A Home Lost—And Found

Ally York’s rental house has gone up in flames—along with her plan to rescue abandoned dogs. When the smoke clears, volunteer firefighter Drew Sellers is there, offering help and shelter. Ally knows she can’t get attached. After a childhood spent in foster care, she intends to put down deep roots in Moonlight Cove. And Drew is on the brink of leaving town. He’s drawn to Ally’s compassion and steady faith, but love has steered him wrong before. Yet this time it may have led them both to the place they truly belong.

Just as he thought his actions were futile, the pup shuddered and took a noisy breath, followed by the tiniest doggy whimper he’d ever heard.

“Was that...?” Ally breathed.

“Yep,” he said, holding up the swaddled puppy. Joy arced through him. “It’s breathing.” He looked at her, his heart surging at the pure relief shining on her face.

“Oh, thank You, God!” she said, then she gripped his arm, her touch firm and warm. “And thank you, too, Drew.”

The pup squirmed in his hands, and Drew kept stroking it to encourage adequate blood flow, and to comfort it, as well. Sadie sniffed the pup intently but seemed content to let Drew hold her littlest baby.

He waited with bated breath, and then, after a few minutes, the pup lifted its head and gave a miniscule yowl.

“Listen to that,” Ally said, her tone laced with wonder. “What a little fighter.”

He held it out to Ally. “Just like you.”

LISSA MANLEY

decided she wanted to be a published author at the ripe old age of twelve. After she read her first romance novel as a teenager, she quickly decided romance was her favorite genre, although she still enjoys digging into a good medical thriller now and then.

When her youngest was still in diapers, Lissa needed a break from strollers and runny noses, so she sat down and started crafting a romance and has been writing ever since. Nine years later, in 2001, she sold her first book, fulfilling her childhood dream. She feels blessed to be able to write what she loves, and intends to be writing until her fingers quit working, or she runs out of heartwarming stories to tell. She’s betting the fingers will go first.

Lissa lives in the beautiful city of Portland, Oregon, with her wonderful husband, a grown daughter and college-aged son, and two bossy poodles who rule the house and get away with it. When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading, crafting, bargain hunting, cooking and decorating.

Hometown Fireman

Lissa Manley

www.millsandboon.co.uk

But if God so clothes the grass of the field,

which today is alive and tomorrow

is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O men of little faith?

—Matthew 6:30

This book is dedicated to the brave fireman

in my family’s life, Tommy Bonin.

Thanks for all of your help with research—

I couldn’t have done it without you.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Dear Reader

Questions for Discussion

Excerpt

Chapter One

His eyes on the fingers of black smoke hanging in the rays of the setting sun to the west, volunteer firefighter Drew Sellers pulled up to 25 Flying Fish Lane.

He jerked his truck to a stop behind one of the two fire engines flanking the house. The massive rig ran all pumps on, drawing from a water tender parked at an angle on the road, spraying a thick jet of water on the blaze.

Furrowing his brow—if he remembered right, Old Man Whitley had died about a year ago and the house had been empty ever since—Drew threw open the truck’s door and cast his gaze left toward the decrepit cottage-style house set well back on the property. The distinctive smell of burning wood washed over him in an acrid wave.

His heart sank.

The old house was almost completely engulfed in flames already. He wished he could have arrived sooner, but he’d been too far out of town, on his way back from his interview in Atherton, Oregon, to respond and meet up with the rest of the crew at the station. But since he was driving by on his way home, there was no way he wasn’t stopping to help out.

He ran around the engine, jumped the taut hose and spotted Chief McCoy, dressed in his turnout coat and white helmet, his radio in hand, standing next to his SUV parked on the other side of the engine.

“We’ve got this under control, Drew,” the chief shouted. He waved left. “Can you go see how the homeowner is doing?”

Guess the house wasn’t empty after all. With an acknowledging gesture, Drew looked to his left and saw a small woman huddled in a dark coat standing just beyond the chief’s rig. She held two leashes attached to two large dogs, one black and one golden, her shoulders hunched as she watched the house burn.

Sympathy welled; feelings of hopelessness and devastating loss were as vivid as they had been on the day his family’s house had burned to the ground on the fifth of July the year he turned seven, thanks to an errant Roman candle. To this day, he hated fireworks.

He headed in her direction. “Miss? Are you all right?” He immediately regretted the words; of course nothing was all right.

She shook her head.

He noted the paleness of her face and the downward slash of her mouth, how small and alone and upset she looked. Yeah, he knew what that felt like.

“I’m Drew Sellers,” he said by way of an introduction. “Moonlight Cove volunteer firefighter.” He looked her and the dogs over. “No one’s injured, right?”

“No, we escaped unscathed.”

Suddenly, the black dog lunged at Drew, barking, his teeth bared. Drew froze, but thankfully the woman reacted instantly and pulled back on the taut leash with a quick tug. “Rex, leave it!”

The dog backed off but remained standing, his tail high and quivering, his hackles bunched.

“Sit!” the woman commanded.

The dog whined, then sat, his big haunches plopping down. But his large black eyes remained trained on Drew as if to say, Move and you die.

Drew stayed put and made a point of not meeting the dog’s gaze. “Looks like you have a protector.”

She looked warily at Drew with the biggest set of green eyes he’d ever seen. “Yeah, he’s like that.”

In between weird heart palpitations, Drew realized he didn’t know her, which was unusual since he’d grown up in Moonlight Cove and was at the very least acquainted with just about everybody. She must be new in town, and, well, with those eyes, he’d certainly remember if he’d seen her before. “Remind me to keep my distance.”

“He’ll remind you himself, I’m sure, but please don’t hold it against him,” she said, rubbing the big canine behind his floppy ears. “He’s had a pretty rough life, and he doesn’t like men.” She visibly swallowed. “I suspect he was abused by a man.”

“So he hasn’t been yours for long?” Drew asked out of curiosity, and to distract her from her plight, if only for a little while.

“No, I just started a dog rescue organization, and Rex was my first rescuee.” She patted the other dog, which looked to be some kind of chubby retriever, on the head. “Sadie here came home with me yesterday.”

This woman obviously had a soft heart and a boatload of compassion. “That’s a selfless job,” he said. “I admire that kind of dedication.”

“Well, thanks.” She cast woe-tinged eyes toward her burning house. “Although now...well, now I’m not sure what we’re going to do.”

He followed her gaze with his own. “Maybe it isn’t that bad...”

She blinked rapidly. “Again, thanks, but it looks pretty bad to me.”

He agreed with her—fire and water and smoke was a horrific combination—but he didn’t quite know what to say, so he replied, “Are you new in town?”

“Yeah. I’m Ally York.” She flipped the hood off her head, revealing a creamy-smooth complexion, sculpted cheekbones and a cute smattering of freckles across her nose. Long, straight dark blond hair streaked with gold spilled down around her shoulders.

Wow. Pretty.

“I just moved into this place two weeks ago,” she said.

No wonder she didn’t look familiar. “Old Man Whitley used to live here, but he died last year. Did you know him?”

“No. But my foster sister was his niece, and the house was sitting empty since he passed on, so she offered it to me rent-free. Not sure what I’m going to do now.”

Drew’s heart lurched—seemed as if she were down on her luck. Before he could respond, though, he saw the chief wave at him from his post. “Excuse me,” Drew said.

Drew reached the chief. “What’s up?”

“The fire’s just about out, but we still have to check for hot spots and bring the debris out.”

“I figured as much.” He’d had enough firefighting training in his EMT basic class at the Volunteer Academy to know how this worked. The crew would move all the furniture to be sure there weren’t any traces of fire underneath anything and then they’d bring the furnishings out of the house to eliminate any risk of the fire starting up again. “You want me to tell her she can’t go in?”

“Go ahead,” the chief replied.

Drew headed back toward Ally, dreading having to deliver the news. But that was what he did as a volunteer firefighter, what he wanted to continue doing in Atherton, if he was lucky enough to get hired for a full-time, paid position.

