August Heat (A Year in Paradise Book 8) Page 5

  Damn. Those are some serious abs… The woman wore a black windbreaker, but she stood at an angle that showed off the crop top beneath it. A crop top. In Paradise Valley. Go figure. No, no… that was a sports bra, huh? A big, bulking sports bra that held down the girls while not leaving much to the imagination. The windbreaker was merely a way to keep prying eyes like Siobhan’s away. Not that it was doing much good now.

  Only two seconds later did she realize that her knight in gleaming, sweaty armor was Krys Madison. That realization didn’t settle in until Siobhan lifted her eyes and caught Krys’s in the ultraviolet lights.

  Was the acknowledgment instantaneous? Or did Krys give that look to every woman who crossed her path?

  “Sorry.” Siobhan said to the cashier, before turning back to the fertilizer bags. “Thought I saw someone I know.”

  She was met with an incredulous look. “Who, Krys over there? You probably do know her. Everybody does.”

  Krys raised her hand before slapping it back against her hip. “That’s right. Everybody knows me. If you’ve ever been on fire, we’ve met.”

  “That’s why she walks around town half naked, right?”

  “I ain’t half-naked, Lor. I’m in a sports bra and sweatpants. I got a jacket on!”

  Yes, I can see that. Siobhan’s throat was dry. Her mouth was dry. If she licked her lips right now, would it look weird? Too desperate? Foolhardy? She couldn’t claim any attraction to the woman standing a few feet away. For one thing, Siobhan was not attracted to Krys. Not like that. She could mentally acknowledge a good-looking woman who checked all the “right” boxes, but it wasn’t like she wanted to drool over Krys. Not when I can think of a few other people who have already. Even if Emily hadn’t gone out with Krys back in those hellish days, it was enough to know that half the town had.

  Wait… did Krys not recognize Siobhan? Oh, that was low.

  “Hey,” Siobhan said. Her pride may be on the line. Yes, even she could be vain enough to get this woman’s attention. “Nice sports bra.”

  “Oh, you like it?” Krys popped open her jacket. Lovely. She had an even tan that suggested she spent a lot of time out in the sun. A people doctor like Brandelyn Meyer would chide Krys for exposing her tender skin to the sun like that, but a vet didn’t care as much. This vet in particular was too busy averting her eyes so she wasn’t caught staring at pectorals. “Had to buy it online. They don’t make many good sports bras in my size. Definitely not anywhere around here.”

  Lorri the cashier threw her hands up toward the ceiling and returned to her station behind the counter. What did that mean? She didn’t think she was gonna help Siobhan now that Krys had her attention? It’s not like I’m running out of here with her! Although she wished Krys would put a real shirt on. Like the tight T-shirt she wore the other day, when those big, strong muscles brought in a box of mewling kittens.

  Oh, God. Someone needed a date.

  “A good bra can be hard to find,” Siobhan agreed. She may not have been super well-endowed, but she was picky about underwires and frilly lace on her underwear. “Luckily, you seem to have that mystery sorted.”

  Krys’s smile lit up the whole room. Did she know she had mega-watt teeth? Or did she ooze flirtations as easily as she breathed? Does she know what power she has over women? Power over women. Yeah. That was it. Totally not sexist or toxic at all. “Dr. O’Connor, right? Sorry, I didn’t really recognize you at first with the glare coming through the window.”

  Someone rolled her eyes with an exasperated sigh. It was neither Krys nor Siobhan.

  “Yes, that’s me.”

  Krys stepped away from the counter, “How are those kittens doing? Been thinking about them ever since I dropped them off at your place.”

  “Hey,” Lorri interrupted, with a rap of her knuckles against the counter. “I gotta go bring some stuff out from the back. Let me know if you need anything, though.” That was said to Siobhan, who was still technically a customer, even if she played a game of Small Town Small Talk in the hardware store.

  “The kittens are fine.” Really, you’re asking me about kittens? She supposed that was the safest conversation starter. “Playing a bunch, eating their food, and growing like they should. They’ll be ready for adoption as soon as I confirm they no longer have worms.”

