Chapter 2
Chapter
Two
Sliding his feet into his running shoes, Marley Hartson quickly laced them up and checked his watch. Almost nine in the evening. He’d spent most of the day at the fire station. Firstly, helping to run the training and Junior Firefighter drills. And then he’d headed over to his parents’ place to meet up with his family.
His brothers had been there. Including his twin, Pres, who he worked with. Along with Pres’ wife and kids, ten-year-old Delilah and his twin sons, who at two-and-a-half years old were out of control in the cutest way.
And though it was fun, he still couldn’t get Kate Connelly out of his mind.
The way she’d looked at him as he ran past. The way her stare had felt like a punch in the gut.
The way he always felt like he’d let her down. Let her kids down.
Broken the promise he’d made to Paul as his friend laid dead on a gurney.
He let out a long breath. He’d go on his run and then he’d try to get some sleep. Because working in construction always meant an early start. And juggling his day job with volunteering as a firefighter meant he was always on the go.
He was lucky because his brother owned the construction company and Pres had always been supportive of Marley’s volunteer career.
The cool evening air wrapped around him like a blanket as he stepped out of the front door of his small house. He’d bought it years ago, close to the fire station because that’s what volunteers did. They lived close so they could get there fast when there was a call out, because time could mean life or death.
And it was weird, because as soon as he started to move, he felt better. He always did. Standing still meant way too many thoughts rushing through his mind. According to his mom, he’d always been overactive, even as a kid. But as an adult – and especially in the last year – his need to always be doing something had become more of a compulsion.
He ran past the fire house. It was quiet, empty, which was always a good sign. He’d been part of the twenty-person strong volunteer force since he’d come back to his home town after college, at the age of twenty-two. Before that, he’d volunteered as a firefighter in his college town, and as a teenager he’d been a junior firefighter here in Hartson’s Creek.
That’s when he’d met Paul Connelly. His best friend.
The man he’d seen collapse in front of him and die within minutes.
There were no cars on the road as he made his way to the town square. All the shops were empty with the lights turned off save for the Moonlight Bar. He could smell the sour notes of beer as he ran past it, heading to the road out of town.
As he reached the edge of town the houses thinned out, until there were only a few here and there. The fields that surrounded the town stretched out toward the burning orange horizon.
He planned to run to the house then back again. Just check that all was well and then he’d be able to sleep.
Kate and her children had moved there a year ago, out of the house that was near the station where her husband had died. It had been easier when she’d lived there. To keep an eye on her. To check on her.
It was harder here, because he knew he stuck out like a sore thumb when he ran past. Maybe that’s why he waited until night had fallen every evening before he ventured out.
There was a light shining in her upstairs window. One of the kids, probably. And on the porch there was a light, illuminating the plant pots full of dead flowers that had turned a brilliant shade of brown due to lack of watering.
He would have watered them but he knew Kate wouldn’t accept help. She’d turned down everything that the fire department had tried to offer her.
He was about to turn back again when he saw it. At first he thought it was a crack in the pathway leading from the driveway to the house. But then it moved and he almost jumped.
A damn copperhead. It was early in the year for them. The thing must’ve just woken up from hibernation, but it had been a warm day and it must’ve enjoyed bathing in the brightness of the sun, but now it was trying to find somewhere warm to sleep overnight.
Marley sighed as he watched it begin to slither toward the house. Because now he was going to have to do something about it. It wouldn’t be his first encounter with a snake. They had plenty of calls from frightened tourists and locals alike over the summer months, especially out in the fields where the snakes preferred to make their homes.
Hell, he’d been called out a few times for ones that had found their way through the holes in brick walls and into houses. And he wasn’t certain that this snake wouldn’t do the same thing.
The house was warm. The outside air was not.
Looking around on the ground, he found a stick. The copperhead wasn’t too big – only ten inches long. He could easily lift it and move it far away from Kate’s house. Holding the stick out, he walked carefully toward the snake, sliding the end of the stick beneath its body and lifting.
Thankfully, the snake lifted up with it.
There was a field about ten yards away, so Marley carried it carefully over, letting the snake down and watching as it slithered away. Sure, there was a possibility it could be back, but most snakes he’d encountered were more than happy to be left alone and far away from human scrutiny.
“What’s going on?” Kate called out from her front door. He hadn’t even heard her open it.
“I was running past. Saw something on your driveway.” It wasn’t a lie. And he knew she’d hate it if she knew he was keeping an eye on them all.
He turned around to look at her. She was wearing a pair of yoga pants and a t-shirt, her dark hair swept up to reveal her slender neck. There was some dirt on her cheek, like she’d been cleaning. But it couldn’t disguise the attractiveness of this woman.
It hit him like a Mack truck. He felt his pulse – already fast – starting to throb in his neck.
Fuck, no. She was Paul’s wife. He wasn’t going to be attracted to her. He pushed the thought away, hoping it would never come back.
“What did you see on my driveway?” she asked. Her voice was low, like she didn’t want to wake up her kids.
Marley hesitated, because he knew that some people freaked out over snakes. Imagined that one little visit meant an infestation. “It’s dealt with.”
She put her hands on her hips, her head tipping to the side. “What’s dealt with?” she asked him. “I saw you pick something up.”
Of course she wouldn’t let it go. He let out a sigh.
“A snake,” he said, his voice low.
She blinked, her lips pressing together. “What kind of snake?” She sounded less certain now. Less in control.
“Just a rat snake,” he lied. “I took it over to the field.”
Kate let out a long breath. “Was it poisonous?”
“Rat snakes are fine.” There, that wasn’t a lie, just a little stretch of the truth. “But if it’s okay with you I’d like to inspect the outside of your house when it’s light.”
“Why?” she asked, looking confused.
“Just to…” He shrugged. “Make sure everything’s okay.”
“You think the snake might come back?” Her voice lifted and he winced, because he was making things worse.
“No.” But it was a good excuse to make sure her house was secure.
“Then it’s fine. I’ll take a walk around the property tomorrow to be sure.” She lifted her gaze to his, her jaw jutting out. “And you don’t need to run past here every day. We’re fine.”
So she knew about that. Damn.
“It’s my favorite running route,” he told her.
A ghost of a smile pulled at her lips. “Sure it is. Just like your old favorite running route was past our house in town.”
“It’s a small town,” he pointed out. “It’s not exactly full of places to run.” And he couldn’t give this one up. He’d made a promise. He intended to keep it.
“You don’t need to check on me. I can take care of myself. And the kids,” she told him, her voice firm. Because yeah, she knew exactly what he was doing.
Of course she did. She was an intelligent woman. Pretty. He could remember the way she used to smile so easily. Before.
“I know you can. I know you do.” He lifted his hand to his brow, brushing away some of the sweat he’d gotten from running. “I’m not trying to make your life harder.” He looked at her carefully. She still seemed a little freaked out by the snake. “Kate,” he said softly.
“Yes?”
“If you need anything at all, you just let me know, all right?”
The light of the moon caught her eyes. He could see how shiny they were. “I don’t need anything,” she told him. “I’m fine. I’m just trying to live my life the best way I know how.”
He nodded, hating that he’d upset her. “Well good night then,” he murmured.
“Good night.”
And then she was gone.