Spring River Valley: The Spring Collection (Boxed Set) (5 page)

“It’s fine.”

“Quinn, I’m on my way,” he muttered into the phone.

“I’ll be waiting.”

He shut off the phone and took one more second to look at her. Lips plump, cheeks pink in the evening chill, she looked like a woman who’d been thoroughly kissed, but not one who was completely satisfied. He’d have to rectify that the first chance he got.

He brushed his lips over hers
one more time. “Call me tomorrow. Anytime,” he said as he backed away. He pivoted to head for his car. “Call me later tonight, two or three hours. Or tomorrow morning early—whenever you wake up or anytime…just call me.”

“I will…” The rest of her reply faded as he jumped in
to his car. Why had he answered the phone? It was his night off, after all. Damn. He pulled out of the parking lot, his emergency lights flashing to warn other drivers he was on his way to a call. Tonight had been the start of something, and he planned to make sure he saw it through. He may have had to leave Evie mid-kiss, but this was by no means the end of it.

*

Evie drew in lungfuls of rapidly cooling night air and watched the taillights of Tanner’s car disappear down West Denton Avenue. If he hadn’t just kissed her senseless, she probably would have been climbing into her own car right now and following him. A multi-car accident on the Thruway was news, probably front-page news, and if she wanted that byline, she needed to overcome the niggling feeling in the back of her mind that literally chasing an ambulance to the scene was somehow wrong.

Hands shaking, she pulled out her phone and scrolled through her contacts as she forced her wobbly legs to carry her across the parking lot. He’d smelled so good…whatever cologne he used had fogged her brain. He’d tasted sweet and spicy like the dark beer he’d ordered. The muscles in his arms and his chest were like granite…
What am I doing? Oh.
She stopped for a second and concentrated on her phone until she found the number she was looking for. Max Shannon. She dialed, forcing thoughts of Tanner to the back of her mind.

He answered on the second ring. “This is Shannon.”

“Max? Hi, it’s Evie Prentice. Listen, I just heard there’s a multi-car accident on the Thruway. Can you meet—”

“Chad and I just pulled up, looks like another overturned tractor trailer and two…no
, three cars. Thanks for the heads-up, though! I appreciate the call. Gotta go.”

Evie’s response to Max died unspoken. She stared at her glowing phone. Of course Chad already knew about it. Of course Chad was already there. Maybe traffic wasn’t her calling. She needed something newsworthy that didn’t involve charging off behind the police and the rescue vehicles. That wasn’t her style.

But what was?

An approaching siren diverted her attention before she could get back to ruminating on the reason her heart was still pounding like a snare drum. She watched a police cruiser pull up in the parking lot. The officers got out and strolled into the pub. Either someone had called to report the crowded conditions or there’d
actually been a fight.

And she was already on the scene.
She pulled her notebook out of her purse along with her
Herald
ID and headed for the police car. It wouldn’t make the front page, not with the overturned tractor-trailer, but it might put her one step closer to the career she’d been dreaming about.

“Explain to me again why you haven’t called him yet.” Bailey panted between words as she jogged beside Evie the next morning in the park.

“Besides the fact that it’s only eight a.m.?”
Next to Bailey, Evie struggled to maintain her pace. Her friend was taller than she was, so her strides were a lot longer. Evie relished the challenge, but talking while running made keeping up even more difficult.

“He said call him anytime. That means
Any. Time
.” Bailey effortlessly slowed to a walk, and Evie downshifted, gulping in cool morning air. She needed some shorter friends to work out with. Between statuesque, brunette Emerson and willowy, redheaded Bailey, Evie looked like a mousy fourth-grader with her shorter legs and compact curves. Running with either one of her best friends always left her exhausted.

Still panting, Evie liberated her water bottle from the pouch at her hip and took a long sip before she was able to speak again. “I’m not sure what to say.”

“This must be serious. You’re never at a loss for words.” Bailey sipped from her own bottle and stopped to stretch her legs for a moment.

“It’s
not
serious. I mean—” She shivered at the thought of the kiss they’d shared. She’d spend half the night wondering how he’d faired at the accident scene and talking herself out of calling him. Chad’s coverage splashed across the front page of the Saturday edition, complete with Max’s dramatic photo of a flaming car. There was no mention of any EMTs being injured, so she assumed he was fine, but was he really waiting for her call as anxiously as he’d made it seem last night? “We kissed. That was all— Oh, and we talked about maybe double dating, if you feel like seeing Taylor again.”

“You’re already up to double dating?”

“It was just small talk really.” Evie’s fingers itched to pull out her phone and call him. It bothered her that she felt like she needed an excuse.

“I’ll go out with Taylor. He was nice.” Bailey raised a brow. “Do you think you can handle an evening with Tanner?”

“I’m not sure. He makes me…wobbly.”

“That’s a good thing. Easier for him to sweep you off your feet.”

“I don’t want to be swept,” Evie replied, ignoring the memories of his comments at the self-defense class. “I want to keep my feet firmly on the ground, thanks. I don’t like feeling out of control, and he…”

“Makes you want to lose control?”

God, yes.
With her back pressed against the chilly bricks of the building and her front pressed against his chest, she’d felt like a kite in the wind and someone had cut the string that anchored her to earth. Tanner Croft made her angry and jealous and hot and jittery and reckless…and none of those things were good. “He’s not really my type.”

“Oh, please.”

“No, I’m serious. You and Taylor—that makes a little more sense. Tanner said he’s very focused and serious. He’s dedicated to his work, and he’s looking to settle down. He’s like the male version of you. I bet you two would be great together. But me and Tanner—”

“Oil and water?”