As he got closer to Ally, Rex growled low in his chest. Drew stopped dead. “Um...I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but you aren’t going to be able to go back in yet.”

She lifted her chin. “I understand. Mostly I’m just concerned for the dogs’ stuff. They need their food and beds and toys...”

The fact that she didn’t seem to care about her own belongings raised her a notch in his eyes. “Do you know anyone else in town?”

“Nope.”

Made sense, since she’d only been here two weeks. “Don’t worry, I know plenty of people with dogs. In fact, my sister’s best friend, Molly Roderick, owns the local pet store, and I’m sure she can rustle up anything you need.”

“I’d hate to ask...” Ally said, her shoulders sagging the teensiest bit.

“Well, don’t. There are lots of folks around who would be willing to help.”

“I’m not used to depending on others,” she said. “Guess I’m going to have to get over that.” Her eyes glittered as her gaze landed on the attached one-car garage. “Guess my car is gone, too.”

He looked at the garage and his heart sank; its walls were charred and the roof had caved in. Empathy welled. She’d truly been left with nothing. “Yeah, it looks like it.” An idea rattled around in his brain. “You gonna need a place to stay?” He and his family had been homeless after the fire that destroyed their house, and if not for the kindness of others, they wouldn’t have had anywhere to live.

“I’ll figure something out,” she said, jutting her jaw out. “I’m used to managing on my own.”

He dropped his chin. He couldn’t turn her loose with no place to go and no way around; that just didn’t seem like the gentlemanly thing to do. And no doubt Mom would be on his case if she found out about Ally’s situation and then discovered he hadn’t helped out. His place only had one bedroom, so that wasn’t an option. But Mom and Dad had three unused bedrooms....

“Listen, Ally. My parents have plenty of room at their house.”

Her leaf-colored eyes widened. “Oh, no. I couldn’t impose.”

“Trust me, you wouldn’t be imposing. Mom, in particular, would love having you around.” Now that Dad had moved into the apartment above the garage, she’d undoubtedly like having someone else in the house to talk to.

“Would they love having my dogs underfoot?” Ally asked with a lift of her eyebrows. “I can’t just desert them. And I should tell you that Sadie here is going to be a mama soon.”

“She’s pregnant?”

“Yep. The shelter thought she had a few more weeks to go.”

He paused.

“If that makes a difference, I totally understand.”

“No, it’s fine,” he replied. “Mom and Dad have always had dogs up until three months ago, when their German shepherd, Duke, died. And my mom has a soft spot for animals. So I’m sure they won’t mind. In fact, I think all of Duke’s stuff is still in the basement.”

Ally studied him. “Why are you being so nice to me? You don’t even know me.”

He shrugged. “When I was a kid, our house burned down, and I remember how traumatic it was for the whole family.”

She cast her eyes to the smoldering house and garage, shaking her head. She froze for a couple of seconds, and some of the light faded from her eyes. Gradually a sense of what looked like inevitability seemed to envelop her like a gray cloud. Clearly, she felt as if her life had crumbled before her eyes, and honestly he couldn’t blame her for thinking that. Fire struck a blow no one should have to endure.

Suddenly, Drew had the urge to wrap an arm around her for comfort. But he didn’t; he was sure ol’ Rex and his teeth would think that kind of gesture was a really bad idea. And the dog would be right. Drew barely knew this woman, and after he dropped her at Mom and Dad’s, he and Ally would only see each other in passing. He had no business offering her any more than a roof over her head, and a part of him wondered why the urge to comfort her had even crossed his mind. He wasn’t usually one to establish quick connections.

After a long, silent moment, Ally straightened her shoulders, took a deep breath and finally spoke. “Well, I’ll agree on the condition that the arrangement would be only temporary.”

He held up his hands. “Fine.”

“Good.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “What do you plan on doing in the long run?”

She sucked in a large breath. “Maybe I’ll...move to a hotel or something.”

He liked her determination. But with the talk of her rent-free situation, he got the impression her bravado, while understandable, was false. Not to mention that she wasn’t being realistic about finding somewhere else to stay, given that she was bringing two big dogs with her, one expecting puppies any day now.

He nodded. “Unfortunately, there are only two lodging possibilities in Moonlight Cove, and as far as I know, neither one of them allows dogs.”

“Oh.”

Another idea occurred to him. “Listen, my dad owns a real estate company and has tons of connections around here. I’m sure he could help find an inexpensive rental for you.”

“I don’t have the money for all the deposits necessary, and until I get work, I can’t afford any kind of rent, either.”

“No savings?”

“Nope.”

Man, she was really in a bind....

“I’ll figure something out.” She gave him a brittle smile. “I always do.”

Again, her determination impressed him. “Okay, I hear you loud and clear.” He paused, his gaze on the smoldering house. “Any clue as to what caused the fire?”

She shook her head. “I had the dogs out for a walk. We came back inside, and I was getting to work making more flyers for the housecleaning business I’m setting up.”

“This is in addition to the dog rescue?”

“Gotta find a way to pay the bills.”

Good point. “Do you have any clients yet?”

“Not yet, but I just posted an online ad yesterday, so hopefully something will come from that.”

Sounded like a good plan. “I know just about everyone in town, so I could probably rustle up some prospects.”

“That’d be great.” She smoothed her wind-tossed hair behind her ear. “Anyway, Rex here started barking, and when I came out to the kitchen to investigate, there were flames shooting from the wall behind the stove.”

“Wiring maybe? That house was built a long time ago.”

She shrugged. “Maybe.”

“I take it you hightailed it out of there fast?”

“I went straight for the door, then called 911 on my cell when I got outside. I didn’t even think to grab my keys.”

“Good thing Rex was on top of things.”

“No kidding.” Her lips trembled. “I hadn’t even unpacked everything yet.” She laughed without humor. “Guess now I won’t have to.”

Sadie whined, and Ally gave Drew a lopsided smile as she gestured to the dog. “This one is turning out to be quite sympathetic.” Crouching down, she put her arms around the dog’s furry neck and hugged her close. “Thanks, girl. But don’t worry. Everything’s going to be just fine. I promise you won’t be homeless again.”

Drew’s throat went tight. Ally was clearly a compassionate soul, and he couldn’t help but admire that trait. Once again, her plight had him wanting to come to her rescue, fix everything and present it to her all wrapped in a neat and tidy bow.

Guess he’d need to get ahold of himself and his crazy need to help out Ally and her dogs more than he’d already planned to. Because if things worked out and he was chosen to take the slot he’d interviewed for earlier today at the Atherton Fire Academy, he’d be long gone from Moonlight Cove in just a few weeks.

And once he realized his dream of becoming a full-time firefighter, and eventually a paramedic, he wasn’t planning on looking back. For anything or anyone.

* * *

Homeless.

The word roiled around in Ally’s head like a river of toxic waste as Drew pulled up to his mom’s Victorian-style home situated a few blocks from Moonlight Cove Beach. He’d called her as soon as they’d left the scene of the fire, and she’d readily agreed to have Ally and the dogs stay with her. Pregnant Sadie and all.

Ally hated imposing, but what other choice did she have, knowing no one, and having such limited funds at the moment? Working minimum-wage retail and waitressing jobs in Seattle since high school had barely supported her, and she’d always just scraped by living paycheck to paycheck. Saving money hadn’t been an option. Hopefully, that would change as soon as she had her housecleaning business up and running, but without the benefit of no rent, things would get dicey.

Ally’s stomach clenched. How could this disaster have happened, just when she’d thought she’d finally found a good place to put down roots after so long without them?

Ever since Sue had described Moonlight Cove to Ally when they’d been in foster care together, Ally had wanted to move here. The town had seemed to embody everything she’d ever wanted in life but never had—a close-knit community and small-town values—all topped off with an idyllic, peaceful life that had been absent from her life for as long as she could remember.

She’d been dreaming of living here forever.

When she’d heard from a friend that the Washington Coast area around Moonlight Cove was in dire need of dog rescue organizations, she’d thought her castle in the sky had become a wonderful reality. Especially when Sue offered Ally her uncle’s house rent-free when she’d heard about Ally’s aspirations to start a dog rescue here.

