Page 7 of A Hard Habit to Break

“You know what I like.” Another mistake he’d made. Noah always had an exit strategy when it came to women—keep the game fun, stick the touchdown, always go for the extra point,and make the walk off the field memorable. He was the one who always got away.

“Likely story. We could celebrate your new appointment tonight. I could drive up to your cabin after work. Now that it’s complete, I want to be the first to see it. We can eat all your favorites on that back deck I’ve been hearing so much about.” She blushed, her cheeks warming to a soft rosy glow.

“It’s not official yet. And how could ol’ Noah say yes to you when you know I’ve turned down other offers?” He didn’t lead women on. Other than his mama and Eli’s wife, Amarie, no woman had seen the inside of his home. A move like that would be too close for his comfort.

Cheyenne’s only response was a full pout, reminding him of all the wonderful things she would do after a good conversation. Two things Noah Calvary understood on instinct: fires and females. Noah admired the power of both and lived for the challenge, the risk, and the thrill. One paid his bills, and the other—well, when he stalked onto the dating field, women gushed over him faster than a hydrant under pressure. He loved to soothe and subdue wild things—a unique ability he applied to lovely creatures like Cheyenne, whom he enjoyed entertaining till their Mr. Right came along. A man like him, who found a beautiful quality in every woman, needed a strategy to avoid hurt feelings or, worse, papas with double-barreled shotguns. Noah readied his smile, a counteroffensive to block Cheyenne’s amateur scrimmage.

“But we could—”

“Calvary, stop whatever you’re doing.” That alpha bark was Fire Chief Harvey Novak. The man’s heroics in the face of reckless yahoos torching the forest in drunken revelry and negligent campers with unattended fires bordered on legendary. Noah planned to exceed his accomplishments by the time he reached retirement age. His portrait, like his PawPaw’s,would have a permanent brass nameplate regaling his years of service.

“Duty calls,” Noah crooned, lowering his voice to a wolfish rumble the ladies responded to on a primal level. On cue, Cheyenne leaned closer, pressing her slender curves against his hip.

“But… what about hosing me down again?” she whispered, trailing off into a coquettish giggle.

Yeah, that question reminded him why he kept his dating casual and on rotation. “You know my rule. Fighting fires before dousing flames, even for a smoking hot redhead.” When it came to the job, nothing came before putting out fires.

Behind Cheyenne’s desk, Noah heard the hinges squeak before the door handle made an angry thunk against the wall.

“Calvary. Now.”

“Sir. Yes, sir. Just saying good morning to the lady.”

“Noah,” Jimmy yelled above Beyoncé’s melodic “Jolene” flowing through a Bluetooth speaker. “We’re all expecting a state-of-the-art training facility for shouldering your big head while short-staffed.” With the budget constraints, Noah had mandated the team cross-train to cover a broader range of tasks around the station.

“Yep.” He trotted past the file cabinets. “I know. Equipment upgrades. A second engine. Public safety offices.”

Jimmy grinned up at him. “That’s right. So go in there and work your Noah Calvary magic.”

“You know I will,” he tossed over his shoulder before taking the steps up to the captain’s domain. Noah’s heart swelled with pride and anticipation as he surveyed the office that, in a few weeks, would be his to command. He had come a long way since Service County High.

“Mornin’, sir.”

“Noah, take a seat.” Harvey Novak’s voice matched hisstature, big and full-bodied. He’d been a star quarterback, like Noah. Attended Bluefield College close to the West Virginia–Maryland border, like Noah. After hiring on at the fire station, he’d married his high school sweetie, Marilyn, and built a sprawling ranch home on a half dozen acres right there in Service… unlike Noah.

“I prefer to stand,” Noah said, surveying the wall-mounted photo ops, thinking about how he would change the drab little office into his new throne one day.

The captain pointed a beefy finger at one of the two leatherette chairs in front of his battered metal desk. “That wasn’t a request.”

Noah didn’t take offense. His father has taught him better than to try to upstage a man in his own home. Until Harvey retired, Noah had to abide by the rules to secure the ultimate prize: his name, gold-stenciled, on the door. Then he’d control the playbook and players—firefighters, paramedics, fire prevention staff, and administrative support—all his to command.

“Look…ah, I got news.”

“And?” Noah said, relaxing against the chair frame, the thin aluminum groaning under his sinewy build.

“The county sent word this morning. My retirement and your redevelopment chair appointment have been approved.”

“That’s great, sir.”

“Yep, when I retire, don’t expect me to be hiring you on for any more room additions or roof repairs. The missus been busy dusting off the thirty-four-year honey-do list.”

“I appreciate the extra money, Captain. But better you than me,” Noah laughed at the captain’s soured expression. In his off time, he worked in building construction, using the bonus dollars to bankroll the construction of his cabin.

Harvey pinched the bridge of his nose as if Noah hadmissed the final punchline. “One day, you’ll understand that a woman wanting you around, looking to you to handle things she can do on her own, is the best kind of busy bee.”

Once upon a foolish time, Noah thought he’d have something similar with Rachel. But she’d rendered his heart a blackened burn pit filled with smoldering ash. Maybe she’d show up this year, but he had his five years of doubts that she’d draft another well-articulated excuse to stay away. He wouldn’t dwell on his role in her swift departure from Service and prolonged absence.

Noah crossed his arms over his chest, fully confident that the only role Harvey held that he wanted to walk into involved a paycheck. “My bees know I’m only interested in a bit of honey.”