Hearts On Fire: Park City Firefighter Romance Read online

  Hearts On Fire

  Park City Firefighter Romance

  Christine Kersey

  Contents

  Note to Readers

  Book Description

  Foreword

  Introduction

  Books by Christine Kersey

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Excerpt from Rescue My Heart

  Excerpt from Crushing On You

  Books by Christine Kersey

  About the Author

  Note to Readers

  Click HERE to join Christine Kersey’s VIP Readers’ Club and receive 2 free books.

  Click HERE to see all of Christine Kersey’s free books.

  Click HERE to see the books Christine has enrolled in Kindle Unlimited.

  Author’s Note: The Park City Fire Department is a fictional department that blends elements and cultures of various American fire departments. The authors of the Park City Firefighter Romance Series based the characters and the department on interviews with firefighters from various agencies in multiple states, as well as the fifteen years of firefighter/paramedic experience of one of the authors of this series It is not intended to represent or resemble Park City Fire District.

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Hearts On Fire

  Copyright © 2017 by Christine Kersey

  Cover by Novak Illustration

  All rights reserved

  No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

  eBook Edition, License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people.

  Discover other exciting titles by Christine Kersey available through her official author website: ChristineKersey.com or through most online retailers.

  Created with Vellum

  Book Description

  Arwen Butler has no time for love—she’s too busy focusing on her new career as a therapist. But when she joins a gym and hot firefighter Tyler Reed becomes her personal trainer, she may have to rethink her priorities.

  After losing the woman he loves, Tyler is determined to protect his crushed heart by never falling in love again. Then he meets beautiful and confident Arwen. Though drawn to her, he desperately fights his attraction.

  When Arwen is thrust into a deadly situation, Tyler will have to choose—overcome his resistance to love or keep his heart locked up for good.

  BONUS: Includes the first chapter of Rescue My Heart and Crushing On You.

  Foreword

  by Cami Checketts

  Before we began Park City Firefighter Romance, I only knew Christine Kersey as one of my favorite romantic suspense authors. I have to admit, when we met at the fire station where our fellow author, Daniel Banner, is working, I was a bit intimidated to meet Christine. I was thrilled as I got to know her and realized she is as kind and genuine as she is talented. Collaborating on the series, I grew to appreciate her talents and hard work even more and am happy to count her as one of my friends.

  You will love this fast-paced, romantic story by the fabulously talented Christine Kersey.

  Cami Checketts, author of the bestselling Billionaire Bride Pact Romances

  Introduction

  by Daniel Banner

  A Conversation from Summer 2016

  3 Bestselling Authors (Checketts, Hart, and Kersey): Hey Daniel, we’re writing a firefighter romance series. Do you want—

  Me (on the inside): Yes I totally do, oh, I can’t wait, how long should my book be, when should I have it done holy cow you ladies are the greatest ever of all time!

  Me (on the outside): Cool. Why me?

  3 Bestselling Authors: You’re a firefighter. Oh, and uh, you have mad writing and editing skills.

  3 Bestselling Authors (to each other): Should we tell him Nicolas Sparks wasn’t available?

  Six months, seven million emails, and dozens of interviews later, four Park City Firefighter Romance books are ready to thrill you, touch you, inspire you, and make you swoon.

  In my 15 years on the job, I’ve worked side-by-side with over a thousand of America’s Bravest. The men and women I’ve known make excellent studies for romance characters because they are fit, selfless, daring, passionate and without exception—imperfect. Kersey, Hart, and Checketts (dare I include myself?) have captured the essence of the beautifully flawed lives that so often result from a career that injects its members into the public’s worst day. When true love is added to the mix, sparks fly and things really heat up.

  Experience the bravery, the struggle, the emotional pain, and the passion of heroes as they face their fears, their demons, and their pasts en route to finding lasting love. It may just surprise you who is the hero and who is the one in need of rescue.

  It is my pleasure to introduce the Park City Firefighter Romance Series.