For once in Ally’s life, things seemed to be going her way. Ha. Now her dream had turned into a nightmare.

She cast her gaze through the back window of Drew’s truck, making sure Rex and Sadie were okay in the canopied bed. Both dogs were looking out the closed back window, happily watching the scenery go by in typical dog fashion.

“They okay back there?” Drew asked as he put the truck in Park.

She looked over at him, not for the first time admiring his strong chin, prominent brow and close-cropped, wavy dark brown hair. Very good-looking in an outdoorsy, why-don’t-I-cut-you-some-wood kind of way. “Yeah, they both do all right in cars, although Rex usually wants to sit in the front seat of my sedan.” Or, rather, the sedan she used to have.

He turned off the ignition. “I’m so sorry about all this.”

“Thanks” was all she could say. She hadn’t been able to afford renter’s insurance, so she only hoped some of her stuff would be salvageable. Not that she had much...but still. For the first time in a very long time, what was hers was hers.

Now it was all gone.

As she climbed out of the car, she fought panic; if her years in foster care had taught her anything, though, it was to try to find the good in almost any situation. To that end she thanked God that she and Rex and Sadie had escaped from the house safely.

Drew came around the truck. “Is it okay to let the dogs out?”

“Go ahead and open up, but let me get their leashes on just in case. They don’t know their way around here, and I’d probably have a meltdown if one of them ran off.” Even though she had lots of experience dealing with all kinds of setbacks, the fire was a doozy of a stumbling block to the life she’d planned on building here. A girl could only handle so much stress in one day.

Drew opened the liftgate and the two dogs greeted her with wagging tails. As soon as Drew moved closer to Ally, Rex froze, his teeth bared, and rumbled a low, threatening growl.

“Don’t worry, buddy,” Drew said, backing up, his hands raised. “I’m not the enemy.”

Ally hooked the nylon leash to Rex’s collar. “Please be patient with him. He’s had a rough go.”

“What’s his story?”

Rex hopped out of the truck and stood patiently as Ally hooked Sadie’s leash on her. “Someone called the police to report that a dog had been tied up on a stake in a yard for weeks on end at a suspected meth house in my neighborhood in Seattle. He’d been without water for a while and was really underweight. They seized him from the owner and took him to the county animal shelter. I sprang him and brought him with me when I moved here.” She’d fed him plenty, and he’d put back on most of the weight he’d lost.

Sadie jumped out, her fluffy tail doing its perpetual wag. Honestly, she was one of the sweetest dogs Ally had ever met, so full of trust, so optimistic, despite what she’d been through.

“And what about Sadie?” Drew said.

“She was a stray Animal Control picked up—I think she was probably lost when someone was here for the weekend.” From what Sue had told her, Ally knew that Moonlight Cove saw a lot of weekend visitors this time of year. “No one claimed her, so I got her out of the pound and brought her home.”

Ally moved away from the truck so Drew could close the liftgate.

“So do you plan on keeping them?” he asked, backing up a step, clearly keeping his distance from Rex.

A cold wind ruffled her hair, causing a shiver to run around her neck. “Realistically, I can’t keep all the dogs I plan on saving.”

“You think you’ll be able to let them go?” he asked as he walked up the gravel pathway that led to the front door.

“I’ve thought a lot about that, and I know it will be hard.” Agony, actually; dogs had always offered her unconditional love, and there was no question she’d get overly attached. That was just how she was. “But ultimately saving them is more important than how difficult it will be for me to let them go to good homes.”

His reply was precluded when the front door opened and a woman dressed in flattering jeans and a bright red boatneck sweater stepped out onto the porch. She was tall and slender, and her unstreaked auburn hair was styled in a smooth chin-length bob that accentuated her fine features.

Undoubtedly, this was Drew’s mom, though she looked so youthful Ally wondered if she’d had Drew in her teens.

She waved as she arrived at the top of the wooden stairs. “Ally, you poor thing.” Her face was pressed into an expression full of what Ally imagined as motherly concern, though that was just a guess; motherly concern had been in short supply in Ally’s life. Nonexistent, actually.

“Mom,” Drew said, “as you’ve figured out, this is Ally York.” He turned to Ally. “Ally, this is my mom, Grace Sellers.”

Without hesitation, Mrs. Sellers stepped closer, and for just a second, Ally was afraid she was going to hug her. She reflexively stiffened and pulled back a bit.

But as it turned out, Mrs. Sellers simply took Ally’s free hand in hers and squeezed it warmly, resting soft, kind eyes on Ally. “Oh, I’m so glad you and your pups are okay!” She patted Ally’s hand. “Welcome.”

Thrown a bit off stride by the effusive welcome, Ally said, “Thank you, Mrs. Sellers.”

She pulled away. “Oh, pshaw. Please call me Grace, or I’ll feel old.” She looked down at the dogs, moving forward a bit to pet them. “Well, look at these two darling dogs....”

Drew put out a stiff hand to hold her back. “Watch out, Mom. The black one isn’t friendly.”

“Actually, he’s friendly with women,” Ally said.

Grace, obviously used to being around dogs, slowly reached out a hand for Rex to sniff. His eyes bright and soft, Rex sniffed away, and after a few seconds, Grace ran a hand over his smooth black head. “Oh, what a good boy you are.”

Rex’s long tail started wagging as his butt wiggled in delight, and a moment later he was rubbing against Grace’s legs, looking for attention.

Drew snorted. “Well, I’ll be.” He stood with his hands on his hips, watching the formidable Rex try to get his head under Grace’s hand for more petting. “He tried to bite me.”

Ally smiled and then turned a sympathetic eye on Drew. “You’re the wrong gender.”

Drew nodded. “Ah, yes.”

Grace turned to Ally with questioning eyes.

“As I told Drew, I’m pretty sure a man abused him before Rex was rescued from a meth house.” Trusting a male ever again would be hard for Rex now. Maybe impossible. Ally understood that with everything in her. She had an ironclad no-dating rule; no way would she ever trust a man with her heart.

“Oh, the poor thing,” Grace said before she turned to pet Sadie, who had been patiently waiting for her share of attention. Sadie turned big brown eyes up to Grace and let her scratch behind her floppy ears. “And aren’t you just the sweetest dog ever! I’m sure you’ll be a great mama.”

Ally looked at Drew.

He lifted one broad shoulder. “Told you she likes dogs.”

Obviously he’d been straight with her about Grace being a dog person who could deal with Rex and an expectant Sadie. Even so, Ally had to make sure Grace was okay with the imposition. “Mrs....uh, Grace, I have to be sure you’re all right with us staying here.”

Grace straightened. “Of course I am. I’m not sure if Drew told you, but our house burned down when he was little, and I know too well how devastating it can be.” She smiled at the dogs. “Besides, it will be great to have some dogs around again. Lately I’ve really been missing Duke, our last dog.”

A lump formed in Ally’s throat and her eyes burned. Kindness always made her weepy. She didn’t trust her voice, so all she did was nod shakily.

Grace pressed a hand to Ally’s arm. “You’ve been through a lot today. Why don’t you come in and have a snack, and then maybe you’d like to take a rest while I get dinner on the table. The slow cooker’s been running all day, so I’ve got plenty.” She turned and headed into the house. “You must be exhausted.”

Mentally more than physically. Another home lost was just about more than Ally could deal with. Nothing new there. She should be good at this kind of situation by now. But she wasn’t, and never would be. She feared the legacy of her nomadic childhood in foster care would never go away.

Drew stepped aside and gestured toward the door his mom held open, waiting with a gentle smile for Ally to step into the house. Ally froze, the reality of the situation hitting her all over again. She wanted nothing more than to bolt, run away, plant her head firmly in the sand on the beach and never come up for air....

Drew gazed intently at her for a few seconds, his head canted to the side. “Ally?”

“I’m coming,” she said, forcing herself to move, even though she would never, ever get used to walking into a stranger’s house for who knew how long.

Because in the end, she was just arriving at one more home that wasn’t hers and never would be.

