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Ignoring the dark look he gave her, she began to write up the brushfire incident. The sooner she completed her reports, the more details she remembered. She’d accessed the electronic form and filled in her name when the chief called her into his office.
    His florid face worried her. His complexion was not normally so vivid. Not a good sign.
    She rose, wondering why she’d been summoned. Routinely, he acknowledged her presence and left her alone to do her work. “Sir?”
    “Close the door behind you, Dinterman.”
    Despite her bravado, her confidence wavered at his harsh tone.
    Tyler only closed his door to ream out screwups. Her thoughts scattered as she tried to think how she’d earned his displeasure. She’d been on time every day this week. Turned in all her reports. Handled the incidents she’d responded to. Even taken this special assignment without complaint.
    When she turned back to face him, his face seemed even redder. Whatever upset him didn’t bode well for her. He didn’t invite her to sit down, and truthfully, she preferred standing in case she needed to beat a speedy retreat. Nerves prompted her to speak, to say anything to dispel the tension, but she waited.
    Her father had taught her plenty about intimidation. He’d known it would be tough for a girl on any force, but especially this force in redneck central.
    “I had such high hopes for you,” the chief began, his voice boning knife sharp. “But you’re gonna cost me my job. You let me down, Dinterman.”
    The sound of his labored breathing filled her ears. What was he talking about? The chief had won his last election by a considerable margin. How was his job on the line?
    “I don’t understand,” she said.
    “I told you this was a high profile assignment. I trusted you to do the job, and the first day in the field you put the arson investigator in harm’s way.”
    Was he talking about the brushfire? “Wyatt North is fine. We stopped on the way back into town to put out a fire on the roadside. The fire department arrived and quenched the fire. We drove back into town, unharmed.”
    “That’s not how I heard it. His clothes were singed, and both of you were given oxygen at the scene. Amaretto at EMS gave me a full report. You put him in danger.”
    His accusations put her on the defensive. She’d done nothing wrong. “We investigated a plume of smoke. It could have been a homeowner burning leaves, but that’s not what we found. I had no idea he would jump out of the car to fight the small fire. I helped him, and we’re both fine. No harm, no foul.”
    This last bit she said in a rush, feeling guilty about the tarp. Her ignorance had put North in jeopardy. She’d take those fire safety classes a lot more seriously from now on. But North had reacted in time to save them both. He hadn’t acted like a man in trouble. He’d taken charge.
    He was a hero.
    Why was the chief so spun up about the situation? She’d survived a knife fight, dodged bullets, and flipped a squad car in a high-speed chase. She’d proven she could handle danger, and she could certainly manage a man from Atlanta.
    Chief Tyler pounded his desk with a closed fist. “You were told to handle this guy with kid gloves. You lost control of the situation.”
    Though the noise jarred her, she held firm. “I did my job, sir, and so did he. North was a firefighter before he became an arson investigator. He’s trained to fight fires. His conduct did not jeopardize his safety.”
    “He’s not as competent as you think. Two years ago, he and another firefighter were injured in a blaze. North recovered; his buddy died. Ever since then, he’s been tracking the serial arsonist who started that fire. He recently took time off from the job because of stress. This is his first case in the field since he came back on the job. I was told to coddle him. His superiors need him to be all right. He’s connected.”
    Tyler’s terse delivery of North’s troubles socked her with a