Book 1: The Mountain Firefighters
A Son for the Mountain Firefighter
His job or his family…
Jackson Garrett is a Hot Shot, one of an elite team who fights forest fires. More than once he’s saved the lives of the people on his crew. And more than once, Jackson knows the reason he’s made it out alive is Lexie – his good luck charm and one true love.
A marriage in peril…
Lexie Garrett doesn’t feel as if she ever had a husband. With Jackson always away, she’s practically raised their daughter alone. There’s no doubt Lexie loves Jackson. But will he be there for her the way he says he will? Now and forever?
A traditional, clean romance with no cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily-ever-after
Tropes: reunion romance, pregnant romance, firefighter romance, traditional romance, women’s fiction, adventure romance
Excerpt:
Jackson was as nervous as the first time he’d asked Lexie out.
She looked great. At least the part of her he could see above the kitchen pass through.
Thick lashes framed wide blue eyes unadorned by makeup. He could gaze into those eyes forever. Her hair, begging to be touched. It fell in soft brown waves about her shoulders. Her cheeks were flushed, and there’d been a few moments there when their eyes first connected that he’d been glad he came because of the way she was looking at him, as if she were happy to see him.
Heidi was pushing his luck a little, but heck, if he could get a hug from Lex on day one, that was something, right?
He gave Lex his best “hey, trust me” smile, planning to take this as slowly as she wanted, and entered the kitchen. The sight of her full, lush body made him stop in his tracks. “You’re pregnant!”
Her face turned bright red. “Yes.”
Lexie had slept with someone else? The room tilted.
“When did this happen?” Jackson’s eyes bounced around the room from Heidi—argh, don’t ask Heidi—to his Hot Shot buddies—he’d never live this down—to his wife—he almost always still thought of her as such. “How could this happen?”
Lexie sighed, running her hands over the blue T-shirt—his Hot Shot T-shirt—covering her very pregnant belly.
“Why didn’t anyone tell me?”
“I tried to tell you the last time you called, Dad, but I don’t think you heard me.” Heidi smiled sweetly, as if she hadn’t been in on this secret for months.
Jackson tried to remember the conversation Heidi referred to. It took a few seconds for something to click. He dropped his head and shook it slowly from side to side. “You said Mom was perfect.”
“No, Dad, I said she was pregnant,” Heidi corrected, then had the nerve to look back at the Hot Shot crew and grin.
The men, of course, heard their exchange and roared with laughter. Oh, this was one for the record books, all right.
Jackson struggled to control his emotions. He wanted to throttle whoever had gotten his wife pregnant, or at the very least, punch a wall.
Lexie had slept with another man.
“The ink wasn’t even dry on our divorce.” How was he going to win her back now?
“Heidi, go get yourself something to eat.” Lexie’s voice brooked no argument and Heidi scooted over to the table with the firemen. She was always more inclined to obey Lexie than to listen to him.
“You were the only thing…” Jackson let his voice trail off, swallowing thickly. She was the reason he’d found a way out of that fire. She and Heidi had been his reason for living. Lexie was his talisman, for heaven’s sake.
A cold emptiness settled inside of him.
“I’m sorry you had to learn about it this way,” Lexie said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I wasn’t sure how to tell you.”
“How could you do this to us?” Had Lexie left him for this guy? And what about her infertility problem? Maybe it wasn’t her problem, after all. Maybe all those doctors were wrong. Maybe all his sperm weren’t accounted for.
“I didn’t mean for this to happen, but it doesn’t change anything between us.”
And then the reality of the situation hit him. He pulled Lexie deeper into the kitchen and lowered his voice. “You’ve been walking around like…like…that for months, haven’t you.” He pointed to her swollen belly.
She arched her brows at him as if he’d lost his mind. “That’s right.”
“And everyone in town knows you’re pregnant.”
“Probably.” Lexie crossed her arms just underneath her very full breasts, resting her arms over her round stomach.
Jackson pinched the bridge of his nose. “That’s why everyone I saw today asked if I’d seen you. They’re salivating out there right now.” This time he pointed toward the dining room. “Just waiting to hear how I react to…to…you!”
“Probably.”
He forced himself to lower his voice. “Smiley. Birdie. Spider. And who knows how many others.”
“It is a situation that people appear to be curious about.”
Jackson slapped the wall with his palm. “Well, I’m curious, too.”
“Really?”
Jackson tilted his head to the ceiling as if the cracked stucco held the answer to his problems. This other guy was going to move in, sleep in his bed, and kiss his wife good-morning, not to mention good-night. If he hadn’t already.
Lexie was lost to him. And Heidi…
Jackson rubbed his gritty, sleep-deprived eyes. “Who is he, Lex? Who did this to us?”
Lexie’s mouth dropped open, then she narrowed her eyes at him and said, “You did, you idiot.”
The Story Behind the Story
This entire series is about the kind of man I knew when I was in my twenties. Guys who got into relationships before they were emotionally ready or avoided relationships because it was just too fun to be single.
I wrote these stories to explore the emotions - messy ones - that have to be aired out before both parties grow up (and I mean this is a good way).
My step brother was a Hot Shot. You’ll find many stories here that reflect his experience.
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