And Then He Kissed Me (40 page)

It also didn’t hurt when those people had thick auburn hair and wore form-fitting sweaters that emphasized just the right curves.

A pheasant took flight from nearby brushes, startling him into a full stop. His lungs heaved as he watched the bird warble into the air, snow falling like stars from its wings. An ache pressed behind his sternum, and he instinctively brought his gloved hand to his chest.

What the—?

Chest pain.
Only, surely it was just a little bit of heartburn. He brushed it off. After all, the call yesterday had scared him more than he wanted to admit, and he was probably just a little worked up as a result. He’d been extra gruff when his crew arrived because the thought of anyone on the Robot Lit team being in harm’s way made his stomach twist. Secretly, he felt badly for turning a low-battery warning on a CO
₂
detector into a full-blown inspection, especially when that wasn’t even his job. Ty Brady was White Pine’s fire inspector, and Abe knew he had no business stepping on Ty’s toes. That’s why Quinn and Reese were irritated about the whole call, though they’d dutifully checked out the building even when they didn’t want to. He didn’t blame them for being miffed. But he wasn’t going to pass up a chance to make Robot Lit as safe as he could.

He started back down the trail, his breath puffing white in the cold. He’d been high strung about the call to begin with, which was probably why Casey Tanner was affecting him more than she should. They’d shared several minutes in a dark, confused space, and Abe knew better than anyone that trauma could forge bonds with people that normal situations didn’t. That’s why he’d pulled her closer than he should have, why he let his guard down for a few minutes, speaking into her hair and letting his cheek graze hers briefly.

The problem was, he was still having trouble erasing the picture of her in his mind. Especially when she’d thanked him after it was all over. She’d still been pale and shaken, but her golden brown eyes had been clear and focused. She hadn’t felt sorry for herself or milked it for drama. She’d been gracious and grateful and he’d stomped away. Like an asshole.

He didn’t want her to know how much he’d enjoyed being trapped in that space with her.

Abe pushed himself up a small incline that deposited him into a wide clearing. Above him, the wind-swept sky was patterned in pale blues and pinks. Ahead, a snow-covered field stretched for miles until it ended in another cluster of woods. He flexed his numb fingers and toes, trying to work more blood into his extremities. He grimaced as a flash of pain ignited underneath his rib cage.

He wondered briefly if he should get it checked out. Chest pain was no joke. Then again, this was probably nothing. Just an overreaction to yesterday’s elevator situation.

In the meantime, he blew breath onto his gloved hands and stamped his feet. He’d welcome some warmth to his limbs all right, but his emotions needed to stay frozen. Abe knew firsthand how dangerous feelings could be. They could cloud your judgment, they could keep you from running into the burning building because you were afraid or unsure. Feelings could let you think that you had any control at all over this life.

He thumped his chest once. Hard. A warning shot to his heart.
Do your job,
he wanted to say,
and nothing more
. Abe was a confirmed bachelor, he didn’t get worked up about women
ever,
and he certainly wasn’t going to start with Casey Tanner.

If there was a prickle of disagreement from deep within, Abe ignored it. He focused on the last few miles to his Jeep, the snow and ice as cold as he willed his insides to be.

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Contents

1. Cover
   
2. Title Page
   
3. Welcome
   
4. And Then He Kissed Me
   
5. Dedication
   
6. Acknowledgments
   
7. Prologue
   
8. Chapter One
   
9. Chapter Two
   
10. Chapter Three
    
11. Chapter Four
    
12. Chapter Five
    
13. Chapter Six
    
14. Chapter Seven
    
15. Chapter Eight
    
16. Chapter Nine
    
17. Chapter Ten
    
18. Chapter Eleven
    
19. Chapter Twelve
    
20. Chapter Thirteen
    
21. Chapter Fourteen
    
22. Chapter Fifteen
    
23. Chapter Sixteen
    
24. Chapter Seventeen
    
25. Chapter Eighteen
    
26. Chapter Nineteen
    
27. Chapter Twenty
    
28. Chapter Twenty-One
    
29. Chapter Twenty-Two
    
30. Chapter Twenty-Three
    
31. Chapter Twenty-Four
    
32. Chapter Twenty-Five
    
33. Chapter Twenty-Six
    
34. Chapter Twenty-Seven
    
35. Chapter Twenty-Eight
    
36. Epilogue
    
37. Asparagus Hot Dish
    
38. A Preview of EVERY LITTLE KISS
    
39. Also by Kim Amos
    
40. Fall in Love with Forever Romance
    
41. Newsletters
    
42. Copyright