He offered her help

And he found love

Her home destroyed by a wildfire, Brooke Ellis finds temporary shelter at the home of paramedic Dan Sawyer and his young son, Ben. With the addition of Brooke and her lively fur family, Dan finds his carefully planned routine delightfully turned upside down. And his carefully guarded heart daring to trust in love again. When his ex-wife suddenly reappears, will it be Brooke to the rescue?

CARI LYNN WEBB lives in South Carolina with her husband, daughters and assorted four-legged family members. She’s been blessed to see the power of true love in her grandparents’ seventy-year marriage and her parents’ marriage of over fifty years. She knows love isn’t always sweet and perfect—it can be challenging, complicated and risky. But she believes happily-ever-afters are worth fighting for. She loves to connect with readers. Please visit her website, carilynnwebb.com.

Also By Cari Lynn Webb

City by the Bay Stories

The Charm Offensive

The Doctor’s Recovery

Ava’s Prize

A Heartwarming Thanksgiving

“Wedding of His Dreams”

Make Me a Match

“The Matchmaker Wore Skates”

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.

Single Dad to the Rescue

Cari Lynn Webb

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-09747-5

SINGLE DAD TO THE RESCUE

© 2019 Cari Lynn Webb

Published in Great Britain 2019

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

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Brooke blinked and focused on him. “Dr. Porter needs to keep Archie at least another night. But he’s stable. Sophie called about Rex.”

Dan stumbled over his relief for a cat. Who was Rex? He had an image of a dog curled in the back of the kennel, more eyes than body.

Ben jumped up, worry flashing across the seven-year-old’s face. “What happened to Rex?”

“He isn’t doing well.” Brooke touched Ben’s shoulder. “Sophie had several more arrivals last night. Dr. Porter and Sophie think Rex needs to be someplace quieter where he’ll feel safe.”

“He’ll feel safe here.” Confidence puffed Ben’s chest out.

Ben’s absolute certainty softened Dan. That was all he’d ever wanted to give Ben: a safe home. One without chaos. One with stability and love.

Brooke shifted to look at Dan.

Again, her dark brown gaze pulled him in. Her wide soulful eyes called to him. Made him want to learn everything about her. Made him want...

Dear Reader,

I’m blessed to have dear friends, lifelong ones and others that feel as if they’ve always been in my life. These are the friends that might be three thousand miles away and yet you feel so close. The friends that know all your backstory—the good, bad and gray areas—and love you anyway. These friends become family and make life more balanced and so much richer.

Family and friends are a large part of the community in my City by the Bay Stories. Fortunately, this community helps my heroine, Brooke Ellis, rediscover the power of love and friendship. Brooke finally starts to heal from a painful past. My hero, Dan Sawyer, has been surrounded by his family and friends, yet he has learned to guard his heart. But love—and guidance from those who know Dan best—opens Dan’s eyes to a fulfilling life he only ever imagined. Together, Brooke and Dan learn that love can be even more precious the second time around.

I love to connect with readers. Check out my website to learn more about my upcoming books, sign up for email book announcements, or chat with me on Facebook (carilynnwebb) or Twitter (@carilynnwebb). Remember to hug your friends and family then thank them for making life special.

Happy reading!

Cari Lynn Webb

To Stacey—a best friend who quickly became family. You’re the sister I got to choose myself.

Special thanks to my editor, Kathryn Lye, for pushing me to become a better writer. I’m grateful. To Melinda and Anna for your continuous support. To my husband and daughters for your plot-twist suggestions that always make me laugh and disrupt my stress.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Note to Readers

Introduction

Dear Reader

Dedication

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

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

EPILOGUE

Extract

About the Publisher

CHAPTER ONE

“CAN I OFFER you a ride?” A man’s deep voice broke through Brooke Ellis’s stupor.

Brooke squeezed Luna’s dog leash and tried to squeeze a sense of composure through herself.

Why were simple questions the hardest?

Maybe they’d always been hard and that was why Brooke had chosen to live alone in the mountains of Northern California for the past five years.

Until two days ago.

Exactly fifty-two hours earlier, a wildfire had ripped through the forest, forced Brooke and her neighbors to evacuate and destroyed lives.

Brooke turned in her gravel driveway and stared at the older gentleman watching her from inside an oversize pickup truck.

He smiled and repeated his question, “Do you need a ride someplace?”

She stepped closer, found patience in his kind gaze and her answer. “I have no place to go.”

He got out of his truck and walked toward her—he was wearing a volunteer fire-and-rescue jacket. The man may have been older, but he towered over Brooke by at least a foot and seemed to understand his height might make her guarded. He knelt and held his hand out for Luna to sniff. “There’s a shelter set up in town. I could drop you off there.”

Brooke indicated the two pet carriers near her feet. Archie, her one-year-old cat, slept in one. The veterinarian hospital had to evacuate its patients and he’d been sent home too soon after his abdominal surgery. Inside the other carrier, Cupid meowed. “The shelter reached capacity last night and I have pets with special needs.”

“Do you have family nearby?” Luna rolled over onto her back, encouraging the man to rub her belly. He obliged the large but gentle German shepherd with a soft grin. “I could take you to a relative’s place.”

Another simple question. The answer wasn’t so easy. Brooke managed a quick shake of her head, enough to knock the tears back down inside her.

All she had left of her life was in a large black garbage bag beside her. The family members she had were the four-legged ones surrounding her. She clutched Luna’s long leash as if the leather anchored her.

The man rubbed his chin and stared at the blackened landscape behind her. Her house was nothing more than ash. Only the axle remained of her truck. The old diesel had refused to turn over and guide her to safety two nights ago. She’d had enough time to grab her animals and the one garbage bag from the truck bed, and cram into the waiting police cruiser. The roaring winds and fire-breathing sky had chased the police car down the mountain to the evacuation site.

“Do you have any plans?” the gentleman asked.

Brooke stared across the street at the decimated hillside. All her plans had been here. On the land. With her animals. Why had she hitched a ride back here when deep down she’d known? “I never imagined. I never planned for...” She lost her voice.

The same way she’d lost her voice five years ago. Only, then she’d been standing in the cemetery in San Francisco County. Beside her husband’s grave. The scent of roses and gardenias had been in the air. The grass under her black heels green. The sky a brilliant blue.

Now the air was gray. Ash shifted around them like singed snowflakes.

Nothing was the same except that insistent punch to her gut.

She’d rebuilt her life on this mountain. Wept against the old oaks, screamed her frustration to the sky, cursed Fate and slowly reconstructed her world bit by bit. Day by day.

How many times could one person rebuild? Did she even have the strength? Luna sat up and nudged her head under Brooke’s palm as if lending Brooke support.

“I lived almost thirty years in these mountains.” Sadness shifted through the man’s low voice. “This is the worst I’ve seen.”

“What am I supposed to do now?” Brooke spoke to the sooty air. She’d discovered years ago that Fate had a bad habit of refusing to answer.

“I can’t let you stay here. My wife, rest her soul, would be highly disappointed in me.” The man pulled out his cell phone and tapped on the screen. “They’ve opened another evacuation center. Let me take you there.”

“I’m just a stranger.” And she felt more and more lost—like she’d misplaced a part of herself—every second she stood there.

“Strangers don’t exist in moments like these.” He rose and held out his hand. “I’m Rick Sawyer.”

“Brooke Ellis.” She shook his hand, grateful for his firm grip. It steadied her.

“Well, Brooke, how about we get you and your pets someplace safe?”

Brooke nodded. The shelter would have water and a place to sit. Maybe if she sat, she’d find a clear thought. Surely one clear thought would lead to another. Then another. Perhaps by sunrise, she’d find a plan.

Rick picked up the pet carriers and walked to the truck. Brooke lifted her garbage bag and whistled for Luna to follow.

The devastation outside the truck windows—on every street they drove on—clogged her throat and stole her words. Brooke concentrated on breathing. And repeated to herself that she had her life and her pets. That was more than enough. Fortunately, Rick looked as lost in his own thoughts as Brooke. Neither of them seemed inclined to carry on a conversation.

Too many miles of scorched land later, Rick pulled into the community-center parking lot and helped Brooke with her pets and single bag of belongings.

“Hey, Captain.” An older woman with a baseball cap and orange volunteer vest sat at a folding table outside the community-center entrance.

“Evening, Darla.” Rick motioned to Brooke beside him. “Have room for one more and her fur family of three?”

“I’m so sorry, dear.” Darla’s frown amplified the apology in her tone. “The animal rooms are full. They evacuated Cedar Ridge and Pine View Estates two hours ago. We’ve already overextended capacity with the last family of ten that just checked in.”

“Can I camp on the lawn?” Brooke had spent two nights at the other site outside in a borrowed tent. She’d returned the tent to the family as more of their displaced relatives had arrived for shelter.

“We ran out of tents this afternoon.” Darla shuffled her paperwork.

Rick rubbed his chin. “Heard of any open hotel rooms?”

Darla shook her head. “The hotels that haven’t been evacuated are full with residents from the nursing homes.”

Brooke swayed. Numbness, rather than panic, seized her.

“Certainly, we can find someplace.” Uncertainty flickered through Darla’s small attempt at a smile.

“We’ve got an empty in-law apartment at my son’s house and a grandson who loves animals,” Rick offered. “You’re welcome to use the place.”

They were all barely on a first-name basis. How could he open his own house to her? Just like that. Besides, Brooke helped herself. Relied on herself.

“If you aren’t going to take the captain up on his offer, honey, I have quite a few families inside that will.” Darla dipped her head toward the building. “They’d love a hot shower and their own bedroom tonight.”

“I just...” Brooke began.

Darla adjusted the brim of her hat and squinted at Brooke. “Are you alone, honey?”

Brooke nodded.

Darla never hesitated. She rounded the table and clutched Brooke’s cold hands. “I’ve got nine fire stations in the county and over one hundred firefighters who will vouch for Captain Sawyer and his family. The Sawyers are good people, honey. The kind you don’t find much anymore. You’ll be safe with them.”

“Appreciate the endorsement, Darla.” Rick looked at Brooke. “We’re just a hardworking family that likes to help when we can.”

“Your son won’t mind?” Brooke asked.

Rick shook his head. “We discussed it when the fires broke out. The place is yours if you want it.”

“Or I’ll offer it up inside.” Darla squeezed Brooke’s fingers and whispered, “Take the offer.”

Simple kindness was a rare gift. Hard to repay, but Brooke intended to try. “I can pay rent. I promise I won’t stay long.”

Darla gave Brooke’s hands one more encouraging squeeze and released her.

“You’re welcome to stay as long as you need.” Rick hugged Darla and told her that he’d be back within the next day.

“Take this for her.” Darla handed Rick a packet of paperwork and a small bag. “It’s an overnight-essentials kit and a checklist for what to do after a fire.”

Brooke settled the pet carriers in Rick’s truck and climbed into the front passenger seat. “You’re a captain?”

“Retired fire captain.” Rick switched on her seat heater. “I worked at Station Twelve for most of my career.”

That explained why he was in the area, volunteering and helping people like Brooke.

“Retirement took me off the mountain and in a new direction,” he said.

“Do you miss living on the mountain?” she asked.

