Cathy McDavid - His Only Wife

Genuine admiration tinged Aubrey’s voice, and his chest swelled.

“Like being a nurse?

“Firefighting is nothing like being a nurse. You put your life on the line for others. That takes courage and daring.” She tilted her head and stared him square in the face. “I have to say, Gage, you really impress me. Not that I wasn’t—”

She didn’t have a chance to finish, because he hauled her into his arms, lifted her onto her toes and brought her mouth to within a tiny fraction of his.

Her green eyes went wide. “If you’re thinking of kissing me, think again.”

“Oh, I’m going to kiss you, all right.”

Dear Reader,

Some years ago when my family was visiting Young, Arizona, I had the opportunity to meet the Payson Hotshots. The crew, fresh from the front line of the fire, strode into the Antler Café where we were having dinner, turning every head in the place. In speaking to them, we learned the citizens of Young were helping out by hosting the wilderness firefighters—feeding them and putting them up for the night at the local community center.

That weekend while I stood on our cabin porch watching the fire blaze in the nearby mountains, I wondered about the Hotshots and the amazing individuals who chose to work in such a dangerous profession. I also wondered about the people who loved them and made up their families.

From that experience, Gage and Aubrey’s story was born. His Only Wife is my first Harlequin American Romance, a line that I’m thrilled to be writing for. I hope you enjoy reading about Gage and Aubrey as much as I enjoyed writing about them.

Warmest wishes,

Cathy McDavid

P.S. I love hearing from readers. Visit my Web site at www.cathymcdavid.com to drop me a line.

His Only Wife

Cathy McDavid

www.millsandboon.co.uk

For the past eleven years Cathy McDavid has been juggling a family, a job, and writing and doing pretty well at it except for the cooking and housecleaning part. Mother of boy and girl teenage twins, she manages the near impossible by working every day with her husband of twenty years at their commercial construction company. They survive by not bringing work home and not bringing home to the office. A mutual love of all things Western also helps. Horses and ranch animals have been a part of Cathy’s life since she moved to Arizona as a child and asked her mother for riding lessons. She can hardly remember a time when she couldn’t walk outside and pet a soft, velvety nose (or beak, or snout) whenever the mood struck.

This book is dedicated to the courageous men and women who serve as wilderness firefighters in the western United States and all over the world. It has been a joy writing about you and an honor to make your acquaintance.

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Tourists in motor homes, cowboys in pickup trucks, and teenagers in hot rods with the radios blasting.

Not much had changed about the Pineville service station over the last decade from what Aubrey Stuart could see, except maybe the price of gas.

And her.

She guided her mini SUV toward the far island and parked beside a pump. Pushing the door open with one hand, she grabbed her tiny purse off the front passenger seat and stepped outside. In the blink of an eye, she exchanged air-conditioned comfort for the heat of Arizona high country in late June.

While waiting for her credit card purchase to be authorized, she removed the cap from her gas tank and eyed the constant stream of vehicles coming and going. Everything about this place was familiar to Aubrey. During the four-hour drive from Tucson, she’d steeled herself against the pain that the sight of Pineville always brought on during those few short visits she’d made through the years. But to her vast relief, there wasn’t any. Only a twinge of melancholy.

Could it be she was really and truly over Gage Raintree?

A high-pitched electronic beep drew her attention to the gas pump and the message scrolling across the panel in vivid green letters.

“Cash only, see clerk inside,” Aubrey read out loud and sighed. With another hour’s drive still ahead of her, she had wanted this to be a quick in-and-out stop.

Better to be safe than sorry, she decided. Thirty-foot drop-offs in some places made the winding dirt road to her grandmother’s home in Blue Ridge treacherous. Running out of gas halfway there would be at best an inconvenience, at worse a disaster.

Slamming the door of her SUV shut, she headed toward the minimart, extracting a twenty-dollar bill from her purse as she went. Ten years earlier, on the day she left Blue Ridge, she’d walked through this same door. In some ways, it felt like a lifetime ago. In other ways, only yesterday.

Back then, she’d been all innocence, painfully shy, and skinny as a broomstick. The brainy older daughter of renowned heart surgeon Alexander Stuart. Her younger sister, Annie, used to call her a nerd, and rightfully so. Aubrey hadn’t just fit the description, she’d defined it. With the exception of Gage Raintree, the male population at large hardly noticed she existed.

“Enough already,” she grumbled, snapping out of her reverie. An hour away from Blue Ridge and already she had a bad case of Gage Raintree on the brain. What would it be like when she arrived at her grandmother’s?

Her movements purposeful, Aubrey strode into the minimart and went straight to stand in line behind several other people. The store was packed, taxing the sole clerk’s limited abilities. She felt sorry for the poor kid when the man ahead of her vehemently complained about the inconvenience.

