Chapter 1
“I’m so sorry, baby girl,” I croon to my French Bulldog as more fireworks are let off outside, in the middle of the street, in my little neighborhood in Bitterroot Valley. “I know you hate them so much. I do, too. But it’s just noise; it’s not going to hurt you.”
Lily stares up at me with scared eyes and cowers against me, and I fold her into my arms, holding on tightly. I’ve tried everything I could think of to mitigate the noise for her. The TV volume is up, I gave her a Benadryl to try to make her sleepy, and I even wrapped her tightly in a blanket, but she hated that and scooted right out of it. She’s agitated and scared, and it breaks my heart. Lily is a rescue, and loud noises like this frighten her.
“I thought it was illegal to let off fireworks in town,” I grumble, tempted to call the police, but I don’t want to be that neighbor. It’s not like this happens every day. “They should be calming down now. It’s getting late, and most kids should be going to bed.”
I wish Lily could understand me, but I keep my voice calm and soothing and rub her soft, fawn-colored fur gently while kissing her sweet little head.
I rescued Lily last year, and we immediately fell in love with each other. She comes with me to the flower shop that I own pretty much every day, so we’re together most of the time.
And that’s good, because she’s definitely a Velcro dog. She prefers to be with her person, and when she can’t be with me, she goes to my aunt Paula’s house, where she’s spoiled and coddled, which suits Lily just fine.
I breathe a sigh of relief when it starts to sound like I’m right about the fireworks calming down. The loud pops are starting to be farther and farther apart, so I lower the volume on the TV a bit, testing it out. There are a few loud bangs here and there, but they’re farther away, and Lily lowers her head to my lap and falls instantly asleep.
“Holy shit, I’m glad that’s over,” I breathe, resting my own head back on the couch with exhaustion. I’d be perfectly fine if we just did away with fireworks altogether. If my little dog, who knows she’s completely safe with me, reacts like this, then I can only imagine the fear this holiday puts into the wildlife around here.
“I think we deserve some ice cream,” I whisper, thinking about the pint of peanut butter-chocolate currently sitting in my freezer. “Of course, I don’t want to move you now that you’re settling down.”
Considering this new challenge, I hear someone jiggling my front door handle.
Lily’s head immediately comes up, and she growls as she stares at the door.
“Who’s there?” I call out as Lily moves off my lap, and I stand, but there’s no answer, and the jiggling stops.
I hurry back to my bedroom, open the bedside table drawer, pull out the one gun that I own, and rush back to the living room, where Lily’s still on high alert.
“Who’s there?” I call out again, louder this time.
The jiggling starts once more, and that just pisses me off.
“Listen here, asshole. I have a fucking gun, and I’m not afraid to use it. I’m calling the cops.”
It stops, and I can hear footsteps running down my sidewalk as I pick up my phone and dial 9-1-1.
“9-1-1, what is your emergency?”
“Someone just tried to break into my house.” I hear the tremor in my voice now. “I think they ran away, but I want someone to come over here, please. I live at four-three-three Sixth Street.”
“I’m sending someone right now. What’s your name?”
“Summer.” I lick my lips and run my hand down Lily’s back. Her fur is still standing on end. “I’m Summer Quinn.”
“Okay, Summer, I just called someone, and they should be there in less than five minutes. Are you safe?”
“Yes.” I look around, listening. “Yes, I don’t think anyone is here now.”
“Okay, good. I’m just going to hang out with you until our officer arrives, okay?”
“Thanks.” I rub Lily’s head and then pace in front of the couch as I wait. “I’m sure you guys are busy tonight, and I’m sorr?—”
“Don’t apologize,” she interrupts, immediately making me feel a little better. “This is what we’re here for, even on a holiday. The officer should be pulling up now.”
“I just heard the car door,” I confirm and run to look through my peephole. “Yes, I see him coming this way. Thank you for your help.”
“You’re welcome. I’m hanging up now.”
I end the call and open the door when the doorbell rings and find Chase Wild on the other side.
“Oh, God, Chase.” I sniff and realize that I have tears rolling out of my eyes. “Someone tried to break into my house.”
“Tell me what happened.” His handsome face is hard and sober, and I’m just so relieved that he’s here.
“I heard someone jiggling my door handle.” I gesture to the door. “So, I grabbed my gun and yelled at them.”
His eyes widen. “Wait, you what?”
“I’m no victim.” I firm my chin and shake my head, so mad all over again. “I scared them right off.”
“Do you have any video of your front porch?”
“No.” Damn it, I need to do that. “I’ll get it installed in the morning, for sure. It’s probably just kids, right? Because Bitterroot Valley is so safe. I’ve never heard of anyone breaking and entering around here, and I’ve been here for almost five years.”
“It doesn’t happen often,” he confirms. “And yeah, probably kids.”
Why does he look like he wants to say something else?
“Are you okay to stay here tonight? I’ll dust for fingerprints and look around outside, but without video, I don’t know how much I can do.”
I swallow hard and nod. “I can stay with a friend tonight.”
I’ll take Lily to my aunt Paula’s house. That isn’t a problem. I’m absolutely not staying here until I beef up the security and get some cameras installed. And it pisses me off that I suddenly don’t feel safe in my own home. I love my little house.
“Don’t worry,” he assures me with a soft smile. God, he’s handsome. I’ve always thought Chase was an attractive man, even more so when he’s in uniform. He’s tall and broad, with dark hair and the most gorgeous hazel eyes. That jawline is chiseled and, well…wow. “It’s going to be okay.”