“I miss nature’s quiet solitude, but I love being with my grandson and son.” Rick pulled out of the parking lot. “After my wife passed, it never felt the same up here.”

Brooke wondered if she’d ever feel the same again. Normal again. Nothing felt familiar, not even her worn running shoes and old sweatshirt.

Her muscles unknotted against the warm seat and forced a yawn out of her. She mumbled an apology and tried to swallow her next yawn.

“Might as well settle in.” Rick turned onto the ramp for the interstate. “We’ve got a bit of a drive ahead of us.”

Brooke rubbed her eyes. “I never did ask where your son’s place is.”

“San Francisco,” Rick said. “Far enough so you can breathe in some fresh air and gather your thoughts.”

Brooke stiffened. Rick was wrong. So very wrong.

She couldn’t think in the city. She couldn’t breathe in the city. Not since...

“I can’t.”

She turned toward Rick, intending to tell him to take her back to the shelter.

“It may look impossible now.” His hand, warm and gentle, settled over hers. “But everything looks better after a good night’s sleep.”

A good night’s sleep. Brooke hardly remembered what that felt like. Most days she felt like she hadn’t slept in years. She closed her eyes. Concentrated on the quiet truck cab and the comfort in Rick’s simple touch. She was returning to the city. To a stranger’s house. To a past she never wanted to face again.

She’d stay the night and leave first thing in the morning.

CHAPTER TWO

DAN SAWYER STOOD in line at Zig Zag Coffee House waiting to pay for his order and stared at the name flashing across his phone screen: Valerie.

His stomach hardened and his jaw clenched as if he was preparing to absorb the abrupt attack of an assailant. He’d accept every shot, especially from Valerie, if that protected his son.

His ex-wife had decided six years ago that traveling the world was more of a priority than her marriage and her four-year-old son. Her last video-chat attempt with Ben had been after the New Year—almost eight months ago. Even that had been cut short after a poor connection interrupted the call too many times.

Valerie’s current call dropped into the missed-call list like so many things she’d missed in Ben’s life: his first day of kindergarten, his first soccer goal, his first time riding a big-kid bike. Visits from the tooth fairy, the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus. Every year brought something new to celebrate and something unknown to guard against. Mismanaging Ben’s juvenile diabetes wasn’t an option.

Ben and Dan had worked too hard to overcome the obstacles of Ben’s autoimmune disease. Ben was in a good place. A healthy place.

Nothing, and no one, would disrupt that.

“Stare at your phone any harder, you’ll miss the world going on around you.” The all too familiar gruff voice and laughter-wrapped scold ended Dan’s stalemate with his phone, as if he’d been ordered to stand down.

“Dad.” Dan glanced at the older man, who matched him inch for inch. Those knots loosened inside him. “What are you doing here?”

“Ben is fine. Numbers were perfect this morning and he even tested himself.” His father put a hand on Dan’s shoulder and squeezed. “Dropped Ben off at school with his book report and completed poster board just a little while ago.”

That still didn’t explain his father’s unexpected arrival. His dad always claimed he preferred his own home-brewed coffee to the fancy, overpriced coffee houses in the city.

“It’s Tuesday.” His dad waved his hand around the trendy coffee house. “You always stop here before you drive Ava to her classes.”

Every Tuesday for the past six months, Dan left work, picked up his best friend, Ava, and dropped her off at school. It’d started by accident. Ava had called for a ride after her fiancé’s car broke down while Kyle was on the East Coast. They’d just carried on after that. The perfect time for the two longtime friends to catch up. Most recently the drive had been paired with party planning for their friends’ joint bachelor-and-bachelorette party, an event that Dan had convinced Ava they should put together as members of the wedding party.

But his father never came with Dan on Tuesday mornings. Or visited this particular coffee house. Not once in the past four years since he’d been living with Dan and Ben. Dan scanned his father, from his deep red hair to his weathered face and worn work boots. “Are you okay?”

“Never better.” His dad sipped his coffee, which looked suspiciously similar to a white-chocolate mocha with extra whipped cream. “I brought home an evacuee late last night. Nice lady with a kind heart.”

That news could’ve been delivered via text. Dan searched his dad’s face, eyeing his neck as if Dan could read his father’s pulse. His dad stirred the whipped cream into his coffee with a wooden stirrer as if he wanted to design a picture in the liquid. “Thought you might want to know that she has pets.”

“Pets,” Dan repeated. “As in plural.”

His dad nodded.

That was definitely bad news. The type of news that could disrupt things at their house.

Dan had told Ben that he was allergic to animals to keep from having to get a pet. He’d started the white lie the year after Valerie had left. Dan had been afraid a pet would be too much for them; there was enough for him and Ben to get used to without adding the responsibility of a pet. After all, Ben’s illness wasn’t the flu or an appendix surgery that he’d recover from. Juvenile diabetes was an autoimmune disease that Ben would deal with his entire life. It required strict management every day. Thanks to help from Dan’s parents and Valerie’s mom, Dan had gotten Ben’s juvenile diabetes under control and adjusted to his role as single parent. One year later, his mom had died suddenly, his dad had moved in and Dan’s world had shifted again. Then Ben had started school and the truth about Dan not really being allergic to animals never came out.

But it wasn’t a big lie. Valerie had lied in her wedding vows: promising to love Dan until death did them part. Dan’s phone vibrated. Once again Valerie’s name claimed the caller ID.

“Our tenant has three pets to be exact. Shelters were full. Hotels, too. Couldn’t leave Brooke alone to fend for herself.” Rick settled his shrewd gaze on Dan and shook his head. “That’s not the Sawyer way.”

No. The Sawyer way was to always help. Even if it meant letting go. Like Dan had done with Valerie.

Their marriage had ended over couriered paperwork, stamped with international postage, and no disputes. Dan had gained legal and physical custody of Ben. Valerie had gained her freedom.

Despite their obvious personality differences, Dan had always believed they’d both agreed on parenting styles. How wrong he’d been.

Dan had stepped in to fill both parental roles. Valerie had stepped out and never looked back. Even with Valerie’s capricious nature, he hadn’t expected that. His young son had lost his mother. That wasn’t a wound that healed easily.

Now Valerie was blowing up his phone. And his father had invited a woman with pets into their rental apartment. The distractions were compounding. No problem. Dan just had to keep focused on their routine—the one he’d established to keep Ben healthy and safe.

Someone called Dan’s name from behind the pickup counter. Dan stepped up to the cashier. Shelby, with her heavily outlined cat-green eyes and even brighter purple hair, said, “Your order is already paid for.”

Dan gaped. That wasn’t part of the usual routine. The entire staff knew his order by heart. He never had to wait long—that was routine. “It can’t be. I haven’t paid yet.”

“Another customer covered it and told me to tell you thanks for all that you do for the community.” The jeweled earring in Shelby’s eyebrow twitched, as if she was daring him to challenge that people in the world could be kind.

Dan glanced around the coffee shop, searching for the Good Samaritan. No one stepped forward. Dan shoved his phone into the pocket of his cargo pants and walked to the pickup counter.

If he believed in signs from the universe like Ava did, he’d look at the customer’s kindness as the good to balance the bad. Because—let’s face it—everything is off this morning.

His dad waited near the door, enthused about the evacuee from the fires. While second thoughts shifted through Dan. He hadn’t rented out the in-law unit since his divorce, preferring to keep things as simple as possible, especially for Ben.

Dan silently thanked the stranger for the gesture. Stuffed the money he would’ve used to pay for his order along with a tip into the tip jar and grabbed his to-go order.

His dad held the door open. “Perhaps you’ll discover a new appreciation for pets with our tenant.”

That wasn’t ever going to happen. Dan had nothing against dogs. In another life, he’d pictured his home with several kids, two dogs and a wife. That wasn’t his world now and that picture had been distorted years ago. Dan’s world now was his work, volunteering and his son.

Besides, he wasn’t about to do anything that might ruin what he already had. His life was good. He was content. Ben was happy. That was enough, wasn’t it? “I don’t think she’ll be with us that long.”

“There’s a fire raging in the mountains, son.” Rick settled a baseball cap on his head and studied the sky. “It was only twenty-five percent contained this morning.” That could delay her return.

“Pick up groceries on your way home.”

“I went to the store two days ago.” Dan pulled his truck keys from his pocket.

“Not for us,” his dad said. “For Brooke. Our tenant.”

Dan stopped on the sidewalk and faced his dad. “You want me to buy her food?”

“I’m heading back up north.” Rick twisted a plastic lid over his coffee cup. “They need help transporting supplies to the shelters.”

And his father expected Dan to help their new tenant. After all, that was the Sawyer way.

He could argue that he’d forgotten to order syringes last week and had to pick those up within the hour. Mention the planning meeting he’d promised to attend for the school’s Fall Festival. And detail every other ball he juggled to keep the Sawyer family moving forward. It wouldn’t matter.

His dad knew Dan would buy groceries. And Dan knew it, too.

He ordered his dad to be safe, climbed into his truck and rearranged his schedule for a quick stop at the grocery store.

Ten minutes later, Ava climbed into the truck. She dumped her backpack with a thud and grasped the extra tall tea from the drink holder like it was a divine gift. “What is a sign associated with meningitis—Homans’s sign, Kernig’s sign or Tinel’s sign?”

“Kernig’s sign. If the leg can’t be straightened, it’s a positive sign for meningitis. Homan’s is deep-vein thrombosis and Tinel’s is carpal tunnel syndrome.” Dan tapped his coffee cup against hers. “I’m right, aren’t I?”

“You should be in physician’s assistant school with me.” Ava sipped her tea. “I could use your brain.”

“You mean you could copy off me.” Dan pulled away from the curb and merged with the traffic.

“It’s wrong to copy.” Ava glanced in the back seat as if making sure Ben wasn’t there. “But I would use your notes. You write much neater than me.”

“You say that like it’s bad.” Dan clicked on his blinker to change lanes. That should mute the vibration of his phone on the console and his urge to make sure it wasn’t Valerie calling him again.

“Speaking of bad things, did you hear about Hank?” Ava asked.

“Kevin told me that Hank got sick last night.” Dan’s supervisor, Kevin McCoy, had called him on his way into work to let Dan know he was one of the senior guys on shift for the night.

“Sick is putting it mildly,” Ava said. “Denise texted me. Hank is having triple-bypass surgery this morning. He’s only forty-four.”

Hank Decker was also a career paramedic and one of Dan’s longtime coworkers. Dan stopped at a red light and looked at Ava. “Are you serious?”

“Wish I wasn’t.” Ava tapped her fingers against her cup. “What did you eat last night in the rig?”

“What does that have to do with Hank?” Dan scowled at the traffic around him.

“Come on, Dan. You and I both know the statistics of our work too well,” Ava said. “You have to take better care of yourself. You don’t want to become another statistic.”

Dan focused on the car in front of him. Ava had to transition from her paramedic work into something less stressful. Between her military-medic background and working as a paramedic in the city, she’d pushed the limit on her stress boundaries. But Dan didn’t have that kind of stress. Sure, his plate was full, but whose plate wasn’t?

“If you aren’t going to do something for yourself, then do it for Ben,” Ava urged.

