Read Dakota Heat (Book 3 - Dakota Hearts) for Free Online Page B

It’ll never take the sting out of losing Wade. But it did change them and they got through it.”
    They fell in step as they walked down the hiking trail.
    “I hope one day I can be as lucky in love as my parents.”
    “You?”
    Sam gave her a sidelong glance. “Why not me?”
    “From what I hear from Michelle, there is no chance of Sam McKinnon ever settling down.”
    “Michelle?”
    “Oh, you forgot her already? Waitress at your mother’s diner? She told me all about how you broke her heart in high school. And that’s not the only broken heart in town by her recollection.”
    “Ah, Michelle. She was a nice girl. Not my type though.”
    “Really?”
    “Besides I hear she’s gotten over me just fine.”
    “She told me she’s engaged. But she carried quite a torch for you.”
    “You jealous?”
    “Me? Why would I be jealous?”
    He chuckled, the sun making his eyes twinkle just a bit. “I wouldn’t mind if you were.”
    “I don’t have time for a broken heart, thank you very much.”
    “And yet you’re here with me now. With all that talk it seems to me you’d have run in the other direction when I asked you to come today.”
    Damn that Sam McKinnon. He always seemed to have a way of backing her up in a corner about her feelings.
    She thought a second before she replied. “You were the one who suggested I come see the area before fire season got into full swing.”
    “That’s only because I wanted to be alone with you.”
    She snapped her gaze at him as he laughed.
    They reached the top of the trail, which opened up to a magnificent view of the rock formations on the hills beyond the canyon.
    “Wow, a person can really get lost out here,” Summer said, taking in the breathtaking view.
    “Some do. Not me, mind you. But some people do.”
    She gave Sam a playful smack on the arm. “You’re so full of yourself.”
    “You love that about me.”
    “There you go again. So sure of yourself.”
    Sam took her hand in his and walked with her up a pass toward the top of the cliff to get a better view of the canyon below. She didn’t pull back, surprised at just how easy it was to feel connected to this man and how much she wanted more of him. It was easy to be with Sam, easy to feel comfortable and say what was on her mind. And it was easy for her to forget her reason for being in South Dakota in the first place. All her fears felt so far away when she was with Sam.
    “There is a blessing and a curse in those rock formations.”
    “How do you mean?”
    Sam pointed to the red rock formations on the opposite side of the canyon. “They’ll stop a fire from spreading past that point. But they’ll trap a man in that canyon just as easily if all access below is blocked. We’ll need two spotters when we work down there this week in case the wind shifts. And in the canyons, the wind shifts rapidly.”
    Being here with Sam was both an education and a comfort. He knew his job well and took all precautions to make sure his crew was safe. He wouldn’t risk their lives.
    “When do the prescribed burns start?” she asked.
    “Next week. We have a lot of work to do this season. The NOAA has warned that this area is a hot spot if the heat lightning we’ve been experiencing sets off a fire. Once we get under way, we’ll probably be holed up in our Crew Hauls for days until the work is done.”
    And she’d be back at the basecamp that will act as a satellite base for the Hotshots, Smokejumpers and fuel haulers. That was where her job was. That’s where safety was. Sam would be out here where all the danger would be.
    But for today, she was here with Sam and there was no danger for either of them. It was just the two of them on this gloriously perfect sunny day.
    “What?” he said, looking at her curiously.
    “I didn’t say anything.”
    “No, but you’re smiling.”
    She raised an eyebrow. “You don’t like my smile?”
    He dragged her into his arms and enveloped her in his arms. “On the contrary,