Free Taste the Heat by Rachel Harris Page B

she stammered, taking her napkin off her lap and placing it on the plate in
     front of her. She licked her lips and sent him an unidentifiable look. “Well, Emma,
     I’m honored you want me to be a part of your special day,” she said carefully. “But
     wouldn’t I be intruding?”
    Jason couldn’t tell by the look on her face if she wanted an out or not. And he still
     wasn’t sure if he should encourage Emma’s hero worship. But the more Jason thought
     about it, the more he realized that he wanted Colby there. Emma deserved a special
     birthday. She deserved a dozen of them. And within reason, he wanted to give her everything
     she asked for. If Colby’s presence made her day that much better, that was what he
     wanted to give her. Plus, he’d be lying if he said he didn’t like the idea of spending
     more time with the enchanting chef himself.
    So he answered honestly. “You wouldn’t be intruding at all. We’re just going down
     the street to LeBeaux Park for the night. Walk a few trails, roast a few hot dogs,
     and eat a few dozen s’mores. We’d love to have you join us,” he said. Then he realized
     the one flaw in the plan. “That is, if you can take off on a weekend.”
    Colby bit the corner of her pouty lip. “Normally, I can’t,” she admitted. “Fridays
     and Saturdays are super busy at the restaurant, at any restaurant really. The earliest I’d usually get off is eight, and that’s rare. But
     I guess family businesses do have some perks…” She tilted her head and thought for
     a moment, then smiled at Emma. “Golden birthday, huh? The big one-two?”
    Emma nodded. “Only one year left before I’m officially a teenager.”
    “And Dad officially has a coronary,” Colby added with a grin. She slid her phone out
     of her pocket and her fingers began flying across the screen. “Man, I haven’t taken
     a weekend shift off in years.”
    His precocious daughter sent him a private wink. He knew she was playing matchmaker.
     Between her and Sherry, they’d have him married to Colby by Labor Day. And therein
     lay the problem, since by her own admitted timetable, Colby would have already returned
     to Vegas by then. Maybe asking her to come with them wasn’t such a good idea after
     all.
    But before he could say so, Colby lifted her head. “Rhonda says she can handle the
     shifts on her own.” She leaned up to pocket the phone and tousled Emma’s hair. She
     slid Jason a smile. “Any chance your tent has room for three?”

    Chapter Six
    Jason set down the last of the camping equipment and took a deep breath, inhaling
     the scent of fresh pine, wet mud, and wood smoke. Across the campground, metal clanged
     near the horseshoe pit. And near the edge of the bayou, standing beside her idol,
     Emma plunged her hand into a bag of stale bread and chucked a handful of torn pieces
     into the water. Mayhem instantly ensued. Dozens of paddling ducks honked and fought,
     diving for the same soggy piece, as birds flew from the trees, squawking their disapproval.
     Colby bent her head close to his daughter’s ear. Emma’s ponytail bounced with her
     laughter. And Jason’s chest constricted.
    How different would it be if Ashleigh were here today?
    Listening to his daughter’s animated laughter and glancing at the array of supplies
     at his feet, Jason figured probably not much. Ashleigh had been a girly-girl—she didn’t do camping. But for Emma, he knew she would’ve done anything to make this the best camping
     trip a soon-to-be twelve-year-old could have. The same thing he and Colby were trying
     to do. Which led to the question he really wanted answered: what would Ashleigh think
     of Colby?
    His wife had died way too young. They never thought to talk about the future or what
     they should do if tragedy struck. In Hollywood, dying heroes and heroines always encourage
     left-behind spouses to find love again, but Jason didn’t want love. He’d been there,
     done that, and had the deep