“Fine. You’re right.” Ben was his everything. His son was his world. And his best friend wasn’t wrong. “I could stand to eat a few less french fries and add a few more days at the gym every week. That sound good?”

“It’s a start,” Ava said.

“Now, can we talk about coordinating the bachelor-and-bachelorette celebrations?” And move away from Dan’s health and his fast track to becoming another statistic.

Dan gripped the steering wheel. Had his supervisor known about the seriousness of Hank’s condition last night? Was that why Kevin had ended the call with the comment about an assistant director position opening within the next month? Adding that he considered Dan a natural fit, as if Kevin feared Dan might be next on the statistic train. Would he?

Dan took a large sip of his coffee, determined to slip in an hour at the gym later that afternoon. “I think we should stick with our original idea. Call the whole thing a coed bash and have one big party.”

Surely talking about wedding plans with his best friend would get the day back on track. Back to normal. And distract him from his phone. The one that buzzed again on the console. Dan rushed on, covering the sound, “About the wedding schedule.”

“You’re quite popular this morning. Something I should know?” Ava grabbed his phone and held it out of his reach. Her gaze settled on Dan like the fog over the bay: heavy and dense. “You met someone.”

“When?” Dan shook his head. “Last night between the heart attack and the preterm labor patient?”

“You have less than four weeks until the wedding. You need a date, or you’ll be at the singles’ setup table,” Ava warned, as if he wasn’t paying close enough attention. “Do you want that?”

He wanted his day to return to normal. He wanted Valerie to stop calling. He wanted to grab his phone from Ava. “Who’s at the singles’ table?”

“Women who want to date you.” Ava’s smile lifted her eyebrows and lightened her tone. “Especially Marlene Henderson. You remember Marlene, right? Wyatt’s mom introduced you guys during her garden party in the spring. Marlene is the master gardener at the botanical garden.”

And excessively gabby. Dan cringed. He’d never met anyone capable of putting so many words into one breath so continuously without hyperventilating. Dan had taken several deep breaths for the poor woman. Fortunately, a dear friend of Wyatt’s mom had a plant question and Dan had handed off Marlene, then escaped. Surely there was another guest on the wedding-invite list prepared and eager to match Marlene word for word. It just wasn’t Dan.

His phone chimed. He winced and concentrated on the road. He was setting his phone on permanent silence as soon as he got it back.

“Seriously, what is with your phone? You never get so many calls.” Ava crammed the party-planner binder back into her backpack. “We’ll deal with party planning later. What aren’t you telling me?”

Ava’s insight was all too clear. One of the pitfalls of having a best friend trained to read people and their actions. Dan pulled into a parking space outside San Francisco College of Medicine and turned toward Ava.

She jumped in first. “Everything okay with Ben? Your dad?”

The concern in Ava’s voice broke through Dan’s jumbled thoughts. Ava cared for his family. Her interest was real and genuine. He’d always appreciated that about her. “Dad is fine. He’s opened the mother-in-law apartment to a fire evacuee.”

“That’s wonderful and...” Ava’s words drifted off as if she sensed there was more.

He supposed she could read him well enough to know there was more. They’d worked in tandem too many nights on call in the ambulance not to be able to figure out each other.

“There’s more,” Dan admitted. He pushed Ava’s hand toward her. “Put the phone on speaker and press Play on the voice mail.”

Ava glanced at the phone screen. Shock slowed her words. “Valerie called six times. Valerie, as in your ex-wife, Valerie. The ex-wife who is now with your younger brother.”

Dan’s heartbeat stalled as if that assailant connected with a knockout punch after all. Five years ago, Dan had been pretzeled on his son’s hospital bed, Ben finally asleep on his chest. He’d been adjusting Ben’s IV lines and scolding himself for his misstep in caring for his sick son. The flu had played havoc with Ben’s glucose levels; the vomiting had only compounded things. Ben had been admitted to the hospital for the fourth time that year. And Dan had feared he’d never get it right.

Then the text from Valerie had arrived. Not a checking-on-her-sick-son text. But rather a picture of Valerie with her arms wrapped around Dan’s younger brother, her lips pressed against Jason’s cheek. The caption—Monte Carlo brought us together—in bold print underneath. Valerie had followed that with a quick explanation: There wasn’t an easy way to tell you. But we both want each other to be happy, right?

Dan had dropped the phone on the floor and curled his arms around his young son. Determined to focus on his true family and guard those he loved from harm.

Years later and he’d kept his promise. He’d gotten over his ex-wife. But he wasn’t as numb to his brother’s betrayal as he wanted to be.

Dan finally dipped his chin, the motion stiff, his voice flat. “That’s her.”

“What does she want?” Suspicion laced Ava’s tone.

“Play the voice mail and we can find out.” Unease twisted through his stomach again.

Valerie’s lyrical voice with her upbeat excitement, like she had a really great secret to share filled the truck. “Bon journo, Dan. Call me back, please. Maybe not now. My connection isn’t the best. But call me. Ciao.”

“You can delete it.”

“Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?” Ava checked the time and swore under her breath. “I have to go to class.”

“I don’t want it to be a big deal.”

He had no idea what Valerie wanted. He only knew he had to protect Ben from getting hurt by her again. This time Ben was old enough to feel his heart breaking if his mother let him down again.

“It already is.” Ava tossed the phone at Dan. “You have to call Valerie back. See what she wants.”

Dan gripped the phone. “You have to get to class.”

“I know. I know. Text me as soon as you talk to Valerie. Otherwise, I won’t be able to concentrate in neurology.” Ava opened her door, climbed out of the truck and leaned back inside. “You’re still good with everyone coming over Friday night, right?”

“Definitely.” Several phone calls from his ex-wife and a new tenant were not going to alter his life or change his schedule. “I’m making chicken and waffles, so let everyone know to come hungry.”

Ava pointed at his phone. “Call her.”

The truck door slammed shut. Dan stuffed his phone in the empty drink holder and backed out of the parking space.

Call Valerie?

Not on his life.

CHAPTER THREE

I’M GOING TO SUFFOCATE.

Brooke shoved aside the thick down comforter, smacked her bare feet on the wooden floor of the bedroom and lunged for the light switch.

Light flooded across the unfamiliar four-poster bed, highlighting the rustic roses embroidered on the comforter. It wasn’t enough. Not nearly enough to banish the nightmares of her past.

She stumbled into the kitchen, slapped at the light switches. The night pressed against the windows. Her fear pressed against her chest, sucking away the air and her sanity.

She should never have returned.

The clock on the microwave glowed as if mocking her lack of bravery. Rick had given her a tour of the one-bedroom cottage behind the main house less than three hours ago. Welcomed her and her pets into the unit. And she’d believed—in that moment—everything would be all right.

Lies. So many lies. You’re destined for great things, Brooke. Dream big. Reach for the stars, dear.

She’d reached like her mom had encouraged her. Now she was alone, like she’d been as a child. The shy misfit scared of her own shadow.

But the shadows haunted her now with a different intensity.

You’ll always be safe with me, Brooke. Even Phillip had lied. Promises couldn’t be kept in a world where twists of fate took away the promisor.

She turned on the lamps in the family room. Flipped the switch for the gas fireplace. Lit up the apartment as if that would steady her world. Prove she was safe.

Brooke reached for her cell phone, her fingers slipping on the granite kitchen counter. She opened the city-map app. Typed in the address that tormented her and stole her good night’s sleep.

Two-point-six miles. That was all that separated Brooke from the very corner where a drunk driver had taken everything she’d loved from her. All the promises shattered.

Inhale into your stomach. And hold it for a count of five. So many therapy sessions and still she forgot how to breathe. The urge to run seized her.

Instead her knees buckled. She had nowhere to go.

She collapsed on a kitchen stool and stared at the blue pin flashing over the corner of Bayview and State Streets. The spot she hadn’t returned to in the past five years. She’d never again wanted to step foot two hundred miles from there much less twenty blocks.

Deep breaths from your stomach. Increase the oxygen. Slow yourself down. She exhaled on a five count. Now repeat.

Her gaze skipped around the open space, seeking something—anything—to focus on. The compact, modern kitchen encouraged even an amateur cook like herself to prepare a decadent three-course meal. The empty bar stools waited for friends to gather. The vintage couch and matching chair were worn and relaxed from years of conversations and comfortable use.

Only one word echoed through Brooke: trapped.

She was boxed in like the three crystal angel ornaments—Joy, Hope, Love—wrapped inside the wooden jewelry case handmade by her father. Her late husband had given her the angels on their third anniversary. Phillip had claimed the angels would remind her to laugh, to always find the good in everything and to never give up.

There was one other option: her former in-laws, Ann and Don Ellis. Her mother-in-law had called and offered her their spare room, but she’d had shelter then. And surely, they didn’t want a constant reminder of their grief. They’d lost their only son.

She rested her forehead on the cool granite counter.

A wildfire had destroyed her house and land. She had her pets and her life—she had what mattered most. She should be grateful.

Still, she wanted to yell at the universe: Why?

And demand an answer for a seemingly impossible choice: face the city she feared or the in-laws she knew she could never apologize to enough.

Luna sat beside her and leaned against Brooke’s leg. Brooke reached down and sank her fingers into the dog’s thick fur. The counter supported her cheek, stopping her from crumpling to the floor. Her gaze locked on the paperwork from Darla.

That was a checklist for what to do after a fire. Not a checklist for what to do to rally courage.

Brooke stared at the papers until her eyes burned. Until the chaos inside her settled into something less smothering. She never moved, only inhaled. Exhaled. Then repeated. The world became less forbidding, more approachable.

A heavy knock on the front door startled Brooke. She straightened, rubbed her cheek and blinked. The first rays of the sun streamed across the kitchen counter like nature’s own alarm clock, announcing the arrival of a new day.

Another knock rattled through her. Brooke signaled Luna into a stay position with the shift of her hand. Then cracked open the front door.

A younger version of Rick in a paramedic’s uniform grinned at her. Except for the blond that softened his red hair, making it lighter than Rick’s deep auburn. His eyes would’ve been green if not for the intense copper swirls. His height and build would’ve been well suited for a football field but filled out his uniform perfectly.

“I saw the lights on.” He lifted several cloth shopping bags and his smile, then added, “Grocery delivery.”

Brooke wanted to close the door. His appealing half grin could disarm her if she was someone else. Someone who believed in fairy tales, storybook romance and that once-in-a-lifetime love could happen again. But she couldn’t shut the door. This was Dan, Rick’s son. And her stomach growled. “How much do I owe you?”

“I’m not interested in money.” He handed the bags to her.

But he wanted something. His head tipped to the side and he studied her. She set the bags near her feet and waited.

His arms remained loose at his sides, his smile easy and unforced. “My dad mentioned you have pets.”

“I have two cats.” Her family. The only support she needed. She signaled Luna to come to her. “And my dog, Luna.”

He held out his hand, let Luna sniff his fingers before he scratched her head. “I’m hoping you can take your dog to one of the greenways several blocks over rather than letting her use the backyard for her business.”

Brooke was confused and she was sure it showed on her face. There was a perfectly good patch of grass right on the property, why should she walk to a park? Especially when it would mean taking her farther into the city and circumstances she’d rather avoid. Dan cleared his throat. “It’s nothing against your dog.” Luna sagged against Dan’s legs as if she forgave him. He added, “I might’ve told my son I was allergic to pets.”

