Montana Fire
Authors: Vella Day
Tags: #Literature & Fiction, #Genre Fiction, #Medical, #Mystery; Thriller & Suspense, #Thrillers
Montana Promises
Book 3
Vella Day
Copyright © 2014 Vella Day
MONTANA FIRE
Copyright © 2014 by Vella Day
Nook Edition
Cover Art by Sloan Winters
Edited by L. Watanabe and Rebecca Cartee
Published in the United States of America
E-book ISBN: 978-0-9899759-6-4
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner
whatsoever without written permission of the author except in the case of brief questions
embodied in critical articles or reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the
product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance
to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events or locales, is entirely
coincidental.
Special thanks to Dawn Drollinger, Montana Deputy State Fire Marshal, and to Gordy
Hughes, Fire Marshal of Missoula, Montana for answering all of my questions. You guys
rock. And to Marla Monroe for all her medical advice.
Chapter One
“I
heard you took a bullet for the bride.”
Even though the voice from behind sounded impressed, Jamie Henderson was determined
to block out that nightmare. Forever. She softly let out a breath, willing herself
to stay calm, and absently rubbed her arm where she’d been shot.
“That’s true.”
Why did Max Gruden, the man her best friend had paired her with to dance, have to
bring up her past? Damn him. It was hard enough going through the motions, pretending
to be happy, but it was Amber’s wedding day. For her, Jamie would try.
She pressed her palms down the overly big bridesmaid dress then smoothed her long
hair, but the blonde wisps refused to stay down. She inhaled and turned around. There
might be nearly two hundred people in the middle of a decorated barn, but her world
seemed to have shrunk to just the two of them.
She’d never been this close to Max Gruden before. She couldn’t help but drag her gaze
from his polished boots to the top of his head. His snug jeans and crisp white shirt
with a bolo tie, spoke of a man who didn’t indulge in excesses. He wasn’t bad looking,
either.
Who am I kidding?
His combed back brown hair that curled just at the collar, combined with the dark
stubble and white smile made him very handsome. Then there were his eyes. She’d never
seen anything like them before. The irises were a unique tint. Kind of caramel, like
the color of those chewy candies that stuck to her teeth. Nicely spaced apart and
set deep, his alluring eyes gave him a look of mystery—or were those etched lines
shooting from the corners a result of worry? Upon further study, she’d have to say
he looked close to forty.
He placed a hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay?”
She didn’t know if he said that because she’d been focusing on his face too long or
because she hadn’t taken a breath in a few seconds. “Yes. I’ve been through a lot.
I space out sometimes. Sorry.”
She inhaled, and his clean, spicy scent with a hint of mint caused more chaos inside
her. That wouldn’t do. Max wasn’t her type at all. He carried himself with control
and power. Jamie was used to a more quiet man.
The wedding party music struck up, and Max gazed down at her. “I get it, believe me.
I know you’ve been through a recent trauma, but could I persuade you to have this
dance with me?”
Max had experienced his share of woes, too. Having his wife and young child burn to
death at home because of revenge would break the strongest of men. “I’ll dance, but
I’m not ready to talk about what happened.” Not that he’d asked her to.
“Deal.”
He held out his hand. When their palms touched, his warmth spread up her arm, and
her pulse raced. As they eased their way to the dance floor, Jamie fought his allure.
Amber Delacroix Carter, the new bride, had been in deep conversation with Max a half
hour ago, no doubt filling his head about Jamie’s issues regarding her former boyfriend,
Benny Ford. Amber had suspected Benny of killing hospice patients at the hospital
then murdering Amber’s brother—which was why Benny had shot at Jamie’s best friend.
Just as he was about to pull the trigger, Jamie stepped in front of Amber to protect
her. Even after six months, the emotional pain was only now beginning to diminish.
Jamie’s rational thought returned and she pursed her lips. She needed to make sure
Max understood that she was only dancing with him because it was her obligation. “Just
because I agreed to a dance, doesn’t mean I’m going to spill my guts,” she repeated.
She hadn’t meant to sound so bitchy, but her stomach was swirling.
