The Firefighter Meets His Match (Red Hot Reunions Book 4) by Jessie Evans Page A

“Do you want to slip out of your suit and wrap up?”
    Faith shook her head. “No, I’m fine. These suits hold in body heat. I would kill for something hot to drink, though.”
    “Well, you’re in luck.” Lucy pulled out her thermos and passed it over. “It’s just some old coffee from the firehouse, but it should warm you up.”
    Faith accepted the thermos gratefully, but winced as she tried to twist off the top.
    “Here, let me,” Lucy said. “I’m sorry, I forgot about your wrist.”
    “I think it’s broken,” Faith said, while Lucy poured her a thermos-top full of black coffee. “I’m probably going to have a cast on for the wedding. But at least there’s going to be a wedding so…not going to complain.”
    Lucy put her arm around Faith, rubbing her shoulder with one hand while she passed her the drink with the other. “You don’t have to be tough, you know. If you want to cry, no one here is going to judge. Or tell a soul.”
    Faith nodded, her lips pressed together in a tight line as tears rose in her eyes. “Brandon wasn’t kidding about the psychic thing, huh?” she said, sniffing as tears streamed down her dirty face.
    Lucy smiled and petted Faith’s matted hair. “It doesn’t take psychic powers to know being lost for five hours in a river is enough to make anyone want to cry.”
    “I would cry,” Brandon said, obviously trying to make Faith feel better, endearing himself even further to Lucy in the process. “Way worse than you’re crying. There would be snot everywhere.”
    Faith snorted with laughter. The snort made Lucy laugh and Lucy’s laugh made Brandon laugh, and pretty soon they were all laugh-crying—except for Neil who was looking at them sideways and warning the dog she was in a boat full of lunatics.
    By the time the launch site came into view, they had all pulled themselves together and Lucy was practically twitching with anticipation, past ready to be back on dry land. The boat chugged down Pin Oak Street between waterlogged homes toward the crowd gathered on the hill. Dozens of people—all the other rescue teams, several uniformed policemen, and most of the fire department—were waiting by the edge of the water.
    When Faith lifted an arm to wave, the crowd let out a cheer and began to applaud. Mick came running down the hill and waded into the water, meeting them ten feet from shore, leaning in to hug Faith tight. She buried her face in his neck and he held her close, cradling her head in his big hand, the expression on his face leaving no doubt how devastating this afternoon had been, or how grateful he was to have his fiancée home.
    Lucy and Brandon averted their gazes, giving the couple some privacy. Their eyes met across the boat and Brandon smiled, a warm, intimate grin that Lucy felt to the tips of her toes. She suddenly couldn’t wait to get him back to her apartment and show him how much she appreciated his support, his bravery, and his exceptionally good heart. She didn’t want to go to bed alone tonight, or, if she had her way, any night from here on out.
    Until now, she’d been grateful for the solitude in her nook above the bakery, but solitude was sounding a lot less appealing. Now, she wanted enough room for two, with a bed big enough to fit her unexpectedly beefy new boyfriend and a backyard big enough for a dog. Seeing the relief on Goldie’s sweet face as Brandon lifted the tired animal into the boat had made Lucy’s heart crack open even further, far enough to let in a new love, a new pet, and heck, maybe a few surrogate brothers and sisters, too.
    For the first time since she resigned from the APD Lucy felt like she was part of a family of like-minded souls. She had missed this—missed working with a team to help make the world better. Stepping back into the familiar roll felt right, and she planned to have a talk with the Summerville Police as soon as she recovered from today’s adventure. She was ready to be useful again, past