Clearly, he didn’t have allergies. Or he’d have stopped rubbing Luna’s back by now. There was something about Dan that soothed, even from a distance. Brooke shifted backward in the doorway. “But you’re not?”

His eyebrows pulled together into a charming V. “Not exactly.”

Everyone deflected to cover a truth they didn’t want to face, including handsome Dan. Even Brooke.

“It’s complicated with my son,” Dan admitted.

Things were often complicated. “Sure. I can walk Luna to the greenway.” She forced more confidence into her voice, concealing the waver inside. “That won’t be a problem.”

That satisfied Dan, if not Brooke. “The grocery store is less than a mile past the greenway. A pet store not much farther away. Let me know if you need directions around the city.” Luna stretched out near Dan’s feet and rolled onto her back as if she couldn’t get enough of his attention. As if the dog was undisturbed by his presence.

Brooke couldn’t claim the same. “We’ll be fine right here.” For the moment.

“The city is great for exploring, even if you only have a few days,” Dan said.

In another lifetime, she would’ve agreed. Brooke inhaled, using the cool morning air to shrink the curtness from her tone. “Thanks, but sightseeing is far down on my to-do list.” Somewhere below never.

“The botanical garden and the beach can be good places to clear your mind.” Dan’s gaze searched her face. “Take a break. Breathe.”

Or those were places that stole her breath away as she realized she couldn’t hear her husband’s laugh anymore. Or how his hand had once fitted so perfectly around hers. Brooke shifted her gaze from Dan and smoothed the tremor from her voice. “Speaking with insurance agents will probably be easier here. It’s quieter.”

“You aren’t thinking about going back up north, are you?” Dan asked, his voice quiet.

“Still working on those details.”

“Do you have family in the state?” Dan kept petting Luna as if he was more than content to linger.

But if he lingered, Brooke would only notice his gentleness with Luna. She would notice him even more. How was she supposed to ask him to leave his own backyard?

“I don’t have any family. I’m an only child.” Brooke cleared her throat and avoided meeting Dan’s watchful gaze. “My parents came into the parenting world rather late. But my mother always told me that I was her greatest journey.”

A simple no would’ve been more than enough. Why did she feel the sudden need to ramble on as if he was her kind of handsome and made her nervous? But she hadn’t considered anyone her kind of anything in a long while.

“That’s a gift, isn’t it?” Dan’s movements were easy, as if he’d always taken the time to stop by and visit with her. He added, “Having a mom that makes her children feel like the most special kids in the world. My mom was like that, too.”

Dan blinked as if he’d surprised himself. Brooke liked not feeling so alone. “How long has your mother been gone?”

“Four years this past summer,” Dan said. “We head to the lake every June to remember her.”

“That’s important.” Brooke pressed her lips together.

The memorial of her late husband’s death was in three and a half weeks. Her in-laws and their extended family would travel to the city to celebrate his memory. They’d invite Brooke to join them as they had every year since his death.

Brooke had never found the courage to face Ann and Don Ellis at her husband’s grave since they buried him. “Are you sure I can’t pay you for the food?”

“It’s on the house.” Dan stood up. “Let me know if there’s anything else I can help you with.”

That one-sided smile returned, capturing Brooke’s focus, pulling it away from her worries. But she always relied on herself. She pushed determination into her voice. “I’ll be fine. Really.”

“I have errands to run.” Dan’s gaze searched her face as if he was searching for the right words. For something else to say. Maybe a promise that everything would be all right. Or an encouraging line his grandfather had always told him. An uplifting quote.

She’d seen that particular look too many times on her neighbors’ and coworkers’ faces after the accident. Dan was proof that people didn’t want to know you were hurting inside. So, she did what she always did. She reassured him. She reassured him that she could go it alone.

CHAPTER FOUR

THE NEXT MORNING, Dan backed his truck out of the driveway and gaped. A familiar red-haired man and a dog walked side by side two houses down. Dan pressed on the gas. His lips pressed into a grimace.

He pulled the truck over to the edge of the sidewalk and rolled down Ben’s window. “Dad? What are you doing?”

Dan knew exactly what the old man was doing. Dan always had the same routine on his day off. Always. Because knowing what to expect prevented unwelcome surprises and unnecessary hurt.

Today he’d drop off Ben at school, run errands and return phone calls, including Valerie’s. The last was only a onetime blip in what Dan determined would be a normal day. He narrowed his eyes at his dad.

Dog walking wasn’t normal for the Sawyer men. Dog walking wasn’t on the schedule. After all, Dan planned to avoid his new tenant and her four-legged family.

“Brooke doesn’t have a coat or hat. Refused to borrow mine so I took Luna instead.” Rick pointed at the German shepherd sitting next to him. Luna’s tongue rolled out the side of her mouth, giving her a lopsided, endearing grin. “Told Brooke to get some sleep. Poor girl looked wrung out.”

Dan had noticed Brooke’s red-rimmed eyes and pale skin yesterday. Not even that or her compact size could mask the strength Dan had sensed inside her. Something about Brooke compelled Dan to both take care of her and stand beside her. “I thought you were heading back up north again.”

“Figured a walk wouldn’t hurt.” Rick rolled his shoulders. “My old joints could use a stretch.”

“You don’t walk, Dad.” Now Ben would want to walk, too—perhaps even tonight. Soon Dan would be offering to pet sit or walk the dog himself. No doubt, Ava would be delighted to know he was getting more exercise. And he could use the exercise. Still, dog walking wasn’t exactly what Dan had in mind.

Besides, his tenant had promised Dan wouldn’t even know she or her pets were there. Now he was staring at her dog and thinking about her.

“Never too old to change things.” Rick reached into his pocket and pulled out a doughnut, his eyebrows lifting up and down. “Besides, I’ve got treats for Luna and me.”

“Dad.” Dan stretched the word into a warning. Doughnuts were not in his father’s restricted diet. Nor were pastries part of Dan’s diet, if he intended to prove Ava wrong and show her that he did, in fact, take care of himself. And prove he wasn’t going to be another statistic.

“The way I see it, the walk offsets the calories and sugar.” Rick zipped the pastry inside his pocket as if afraid Dan would demand he hand it over. “I’m sharing with Luna. Ben, don’t tell Brooke.”

“I can’t tell Brooke anything because Dad won’t even let me meet her.” Ben’s mulish tone deepened the scowl he aimed at Dan.

“I didn’t want to bother her last night. The lights weren’t even on in the apartment.” Although Dan had checked on Brooke. Saw the bedroom light on after he took out the trash. Saw it was still on after midnight when he’d walked out to his truck to get his phone charger.

Ben leaned out the window toward his grandfather. “Did you know Dad told Brooke that Luna can’t use the grass?”

The horror in Ben’s voice made it sound like Dan had ordered the dog to be chained inside its crate indefinitely.

“There’s nothing saying that your father can’t change his mind,” Rick said.

Not happening. Dan had come up with that rule after Brooke had failed to invite him into his own apartment. After he’d brought her groceries. Every single day strangers let Dan inside their houses. Granted, those strangers were usually in medical distress. But Brooke had been distressed, too. He’d seen that much in her tight grip on the door handle and heard it in her breathless voice. The woman needed help, even if she didn’t recognize it.

His response to being shut out of his own rental unit was childish, of course. But he stood by his new rule. And his plan to avoid her.

“Dad also claimed that Luna would scare me. But I’ve played with bigger dogs at Sophie’s doggy day care.” Ben rolled his eyes. “Grandpa, you have to make Dad change his mind.”

Dan wanted to change Brooke’s mind about him. He wanted Brooke to trust him.

“That’s the thing with Sawyer men.” Rick rubbed his chin. “Once we make up our minds, we get set in our ways.”

“But you started walking, Grandpa,” Ben argued.

“Okay. We’re going to be late.” Dan ended the conversation before his son and father teamed up and tried to outmaneuver him. He had to be sharp with this pair. His tenant had distracted him. That would need to stop. Brooke didn’t want his help. Fine. Dan wasn’t all that concerned if she trusted him or not. “Dad, keep it to one doughnut.”

Rick nodded. Yet his hand landed on his other pocket, giving him away.

Dan rolled up Ben’s window and glanced at his son. “If you reconsider your stance on not eating vegetables besides broccoli, then I’ll reconsider my grass rule.”

“Brussel sprouts aren’t worth a maybe, Dad.” Ben adjusted his seat belt. His voice lifted with curiosity. “But if you promise to let Luna in the backyard, I’ll try cauliflower.”

“A dog ruining the grass isn’t worth you only trying a new vegetable.” Dan slid a dose of encouragement into his tone. “If you promise to eat cauliflower every week for the rest of the school year, then we might have a deal.”

“Dad, you don’t even eat cauliflower every week.” Ben laughed.

Dan stopped in the drop-off lane at Ben’s school. “Does that mean we don’t have a deal?”

Ben opened the door, grabbed his backpack and shook his head. “Guess Grandpa was right. Us Sawyer men are just stuck in our ways.”

Ben hurried to catch up with his best friend, Wesley. The pair scooted to the side of the entrance and waited. A blond-haired girl with her walking stick extended joined them. Laughter ensued before the trio disappeared inside the school. Ben and Wesley met Ella every morning outside the school—the same place at the same time. One of the boys would be there to help Ella if she needed it throughout the day. That was their daily routine. Dan pulled away from the school, waving to the principal and several teachers in the car line. The same as every morning. Dan wasn’t stuck in his ways.

He just liked his routine. Every time he’d ever detoured, bad things happened. World-tilting, life-altering things. Things that curdled his stomach, crumpled his knees and damaged brotherly bonds.

One Saturday, he’d rearranged his work shift to join Valerie and three-year-old Ben for an impromptu visit to the redwood forest. Inside the national park, Dan had walked to the bathrooms. Valerie and Ben played hide-and-seek. He’d been gone five minutes and Valerie screamed Dan’s name. Ben had wandered into the forest. Valerie had lost their son. And Dan had lost years off his life. If he’d gone to work that day as scheduled, Ben and Valerie would’ve gone to their playdate as planned. And Dan wouldn’t know how to describe mind-numbing terror or full-body panic.

Sure, they’d found Ben pretty quickly. But the outcome could have been so much more tragic. Dan had a mental list of such events. Following a schedule kept life predictable like he preferred. Like he relied on to keep Ben safe. Why would he want to change things and risk disrupting the life he’d built? The life he liked.

One stop at the drugstore to replenish the Band-Aid stock for the school nurse, Dan ran through his schedule and pulled into his driveway. He had time to return those phone calls, take a nap, then finish his errands.

The dark-haired woman rushing toward him had him slamming the truck into Park. The blood staining her light blue sweatshirt had him jumping out of the truck. Brooke.

A quick assessment of Brooke from head to toe confirmed the source of the blood was the bundle she cradled. Dan moved toward her. “What happened?”

“It’s Archie.” She adjusted the towel around the cat and revealed a bandage saturated with blood on the animal’s stomach. “Can you help us?”

