Sweet Heat

Forty-something Jess has spent several years rebuilding herself after divorce and reinventing her life after being forced to sell her small café. Now, she's a cookbook author, runs the food blog, Sweet Heat in the Upstate, and is the not so proud owner of a fire damaged home kitchen and studio.  

Firefighter Josh and his EMT step-brother Jay share a house, outdoor adventures, good food with good friends, and they share women, particularly those of the curvy variety. They want more than a one-night fling. They want a woman they can love, a woman with a heart big enough to love them both, a woman who wants to build a life with them, but will they find her?

Maybe. And maybe she's closer than they think.  

When a call comes in about a fire in their neighborhood, nothing could've prepared them to come face to face with the woman Josh has been fantasizing about for months. In the aftermath, across her small yard, Josh and Jay share a knowing look. Was she the one? Could she be the one?  

There's only one way to find out...

Author's Note: Previously released in the Five Alarm Alphas anthology as Up in Smoke. It has been heavily revised.