Series: Fever Falls Series by Riley Hart
Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 96922 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96922 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
“He didn’t know that truck was going to get him to a lot of places,” I joked.
“I still don’t get how a Shar-Pei wound up trapped in a truck in Fever Creek.”
“Eh, wife and husband had stopped for a picnic at the park. The wife had gotten out on the passenger side, and before she could grab their picnic basket, this stray Shar-Pei smelled the food and leaped inside, onto the floorboard. It surprised the husband, a retired vet, who bounded out the other side out of instinct without putting the truck into park. So as the thing went rolling down to the creek, the door shut on the pooch’s paw, which I think scared him about as much as the adventure of the truck sliding downstream until it got stuck on a rock.”
“Poor baby,” she said.
“Poor baby? I’ve been treating Mac like a king. He doesn’t want for anything these days. And he’ll only eat pedigreed dog food. He’s gonna be the most spoiled little fella in town.”
“Somehow I don’t doubt that,” Mads said, enjoying a laugh. “But that doesn’t really explain how you wound up on the scene without a shirt on.” She glared at me, appearing suspicious as hell.
“There were some ladies at the park, and Beau told me to put on a bit of a show for them,” I admitted.
“Oh, you guys are the worst.”
“Hey, we get our kicks where we can.”
“And a few women’s digits, apparently. So what made you decide to take this guy in?”
“Let’s just say we kind of hit it off.”
And we had. I’d saved plenty of animals, and typically, we either returned them to their owners or took them to the shelter, but there was something special about that little Shar-Pei, and I couldn’t stand the idea of taking him to the shelter, so I caved.
Mads offered Mac a few more pets, and then we headed to the door. In just a pair of jeans I’d thrown on before we came down, I opened the door, and we hugged it out.
“Take care of that doggie and that ego for me, will you?”
“All over it.”
She looked out the door, glancing around. “Oh, no paparazzi? How disappointing. Here I thought I was getting lucky with Mr. Superstar.”
I laughed as she winked and headed to her Toyota Corolla in the drive next to my Jeep Wrangler.
Always a fun time with Mads.
I stepped back into my townhouse. Mac relaxed in the doggie bed, and I collapsed onto the couch, appreciating the fun times Mads and I had shared. We didn’t hook up much, especially recently, so when she messaged me for a little booty call before work, I was totally game.
Hell, it was nice to mess around with someone I already knew, rather than one of these women who only seemed to take an interest since I’d made headlines over my picture with Mac.
I chilled out at my place some before my shift later in the afternoon, when I headed to the fire station. Beau needed my help with changing some of the equipment in the pumper, so I lent him a hand in the bay.
“Quiet day, busy night,” Beau said.
“Don’t jinx it, man,” I said as I continued stocking with him.
He snickered, opening a box on the floor beside him, packed with supplies.
“How are you and Ash doing, by the way?” I asked. “You guys have been like honeymooners the past few months, so I figure you might as well be putting a ring on it.”
“I sure hope I don’t have to work on my actual honeymoon,” he joked.
“Fair point.”
“We haven’t talked about getting engaged. Probably one day, but we’re both just taking it as it comes. I’m sure it’ll come up eventually, though. Ash has been the best thing to happen to me. You know, there are those people in your life who when you look at them, they make you want to be better…and then encourage you along the way.”
“Yeah, I know the sort,” I said, thinking about my mom. “Lucky when we find those people.”
“Hey, will you two lovebirds get back to work?” a deep voice came from nearby, which I recognized as Zed’s. Turning, I saw the little guy coming around the pumper, his hands on his hips, a smile stretched across his face.
“Did you hear something, Beau?” I asked as I turned away from Zed.
“I don’t think I did. I can’t hear baby noobs. Did you hear something?”
“I thought I did, but I think it was just an annoying gust of wind.”
Zed sidled up beside us, and I turned to him, offering a playful smile so he’d know I was just kidding around with him.
An experienced firefighter who’d transferred to our station from Atlanta, he was getting the ceremonial newbie treatment from a lot of us, but I could tell by the way he grinned that he enjoyed the teasing. It was kind of the way I was with my bro. Always in good fun.