  Daniel Banner, Author of Two Hearts Rescue

  Books by Christine Kersey

  Park City Firefighter Romance

  Rescue My Heart

  Hearts On Fire

  Emerald Falls Romance Series

  Crushing On You: Travis and Gabriella (An Emerald Falls Romance, Book One)

  Dangerous Lies: Sawyer and Amethyst (An Emerald Falls Romance, Book Two)

  Searching for Love

  Falling for You (Searching for Love, Book One)

  Finding Reese (Searching for Love, Book Two)

  Surrender My Heart (Searching for Love, Book Three)

  Bring Me Home (Searching for Love, Book Four)

  Lily’s Story

  He Loves Me Not (Lily’s Story, Book 1)

  Don’t Look Back (Lily’s Story, Book 2)

  Love At Last (Lily’s Story, Book 3)

  Life Imperfect (Lily’s Story, Book 4)

  Parallel Trilogy

  Gone (Parallel Trilogy, Book 1)

  Imprisoned (Parallel Trilogy, Book 2)

  Hunted (Parallel Trilogy, Book 3)

  After (a parallel story)

  The Other Morgan (a parallel story)

  Over You Series

  Over You

  Second Chances (sequel to Over You)

  Witness Series

  Witness (Witness, Book 1)

  Retribution (Witness, Book 2)

  Standalone Books

  Suspicions

  No Way Out

  Box Sets

  Parallel Trilogy

  Lily’s Story

  Searching for Love bundle

  Chapter One

  Working out had never been Arwen’s thing, but when she decided to do something, she gave it her all. And she’d decided it was time to get into shape. Sitting on her butt all day was not doing nice things to her body, and she was tired of getting out of breath just from climbing the flights of stairs at work—something she tried to do daily to get in a bit of e
xercise between appointments with her therapy clients.

  The doors to the gym slid open and Arwen stepped through, then strode to the front desk.

  “Hi there,” a young woman with a bright smile said. Her name tag said Michelle. “What can I help you with?”

  Reminding herself that coming here would improve her health, Arwen smiled back. “Hi. I want to join your gym.” Maybe want was the wrong word. She needed to do this.

  “That’s great! What’s your name?”

  “Arwen Butler.”

  The girl’s fingers clacked on her keyboard, then she looked at Arwen. “Would you like to take a tour?”

  A tour? This wasn’t exactly a vacation destination. Then again, she’d be spending good money every month to come here, not to mention the time she would put in. She should probably take a look and make sure she would like it. “Yeah. Sure.”

  “Perfect.” The girl’s smile grew. “Hang on a sec while I grab Susan.”

  “Okay.”

  The girl typed on her keyboard again, and moments later a fit woman with short blonde hair walked toward Arwen.

  “Hello,” the woman said with a warm smile as she stopped in front of Arwen. “I’m Susan.”

  “I’m Arwen.”

  “Welcome, Arwen. I understand you’re considering joining our gym.”

  Decided, actually. She didn’t have time to gym shop. “That’s right.”

  “Perfect! I’d love to show you around.”

  Arwen walked with Susan, assessing each room as they passed through it.

  “We have several personal trainers on staff,” Susan said as they stood in the doorway of the main workout space and watched the men and women using the various pieces of equipment.

  Hiring a personal trainer had never crossed Arwen’s mind, but she considered it now. With no clue how to reach her fitness goals, a personal trainer could be useful even though she preferred to do things on her own.

  “Your first session with the trainer would be complimentary,” Susan added.

  Arwen saw right through Susan’s sales ploy. Still, having the help of a personal trainer could have some value. Maybe just get some guidance at that first session and then she could take it from there. “Sure. I’d be willing to give it a try.”

  “Perfect. Why don’t we go into my office and get you signed up?”

  By the time Arwen walked out of the gym and into the warm August air thirty minutes later, membership card in hand and an appointment with a personal trainer scheduled for the next evening, she was actually looking forward to this new challenge.

  Dressed in sweat pants and a t-shirt with the gym’s logo emblazoned across his chest, Tyler stopped by the gym’s office to see what they had lined up for him. He’d been doing this personal training gig for the last few months and was still building his clientele, so when the gym had a new member who wanted to try out their personal trainer services, Tyler was often the one to take them on. Which was fine with him. Several of those he’d initially trained had become regular clients.

  “What do you have for me?” he asked Michelle, the girl manning the front desk.

  She looked up and smiled shyly at him, but rather than being flattered by her obvious interest, he held back a frown. After his heart had been irreparably destroyed the last time he’d been in love, he had no intention of encouraging Michelle’s—or any other woman’s—attention. Ever.

  “A new member,” Michelle said. “Her name’s…” She tapped a few keys. “Arwen.”

  Arwen? What kind of name was that? Wasn’t that a character from the Lord of the Rings? Smirking, Tyler shook his head. “Okay.”

  “Anything exciting happen at the fire station?” Michelle asked, her gaze steady on him.

  Tyler had finished his two-day shift with the Park City Fire Department early that morning, and though he was proud of being a firefighter and paramedic, he didn’t like to advertise it here. Not after he’d noticed that some women at the gym seemed to act differently once they found out what he did for a living. Like he was some kind of hero or sex object. That wasn’t how he wanted to be seen. He’d become a firefighter because he loved the adrenaline rush he got when he was thrust into emergency situations that only he could fix. Knowing he was the one who could rescue people in distress, to solve their immediate problem, always gave him a high that he craved.

