An Ember To Bear (Fire Bear Shifters 5) Read Free Page A

mean if I want to spend some time with you, I should break a bone or something and land myself in the hospital?”
    Mindy rolled her eyes. “How clever,” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “I’ve never heard that one before.”
    Zach laughed, and signaled Kyle for another refill on his drink. Mindy saw Kyle glance doubtfully at Zach’s car keys, but he went to grab another double shot of whiskey, anyway.
    “What do you do for a living?” Mindy asked. “Is there a high risk of broken bones?”
    Zach laughed again. “You could say so. I’m a smokejumper.”
    Mindy’s eyes widened. “A smokejumper? Isn’t that where you jump out of planes into a forest fire?”
    “Well, we jump out of planes to fight forest fires. We generally try not to jump into the fire.”
    “Okay, well, you know what I mean. What’s that like?”
    “It’s a lot of boring, hard physical labor, interspersed with a few minutes of excitement when we jump out of the plane. But I get to do it with my good buddies, and I get to help save the beautiful forests around here. So, I can’t complain too much.”
    The angry look in Zach’s eyes had softened somewhat as he started talking about his job. Whatever girl trouble had been bothering him seemed to fade away as he thought about the work that he felt so passionate about. Despite her resolve not to get involved in trying to make this guy feel better, Mindy couldn’t stop herself from responding to the spark of happiness she saw in his eyes. She pushed him to keep talking about things that made him happy.
    “Was it hard to learn to jump out of a plane?” she asked, hoping that would keep him talking.
    And it did. For the next hour, over several more shots and another huge slice of pie, Zach told Mindy all about the vigorous smokejumper training he had endured. He told her about some of the fires they had gone to fight, and even about one time that they had to be rescued by a helicopter when a fire burned out of control. By the time the clock hit nine-thirty, Zach’s mood had lifted considerably, but he had downed far too many whiskeys to be safe to drive. When he stood up and announced that he should get going, Mindy jumped up and grabbed his keys off the bar top before he could.
    “Uh-uh. No way are you getting in a vehicle right now, Mister. I’ll drive you home and you can come pick up your car tomorrow.”
    “I’m toshally okee,” Zach slurred out, making a very uncoordinated effort to snatch his keys out of Mindy’s hands. She pulled them further out of his reach.
    “You are not okay,” Mindy said. “I’m driving you home.”
    She took the last swig out of her beer glass and then hopped off the barstool, giving Zach a little push in the direction of the door. She almost gasped at the feel of his back muscles. The man was built like a solid rock. He hadn’t been kidding when he said he had to be in good physical shape for his job.
    “Are you sure you’re okay taking him?” Kyle asked, concern lacing his voice. “I can call him a cab.”
    “I’m fine,” Mindy called over her shoulder, still pushing Zach toward the door. “You know cabs around here take forever to show up. Besides, he’s harmless. He’s basically like a big, drunk teddy bear.”
    Kyle didn’t protest further, and Mindy continued to lead Zach out to her old, red Toyota Camry. She slid him into the passenger seat, and fastened the buckle around him, holding her breath against the stench of the whiskey on his breath. He looked up at the sky and laughed.
    “The moon is so bright,” he said, his eyes widening.
    Mindy glanced up at the dull sliver of the moon that was mostly hidden behind some rapidly gathering clouds, and shook her head.
    “Uh-huh,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I’ve never seen it so bright. Where do you live, Zach?”
    “By the airplanes,” he said, and laughed again.
    Mindy sighed and walked around to the driver’s seat. “Okay. You live by the airplanes? Can you tell