The Firefighter's Match. Allie Pleiter

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      A Healing Match

      After serving overseas, former soldier Josephine “JJ” Jones needs a fresh start. And Gordon Falls is just the place. When JJ meets executive Alex Cushman, her world is turned upside down. Alex is seeking a respite from all the pressures of his multimillion-dollar business. And the beautiful firefighter might be the answer to his prayers. But a secret lies between them. One so big, it threatens to end their love before it’s even begun. Can she ever trust Alex when she finds out he may be responsible for a family tragedy that changed all their lives?

      Gordon Falls: Hearts ablaze in a small town

      “You should just leave.”

      Alex had thought about leaving. The old Alex would have been long gone days ago. Still, he couldn’t.

      He saw it, then, in her eyes. JJ was waiting for him to leave. Watching for him to betray her in the way she had been betrayed before.

      “I can’t leave.”

      “Why?”

      “You really don’t know the answer to that?”

      Her face flushed. “Why would I ask a question I know the answer to?”

      JJ tried hard not to look him in the eye, but the more she dodged him, the stronger his conviction became. “Because I’m supposed to stay.” And then, even though it felt like jumping off a cliff to do so, Alex made himself add, “And because I want to stay.”

      Her eyes widened, and she backed up. “Max doesn’t need you.”

      “I’m not staying for Max.” He reached for her hand.

      At first JJ edged out of his grasp, but when he took another step, she stilled her hand and let him grasp it. “I’m staying for you.”

      ALLIE PLEITER

      Enthusiastic but slightly untidy mother of two, RITA® Award finalist Allie Pleiter writes both fiction and nonfiction. An avid knitter and unreformed chocoholic, she spends her days writing books, drinking coffee and finding new ways to avoid housework. Allie grew up in Connecticut, holds a B.S. in speech from Northwestern University and spent fifteen years in the field of professional fund-raising. She lives with her husband, children and a Havanese dog named Bella in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois.

      The Firefighter’s Match

      Allie Pleiter

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      MILLS & BOON

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      And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose.

      —Romans 8:28

      Dedication:

      To Rachel

      Who has overcome so much

      Acknowledgments:

      This story needed a hefty dose of technical support to get the details right. My thanks to fire chief Don Lay for again checking all the firefighter and firehouse facts. Lisa Rosen and Dr. David Chen from the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago were also great helps. Thanks as well to Sean Smith,

      who lent me his climbing knowledge and expertise. If any of the medical, climbing or firefighting facts of this book are incorrect, the fault lies with me

      and not with any of these generous experts.

      Contents

       Chapter One

       Chapter Two

       Chapter Three

       Chapter Four

       Chapter Five

       Chapter Six

       Chapter Seven

       Chapter Eight

       Chapter Nine

       Chapter Ten

       Chapter Eleven

       Chapter Twelve

       Chapter Thirteen

       Chapter Fourteen

       Chapter Fifteen

       Chapter Sixteen

       Chapter Seventeen

       Chapter Eighteen

       Epilogue

       Dear Reader

       Questions for Discussion

      Chapter One

      Gordon Falls, Illinois

      1:48 a.m.

      2:36 a.m.

      3:14 in the why-on-earth-can’t-a-soul-get-to-sleep morning and JJ Jones still lay as wide-eyed as if she had downed a quartet of espresso drinks.

      Refusing to lie there one more minute under the false pretense of drowsiness, JJ reached for an elastic band. She pulled her long blond hair back into a resolute ponytail and stepped into a pair of jeans under her oversize T-shirt. Padding to the not-yet-familiar kitchen of her rental cottage, JJ let the summer evening breeze coming off the Gordon River soothe her annoyance.

      It was a lovely place, even in the middle of the night. She could almost count her insomnia as a pleasantry here, the nights were