The Slow Burn Read online

  Out of the friend zone

  And into the fire!

  When firefighter Caden Sterling unexpectedly delivers Tana McKenna’s baby by the side of the road, the unlikely threesome forms a special bond. So when Caden offers friendship and a helping hand, single mom Tana can’t say no. Their flirty friendship slowly becomes more, until Tana’s ex and the truth about her baby catches up with her. Can she win back the only man who can make this family complete?

  USA TODAY bestselling author Caro Carson

  The second before the door closed, he called her name. “Hey, Tana?”

  “Yes?” She waited, hand on the door, looking concerned.

  What? What are you going to say? He just couldn’t get the contrast between her and his sister-in-law out of his head. Every woman deserved to be as happy as his sister-in-law had been.

  “Since I’m the first person in Masterson who knows you’re expecting, I get to be the first person in Masterson to congratulate you on the big news.” His smile was sincere, not forced. “Congratulations, Montana McKenna.”

  “Thanks.” It took a moment, but she smiled. It started small, but she ended up beaming at him. “Thanks. Really.”

  Happy. Beautiful. That was how she should look, even if it blinded him.

  “Good night,” he said.

  “Good night.” She stepped back and shut the door.

  He started the engine, but he didn’t back out of his space until he’d watched her cross the street safely, open the etched-glass door of the pub and disappear inside.

  “Goodbye, Montana McKenna.”

  * * *

  MASTERSON, TEXAS: Where you come to learn about love!

  Dear Reader,

  When I was a child, I loved the movie The Wizard of Oz, but I thought the ending was so very sad. Dorothy got her heart’s desire by returning to her home and family, but she lost her very best friend in the process. The scarecrow stayed behind in Oz, and the two never saw one another again. You see, I had no idea that Hunk, the farmhand in the black-and-white ending of the movie, was the same actor who played Scarecrow.

  As an adult, I can appreciate that this gives the movie a happier ending, but it does not change that heartbreaking moment in the Land of Oz when the scarecrow lets Dorothy go, although he will miss her for the rest of his life. It’s the most selfless act of love.

  I was not consciously inspired by that scene while I was writing this book, but now I can see how that one movie moment shaped my perception of how a real hero should put others before himself, even if it costs him the person he loves most. However, a lifetime of reading romance novels has taught me something equally important: love is worth fighting for. A happily-ever-after ending is always possible, if the hero and heroine are determined to make it happen. And that, dear reader, is what you’ll find in this book.

  I’d love to hear what you think. You can find me on Facebook easily, or you can contact me through my website, www.carocarson.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

  Cheers,

  Caro Carson

  The Slow Burn

  Caro Carson

  Despite a no-nonsense background as a West Point graduate, army officer and Fortune 100 sales executive, Caro Carson has always treasured the happily-ever-after of a good romance novel. As a RITA® Award–winning Harlequin author, Caro is delighted to be living her own happily-ever-after with her husband and two children in Florida, a location that has saved the coaster-loving theme-park fanatic a fortune on plane tickets.

  Books by Caro Carson

  Harlequin Special Edition

  Masterson, Texas

  The Bartender’s Secret

  American Heroes

  The Lieutenants’ Online Love

  The Captains’ Vegas Vows

  The Majors’ Holiday Hideaway

  The Colonels’ Texas Promise

  Texas Rescue

  Not Just a Cowboy

  A Texas Rescue Christmas

  Following Doctor’s Orders

  Her Texas Rescue Doctor

  A Cowboy’s Wish Upon a Star

  How to Train a Cowboy

  Montana Mavericks:

  What Happened at the Wedding?

  The Maverick’s Holiday Masquerade

  Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com for more titles.

  This book is dedicated to Gail Chasan, my editor, with heartfelt thanks for loving my writing and with heartfelt apologies for driving her crazy.

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Excerpt from The Maverick’s Baby Arrangement by Kathy Douglass

  Chapter One

  “Which one of us is going to invite the hot fireman to join us at the pub?”

  Tana McKenna heard the question, sort of, as she frantically scrolled through the calendar on her phone. Urgency made her all thumbs.

  A too-long, too-silent pause made her look up from the screen. Her friends were all staring at her.

  “What?” Tana grasped for the last thing she’d heard. “Something’s hot?”

  “Not something. Someone.” Ruby, an executive assistant at Masterson University, lowered her voice and leaned a little closer. “Wait until you see who is teaching the CPR class tonight.”

  Next to Ruby, the university’s diving coach giggled like a Shirley Temple GIF. “Oh, my goodness. For once, I am so happy that we have to get certified every year.”

  A third member of the Masterson University faculty lowered her voice, too, leaning in as if they were conspiring together in the hallway of the academic building. “We should all flunk this evening. Get him to come back next Friday, too.”

  Tana kept what she hoped was a polite expression of interest on her face while trying to add nine months to today’s date. Her brain wouldn’t work. Her stomach was in knots.

  The diving coach giggled again. “We can tell him we need extra tutoring during happy hour to prepare.”

