Texas Wildfire (Texas Heroes Book 1) Read Free Page A

now they were devouring him with their eyes. She tried to quell the wave of jealousy mounting within her, an emotion she had no right to entertain.
    Fighting the desire to reveal how she felt, Makenna forced herself to look away. Instead, her gaze landed on her husband. Thanks to him she couldn’t lean back in the theater style seat. Instead, she sat on the edge and leaned forward. He’d whipped her with his belt last night. Her back was striped like a Christmas candy cane. All because he hadn’t been pleased over what she’d prepared for their supper, which was his fault since he refused to give her enough money except to buy the cheapest cuts of meat. So, her roast hadn’t been melt-in-your-mouth tender. He’d upended his plate on the floor and when she’d tried to clean it up, Damien had jerked her to her feet and dragged her to their bedroom. Oh, she hadn’t gone willingly. Makenna struggled and fought with every ounce of strength she possessed. Her husband hadn’t carried her to their bed because he wanted sex. No, he’d torn her shirt from her body, held her down and beat her till his arm was tired and she was barely conscious from the pain.
    During the early days of their marriage, his behavior had shocked her so much that she’d taken whatever he dished out. In her naiveté, she thought she loved Damien and doing as he said, being the dutiful wife and pleasing him would somehow make him love her back. Only that hadn’t happened. If anything, his behavior had grown worse—more unreasonable, his temper so short that any little thing could set him off in a cloud of rage.
    How she wished her life was different. While the governor had been singing Titan’s praises, she’d pretended that she belonged to him. If he only knew how she dreamed of running to him, throwing herself in his arms and begging him to help her.
    But she couldn’t.
    No, she had to bide her time until she had a plan, one that would put no one else in jeopardy. The only problem was, she had no idea what that plan would be. Keeping her eyes downcast, she scribbled on the program, over and over—MTF, MTF. Her husband, who was sitting beside her, glanced down, then looked away. Once he’d asked her why she kept writing her initials again and again. Makenna Tess Flynn was her maiden name. She’d told him with head held high that she wished she was single again. He’d just sneered, never questioning her words. What she’d said hadn’t been a lie. She did wish she’d never married. But that wasn’t what she was thinking when she wrote the initials. To Makenna, the letters MTF stood for Makenna and Titan Forever, a silly childish game she played with herself, but it made her feel better. As she sat there and doodled, she was ultra-aware when Titan left the stage and returned to his place.
    Finding his seat next to Jericho, Titan got through the rest of the ceremony. Even though it was uncomfortable, he was in the same room with Makenna and that meant this was a time to be cherished. Afterward, they would all go out for drinks and he would sit across from her and pretend he was just a friend.
    That was all he’d ever been.
    Makenna Wade was a lady. She’d no more betray her marriage than she would rob a bank. So, Titan’s love went unrequited. He watched from the sidelines while the woman of his dreams made a life with another man.
    Before he knew it, the ceremony was over and he was up with the crowd, moving out of the packed community center into the night. “How does it feel to be a hero?” a reporter asked, pushing a live mic in his face, a bright light from the television camera blinding him.
    “I was just doing my job, ma’am.” Titan blinked, trying to see an avenue of escape.
    “Leave the man alone,” Damien said, coming to his rescue. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.” Together the members of the Hays County Volunteer Fire Department headed to their cars and drove out of town toward a nearby tavern. They served an