Chapter Two

At Mom’s request, Drew rounded up the dog supplies in the basement while Ally took the dogs out back to do their business. Luckily, he’d been right and there was some leftover dry dog food down there, along with a few toys, blankets and a huge dog bed. Plenty of stuff to get through the next several days.

Pleading understandable tiredness, Ally said no to the offered snack, and while Mom settled her and the dogs in the guest room, Drew waited in the kitchen as the smell of whatever was in the slow cooker on the counter tantalized him. His stomach rumbled, and he found himself wishing he’d planned on staying for dinner.

Before he left, though, he was sure his mom was going to want to get details of what had happened at Ally’s house. He hadn’t gone into the particulars when he’d called her from the truck out of consideration for Ally, who’d been sitting right next to him.

Who could blame his mom, really, for her inevitable curiosity? It wasn’t every day a fire victim showed up as an impromptu houseguest with two dogs in tow.

Drew gazed out the big picture window over the sink that looked into the large backyard and patio he and Dad had built a few years ago. Given it was April, the sun had set, so Drew stared at nothing but the silhouettes of trees against a star-studded sky for a while, thinking about the air of sadness he’d sensed in Ally. Or was it aloofness? Shyness? Hard to tell.

Just about the time he came back to the kitchen after rustling around in the garage freezer for some cookies his mom had “hidden” there, Mom returned.

“My, that girl’s been through a lot,” she said, shaking her head. “I think she was asleep before the door closed.”

He nibbled on the edge of a frozen chocolate chip cookie. “Yeah, the whole thing is just sad.”

Mom went to the cupboard and pulled out plates and set them on the tile counter. “What happened?”

“Ally told me Rex started barking, and she found the kitchen on fire. Ran out and called 911. I got the call on my pager when I was still quite a ways out of town. By the time I was driving by, the fire had already done its damage, so the chief had me check on Ally. She looked pretty stressed out.”

“Of course.” Mom pulled place mats from a drawer. “I take it she’s new in town?” Mom was acquainted with just about everyone in Moonlight Cove, having lived here since she and Dad were married and they moved to town so Dad could start Sellers Real Estate.

“Yep. She moved here a few weeks ago and was living in Old Man Whitley’s house out on Flying Fish Lane.”

Mom frowned as she got utensils out of the silverware drawer. “Sounds as if she doesn’t have a lot of resources.”

“Yes, she told me she’s on a tight budget.”

“I’ll have to remember to include her in my prayers.”

Funny how that thought hadn’t occurred to Drew, even though he’d been raised to pray for those facing difficult times.

Guess he’d lost sight of the power of faith and prayer recently, especially since his good friends Jake and Beth been left homeless in the wake of their house foreclosure, forcing them to sell all their belongings and move to Portland to live with Beth’s sister. Drew had sold that house to them and had felt so powerless when the lender had foreclosed. What kind of merciful God took so much away from such good, hardworking Christians?

Mom went over to the oak kitchen table with the place mats. “She sure seems to love those dogs.”

“Yeah, she told me she just started a rescue operation.”

Mom paused. “Oh, wow. And now she has no place to house the dogs she’s rescued. I’m sure she feels doubly responsible for them since they’ve already been through so much.”

“I’m guessing you’re right.” Ally seemed like the kind of person who took her responsibilities very seriously.

“So, how did your interview go?” Mom asked as she headed back to the counter to get the plates and silverware.

“Great, I think. Since I’ve already passed the physical, it’s just a waiting game to see if I get accepted to the academy.” There would be another opening at the academy next year, but with the tension between him and Dad ratcheting up, now seemed like the time for Drew to make the break from Sellers Real Estate; getting hired and accepted in Atherton as soon as possible had become a priority.

“Looks like you’re going to be moving soon, then, just as you’ve always wanted.” She smiled genuinely as she dug a large spoon from the ceramic holder next to the stove. “Good for you, dear.”

“I really appreciate your supporting me on this.” Drew reflexively clenched his hands. “Dad’s still completely against it, but what else is new?”

“Well, your dad is having a difficult time with everything right now.” She opened the slow cooker and stirred the contents.

“Is that why he moved into the garage apartment?”

Very deliberately, it seemed, she put the lid back on the slow cooker and set the spoon in a spoon rest nearby. Then she turned, her jaw firm, chin raised slightly. “What’s going on between me and your father is not up for discussion.”

This was her party line, so her statement didn’t surprise Drew.

“It’s just that Dad—”

“No, Drew, stop right there.” His mom held up a rigid hand. “Whatever problems you have with your dad started long before our current...issues, and I’m sorry for that, really I am. But I simply won’t put myself in the middle of what’s going on with you two.”

Drew tightened his jaw until it hurt, then looked up at the ceiling. So be it; this discussion always ended the same way, and his mom was too stubborn to be convinced to open up about what was going on with her and Dad.

“I’ve got to get dinner on the table,” she declared, effectively shutting down the discussion. Boy, she was good at that. She started puttering around the kitchen, as if the subject had never been mentioned. Drew fought the urge to push. She’d talk when she wanted to and not a second before. Maybe never, if what had been going on lately was any indication.

Great.

Bothered by their conversation, and his parents’ odd behavior in general, he decided to make his escape. He headed over to the far counter to grab his car keys, noting on the way by that Mom had, significantly, set three places at the table. One for herself. No place for Dad, seeing as he and Mom weren’t speaking and Dad had been subsisting on whatever he could heat in the microwave in the garage apartment. One place for Ally, of course. And one for...

He snatched up his keys. “Mom, I’m not staying for dinner.”

She turned and looked at him. “Why ever not? You haven’t eaten yet, right?”

“No, but I’ve had a long day, and I’d like to get home. I still have some paperwork to do for the meeting with the Sullivans about their offer on the Mayberry house, and I’d rather not be burning the midnight oil tonight.”

Dropping her chin, Mom gave him a look that mothers had perfected aeons ago, the one that made him feel about an inch tall.

“What?” he said, even though he knew where this conversation was going. As in not his way.

“Can’t you just stay for a bit?” She pointed in the general direction of the guest room. “That poor girl has suffered a huge loss today, and I think she needs all the support she can get.” She tsked. “I can’t believe you’d even think about leaving right away, given that we’ve been through the same kind of thing.” Then she muttered under her breath, saying something that sounded like...I raised you better than that.

He cringed inwardly. Yep, there was the guilt trip she was so good at doling out. Trouble was, it was working, and, as usual, Mom was right. What was an hour of his time in the scheme of things, anyway?

Besides, he was starving, and her slow-cooker concoction sounded a whole lot better than the frozen something-or-other he’d throw in the microwave when he got home to his apartment on the other side of town.

He sighed. “Fine, I’ll stay.”

“I knew you’d see reason,” she said, patting his arm. “We’ll let her sleep for a little while and then eat.”

“Is Dad coming to dinner?” he asked, just to push the matter.

Mom snorted under her breath. “When was the last time he’s been home for dinner?” she asked with a decidedly bitter twist to her lips. “And now...well, now he has to make his own dinner. In the garage.” And then she turned on her heel and continued puttering. Loudly.

Drew paused, his brain clicking forward. Come to think of it, Dad hadn’t been around home much prior to moving out to the garage apartment. In fact, he been working killer hours for six months or so....

Drew continued to speculate about exactly what was going on with his parents, and if he’d ever figure out how to win an argument with the mule-headed woman standing before him.

Probably not, he concluded, and resigned himself to a dinner with his mom and the pretty dog rescuer resting down the hall.

* * *

Though dinner was delicious, Ally had no appetite whatsoever. So she pushed her food around and took a few bites, trying to act as if she was eating; the last thing she wanted to do was hurt Grace’s feelings.

Ally wasn’t surprised that she couldn’t eat; she’d had to call her foster sister, Sue, and tell her that her uncle’s house had burned down. Sue had been understandably shocked and upset, and Ally had promised to keep her posted with details about the fire and how it had started as they became available. Sue was going to contact her insurance company about a claim.

