LITMIR.BIZ

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right, Dev—is it all right if I call you Dev? Or should I say Dare Devlin?” He paused for Devlin’s grin—a show of acceptance of the new nickname—and continued, “My name’s Jack and we’re going to get you out of here as soon as possible.” He turned, putting a hand on Liesel’s shoulder, lips parting to reveal a crooked smile. Uh-oh … that’s a knee-weakener.

      “Is it all right if I call you Miss?” He laughed good-naturedly at her startled expression then stood up, putting a hand under Liesel’s elbow to help her to her feet as he rose.

      Crikey. And he’s got manners.

      “Miss is great.” She tried to force her lips into a casual smile as she silently raced through a quick-fire series of questions. Had her hair seen the right side of a brush recently? Had she unscrewed the lid on her mascara that morning? Then used it? Had her fair skin and freckles already had their daily allotment of sunshine? All too aware of the arrows of heat beginning to shoot across her cheeks, she grew wide-eyed as she spluttered on, “You can feel free to call me Liesel—I mean, Miss Adler. Or Nurse Adler. I’m the school nurse. Registered.”

       For crying out loud—the man didn’t ask for your CV, Liesel!

      Jack dropped a slow wink in her direction, simultaneously giving Devlin a soft chuck under the chin. “I think Miss Adler will do perfectly.”

      Her heart did a quick-fire yo-yo trip across her rib cage as she dared to look up into his smiling eyes. They were an awfully nice shade of turquoise.

      Wait a minute. Did her lashes just flutter? Get a hold of yourself, Liesel.

      Her eyes dropped back to Devlin, who was looking up at her with a pained expression as he tried to wrangle himself free from his head-locked position.

      Clenching her hands into tight fists, she shut her eyes. Just as suddenly as her heart had soared at Jack’s sexy wink, it plummeted with a painful twist. Here was this small boy she was supposed to be caring for and she was acting like a love-struck teen. Images of Eric flashed past her closed eyes.

       Eric.

      Her behavior had been disloyal to him—to his memory. She knew the day for moving on would come at some point—soon even—but this couldn’t be the moment. Could it?

      “Miss Adler?”

      “Yes, sorry.” Liesel forced her voice back to the soothing nurse tone she used with the children but kept her eyes fixed on her charge. “What do you need to do to get this little man free?”

      Jack was going to have to give himself a ripper of a talking to when he got back to the station. He wasn’t here to flirt. Or wink, for that matter. Winking was reserved for little old ladies and four-year-olds who needed cheering up, not for cute-as-they-come school nurses. He wouldn’t mind running his fingers through a few of those corkscrew red curls of hers. From the shine glinting off of them, they’d feel about as soft as the dark green silk top she was wearing. She wasn’t even in a uniform, but his imagination could certainly fill in the— Whoa! Don’t even go there, Jack.

      Ladies were meant to be off the radar, whether or not they were standing right in front of you looking as petite, cat-eyed and creamy-skinned as they came.

      Jack heard himself clear his throat a bit too violently as he gathered equipment from the back of the crew truck.

      Gear. Work. Much safer terrain.

      He was here to help the little boy and from the looks of the heavy-gauge steel, he would need more than a bit of dishwashing soap to get him free. Poor kid. He wouldn’t be Dare Devlining for a while, from the mortified look on his face. He’d have to keep an eye on his progress and see if he’d be a candidate for the Country Fire Service cadets in a few years. With the right training, a spitfire youngster could very easily turn into a hero.

      Come to think of it, their station could also do with some volunteer nurses on the force. He’d only been at the Murray Valley posting for a few weeks. His assignment was a Class A rescue mission. Its volunteer forces needed some bolstering. Big-time. The lads at the station had told him the school nurse had been someone’s granny up until recently so he hadn’t even thought of bringing the new one into the loop as regards the station. Now that he’d met Liesel?

       Easy there, cowboy.

      Then again, she was a nurse. He wondered if …

       Focus, man.

      Jack pushed himself back into action mode.

      “I’m going to put some earplugs in your lugholes, all right, mate?” Jack knelt down by Devlin, feeling a little too aware of Liesel’s presence behind him. “This thing’s a bit loud. It’s called a hydraulic spreader. Basically a big set of automated pliers.” Devlin looked at him dubiously as he continued, “I’m going to pull these bars a couple of centimeters wider and unless you grow some more brains between now and then, you should be able to get that noggin of yours free and Mr. Jones can have his crush back for the cattle. What do you say to that?”

      As Devlin’s forlorn face flooded with relief, Liesel felt herself choking back another giggle. This guy was good. He had such a relaxed way with Devlin that any fears she may have had about having to call the boy’s parents to explain to them that their son was going to have to spend the night in a barnyard vanished.

      Thoughts of her own little boy flitted through her mind. She had imagined the moments he would have spent with his father countless times. Moments like this—well, not quite like this—watching Jack interact with Devlin tore at her heart.

      It was still difficult reconciling the fact that her little Liam would not have a single memory of his father. Then again, she silently chastised herself, it wasn’t as if falling in love with a ski patroller had been a safe bet. Hazards had been a day-to-day reality with his job. As a trauma nurse in a ski medical clinic she had seen the aftermath of the daily dangers he’d faced.

      And now? Now it was taking life day by day in a quiet country town. Her job as a school nurse wasn’t crisis free—but skinned knees and the odd sprain were safer territory. Better on her frayed nerves. Not to mention the fact that Liam got free childcare in the school crèche, making her nurse’s salary stretch a little bit further.

      Surviving the past couple of years had worked by sticking to the day-by-day principle. Trauma centers, extreme sports, high-octane thrill-seeking? All relegated to a no-go zone. Winking, blue-eyed firemen certainly didn’t belong on the safe list.

      “You might want to pop a pair of these in as well if you’re going to hold the little fella’s hand while I crank up the pliers.”

      Startled, Liesel stared uncomprehendingly at the orange foam orbs Jack held in front of her. “Sorry! I was miles away.”

      “No kidding.” His eyes held hers in a questioning gaze. Not accusative, just curious. “It wasn’t hard to miss.”

      Telling him the truth wasn’t an option. Neither was acknowledging the tingles working their way up her arm after he’d handed her the earplugs. For crying out loud! She was behaving as if she’d never spoken to an attractive man before. For the first year after she’d lost Eric being with another man hadn’t even occurred to her. Nine months later it had all been about Liam. Now, three years later … Was this really going to be the day?

      “I was just thinking about whether or not I should take a picture for his parents or if it’s best to just leave it to the imagination.”

      Jack unleashed another relaxed smile as he bent to start the small generator for his pliers. “I think this is one best left to the imagination!” He signaled for her to put her earplugs in then checked Devlin’s were securely in place before pulling the cord on the generator. With one sharp tug it roared to life.

      Curiosity overcame nerves as Liesel watched Jack pick up the enormous pair of pliers attached to the hydraulic hose. He indicated she should shield Devlin’s face with her hands

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