Her turn finally came. “Twenty dollars on pump three.” She smiled pleasantly, handing the clerk her money. “And I need a receipt, please.”

He appeared grateful that she wasn’t going to bite his head off like everyone else. “Anything else, ma’am?”

“No, thank you.” She took the receipt and started toward the door. At the sound of a familiar voice, her knees locked.

“Aubrey?”

She stood immobile and willed her gaze not to fly around the store.

“Aubrey, is that you?”

What were the odds of him being here? In this convenience store, at the exact same moment as her? Well, this was the last gas station on the road out of town.

“Aubrey Stuart?” the voice called again.

She had to look. There was simply no avoiding it. And, well, he didn’t sound mad. That was a good sign, right? Mustering her courage, she turned slowly around and came face-to-face with her ex-husband.

“I thought you weren’t arriving until tomorrow,” he said.

“Hello, Gage.” Her voice quivered. It had a tendency to do that when she was nervous or uncomfortable or, like now, both. “How are you?”

“Good. How ‘bout yourself?” He moved ahead in line, closing the distance between them. “You look great.”

His lingering appraisal of her appearance caused Aubrey’s cheeks to heat. Never was she more aware of the fact that her younger, stick-figure self had filled out in all the right places.

“So do you,” she blurted. “Look great, that is.”

Of all things to gush forth from between her lips. Complete mental dysfunction was her only excuse. Gage did that to her. He always had.

But, sweet heaven, he did look great.

Tall to start with, he’d outgrown his once lanky form. There was no shortage of muscles bunching beneath his T-shirt. He wore his nearly black hair shorter than before. The wavy ends poked out from beneath his weathered cowboy hat to curl attractively at the base of his neck. His boots were scruffy, as always, and he needed a shave. Not that the dark stubble shadowing his jaw detracted from his good looks. Quite the contrary.

Rather than risk another embarrassing blunder, she forced her stiff legs to take a step toward the double glass doors at the front of the store. She’d known seeing him again would be a bit awkward, but she hadn’t expected it to be so…disconcerting. “Guess I’ll see you around.”

“Hold up.” He retrieved his change and plastic sack containing his purchases. “I’ll walk you to your car.”

“No!” At his bemused expression, she checked herself. “That’s not necessary. You’re obviously in a hurry.”

“Actually, I’m not.”

The sexy half smile he turned on her was potent as ever. Hoping to minimize its effects, she grabbed for the door handle nearest her and yanked, almost tearing her hand off in the process. The door rattled, but didn’t open. Too late, she realized she’d pulled instead of pushed. Gage came up behind her, reached around and braced his hand on the glass panel near her head.

“Here. Let me get that for you.” The door swung open, and a hot breeze struck Aubrey in the face.

She glanced over her shoulder. Big mistake.

His face hovered a few inches above hers. If she shifted slightly, she could find herself nestled in the crook of his arm. It was a place she’d been often enough as a teenager and remembered well.

A warning bell the size of Liberty herself rang inside Aubrey’s head.

“Thanks.” She shoved through the door and flashed him a smile she hoped radiated confidence. “See you around.”

He followed, his long strides easily keeping pace with her. “Is this yours?” he asked when they reached her SUV.

“Mine and the bank’s,” she answered. Not wanting Gage to sense her discomfort, she made an effort to relax.

“Four-wheel drive. That’ll come in handy around here.” He gave the car the standard once-over typical of men, then hitched his chin at the neighboring island of gas pumps. “I’m still driving a pickup.”

The long-bed crew cab he indicated was considerably newer and nicer than the one he’d driven in high school. And from what she could see, loaded to the hilt with lumber and various other building materials. He must have come into Pineville to purchase supplies for his family’s cattle ranch. There was some sort of emblem on the driver-side door that she couldn’t make out from this distance.

“It’s big,” she said and returned to filling her SUV with gas.

“I heard you were staying with your grandmother for a while. That’s nice of you. A broken hip is no picnic, and I’m sure she appreciates your help.”

“Yes.” Small-town gossip, thought Aubrey. Nothing stayed secret for long. Everybody from the local sheriff to the clerk at the feed store had probably been informed of her arrival.

“Look, Aubrey,” Gage said. “I know you probably feel a little…weird after what happened. Is there any chance we can get together and talk?”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” She squeezed the gas nozzle until her fingers turned white. “I mean, what’s to talk about? It was ages ago, and we’ve both moved on.”

“But I don’t want you feeling like you have to run for cover every time you see my pickup truck coming down the road. Blue Ridge is a small town. You can’t walk across your front lawn without having to stop and chat with at least three people.”

“I’m not going to run for cover every time I see you,” she scoffed.

He gave her a skeptical look.

“Really.” She hated that he knew her so well. But then, how could he not? They’d spent fifteen straight summers together, the last one as Mr. and Mrs. Raintree.