Drew was noticeably quiet through the meal, and he focused mostly on eating. Ally definitely sensed some kind of tension between him and his mom, mostly coming from his end of the table. She also noticed that Mr. Sellers was absent. What was the story there? No one offered an explanation, and she didn’t ask; it was none of her business.

As soon as everyone was finished, even though she felt exhaustion pulling at her, Ally excused herself to take the dogs out back to throw the ball for them. A tired dog was a happy dog, and she wanted them to be happy and content right now, given the upheaval they’d all suffered today. Some physical stimulation would be good medicine for them.

The sun had set long ago, but the large fenced backyard was well lit. There was a wide expanse of grass just off the patio, perfect for throwing, running and fetching. She set herself up at one end and threw two tennis balls over and over for Rex and Sadie, finding a minuscule measure of distraction and, therefore, comfort, in the repetitive task.

A strong breeze blew, rustling the large trees at the edges of the yard, and she could smell the scent of the ocean, though she couldn’t hear the crash of the waves on the shore a few blocks away.

She lifted her face to the breeze, somehow hoping it could cleanse her of the anxiety and despair nipping at the edges of her mind. After a few moments, Ally let out a cynical laugh; she knew better than to think that she could so easily rid herself of worrying about her uncertain future. Really, though, when had she ever had a certain future? Funny how just when she’d thought she’d finally captured that elusive dream, it had been snatched away from her.

All her dreams had gone up in smoke today. Literally. For what seemed like the hundredth time, tears rose and her throat burned. She kept throwing the tennis balls, forcing the tears back. She’d been dealing with crises since her parents had been killed in a car accident when she was eleven; she would not let this fire devastate her. She. Would. Not.

Not surprisingly, poor pregnant Sadie soon collapsed at Ally’s feet, panting. Ally bent down and scratched her rounded belly. “Don’t worry, girl. I’ll figure all this out. You’ll have your babies somewhere warm and cozy, I promise.”

Footsteps sounded on the patio. Ally turned and saw Drew coming out the back door. Putting on a brave face, she stood straight up, stiffening her neck, along with her upper lip. Better.

“You okay out here?” he asked, his hands shoved in his pockets.

Before she could reply, Rex ran up, snarling, his lip curled and teeth bared.

Acting fast, she stepped in front of the dog and held up a hand. “Rex, no!”

He fell back, his head down, a low, threatening growl still emanating from deep within him. She grabbed his leather collar to hold him still.

To his credit, Drew stood his ground. “Man, he doesn’t like me.”

She threw the ball to distract Rex, and he went after it. “I’m so sorry. He’s just trying to protect me. Maybe we’re going to have to work on some positive reinforcement.”

Drew cocked his head. “As in I let him get close enough to bite me?”

“Well, yes, but you’ll have a yummy treat that he wants more than he wants to bite you, and pretty soon he associates you with said yummy treat instead of perceiving you as a threat.”

“I’m going to have to think about that,” Drew said, scratching his shadowed cheek. “I’m not sure there are enough yummy treats in the world to change his mind.”

Rex came running back, and Ally again put herself between him and Drew. “Sit!” she commanded.

Thankfully, Rex sat, letting the ball drop from his mouth.

An idea occurred to Ally. She bent down and picked up the tennis ball, then held it out to Drew. “Why don’t you throw the ball for him, so he associates you with fun. All right?”

Drew took the ball, doubt reflected on his face. “All right, whatever you say.”

He threw the ball, hard, and Rex took off after it like a shot. The ball sailed to the farthest corner of the yard and landed in some bushes. Rex disappeared from view and nothing but the sound of him crashing through the underbrush echoed throughout the yard.

“Good throw,” she said. Must be that well-muscled upper body of his. Not that she was noticing. “That ought to keep him distracted for a while.” And her, too.

“Listen,” Drew said, shifting on his feet. He cleared his throat. “I just heard from the chief with...news.”

Her stomach dropped like a lead weight. Clear to China. All she could do was nod.

“And...I’m sorry to have to tell you that the house has been declared a total loss.”

Numb despair moved in a cold tide through her. She sucked in a shaky breath then swallowed and tried to keep unwanted tears at bay as best she could.

And just like that, there went her hopes for making it through this horrific day without losing it completely.

* * *

Drew saw Ally’s mouth tremble, and her eyes swam with moisture. He waited for the waterworks to start but, to his amazement, she didn’t let one of the swelling tears fall.

He swiped a hand through his hair. “I wish I had better news.” The last thing he’d wanted to do was come out here and tell her this.

“Me, too,” she said in a scratchy voice.

Rex ran up and dropped the ball at her feet, and she picked it up and threw the toy again. She watched Rex bolt across the yard as she worried her bottom lip with her teeth. “I’m not sure what I’m going to do now.” She blinked fast several times, shaking her head. Still, no tears. She closed her eyes briefly, then straightened her shoulders. “But I’ll figure it out. I always do.”

Maybe he was reading things wrong, but it seemed as if she were used to handling things on her own. Had she had a choice about being self-reliant in the past?

Admiration for her strength spread through him, along with a healthy dose of curiosity. What had happened to make her so resigned to dealing with things by herself? In another time and place he would have encouraged her to look to God for help, yet lately he hadn’t even been doing that.

He kept himself from putting an arm around her while he told her everything would be okay. The idea of pulling her close tantalized him, setting his composure on a crooked angle that kept him off balance and slightly uneasy.

Sadie must have sensed Ally’s distress; she came over and sat at Ally’s feet, looked up and whined. Ally gave Sadie a quivery smile, crouched and buried her face in the fluffy toffee-colored fur on Sadie’s head. Ally sniffed and turned away.

Empathy welled up inside him, fast and strong. He shifted from foot to foot and looked at the ground for a second. “Uh, I’m sorry it turned out this way.” That certainly sounded lame, considering what had happened, but he’d never been good at offering comfort; it just didn’t come easily to him.

“Not your fault,” she said into fur, her voice scratchy. “You’re just the messenger.”

He nodded and kept quiet.

Rex came triumphantly bounding back with the ball in his mouth, ran in a circle and then dropped the toy about ten feet from where Drew stood by Ally and Sadie. After a moment, Rex sat and barked once, as if to say, Throw it, you dummy!

Automatically, Drew responded to the order and moved forward a few steps, his hand out. Rex swiftly stood, flattened his ears and bared his teeth, growling, his hackles raised.

Drew fell back, instinctively snatching his hand in, realizing too late that Rex had been barking at Ally to throw the ball, not Drew. “Okay, boy. Guess we’re not friends yet.”

Ally rose. “Rex! No—”

“It’s okay,” Drew said. “He needs some space.” And he understood that, better than he wanted to, actually. He’d been trying to get space from his dad all his life, and knew well how irritating it was to have someone trying to close up that space by forcing his wants and needs on the other person.

“He’ll come around,” Ally said as she picked up the ball and threw it again. Rex took off. “Just give him time.”

Time? Drew laughed under his breath. Yeah, right. His dad had proven that time didn’t heal all wounds.

“What’s so funny?” Ally shot back, her brow deeply furrowed.

“Oh, nothing.” He didn’t want to unload on her about his problems with Dad, not when she already had so much on her plate.

“No, really.” She pointedly glared at him, her eyes turning as hard as emeralds. “What joke did I miss?”

Rex came back with the ball in his mouth, but instead of dropping it, he lay down instead, panting around the ball, then placed it on the ground between his front paws, obviously played out for now.

Ally went on, her tone rising. “I mean, I just found out my home is a total loss.” Her eyes snapped. “Tell me, what could possibly be funny about that?”

Contrition zapped through him. “Nothing, trust me,” he said, trying, belatedly, to set her mind at ease. “It’s just that...” He trailed off. The last thing he wanted to do was burden her.

“Just that what?” she prompted sharply.

He let out a heavy breath. Guess he was going to have to level with her. “What you said made me think that sometimes time can’t fix problems.”

She stared at him without speaking.

Her silence prompted him to go on. “My dad and I have had a...difference of opinion for a long time, and it’s only gotten worse with time, not better.”

