Facing the Fire

by Gail Barrett

Never marry a smoke jumper! Jordan Wells adopted that motto after her divorce from Cade McKenzie. She wanted a man who wasn't constantly running to the latest disaster—leaving her behind. Years later, she was finally ready to sell her mountain cabin—the only thing that still connected her to her ex—and move on with her life.

Cade had sworn he was long over Jordan, but when a deadly fire threatened her life, he didn't hesitate to lead her on a dangerous race out of a burning Montana forest. Forced to take shelter in each other's arms, old passions were ignited. And desire soon proved to be a greater threat than any wildfire...

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Firefighters

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 28, 2006

About the author

The nuns in my Catholic elementary school always said that each of us has a gift, a reason we were put here on earth. Our job is to discover what that purpose is. Well, I knew early on that I was meant to be a writer. Who else would spend her childhood grinding sparkling rocks into fairy dust and convince her friends it was real? Or daydream her way through elementary school, spend high school reading philosophy and playing the bagpipes, and then head off to Spain during college to live the writer's life?

After four years in Madrid I straggled back home, broke but fluent in Spanish, and discovered that I'd acquired a marketable skill. So instead of writing, I began teaching Spanish. I also married a Coast Guard Officer and followed him around the country as he rescued ships and saved lives.

The years passed. We had two sons. I earned my master's degree and continued teaching, which I really enjoyed. We met interesting people and acquired a quirky dog.

But the desire to write kept lurking in my mind. That was my dream, what I knew I'd been destined to do -- and yet, I had never done it. Then one day I made a decision. If I wanted to become a published author, I had to stop fantasizing about writing and actually do it.

So I began my first book –- and discovered that writing a saleable novel was much harder than I'd dreamed. Fortunately, I inherited a healthy dose of Irish stubbornness, a strong mid-western work ethic and a love of challenges that helped me persevere.

So here I am at last, just as the nuns instructed and right where I hoped I would be –- writing stories about characters struggling along their own paths of self-discovery. I hope you enjoy their journey home.

Reviews

[Saly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Facing the Fire was about a divorced couple finding their way to each other while running from a fire and along the way finding out that many of their actions and perceptions were wrong. There was a lot of anger, pain and bitterness along the way.

Jordan has returned ten years later to sell the cabin where she had one of the most happiest times. She left her husband and marriage when she couldn't take it anymore, her husband Cade was a smoke-jumper and she though that his thrill-seeking mattered more to him than her, so when she found herself alone losing her baby, in grief and depression, she fled and filed for divorce.

Cade loves what he does and when he sees Jordan at the cabin, all his bitterness comes back. Her leaving destroyed him and he never knew why. He thought she loved him but thinks she made a fool out of him and didn't wait for him.

Through running away from fires to rescue, with injured Jordan, Cade and a dog they both see a different side to their marriage. Jordan never talked much about her military upbringing but then Cade finds out that it affected her deeply, she wanted someone who would stay with her. Cade on his part never felt he belonged and smoke-jumping gave him that. The problem in their marriage was communication and Jordan, who was too young, immature and insecure and Cade didn't see that. I liked how Jordan saw and acknowledged her faults, she expected way too much and was a coward who never gave Cade the chance, hurting him deeply.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 1/2 Stars! ~ It's been ten years since Jordan had been in the cabin she once shared with her ex-husband in the Montana mountains. She's hoping that clearing out and selling the cabin will give her the closure she needs to move on and marry a good man like Phil. Phil's the sort to be home and always there when she needs him, not like Cade, the smoke-jumper gone for weeks, months at a time fighting fires. Injured from a falling tree, Cade knows he has to leave the team and get medical attention, but first he wants to check on the cabin, make sure there's no one there, he's sure Jordan would have sold it years ago. The fire's coming faster now and whoever's there has to get out asap while the road is still passable. The last person Jordan expects to see is Cade; an injured Cade. They soon discover the fire has breached the road and they have to go up and try to stay a head of it. Fighting fires is what Cade is good at, but soon he finds he's fighting his old feelings for Jordan. He needs closure too, and only she can answer why she left him without a note only a letter from her lawyer.

This story is so packed with emotion, sexual tension, action, and perils. I loved it! Jordan and Cade are on a journey not only to save their lives from the approaching fire, but a journey to find themselves. Ms. Barrett does an excellent job at showing us how they both saw their marriage and how much they've both grown. When we're young so many of our actions are based solely on our own perceptions, and often communication takes a back seat. As Cade and Jordan are forced to work together to stay alive, they find themselves seeing the other in a new light and they realize so much of what they had thought had happened was all wrong. I'm glad they got their HEA I'm looking forward to reading more from Ms. Barrett.

[Reforming · Rating 3 out of 5]

This came in The Feisty Firefighters Bundle. I almost didn't read it. But I am glad that I did. The angst of the love story went on too long. It was a typical, "Would you just talk to each other please?" story in that respect. What was really enjoyable was the forest fire. Loved the dog and the part he played.

[Juanita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a lover of soppy "love stories", but I enjoyed this because it evoked pleasant memories of Montana, which is one of my favorite states of the 19 I visited when I went to the U.S. in '08. It was also about "fire jumpers" who also intrigue me as we don't have them in Australia, but I knew of them because of an old movie I'd seen quite a while ago.

[Kristy Finto · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really good! It was addicting and very fast paced. I never wanted to put it down. I really liked the ending too.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Jordan Wells and Cade McKenzie met, fell in love and got married very young. With Jordan’s abandonment issues and Cade’s job as a smoke jumper that takes him away from home on a regular basis, their marriage falls apart. Ten years later they find themselves in a fight for their lives, as circumstances have forced them back together and they are trying to outrun a forest fire while trying bank the flames of their attraction.

This was a good story. There was lots of action and I certainly learned a lot about smoke jumpers and what goes into fighting forest fires. I liked the tension between Jordan and Cade and liked the fact that both of them realized that they were both to blame for the issues in their marriage. A nice second-chance love story with a little bit of heat.

Read as part of the Feisty Firefighters Bundle.

[Rochelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

3+ stars