Blood matted Archie’s entire belly. Dan suddenly noticed the cat’s eye had been stitched closed and his left ear was missing completely. How was this cat going to survive the drive to the vet’s office? Dan clamped his teeth together to keep his negativity to himself.

Brooke covered the cat, the resolve in her voice strong. “Archie has survived worse than this.”

Perhaps. Still, Dan wondered how many lives Archie had left. He glanced at Brooke. Fear paled her skin, but a determination crackled in her deep brown eyes. What, beyond the wildfire, had Brooke survived? He pulled his keys from his pocket and hurried to open the passenger door. “I know where to go.”

“Is it close?” Concern rattled through her words, shifting her voice into a breathless wheeze. “Is the vet’s office near Bayview and State?”

“Less than six blocks away from that area.” Dan set his hand on her lower back to guide her into the truck. He added, “I know how to get around the city quickly and avoid people-congested areas like that one.”

Brooke dropped into the passenger seat, her gaze fixed on Archie. A tremor curled through her hands before she buried her fingers in the towel around the cat.

Dan reached for the extra towel he kept on the back seat. “It’s clean. My son, however, isn’t always clean and has a habit of spilling whatever he’s drinking.”

Brooke lifted Archie. The tremor returned. Somehow, she looked even more fragile and even more lost inside his truck.

Dan worked faster, spreading the towel across her lap. He opened his well-stocked first-aid kit and pressed a stack of extra large gauze pads onto Archie’s stomach. “Don’t let up on the pressure. Sophie’s place isn’t too far.”

Dan rushed around to the driver’s side and started the truck.

“Archie wouldn’t get into the crate with his cone on when the evacuation order came. I took it off.” Brooke adjusted Archie on her lap, drawing out a pathetic meow that matched the anguish in her voice. “We had to leave.”

She wouldn’t have left her pets behind—that much he knew. Only the rhythmic click of the turn signal disrupted the somber silence.

“I should’ve put the cone back on yesterday. I made him a recovery area. Figured he’d leave his stiches alone,” she added.

The misery in her voice settled on Dan’s shoulders. He accepted the weight, accelerated around a car and reminded himself Brooke needed him for transport, nothing else.

“Your dad brought Luna back after their walk.” Brooke’s words continued to spill out as if there was solace in the confession. “I jumped into the shower and came out to find Luna in the recovery area and blood all over. I’ll clean up the apartment.”

“Let’s get Archie help, then worry about that,” Dan said.

“I don’t know what we would’ve done without your dad bringing us here,” she said. “Or now you.”

The wisp of gratitude in her voice tangled in his gut, making his own breath catch. He wanted her out of his place as soon as possible, didn’t he? He reached over, touched Archie’s small head rather than holding Brooke’s hand to offer her reassurance.

And recalculated the fastest route to Sophie’s store and his misplaced feelings for his tenant.

He never considered he’d ever transport a seriously injured animal. But he was trained to help those in need. He’d rescued animals from the wildfires with his father over the years, but he’d only ever reunited those animals with their owners and walked away to continue fighting the fire. He looked over at Brooke.

She wouldn’t be easy to walk away from. That thought he trampled into a dark corner, somewhere back behind his routine, and concentrated on driving.

* * *

BROOKE CONCENTRATED ON Archie and avoided looking out the truck windows. This time she was inside the vehicle, she reminded herself, not watching a large van barrel toward her. She had to stay focused, be in the moment. Archie was her priority.

“Sophie’s place is up here, just around this corner.” Dan parked the truck in a loading zone and jumped out onto the street. He helped Brooke onto the sidewalk, swung open the front door to The Pampered Pooch and shouted, “Sophie, it’s an emergency. We need you now.”

Dan guided Brooke ahead of him, shielding her from the busy sidewalk and gaping storefront windows. And then she was inside, Dan and her fears bracketing her on either side. The city loomed outside. Archie was lying limp in her arms.

A woman, her blond hair tied back in a ponytail, sprinted down the center aisle. “Dan, what’s wrong?”

Dan pointed at the bundled cat. “Archie needs your expertise.”

The woman skidded to a halt and gasped at the injured cat. “Upstairs. Follow me.”

She led them outside to a wide staircase. On the second-floor landing, she pulled out a set of keys from her back pocket, pushed open the old wooden door and motioned them inside.

A deep male voice echoed down the hallway. “Sophie Callahan, that’s an emergency exit, not your private entrance. There are landlord-lessee rules and a code of conduct, you know.”

“Iain, we don’t have time for that. You have an emergency patient,” Sophie called back.

She led them into an examination room, complete with a stainless-steel exam table, white industrial cabinets and a carpeted cat tower in the corner. Only the cushioned seat built under the bay window revealed the room’s former use as a bedroom. Not all the Victorian charm had been renovated out of the old building, softening the commercial space.

“I have no more kennel space, Sophie. We went through this last night.” The man’s deep voice continued to blast from somewhere inside the flat. “I won’t be able to get into my supply room if we add another kennel in this place.”

Bare feet slapped on the wooden floor. A tall man moved into the room, slipped on his Crocs and stepped into the adjoining bathroom to wash his hands. “My landlord is very bossy. Hello, everyone. I’m Dr. Porter and who do we have here?”

“This is Archie.” Brooke stepped to the table and unwrapped the towel. “He had abdominal surgery after being dropped out of a moving car on the interstate. I think he and my dog, Luna, took out all his stitches.”

Iain zeroed in on the cat and took over for Brooke, his touch gentle, his voice mild. “When was the surgery?”

“Four days ago.” Her fingers dug into the clean section of the towel, but the tremor inside Brooke refused to surrender. She couldn’t lose Archie. She’d lost most of her family already. Brooke pushed her words past her panic and filled in Iain on the rest of the details.

“The shelters were full. My dad brought Brooke and her pets to the city the night before last.” Dan’s hand landed on Brooke’s shoulder.

His simple touch—steady and composed—held her together. But he was a stranger. And she couldn’t rely on his touch.

Iain looked at Sophie, his gaze intent and his voice urgent. “Can you find Gwen? Tell her to prep for surgery now.”

Sophie sprinted out of the exam room.

“This will take some time.” Iain lifted Archie into his arms and moved to the doorway. “You’re welcome to wait. There’s fresh coffee in the kitchen.”

Iain offered nothing more. No false platitudes or false hope. She stood in a strange veterinarian’s office, relying on an unknown veterinarian to save a part of her family. Leaned into a stranger’s touch on her shoulder for comfort. She was surrounded by strangers. Yet the loneliness forgot to claim her. Rather, these strangers offered reassurance. But surely that was only their jobs. Only their training. After all, she was every bit a stranger to them.

Voices bounced against the hallway walls outside the exam room. A door opened and shut.

Sophie stepped into the room. “Iain Porter is the best veterinarian I’ve worked with. He’ll do everything he can for Archie.”

Dan’s hand dropped away from Brooke’s shoulder. She missed his touch before she could caution herself not to. “What now?”

“We wait.” Compassion radiated from Sophie. In her positive voice. In her soft grip. “I don’t know about you, but if I can stay busy in moments like these, it stops the worry from consuming me.”

“Sophie owns the pet store downstairs.” Dan’s small smile offered silent encouragement. “If you want to stay busy, I’m sure she can help.”

“I accept only willing helpers,” Sophie corrected. “As it happens, I have new guests downstairs. They’re also fire evacuees. Several foster families couldn’t take the animals into the shelters with them, so I brought the animals here.”

“How many animals did you take in?” Dan asked.

“Eight last night.” Sophie rubbed her cheek. The visor of her Pampered Pooch baseball cap failed to hide the dark circles under her puffy eyes. “We had to move the cats up here with Iain to make room for the dogs. Then three more dogs arrived before sunrise.”

The pet shop owner looked exhausted, yet she hadn’t stumbled once with Archie and Brooke. She’d jumped in and helped. The same way Brooke had never ignored a call for help from one of the overcrowded animal shelters up north. She tossed the towel in the trash can and faced Sophie. “What can I do?”

“I plan to work on rearranging the storage room in case I need to add more kennels.” Sophie paused in the doorway. “I could use someone to feed and walk the dogs, if you’re up for it.”

Walking meant sidewalks. Shop windows. Six blocks away, the site of the accident loomed. But in what direction? Panic pinched the back of her neck. There had to be something else. Something inside. Brooke pointed at her bloodstained sweatshirt. “I’m not sure this is appropriate dog-walking attire.”

“I’ve got you covered.” Sophie motioned into the hallway as if she was a tour guide. “We have extra Pampered Pooch clothing in the stockroom. Someone usually needs to change during the day.”

“I’m not very good with city streets and directions.” She wasn’t very good with the city. Dread streamed through Brooke, alarm rushed her words. “Are there small dogs that need a bath or exercise in the play yard?”

She bit into her lip. She’d seen a play yard in the back, hadn’t she? Everything had blurred after she’d discovered Archie bloody and limp on the apartment floor. Everything except Dan’s presence.

“Good point.” Sophie poured herself a cup of coffee in Iain’s kitchen. “Laura can walk outside. Yes, there are several small dogs requiring baths and even more who need playtime.”

Brooke exhaled. She could handle this. She’d avoid the shop windows, keep to the back rooms and concentrate on the animals, not her worries.

“I’m going to take Sophie up on her offer.” Brooke held her hand out toward Dan and struggled not to feel awkward. There was nothing to be awkward about. “Thanks for the ride. I’m sure you’d like to get on with your day. Sleep or something.”

“Dan is a machine.” Sophie laughed. “The only person I know who can function on less sleep is Ava, his best friend and former partner.”

Brooke studied Dan. “What happened to Ava?”

Dan took Brooke’s hand and looked into her eyes. “She fell in love.”

“You make it sound like a disease.” Sophie elbowed Dan in the side and glanced at Brooke. “Don’t listen to him.”

Brooke tried not to listen to that hum of awareness inside her. Tried to ignore the feel of his hand wrapped around hers. When had she last held a man’s hand? When had she last wanted to? “You don’t need to wait for me and disrupt your schedule.”

“You’ll need a ride back to my place.” Dan tilted his head and eyed her. A challenge in his green gaze, as if daring her to refuse his help.

She should. She managed just fine on her own. Always had. But Brooke said, “That would be nice.” She turned and followed Sophie onto the fire-escape landing.

Behind her, Dan asked, “How much rearranging in the storage room are you doing, Sophie?”

“I’ve got it handled.” Sophie skipped down several steps, her pace quickening along with her voice.

“Where’s Brad?” Dan persisted.

“Working a case.” Sophie opened the back door into the kennel area and eyed him. “Before you ask, Erin and Troy have the morning off after staying late last night. I’ve got this figured out.”

“Show me what we’re moving, Sophie.” Dan motioned the women inside.

“Rearranging my storage room is not on your list today, Dan.” Inside the back room, Sophie spun around and set her hands on her hips. “I know you have a list of your own things to do like you always do.”

“I could be wide-open, all day,” Dan countered.

His gaze bounced away from Sophie and Brooke. He had a list and driving Archie here hadn’t been on it.

“Not a chance.” Sophie narrowed her eyes. “You can’t fool me. We’re both overcommitters who really need to work on saying no.”