“About what?” she said, her voice softening just a bit.

“What I want to do with my life,” he said, surprised that he was willing to open up. Guess he needed a shoulder, though why he wanted that shoulder to belong to Ally was beyond him. “Moonlight Cove’s fire department is volunteer only, except for the chief, so I want to move away to where I can be a full-time, paid firefighter, and eventually train to become a paramedic.”

Her eyebrows drifted skyward. “Go on.”

“And, well, my dad’s had years to adjust to what I want to do with my life, and he’s still in a snit about my plans.”

She frowned. “Why is he so against it?”

“Well, at first it was just because it meant I wouldn’t be around to take over the family real estate business.” Dad had been adamant that Drew come back to Moonlight Cove after college, and Drew had agreed, figuring he might come to love the business in time. “Then my sister’s fiancé was killed while working on a hotshot fire crew a couple of years ago.”

“Oh, that had to be rough.”

“It was, of course. But ever since then, Dad has refused to accept that this is what I want to do, and he’s making no secret of his feelings, either.” He rubbed his jaw. “It doesn’t help that he moved into the apartment above the garage a couple of weeks ago and he and Mom haven’t spoken since.”

Ally’s eyes went round. “Ah. Okay.” She paused, nibbling on her bottom lip. “It sounds like he’s just worried about you.”

“I know that’s part of it. But I’m an adult, with my own life to live. I need him to relax a bit.”

“Have you asked for God’s help with this?”

He blinked, surprised that she’d brought up the very thing he’d thought about recently. “No.” God hadn’t helped Jake and Beth, and their lives had exploded. Would He even be there for Drew?

“Well, maybe you should. I always feel better when He’s on my team. How’s your mom dealing?”

“That’s the thing.” He shook his head. “She seems to be just fine.” He realized how strange that comment sounded. “Not that I don’t want her to be fine. It’s just that I would expect her to be a bit more upset by their rift, you know? I mean, their marriage seems to be on the rocks....”

“I got what you meant.” Ally nibbled her bottom lip. “Do you think that maybe she’s just acting fine to cover up how she really feels?”

Drew thought back to their recent conversations. All had involved Mom cutting him off with a lot of distracting mumbo jumbo and then skillfully changing the subject. “You might have a point,” he said. “It does all seem kind of premeditated.”

“Well, it’s just a thought, but seems like a definite possibility. It’s always easier to cover up than open up.”

He peered at her. “Sounds like you talk from experience.”

Ally paused, her eyes unblinking. Then she pushed her mouth into a tight, fake little smile that didn’t reach her eyes, or anywhere else on her face for that matter.

“Um...yeah.” She picked up Rex’s tennis ball. “C’mon, guys. Enough playing. Time for bed.” She regarded Drew, a composed mask slipping into place over her pretty features, as if someone had told her to look indifferent and she was giving it a go. “Good night.”

He simply nodded, stunned silent at how quickly she’d shut down their conversation. Her words about covering up versus opening up echoed through his mind, raising his curiosity.

With the dogs following in her wake, she headed into the house, leaving Drew standing there alone with the cool spring breeze ruffling his hair, wondering again what her story was.

And why he cared about what made Ally tick.

Chapter Three

“Hello, Jan.” Unexpectedly, Mom’s cheery voice rang out from the reception area just outside Drew’s office.

His eyebrows raised, he looked up from the Sullivans’ offer paperwork displayed on the computer in front of him. What was his mom doing here? She hadn’t set foot in the office since Dad had moved out.

Jan, the receptionist at Sellers Real Estate for the past twenty years, replied, “Hi, Grace.”

“How is that new granddaughter of yours?” Mom asked.

“Oh, she’s just a little doll,” Jan replied.

“I’m sure.” Mom sighed. “I’d like some grandbabies one of these days. Of course, I love Heidi to death, but I’m really looking forward to having a newborn in my arms.”

“You think Phoebe and Carson will have a baby right after they get married?” Drew’s sister, Phoebe, was seriously dating Carson Winters, the sheriff of Moonlight Cove. Heidi was Carson’s thirteen-year-old daughter, so she was technically a step-granddaughter-to-be. She and Mom had bonded right away and spent a lot of time together scrapbooking, his mom’s favorite pastime.

“They’re not even engaged yet,” Mom said.

“Well, yeah,” Jan replied. “But rumor has it Carson’s been ring shopping.”

Drew smiled, glad Phoebe was happy and on the path to love after suffering such a devastating loss.

“You might be right,” Mom said. “But I haven’t heard anything definitive yet.” A pause. “Is Drew in?”

“Yup. He’s been working on paperwork all morning,” Jan replied. “Go on back.”

Drew set his mouse aside and swiveled his chair toward the entrance to his office, waiting. This ought to be interesting.

Sure enough, Mom appeared at the open door. “Good morning,” she trilled. She was dressed in a stylish pair of jeans and a camel-colored raincoat. Her hair was windblown, which was typical for anyone who went outside in Moonlight Cove.

“Hey, Mom.” His eyes snagged on the manila envelope in her hand. “What brings you here?”

“Bank paperwork,” she said, holding up the envelope. “Your dad needs to sign.”

“He’s not here right now,” Drew said. “He’s showing a house.” He eyed the envelope but didn’t reach for it or offer to hand it off to Dad. Maybe if they saw each other in person, they’d talk, and maybe that would lead to their working things out. It was a long shot, but Drew would never give up hope that his parents would eventually make up.

Mom held the envelope out. “Would you please give this to him, then?”

Drew stared at her but still didn’t take the envelope.

She sighed and dropped her hand. “What’s the problem?”

He stood, his hands on his hips. “I’m not going to act as your intermediary with Dad. If you need to give him something, you’ll have to give it to him yourself.”

Pursing her lips, she stared at him. “Is this really the way you want to play this?”

“Excuse me, but you and Dad are the ones playing things this way. Phoebe and I are just stuck in the middle.” Drew ground his molars together. “You two are adults. You need to find a way to deal with your differences without expecting Phoebe and me to tiptoe around, delivering messages.” He nodded toward the envelope in her hand. “Or whatever.”

Her eyes drifted sideways.

“And don’t even think about asking Jan to give that to Dad.”

Mom frowned. “Well, aren’t you full of vinegar today.”

He rubbed his forehead. “I didn’t sleep very well last night.” For some reason, every time he’d closed his eyes to go to sleep, a vision of Ally standing there, watching her home burn, rose in his mind. He’d tossed and turned all night, haunted by the desolate expression on her face, by the thought of her all alone, with nowhere to go. Essentially homeless. And he couldn’t deny that he was still intrigued by her and her story.

Mom sat in the chair across from his desk. “No doubt you were awake all night dreaming up ways to get your dad and me to talk.”

“No, actually, I was thinking about Ally’s situation.”

Mom’s eyebrows disappeared into her hairline. “Really?”

He held up his hands. “I feel bad for her. She suffered a terrible blow yesterday, and I’m concerned, that’s all.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear that,” Mom said.

“Why?”

“Because Ally is meeting Chief McCoy at her house in fifteen minutes, and I think you should go with her.”

“I’m buried here,” he said quickly, gesturing to the piles of paperwork on his desk and then at his computer. “Maybe you could go.” Someone should. But preferably not him. Getting any more involved with the lovely and intriguing Miss York would be a mistake.

“Oh, no, I can’t,” Mom said, standing as she looked at her watch. “I’ve got a doctor’s appointment I can’t miss.”

He studied her, his matchmaking radar going haywire. “Mom, what are you doing?”

She straightened the collar of her coat and gave him a curious look. “What do you mean?”

“Are you trying to get Ally and me...together?” Mom had made no secret of her desire to see him married with children. He wouldn’t put matchmaking beyond her.

“Should I be?” she asked, her voice echoing with a speculative tone that put his teeth on edge.

He sighed. “No, Mom. But you do seem to be trying to get us to spend time together this morning.” After an under-the-breath snort, he added, “Before long you’ll be talking engagement party.”

