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words, he just spat them out. “Makenna, you know this isn’t working.”
    “What isn’t working?” Makenna tensed. A sinking feeling rose in her middle. He didn’t have to say anything more. She understood. He’d seen through her concern and knew she felt more for him than mere friendship. And he didn’t want it…or her…
    Titan sought words, words to explain how he felt. But they wouldn’t come.
    “Makenna, what the hell are you doing here? You know you shouldn’t be out alone at this time of night!”
    Titan couldn’t argue with that—he didn’t like Makenna out alone either.
    A pain shot through her where Damien pinched her arm in a cruel grip. To anyone looking on, it would seem he was just holding her. They couldn’t tell he was digging his thumb in with great force. She winced, then tried to control it. What happened later would depend on how she acted now. “I was just checking on Titan.” Next, a lie slipped from her lips, implying she thought the injured firefighter could be Damien. “I heard there was a firefighter down. I was worried.”
    The pressure of his fingers didn’t lessen. Instead, he applied more and moved her backward in the room. “Go home and wait for me,” he growled in a whisper.
    Makenna didn’t wait to hear more. She left, hurrying back the way she came. The impulse to go to Titan was one she should have ignored. All of the attraction, all of the longing was one-sided, on her part only. He was a man of honor, there was no way he would ever be interested… She bit back a small keen of despair. And now, now she’d pay for her foolhardy decision. Part of her wanted to keep driving and never look back. But the knowledge that Damien would punish an innocent person in her stead made the impulse impossible. Makenna couldn’t risk that, she couldn’t let someone else bear the burden of her transgressions.
    When she arrived at home, she sat down and waited.
    There was no use trying to hide.
    Back at the hospital, Damien stood over Titan. “Accidents happen. You were lucky.”
    “Just glad no one else was hurt.” He didn’t really know what else to say. His mind was still whirling over what he’d blurted out to Makenna.
    “I’d like to apologize for my wife,” Damien said out of the blue and Titan jerked his head up to meet his Captain’s gaze.
    “For what? She just came to check on me…or whoever was hurt. She heard the information on the scanner.”
    “Well, Makenna doesn’t always use the best judgment. I tell her to mind her actions, but she doesn’t always listen. Believe me, I’ll straighten her out.”
    His odd words and odder attitude puzzled Titan. It bothered him. He was about to ask Wade to clarify what he meant when several of his buddies came storming through the emergency room door.
    “How the hell are you, big man?” Hotshot asked with concern.
    “We can’t turn our back on you for a minute,” Maverick muttered.
    By the time he’d reassured his friends, the Captain was gone and Titan had a bad feeling he didn’t really understand.
    *  *  *
    For the next week, Titan took it easy, puttering around his ranch and allowing his back to heal. Tammie called to check on him, reminding him about their date in a few days. “I remember. I’ll be by to pick you up at seven. I’m on call, though, so don’t forget I might have to leave at any time.” If she discerned the lack of enthusiasm in his response, Tammie said nothing.
    Being a volunteer member of the fire department as well as the search and rescue team was different than being a full-time employee in the field. In rural communities like theirs, neighbors had to band together and do whatever needed to be done. So he lived his life, taking care of his land and cattle until the fire alarm sounded and if it was where he could go, Titan sprang into action. It was the same with all the volunteers. They each had careers, held down jobs—be it ranchers, business owners, construction workers or