Everglades Wildfire

  Everglades Wildfire Copyright © 2019 Isabelle Drake

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  For more information contact:

  Riverdale Avenue Books

  5676 Riverdale Avenue

  Riverdale, NY 10471

  www.riverdaleavebooks.com

  Design by www.formatting4U.com

  Cover by Scott Carpenter

  Digital ISBN: 978162601532

  Print ISBN: 9781626015333

  A novella length version of this story was previously published by Ellora’s Cave, in September, 2009

  First edition, November 2019

  What They are Saying About

  Everglades Wildfire

  “Everglades Wildfire is a BUZZWORTHY BOOK!”

  “Isabelle Drake’s novel, Everglades Wildfire is a scorcher!”

  —Shon Bacon, SisterDivas Magazine

  4 Cups—a keeper—from Coffee Time Romance

  “Isabelle Drake writes a vivid tale of hot sex and the inner struggles of the characters as they fight their love for each other. Amber’s conflicting need for a safe secure family and her attraction to the handsome rancher are intense. Rick’s attempts to overcome his past while he fights to keep the woman he loves will keep the reader glued to the page. The sex scenes are very hot. The plot twists keep the reader guessing. I enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading more by this author.”

  —Candy, Coffee Time Romance

  “Hot, sexy and comfortable all rolled into one. The bad-boy with a gold heart meets the one girl that can make it all come out right has been retold in a luscious setting that left me sweating for all the right reasons with enough new elements to have me hanging on every word. Ms. Drake provides a smorgasbord of emotions for the reader to feast upon and leave replete.”

  —Keely Skillman, EcataRomance Reviews

  4 Unicorns—Enchanted in Romance

  “The sexual tension that simmers below the surface of Everglades Wildfire is amazing. Ms. Drake does a great job of showing their past without getting bogged down in the details. The characters are very sympathetic and it’s easy to identify with Amber’s struggle between the two men in her life. It’s a fun read.”

  —Natalie, Enchanted in Romance

  “Isabelle Drake creates a sensual, steamy backdrop for her Everglades Wildfire. This is a complex and intriguing story ... The sex scenes will get you so hot and bothered that you’ll want to make sure you’ve got the air conditioning turned up! The lush scenery and surprisingly complex story will grab your attention and keep you hooked. Read Ms. Drake’s Everglades Wildfire, you’ll enjoy it.”

  —Trang, Fallen Angels Reviews

  Praise for Isabelle Drake

  SATISFACTION GUARANTEED

  “I highly recommend this book to all who like to experience real-life people with a strong attraction which has some great ups and downs. It is a good book which I think you will certainly enjoy and remember for some time to come.”

  —Brenda Talley, The Romance Studio

  “This is the first book I have read by Isabelle Drake and was really surprised how well she handles the relationship between Elizabeth and Jack. Their dates were very sweet and very fun. Plus, when Jack and Elizabeth finally get under the sheets, their lovemaking is explosive and intimate. For a guaranteed sexy romance, Satisfaction Guaranteed is one I would recommend you pick up.”

  —Katie, Romance Junkies

  COWBOY FOR HIRE

  2009 Psyche Award Winner

  “Okay, I love cowboys and Arizona , so Cowboy for Hire really captured my heart. I love the dialogue and the way the chemistry works between Victoria and Lang. Their relationship springs to life and leaps into the reader’s heart. Isabelle Drake is a great storyteller. She allows the reader to envision the backdrop of the ranch, and blends in all the elements that make this read outstanding. I like the way she allows Victoria to work out matters with her father. By blending two hard-headed people together, like Victoria, and Lang, she allows their hearts to open to the other, making this an even greater page-turner.”

  —Cherokee, Coffee Time Romance

  “The settings were written so you could almost visualize them. The buildings were described as so you got a feel for them but you weren’t bogged down by each little detail. The barn was large enough to house several horses and had a cement floor. What more do you really need to know about a barn? The ranch was done equally well. You now that there is a hill a couple of hours ride by horseback that gives you a view of the whole ranch. There is a stream up there, a few trees and space to camp. This gives you an idea of the size and features of the ranch. The auction and just about every other place was done with enough attention to detail to give you a feel for the place.

  “… overall, this was a fun book to read full of dreams and real life.

  —Terri, Night Owl Romance

  “Ms. Drake has a wonderful way of writing. I loved reading Cowboy for Hire. I found that it flowed amazingly well, and I had no problem whatsoever in following along. Victoria and Lang seem to be opposites, but in fact are... well, I let you read the book and see for yourselves.

  “I found that the book was exceptionally well written and that it was easy to follow along with Victoria and Lang. I found the struggles and triumphs believable, real, plausible, and entirely like something that you or I might find out here in the real world. Also, in my opinion, the interaction between main characters was well written, and entirely believable. And, last but by no means least, I found myself unable to stop, at least until I reached Cowboy’s end.”

