The Fireman's Secret. Jessica Keller

      “Well, I’m fine.”

      “You’re sure?”

      “Listen, my head hurts like there’s a small child jumping on my brain, but I’ll survive. Nothing’s broken. Believe me, I’ve survived much worse than a small accident.” Shelby pressed past him and stumbled up the incline.

      He grabbed her elbow to steady her. “Whoa, there. Let’s walk easy. Maybe I should call Caleb for you. Does he still live in town?”

      Shelby swallowed. When Caleb proposed to Paige Windom, Shelby made a promise to herself to move out of her brother’s home and begin making a life of her own apart from Caleb. She needed to learn to be independent and stop letting Caleb take care of everything.

      She spun around too quickly. “No. I don’t want that.”

      Feeling woozy from the fast movement, she grabbed on to the first thing she could find to steady herself. That ended up being the fabric of Joel’s coat near his chest.

      Joel’s arms came around her. “Listen, Shelby, I don’t think—”

      She spotted the deer. It rested in the gravel on the edge of the street. Shelby let go of Joel’s coat and inched toward the animal. She fell to her knees beside her. No breath. No movement.

      “Oh, you poor thing. I’m so sorry.” Tears welled in her eyes. Shelby turned to Joel. He stood behind her, working his jaw back and forth. Hands shoved deep in his pockets.

      “I killed her.” She got up. Why had they talked so long? She should have climbed out of the car the second it went into the ditch in order to help the deer.

      Joel shrugged. “It was just a deer. The important thing is you’re okay.”

      She scowled at him. “We should have at least tried to save her. If we hadn’t talked so long we might have been able to do something.”

      “Listen.” Joel placed a hand on Shelby’s shoulder guiding her away from the deer. “Even if we’d come up here right away and it was still breathing, it had three broken legs. Not to mention plenty of internal damage. We would only have been extending its suffering by trying to help.”

      Shelby pulled away from him. “Just because something was wrong with her—something she didn’t deserve—doesn’t mean she wasn’t worth saving. Her life still meant something.” Shelby fisted her hands to hide that she was shaking. Why did people only want something or believe it had worth if it was perfect—unblemished. The deer might not have been able to live in the wild again, but they could have taken it somewhere to rehabilitate it. Some zoo or nature preserve.

      “She probably died on impact, Shelby. Accidents happen. Let’s just leave it be.”

      “I didn’t mean for it to die,” she whispered.

      Joel blew out a long stream of air. “Yeah, well, if I’ve learned anything in life, it’s that a lot of things happen that we don’t mean for, and a lot of hurt tends to happen along the way.” He offered his hand and his voice grew softer. “Come on, let’s get you home.”

      Joel was right about the deer, but Shelby hated that the animal had died. She slipped her hand into his and her gaze darted to his eyes.

      It would be nice to have someone around who could get to know her without viewing her as the guarded baby sister, the way the entire town did.

      Perhaps this time Joel wouldn’t be only Caleb’s friend.

      Maybe he’d be her friend, too.

      * * *

      Joel gulped. Man alive, Shelby was pretty.

      Lights from his pickup splashed across the pavement, illuminating her. He marveled at her creamy skin. Red-brown hair cascaded just over her shoulders in waves, a couple of freckles dusted her nose and her eyes were as green as a summer meadow. The set of her regal little jaw told him she was trying her hardest not to cry about the deer.

      If it was humanly possible, he’d kick himself. Dummy. He was so used to being around men at the firehouse; he needed to remember to phrase things more gently when talking to women. She probably thought he was some animal-hating brute, and for a reason he didn’t want to think about, it bothered him that Shelby might peg him wrong on their first meeting as adults.

      It felt more than nice, though, to have someone holding his hand like Shelby was. Tight—as if she trusted him already. No one had ever held on to him like that. Well, honestly, had he ever held someone’s hand? Not counting the police officers who had pulled him away from his mother all those years ago. No.

      He eyed the gash on her temple. “Are you dizzy at all?”

      With her free hand, she hugged her stomach tightly. “I’m perfectly fine.”

      Joel glanced at her busted car. The rust bucket of a vehicle was a goner. He shrugged. A police report could wait until morning. “Come on. Let’s grab your personal stuff from your car and get you into town.”

      “I have my purse. Everything else in there should be fine.” She patted the small bag.

      Good. At least she wasn’t one of those women who toted around half of her belongings in a suitcase-sized bag.

      He hesitated. “You’re not afraid of dogs, are you?”

      Shelby tipped back her head and laughed loudly.

      Joel scratched his chin. “Does that mean no?”

      “I own a dog-walking business. I got in the wreck on my way home from a dog-sitting gig. What do you think?”

      “Well, that’s good, because my guy, Dante, is in the cab. He’s harmless, though. I promise. Where am I taking you?”

      “I live on the main square, above Gran’s Candy Shoppe.”

      “Unreal. That place still exists?” Joel rounded the truck and opened the passenger door for her.

      Dante yelped and lurched forward, his tongue going into full action mode as he soundly licked Shelby’s cheek. Most women would have shrieked, but Shelby scratched Dante’s head and kissed him right on the muzzle.

      Joel let out the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. Accepting Dante was as good as accepting him, if not better. Shelby Beck had just passed the most important test to winning Joel’s trust.

      * * *

      The truck boasted a hole the size of a baseball on the floor. Shelby positioned her feet around the spot. Joel pulled onto the highway, the trailer carrying his motorcycle creaking along behind them. She stared at the radio dial. No sound. Maybe it was busted. Or he didn’t like having it on. Either way, Shelby couldn’t stand the silence.

      She ran her fingers over the silky hairs of the dog’s head and noticed his shape and colorings. He possessed the black-and-white blending of a border collie, but had patches of brown, as well. The dog gazed at her with crystal blue eyes. “This is an Australian cattle dog.”

      Joel looped his hand over the steering wheel and regarded her. “The lady knows her dogs.”

      Shelby shrugged. “Occupational hazard. He’s beautiful. I love his markings. It’s a boy, right?”

      “Yeah. This is Dante. He’s partially deaf so if you talk to him and he doesn’t look at you, don’t take offense. He’s an old boy now, so he moves slow. But he’s my best friend.” Joel patted the dog on the rump and then left his hand resting there. “We found each other eight years ago and have been inseparable ever since.”

      “You found each other. That sounds intriguing.”

      The lights of the small downtown strip of Goose Harbor came in to view.

      Joel kept his eyes on the road. “It wasn’t a good time for me. I was...in between homes and found Dante wandering in an alley. He was so scrawny. His rib cage looked like blades