Free Hot as Sin by Bella Andre Page A

closer to the fire. Logan should have made a break for it. He should have saved himself. Instead he came down the hill and saved our lives.”
    Dianna wasn’t surprised by what Logan had done. Like the rest of the men on Sam’s crew, Logan had been gorgeous and fearless, and yet he’d stood out to her. Not because she was attracted to him, but because she knew a kindred spirit when she met one. He hadn’t needed to tell her that his life hadn’t always been easy. She’d seen it in his eyes, in the set of his jaw, in the way he carried himself.
    “I always liked Logan.”
    “He just got married.”
    Again, she was surprised by Sam’s intensity. And the fact that there was no mistaking his meaning of, “Back off, he’s taken.”
    Well, she wasn’t going to rise to the bait.
    “I’ll make sure to send his new wife something pretty for the house.” Getting back to Connor, she asked, “So the three of you ran up the mountain? And then what?”
    His eyes clouded over and she wondered if he was back there in Desolation Wilderness with Logan and Connor, breathing in hot, black smoke.
    “Death was right there, right behind us. We were almost out, when the breeze kicked up and the flames sucked Connor down.”
    She took a shaky breath. “It must have been horrible.”
    She knew the Forest Service sent in psychiatrists whenever there was an accident. She also knew that hotshots rarely talked to the suits, that they weren’t willing to risk getting kicked off the crew later on because of a momentary weakness recorded in their official files.
    “Have you talked about this with anyone?”
    Sam shook his head once, firmly. The urge to take him in her arms and heal his bottled-up pain was so strong that she had her hand on his arm before she could corral her compulsion.
    He stiffened and she immediately yanked her hand away. The skin on her palm and fingers felt like she’d grabbed on to a hot platter right out of the oven.
    “I should have insisted on bringing up the rear,” Sam finally said in a hard voice.
    Clearly, guilt still weighed him down. Even though he’d almost died saving his brother, he obviously wished he could have done more.
    “It should have been me getting burned. Not my little brother.”
    It was painful, this reminder of how much they both loved their siblings, an unbreakable bond that a part of her wished they didn’t have. Still, she needed him to know that he wasn’t to blame.
    “He’s alive, Sam. You pulled him out of the fire. It must have been so hard on you, having to go back out there and fight wildfires without Connor. You two have worked together for so long. And he’s such an asset not only to you, but to the entire crew.”
    When he remained silent, she asked, “What’s his prognosis? Will he fight fire again?”
    “He’s doing everything in his power to convince the Forest Service that he belongs back on the crew. He’s gone through hell and back with skin grafts and physical therapy and never complained. Not once.”
    She wasn’t surprised. The MacKenzie brothers had more than good genes in common. They were both strong.
    Unbreakable.
    “I’ll bet he’s still a swashbuckling ladies’ man through it all, isn’t he?” she said, forcing a smile.
    But instead of smiling back, Sam turned the questions around on her.
    “What about April? I’ve always wondered if you were able to pull her out of the foster system.”
    Regardless of how things had gone wrong between them, Dianna had never forgotten Sam’s unwavering support during those first months when she was wading through paperwork and red tape.
    “I got her, Sam.”
    Finally, he smiled back and she lost her breath.
    She fiddled with the blanket as she gathered her composure, knowing it was only fair to tell him as much about April as he’d told her about Connor, even though it wasn’t easy for her to talk about it.
    “She’s lived with me for the past six years.”
    He whistled softly. “It took you four years