Little else in life is as dangerous as fire jumping Flying past towering pillars of smoke parachuting down to the edge of an all-consuming blaze shoveling and sawing for hours upon hours days at a time all to hold the line and push back against the raw power of Mother Nature But therexs also little else as thrilling x at least to Rowan Tripp The Missoula smoke jumpers are one of the most exclusive firefighting squads in the nation and the job is in Rowanxs blood her father is a legend in the field Shexs been fighting fires since her eighteenth birthday At this point returning to the wilds of Montana for the season feels like coming home x even with reminders of the partner she lost last season still lingering in the air Fortunately this yearxs rookie crop is among the strongest ever x and Gulliver Curryxs one of the best Hexs also a walking contradiction a hotshot firefighter with a big vocabulary and a winter job at a kidsx arcade He came to Missoula to follow in the footsteps of Lucas xCIron ManxD Tripp yet hexs instantly more fascinated by his heroxs daughter Rowan as a rule doesnxt hook up with other smoke jumpers but Gull is convinced he can change her mind And damn if he doesnxt make a good case to be an exception to the rule Everything is thrown off balance though when a dark presence lashes out against Rowan looking to blame someone for last yearxs tragedy Rowan knows she canxt complicate things with Gull x any distractions in the air or on the ground could be lethal But if she doesnxt find someone she can lean on when the heat gets intense her life may go down in flames.