  Krys wrinkled her nose. “Worms, huh? First it’s the fleas…”

  “Don’t worry. I hardly doubt you caught anything from them. You would’ve, ah… known by now.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  The awkward silence finally came. Siobhan didn’t know if she should turn back to the fertilizer and pretend she didn’t see Krys, or wait for Krys to say farewell and head out the door.

  Krys wasn’t moving.

  Well, she was moving, but she was coming closer to Siobhan instead of the door.

  Great! Exactly what I want on my first foray into town all month! Siobhan had an excellent poker face, but that was the only thing she had going for her. Krys might not know that Siobhan’s heart was thumping like crazy inside of her chest, but damnit, Siobhan knew. She continued to rationalize that physical attraction was perfectly acceptable. She couldn’t help whom she was attracted to, like she couldn’t help the crack in her voice when she attempted to speak. That didn’t mean she followed through on attraction, though. That was the difference between her and Emily. Is it natural to be attracted to people? Duh. Does that mean you go around sleeping with people? Kick your ass if you’re my girlfriend…

  Krys was one of those people who knew she didn’t have to settle, huh? She could date around all she wanted because she had a body like that and knew how to use it to her advantage. She lived in a haven for lesbian dating and didn’t worry about who to make her next girlfriend. She’s only flirting with me because I’m next on her list. There was nothing special about Siobhan, beyond the novelty of her identity. Krys flirted with everyone. Even her friends.

  Thinking that made it easier to stand so close to her. With her abs hanging out. Yup.

  “You know, that wasn’t the only person I was thinking about…” Krys said. “Been thinking about you too, Dr. O’Connor.”

  Although Siobhan expected it, she couldn’t hold back the rolling of her lips as she attempted to quash a smile of girlish excitement. Come on! Who doesn’t want to be flirted with like this? All Siobhan had done was go into town to run some errands. Next thing she knew, the hottest woman she had ever seen in Paradise Valley was walking around with her muscles hanging out and a smirk on her face. Was it really reserved for Siobhan? Or would Krys have hurled it at whoever came her way next?

  “Is there a Mrs. O’Connor?” Only Krys could ask that and not sound too cheesy to bear. “Or a Mister, for that matter? I gotta get my story straight before I try asking you out.”

  Siobhan placed both hands on her hips, her handbag sliding off her shoulder and looping around her elbow. Sure, she would have loved to put that bag down and not look so ridiculous, but she refused to lose balance in front of Krys Madison. Especially when Ms. Madison was coming onto her stronger than a cup of black coffee.

  “I’m not married,” Siobhan said. “Nor am I looking for anybody to date.” That was the most diplomatic thing she could say. Siobhan was also careful to avoid pronouns, if only to drive Krys a little crazier.

  “All right.” Krys held up her hands. “No worries. I can take a hint.”

  “What hint?”

  “Uh, the hint that you don’t wanna grab a coffee with me sometime?”

  “You greatly overestimate my desire to socialize with people.”

  “Hey, I get it. That’s a long drive into town from where you live. I wouldn’t be in a hurry to head here for little ol’ me, either.” Krys shrugged, one sleeve of her windbreaker sliding off her shoulder. That’s not fair. She might as well walk around in a crop top, after all. “But I thought I’d at least ask about the kittens.”

  “Your convenient segue into asking me out?”

&nb
sp; “Hey, I care about those little worm-infested fleabags. You think I would’ve brought them in if I didn’t care?”

  Who’s paying for their care, anyway? Oh, right. Me. Sometimes, Siobhan was a charity. When she could afford it, anyway. “Your heart is truly big. I can see that.” She didn’t keep her eyes off that cleavage peeping at her. Smooshed cleavage, but hey, those were breasts under there. Siobhan knew how to appreciate those, especially when it had been three years since she was last intimately familiar with a pair.

  “I’m also told I have a pretty big ego to go along with my hunk of hubris.” Krys kept a respectful distance from Siobhan, but she may as well have lunged for a kiss from the force soon felt in that little corner of Real Value Hardware Store. “Some people may not be into that, though. I respect that.”

