Free Burn on the Western Slope (Crimson Romance) by Angela Smith Page B

hold him up as he watched her. Damn, but he was already turning a fool. He had to get his head in the game.
    He missed the ball. His hard-on softened somewhat but the fire still raged within him.
    He wondered if she’d go to bed with him and thought against it. No way. She barely knew him and she didn’t strike him as the kind of woman who would give herself away that easily. And if she did, well, he would be going against his core work principles.
    So he didn’t make an effort. Which made it a lot harder on his body. Next time he had the chance, he sat. It was easier on his lower extremities.
    “Gar, can I get you anything?” Chayton asked.
    Garret swiped his hand across his face, fighting to gain his composure. Chayton was going on another drink run. Garret rarely drank hard liquor, especially on an assignment. But, dammit, he was on vacation and he didn’t want this assignment.
    “Whiskey, on the rocks.”
    Chayton let out a low whistle. Garret would catch hell for the order later.
    But he was going to need all the help he could get tonight.

Chapter Six
    Reagan avoided Air Dog for the next few days. She’d acted like a fool Sunday night. Coming on to Garret, ready to go to bed with him at any hint of invitation. His attitude had completely shifted not long after their game ended. She’d flirted with him, even going so far as to rest her arm on his shoulder, lean into him so her sweater dipped lower than it should, and congratulate his win.
    They danced. As Reagan snuggled up to him, she thought she detected the same excitement she felt, but he kissed her on the cheek when the song ended and danced with more women, his hands on the crook of their backs as they had been on hers.
    When she’d asked him for another dance, he blew her off to play pool with his friend. She’d lingered awhile, laughed at their antics and joined in on their jokes, but he wouldn’t look at her.
    Chayton had walked them home. She didn’t think Garret even noticed.
    She understood completely. She’d read the signs wrong and didn’t need him to tell her he wasn’t interested. And she wasn’t the kind of girl who would go out of her way for a guy’s attention.
    His loss. She’d find someone else to help establish her new recklessness.
    Reagan spent the days roaming the condo and exploring the town while Naomi spent them skiing with Chayton. She and Naomi had barely seen each other since the party Sunday night. She wanted Naomi to have fun while she was here, but she also wanted to spend time with her cousin. Naomi had invited her on the slopes, but she wasn’t about to kill herself. Besides, how could she contemplate her life while falling thousands of feet down a slippery slope of ice and terror?
    She wasn’t ready for that much adventure.
    She didn’t fit in here. Not really. She wasn’t a snow sport person and didn’t know anything about mountain living, but she was determined to stay.
    After emailing pictures to her dad, she walked to the grocery store to find something for dinner. Reagan thought it’d be fun if they cooked dinner and settled in with a movie, and she hoped Naomi would agree. If not, Reagan would have Johnny Depp to herself.
    The thought didn’t appeal to her much. Loneliness dumped her into a familiar boredom and restlessness. The thought of going back to the condo alone depressed her.
    “How are you doing?” Randy, the produce manager asked as she fumbled with the same apple for the third time. She’d met him the other day when she and Naomi had come shopping. He’d practically told her his life story. Married for thirty something years, three kids, one grandchild ready to start school. “Can I help you find anything?”
    “Oh. No. I’m just trying to decide what to cook for dinner tonight.”
    “Our potatoes and squash are on sale this week. I’ve got a good soup recipe if you want to try it.”
    “Okay. I need some potatoes anyway,” she said. After loading a bag of potatoes, celery, and