The Fireman's Ready-Made Family. Jules Bennett

Mayor Tipton leaned forward, propping his flabby forearms on his cluttered desk. “I was told the young boy was severely injured.”

      Drake swallowed the bitter truth as images of that boy lying beside his bed as flames licked all around his room consumed him. Drake had dragged the unconscious boy out, praying the entire time that he hadn’t been too late.

      “The city simply doesn’t have the extra money,” the mayor was saying. “We had to cut somewhere, and unfortunately your department was one of the areas.”

      Fury bubbled within him, and Drake knew if he didn’t leave he’d say something that may get him suspended. But he also wasn’t going to back down, not when he had dependable men who needed the income, not to mention men that worked harder in one shift than this mayor did in an entire year.

      “Did you happen to look at cutting your own income? Or maybe the new landscaping in the park? How about those new streetlights that just went up around Main Street? None of that was ever considered? That little boy’s injuries lie directly on your head, not mine. I did my job... Can you say the same?”

      Drake didn’t stop when the mayor pushed his pudgy frame away from the desk and stood. In fact, the idea of the mayor gearing up for the argument was rather amusing and fueled Drake even more. He was definitely teetering on a thin line here.

      “Oh, I see where you’re coming from,” Drake said in his most condescending tone. Sarcasm had always been a strong suit for him and his brothers. “Why pay honest, hardworking men when we can make things pretty? I see that logic. Best to put lives in danger so we can have purple pansies and lantern-style streetlights.”

      “You better watch yourself, Chief.” The mayor’s face was slowly turning red, his gobbler neck wiggling back and forth when he spoke. “You always were a smart-mouthed hellion.”

      Ah, yes. The infamous St. John reputation he and his brothers had had to overcome in order to rise to their rankings in this small town.

      Drake didn’t care if his character came into play here. He knew he was right and the mayor was flat-out wrong. Drake also didn’t care if Tipton got angry. Angry didn’t even cover what Drake felt when he thought of the moment he’d had to tell three of his men that they were no longer needed.

      “A young boy is lying in the hospital with second-and third-degree burns to his arm and torso,” Drake went on, the image alone adding fuel to his anger. “We would’ve been able to get to him faster had all regular responders been available. We’re shorthanded, Mayor, and it’s time you realized just how dangerous those cuts have become. The guys left on staff are working overtime, and it’s not safe for them or the public to have them so exhausted.”

      “I sympathize for the boy. The accident was tragic, but I am not to blame here. I have a job, just like you. I suggest you focus on that.”

      A whole new level of rage slid through him. “Are you suggesting I didn’t do my job?”

      With a slight shrug, the mayor merely stared across the desk.

      Yeah, if he didn’t leave, Drake would get fired...at the very least, because the urge to punch the guy in the face was too strong. Fortunately Drake had self-control and actually cared about protecting the people in this town. That right there proved he’d overcome his rebellious days. Once upon a time Drake and his brothers would punch first and discuss later.

      “One way or another, my men will come back to work,” Drake assured him. “Your term is almost up. Then we’ll see who really cares about the safety of the citizens.”

      “Are you threatening me?”

      With a slow grin, Drake raised his hands, palms out. “Just stating a fact. The voters will take care of you.”

      And with that he walked out, nodding to Betty May, who was wide-eyed, no doubt hearing the heated encounter—not Drake’s first with the mayor, but perhaps the most hate filled.

      Drake marched all the way back to his truck and slammed the door. Damn it. He had to figure out a way to get the city to allow him to hire his men back on. The men who were currently working were maxed out. They were tired and all feeling the extra stress...not good when lives were on the line every single day.

      Drake clenched the steering wheel and stared out the windshield toward the old fountain in the distance at the park.

      Andrea had loved that fountain. Had always said if she got married she’d do it there in the summer with all the beauty of the tall old oaks surrounding her.

      Drake had every intention of giving her that dream. He’d had every intention of giving her everything she’d ever wanted.

      But that dream had died in a fiery crash.

      Starting the engine, Drake forced out the crippling images of that day. His counselor was right. Focusing on the past wouldn’t help him rebuild for a better future. And he knew that Andrea would want him to move on; she’d want him to live his life. Besides, he had a department he needed to fight for and a boy in the hospital he cared about.

      Which brought him right back to the pretty nurse who seemed a bit skittish when he was around. Her beauty was rather shocking, and Drake hadn’t felt a physical pull toward anyone since Andrea. Which only made his mixed-up emotions even more confusing.

      How could he find another woman so appealing in such a short time? Should he ask her out? He had to keep trying his hand at dating if he wanted to truly move on.

      But Marly was afraid of something. Perhaps he should approach this on a friendship level, because Drake knew one thing. He had to find out what had put the shadows beneath her pretty eyes.

      * * *

      Marly was thankful her supervisor gave her a few hours off to chaperone Willow on the kindergarten field trip. Marly knew it was going to be tough to hold a full-time job and be the parent Willow needed, especially after removing Willow from the only home she’d known.

      So far Willow was adjusting perfectly, and today’s field trip to the fire department was all her sweet little five-year-old could talk about this morning.

      Marly left work early and pulled into the department lot just after the bus did. It didn’t take long for Marly to zero in on the chief, and she cursed herself for instantly seeking him out.

      Drake stepped up to the open doors of the bus and greeted the kids with a wide grin as they bounced off the last step and raced across the lot to the closest shiny red truck. Another group of men in blue polos and matching pants herded the children to the grassy area, where they had them take a seat.

      As Marly got out of her SUV, her eyes locked on the chief. She hadn’t seen him since that awkward moment in the hallway two days ago. He hadn’t popped in yesterday like he’d said he would, and she hated that she’d had a sliver of disappointment when her shift had ended and she hadn’t seen him.

      Marly crossed the parking lot and headed toward the front of the bus to wait for Willow. Before she could spot her daughter, Drake raised his head. Even with his dark aviator sunglasses on, she knew he was looking right at her.

      Sweltering heat from the late-summer sun did nothing to prevent the chills from racing through her. The instant reaction her body took to this man was unexplainable and unwanted. Yes, at one time she would’ve loved to have felt chills over the thought of a man like Drake looking at her, but that was years ago, before she’d married a monster.

      Trusting her judgment now wasn’t the smartest move. She needed to regroup, build a solid life on her own before trying to appreciate a man like Drake. Her personal life would have to come later—much later.

      Such a shame, though. She didn’t remember the last time a man had looked at her and made her feel anything but fear.

      “Mama!”

      Marly smiled as Willow came running up to her. “Come on.” Willow started tugging on Marly’s hand. “They’re going to let us squirt the hoses in a minute, and the teacher said we may