Flash of Fire Read Online Free Page A

shining, blue eyes and high cheekbones on an elegant face that went well with the choppy haircut.
    She looked right at Mark, not shying off despite his reprimand for being late, which meant balls of steel. Metaphorically. Even though she had her flight jacket shrugged on and he couldn’t see much of the figure beneath, there was no question of a hundred-percent babe.
    â€œTold you she was hot shit!” Gordon leaned over to whisper in his ear.
    â€œNo ring or tan line on the finger.” Mickey played along as she raised her energy bar to bite off another chunk.
    â€œShe doesn’t walk like a married person.”
    Mickey Hamilton had missed her walk. He’d make sure to watch until she moved again.
    He was tempted to ask Gordon how a married woman walked just to see what his friend came up with.
    To pass the time, Akbar and the other smokies renewed their hot debate over which would eat a tree first. Their shifting positions exposed Vanessa standing beyond them, just a step away from the newbie.
    A soft-spoken and dazzling brunette right out of an Italian travel magazine to one side.
    To the other, a slender, blond Anne Heche look-alike from that movie on the island with Harrison Ford and a power stance straight from Angelina Jolie.
    Side-by-side comparison of the two women during a summer sunrise, with a fire on the way. His day was off to an exceptional start.
    â€œWhat’s her name?”
    Gordon cursed. “Thought you were after Vanessa. I was gonna have a clear shot at…”
    â€œBuddy, she’d eat your lunch.” And by the look of her, she would.
    Gordon was too decent a guy at heart for someone who looked as tough as the newcomer did.
    â€œBesides, I am thinking about Vanessa. She just doesn’t appear to be thinking about me so much.” Hurt to admit, but it was true. His attempts at charm had produced exactly no results. Yet. He could be patient when a woman looked as good as she did, and his ego wasn’t ready to admit defeat. Yet. At least not in front of his buddy.
    â€œIn other words, she ate your lunch. I thought everybody fell for the Mr. Northwest outdoors guide.”
    â€œDad is the adventure guide. And it doesn’t mean that. It means—” Mickey stopped.
    The leaders of MHA were done with their conference.
    Besides, it meant exactly that, but he still didn’t want to admit it. Not to Gordon. Not to himself. Vanessa had a real spine under that quiet exterior, which only made her all the more attractive for what good it did him. It wasn’t that the vibe was off or whatever it was that women said. It just hadn’t…clicked for him. Or he hadn’t clicked for her?
    But watching her side by side with the new recruit, he was suddenly glad that nothing had clicked. The blond was spectacular. Suddenly all of his some girl, someday talk didn’t seem quite so remote.
    â€œIt seems,” Mark called out over the assembled pilots and the twenty smokejumpers of MHA, “that there has been a new ‘export’ problem and they’ve asked us to stop it from happening.”
    Mickey looked at Gordon, who only shrugged. Even Akbar, the lead smokie, was looking a bit lost and he always had the inside scoop.
    â€œI thought export problems was what the Customs Service was for,” some wag shouted from back in the crowd.
    â€œNext you heli-pilots will be trimming trees and inspecting power lines,” a smokejumper called out, and others laughed.
    â€œWe’ll start using smokies for express delivery of online shopping parcels,” Mickey shouted back, and the laughter grew. “About all they’re good for anyway. Real battle is from the sky.”
    There were a lot of tasks best done by helicopters, but not a one of them was as important or as hazardous as fighting wildfire.
    Only the best of them flew to fire. And only the truly exceptional flew for MHA.
    Which had Mickey looking toward the new blond