At least two dozen folding chairs were assembled in a semi-circle, leaving an opening for the two EMTs who were requalifying us in first aid tonight. I scanned the people gathered and made a beeline for the one person I knew wouldn’t put me on edge.
I dropped my bag to the floor and lowered myself into the chair next to Roan. He glanced down at me, his gaze running over my face, searching the way it always did. He could see more than any of my brothers. Sometimes, I thought it was because he lived his life in the quiet. It made him aware of even the slightest changes in the world around him.
“Bad day?” he asked.
“Idiot tourists pretending they could hike Everest, nosy coworkers, a-hat Caden.” I consciously left out the Rance issue. Because while Roan was my most understanding brother, that didn’t make him any less protective. And the last thing I needed was my four big brothers thinking they had to step in where my dating life was concerned.
“Tourists,” Roan grunted.
He had to deal with his fair share of them while working as a game warden for Fish and Wildlife. Usually, when they didn’t store their food properly and attracted bears.
“Summer’s almost over,” I assured him.
“Not soon enough,” he grumbled.
The chair next to me squeaked, and I looked up. The little bit of calmness I’d found from Roan’s presence vanished in a flash.
Caden rolled up the sleeves of his button-down, exposing tan, corded muscle. Rage pulsed hotter in my system. Even his forearms were hot.
“Sit somewhere else,” I growled.
Caden arched a brow. “You’d think I had an effect on you, Gigi.”
“Yeah, indigestion,” I snapped.
Roan choked on a laugh.
Caden stretched out his arm and draped it across the back of my chair. “So, what you’re saying is I cause deep feelings.”
I snarled at him as I pinched the inside of that danged forearm.
“Shit! Sheathe the claws.”
“You’re the one who wanted to sit here.” And now I would be on edge for the rest of the night.
Holt stepped into the center of the semi-circle. “Thanks for coming, everyone.”
I glanced at Roan. “Where’s Lawson?”
“Couldn’t find someone to watch the boys.”
Our eldest brother was the world’s best dad, but I knew doing it on his own wasn’t easy, and he wasn’t one to ask for help unless he was desperate.
Holt introduced the two EMTs, and they dove into basic wound care. Between training for my job and growing up in SAR, I could’ve recited the presentation by heart.
My phone buzzed in my bag, but I ignored it, trying to focus on how to properly wash and sanitize a wound before wrapping it. Heat wafted off Caden in waves. My body was instantly aware of every tiny movement he made. His arm brushed mine, and I jolted as if I’d been shocked by electricity.
Roan sent me a puzzled look, and I crossed my arms, pulling them tight to my body.
My phone buzzed again, and I bent to slide it out of my bag. As my fingers closed around the device, yet another buzz sounded. Tapping the screen, I grimaced.
Rance
I’ve been thinking a lot about what you said.
Rance
The strongest relationships I’ve seen started as friendship. The spark came later.
