Every Little Kiss Read Online Free Page A

to get a new fire extinguisher for the basement tomorrow and a new set of batteries for the carbon monoxide alarm. Plus a smoke detector.
    She couldn’t always shed the responsibilities that seemed to follow her around like a pack of stray dogs, but by God she could shed them when it came to a man. If it came to a man, that is.
    Which was a big if, considering this was White Pine, and the bachelor selection wasn’t exactly brimming.
    “I hope those are Abe’s digits you’re typing into your phone,” Ingrid said, standing beside her once more. Ingrid was smiling like she could read every single thought about Abe Cameron that had passed through Casey’s brain in the past hour.
    “Just the opposite. I’m going to make sure the basement has all the equipment we need so I don’t have to see him again.”
    “Huh. I thought maybe there was a spark there. A little flirty fun, perhaps?”
    Casey didn’t have the heart to admit she’d thought that, too. For a moment, anyway. Instead, she grabbed Ingrid’s arm and plastered on a smile. She reminded herself that this was a fresh start. Maybe she could learn to shelve her responsibilities for a few minutes and get to know her colleagues. Perhaps even develop a friendship here or there.
    “We both missed out on the Rolling Pin’s hot cocoa this afternoon,” she told Ingrid. “How about we pop down for some now. My treat.”
    “You sure? By the time I’m done asking for extra whipped cream on mine, the up-charge is, like, eight bucks.”
    Casey grinned. “Maybe I can find a way to file it as a tax deduction.”
    Ingrid patted her sides. “Maybe I can find a way it won’t all end up on my hips.”
    Laughing, Casey followed Ingrid down the warehouse’s hallway toward the main entrance. She gave herself an imaginary high five. Her colleagues didn’t have to know she’d been a stick in the mud for years. They didn’t have to know about the embarrassing things she’d done. Not if she worked to show them a different side of herself, anyway.
    And when it came to a man, well, Casey knew that she was going to have to find a guy who was her complete opposite. Fun-loving, carefree, adventurous—everything she wanted to be.
    She stepped out into the darkening afternoon, the snow swirling and the holiday lights twinkling, and reminded herself she was back in White Pine to change. To be better.
    She walked alongside Ingrid to the Rolling Pin and faced the truth.
    A man like Abe Cameron would be nothing but trouble.

C HAPTER TWO
    T he morning sun crested over a snow-covered hill, igniting the icy limbs of the cedar trees in a fiery orange glow. Abe Cameron gulped down the cold air, lungs burning as his hiking boots trundled through the fresh powder on the trail. His hands clutched at the straps on his backpack. Sweat dripped down his neck in rivulets that froze almost as soon as they formed.
    Three miles in. Five to go. Eight miles every other day along this trail, rain or shine, carrying a backpack filled with weights and a rock or two from along the path, when he felt like throwing them in.
    It was the hardest workout Abe could think of. It was also the only one that made sense to him. Because if something was challenging, you did it. It if was tough, you tackled it.
    Abe shifted the backpack slightly, ignoring the ache in his shoulders and neck. He’d long ago stopped asking himself how he felt about things. If he focused on the pain, the hurt, the desire to stop, he’d never do anything.
    He’d never run into a flame-engulfed building.
    He’d never hold the hand of a car-crash victim and tell him to hang on.
    He’d never breathe air into the lungs of a drowning victim, willing himself to bring her back.
    In White Pine, fire and rescue were wrapped into one, meaning he could get called on everything from a house fire to a sprained ankle. Doing both meant he’d seen his share of broken bodies and tragic situations.
    He pushed himself down the trail harder, as if trying