  —Alyna Couture, The Romance Studio

  “I found Cowboy for Hire by Isabelle Drake to be a fun story. I was instantly drawn to Lang. He is the type of cowboy hero every gal dreams of. Victoria keeps him on his toes, and he stays in a state of constant confusion. Victoria, on the other hand, knows what she wants. She came from a wealthy, influential family and walked away when she decided she wanted a life that she created with her own two hands. Lang keeps his ranching history a secret and watches her make mistakes. He is drawn to her strength and quickly realizes she isn’t just another beautiful face. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Cowboy for Hire and look forward to reading more books by Mrs. Drake.”

  —Manic Readers

  “Cowboy for Hire by Isabelle Drake is a funny, fast read. When I picked up this book I wasn’t sure what to expect. I have always loved a good cowboy story and was not disappointed. Victoria is unsure of what she is doing. She had never before ventured out on her own and I find her strength enlightening. She knows what she wants to do and even though she has no previous experience she perseveres. Lang is a tough hero. His previous ranching experience is obvious but he keeps it a secret from Victoria and allows Victoria to believe that he is just a run of the mill, down on his luck, cowboy. The conflicts that Lang and Victoria have make them more human. I would recommend this cowboy romance to any reader and will be looking for more books by Ms. Drake.”

  —Kim N, Romance Junkies

  Acknowledgements

  With appreciation to CF, for your excellent and honest advice many years ago to “stop writing about the alligators and write the story instead.”

  And thanks to John Gehrig, for the insights and research inspiration.

  

  Author’s Note

  Dear Reader,

  Beauty
and the Beast, set in the steamy, mysterious Florida, Everglades—that’s how I think of Everglades Wildfire. This book was my first erotic romance, published long before 50 Shades of Grey and even before the boom of ultra-sexy romances available in the mainstream market. Even though this version of the story has been expanded and updated, the original gothic tone and passionate, flawed characters remain.

  Rick is a traditional alpha hero. He’s dark, brooding and passionate, but out of touch with his emotions. Amber is just as tough as her man, but in her own way. Her faith is as deep as her love and her determination is strong enough for them both.

  Bringing this story back to readers has given me an opportunity to reflect on what has, and hasn’t, changed in the world of ultra-sexy romances. Thanks for coming along.

  Isabelle

  Mason, Michigan

  November, 2019

  Chapter One

  It only took Amber Hill one glance to realize how completely wrong she’d been. She stared at Rick Belleair’s powerful backside as he went through the simple motions of tossing feed bags out of his truck bed and fought against the swell of emotion threatening to weaken her resolve and good sense. Bright, southern Florida sunshine glinted off his blond ponytail, a mass of locks like some windblown pirate’s that hung halfway down his bare back. He looked and moved like the rogue she remembered, but he wasn’t some fantasy man she’d conjured up. His bare feet were planted firmly on the ground, not on the deck of an 18th-century schooner.

  There was no denying the truth—he was exactly as she remembered. Each inch of him had been imprinted into her memory, from the wild curls barely contained by the piece of string binding them, to the smooth muscled arches of his feet. Amber swallowed hard. Being a sensible girl from the Midwest, she’d figured that once she got close to him the spell would be broken. She’d been so very, very wrong.

  She was a long way from over him.

  But she needed him. The documents in her glove box had to be signed. By him. The sooner she got him to cooperate, the faster she could be on her way back home, to the life that was waiting for her there.

  Before she could finish her approach, Rick turned. The gaze of his icy blue eyes flickered over her body, not lingering as hers had, but skimming. His face reflected none of the emotions that churned through her. The air between them, already hot and humid from the threatening afternoon thunderstorm, thickened. Amber’s throat tightened. What exactly had she planned on saying?

  With the swiftness of a man born and raised in the dangerous Florida Everglades, Rick moved to her, wrapping his fingers lightly around her neck. He lingered there, waiting, looking into her eyes. She should have stiffened, backed away, but she didn’t. She waited. The rough calluses of his palms chafed her skin as his mouth took hers.

  The scent of hard work and dirt assailed her. How familiar it was.

  How it turned her on.

  The sweet caress of his lips moving across hers, completely in control, gentle but demanding. She grabbed him, pulled him closer then parted her lips and was rewarded by the strong flick of his tongue over her teeth. The simple motion was a possession, one she wanted, one she’d ached for too long.

  Amber arched into the embrace of the man she’d fantasized about for months then tried so desperately to forget. The solid plane of his wide chest pressed into hers. Her body melded completely, wonderfully to his. From his lips, delivering a demanding kiss, to the unmistakable hard press of his arousal, she remembered every taut inch.

  Rick lifted his mouth from hers to whisper into her ear. “Back for a more?”

  The husky whisper sent shivers down her back. Yes, she did want more. She looked up. A smear of dirt ran across his cheek. Sweat trickled over his sun-darkened skin. When her gaze met his, she saw the unmistakable desire that matched hers.