  Everyone was smiling. These women, Tana’s new friends at her new job at Masterson University, were making the effort to include her in their conversation. Tana didn’t want to be rude, so she nodded along on autopilot as her brain raced.

  It was September. Tana glanced at her phone’s calendar. October, November, three, four, five... June. She would be nine months pregnant in the broiling heat of Central Texas in June. Just thinking about it made her mouth feel dry.

  The conversation flowed around her, “What a sweetheart,” followed by “I can’t believe he’s not wearing a wedding band.” Then, in a tone of agreement, “Someone needs to put a ring on that, fast.”

  I’m pregnant. Not possible.

  Well, it was possible, of course. She and Jerry, her boyfriend for the past year and a half, did have sex. But Tana had been an athlete all her life, always in tune with her body. Two weeks ago, when she’d noticed tiny changes, a little fatigue, a bit of bloating, she’d done a home pregnancy test. It had been negative. She’d b
een relieved. Jerry wasn’t ready to settle down.

  One week ago, because she was the Masterson University swim team’s new coach, Tana had made her way through a doctor’s office assembly line for the routine physical that cleared all the athletic staff and student-athletes for participation in this year’s sports. A blood pressure check by a nurse, a quick once-over by the doctor with a stethoscope, a blood draw for some standard labs, no big deal. She’d waited in the lobby for two dozen freshmen swimmers to finish doing the same.

  Five minutes ago, the doctor’s office had called. Coach McKenna? Your team’s results are in. Everyone looks fine, but one person tested positive for pregnancy. Tana’s heart had sunk as she foresaw a difficult conversation with a student and her parents. That physical had been taken by the team’s freshmen. Eighteen was such a young age for motherhood. Which girl?

  Before she could ask, the doctor had chuckled over the phone. Fortunately, that person is you, but you knew that, didn’t you? Congratulations, Coach.

  “Such a babe, but he’s funny, not just handsome,” one of Tana’s new friends said. “He’ll be fun to drink a Guinness with.”

  “You have to invite him to come to the Tipsy Musketeer with us after class.”

  Nine months. Another expectant pause pulled Tana’s attention from her phone’s calendar and its blurring numbers.

  “Me?” Tana looked from one woman’s face to the next and the next. They grinned and nodded at her enthusiastically, as if she would start grinning and nodding, too, while her life imploded. This year was supposed to be the year of her redemption, finally, in the eyes of her sport as well as her family. For the team doctor to call her just now—just no.

  “Yes, you.” This was from the giggling Shirley. “I’m married. I can only be friends. I’ll focus on his personality while you all focus on whichever other parts you like most.”

  “Be a sport and ask him,” Ruby said. “Then we can eat some Irish stew and feast on the eye candy.”

  The thought of Irish stew made Tana feel slightly seasick. Pregnant, pregnant—no wonder I haven’t been able to eat all day. Or yesterday.

  “Poor Tana. We’ve all gotten to enjoy an hour with him already. He had us in stitches for the first-aid training. I actually feel sorry for you that you didn’t have to take the first-aid class with us.”

  Pay attention. These nice women are speaking to you. You need to make friends.

  “Um...first aid? I’m certified already. Just need to do the CPR class today...” Tana’s appetite had been off for two weeks, so that meant she’d already been pregnant in August, even though the store-bought test she’d done at home had been negative.

  Heart pounding, she recalculated. August, September, October... April. She’d be due in April. Which meant she’d have to coach the Masterson Musketeer swimmers through the NCAA finals in March while she was massively pregnant. A lifetime ago—one decade ago—one of the trainers for the Olympic team had missed the Games because the airlines wouldn’t let her fly close to her due date.

  Tana had to fly with her team to the NCAA finals this March. She simply had to, because she was the head coach. The new head coach. She couldn’t lose this job. She had something to prove.

  Now, she would have someone to provide for.

  “You won’t regret it, I promise you.” Ruby bumped her with her shoulder and smiled. “Ask him after class.”

  “Who?”

  Ruby frowned. “What the heck is so interesting on your phone?”

  Tana focused on Ruby’s friendly face. She’d liked Ruby since meeting her during her first day on campus. That meant she’d known Ruby for six weeks, which made Ruby her oldest and closest friend in the entire town of Masterson, Texas.

  Tana needed a friend to confide in, but her assistant diving coach was standing right here—Shirley Tarkington, not Temple. The other woman Tana barely knew, but she was part of the evening’s plan to go out to dinner together after the CPR class. There was a man in suit and tie by the vending machine, too, and he was probably close enough to hear them. Tana had to keep her shattering news to herself.

  “Nothing,” she said. “I’m fine.”

  “So, you’ll invite him? To the pub?”

  Tana didn’t want to ask who again. “I’m already dating someone. You know that.”

  “Jerry.” Ruby said the name with disapproval—disgust, even. “Jerry, who is leaving you for Peru. It’s time for you to upgrade. I’ve got a hot fireman who is perfect for you.”