“Okay. I have a full schedule,” Dan admitted. “But I can give you a hand rearranging the storage area, too. Besides it’ll go faster with two of us.”

“I’m not asking.” Sophie sorted through a drawer of purple shirts and handed one to Brooke. “You already help me out so much that you should be put on payroll.”

“I don’t want your money, Sophie.” Dan held out his arms. “Now, are we going to stand here and waste more time arguing or just get to work?”

“We’re getting to work.” Sophie shut the drawer with more force than required. “And I’m going to figure out how to pay you back.”

“It’s really not necessary,” Dan said.

That had been the same answer he’d given to Brooke after she’d wanted to pay for the groceries. Brooke looked at Sophie. “Does he always help out without being asked?”

“Always,” Sophie said. “He’s the most reliable person I’ve ever known. Once he’s given his word, he doesn’t break it.”

He kept his commitments. That was something to admire. But he had limits. He’d told Brooke that Luna couldn’t use his perfectly good backyard. He’d doubted Archie would survive the drive to the pet store. That she’d seen in his shadowed gaze. And he hadn’t introduced Brooke to his son yesterday. She’d watched the pair return from school, stroll through the backyard and disappear inside their house. Their laughter had lingered in the afternoon breeze long after the back door had closed.

His heart might have limits. Brooke’s did, too.

She stepped into the bathroom to change into the Pampered Pooch shirt and retrace those boundaries around herself. Reminding herself that she preferred to be fine over heartbroken.

CHAPTER FIVE

DAN JOINED SOPHIE and Brooke on their tour of the pet store and mentally rearranged his schedule, building an hour at the pet store into his timeline. Iain would care for the cat. Archie was one of the lucky ones. As for Brooke, who would care for her?

The wildfires had displaced so many families, changed lives and taken lives. He wanted to be with his dad, helping as much as he could. But he had Ben, and his son came first. For now, he’d assist the rescues inside Sophie’s store and figure out later how to do more for the victims of the fires.

“This is the new calm, quiet area. Several of the rescues needed to be away from the day care.” Sophie opened a door with Cats Only swirled across the glass insert. “Obviously it’s a work in progress.”

Brooke stepped over to a floor-level kennel, knelt down and peered inside. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Are they sick?”

“Traumatized.” Sophie lowered her voice. “Rex is the worst case I’ve seen in a long time.”

Brooke set her palm flat on the kennel door. “I used classical music for Luna. Fleece blankets and mood lighting, as well. She was an abused and terrified one-year-old puppy when I took her in.”

“That’ll be perfect for in here.” Sophie lowered to one knee on the other side of Brooke. “Comfortable and soothing is very much needed right now.”

Did his in-law unit have the same soothing effect for Brooke? He should pick up softer towels and thicker blankets for the unit. Dan straightened. The unit was perfectly fine as it was. Still, purchasing a few new items was nothing more than he’d do for any evacuee from the fires, not just Brooke.

Dan peered inside the kennel at the dog burrowed in the far corner, curled in on himself in a tangle of skin and bones. A pair of deep soulful eyes watched them without blinking. Brooke had given him a similar wide-eyed look in his driveway earlier. Both proved hard to disregard. “Rex doesn’t look like he’s eaten in the last month.”

“He was rescued from a hoarding situation up north. The homeowners had left before the fire and abandoned every animal on the property.” Sophie stood up, bitterness and fury ricocheting through her voice.

Horror and anger shifted over Brooke’s face.

“We don’t know much more, but it wasn’t good or safe for Rex and the others.” Sophie wiped a hand over her eyes as if that would rearrange the reality of the dogs’ lives.

Dan knew firsthand it wasn’t so easy. He’d witnessed neglect and abuse, both human and animal, over the years as a firefighter and paramedic that left him speechless. No matter how many times he’d blinked, the reality never changed. Now those images were a part of him.

“But, hey, we can change that.” Brooke looked into Rex’s kennel. “I’m going to feed your friends, then I’ll be back. I promise I’ll be back.”

Dan believed her. But would Brooke be back if it was him and Ben? He shook himself, hoping to knock that thought out of his head. He wasn’t asking.

Dan followed Sophie and Brooke into the storeroom. Sophie directed Brooke to the dog kennels and new arrivals before introducing her to Laura, one of Sophie’s part-time employees. Laura and Brooke disappeared outside with two rescues.

Sophie turned toward Dan. “Ready for the heavy lifting?”

“Let’s do this,” Dan said.

The one hour extended into two. Dan finished off a bottle of water and pushed his phone calls to his supervisor and Valerie to the following day. He allowed himself a minute to admire the reorganized storage unit. He had to get back on schedule.

“Dan.” Sophie motioned for Dan to join her at the cats-only entrance. She pointed inside the room. Relief shifted through her voice. “Look at that.”

Brooke sat on a pile of blankets in front of an open kennel. Rex’s head rested on her thigh. Beside her, an empty food bowl sat. Two misplaced souls found comfort in each other. Dan struggled to look away from the sweet pair. Worse, he wanted to wrap Brooke and Rex in his embrace and make promises he couldn’t keep. He squeezed the water bottle until the plastic crackled and crumpled, trying to break up his stray impulses, too.

“Am I interrupting?” Iain asked behind them.

No, the vet was saving Dan from himself. Dan turned around, concentrated on Iain Porter and on the fact that his life was perfectly fine. Perfectly full with his son, his dad and his friends. Dan was happy and content and definitely not interested in messing that up. Besides, Brooke was a temporary tenant in his in-law unit and little more than a stranger. He only hoped his reckless thoughts to comfort Brooke were temporary, too.

“Brooke coaxed Rex out of his kennel and got him to eat.” Sophie wiped at her eyes.

“Impressive.” Iain shifted to look inside the room and waved to Brooke. “I still need to examine Rex when he’s ready.”

“You might need Brooke with you,” Dan suggested. Dan, on the other hand, did not need Brooke with him. He’d prove that as soon as he left and got on with his day.

“Not a bad idea,” Iain said. Brooke stepped out of the room. Iain didn’t waste time. “Archie made it through, but I’d like to keep him overnight for observation.”

Brooke nodded. Dan tensed, waited for the impact, ready to offer his support.

Yet Brooke stood stoic, clearly able to support herself. Dan retreated a small step, reminding himself he was content supporting himself and his son.

“Can I see him?” Brooke asked.

“In about an hour,” Iain said. “We’ll have him moved into a more comfortable kennel.”

“Did Archie cause more damage to himself?” Brooke squeezed her hands together. Worry flattened her mouth, and she lowered her voice. “Did Luna cause damage?”

“There was an infection at the surgery site. Several clots beneath the incision.” Iain touched Brooke’s shoulder, his voice reassuring. “They were trying to heal him.”

“He was lethargic. I thought it was the stress of the shelter and then the car ride,” Brooke said. “Luna, my dog, wouldn’t leave him alone.”

“Smart dog,” he said. “They often sense things before we do.”

“You’ll tell me what I owe you,” Brooke said.

“We’ll deal with that later,” he said. “I have some patients to see. And it looks like you have a friend waiting.”

Brooke looked behind her into the calm room. Rex had retreated into his kennel, but his head stuck out, his gaze locked on the door. “That’s Rex.”

“Archie is going to be fine,” Iain said. “It’ll just take time.”

Brooke shook Iain’s hand and slipped back into the calm room.

Sophie leaned toward Dan. “Brooke is going to be fine. She just needs time, too.”

Dan rubbed his hand over his chin. He didn’t have time to give Brooke. He looked at Brooke and his insides shifted like the pins on a safe lock dropping into place. But surely that was only Dan’s natural response and his first-responder training to assist people in need. He wasn’t built to walk away without helping.

Well, he’d helped Brooke and Archie. That was certainly more than enough of his time for one day. Besides, after Valerie had left and the divorce had been finalized, Dan had locked up a part of himself, deleted the combination and moved on.

Dan checked his watch, calculated he could still get to the pharmacy for his dad and run into the grocery store for dinner before he picked up Ella and Ben. He glanced into the cat room. Brooke was already settled in with Rex.

She hadn’t invited Dan to join them. He hadn’t asked. She was a stranger. A stranger with a soft heart and compassion for wounded animals. She’d help heal Rex and any other rescue inside Sophie’s pet store.

But Dan wasn’t wounded. He didn’t need to be rescued. Not now. Not ever.

Dan stepped outside The Pampered Pooch and inhaled. The city rushed by: the bus brakes squealing a block away. Drivers honking. Pedestrians skipping the crosswalks for faster routes. Dan blended into the crowd and found his balance again.

CHAPTER SIX

BROOKE ESCORTED THE sibling pair of Yorkshire terriers into their kennel, then checked on Bennie, the corgi, and Astrid, the beagle, in the neighboring kennels. The dogs slept curled up in the fluffy blankets Sophie had given Brooke earlier. If only Brooke could find the same easy contentment as the rescue dogs.

She glanced into several other kennels, searching for a restless soul like hers. Surely one of the rescues wanted another quick run in the small play yard. A treat. A distraction.

Yet the only one desperate for a distraction was Brooke.

She was less than half a mile from the accident site. She’d lied about not knowing her way around and avoided leaving the pet store. After all, she was needed inside these walls. Outside, she would need to run.

Was it wrong that she just wanted to keep pressing Pause inside the safety of the pet store?

Brooke left the dog room—she didn’t want her discontent to disturb the calm animals.

“You, my dear, need this and this.” An older woman with chin-length white-gold hair peered at Brooke. Her expressive eyes were magnified by a pair of sleek trendy eyeglasses. She pressed a hot cup into one of Brooke’s hands and a muffin into the other. “I’m Evelyn Davenport, but you can call me Evie.”

“Thanks.” Brooke inhaled the steam from the cup, drawing in the warmth.

“We usually keep the Irish coffee for after hours.” Evie tilted her chin at Brooke’s cup. “But there are times when only Irish coffee will do.”

“Thank you.” Brooke sipped the coffee, certain the hot liquid would finally soothe the chill inside her.

Evie wrapped her arm around Brooke’s waist and guided her into the storefront. “You couldn’t have taken the time to eat what with worrying about Archie.”

Brooke’s mother used to embrace Brooke the very same way—one steady arm around her that Brooke had believed would always anchor her. Always support her. Brooke was grateful for Evie’s kind gesture. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed the simple support. First with Dan. And now with Evie. Still, she let it last for only a minute. She’d stood on her own for too long to stop now.

“Sophie filled me in about Archie’s condition this morning,” Evie continued, her voice infused with the warmth Brooke sought. “Dr. Iain Porter is an excellent vet and somewhat of an animal whisperer, even though he’ll deny it. You came to the best place.”

“Thanks to Dan.” Brooke had been panicked and lost. Fortunately, Dan had pulled into the driveway. Once again, a Sawyer had come to her rescue—she owed them.

“Dan and Rick are like family. We take care of each other.” Evie picked up another muffin from the tin on the counter.

“But I’m not...” Family. Her family was four-legged and carried deep scars like Brooke. They were all she needed. Her fingers curved around the coffee cup as if searching for Dan’s touch. His hand had been even warmer wrapped around hers. But she’d given up wanting to hold hands with a man. And she was more than fine with her decision. She was fine.

