Firefighter With A Frozen Heart. Dianne Drake

my ways.”

      Rafe held up his hands in mock surrender. “Then it’s over, okay? Not another word. So, do you want to come stay up at Gracie House? We’ve got better accommodations. Molly would love having her favorite uncle there to play with.” Six-year-old Molly was Rafe’s new daughter and part of his newfound contentment.

      “No. The cabin’s fine. But tell Molly she’ll be seeing enough of me over the next couple of weeks that she’ll probably get sick of me.” In truth, he liked the cabin. Liked its rustic charm. A mile from nowhere, with just enough amenities to call it modern, it kept him isolated. What more could he want? “Tell Edie, though, I appreciate the offer, and that I wouldn’t mind stopping in a couple of times for a good home-cooked meal if she’s up to it. I don’t want to put her out, though, considering …”

      “She’s pregnant, working until her due date if she can and she loves to cook. How about tomorrow night? That’ll give her the chance to plan it, and give you the chance to settle in.”

      “You can do that, just make plans for your wife like that?”

      Rafe chuckled. “Hell, no. But Edie didn’t figure you’d stay at the house with us, so she told me to invite you over tomorrow night for dinner.”

      “And you’re just trying to score points with me, making me think it was your idea.”

      “I need some points, because I’ve got a favor to ask you.”

      “Sounds ominous.”

      “Not ominous. More like a matter of practicality. And to be honest, I’m glad you’re home because I was going to come to the city next week to talk to you about it.”

      Jess twisted in his seat. Was on the verge of getting up and going inside. Shutting the door on what Rafe was here to discuss. “Another time?” he asked, trying to put off the talk for no good reason other than he didn’t want to deal with it at present. In fact, his preference would be signing his share of Lilly Hospital over to Rafe, then be done with the whole thing. But that’s not what Rafe wanted. So Jess was hanging on, but in title only.

      “Look, Jess. I understand it’s hard for you, and if there was any other way to do this, I would. But we are co-owners …”

      “One of which who wants nothing to do with the hospital. So, here’s what you can do, Rafe. Anything. Anything you want. I trust your judgment, and I’ll give you my blessing but, please, leave me the hell out of the decisions.

      Okay?”

      “What I want, Jess, is to take Rick Navarro on as a partner. He’s earned it. He deserves it. And he has good ideas for expansion …”

      Jess waved him off. “What, in the definition of anything don’t you understand?”

      “For once, just listen to me, okay? Before you start spouting off your opinion or telling me all the reasons you don’t give a damn, just shut up and listen!”

      Jess huffed out an impatient sigh. “Do I have a choice?”

      “You’ve always got a choice, but I was hoping you’d give me some support in this.”

      “You’ve got my support, Rafe. Just not my attention.” He pushed himself up out of his seat and headed toward the front door, but stopped before going inside. Change of heart? Not at all. But a sure change of mind. Rafe was the only person he had in this world, and it wouldn’t hurt him to listen to his big brother. After all, Rafe had taken the beatings for him, quite literally. All those years, all the tirades, Rafe was the one who’d stood up to their old man and taken the punishment. So at the least he owed him another minute to listen. “Okay, tell me, but don’t expect anything from me other than listening. Because I’m not going to get involved in this.”

      Rafe stood, and went to lean on the banister across from the front door. “Fine. I’ll make it fast. We’re expanding pediatric services, which you already know. We’re looking into some growth in obstetrics, too. But the first thing we’re taking on is an expansion to our emergency services, because what we have isn’t good enough.”

      At the mention of emergency services, Jess winced. Being a former trauma surgeon, this was probably where Rafe wanted to wheedle some kind of commitment out of him. Come back and work temporarily until we can find someone else to take over. Or be a consultant. That’s what he expected, but he was going to hold his ground. No involvement, no way!

      “Rather than sending major trauma cases to the hospital all the way over in Jasper, or someplace even farther away, we’re going to expand enough to handle what we need and help with overflow from other areas. So we’ve hired a nurse-coordinator to oversee the first phase of growth. She has an amazing trauma background, a doctorate in nursing …”

      “A doctorate?” he asked, feeling his gut churn.

      “A doctorate. And for where we are right now, she’s the perfect person to put in charge of coordinating the plans. Um, Jess … we hired …”

      “Let me guess. You hired Julie Clark?” He hadn’t seen her in seventeen years, now here she was, front and center, twice in two days. How could that be happening?

      Rafe frowned. “Either that was an amazing wild guess, or you’ve been in touch with Julie.”

      “In touch. Not by choice.”

      “Anything you want to talk about?” Rafe asked.

      Jess shook his head. Didn’t reply, so Rafe continued, “Well, she was the right one. Has the credentials we need, as well as the experience …” He paused, studied Jess’s frown, sucked in a deep breath. “Look, Jess, since you’re not here most of the time, and when you are you never leave the cabin, I didn’t think it would matter.”

      “Why would it matter?” Jess snapped, then stormed inside his cabin and slammed the screen door behind him. “Jess?” Rafe called after him.

      “Nothing matters,” Jess yelled back. “Not one damned thing.” Except for those couple of weeks of Julie’s pregnancy scare hell. Those had mattered a lot.

      CHAPTER TWO

      “IT’S strange being back after all this time,” Julie said, dropping down into the chair across from Edie Corbett’s desk. “I have good memories of Lilly Lake, and I appreciate all the help you’ve been, helping me get settled here again.”

      “I was new in town just about a year ago, so I know what it’s like trying to get yourself established, even if you did live here before.”

      “It wasn’t for long … just a few years, but let’s just call them my formative years. And I really do want to thank you for letting me take a tour of Gracie House the other day. I didn’t mean to just stop on your doorstep and beg to be let in, but …” Julie smiled fondly. “But I couldn’t help myself. I needed a few minutes to come home.”

      “And you’re welcome to come home any time you like. Our doors are always open.”

      “I’ll bet I’m not the first.”

      Edie laughed. “As a matter of fact, no, you’re not. Several of Grace’s children have stopped in, and Gracie House seems to be a focal point in their lives. For me, it’s interesting to meet the people who’ve passed through her life … and her doors.” She glanced fondly at a picture of Molly, her new daughter, and Grace’s former ward. “Interesting and life-changing.”

      “Well, I spent the most important years of my life there. I was kind of a wild child, all my various adoptive parents threw me out, I had nowhere to go other than the juvenile home, and Grace stepped in and offered to take me. She made the difference, and it wasn’t always easy for her, dealing with me. But she had so much …”

      “Patience?” Edie asked.

      “That. But I think it was faith.