Free Wildfire by Lynn James

possible.
    She had just packed her belongings and turned to head back to her camp when she saw Elaine standing there, a slow smile spreading across her face.
    Good God, the ranger moved quietly.
    “Good afternoon,” was all Elaine could think to say.
    The look in her eyes set Devon’s body ablaze instantly.
    “I wanted to let you know that the snowstorm is expected to come in this evening. It will be bitter cold tonight and the snowfall will begin tomorrow. The report suggests moderate to heavy accumulation; probably twelve inches or more. You don’t have much time if you want to pack out of here.”
    Devon looked at her in surprise, shock almost. “No. I have work to do. I won’t be leaving.” Devon attempted to mask her irritation at Elaine’s assumption that a little snow would drive her from camp by giving her a slight smile. Just what kind of a wimp does she think I am? She wasn’t some delicate flower that would wither and die when faced with some inclement weather.
    She couldn’t prevent the mischievous smile that spread across her face as she said a little more sarcastically than she had intended, “You’re welcome to leave, Captain. You don’t have to stay up here on my account.”
    Elaine smiled. “I’m not worried about me. I’m the one with the warm cabin remember?”
    Devon couldn’t help but laugh. “True enough.” Devon enjoyed Elaine’s sense of humor but she wasn’t going to be one-upped. “I guess I’ll have to dig out my snow boots. Besides, I’m always prepared. As I told you before, I brought my cold weather gear. I thought I might encounter snow at some point so I brought plenty of warm clothes and my sleeping bag is rated to forty below. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be perfectly fine.”
    Elaine felt like someone else was controlling her as she heard herself say, “Well, if you are planning to stay, perhaps you should come up to the cabin with me. I can offer you a warm, safe place to stay until the snow passes.”
    Devon briefly wondered how spending time alone snowbound with Elaine could possibly be safe. Her body trembled as she considered all the ways Elaine could keep her warm.
    “Well?” Elaine asked.
    “That won’t be necessary. I should be fine. But thank you for the offer.”
    Elaine knew that she had done her job by updating Devon about the storm. She had even offered her a warm place to stay. Elaine knew she should turn around and walk away, but her feet felt like lead weights. For some reason, even though she had no reason to assume Devon was anything but capable, she couldn’t bear the thought of her braving the storm and the cold alone in the woods.
    “I’m sorry, Dr. McKinney, but my job is to keep these woods and everyone in them safe.”
    Devon knew that it wasn’t really necessary for her to leave her camp and she wanted to be irritated with Elaine’s tone, but those eyes hypnotized her, making her forget all the reasons why she shouldn’t go. “All right, just let me grab a few things.”
    When Devon turned away Elaine silently shook her head. What was she thinking? Jesus, how was she going to spend the night in such close quarters with the woman that she was so incredibly attracted to?
    Elaine couldn’t help but notice how Devon moved with such poise and how at ease she was in this environment. She watched as Devon gathered some clothes, her toothbrush, toothpaste, lotion and her laptop, complete with a spare battery. She shoved everything in a small pack. Before leaving, Devon gathered up things around her camp, including a lantern and a strange looking grate that she pulled off the fire pit and placed them in her tent. When she had finished, she zipped the fly door closed and stood in front of Elaine ready to leave.
    Elaine glanced at the tent and decided that it should be fine. It was made to endure the weather and wind. When Devon had said that she would be fine, she wasn’t kidding. Still Elaine would feel better knowing that Devon