  Shirley squeezed Tana’s arm. “Look. He’s right over there.”

  Tana looked.

  Okay...wow. By any objective measure, the man was indeed hot. Strong jaw, short hair, walkie-talkie on the belt of his firefighter uniform. He looked tall, even while leaning back against the wall. He had his arms crossed over his chest, and the bulk of his shoulders and the bulge of his biceps weren’t really beefy, just simply...strong. Eye candy, for certain.

  Who needed eye candy when the entire world had been flipped over like a flimsy card table? Not Tana.

  But just as she was going to shrug and turn her back on him, the firefighter bent forward, practically doubling himself over, because the tiniest grandmother in the world had started speaking to him. She was known as Granny Dee around campus. Her job was to check student IDs at the entrance to the campus dining hall, but she was legendary at Masterson University for hugging every student who needed a hug at breakfast and lunch, before a test or after a heartbreak. She’d been doing so for two generations. Ten years ago, she’d given Tana hugs to congratulate her, when Tana had been the star of the Masterson swimming program. Granny Dee was an institution in herself.

  She was very concerned, very animated about something. The firefighter listened until Granny Dee fell silent, then he answered her seriously. Granny Dee beamed at him as she held out her arms, and that hunk of a man pushed himself off the wall, still bent in half, so that Granny Dee could throw her arms around his neck. A chuckle, a pat on her back—he turned his head toward Tana—their eyes met.

  Her stomach flipped.

  Just eye candy. Tana couldn’t quite pull off an uncaring shrug, but she turned back to her friends. Ruby gave her an arch look.

  “What?” Tana asked, feeling thirstier than ever. She hadn’t eaten much in two days, but she could buy herself a bottle of water out of the vending machine. She patted the pockets of her khaki shorts. No cash or cards. Only her van’s keys.

  From behind her, the firefighter made a general announcement. “All right, CPR time. Let’s get started.”

  Tana knew it was him, because it was exactly the kind of masculine voice that one would expect a man who was that masculine to have. The dozen or so people in the hall obediently headed toward the classroom.

  Ruby held Tana back. “Ask him to come to the pub, okay?”

  “I can’t ask him out.”

  “Sorry, but we elected you to do it.”

  “I’m dating someone. So are you.”

  She and Ruby and their guys had double-dated last weekend, when Jerry had driven up from Houston to see her. Jerry was still on the faculty at the much smaller Houston City College, where they’d both been working for the past two years. Tana had resigned her coaching position there for this more prestigious position, director of the aquatic program at Masterson University.

  Redemption.

  She’d wondered if Jerry would leave Houston and relocate to Masterson for her. If not, would absence make the heart grow fonder? Maybe he’d pop the question at the end of the semester.

  She’d gotten her answer. He’d been planning to leave Houston and her, both, on a research trip he’d gotten funded an entire month before Masterson had started interviewing Tana. Only for a year, he’d said. Jerry, whom she’d been dating for eighteen months, hadn’t realized she was hurt.

  Ruby, her friend of six weeks, ha
d. “I don’t see a ring on your finger. Are you two supposed to stay exclusive while he’s off to do whatever it is he’s leaving you to do?”

  I don’t know.

  Tana had been too chicken to ask. Jerry was going to communicate through letters while he was on his remote field study. She’d thought maybe they’d both find it easier to write about their feelings, since talking usually led to uncomfortable silences, but she was going to have to ask now. She was going to have to ask him not to go to Peru at all, in fact. A year from now, they’d have a four-month-old baby. Five months old?

  She and Jerry had said their goodbyes over the phone last night, but his flight to South America wouldn’t depart until midnight. She had time to reach him. She closed the calendar screen and opened her text messages. Jerry hadn’t sent her one message.

  That was fine; he’d told her he wouldn’t. Jerry hadn’t wanted to deal with any strong emotions today while he was tying up all his loose ends and heading for the airport.

  Yesterday, Tana had been flattered by that. It meant she wasn’t a loose end to be tied up. It meant she was a person toward whom he had strong emotions.

  Ready or not, she was about to give him a reason to feel even more strongly about her. The phone trembled in her hand as she typed. Please call me ASAP.

  She waited a moment. He’d reply, because she was important to him. Even though he is willing to leave me to spend a year in Peru. Even though he never asked me to wait for him or to be faithful to him...or to marry him...

  It wasn’t necessary, it really wasn’t, but as she drifted toward the classroom, she added another text: This is important.

  She sensed a warm presence at her shoulder a moment before an equally warm voice spoke by her ear. “You must be Montana McKenna.”

  The fireman was holding the door for her. He was quite...something...close up. He had a Texas-summer tan, like an outdoorsman, so the blue of his eyes was almost startling in contrast.

  “I go by Tana. Coach Tana McKenna.” Her response was automatic. So was the way she held out her hand to shake his, as though he were the father of a swimmer she wanted to recruit. It was awkwardly formal for this situation. She was merely the last straggler in the hallway, and he already had one hand on the door.