  Do you respect other people’s partners, too? Every time Siobhan thought about lowering her defenses a tad, she remembered what happened with Emily. The betrayal. The hurt. The loneliness. Maybe Krys was innocent in all aspects. Maybe she was guilty, and knew. Either way, could Siobhan live with herself for enjoying Krys’s company, let alone wanting to go somewhere with her?

  “Like I said, I’m not really looking for a date right now.”

  “Who said it had to be a date?”

  How smooth. Make it sound like a friendly flirtation and nothing more. “Well,” Siobhan began, “unless you have something specific to invite me to, it definitely sounds like a date.”

  “Hm. Maybe… I simply want to hang out with those cats a little longer.”

  Right. And I simply want to come to the firehouse to slide down the pole. Siobhan wondered if she could actually do that. Slide down the firehouse pole, that was. Specifically, the firehouse pole. Not Krys’s pole. Nope. Siobhan wasn’t about to accidentally say that at all.

  “They do need more human socialization,” Siobhan said with a little squeak. “My aunt is all over them, but she has more work to do around the place. I mean, it’s not impossible for someone to come all the way out there to pet them, feed them, and talk to them. Will make it easier to adopt them out when they’re ready.”

  “Is this before or after you spay and neuter the poor dears?”

  Siobhan chuckled. “Hopefully, I won’t have to do that. Better for that to be someone else’s responsibility.”

  “What if I took up a collection around the firehouse? To pay for their fixing?”

  Although Siobhan still laughed, she didn’t know why. Was what Krys said really ridiculous? Or was it because Siobhan knew it was a ploy to woo her? Krys couldn’t be serious about having a “heart” big enough to pay for four kittens to get fixed. Because Siobhan couldn’t do it on her own, and her aunt wasn’t certified to administer medications, let alone assist in surgery. Siobhan could fix a cat in her sleep, but she rarely did it. Rather, she referred those patients to Dr. Global or someone else with a proper clinic and vet techs to assist them. The only surgeries Siobhan performed on pets were extreme emergencies, and she still preferred to have at least one other doctor there with her. Hell, she’d take Dr. Meyer over her own aunt!

  “If you manage that, I’m sure Dr. Global would help. I could take them over myself.”

  Krys tilted her head. “Hey, if you don’t want me around, say so.”

  Yes, please stay away, troublemaker. Let me stew in my loneliness. “It’s easier for me to do it. I know the other vets around here pretty well. We do talk, you know.” Not super willingly. When Siobhan wasn’t holing herself away from the world, she was avoiding the town vet at the post office. Dr. Global loved to say hello and “shoot the farm animal breeze” with her. Siobhan had a hunch that he had aspired for a career more like hers instead of a private practice that took care of the Fluffies and Rovers of a small town. There was arguably more money in it, though. Siobhan lucked out that big animal doctoring often meant living in cheaper places.

  “Like I said,” Krys continued with a lackadaisical smile, “if you don’t want me around, just say so.”

  Siobhan narrowed her eyes. What game is she trying to play with me? Everything depended on whether Krys knew about Emily. If she did, then this was a sick joke. If she didn’t, then Siobhan had more than egg on her face – she had a whole damn omelet.

  “How about I come by tomorrow? Or the day after tomorrow?” Krys winked before turning around. “Like you said, the little furballs need some socializing before they turn feral.”

  “Not quite how I put it.” The kittens weren’t in real danger of “turning feral” now, but the extra human socializing would make them better for adoption. Dare Siobhan admit that, though? “If you insist, may I request you wait until the late afternoon? I’m usually away during the mornings, and God only knows what calls I might get through the day. Besides, my aunt might not know who the hell you are and let you in to see the babies.”

  “Who’s your aunt? I know almost everyone around here.”

  Siobhan was about to ignore that question, but realized that there was no use hiding it now. Gabriella O’Connor. You might have seen her around town. She’s usually the one running the errands.” And trying to have a social life. Short of joining the Stephen King book club or one of the quilting circles, though. Aunt Gabriella was looking at a long life of nothing.

