“Okay,” she said finally, no other answer possible when he was this close, touching her, smelling so great, after their invigorating day in the mountains. If she left him now, she’d always wonder what might have happened if she’d said yes. For the second time that week, she was going with impulsive.

He smiled, reluctantly returning his hands to the steering wheel. “Okay,” he said, pulling the truck back onto Main Street, heading toward the station.

Meanwhile, her heart was headed straight for trouble.

* * *

WELL, IT WASN’T wine and a bath, but he had pizza and Erika’s company, so he’d call it a win. Reed had sensed her reluctance in the truck and he’d silently hoped she’d agree to spend the evening with him. The day had been the best nondate he’d ever been on. The more he spent time with her, the stronger his feelings for her grew. And not just the semi-hard-on feelings he’d struggled with all day. The thought of letting her go had made his gut hurt. He didn’t want to think about how it might hit him when she actually left Wild River.

“I didn’t know the team leads had to take these overnight station shifts,” she said, removing her ski jacket and tossing it next to his on the tiny, uncomfortable cot in the corner. The twelve by twelve space was busting at the seams with a desk and extra gear stashed everywhere. When the county provided funding, they bought as much equipment as possible, whether they had space for it or not. That equipment could mean the difference between life and death for someone needing help, so they turned nothing away.

“Normally that’s true, but we try to keep it fair with responsibilities around here. We have a great team, so we all pull our weight,” he said. “Music?”

“Sure.”

He turned on the old stereo on the desk and tuned to the local holiday music station. “This okay?” he asked as a slow, romantic song played.

“It’s great. I can’t remember the last time I listened to Christmas music. I’m usually so busy at the hospital that Christmas is just another day.”

A wistful longing in her voice made him glad she was there for the season. Even if she could only appreciate it for a little while. He opened the pizza box lid. The smell of meat and cheese escaped on the steam and his stomach growled. He was famished.

He’d been relieved when Erika had claimed to like the same meat-filled, double cheese pie that he normally ordered. If she’d preferred some chicken or veggie crap, he may have had to order them separate meals. He reached into a cupboard above the cot. “Paper plates okay? Or I could run into the fire station to see if they have real ones...”