Free Gnome On The Range by Jennifer Zane Page A

which made my brain slow.
    “If you’d come out here by yourself like you’d wanted the men would be picking up pieces of you along with the house.”
    I jabbed my finger into his chest. “If I’d come by myself I would have parked in the street!” What a lame comeback. I wasn’t very good at confrontation. I’d hated when Nate had gotten in my face, told me how everything was my fault. Maybe I was demented.
    “What the hell does that mean?” He had the look of a man who was talking to a woman who really was demented. I couldn’t blame him.
    I felt tears burn the back of my eyes. “I have no idea!” I swallowed the lump of frustration and old fear trying to escape. “Nate used to yell at me and I don’t like it.” I looked down at the ground. Anywhere but at Ty.
    “I bet he never yelled at you about a house exploding.”
    “No. Just sex,” I replied, nonchalantly. I looked up at him surprised. Crap, I hadn’t meant to let that slip out. Too much information.
    Ty pulled his head back a bit and looked at me strangely. “Sweetheart, I can guarantee I’ll never yell at you about sex.” He leaned back in, this time so close he whispered in my ear. I felt his breath hot on my neck. His knuckles ran up and down my bare arm. “You, however, can yell all you want. Hell, I bet I can make you scream.”
    He was right. I was demented. Demented enough to turn my face into his and kiss him. Not just a little peck on the cheek, but the kind where you grab the hair at the back of his neck and settle in for awhile.
    He wasn’t gentle. His kiss was a little rough, his tongue moved quickly to find mine. I was equally desperate to lose myself in the kiss. What an insane morning! I went hot all over, and weak. I felt alive, and after the death-defying experience, it was wonderful. My back pressed up against something hard and cold. The fire truck. Ty’s chest was equally hard against my breasts. His knee nudged my legs apart and he was even closer. I was so totally lost, so in over my head. So…forgetful. I pulled back as best I could, remembering where we were.
    “We…um…need to stop.” I breathed as if I’d run a mile.
    Ty grinned, his eyes dark with lust. “I’ve got that box of condoms if you want to start back up.” He kissed the tip of my nose and walked away, leaving me leaning against the fire truck.
    ***
    I got a ride home with a sheriff around lunchtime. Ty had to stay behind and wait for the insurance adjuster and complete the paperwork about his flattened truck. Kelly had been kind enough to drive Bobby and Zach into town in her Econoline van. That’s the smallest vehicle that would hold her brood. The decibel level in the back was close to rock concert proportions.
    I met them at Bogert Pool, in time for the start of free swim. Everyone piled out, pool noodles, goggles and towels flying every which way, ready for an afternoon of swimming. Bogert was the city’s outdoor pool which had swim lessons in the morning—which Zach and Bobby went to—and open pool hours all afternoon. It was noisy and chock full of kids, but usually the boys ran into someone they knew and played the afternoon away. I was content with the sun and cool water.
    Kelly and I sat on the edge of the shallow end and watched the younger ones splash and swim. I wore the green bikini I’d gotten two years before from mail order. It wasn’t super revealing, although my larger chest size provided ample cleavage no matter what I wore and made me feel a little self-conscious. Kelly wore a typical mom-kini. A brightly patterned, mostly pink tank and swim skirt. It, of course, looked cute on her. If I wore her suit, I’d be spilling out the top and the little ruffles on the skirt would look like bloomers on me.
    “I don’t know if I should laugh at you or hug you. I’m so glad you’re all right, but I can’t believe it. The house blew up and Ty’s truck….” Kelly shook her head. There really wasn’t much else to say. The