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  After a meeting with Fire Chief Owen Powell, who’d received Cole’s credentials from Colorado, he took him on board immediately. After his father’s funeral, Cole had talked to Chief Powell about the possibility of his coming on board when his time in Colorado was over.

  The chief was overjoyed at the prospect, telling him Whitebark could never have enough firefighters. Cole knew that was true. It helped to know he would have a place in the department. It wasn’t just the extra income, but that sense of belonging he needed to feel after being away so long.

  His own father had combined firefighting and ranching. Now that Cole was back, he’d honored his father’s wishes to follow in his footsteps and do his part for the community, too. But he’d hardly had a chance to catch his breath before the pager had awakened him tonight.

  The Circle R lay outside Whitebark at the other end of town. Cole had been there many times before in the past saying good-night to Tamsin. He could have found it blindfolded. Tonight he could see flames shooting up in the sky from the barn before they even drove in.

  When they arrived, Cole heard quiet pandemonium and horses squealing. A mob of ranch hands had assembled. They were rescuing the animals and leading them toward the paddock in the distance. His eyes searched frantically for Tamsin but saw no sign of her or her parents. Maybe she wasn’t even here.

  While the guys on the ladder truck were working the hoses, the captain signaled Wyatt to go to the other end of the barn. As they drove around, Cole whistled. “Somebody left an old wooden work ladder against that window. My gut tells me an arsonist has been at work.”

  “I think you’re right.”

  The second Wyatt parked the truck, they both jumped out and started pumping water. Their job was to put out any new spots of flames shooting up through the boards. Black smoke was curling out from the seams.

  After a few minutes, everything looked under control from their side. They turned off the pump and racked the hoses before driving around to the front of the barn. A couple of the crew were inside looking for hot spots.

  Captain Durrant worked as incident commander. He and another fire department official walked over to him and Wyatt. “It’s good to have you aboard, Cole.”

  “I’m glad to be here, sir.”

  “Call me Jeff. This is Commissioner Rich, head of the arson squad.”

  The older man nodded to Cole. “Did you see anything that caught your attention around the other side?”

  “There’s an old work ladder propped by the window. We figured the arsonist used it to either get in, or climb up on the roof and make a hole to whip up the speed and intensity of blaze. Evidently he didn’t have time to hide it.”

  “Good.” The commissioner eyed Wyatt. “Do you have anything else to add?”

  “Yes. The black smoke indicates an accelerant was used. I couldn’t smell it around the side, but I can smell gasoline fumes here.” The barn had become an unusable disaster.

  “There’s been a series of ranch fires that have broken out in Sublette County over the last three months,” the older man informed them. “Not all have been the same and we haven’t been able to solve the logic of them yet, but every bit of information helps. Thanks for the creditable information. It ties in with the forensics evidence on these other cases that an accelerant was used.”

  After he walked away to do his own inspection, Cole turned to the captain. “I used to know the people who live here. Where are they?”

  “Howard Rayburn and his wife are out of town. Apparently their dog started barking and woke up the other members of the family. They’re probably with the horses. I believe their son-in-law, Lyle Witcom, called 911.”

  Cole reeled. “Did you say son-in-law?”

  “Yes. He’s married to one of their daughters.”

  Maybe his information about Tamsin had been wrong. Please God, let it be her younger sister, Sally. The very thought of it being the woman who’d always had a stranglehold on his heart shook him to the core of his being.

  Before he lost his grip, he said, “Their horses are going to need a new home until this barn is rebuilt. The barn on my ranch has room for six more horses. I could drive home and bring my rig to transport them.”

  “I have no idea what arrangements they plan to make, but I’ll let them know of your generous offer.”

  Before Cole could say anything else, another member of the crew called to Jeff, diverting his attention. Cole turned to Wyatt. “While we walk around the barn again to find more hot spots, tell me which Rayburn sister is married. Do you know?”

  Wyatt eyed him curiously. “It’s Sally. She married Lyle Witcom last year.”

  With that news Cole was able to breathe again. Everything about this unexpected night had him so tied up in knots he was losing his concentration.

  They started another inspection. After twenty minutes they finished examining the exterior of the barn, looking for any evidence that could help identify the arsonist.

  “If this guy loves to set fires to watch things burn up for the hell of it, he got careless here.”

  “Something must have frightened him off,” Cole murmured. “If there’ve been a lot of fires lately, I’m thinking this freak has a definite agenda and that means he needs help to coordinate these raids. I’d be willing to bet he’s doing this with a bunch of guys out for some kind of revenge.”

  Wyatt flashed him a glance. “For what reason?”

  “Fire bugs don’t need much to go on a rampage. I saw it over in Colorado. The motive in that case had to do with a group trying to intimidate a legislator on the marijuana issue. They were caught and brought up on criminal charges, but not before a lot of damage was done to his property and he spent time in the hospital.”

  “Incredible.” They waved to the guys on the ladder truck who were cleaning up. “Shall we go back to the station?”

  “Give me a minute, Wyatt. I’ll be right back.”

