Taking Chances: Tangled Up Part 25

Ashley nodded, her smile bright. "What you do is really great."

"But the weather stuff is all Max," Bree said. What had Max said about her exactly? Clearly Ashley had gotten the wrong impression.

"Oh, I know. And he's awesome," Ashley said, smiling at Max. "But I've been trying to figure out what I want to do with my degree, and emergency management is really exciting to me."

"You're getting a master's degree in-" Bree wasn't even sure. But it wasn't criminal justice. "Why would you want to go to the police academy?"

Ashley shrugged. "I don't know about the academy, but I'd love to do what you do with the emergency-management piece-the storm chasing, the recovery and construction-all of it. You're just really a"-Ashley blushed-"a great role model for a strong, independent woman."

Bree had no idea what to say to that. She had never been a role model to anyone before. But she could tell Ashley meant it, and the rush that gave her amazed her. It was like what she'd felt the other day when the students had been asking her questions, but amped up by a factor of ten. Or a hundred.

As to how Ashley even knew these things about her-Max had been talking about her. And, well, maybe he was proud of her.

She wasn't sure why he was talking about her to his students. But apparently he was saying very nice things.

"That's all really flattering," she told Ashley.

Ashley's face brightened. "So would it be okay if I followed you around for a day while I'm here?"

"Yeah, I guess," Bree said. "I don't know how exciting it will be. I'm helping with some of the rebuilding and repairs."

"That's fine. I like to get my hands dirty, too," Ashley said quickly.

For a split second, Bree wondered if this was a ploy for Ashley to impress Max. But then Ashley said, "But would you be able to go over what you and the department do to prepare for emergencies-all kinds-and how you personally combine it with the storm chasing and everything?"

Bree's mind started spinning through all the things that happened before, during, and after a storm, then she jumped to the big gra.s.s fire that had happened last fall a mile from town. The flood that had happened two summers ago. Then the blizzard two winters ago. It seemed like Chance was the unluckiest place on earth, but truthfully, all those things were just part of life in Nebraska.

Okay, maybe not the constant, crazy tornadoes.

But Bree found herself smiling. All these things made her love her job-and it wasn't the excitement of it. It was the protecting and taking care of this town.

"Yes, I'd love to do that," Bree told her. "How long are you here?"

"Another couple of weeks at least," Ashley said. "The summer session is six weeks long, and we have permission to stay here for as much of it as we need to."

"Great," Bree said, feeling her heart flutter as she thought about the things she could tell Ashley. "Give me a couple of days to finish some stuff, and I'll put some things together for you."

There were a lot of things she could talk about when it came to preparedness and recovery. Max, Jake, and Dillon were the three pros, but Bree had the small-town experience. Two years ago, her cross-country skiing and snowmobiling experience had been hugely helpful when the blizzard hit. She'd been able to get out to a couple of houses to check on people and bring them supplies, and she'd been able to get two older women to safety in town. Her hiking and camping and canoeing experience had helped when two kids had gone missing along the river last summer. And her climbing experience had been very helpful during this cleanup and recovery-Max would have to admit that.

She wondered if Ashley would be interested in learning those kinds of skills as well. Basic climbing, hiking, and water safety could be helpful.

Places like Chance relied on volunteers for almost everything. They got training, but not the intensive teaching that full-time professional emergency-management teams did. They didn't have the high-tech help or high-level equipment, either. They had to depend on the intelligence, dedication, and resourcefulness of the volunteers. The more training that could be provided, the better.

"I'm really looking forward to it." Ashley beamed at her, much as she had at Max the other day. "You're awesome to do this."

"It's great. I'm looking forward to it, too," Bree said, surprised by how true that was. "Call me."

Ashley leaned in and gave Bree a quick, spontaneous hug, then turned and disappeared into the crowd to find her friends.

Bree turned back to the bar, still feeling a little stunned.

Then she looked at Max.

He definitely looked smug.

"I stole your biggest fan."

His grin grew. "Yep."

"What was that all about?"

He shrugged as if it were no big deal. "I was telling them about the storm and what we were doing-"

"Oh, really?"

He gave her a look. "I left out a few details."

She grinned. "I wouldn't have minded you telling them all the dirty details."

His smile faded, and heat replaced the teasing glint in his eyes. "I wasn't sure that was what I wanted them to learn about storm chasing."

Bree took a casual drink of her beer, even as her entire body felt like it was vibrating. From adrenaline-flirting with Max, thinking about mentoring Ashley, remembering all the things she'd been a part of in Chance.

"Anyway," Max went on, "I kept talking about you, and Ashley wanted to know more, and now . . . I guess she thinks you're awesome."

Bree tried not to look giddy at that. But, yeah, Ashley thought she was awesome. That felt-weird. And great.

"You built me up," she said, turning her stool toward Max so her knees b.u.mped his.

"Just told the truth."

