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The book Hot Shot was born the summer of 2000, when the wildfires in Colorado were so bad. I live in Texas, but a member of our writing chapter, Cindi Myers, had just moved to Colorado and would email the loop about how bad the fires were and how brave the firefighters were. Another member said, “Hey, wouldn’t that make a good story?”
I thought so J
I’d been a member of San Antonio Romance Authors for three years at that point. I’d written several romances, but nothing was sticking. (I know now it’s because they stunk. Really really stunk. No conflict, clichés, unnecessary twists…and I was too stubborn to see it.) But I was tired of rejection and wanted to write something for me.
From the moment I had the idea, though, the story grabbed me, though it’s been through several incarnations. At first it was more of a Hanover Street story, where my hero was fearless until he found true love, but editors didn’t find it all that heroic. Also, Peyton wasn’t always a reporter. She was an aide for a congressman, but through research I learned she couldn’t go out on the fireline without training, and what fun was that?
Gabe Cooper was my first alpha hero. I’d written two single dads, a George Bailey-ish hero, a wishy-washy vet, and a cop, but Gabe Cooper came on strong. He didn’t take BS from his ex-wife, from the heroine, from his crew. I loved that about him.
My heroine Peyton didn’t. But that made it even more fun to write because she gave what she got.
Here’s an excerpt:
“I agreed to this for one shift only,” he said. “After this fire is contained, you’re out. You do your job without question, just like the rest of my crew. Got it?”
Her chin had tightened stubbornly as he spoke and he prepared for an argument, but she
merely nodded. Okay. Something was not quite right with her not saying anything. After all, she’d come over here. So why was he the one wanting to ask questions?
He settled on, “You drinking plenty of water?”
“I’m fine.” She stumbled, belying her words, and he resisted the urge to reach out to assist her. She wanted to see what the job entailed, she better stay on her feet.
“You’ll be more comfortable on the trail.”
“I’ll be all right.”
Damn, she was hardheaded. Determination, he understood. Stubbornness just to prove she could do it was something else. “This is the easy part. We have a thirty-degree incline ahead of us.”
She grimaced. “And when we get there?” she asked, a little out of breath.
He showed no mercy, couldn’t afford to. Besides, if he kept up this pace, maybe she’d go
back to the others. How long could he keep up the curiosity excuse? “You know the drill. We cut line, cut down trees, stop the fire and go home.”
“As simple as that?”
This time he stumbled. “Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn’t.”
She snatched her hand back from where she’d reached out to steady him. “You really love this, don’t you? The whole ‘my crew can do what no other crew can do’ mindset.”
He cast her an incredulous glance. “Are you giving me attitude, rookie?”
“I wasn’t aware you needed any.”
Now she was giving him mouth. No one in fire camp—outside Jen—had ever spoken to him like that. He kind of liked the awe with which most of the firefighters regarded him.
He kind of liked the attitude too.
He slowed to get a look at her. She already appeared exhausted. She’d removed her fire shirt and wore a white T-shirt so fitted it couldn’t be cool. Her lacy bra was visible through the thin knit. She’d pulled back her hair and locks of it fell toward her face, brushing the skin of her cheek, her throat. He thought, just for a second, to push her hair back into place but tamped down the urge, instead thinking her exposed skin was going to blister all to hell. He gave his attention back to the trail where it belonged. “So why are you doing this? There are easier ways to get the story.”
“Do I seem the type to take the easy way?” She sidestepped an outcropping of rock with an agility he hadn’t expected.
“I don’t know,” he drawled. “I haven’t seen enough of you to know.”
He bit back a chuckle when she blushed. Had he stumbled onto some guilt over their sexual attraction?
“Put your fire shirt on, Michaels, and go back with the crew.” He kicked at the smoke
hanging low on the ground. The smoke could hide the fire; they could come up on it without warning. The sheer challenge of the lethal hide and seek thrilled him. “It won’t be long now.”
Hot Shot is available in print now!
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