Читать книгу Hot to Touch - Kimberly Terry Kaye - Страница 15

“I’m training the rookies this morning. Meet me in the classroom in fifteen minutes.”

Emma spun around upon hearing Shane’s voice behind her, trying not to allow her surprise to show. She assumed that after their exchange two days ago she’d be left to her own devices, and this idea had proven correct over the last couple of days. She hadn’t been idle during that period, had instead used the time to interview and photograph the jumpers as they trained, pleasantly surprised when the majority seemed eager to speak in their down time.

She’d only caught occasional glimpses of Shane, usually by accident. And nine times out of ten, Shane was out the door within minutes whenever she showed up. Maybe Roebuck had spoken with him, or maybe he’d had a sudden change of heart regarding her. Whatever the reason, Emma wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. With a nod, she quickly made her way to her room and grabbed her gear, just in case. She was back in the classroom before the allotted fifteen minutes was up.

When she showed up to find she was the only one there, none of the rookies around, she felt a keen sense of disappointment. The disappointment led to outrage when one of the squad leaders strode into the room and informed her that she’d be watching a series of films about the history and lives of smoke jumpers, followed by a training film on the various ways a parachute could kill a person.

“You have got to be kidding me,” she murmured, her mouth thinning into a long, angry line as he set up the film.

“Oh, and uh, Shane said to leave you with this.” He handed her a small, hot bag full of popcorn.

When he caught the look in her eyes, he quickly turned and left, but not before Emma saw the smirk lurking in the squad leader’s eyes. Tempted to throw the bag of popcorn at his retreating back, she instead plopped down in a nearby chair.

“The least he could have done was leave me some extra butter to go with it,” she mumbled moodily.

“Fighting fires of any type is a tough, dirty job. Only the brave need apply…”

As the narrator of the black-and-white film spoke, she sighed, settling back in the chair and reaching into the bag of popcorn.

In the ready room, after the marathon of dusty old archived films she’d been forced to sit through, Emma finally had enough and left, seeking out one of the squad leaders…and avoiding Shane.

She hadn’t known what in the world the man would throw at her next. Still, for every roadblock he threw in her path, Emma had maneuvered around it, pleased with the progress she’d begun to make on her article.

Initially she’d been relieved for the reprieve, but as the days grew, her irritation grew as well. She needed his input as second in command. She was supposed to be trailing him, after all. She didn’t need his approval, and his insights were what she needed to make her article shine.

And although she’d managed to do her job without his interference over the last two days, she decided then that it was time to flip the script.

After her afternoon interview with Roebuck, again left to her own devices, she’d gone into the gym, only to see Shane along with his team, working out. She turned to beat a hasty retreat when he caught sight of her and invited her to go against one of the senior jumpers in scaling down the wall.

“Ms. Rawlings.” He stopped her before she could take more than a few steps.

Reluctantly, Emma turned back around to face him.

“You seem to know your way around a wall,” he began, and several of the men chuckled. Emma lifted her chin, raised a brow and waited for him to continue.

“Rick here is one of the best. Care to match your…skills…against his?”

The man he nodded his head toward was built like a truck. Although equal to Shane in height, this man looked as though he belonged on a football field battering through an angry defensive line, instead of jumping out of planes.

“You beat him, you have free rein of the station.” He threw out the challenge. “Nothing is off limits.”

“No one as well?” She saw the hesitation in his eyes and waited.

Finally, he nodded. “Nothing.” He paused. “And no one. But if you lose, you lose your article as well.”

The stakes were high, but without Shane Emma realized she didn’t have a complete article anyway. She dropped her pad and took her place at the top of the wall and then glanced over at her competitor and bit her lower lip.

There was no way she could she beat this man, she thought, inwardly groaning, but she put on a confident smile nonetheless.

She grabbed the rope, and seconds before Shane blew the whistle she slid a glance his way. She hid her surprise when he gave her a very deliberate wink and side grin before quickly turning away.