  Cole broke into a run as he headed for the corral where he could see some hands gentling the horses. A little closer now, he glimpsed the woman he’d been searching for rubbing her horse’s forelock. Her back was toward him. The ponytail looked painfully familiar.

  The blood pounded in his ears. “Tamsin?” he called to her.

  She turned around, causing his second shock for the night because it was her sister in the last stages of pregnancy who faced him, not Tamsin.

  The last time Cole had seen Sally, she’d been sixteen and had just ridden in the local teen rodeo. But her disappointing marks had devastated her and she’d cried against Tamsin’s shoulder. Both sisters bore a strong resemblance to each other and had been touchingly devoted.

  “Do I know you?”

  Whoa. With his five-o’clock shadow and helmet, she obviously didn’t recognize him. Or maybe she did and pretended not to. Probably the latter since he knew she had no love for him. He removed his helmet.

  Her features tightened as she studied him. “So the rumors really are true. The great rodeo legend who rode off chasing his dreams is back and working as a firefighter, no less. Who would have thought? If you turn your head, you’ll see my sister—she’s right over there.” Her eyes narrowed. “You just can’t help yourself, can you? But if you approach her, you do it at your own peril.”

  Sally turned back to her horse.

  A kick in the gut from a wild mustang couldn’t have been more debilitating than her warning. But he shouldn’t really be surprised when he knew the girls had been each other’s best friend all their lives.

  Without saying another word, he looked around and saw Tamsin talking to one of the stockmen while she patted her horse’s neck. He walked closer to her, holding the helmet under his arm.

  The unremarkable jeans and T-shirt she must have put on when the alarm sounded only emphasized the gorgeous mold of her body and long legs.

  First light had
already crept across the sky. That pink tone added a tint to her skin and highlighted the shape of the delectable mouth he’d dreamed of kissing and tasting every night.

  Her hair hung to her shoulders. He picked out the streaks of gold among the light chestnut sheen no artificial color could improve upon. Once again her natural beauty took his breath.

  Maybe she heard his quickly indrawn breath because her eyes suddenly swerved to his. Though she made no motion of any kind, he could sense the stiffening of her body.

  “I’m sorry about the fire, Tamsin, but I’m happy to see all your horses are safe. If you need a place to stall them for a while, I have space in my barn and will transport them for you. I’ve already informed the captain. All you have to do is say the word and I’ll be back to load them within the hour.”

  “Thank you,” she said through wooden lips. “We’ve already had three offers and my brother-in-law is taking care of the arrangements as we speak.”

  “Tamsin—” He said her name again, but by now another man with brown hair wearing chinos and a polo shirt had come running into the corral and threw possessive arms around her as if she belonged to him. Cole watched her melt against his body. She’d obviously done it before and buried her face against his shoulder.

  If this was the kind of peril Sally had been talking about, then Cole got the point. It was more like he’d been run through by Tamsin’s twelve-foot lance on the field of battle. He turned away and walked back to the burned barn where Wyatt was waiting for him.

  The ladder truck had already started back to town. Cole climbed in the tender truck and they took off. His body felt like it weighed a thousand pounds.

  Wyatt flashed him a side glance. “Are you all right?”

  “I don’t know. Ask me in the morning.”

  “It already is morning.”

  So it was.

  “Do you want to stop for coffee and doughnuts at Hilda’s?”

  No, but he knew Wyatt wanted to. “Sure. I could use both. Does this mean you don’t have a wife at home who will fix your breakfast when you get there?”

  “What woman would that be?”

  Cole actually chuckled. “Amen to that. You’ve just described my life, Wyatt. A half hour ago I was warned that if I approached the woman I was looking for, I had to do it at my own peril. That turned out to be true, unfortunately.”

  “You’re talking about Tamsin. I remember back in high school when you two were so close during our senior year, I couldn’t imagine that changing.”

  “At the time, I couldn’t, either. Now we live in separate universes.”

  “So that’s why you came back to the truck looking like one of the walking dead.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Hey—have you taken a good look at me? We could be brothers. Welcome to the club. We’re great at wrangling steers, herding sheep or fighting fires. Give us any task, but get us around a woman and we just don’t know how to do it right.”

  “You said a mouthful.”

  “I don’t mean you, specifically, Cole. I’ve been a mess for a long time and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. There are more guys like us in the department. Take Porter Ewing, who’s a recent transfer with the forest service from New York. He swings in when needed. The dude’s convinced there’s no woman alive who would want him.”

  Cole laughed out loud despite the pain of seeing Tamsin in that other guy’s arms. He’d always liked Wyatt. His sense of humor was a welcome balm to the horrific experience he’d just lived through. Only one thing saved him from oblivion. She wasn’t married yet.

  Welcome home, Cole.

  Chapter Two

  While some of the hands stayed with the horses in the paddock, Dean walked Tamsin back to the house with his arm around her shoulders. “Thank God none of you were hurt. When Lyle phoned me, I was terrified that the ranch house might have caught fire, too.”

  “But it didn’t, and I’m fine.” She appreciated his trying to comfort her over the loss of the barn. Naturally she was thankful they’d gotten the horses out in time. But he had no clue what a traumatic night this had turned out to be when she saw all six foot two of Cole Hawkins walk toward her.

