Heat of the Moment by Karen Foley Page A

spluttered. “The bag was too heavy and I completely forgot about your—ah—that is—”
    “It’s okay, Pete,” Holly assured him, absently massaging her arm. “It wasn’t your fault.”
    “Everything okay here?”
    They both turned to see Shane making his way around the corner of the house, hobbling on his cast. With one glance, he took in the broken mess on the driveway, Holly massaging her arm, and Pete’s miserable expression. He smiled ruefully.
    “We’re quite a pair, aren’t we? You should see us do the tango.” His eyes slid to Holly’s, and she didn’t miss the quick heat that flared there, or how his gaze quickly took in every detail about her. He came forward and shook the other man’s hand. “Nice to see you again, Pete. I appreciate you bringing the groceries out for me. Here, give me those two bags and come in for a cup of coffee. I’ll get the rest later.”
    Pete looked doubtfully at Shane’s leg, but at an insistent nod from Shane, handed over two bags of groceries. Shane took both bags as if they weighed nothing, and made his way carefully toward the front door.
    Holly waited for Pete to grab two more bags, but when she would have taken hold of the last one, both men protested.
    “Leave it, Holly,” Shane commanded softly. “I’ll come out and get it later.”
    Holly frowned. “I can handle one bag. I just wasn’t ready for how heavy that other one was.”
    Pete gave her a friendly wink. “Never pass up an opportunity to let someone else do the work, I always say. If Shane says he’ll get it, I’d let him get it.”
    Glancing at Shane’s implacable expression, Holly blew out a hard breath of frustration. “Fine,” she relented ungraciously. But as she passed Shane, she couldn’t resist a softly whispered warning. “I’m the one who gives the orders around here, got it?”
    But he only grinned unrepentantly and followed her and Pete into the kitchen, where he set the bags down on the counter.
    “How much do I owe you?” Shane asked, pulling his wallet from his back pocket. “Did you have the spark plugs that I need in stock?”
    “Sure did.” Pete handed him a slip and Shane withdrew several bills and passed them to the other man.
    “Here’s your coffee, Pete,” Holly said, setting the coffeepot down and picking up the mug with her good hand. “You take it black, right?”
    “That’s right.” Pete took the mug and sat down on one of the stools at the kitchen island and looked around. “I haven’t been out here in a couple of years. Place still looks great.”
    “I haven’t been here in a while, either,” Holly said. She looked meaningfully at Shane. “Not since I graduated from the academy.”
    Pete chuckled. “That was quite a party.”
    “Yes, it was.”
    “Who’d have guessed that you’d end up in Iraq on the same base as Shane?” Pete mused, sipping his coffee. “Quite a coincidence, don’t you think? And then to both be injured in the same battle?” He shook his shaggy head. “Unbelievable. It’s almost like you were meant to be there, Holly. If you hadn’t been there, Shane might not be here now.”
    Holly was silent, her fingers absently rubbing the edge of the counter. She didn’t dare look at Shane. If she hadn’t been there, Shane never would have been injured. He’d only abandoned his turret gun because he’d thought she was in danger.
    Oblivious to the sudden tension in the room, Pete blundered on. “I hear the town of Chatham is planning a parade in your honor.”
    She raised shocked eyes to his. “ What? No, that can’t be right. Why would they do that? I didn’t even do anything!”
    “You saved this man’s life, didn’t you? As far as the town is concerned, you’re a local hero.”
    Holly’s head was spinning. This had to be a mistake. Anyone who knew the facts could see that she wasn’t a hero. Just the opposite, in fact. She’d almost gotten Shane killed!
    “When is the parade scheduled?” asked Shane