  “Right. Tomorrow. Or day after tomorrow. Afternoon.” Krys backed toward the door. She didn’t dare turn around, huh? Because then Siobhan would miss out on more of those abs, and Krys couldn’t have that. She was on a mission to show the whole world how trim and athletic she was. So everyone could rest assured that she’d bail them out of their next fire. “See you there.” That was supposed to be a devilish wink, but Krys backed her ass up against the push bar of the door. Siobhan tried not to laugh as Krys stumbled out the door and acted like she had meant to do that. Her friend Lorri, however, openly guffawed behind the register.

  “Hope she didn’t bother you, ma’am!” Lorri called. “Though if you say the word, I’ll make sure she gets a good talkin’ to.”

  Siobhan was good at acting like she hadn’t noticed anything about Krys’s heavy-handed flirtations. Heavy-handed… would most people think that? Or did Siobhan see the worst in everyone’s intentions?

  “No worries. My only real care is about fertilizer, if you don’t mind.”

  Lorri hurried out from behind the register. She may have enabled her friend, but at least she was good at pointing out the best fertilizer for Gabriella’s vegetable garden. Wasn’t that the only thing Siobhan cared about?

  …Supposedly?

  Chapter 7

  KRYS

  You’ve got this. Why the hell are you so nervous about playing with some kittens?

  Krys took five minutes to transition from her car to the O’Connors’ driveway. Both Siobhan’s truck and the family car were parked by the garage. A colorful flag waved from the porch of the main house. Plastic windmills twirled in the small beds of flowers. Windchimes shuddered in the breeze and trees rustled overhead. It looked like a cozy piece of country living, but Krys’s anxiety grew as she approached the giant white shed by the vehicles.

  She knew when she liked a woman, and she liked Siobhan. Those red curls were barely tamable by the ponytails Siobhan put them in, but those freckles didn’t stand a chance once the sun was free from the clouds. Whether she wore baggy clothes or something more tasteful, Siobhan was a confident sight to behold. Krys was always a sucker for confident, feminine women who didn’t care if they got their hands dirty. While Krys would never say she preferred butch over femme when it came to dating and lovemaking, she definitely needed a partner who embraced the “tomboy” level at some point in her life. Whether that meant climbing trees at seven, playing softball in high school, or riding a Harley as an adult… it was the attitude that mattered most. Krys’s most memorable girlfriends were those who didn’t mind some mud on their boots. Hair length and choice of skirt or cargo shorts didn’t make any difference.

  She shoves her arms up barnyard animals’ asses for
a living, so… Krys assumed Siobhan washed up well. Here was hoping, anyway.

  That’s not why she was so nervous, though. She was anxious because something about Siobhan’s behavior toward her turned her off.

  I don’t think she likes me very much.

  Krys didn’t see that as a challenge. If anything, it hurt her to know that someone she barely knew didn’t think too highly of her. Had Krys done something? She had come on too strong. That was the problem. Lorri and the others were always telling Krys that she couldn’t run up to every pretty lady and ask them out like it was another day ending in Y. Maybe I’m off my game. It’s been how long since I asked someone out? Krys approached the office door and knocked. I’m not as suave as I used to be. This is it. This is what it’s like to become a dating has-been.

  The door opened. Siobhan blocked the entryway, her hair pulled back into a loose ponytail that continued to take up more space than her shoulders. Or the big lab coat that draped over her tank top and khaki capris.

  “So…” Siobhan’s eyes darted up and down the length of Krys’s body. She wasn’t so much checking Krys out as she was… what? Sizing her up? Getting a good look at her? Making assumptions based on how well Krys took care of her body? “You came. To play with my kittens.”

  “I’m assuming that was actually okay. You didn’t say I couldn’t, so I…”

  Siobhan stepped away. “They’re in here. Just woke up from their naps so they should be nice and energetic for you, Ms. Firefighter.”

  “What are you trying to say?” Krys chuckled as she shut the door behind her. An air conditioner worked in tandem with a standing fan to keep air moving through the small kennels in the back. The kittens were still the only animals in there, which meant Siobhan had released them to run around the enclosed space. Toys littered the floor. Fuzzy strings hung from the exam table. A blanket was piled in the corner, long since abandoned now that four baby animals tussled and mewled. No wonder. The food dish was empty. Somebody had lots of energy.