“You’re here with us now.” Evie peeled the wrapper off the muffin. “And already caring for our rescues like they’re your own.”

Sophie arrived and took the cinnamon-streusel muffin from Evie’s hand. “Evie’s day isn’t complete or successful if she hasn’t fed everyone.”

“I wouldn’t have to hover and chase you down if you’d only stop and eat like a person should.” There was scolding in Evie’s voice, but the affection lit up her eyes.

How long had it been since someone looked at Brooke like that? Since someone hovered over her just to make sure she was all right.

“Why would I do that?” Sophie hugged Evie. “Then I’d miss out on these bites of deliciousness, which are some of your best by the way.”

When was the last time someone had hugged Brooke? Not as part of the protocol for a grieving widow. But a good-natured, I-just-want-to-share-my-affection-with-you, feel-good embrace that gave as much as it received? The urge to retreat to the calm area seized her. Surely, if she took a moment to herself, all her wishful thinking would cease. Surely, she’d believe she was fine by herself. Surely, she’d remember the danger in opening her heart.

Besides, there was safety in that comfy corner in the quiet room she’d put together for Rex and the other dogs. Rex had already crawled across the floor earlier, edging close enough to touch Brooke with his nose, craving the affection but too fearful to reach for it. She could relate. He’d given Brooke the smallest tail wag for her efforts. That was enough for Brooke. Animals had been enough for Brooke these past five years. They were all she wanted now.

“This batch really is quite tasty.” Evie grinned and replaced the lid on the muffin tin. “What do you need me to do today?”

“Thanks to Brooke, we’ve worked with all the canine rescues.” Sophie toasted Brooke with her muffin. “Dan came back with the kids and he’s going to help me upstairs with the cat kennels. If you could run things in here that would be terrific.”

“The best part of my day is meeting new people.” Joy spread across Evie’s face. “I like to help them discover the things they didn’t know their four-legged loved ones absolutely needed. Want to join me, Brooke?”

Brooke wanted to forget the support of Evie’s arm, the talk about family, the almost too easy camaraderie with Sophie. She wasn’t there to build something in the city. She wanted to escape.

A year’s worth of therapy sessions after the accident, and Brooke was declared ready for the next step of her life. Brooke had stepped into a cabin on a remote mountain, surrounded herself with rescues and healed.

Sharing Irish coffee and fresh muffins, while tempting, wouldn’t help her heal now. There were too many reminders of her past. Too many reasons to leave.

Brooke wasn’t there to make friends. Even if Sophie understood Brooke’s natural reserve and shared passion for animals. Even if Brooke was drawn to Sophie’s no-questions-asked, simple acceptance. Brooke was there long enough for Archie to recover and for her to find a new home. “I think I’ll check on Rex.”

A girl with curly blond hair, holding a folded cane in one hand and resting her other hand on Ben’s elbow, stepped through the doorway. The cute pair stalled Brooke’s retreat.

“Evie.” The boy waved Evie closer to them. His whisper wouldn’t meet the criteria of even the most lenient of librarians. “Someone left Rex’s kennel door open.”

Blond curls sagged against the girl’s cheeks as if weighed down by her worry. “Ben says Rex is shaking bad. Really bad.”

“Like his-skin-is-going-to-slide-off-his-bones bad,” Ben added.

“Evie, we didn’t mean to scare him.” The girl explained, “Ben was describing Mom’s changes to me room by room.”

Evie hugged both children and offered encouragement.

Ben’s gaze collided with Brooke’s over Evie’s shoulder. Brooke wanted to reassure the little girl. She stepped forward and cleared her throat. “It isn’t you guys. Rex is really stressed.”

“Mom told me that Rex is scared and doesn’t know that he can trust us.” The girl pushed a pair of lavender glasses up her nose.

“She’s right. I left his kennel door open, so he’d know this place is different than his old home.” Brooke set her coffee and muffin on the checkout counter and reached her hand out to the boy. “I’m Brooke.”

He shook her hand with a firm grip and introduced himself as Ben Sawyer. Brooke could’ve guessed he belonged to Dan, given his copper hair and height. Ben guided his friend’s hand to Brooke’s.

The girl grinned, introduced herself as Ella Callahan and added, “Your hand is so warm, like my mom’s. I bet Rex wouldn’t shake so much with something warmer to wear.”

“That’s a brilliant idea, Ella.” Brooke grinned at Evie. “We need to get Rex one of those stress vests. Where can we find one in the store?”

“Aisle four in the dog section.” Ella smiled as if she heard Brooke’s surprise. “I helped stock the entire store with Mom and Evie. I know where everything is.”

“When I forget, I always yell for Ella.” Evie cupped Ella’s cheek, drawing the little girl’s smile wider.

Ben dipped his head, hiding his laughter in the collar of his hooded sweatshirt.

“I’ll remember to holler for Ella, too.” Brooke was quite certain she wouldn’t forget this pair.

“Are you working here now?” Ben pointed at the logo on Brooke’s purple shirt. “You have a Pampered Pooch shirt on.”

“It’s on loan.” Brooke smoothed the wrinkles out of the shirt. “Your grandpa Rick invited me and my pets to stay in the rental apartment at your house for a little while.”

Ben stared at Brooke. Confusion made his mouth drop open. “But you’re not old.”

Brooke picked up her coffee cup and caught her laughter behind the rim. Evie rushed to greet a customer at the front entrance, her own laughter trailing behind her like a silk scarf in the breeze.

“Brooke’s voice is crisp and brisk like Mom’s, Ben.” Ella socked Ben in the shoulder and scolded him. “Not wobbly like Evie’s gets when her throat can’t find its voice. Brooke can’t be old old.”

“Grandpa Rick told me about the nice lady staying with us.” Ben stressed the words nice lady as if that explained everything. And in case he wasn’t clear, he said, “And Grandpa Rick always calls Wyatt’s mom and Mia’s mom and even Evie real nice ladies.”

Ella’s eyebrows drew together, and her mouth pulled in. “He also calls Ava’s mom a nice lady all the time.”

“See.” Ben slapped his palm on his forehead. “That meant Brooke was supposed to be old.”

“You’re not secretly old, are you, Brooke?” Ella tilted her head toward Brooke. “Evie and Ben’s grandpa talk about their friends who’ve declared war on aging.”

“Grandpa says several of their friends are losing the war even with their doctors’ help.” Ben shook his head, his chin dropped toward his chest as if he was miserable. “It’s a shame, really. At least that’s what Grandpa always says.”

What wasn’t a shame was meeting this adorable pair. Brooke said, “I don’t think I’m old old, unless you consider Ella’s mom old old and Ben’s dad.”

“I knew I wasn’t wrong about your voice.” Ella cheered back up.

Brooke saw Sophie in Ella’s full smile. And Ben’s green eyes matched his dad’s. For the first time in a long while, that hole in her heart throbbed against her chest and made Brooke wonder again. Wonder if her children would’ve had her eyes and her husband’s laugh. Wonder what if...

Brooke firmed her knees and stepped away. She couldn’t go there. Not now. Not here.

Reminded herself to focus on the sweet, not the bitter, like she’d once learned to do. Ben and Ella were the sweet and she was grateful she had this pair to assist her with Rex. Finally, that throb faded into its ever-present ache that scuffed her voice. “Why don’t we get that vest for Rex?”

“What color vest do you think Rex would like?” Ben asked. “Brown would match his fur.”

“What color do you like?” Brooke asked.

“Blue would match my soccer team,” Ben said. “But gray matches most of my clothes.”

“I like purple. It smells sweet and magical.” Ella unfolded her cane. “Wyatt’s mom has lilacs in her garden and my favorite place to sit is by those flowers and the fountain.”

“Sounds like a perfect secret garden.” Perhaps Brooke could find a place with a lush garden that would embrace and soothe her.

“I think there are fairies in the garden, but we haven’t found them yet.” Ella’s frown fluttered across her face, disappearing before it took hold. “Wyatt’s mom is helping me search. She has a special house to grow her plants in. We think the fairies like to spend time in there, where it’s warm and safe.”

“Sounds like Rex and his kennel.” Brooke followed the pair down the center aisle and smiled at Evie. The older woman held up several different feather cat toys for the customer’s inspection.

“If you left Rex’s kennel open, did he come out?” Ben asked.

“Yes, earlier this morning.” Brooke picked up a tennis ball from under the shelf and set it back in the bin on the endcap with the others.

“How’d you get Rex out of his kennel?” Ella turned down aisle four. “Mom couldn’t get him out.”

Brooke paused in front of the colorful array of soothing vests. The tags recommended the snug-fitting jackets to calm a dog’s anxiety and offer constant comfort like an enduring hug. The kind Brooke might miss, if she let herself linger with this welcoming group too long. “Can you keep a secret?”

Ben guided Ella closer to Brooke. The trio huddled together in the middle of the aisle, their heads bent toward each other as if blocking out anyone trying to eavesdrop.

Brooke lowered her voice. “Rex couldn’t resist the peanut butter or the string cheese.”

“That’s a high-value treat.” Authority spread through Ella’s voice and pushed her shoulders back.

Ben gave a firm nod to back up his friend’s claim. “We know that because Ella and I help with the animals.”

“We only get to use peanut butter for something really special.” Ella grimaced. “Usually we give out tiny crunchy biscuits or kibble.”

“I thought Rex could use something special,” Brooke said.

Ella smiled. “Everyone needs special things.”

“Grandpa Rick told me that your house burned down.” Ben brushed his copper bangs out of his eyes and studied Brooke. His green gaze was somber, but his voice was hopeful. “Did you get something special, too?”

“A nice place to stay with my pets until I find a new home.” That was so much more than other families waiting at the shelters. Brooke wasn’t sure how she’d repay the Sawyers for their kindness, but she would.

Ben’s mouth dipped into a frown and he scratched his head.

“But you need something for yourself, Brooke.” Ella hopped up and down and clutched Ben’s arm. “We should tell your dad, Ben.”

Definitely not that. She was indebted to Dan already. She didn’t need anything else, especially from Dan. “Your dad already helped me with my cat Archie this morning.”

Dan had been capable and gentle. Had given her an extra towel, bandages from his personal supply and a steadiness that had allowed Brooke to regain her composure and rein in her panic. He’d stood right beside her when Dr. Porter relayed the news that Archie had survived. She’d considered staying right there, relying on Dan for support. Until she’d locked her knees and remembered that she’d never allow her knees to buckle.

“What happened to Archie?” Ben chewed on his bottom lip.

Brooke explained about Archie’s stitches and his surgery.

“Archie is gonna need something special, too.” Ben pointed over Brooke’s head. “The cat section is over there. Does he like toys that squeak or ones with bells?”

“Or ones with feathers?” Ella tucked her curls behind her ears. “He probably can’t play right now. He needs something to cuddle with. Mom got me a fluffy unicorn after my last eye surgery. I still sleep with it every night.”

“I got a bear wearing a Bay Water Medical shirt the last time I went to the hospital.” Ben pulled a blue vest from the rack and handed it to Brooke. “My pancreas doesn’t work like it’s supposed to. But Dad says I’m getting really good at checking my blood like the nurses showed me how to do. The hospital isn’t bad, but I’d rather not go.”