The lines around his eyes crinkled. Damn him. His whole face lit up when he smiled,
creating a devilishly handsome appearance. “That’s fine, but if those guts happen
to spill, I’m your man.”
“I’ll remember that.” She couldn’t afford to be tempted, especially by someone like
him.
This was a wedding, not some therapy session. Jamie was tired of talking about her
botched romance. Even if she got over Benny’s betrayal and violence, those poor victims
would still be dead.
Max guided her next to him, walked side by side for three steps, and then rotated
her backwards as he executed a step-together-step. The man was smooth, almost as if
he didn’t have to think about how to move his body.
“Relax. Enjoy the music.” There went that smile again.
How could she relax with his hand on her back, the heat of his body pouring into her,
and his masculine scent messing with her brain? Not to mention his sensitivity to
her desire not to share.
Answer? She couldn’t.
Throughout the song, Max guided her around the makeshift dance floor, keeping perfect
beat to the music. Because of his strong lead, she didn’t have to think where to put
her feet. He also didn’t ask her any questions, for which she was thankful.
The volume lowered and the wedding planner stepped up to the microphone. The dance
was over, and Jamie wanted to step off the stage, but Max kept a strong grip around
her waist.
“Okay, now,” the woman said with more enthusiasm than should be allowed. “How about
a hand for the newlyweds?”
For the first time since Jamie had stepped on stage, happiness filled her. Amber Delacroix
had found two perfect men, and Jamie couldn’t be more pleased.
As soon as the crowd noise dimmed, a slow song filled the cavernous barn. The woman
leaned close to the mike again. “This song is for everyone. Come join Amber, Cade,
and Stone to show your support.”
Before Jamie could excuse herself, Max drew her near, his strong chest pressed against
her body. She wanted to protest, but decided one more dance wouldn’t hurt. She had
to admit that being in his arms was nice. Comforting even. She’d been alone since
Benny’s arrest, and she hadn’t liked it.
After a few minutes of dancing in silence, her curiosity got the best of her. “Can
I ask you something?” Jamie had to crane her neck to look up at him. She was only
five-foot-two, and Max was almost a foot taller.
“Sure.”
“It’s a bit personal.”
“Ask away. I’m an open book.”
“It’s about your family.”
He nodded. She didn’t know how he could be willing to talk about something so painful.
She wished she could. “How did you move on after the death of your family?” What was
his secret?
Max looked over her head as they swayed to the music. “I didn’t for a long time. In
fact, I kind of went on a ten-year quest. I became so obsessed to bring the arsonist
to justice that I lost a lot of my friends. That was a mistake. Being alone isn’t
healthy for the soul.”
Ten years was too long to wait. She, too, had lost some friends. “You seem happy now.”
He must have done something different.
He glanced down at her. “I am. It helped that we finally caught the man responsible
for the fire.”
“My ex-boyfriend was caught, too, but it’s still hard.”
“I hear ya. If I had to give one bit of advice, it would be to surround yourself with
good people. If I hadn’t, I would have sunk into a deep depression. But it’s not easy.
I had to force myself to go out, have fun, and help others.”
The advice sounded good. “I’ll try that.” Max was right. Moving on was hard.
In the beginning, her friends called all the time. Jamie even made it to their weekly
happy hour, but when she changed jobs, she’d been too busy to meet with them. Or maybe,
she’d just let her past rule her life. She hated what was happening to her, but she
seemed unable to stop the decline.
Max twirled her around, keeping her close. It was as if he wanted to let her know
he could be a friend if she would let him. The problem was that Jamie wasn’t sure
if she was ready to let anyone get close to her again.
* * *
The music ended, and Max glanced down at her. “Ready to eat?”
Many of the couples were leaving the crowded stage, and he could sense Jamie had had
enough of being this close to him. He worried she’d come up with some excuse not to
sit at their wedding party table, but he wasn’t about to let her. He was serious when
he said she needed to surround herself with friends.
She bit down on her bottom lip and he could almost see her mind spinning. “Sure.”
Glad to get past that hurdle, he led her to her seat. Jamie intrigued him. A tiny
thing, she had shoulder length blonde hair that seemed determine to curl at will,
big blue eyes the size of the sea, and porcelain skin that could use a bit more color.