  He was a firefighter? She was incredulous.

  Was he out of his mind after the horrific fire in the Winds nine years ago?

  Her best friend Mandy had lost her father in that fire. Tamsin had loved her dad. She and Cole had gone to his funeral. Everyone was grief-stricken over the loss. Eleven other firefighters from their county alone had been trapped and killed in the blaze that had brought other firefighters from around the country to fight it.

  Maybe she’d been hallucinating.

  But no... When she’d opened her eyes again, there he’d been. In cowboy hat and boots or firefighter gear, no man could touch his dark blond masculine beauty. He was an outstanding athlete with a rock-hard body that made him a breed apart. Over the years that he’d been gone and all the dates with other guys, his image had always gotten in the way. Damn, damn him.

  For him to have stood there now with a quiet authority while he offered his barn for their horses—the first words she’d heard him speak in years, as if there’d been no separation or pain—she’d surprised herself that she could respond to him at all. When Dean came running up to her, she’d clung to him because she’d thought she was going to faint. Thank Heaven he’d attributed her state of mind to the fire while she watched Cole walk away on his powerful legs.

  Of course it had been frightening to see flames shooting up from the barn, but they’d soon gotten the horses out and the firefighters had come. The shudders she was experiencing now had their roots in coming face-to-face with Cole, knowing he made his living by walking into danger.

  The teenage guy she’d fallen crazy in love with existed no more. In nine years he’d turned into a breathtaking man who’d come home a firefighter. She couldn’t comprehend this new image of him. It meant his life could be snuffed out at any moment.

  When she and Dean walked in the kitchen, they heard Lyle on the phone making final arrangements for the horses. He’d fixed coffee for them, but one look at Sally’s drawn pale face while she drank some bottled water worried Tamsin. Duke stood guard.

  “Excuse me for a minute, Dean.” She eased herself away from him and put a hand on her sister’s shoulder. “Come on, Sally. You need to get back to bed. There’s been too much excitement and I’m sure it has raised your blood pressure.”

  “Okay.”

  At Sally’s six-month checkup, the doctor had said he wanted her to lie down part of every day until she delivered. At that point, their mom had asked her and Lyle to stay at the ranch until the baby was born, where she could be waited on while Lyle was at work. So Sally and Lyle had given up their apartment in town, with plans to move into another one after the baby was born.

  Tamsin walked Sally to their bedroom and Duke followed. She waited for her to emerge from the bathroom in her nightgown. Once she got in bed, Tamsin sat down next to her. Duke plopped down at her feet.

  “How are you feeling? I have half a mind to call Dr. Ward.”

  “No, don’t do that. I’m fine now. Duke woke us all up in time. He’s a hero.”

  Tamsin smiled down at the dog. “He sure is. I almost had a heart attack when I looked out the window and saw the flames. It sounds like Roy next door will be letting us board our horses at his place until we get the barn rebuilt. We’re so lucky.”

  Her sister stared at her with unswerving intensity. “I agree, but I’m afraid you’re the one I’m worried about now. You’re so pale.”

  She couldn’t pretend with Sally. “I admit I’ve been a mess since I heard the news Cole was back. But seeing him tonight in firefighter gear gave me another shock.”

  “Don’t you mean seeing him in the flesh? That expression took on new meaning for me tonight, too. He�
��s really something. Did I ever tell you I used to have a crush on him?”

  Tamsin smiled without mirth. “You and everyone else. What helps me is knowing that he’s either married or getting close to marrying that singer I read about in the Sublette Gazette a few months ago.”

  “I saw him talk to you. What did he say?”

  She sucked in her breath. “As calm as a hot summer day, he said he’d be happy to board our horses. He even offered to bring his rig over and load them.”

  Sally gripped her hand. “What did you say back?”

  “Don’t worry, sister dear. I learned my lesson a long time ago. As Dean was coming toward me, I told Cole that arrangements had already been made. You have no idea the joy I felt to shove the offer in that good-looking face of his before he walked away.”

  Her sister took another drink of water. “I don’t get it. I thought he rode the circuit to make money because he was the hotshot bull rider and wanted the fame. All that pain he caused you when he could have stayed right here and become a firefighter... What was the point?”

  “To get away from me, of course,” Tamsin murmured. Nothing else made sense. The circuit meant being surrounded by women who would idolize him. Why would he stay in Whitebark? Tamsin had been such a fool, and what a consummate liar he’d turned out to be!

  The letters she’d stopped reading and the phone messages she wouldn’t listen to were tokens of his supposed guilt. What a joke! It sickened her. Sally spoke the truth. He could have stayed here to become a firefighter. But no. He had to strive for fame and glory. She’d never have thought he was that type of man back when they were dating.

  “I don’t want to talk about him. Married to some singing celebrity or not, free to do whatever he wants, he’s been out of my life for nine years. Compared to Dean...” She shook her head. “I’ve got my own life to think about, and I’m furious I’ve spent one more minute thinking about him. You know?”