the screen door, Megan caught sight of Tim standing in front of the propane barbecue. Brian Dandrige, the superintendent of the Minoa Hotshot crew, and his girlfriend, Gayle, stood beside the table. Sean Nash, the crew boss of the hotshots, and his fiancé, Tessa, were chatting with Connie over a bowl of chips, dip and finger foods. Old friends, every one. Other than seeing them at the restaurant now and then, Megan hadn’t mingled with them much since Blaine’s death. Not because they hadn’t called or come by to visit her. She just hadn’t wanted to socialize much with other people.
Megan felt suddenly edgy and anxious. She hadn’t realized dinner at Connie’s house would include some of Blaine’s old coworkers. She thought it would be a quiet evening, just the three of them.
Taking a deep breath, Megan tried to settle her nerves. Blaine had been gone almost a year, and it was time for her to get out and be around others. But it wasn’t easy. In a way, she felt disloyal to Blaine for moving on and living while he had died.
Stepping over to the screen door, she pushed it open and went outside.
“Hi, Megan! It’s so good to see you,” Gayle called.
“Hi there!” Megan smiled and waved, doing her best impression of pretending she wanted to be here.
“Howdy, Megan. How do you take your steak?” Tim asked.
“Medium well. Where do you want me to put this?” She lifted the bowl of pasta salad she’d brought with her, hoping she had enough for this large crowd.
“Over there.” Tim pointed his tongs at the picnic table, set up beneath the shade of a tall wisteria tree in full bloom. The afternoon breeze wafted the sweet aroma of flowers to her.
Breathing deeply, Megan turned and froze. Across the expanse of green grass, Jared Marshall stood beside the table holding a can of soda pop in one hand. The afternoon sun gleamed against his dark blond hair. He was dressed casually in a pair of navy blue slacks and a white polo shirt that fit his muscular arms and chest to perfection.
Her gaze locked with his for several pounding moments. His dazzling blue eyes crinkled at the corners, and she realized he was just as confused as she was. Maybe Tim had thought this a good way for Jared to get to know the crew leadership in an informal setting. Brian and Sean were year-round employees. The rest of the hotshot crew was seasonal, working during the summer months and into the early autumn.
But in a rush, Megan realized what was going on. This gathering wasn’t just for the hotshots to get to know their new FMO. Her mind quickly did the math. Eight people were here. Four couples. Each of them were romantically involved, except for her and Jared. This was a setup, pure and simple. Connie and Tim had been pushing her for months to let them fix her up on a blind date, but Megan had refused. Obviously, Connie had decided to ignore her and had paired her with the handsome fire management officer. A pseudo blind date. Under false pretenses. Because Connie knew Megan would never have agreed to come otherwise.
“Megan, I’m so glad you’re here. You can help me with the baked beans.” Connie engulfed her in a warm hug.
“You’ve been very devious,” Megan whispered.
“Yes, but you’ll forgive me. You always do. And since you’re here, try to have a teensy bit of fun.” Connie spoke low, for her ears alone. Then the woman drew back and smiled as she whisked the bowl of pasta salad out of Megan’s hands. “I’ll take this for you. It looks delicious.”
Connie turned toward the table. “Jared, would you please get Megan a drink?”
“Sure,” came his hesitant reply. His gaze shifted to her flushed face, and he jerked one shoulder. “What would you like?”
“Something diet,” Megan said.
He brushed past her as he reached inside the cooler chest. He rattled around in the ice for a moment before pulling out a diet cola. After he popped the tab, he handed the can over with a smile. They drew together close enough to chat without including everyone else in their conversation.
“It looks like we both got ambushed,” he said.
A warm, fluid feeling washed over her. He would have had to be blind not to realize that Connie had paired them up for the evening. Obviously he hadn’t been in on the surprise either, but Megan didn’t know if he resented it or not. And her face heated with embarrassment.
“You didn’t know there would be other people here tonight, either?” she asked to confirm.
He shook his head, an uncomfortable smile curving the corners of his handsome mouth. “Nope. I thought I would be their only guest. I think we got played by a couple of masterminds.”
She took a sip of her soda, the carbonation burning her throat as she swallowed. “Yeah, some matchmakers. But I fear it’s mostly Connie’s doing. She’s not pleased until everyone is happily married off. She just doesn’t understand the word no. I’m so sorry about this.”
“Don’t be. It’s not your fault.”
And she knew it wasn’t Jared’s fault, either. She just wasn’t ready to start dating again. Especially not someone who worked in such a dangerous profession. Nor was she prepared to bring a man into her small family. Even having Jared fix the swing in her backyard had upset little June. Megan knew it wasn’t because June didn’t like him, but because he wasn’t the girl’s father. Caleb was young and loving toward everyone, but Megan didn’t want to push June too fast. The girl wasn’t ready for another daddy in her life. Neither was Megan ready for another husband. It was that simple.
Or was it? Megan sighed. Maybe she should at least try to find happiness with another man. And yet, she couldn’t seem to let go of Blaine. They’d been college sweethearts, and she’d loved her husband for so long that she didn’t know how to stop now that he was gone. Honestly, the thought of dating another man made her feel disloyal to the love she’d shared with him.
“I figure we have two choices this evening,” Jared said in a soft voice. “We can leave right now, or we can stick it out and try to have some fun.”
“There’s a third option,” Megan said, trying not to sound too angry.
He quirked one brow. “And what’s that?”
“We could strangle Connie and Tim and then flee to South America.”
Jared laughed, a rich baritone that seemed to soothe her jangled nerves. “I’m afraid the cops would catch us for sure. Are you okay with spending some serious time in jail?”
She shook her head. “No, I’ve got children waiting at home. We better stick with option number two.”
“I’m game if you are.”
“Okay,” she conceded, trying to be a good sport. But it wasn’t easy.
She stooped down and petted Connie’s dog. An old basset hound named Sam.
“My kids keep asking me for a dog,” she said.
“Yeah, Caleb told me. Are you going to get them one?”
She shook her head. “Maybe someday. Right now, we’re never at home. And the poor animal couldn’t come with us to the restaurant. It would violate the health codes. But Caleb keeps asking anyway.”
“I’ve been thinking about getting a dog myself.”
She crinkled her nose. “Really? They are lots of hard work. I keep telling Caleb that, but he won’t listen. He informed me the other day that kids are supposed to have a dog. That he needs to learn responsibility. And what better way to do that than by taking care of a new puppy?”
Jared chuckled. “Don’t worry. I’m pretty sure Caleb and June will grow up normal and well-adjusted even without a dog.”
“I hope so.” She laughed, trying to sound happy. But inside, she was screaming. She already liked this man too much. Spending more time as his date tonight would only