She blinked. “Where did that come from?”

“C’mon. You’re a romantic. You’ve said so yourself.” Although lately it seemed as if every shred of that romantic had gone poof. “You can’t tell me you haven’t thought about me getting married.”

A hopeful light grew in her eyes. “Would that be so bad? Don’t you want to fall in love?”

“No way.” He’d done the love thing, and it had ended horribly. For him at least. “Love turning out well is nothing but a myth.”

Mom pursed her lips and shook her head. “Honestly, Drew, sometimes I don’t know where this cynical side of you comes from.”

“I can’t believe you have to ask that.”

“Well, I know Natalie hurt you, but that was back in college.”

“Yeah, it was a long time ago.” But he had loved her with everything in him. And he’d thought she’d loved him back since she’d been wearing his engagement ring for a month and they’d been close to setting a date.

Until she’d left him for an Italian exchange student and moved to Rome the very day she’d unceremoniously dumped Drew and given his ring back. She’d broken his heart, and it had never healed. At least not fully. His whole being had seemed to freeze that snowy day in January, and it was still numb. Oh, sure, he dated some. But he kept it casual. Getting his heart involved was out of the question.

“So you’re not over her?” Mom asked, her brow crinkling.

“I’m not still in love with her,” he replied carefully, truthfully. “But what she did changed me inside.” He expelled a sharp breath, then segued into another subject by saying, “What about you and Dad?”

Mom froze. “What about us?”

Maybe she didn’t know how much their rift had affected Drew. He’d give her the benefit of the doubt and set her straight at the same time. “I thought you and Dad had the perfect relationship, and look how that worked out. You two are living under separate roofs and you’re not even speaking.” It was the awful truth and had him twisted in so many knots he had to say something. “It just confirms that even the strongest love has problems.”

Her eyes flashed, and she opened her mouth to respond. But then she just as quickly clamped it shut. “I’m not discussing that.”

Of course not. No wonder she was clueless about his feelings. Everything was off-limits these days.

She belatedly lifted her chin, undoubtedly to strengthen her stance, and then went on. “Ally needs help, that’s all.” Mom fiddled with the buttons on her coat. “Do I really have to make that clear? Honestly, where’s your compassion?”

Chastised, he could only give her a blank look. There was the guilt thing she wielded so well, cutting him down to size with one swipe. Maybe he deserved it. Honestly, right now, he didn’t know which way was up with his parents.

Tut-tutting, Mom moved toward his office door, looking over her shoulder. “Try to stop reading so much into everything, all right?” She stopped and turned around, then nailed him with a pointed look. “Just do the Christian thing and help Ally face her burned-down house, knowing she has someone on her side.”

His face heating, he watched Mom disappear, feeling as if she’d given him what for. Could anyone lay guilt on like an opinionated mother?

The problem was, his mom’s guilt trips were usually right on target. And this one was no exception. He was being uncharacteristically uncharitable. Guess the stress of his life, what with his parents’ problems and the upcoming changes looming in his own future, really had him in a funk.

Adjusting his attitude, he closed down his computer with a few keystrokes, grabbed his coat off the back of his chair and headed out his office door. Seemed he was going to be spending the morning being Ally’s much-needed support system. Whether he was comfortable with the idea or not.

* * *

As she waited for Chief McCoy to arrive for their meeting, Ally stared at the blackened shell of what used to be her home. Rising from the far edge of the house, the brick fireplace was all that was still intact. Worse yet, a huge pile of charred furniture was piled in the middle of the yard, a stark, undeniable testament to the devastating effect of the fire.

Though she was standing twenty yards away from the pile of burned rubble, the scent of fire-scorched debris drifted to her on the persistent breeze.

The smell of broken dreams.

She pressed a hand to her mouth, realizing that she’d somehow hoped that maybe the fire hadn’t done as much damage as she’d imagined. But, no. Everything was gone.

She had nowhere to live, with two sweet dogs depending on her. Guess she’d be staying with Drew’s parents for the foreseeable future. And while Grace was one of the nicest women Ally had ever met, she was still a stranger. She’d had enough of that to last a lifetime. But her options were nonexistent, so she’d do what was necessary, as she always had.

Pressure built in her chest. God, I could really use Your help now. Please help me to deal with this crisis in my life with faith and grace....

The sound of tires on gravel crunched behind her. With a fortifying breath, she turned and saw Drew’s bright red pickup truck moving slowly up the driveway.

Great. Just great. Grace must have sent him. Honestly, he was the last person she wanted to see right now. Oh, he was pleasant enough—very pleasant, in fact. But she always felt so off-kilter when he was around.

Maybe she was being paranoid, but it seemed as if he was always watching, weighing and assessing. And he brought up the tough topics, too. Such as when he told her it seemed as if she spoke from experience about covering up versus opening up. She’d shut the conversation down—no way was she talking about her reasons; that was too painful a subject to share. With anyone. But he’d seemed interested, and that made her uncomfortable.

Not to mention that he was flat-out gorgeous. Those brown eyes and his dark blond hair...

She surreptitiously made an effort to look as if her chest weren’t caving in as he pulled the truck to a halt about twenty feet away. After a moment, he climbed out. He was dressed in black dress pants, a white dress shirt and a black-and-blue-striped tie; apparently he’d come from work. What was it about a man in a white shirt and tie, anyway? Just kill her now.

He headed toward her, all confident and strong-looking, and she couldn’t help but notice his broad shoulders under his thin dress shirt, shoulders that seemed as if they could carry any load, anytime.

But not her load. She drew herself up, both literally and figuratively. She knew better than to count on anyone; an endless stream of temporary homes and parents had taught her that lesson early on. Oh, sure, he’d more than likely feel obligated to help her. But she’d seen enough “obligation” in her life to know it didn’t mean much in the long run.

The wind gusted, and she shivered as she shoved her hands into the pockets of her jacket. But she held her shoulders straight and tried to look strong. Unbreakable.

He drew near, his eyes scanning the burned-out wreckage that was once the place she wanted to call home. “I’m so sorry,” he said, his chocolate-tinged gaze full of genuine empathy that made her throat thick. Surprisingly, he reached out and squeezed her arm above her elbow. “I know how hard this must be.”

His touch decimated her backbone. She blinked rapidly several times. Crying never helped, and it always made her feel so weak, so vulnerable. She wished he’d skip the empathy; life was less messy that way.

He leaned in close enough so she could smell the faint spice of his aftershave. “You okay?”

No, she wasn’t. But she knew the part too well not to carry on as if she were holding things together. “I’ll be fine,” she said, figuring that if she acted fine, she’d be fine. Eventually. Maybe. But then again, she’d been holding onto that hope forever, and her grip was slipping.

“You look pale.” He put his hands in his pockets as his gaze drifted back to the burned shell of her home. After a significant pause, he rubbed his brow, looked right at her and said, “Listen. I’m...um, worried about you.”

His words swiped an even broader slash at her carefully constructed yet tenuous control. No one had been worried about her for a very long time. “I’m...fine,” she managed, barely, not meeting his gaze for fear of losing it. “This is just a bump in the road.” More like a giant sinkhole, but whatever.

He said nothing right away.

She looked at the scraggly grass at her feet, wanting with everything in her to run away from his concern. From those eyes. From him. He made her feel exposed. Spineless. As if she needed him. Needing him, needing anyone, wasn’t something she could allow. Too much heartache lay down that path.

“Ally, look at me,” he finally said.

Swallowing, she turned to him, drawn to his whisper-soft voice.

“Why are you putting on an act?” he asked.

Guess she wasn’t as good at pretending to be fine as she thought she was. She’d have to work on that. “I’m not—”

He took her hand and squeezed it, cutting off her words with his strong, warm grip. “Yes, you are. You’re pretending to be okay.”

“How do you know?”

“Because my mom does the same thing.”

Oh, yeah. He was familiar with the move. Just Ally’s luck.

When she stayed quiet, he said, “Hey, it’s okay to let us—um, me, help you.”

