The Fireman's Ready-Made Family. Jules Bennett

noticeable and easier to chalk up to a fall from childhood.

      Adjusting her hair back in place, she took a deep, calming breath and headed back to work. At some point she’d have to face the fact that she was finding herself more and more intrigued by—and dare she say attracted to—Drake.

      She couldn’t act on her unstable emotions. After all, how could she trust anything she felt after her poor judgment regarding her ex? On the other hand, she couldn’t keep lying to herself about this invisible tug whenever Drake was around. She was a woman who had desires and eyes, for pity’s sake. How could any woman not do a double take at Drake? And after that double take, the real problems started. Because the looks didn’t make the man...the big heart and devastating smile did.

      * * *

      Drake eyed the young boy lying in the sterile bed wearing a sheet up to his waist, dressings wrapped around his torso and his left arm. Drake’s heart literally ached for Jeremy, Shawn and Amy. Such a beautiful family living in a small town like so many others around the country, and now fate had turned their world upside down.

      Someone needed to step up and help them. There was no way Shawn and Amy could take on this financial burden alone. Wasn’t that what people in small towns did? Rallied behind each other when one of them was hurting? Besides, they needed mental support, as well. No one should ever go through a trauma like this alone.

      Drake figured he’d get the ball rolling in the direction of a fund-raiser to assist Shawn and Amy. He couldn’t just sit back and do nothing.

      Drake wanted to drag the mayor from behind his desk and his cushy leather chair and show him the ramifications of cutting good, hardworking firefighters. Drake had zero tolerance for that man, and this was just another reason Drake couldn’t wait until the next election when hopefully a new mayor was sworn in...a mayor who actually cared about the people of the town.

      When Drake stepped from the room and eased the door shut behind him, Marly was nowhere to be seen. He walked up to the nurses’ station and was greeted by a middle-aged lady wearing character scrubs with her hair in a tight, high bun.

      Balloons, teddy bears and flowers were piled high on the back counter. Drake figured all of those gifts were for Jeremy, since Drake saw the stuffed toy he brought nestled in the mix.

      “Excuse me,” he said, leaning an arm on the top of the high counter. “Is Marly busy?”

      “I haven’t seen her for a couple of minutes. Maybe she’s in the break room.” The lady turned, gesturing behind the desk to a narrow hall. “It’s the first door on the right. Go on in.”

      Drake smiled. “Thank you, ma’am.”

      Drake figured wearing his department logo on his shirt had gotten him the pass to the employee area. He went around the desk and into the break room but didn’t see Marly. As he turned to leave, Marly rounded the corner to enter the room and plowed right into him.

      Instincts had him reaching out, gripping her arms tight in an attempt to steady her. The second he grabbed her, she screamed and jumped back.

      The color had gone from her face, and Drake held his hands out to his side. “Are you okay?”

      A shaky hand came up to her heart as she nodded, her eyes not quite meeting his.

      “Marly.” He eased closer. The disturbing look in her eyes wasn’t just shock at finding him in here, this was pure fear. “Come in and sit down.”

      After a moment of silence, she sought his eyes and shook her head. “No, no. I’m okay.”

      “You’ve gone pale and you’re shaking.” He started to reach for her, but she moved back. Dread settled deep in his stomach. “Are you afraid of me?”

      Marly closed her eyes and sighed. “No,” she whispered.

      Drake had no clue what demons she was battling before his eyes, so he remained silent. God knew he’d never wanted anyone to witness his rough moments after Andrea’s accident.

      It wasn’t long before she raked a hand down her face and opened her eyes. With her shoulders back and head high, Drake knew she’d pushed through whatever hell she’d entered into moments ago.

      “Sorry,” she told him, trying hard for a smile, but failing. “You just caught me off guard.”

      And she didn’t like to be touched, apparently. There was a story there...a story he feared would make him want to protect her at all costs and dig even deeper into her world.

      “It’s okay,” he assured her. “I was just heading out, but I wanted to run something by you.”

      Nodding, she gestured toward the table and chairs. “Let’s have a seat.”

      He moved out of her way, letting her go where she wanted before he pulled out a chair across from her. The last thing he needed was her to worry about being alone with him. He wanted to gain her trust, and after what he’d just witnessed, he feared getting into Marly’s inner circle would take more time and patience than he’d first thought...but something told him she would be worth the effort.

      “Is something wrong?” she asked, lacing her fingers on the tabletop.

      “No, I just wanted to discuss Jeremy with you.”

      He hadn’t realized he was going to bring up the fund-raiser with Marly, but he found that he wanted to include her in the planning.

      “You and I are both worried about his parents financially, especially since the doctor decided he’ll have to have grafts. When he’s transported to the specialist, Shawn and Amy will have added travel expenses.” He eased forward in his seat, resting his forearms on the table. “What if we did a fund-raiser for them?”

      Marly’s eyes widened. “We? Like you and me?”

      Smiling, Drake nodded. “Well, yeah. I’d appreciate your opinion. But if you don’t have the time, I understand.”

      Marly rested her chin on her palm and seemed to process the idea. Drake didn’t know what had come over him, why he wanted to work with her on this project, but he found himself holding his breath until she nodded with a smile.

      “I’ll do it. Willow can help, too. We could all work on this.” A slow smile lit up her face. “What did you have in mind?”

      Yeah, he hadn’t got that far yet, but now that she was all in, he had to come up with something.

      “I’m not sure yet,” he told her honestly. “Why don’t I come over and we can discuss it more? I’m off until tomorrow.”

      When she remained silent, he knew she was battling that same demon as moments ago. Someone had hurt her, someone had scared her, and he damn well wanted to know who. Another invisible tug pulled him toward her whether he liked it or not...whether he was ready or not.

      He didn’t want to push her, didn’t want to scare her, but at the same time, he needed to let her know he wasn’t going anywhere and he wasn’t treating her with kid gloves. She was the type of woman who needed to find her courage again, and he’d damn well be the man to help her.

      “I can bring pizza so you don’t have to worry about dinner,” he told her. “Willow seems like a kid who would love pizza.”

      “As if she didn’t think you were cool enough already after the invitation back to the station,” she told him with a slight grin. “I get off work at four and I need to pick her up from the sitter, so why don’t you come over about four-thirty?”

      Feeling as if he’d truly accomplished something, Drake came to his feet. “Sounds good. Any special requests for toppings?”

      Marly rose as well and shook her head. “I’ll eat anything, and if Willow doesn’t like it, she’ll just pick it off. But, if you want to gain extra points, she really loves banana peppers.”

      “I’m all about scoring extra points.”

      When