  “No,” he said in answer to Michelle’s question. No point in encouraging her hero worship or whatever it was she had going on.

  “Oh. Well, your appointment is here.” She pointed to a woman fast-walking on a treadmill who could be seen through the glass wall separating the reception area from the workout space. “The one in the green tank top.”

  “Thanks.” Tyler walked across the room and pulled open the door to the workout space. Familiar sounds washed over him—the clanking of free weights being set down, the whoosh whoosh of the treadmill belt coupled with the pounding of running feet, and the panting of people working hard to put their bodies through the paces.

  The woman—Arwen—had her back to him, and as he assessed the fitness of her body, he nodded. Not bad. It wouldn’t take too much work to get her toned. If that’s what she was going for.

  Her light brown hair was pulled into a high ponytail, and it bounced with each step she took. As Tyler approached the treadmill, the woman’s face came into view. Cornflower blue eyes, arched eyebrows, full lips. Each feature was beautiful, but when they were all put together—stunning. Tyler’s eyebrows pulled together in consternation.

  Why was he noticing how attractive she was? She was a client. Nothing more.

  Arwen kept a steady pace on the treadmill—she hated running so she kept to a fast walk. Moving her body felt good, like her muscles were waking up. Must be the endorphins pumping through her veins. She knew endorphins triggered a positive feeling in the body, kind of like morphine. Even helped with depression. Something to recommend to patients.

  Feeling the positive effects firsthand, Arwen smiled. Working out might not be so bad after all. Which was a good thing, since she was going to be doing a lot of it.

  “Are you Arwen?” a man asked from beside her.

  Startled, she turned to him. “Yes.” The man was tall and well-built, and his t-shirt emphasized impressive biceps. His handsome face made Arwen wish she had taken more care with her hair and make-up before coming. But that was ridiculous. She was exercising, which meant she would be sweating.

  “I’m Tyler. Your personal trainer.”

  Not sure if she should be thrilled to have such a hot guy as her personal trainer or dismayed that such a hot guy would see her under such unflattering circumstances, she told herself not to worry about it. She didn’t have time to think about men and dating. Not now that she was trying to build her career as a therapist. Who cared if he was the hottest guy she’d seen in a long time?

  She pressed a button on the treadmill to slow the speed of the belt, bringing herself to a pace that allowed her to catch her breath. “Okay. What do we do now?”

  Tyler gestured to an area off to the side. “Let’s chat for a few minutes. Then we’ll do some exercises so I can get a baseline.”

  When she turned off the treadmill and stepped onto the floor beside him, Tyler noticed that she was quite a bit shorter than him. At six two he was used to being taller than most women, but she was definitely petite. And though she’d been fast-walking on the treadmill before he’d arrived, when she stood near him, Tyler noticed a floral scent coming from her hair.

  So she smelled good even after working up a sweat. Whatever.

  He led the way to a corner of the gym that wasn’t quite so noisy.

  “First off,” he said as they stood next to each other, “tell me what your fitness goals are.”

  “I want to get in better shape.” Wasn’t that obvious?

  His eyes slid up and down her body, making her acutely aware of every imperfection. Even so, having such a good-looking man appraise her so closely sent a delici
ous shiver through her.

  Stop it. He’s just seeing how much work you’re going to need. Which is a lot, by the way.

  “Be more specific,” he said as his gaze settled on hers. “Are you interested in better strength, or flexibility, or weight loss?”

  Did she need to lose weight? Well, yeah, it wouldn’t hurt if she lost ten pounds, but did he think she needed to lose weight? With a barely withheld grimace, Arwen said, “All of those things, I guess. I just want to…I don’t know…feel healthier.” Embarrassed to admit the reason she’d finally taken this step, she knew if she wanted results she had to be forthright. “I get out of breath too easily.”

  “Okay.” He smiled, which took his hotness to the next level, if that was possible.

  She needed to stop thinking about how he looked and just think about what he could do for her. That was why she was there. That was why he was there. He was just a guy with a gorgeous face and an amazing body who knew about fitness. He probably wasn’t even all that smart. All brawn and no brains.

  Feeling more confident—after all, she had her master’s degree in marriage and family therapy—Arwen held back a sniff of superiority. “So, Tyler. What can you do for me?”

  Tyler wasn’t sure if it was his imagination or if her tone sounded condescending.

  Ignoring the vibe he was getting from her, he reminded himself that she was a client, so it didn’t matter if she was stuck-up. As long as he got paid, what did he care?