“Yeah, right.” She let out a heavy breath. “I’ve heard that before,” she said before she could reel the words back.

He canted his head to the side, his brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

She wished she’d kept her big mouth shut. She couldn’t talk to him about how she’d trusted others to help her in the past and how those choices had been the biggest mistakes of her life. No way. Those memories were too painful—

Gravel crunched again, cutting off her thoughts, and a black SUV pulled into the driveway. The chief.

“Good timing for you,” Drew muttered under his breath.

She pretended not to hear him.

The wind kicked up again, and a light mist started falling. Figured.

He stood there, silent for a moment, then jerked his chin toward his truck. “I’m going to go get my coat. We’ll talk later.”

She watched him walk to his truck, mentally slapping her head, wishing she’d kept the “Yeah, I’ve heard that before” comment to herself. The last thing she wanted to do was arouse his curiosity about her past any more than she already had.

She’d come to Moonlight Cove to make a fresh start in her dream town and put her past behind her. She wasn’t going to trade sob stories with anyone, certainly not with Drew with his soft eyes and broad shoulders and...everything. Just the thought made her stomach pitch.

As she waited for the chief to come over, she told herself that somehow she was going to have to deflect Drew’s interest in picking her apart.

But since she was going to be staying with his parents for a while, keeping his probing questions at bay was going to be tricky.

Even for a seasoned veteran like herself.

Chapter Four

A few days after the fire, Drew stayed at the office late to catch up on some paperwork. The Sullivans’ offer had been accepted, and they were on a tight deadline. The sellers had already bought a house in Seattle and were anxious to get things rolling and through closing as fast as possible.

Well, yeah, that was one reason he was behind, he thought as he waited for the offer paperwork to print out. Frankly, his mind hadn’t seemed to be in the game since Ally had come into his life. His focus was shot; at the oddest times, he found himself thinking about the heartbreaking expression he’d seen on her face when he’d found her standing there, looking at the mound of charred debris piled in the front yard of what had been her home.

And when they’d walked through the wreckage of the house with the chief? From the desolate look on her face, Drew wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d buckled on the spot.

But she hadn’t. Not Ally. Instead, she’d put her spine of steel into action and had simply lifted her chin and carried on.

Even when it had become evident that none of her belongings were salvageable and that she had nothing left.

He admired her grit, her obvious determination to forge onward without betraying her despair. Even as he wondered about its source. There always seemed to be a sadness hovering in the depths of her eyes, just under the surface. Though it was foolish to get caught up in Ally’s life, he was curious about her.

Was her time in foster care at the root of her sorrow? What had happened? How had she ended up in the system?

Those questions nagged at him as he gathered the thick sheaf of papers and headed back to his office.

Suddenly, a key rattled in the lock of the front door. He looked up and saw Dad coming in with a wet umbrella in his hand.

For an instant, Drew considered trying to avoid him; it had been a long, busy day, and he wasn’t exactly up for a confrontation. That was how most conversations between him and Dad turned out these days. But scurrying to his own office to hide seemed silly, and childish at that. Not to mention that he was tired of walking on thin ice around his father. He’d been doing that for most of his adult life and he was beyond weary with the situation.

Guess that would end as soon as he moved to Atherton. Surprisingly, that thought filled him with disquietingly equal measures of regret and anticipation.

Dad shook off the umbrella and closed it with a snap. Then he looked up and saw Drew standing there. Dad paused, his brown eyes unblinking, and swiped a hand through the graying hair at his temples. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”

“I’m finishing up the Sullivans’ paperwork for our meeting tomorrow.”

Dad set the umbrella on the reception counter. “Ah. Yes.” He picked up the messages Jan had left for him. “Heard that deal went through.”

For a heartbeat, Drew waited for a pat on the back; he’d done an exemplary job on the Sullivan deal, given how far apart the seller’s asking price and the Sullivans’ initial offer had been.

However, he was greeted with nothing but silence as his dad read the small pink slips of paper in his hands.

“You know, Dad, the deal almost didn’t happen.”

“Really?”

Drew ground his molars together until his jaw ached. “Don’t play games.”

He gave Drew a blank look.

“I heard you talking to Jan about the offer history, so I know you’re aware of how the whole thing went down.”

Dad’s face remained completely impassive.

Drew’s neck heated. “Why can’t you just give me some credit here?”

“I give you plenty of credit,” Dad replied.

Drew stared at him. “Ever since you got wind of my plans to move to Atherton, you haven’t been able to even be civil to me, let alone praise me for a job well done around here.”

“I gave you credit for years, and look where that got me,” Dad snapped.

“This isn’t about you,” Drew whipped back.

Dad slapped the messages on the counter. “But it is all about you, right?”

“I didn’t say that—”

“You didn’t have to. Your actions lately tell that story.”

“My actions?” Drew snorted. “I’m just following my dream, Dad. Doing what I want. And you always reduce that to mere actions rather than anything important.”

“And what about my dream to have you take over the business I built from the ground up?” Dad gestured around. “I went from working on the kitchen table to this, and you’re just going to walk away from all of it.”

Drew felt his pulse in his forehead. “That’s just the thing. This place is your dream, not mine.”

“Yeah, you’ve made it abundantly clear this all means nothing to you.”

“Here we go with that again,” Drew replied. They’d had this conversation up, down, diagonal and sideways, and they never seemed to find any common ground.

“Yeah, here we go,” Dad shot back. “I trained you for years, ever since you started working here after school when you were sixteen.”

“You can replace me,” Drew said with a great amount of control, which belied the rancid churning in his gut.

“Moonlight Cove isn’t exactly a hotbed of real estate sales talent. Replacing you is going to be a big problem.”

Drew had heard this all before. The story never changed, which only made him want to run away faster. It was a bad dynamic, but he didn’t know how to change it. His dad was the most stubborn person on the planet. Mom ran a close second. “I told you I’d help you with that.”

“Now that you’ve had an interview, it’s too late.”

“So why didn’t you agree to have me look for a replacement earlier?” Drew had offered to start a search several months ago when he’d applied to Atherton Fire and Rescue, but Dad would have none of it. He’d actually forbidden Drew to place an ad or interview anyone.

Dad looked at the floor, then simply shrugged.

Understanding dawned. “You were hoping the interview wouldn’t work out and that I’d be forced to stay.”

“I’m only thinking of the business,” Dad said. “A business that has provided very well for our family, by the way.”

But not for the past few years. The tanking economy had put Sellers Real Estate through the wringer lately. “I get that, Dad.” It probably didn’t help that Drew had chosen to leave Moonlight Cove right now, in the midst of the economic downturn. “But as a prospective firefighter with lots of competition, I’m not getting any younger.”

He left out that he could only pretend to be happy hawking designer kitchens and updated bathrooms for so long. No sense in twisting the knife that much. Besides, his dad knew that working as a real estate agent had never been Drew’s first choice. Even if he acted as if Drew had decided to become a firefighter on a whim.

“I’m not, either.” With sagging shoulders, Dad cast his gaze around. “Who’s going to take over my legacy when I want to retire?”

Guilt prodded hard and sharp, and Drew winced inwardly. For just a moment, seeing the slump in his father’s broad shoulders did a number on Drew’s resolve to pursue his dream, no matter what the cost.

Dad spoke again. “Why don’t you let me put out some feelers. Maybe you could find a job closer to Moonlight Cove and still work for me part-time.”

Impatience tugged at Drew, hard. “Dad, none of the departments around here have any paid positions—”

Drew’s cell phone rang, cutting him off. He pulled it out of his pocket, looked at the caller ID. Stacy Sullivan, calling with the last bit of information for their offer. “Dad, just a sec, I have to take this.” If anyone understood interrupting a conversation for a client, it was Dad. Business had often come at the expense of family when Drew had been growing up.

He turned and had a brief conversation with Stacy, heading toward his office so he could write down the figure she gave him.

He finished and pressed End, then went out to resume the conversation with his dad, even though he was tempted to run the other way out the back door down the hall. But what was the sense in running from the inevitable? Drew had been doing that for years, and it had to stop.

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