LITMIR.BIZ

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what I keep getting told. What happened to a little gratitude for risking my life?”

      “Odds are, you would have been overcome by smoke, thereby giving the firefighters more work to do instead of less,” the medic told him. She pulled some kind of measuring device off his finger.

      “You’re fine,” she continued. “If you have any of the symptoms we talked about, go to the E.R.” She glanced at Pia. “Is he with you?”

      Pia shook her head.

      “Smart girl,” the medic said, then moved on to the next patient.

      “Ouch,” Raoul said. “This is a tough town.”

      “Don’t worry,” Pia told him. “I’m sure there will be plenty of women who will want to fawn all over you and coo as you retell your tale of bravery.”

      “But you’re not one of them.”

      “Not today.”

      “How are you feeling?” he asked.

      For a second she didn’t understand the question. Then reality returned. That’s right—he’d witnessed her breakdown earlier in the day. Talk about an emotion dump.

      “I meant to call you,” she said, moving beside him as they walked away from the medics. “To apologize. I usually have my meltdowns in private.”

      “It’s okay. I’d say I understand, but you’ll probably bite my head off if I do. How about if I tell you I’m sympathetic?”

      “I would appreciate that.”

      She hesitated, wondering if she was supposed to say more. Or if he would ask. Not that she had anything to say. She was still grasping the reality of her friend’s bequest and hadn’t made a decision about what to do next. Despite the attorney’s promise that she had at least three years before she needed to decide anything, Pia felt the pressure weighing on her.

      Not that she was going to discuss her dilemma in front of Raoul. He’d already suffered enough.

      “What were you doing here?” she asked. “At the school.”

      He’d come to a stop and was staring back at the school. His gaze moved from one firefighter to another. The chief stood on a garden wall about three feet high, yelling out orders to her team.

      “Are you worried about the kids?” Pia asked. “Don’t be. I’ve sat through plenty of preparedness meetings. They’re great to attend if you’re having trouble sleeping. Anyway, there’s a plan for each school, and a master list. Attendance is taken daily and sent by computer to the district office. A list of who is out that day is brought to the disaster site. Trust me. Every student is accounted for.”

      He looked at her, his dark eyes bright with surprise. “They’re all women.”

      “Most teachers are.”

      “The firefighters. They’re all women.”

      “Oh, that.” She shrugged. “It’s Fool’s Gold. What did you expect?”

      He appeared both confused and lost, which on a tall, good-looking guy was kind of appealing. Assuming she was interested, and she wasn’t. If her natural wariness about guys wasn’t enough, Raoul was famous-ish, and she didn’t need the pain and suffering that came with that type. Not to mention the fact that she might soon be pregnant with another couple’s embryos.

      A week ago her life had been predictable and boring. Now she was in the running to be a tabloid headline. Boring was better.

      “There’s a man shortage,” Pia said patiently. “Surely you’ve noticed there aren’t a lot of men in town. I thought that was why you’d moved here.”

      “There are men.”

      “Okay. Where?”

      “The town has children.” He pointed to the few students still waiting to be picked up. “They have fathers.”

      “That’s true. We do have a few breeding pairs, for experimental purposes.”

      He took a step back.

      She grinned. “Sorry. I’m kidding. Yes, there are men in town, but statistically, we don’t have very many. Certainly not enough. So if you find yourself exceptionally popular, don’t let it go to your head.”

      “I think I liked you better when you were having your breakdown,” he muttered.

      “You wouldn’t be the first man to prefer a woman in a weakened condition. Full strength, we’re a threat. Being as big and tough as you are, I’d hoped for something more. Life is nothing if not a disappointment. You didn’t answer my question from before. What were you doing here?”

      He looked distracted, as if he were having trouble keeping up. “Talking to Mrs. Miller’s fourth-grade class. I speak to students. Usually they’re in high school, but she wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

      “She probably wanted to spend the hour looking at your butt.”

      Raoul stared at her.

      She shrugged. “I’m just saying.”

      “You’re certainly feeling better.”

      “It’s more a matter of not being on the edge of hysteria,” she admitted.

      She turned her attention back to the school. It was obviously going to be in ruins when all this was over. “How big is your place?” she asked. “You seem like the mansion type. Could they hold classes in your foyer?”

      “I rent a two-bedroom house from Josh Golden.”

      “Then that would be a no. They’re going to have to put the kids somewhere.”

      “What about the other schools in town?”

      “Marsha said they were thinking about bringing in those portable classrooms.”

      “Marsha?”

      “Mayor Marsha Tilson. My boss. You know Josh Golden?”

      Raoul nodded.

      “He’s married to her granddaughter.”

      “Got it.”

      He seemed less stunned now, which probably made him feel better. With the smoke smudges on his face, he looked pretty attractive, she thought absently. Not that he hadn’t been devastatingly handsome before. He was the kind of man who made a woman do stupid things. Thank goodness she was immune. A lifetime of romantic failures had a way of curing a woman of foolishness.

      “We should make another appointment,” she said. “I’ll call your office and set things up with your secretary.”

      “There you go, assuming again. I don’t have a secretary.”

      “Huh. Who sets up your calendar and makes you feel important?” she said with a wink.

      He studied her for a second. “Are you like this with everyone?”

      “Charming?” She laughed. “As a rule. Just ask around.”

      “Maybe I will.”

      He was teasing. She knew he was teasing. Yet she felt something. A flicker. Maybe a quiver, down low in her belly.

      No way, she reminded herself as she waved and walked toward her car. Especially not with a man like him. Successful, handsome men had expectations. Blonde ambitions. She knew—she read People magazine.

      Life had taught her many important lessons. The greatest of which was not to depend on anyone to be there for her. She was a strong, independent woman. Men were optional and right now she was going to just say no.

      RAOUL SPENT THE NEXT hour at the school. The firefighters got the fire under control. The chief had told him they would have a presence for at least the next twenty-four

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