From New York Times bestselling author Lori Foster comes a sizzling new Buckhorn Brothers novella
For odd-girl-out Zoey Hodge, the best thing about Buckhorn, Kentucky, was leaving it behind. And now she’s back—at least until she can nurse her mother back to health and hightail it out of there anew. But there’s one person she doesn’t mind seeing again. Garrett Hudson was one of the few who was always kind to her. Now he’s a firefighter—still one of the good guys, but with a sexy alpha charm that’s tempting her inner bad girl.
In school, Zoey was smart, witty and unafraid to be herself. Garrett fell hard back then, and he’s falling even faster now. As far as he’s concerned, there are all kinds of reasons Zoey should stick around. Her pet-grooming business. Her mom. And the chance for him to prove that he can be her real-life hero in every way that matters....
Look for more titles in the Buckhorn Brothers series, available now from Lori Foster and Mills & Boon HQN: Buckhorn Beginnings, Forever Buckhorn, The Buckhorn Legacy and the novella “Buckhorn Ever After” in the Animal Attraction anthology.
Back to Buckhorn
Lori Foster
I never know where a story (or characters) might take me, so I like to have info up front. Now, though, I feel like I have enough great research material to write many more firefighters! To all the following people who answered firefighter questions, thank you very, very much!
Katie Fairbanks, Deborah Lamoree, Andrew Naylor, Walter Fairbanks, Brian Wood, Joan Swan & Rick. You all rock!
Contents
Sunglasses shielding his eyes from the hot afternoon sun, Garrett Hudson watched the front of the airport, scanning each female who strode out. He could have gone inside to baggage claim, but then he might’ve missed her. He stayed on the alert; people changed over time, and there was a good chance Zoey would look right past him. Though she’d had a few brief visits back to the area, they hadn’t seen each other in years, and she expected his sister, Amber, to be her ride. But a busted pipe at the bookstore had sidelined Amber, and he got recruited at the last minute, which meant he was running late.
Would he recognize her? How much had she changed? He remembered her as the quirky girl from high school, the one who had danced without caring what others thought, who laughed at the oddest things.
Often the odd girl out, not that she’d ever seemed to care.
He remembered her being kind, always speaking up for the underdog, always befriending the other odd ducks, not because she minded going it alone, but because she knew they did.
What he remembered most about her, though, was her mouth. Full lips. Soft smiles. An easy laugh.
Not only did she have the sexiest mouth he’d ever seen, but she also talked a lot. Sometimes nonstop.
Back then, he’d been amused by her.
And he’d always wanted to kiss her. Badly.
For the tenth time, he checked his watch. When he looked up again, a new crowd of people surged out, dragging luggage along in their wake. He scanned each face, his gaze going past an older couple, a young mother with a kid, a bedraggled brunette—
His attention zipped back.
No way. Could it be? He’d think not, except for the way she zeroed in on him while biting her lip. That was a tip-off.
Zoey had always bit her lip when uneasy.
Damn. What the hell had happened to her?
She looked... Trying to be kind, he decided on not good.
Starting forward, he called out, “Zoey Hodge?”
She stared right at him, proving she did, in fact, recognize him. That probably accounted for the lip biting, too. He knew he’d always made her nervous...which was why he’d never gotten that kiss.
Anytime he’d made a move, she’d dodged him.
When he got close, she groaned and covered her face with both hands. And stood there. On the walkway in front of the airport with people forced to move around her.
“Zoey?” Pushing his sunglasses to the top of his head, Garrett bent to see her face. She stood several inches shorter than his six-two. Given the clothes she wore, he had no idea about her build.
But she smelled like throw-up. “Zoey.” Why wouldn’t she look at him?
“Can you just go away?”
He straightened. “Come again?”
She made a shooing motion with one small hand, then quickly covered her face again. “I’ll get a bus. Or cab. Or...I’ll walk if I need to.”
Hands on his hips, Garrett considered her, but because he needed to be back at work soon, he decided to just take charge. In most instances, with most people, that worked.
He scooped up one bag, grabbed the handle of the other. “I’m taking your luggage.” He stepped away...and waited.
Dropping her hands with an overly dramatic sigh, she said, “Fine! Suffer me.”
Her makeup was everywhere, making her green eyes a focal point in her face, which was framed by badly tangled, dark brown hair.
But that mouth...damn, it looked as good as ever.
Ignoring her comment—what could he say?—he started off. “I’m parked this way.” She grudgingly followed.
Trailing behind him, she said, “I don’t always look like this.”
God, he hoped not. “Want to tell me what happened?”
As if she’d been waiting for him to ask, she started babbling. “There was a crying kid on the plane. He puked on me. I’d checked all of my luggage instead of carrying it on, so the mother