firefighters and first responders may I have your attention?”
The crowd quieted.
“This is how the competition is going to work. We’ve set up brackets by pulling station numbers out of a hat. Those will pull against each other. The winner will continue on to the next bracket until we have a winner. Now each house needs to huddle up and decide which six people from your station will be pulling. There must be at least one woman on the team. If your house doesn’t have enough people present, then you may recruit from your family members. If you have any questions you need to see Chief Curtis up here. As always, he’s our final word.”
Using his “at a fire” voice, Ross spoke to the people around him. “Okay, Erickson, Smith, Hart, Kody and me. Rogers, you’ll be our designated woman. Does that work for everyone?”
“Ten-four, Captain!” they cheered.
“Great. Now, get into position and get ready to give it all you’ve got.”
Those who weren’t chosen went to join those lining the tug-of-war area. Ross and his team moved to the large-diameter rope lying on the ground. A piece of cloth was tied in the middle of it. A chalk line had been drawn across the pulling area.
He glanced over to see Sally and the kids standing near the line. There was excitement on their faces. They all hollered, “Go, Twelves!”
Each