  With his thick fingers still curling around her neck, he glanced at the ground and then asked, “Do you want to do it here? Or take the time to go up to the cottage?”

  This was not the way things were supposed to go.

  Her hesitation was long enough for him to let go and back away. She stumbled, barely catching her balance. He grabbed a grubby T-shirt from a nearby fence post, yanked it over his head and turned to the bags he’d been moving. The long curls of his hair swayed as he twisted from side to side. Sweat glistened on his forearms as he tossed the bags through the still air.

  Amber shifted on her feet. “Rick...”

  He continued to ignore her. Or act like he was. She knew his well enough to know that he never ignored anything.

  Everything had seemed so simple when she’d thought it through back home. All she had to do was get him to sign the contract allowing her to use the hatchling growth rate research they’d gathered the previous summer and leave. Once home, she’d finish her graduate degree and start her relationship with Christopher. That was her plan anyway.

  The past months of lonely, late night fantasies of Rick meant nothing. All she’d accomplished during those hours of longing was reliving a summer that never should’ve happened. She was letting the memories of great sex block the security she could have with someone else. Christopher was the settling down type, and she was certain he’d ask her to marry him eventually. They’d have children. Finally, she’d be part of a family and have the belonging she’d longed for her whole life.

  With Rick’s signature on that document, their only tie would be cut, and she could get on with her life. He’d just be someone from her past. A memory that would fade with time. “I came to...”

  He turned. At his full height, he towered almost a foot over her and weighed nearly 100 pounds more. The strength in his arms and legs radiated from him, circling her. Heavy muscles stretched, filled out each inch of denim and cotton covering him. Even as he loomed in front of her, staring at her with dark contempt, she wanted him and hated herself for it.

  He rested his hands on his hips, his chest rising and falling. “What do you want, Amber?”

  Her fingers fluttered around the wisps of her hair shifting in the slight breeze. She needed a way to deny her feelings for him. “I came... to ask... I need...”

  The contempt was fading, the harsh lines of his face softening. “What?”

  “I’m...” she started, but the words faltered, and she looked away, squinting into the glaring sun.

  Why couldn’t he be the one for her?

  But he wasn’t. She had to believe that Christopher could be the man to love her. One who’d give her the things she’d longed for her whole life—stability, a family, a home of her own. All she had to do was get the papers signed and forget Rick.

  To push him away, keep him from touching her again, she said, “I’m getting married.” After the unexpected lie was out, she waited, hoping... praying... that the electric charge sparking between them would vanish. Why did he have such a hold on her? Why couldn’t she wish it away?

  Rick turned away, unloaded the last of the bags from the bed of his rusted-out pick-up, wiped his palms over his thighs and then folded his arms across his chest. “Come over here, Amber.” He spoke softly, but the insistence of the demand was clear. He was a man who gave orders and people obeyed or suffered the consequences. Her first step was unconscious, but her will to oppose him took over.

  When he saw her pause, he asked again, “Come to me.”

  After two more steps, she stood at an arm’s length from the man she’d once thought of as her lover. Still a safe distance. His gaze darted from her to the ground at his feet. She obeyed the silent command, moved closer. With only inches between them, his breath whispered across her face when he leaned down to speak. “Kiss me again.”

  No, anything but that.

  That kiss a minute ago had been a mistake she was not going to repeat. There was a chance she wouldn’t be able to stop at a kiss. Not when she knew what Rick could do to her body. Not when she knew all too well how badly she ached for him. All of him, including his heart.

  Overhead, a storm cloud blocke
d out the sun, casting shadows across the yard. A rumble rolled through the air, the vibration deep. As though he controlled even the sky above, Rick didn’t blink at the threat from the heavens.

  “Do it, Amber. I’m sure your man won’t mind. After all, you’ll save the best for him, won’t you?”

  She heard the scorn in his voice and knew she had to hide the truth from him, from herself. She could handle a kiss. Rising on tiptoe, Amber reached for him.

  Her last glimpse of his eyes, just before her own fluttered shut, was enough to send her heart racing. The fierce longing, the need for connection, and the one thing she knew he was trying to hide from himself—vulnerability. When his lips brushed across hers with the lightness of the morning sun, she instinctively pressed harder. Even with his hands tucked under his arms, the hold he had on her was potent. A hold she’d been trying, unsuccessfully, to shake ever since he’d let her walk out of his life at the end of last summer.

  Yet now she greedily demanded more from him, and he quickly complied. Hungrily, she accepted his tongue when he thrust it into her mouth. The intimate invasion so familiar yet still so exciting. Within seconds he had her panting, wanting him so badly she throbbed with need.

  Rick broke off the kiss abruptly. “You’re not getting married.”

  She was certain he didn’t know she’d lied. They had no friends in common, no connections of any kind. Still, his teasing burned through her, mixing painfully with the desire he’d ignited. The temptation to shove him away in rejection, battled with the need to pull him down and kiss him until he ached for more the way she did.

  Either action would have consequences.