“Have you been to the hospital?” Ella asked.

“I have, and like Ben, I’d rather not go back.” Brooke picked up a fleece dog blanket, forced herself to stay in the moment. In the sleepless hours of the night, she could sometimes still hear the machines beeping and humming from her time spent in the intensive-care unit. But she’d healed, just like Archie and Rex would. That ache in her chest pulsed as if reminding her that she still had to rebuild somewhere. “Should we head to the cat section?”

“Do you have other pets besides Archie?” Ben asked.

“Cupid is my silver cat with only three legs. Luna is my dog.” Brooke lifted up the fleece blanket covered in cat and dog paw prints. “Luna likes to sleep on couches when I’m not there. I think this might protect your dad’s couch.”

Ben touched the blanket as if testing its softness. “Can we meet them? My dad won’t let me have a pet. He says he’s allergic.”

Brooke set the vest and cat supplies on the checkout counter to cover her frown. Why would Dan lie to his own son?

Evie shook her head. “Your dad is no more allergic to animals than I am to chocolate.”

“That’s what we decided.” Ella grimaced.

“Lincoln’s mom is allergic to cats and her nose gets really red and her eyes really puffy if she touches a cat.” Ben drummed his fingers on the counter. “Dad’s eyes don’t even get red or puffy even when he cries.”

“You saw your dad cry?” Ella asked.

“His eyes got all watery, like one time when I woke up in the hospital and he was sitting next to me.” Ben shrugged. “I gave him my teddy bear.”

“Then what happened?” Ella asked. “Did tears run down his cheeks? Tears ran down my dad’s face when he married my mom. I felt them on my cheek when he hugged me real tight.”

“My dad hugged me and the bear at the same time.” Ben scratched his chin. “Then I went back to sleep.”

Evie wiped at her own eyes and busied herself rearranging the muffin container. “Well, I have reasons not to overindulge in chocolate and your dad has reasons not to have a pet even if he isn’t allergic to them.”

“Not a very good reason,” Ben muttered.

“I bet there is one very good reason.” Evie cut the tags off the dog vest, her gaze soft as she eyed Ben.

Evie’s love for the children was more than obvious. Dan’s love for his son would be just as strong. Just as protective. Ben was no doubt the reason for Dan’s white lie. Was Dan’s love only reserved for his son? Love. Where had that come from? She’d fallen in love before. The head-over-heels kind. The once-in-a-lifetime kind. She’d be too greedy to consider a second chance. Brooke reached for that invisible pause button to stop her tumbling thoughts.

A strong hand landed on Brooke’s lower back and settled as if to catch her when she fell. Brooke glanced over her shoulder. Dan stood just behind her, his smile gentle.

“Can I please meet Brooke’s pets?” Ben asked.

Dan shifted his attention to his son. “Before we disrupt Brooke’s evening, we need to make dinner and concentrate on your homework.”

“What about Archie?” Concern widened Ben’s eyes. “We can’t leave without Brooke and Archie.”

“Archie is going to spend the night here with Dr. Iain.” Brooke was going to spend the night in Dan’s rental apartment. He’d be a shout away. Only a short run would take her to his back porch.

A small shift and she’d be under his arm, within his protective embrace. A small shift and she’d be a welcome part of the pet store.

Perhaps in another lifetime she’d risk again.

“Well, Brooke needs a ride home,” Ben argued.

“I can take a cab,” Brooke said. She worked better alone. She was safe alone. “I want to see Archie before I leave.”

“Ben can start his homework with me upstairs,” Ella suggested.

“Then Brooke can sit with Rex until Dr. Iain lets her see Archie.” Ben touched his dad’s arm to keep his focus on him. “Rex is really scared, Dad.”

“Fine. We’ll stay until Brooke has visited Archie.” Dan ruffled Ben’s hair. “But then we’re going home.”

Ben nodded and guided Ella out of the storefront, as if the pair wanted to avoid his dad offering another suggestion.

Dan shook his head. “They are quick when they want to be.”

Brooke had to be quick, too. Otherwise she might find herself discovering even more to like about Dan.

CHAPTER SEVEN

SOMETHING CHIMED THROUGH the house and interrupted Dan’s carb-guesstimate tally for Ben’s day. The sound chimed again. Not shrill enough for a fire alarm. Not piercing like a siren.

“That’s the doorbell,” Ben yelled. His feet smacked against the hardwood floor. “I’ll see who’s here.”

Dan sliced Ben’s sandwich in two, dropped the knife in the sink and rushed to intercept Ben. Dan hadn’t recognized the doorbell—no surprise. No one ever used it. Their visitors consisted of Ava, who already had a key, and the postman, who left any packages hidden behind the chairs on the front porch. Their neighbors were friendly but distant. With a big extended family spread over several blocks, folks never walked over to borrow an egg or cup of sugar.

And no one came over at 7:30 a.m. Ten minutes before Dan had to leave to drop Ben off at school.

Ben peered through the window beside the front door and jumped up and down. “It’s Brooke and Luna.”

Brooke. Dan yanked open the door. His gaze tracked from her head—her hair neatly in place, her cheeks flushed pink, her eyes lively and bright—to her purple Pampered Pooch shirt, which was wrinkle- and stain-free. Same for her black yoga pants and worn tennis shoes. A quick scan of Luna—the dog’s tongue lolled from the side of her mouth as usual—signaled all was well.

If his breath came easier, it had nothing to do with Brooke’s well-being. He searched deep inside himself, trying to force his frustration to the front. He should be irritated at her unexpected arrival. He should tell Brooke that they were leaving. And then he should leave. Without her.

Instead, something almost cheerful filled his greeting, as if her visit was the highlight of his day.

Brooke skipped over her reply. “Sorry to bother you guys so early.”

This wasn’t a morning conversation or invitation to coffee. Not that he wanted to have coffee and conversations with Brooke. He wanted to get on with his day, as he’d planned it. Without Brooke. “We’re about to leave for school.”

Brooke twisted Luna’s dog leash. “I’ll be quick.”

Dan narrowed his eyes. Nothing, in his experience, was ever quick. Not doctor’s appointments. Or short lines at the grocery store. Or school projects.

The school-committee chairs liked to call and ask for Dan’s assistance on quick projects. Those projects turned into an entire day building the backdrop for the school play or a dunking booth for a school fund-raiser. Still, he had to admit the dunking booth had been fun to construct and raised quite a bit of money at the Spring Festival, and the students already begged to use it again at the Fall Festival at the end of the month.

Ben looked up from where he was kneeling beside Luna. “We have time. Dad drops me off really, really early.”

“Punctuality is a life skill.” Dan lifted his eyebrows and he stared at his son. “You don’t want to make a habit of being late. You’ll miss too much of your life.”

Ben buried his head in Luna’s neck, but not before Dan caught his drawn-out eye roll. Dan smoothed out his smile and concentrated on Brooke. Her purple headband held the dark strands away from her face and emphasized her round deep brown eyes. Eyes he could fall into if he wasn’t careful and alert.

Brooke spoke, her voice hesitant. “Sophie called this morning.”

Dan pulled back. “Is Archie okay?”

Brooke blinked and focused on him. “He’s stable but Dr. Porter needs to keep Archie at least another night. Sophie called about Rex.”

Dan stumbled over his relief for a cat. Who was Rex? He had an image of a dog curled in the back of the kennel, more eyes than body.

Ben jumped up, worry flashing across his face. “What happened to Rex?”

“He isn’t doing well.” Brooke touched Ben’s shoulder. “Sophie had several more arrivals last night. Dr. Porter and Sophie think Rex needs to be someplace quieter, where he’ll feel safe.”

“He’ll feel safe here.” Confidence puffed Ben’s chest out.

Ben’s absolute certainty softened Dan. That was all he’d ever wanted to give Ben: a safe home. One without chaos. One with stability and love.

Brooke shifted to look at Dan.

Again, her dark brown gaze pulled him in. Her wide soulful eyes called to him. Made him want to learn everything about her. Made him want...

But he already knew her flaw: she was a rescuer. She’d take in more and more pets. Turn his rental unit into its own boardinghouse. And Dan would let her. It was her eyes that would convince him.

Yet Brooke was not a complication he wanted in their lives. She’d distract him. And that could put Ben in danger. Like now, he should be guesstimating Ben’s carb intake for the day, not falling under her spell.

“Sophie wanted to know if Rex could stay with me.”

“Rex isn’t afraid with you.” Ben poked Dan’s side. “Rex only came out of his kennel for Brooke. She had to feed him with her hand.”

Dan wasn’t surprised. Brooke had a quietness about her that soothed everyone around. He’d seen that yesterday at the pet store and only after a few hours with her. Still he said, “Won’t Luna scare him?”

“We’re hoping just the opposite will happen.” Brooke unwound the leash from her palm and set her hand on Luna’s head. “But we won’t know until we introduce the two dogs. We won’t do that unless you give the okay for one more evacuee to stay here.”

“You have to say yes, Dad.” Ben latched onto Dan’s arm, his fingers digging in. “You always tell me that we have to help whenever we can.”

Dan had meant people. Brooke was qualified. But was Dan prepared to handle the disruption?

“We have to help Rex, Dad,” Ben insisted.

“I’ll keep Rex in the apartment with me.” Brooke’s words bounced over each other as if she sensed Dan might say no. “There’s nothing you’ll need to do. I promise.”

How he hated that word. Empty and meaningless unless backed up with actions. That’s where most people failed. No one wanted to put in the work to keep their promises.

“But we can help, if you need us,” Ben offered.

“I appreciate that.” Brooke shifted her full smile on Dan. “You won’t even know Rex is here.”

But he knew Brooke was there. That was the most unsettling part. That smile and her expressive gaze had lingered in his mind last night for far too long. No, the dogs didn’t concern him. But Brooke—she did. “Let’s drop off Ben and introduce the dogs.”

Ben jumped up and pumped his arms over his head. “We’re getting another dog.”

And Dan was getting a headache. He grabbed his keys from the hook on the wall. If he kept his eyes open and his focus on the truth—Brooke was as temporary in his life as an ice cube in the sun—then nothing would go wrong.

One minute out of the driveway, Ben cuddled with Luna in the back seat of the truck. And Dan wanted to wrap his arm around Brooke.

Dan really had to figure out a way to help Brooke get back to her old life quickly. His was already being turned upside down. And that said nothing about his misplaced thoughts. His current one included: believing that Brooke sitting next to him felt right. He shoved on his sunglasses. Clearly, the bright morning sun obscured his vision.

The next hour passed in a blur. Dan watched Luna and Rex bond—even he hadn’t doubted the dogs would get along. The universe seemed to be conspiring against him. Maybe it was that white lie about pet allergies that had done him in.

Dan loaded Rex and his few belongings into the back seat of the truck, promised Sophie he’d return for more dog food and waited for Brooke to come out of the pet store.

“Sorry.” Brooke buckled her seat belt and shook her head, her tone bemused. “I really need to get another shirt before I go back inside The Pampered Pooch. A customer thought I worked there and flagged me down on my way out.”

“Sophie will appreciate that,” Dan said as they drove away. “You seem to know your way around a pet store.”

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