“Oil and a lit match. Ever since last night, I feel like I touched a live wire, and I don’t like that feeling.”

Bailey sipped her water again. “Then get
over it.”

“How do I do that?”

“Hang on tight and wait for the shock to pass.”

“That’s very philosophical, but in reality, if you hang on to something that heats you up like that, all you do is get burned. I don’t want to get burned.”

“Now you sound like me. You’re the adventurous one. Take a chance.”

“And you sound like me. What happened to conservative Bailey who went home early last night and watched a movie with her brother?”

Bailey held out her hand. “Let’s make a deal. I’ll take a chance on Taylor if you take a chance on his brother.”

“I thought you didn’t like Tanner.”

“That was when I thought
you
didn’t like him.”

“I haven’t actually said I do like him.”

Bailey lifted Evie’s hand by the wrist. “You’re still shaking from last night. You like him.”

“
I’m not sure—”

“Call him. Now.”

Evie’s first instinct was to refuse. She wasn’t sure she wanted Bailey or anyone watching her when she spoke to Tanner because it might be embarrassing, but she had to admit, she’d thought of nothing else for almost twelve hours. At least she had her excuse. Bailey wanted to see Taylor again, and a double date would make her less likely to throw herself at him and end up doing something her sensible self would regret later.

“Fine.” She pulled out her phone and searched for his number. It wasn’t under C where she expected it, or TA for Tanner. She glanced at Bailey. Had the slippery snake only pretended to put his number into her phone?

“I can’t believe this…oh…hah.” She found it under
The Evil Twin
and showed Bailey before hitting dial. “Well, at least he’s honest.”

“That makes one of you,” Bailey muttered.

Evie cut off the call before the phone rang and squinted at her friend. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You know Shakespeare?”

“We’ve never met, but I’ve heard of him.”

“Have you heard
the lady doth protest too much
?”

Evie rolled her eyes. Before she could protest, Bailey plowed on. “Stop pretending he hasn’t gotten under your skin. That’s nothing to be afraid of.”

A million replies whizzed through Evie’s head, but she silenced them all and leveled an exasperated look at Bailey. Honestly, there was plenty to be afraid of, the least of which was losing her heart to someone who might not be serious about her. What she feared most was that it had already happened.

*

Tanner’s cell phone had never gone so long without ringing, and of course, the moment it did, his partner swiped the device from his hand.

“I’ve got to see who you’ve been obsessing over all day,” Quinn said, twisting out of Tanner’s reach and retreating to the far side of the firehouse kitchen where they’d been eating breakfast after a long night on duty. Tanner had another hour before this extra shift ended, and he desperately needed some sleep, but his exhaustion didn’t stop him from chasing his friend across the room.

“Give it back, come on. How old are you?”

The phone continued to play its ringtone, and any minute the call would go to voicemail. Tanner
lunged for it, grabbed Quinn’s arm, and wrestled it away from him.

“You’ve checked that phone a hundred times since we got back here. Must be a really important call…”

Tanner shushed him and hit connect. Despite having Evie on his mind all night, he was actually glad she hadn’t called back until now. He wouldn’t have been able to answer while he was working. “Hello?” He managed to keep his greeting neutral, even as he made a face at his partner.

“Hi. I hope this is a good time to call.”

“It is. I’m at work, but nothing’s going on.”

“I can call back.”

“No, this is okay. How are you?” Lame question. Across the room, Quinn had puckered up and was making kissing noises. Tanner rolled his eyes and turned his back. So juvenile. Hard to believe the guy was his best friend.

“I talked to Bailey, and she said she’s up for a double date, if Taylor is interested.”

“I’ll call him and find out when he’s free.”

“Good. Okay, maybe before that you and I could…get together?”

“Sure.” He’d done it. He’d charmed her. Now he just needed some free time. “Unfortunately I had to pick up a couple of extra shifts. The ambulance corps in Stanton is short-handed because of the flu, so my whole company is on call. How’s Tuesday night? Dinner…? Maybe someplace other than Colette’s?”

“Sure. Call me. Anytime.”

Tanner hung up, still grinning, and Quinn let out a low whistle. “So that was the reporter?”

“Evie.”

“The one who doesn’t like you?”

Tanner smirked. “Apparently she
likes me now.”

“Well, if you want to keep it that way, don’t ever cook for her.” Quinn grimaced as he cleared off the remains of the scrambled eggs Tanner had made for them.

“Don’t worry. If I get the chance, I plan to take her out for breakfast.”

“So you’ve already got those kind
s of plans? You sure she doesn’t just want to get back at you for flipping her around in karate class?”

Tanner slipped his phone back into his pocket. “She can flip me anyway she wants me. This girl is special.”

“They’re all special with you. For ten days, tops. Then they’re history.”

Tanner shook his head. “No…this is different.”

Quinn stopped his haphazard housekeeping and stared at his partner. “You say that at least once a month.”

“And I always mean it. Look, I’m not saying I met ‘the one,’” He paused to make air quotes around the words. After watching the crash and burn of his brother’s long-term relationship, he’d vowed never to let that happen to him, but there was something between him and Evie, and he was determined to see how far it could go.
Maybe it was the need to prove her wrong, or maybe it was those blue eyes of hers that had drawn him directly into her soul. Maybe he was just out of his mind. But whatever it was, he’d never felt it before. “I’m just going to enjoy the challenge.”

Quinn met his gaze for a minute. “Then good luck. I think you’re going to need it.”