Bree was overcome by emotions at that. She knew Max cared about her, liked her, wanted her. But now she saw that he actually respected her, too. That was . . . surprisingly attractive.

A shiver danced down her spine. A shiver that felt a bit like the one that went through her when she first climbed into the c.o.c.kpit of the small plane she'd learned to fly solo.

She loved that shiver.

"Jesus, man, I heard you about lost your a.s.ses out there!" Ted Miller exclaimed as he bellied up to the bar. "I knew you were a crazy sonofab.i.t.c.h chasing those storms, but d.a.m.n, man."

Max nodded, casting a quick glance at Bree. "It got close."

The storm wasn't the only thing that had been close on old Highway 36.

"Well, n.o.body else has been that close to that a.s.s in a really long time," Ted said, his eyes dropping to Bree's b.u.t.t.

Bree jerked her elbow back, connecting with Ted's ribs. But he was too drunk to really feel it. They're drunk. They're just kidding around. No need to punch anyone in the face.

"Yeah, hunkering down in a ditch is as dirty as Bree's gotten with anyone around here," Adam Franklin said before laughing loudly at his own joke.

She looked at Max. "Well, I do like things dirty." She saw Max's fingers tighten on his bottle.

"I can get you dirty, babe," Adam said. "My duck blind can be downright cozy. You just say the word."

That was never gonna happen.

Even if Adam were her type-and he wasn't-that wasn't gonna happen. Hunting wasn't her thing. Thankfully, her dad hadn't been into that stuff, either, or there was no doubt she would have killed her first animal at a tender young age. Just like she'd learned to throw, hit, and kick a ball; handle bugs and small critters; get muddy; and consider sc.r.a.pes and bruises tiny trophies for playing hard.

And she was pretty sure that if Adam were standing in the open door of an airplane at twelve thousand feet with only a piece of nylon on his back, he would cry.

They would definitely not be giving her the huge grin and a wink before bailing out that Max did.

Bree looked at Max. He looked p.i.s.sed. Finally, something other than mildly interested and amused. He was clenching his jaw and his beer bottle. The smiles were gone. He was usually the optimist, the life of the party, the fun guy. Now he was growly and bossy and moody.

It was intriguing.

She didn't totally get it, either. Was it just the stress and fatigue from the storm cleanup making him grumpy? Or did he really not like the other guys teasing her?

She also didn't understand this urge to push him even further to see what happened.

Okay, that wasn't entirely true. She always pushed. When there was something exciting, even something she thought might be exciting, she pushed.

Like now.

"Thing is," Bree said, her eyes still on Max, whose eyes were on his beer bottle, "ducks are kind of . . . boring."

Max's head swiveled slowly to look at her. She met his gaze with an eyebrow up.

He shook his head and sighed. "Okay, let's go."

Bree's stomach flipped, and even her bones felt warmer now.

She reached into her pocket for money to cover her tab, but Max tossed enough bills onto the bar to cover his drink and hers, as well as Ted's and Adam's.

"You guys out already?" Ted asked.

Max wrapped a hand around Bree's upper arm. "Yep."

CHAPTER EIGHT.

One-syllable words? That wasn't Max, either. Bree knew she shouldn't feel like grinning, but this was new.

She loved new. New was exciting.

As Max tugged her off the bar stool and escorted her, gently but firmly, to the door, Bree felt like she was standing on the platform, waiting to launch herself off over the woods in the Appalachian Mountains on a zip line.

Oh yeah, this was what she wanted.

It took a little bit to make it to the door. People kept stopping them, wanting to chat. But eventually they were outside. Alone.

Max didn't stop until they were standing beside his truck, in between it and another F-150. He dropped his hold on her and turned to face her.

It was dark, but the tall lights that circled the parking area allowed them to see each other's faces clearly.

She clasped her hands together and watched him, antic.i.p.ation building.

She was trying not to look eager.

Max shook his head. "Don't."

"Don't what?"

"Don't look like someone's about to serve you a combo pizza with extra cheese."

Apparently she looked eager anyway.

She grinned. "Sorry."

"The thing is, you're not. You're pushing me."

"Maybe a little," she admitted.

"Why?"

"I like this new side of you."

"New side?" he asked.

"This dominant, a.s.s-paddling side." She knew her grin was big again.

Max narrowed his eyes and looked at her, saying nothing for several ticks. "It's not new," he finally told her.

She laughed at that. "Um, I'm pretty sure I would have remembered you promising to smack my a.s.s, Max."

His jaw ticked. "Just because I never said it out loud doesn't mean it's new."

Dang. Was it the dark or the Liquid Lightning or the fact that she was already a little revved up or what? His voice was gruffer now, and his words sent heat spiraling through her.

"You've thought about it before?" she asked.

He looked at her directly, and she could feel the heat in his gaze. "Many times."

She swallowed hard. "So you're saying that this s.e.xy, bossy side of you isn't new? It's just new to me."