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Seconds later his medics arrived and went to work. Connor could do the basics, but they were the ones with the equipment. He stepped back to let them work and waved the crowd back. Olivia stood watching the encounter, arms crossed across her midsection. “Sorry, I couldn’t get my breath.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Connor told her firmly. “It’s not your job, anyway. This is exactly why I have my entire department out here.”

She glanced at the man again. It was obvious he was having a heart attack. Hopefully, though, they’d gotten to him in time, and he would be fine.

“We had half a dozen calls last night,” he said, “and I have a feeling we’ll have double that today. It’s going to be call after call, I bet.”

And it was mostly. Connor didn’t respond to all of the calls, but a lot of them. Olivia tried to keep up, but there was no way she could. Not with her ribs healing the way they were. And he didn’t need her to. They had plenty of coverage. She didn’t have to help, but she showed up just in case.

At one o’clock he was scheduled to be in the judging tent. “If you want, I can have one of the guys drive you back to the firehouse and you can take a nap, then come back in a while.”

She looked tempted for a moment, then shook her head. “I’m fine. Not sure I’ll stay here the entire time to watch you eat, but I will for a while.”

He barked out a laugh, loving her humor. “What, greasy fingers don’t turn you on?” He wiggled his dark eyebrows theatrically.

She laughed, then moaned and put a hand to her ribs. “Damn it, that hurts. Stop it.”

Before he could think better of it, he reached out and drew her into a hug. “I’m sorry, babe,” he murmured, then drew back. Damn. That had been a little familiar.

Olivia seemed a little taken aback as well but seemed okay with what he’d done.

“Chief Kelly, please report to the judges’ table,” a voice called over the intercom system.

He rolled his eyes. “Guess I’d better go.”

Then he stared at her, almost overcome with the urge to lean down and kiss her.

She would probably smack him.

Maybe it would be worth it.

With a cocky grin, he gave her an imaginary salute and turned away.

* * *

Olivia watched Connor walk away, intrigued despite herself. They’d fallen into an easy familiarity. Maybe too easy. Had he been about to kiss her? She’d only known him for two days, eighteen hours, but there was something about him that appealed to her, and she wasn’t sure what she would have done if he’d leaned down to give her a peck. She knew what she should do, and that was get the hell out of Lockhart, Texas.

Why was she feeling so at home? Was it the people she’d met, or the location? The town of Lockhart had an old-time charm, built the way it was around the center courthouse. The courthouse was several blocks away now, but she’d seen it several times as they’d driven through town, and she’d loved the red and white granite used to build it.

Over her career as a traveling nurse, she’d been to several towns, just the same as this one. So, maybe it was the firehouse crew. And their chief. They had an easy camaraderie that she missed, in a way, and hadn’t found for many years.

Turning, she looked for a place to sit down. The central pond wasn’t too far away, and she spied a couple of benches. Hell, maybe she’d just sit beneath one of the oak trees that lined it and close her eyes for a few minutes. She needed to call Baylee.

Finding a space beneath a welcoming tree, she settled her back against the trunk. Oh, the support felt nice. For just a moment, she closed her eyes, lulled by the cool breeze.

Children laughing brought her around and she rolled her head vertical. How long had she been asleep? No more than a few moments, right? Then she looked at the position of the sun in the sky. Connor had gone into the judging tent at twelve forty-five. The sun was beyond its apex, now. Glancing down, she picked up her lemonade. All the ice had melted. Swirling it in the cup, she took a big swallow. Lukewarm. She did feel refreshed, though.

Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her phone. There were a few messages there. Two from Connor wondering where she’d gone, and one from Baylee. And a stupid dad meme from Rex. Sigh. She sent Connor a message first, letting him know her location, then hit the phone button beside Baylee’s name.

“Where the heck have you been, woman?” her friend gasped out.

Olivia laughed. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

She recapped the past two days for Baylee, admitting that she’d kind of lost track of time.

“Sounds like you’re having fun,” Baylee said, snorting. “And it’s about time, too. You need to let loose every once in a while. This chief sounds handsome. Is he?”

Olivia smiled. “Yes, he is. Dark-haired, but with the brightest blue eyes I think I’ve ever seen on a man.”