“I’m sure.”
He pats my shoulder, but I pull away from him. I don’t know why I did that, and I immediately mentally kick myself.
Why did I do that?But he doesn’t even blink an eye.
“You get your things,” he suggests. “I’ll get those prints.”
“Thank you.” I sniff once more, wanting to apologize for pulling away from him, but I decide against it. “Thanks.”
I smile and turn to Lily, who’s been waiting patiently on the couch for me. I have to pack my things, along with hers, and get ready to go. I want to leave when Chase does so I’m not here alone.
It doesn’t take me long to fill a duffel with a couple of days’ worth of clothes and toiletries, and then I pack up Lily’s food, her dishes, and her favorite bed, along with my pillow, and take those out to my car in the garage. I call Aunt Paula really quick and fill her in, and she assures me that I should, in fact, get out to her place, pronto.
Just when I come back inside, Chase is finishing with his fingerprinting kit.
“I’ll take these in tonight to run them,” he assures me. “Are you all set?”
“Yeah, we’re ready to go. I don’t know if you’ve met Lily.”
“Sure, I have,” he says as he crouches down to pet my girl. “She’s usually in your shop with you. Hey there, Lily.”
She sniffs his hand and then licks it, which makes us both smile.
“She was scared tonight, with all the fireworks.”
“Damn Fourth of July,” he says with a sigh, and I notice for the first time that he looks tired around the eyes. “People don’t seem to care about fireworks ordinances around here. It’s late enough now that it should slow down.”
“I’m taking Lily to my aunt Paula’s house,” I tell him. “She lives out of town, so there isn’t much noise out there.”
“Miss Paula is a gem,” he says with a grin. “I’m glad that’s where you’re headed. Do you want me to help coordinate the installation of the security for you?”
I blink at him and frown. “Well, I guess I’m not sure who to call, but I can google it and figure it out.”
“I can do it for you.”
That makes me pause.
“Why would you offer to do that? I’m sure you’re exhausted and busy, and I don’t want to put you out.”
“It’s not a problem,” he says with a shrug. “I’ll have my brother, Brady, help me, and we’ll have it done in less than an hour. We just did something similar, on a bigger scale, of course, out at the family ranch, so it’s in our wheelhouse right now.”
“Honestly, that would be an amazing help.” I smile up at him, relieved that he offered. “I’m swamped at the shop right now because we’re smack dab in the middle of both tourist and wedding season. So, if you have the time and the will to do it, I won’t say no. Just let me know how much to reimburse you.”
“Deal.” He bends down to pet Lily once more and then grins at me. “I’ll wait outside for you to lock up before I go.”
“Oh, you don’t have to wait for us. I’m sure it’s fine.”
His face hardens just a little. “I’ll wait,” he says again, more firm now, and that sends a little thrill down my spine. “You’re scared, Summer. There’s no need for you to be here alone for even a minute.”
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” He nods and turns to leave, and I lock up behind him, then get Lily and myself situated in the car before pulling out of the garage.
True to his word, Chase is waiting in his squad car as I push the button to lower the garage door, and then I pull the car away from the house, and Chase eases onto the road behind me.
Yeah, Chase is a nice guy, with the looks to match and an amazing family. If I were looking for a relationship, which I’m not, he would be at the top of my possibility list.
“You like him, don’t you?” I ask Lily, who’s panting and watching her dark surroundings. She loves car rides, but today has been rough on her, and now we’re out late at night, and that’s way outside of her routine. “Don’t worry, we’re going to Aunt Paula’s house. You love it out there.”
I see that all the lights are on in Aunt Paula’s little house when I come to a stop in the driveway, and as I carry Lily up the walkway, the front door opens. Chase pulls in behind me, waves out his window, and then pulls out to head back to town.
“Oh, darling,” Aunt Paula says with a worried frown on her pretty face, “you two get in here. What a horrible experience, and so unlike Bitterroot Valley.”
“That’s what I said to Chase,” I reply as I follow her into the house.
“Chase was on duty?” she asks as she gets two mugs for tea out of her cabinet. Lily is off sniffing around the house, trying to find Baby, Aunt Paula’s old Siamese cat. “I’m glad. I sure do like him. And the two of you have been dancing around your feelings for years.”
I don’t acknowledge that last comment. What am I supposed to say? That I have a massive crush on the man but have been too scared to act on it? I’m not saying that out loud. “He was honestly great tonight, and he’s going to install the new security at my place tomorrow, with his brother Brady’s help.”
“A girl could do far worse than to have the Wild brothers helping her out,” Aunt Paula says with a wink. “I might be a little jealous. Maybe I should stage a break-in of my own.”
I chuckle and dip my tea bag in and out of the hot water.
“I think the police are busy enough as it is. Thanks for letting us crash here for a couple of days.”
We hear the sound of an angry hiss, and then Lily barks.
“Those two.” I shake my head. “Lily wants Baby to like her so bad.”
“Baby will come around,” Aunt Paula says. “It just takes him a little time.”
“It’s been almost a year since I rescued Lily.”
“Baby’s set in his ways.” She shrugs. “And, of course, you can come here whenever you need. If I had my way, you’d still be living here with me.”
“I’m not too far away,” I remind her. “Besides, you needed the space here for all your crafts and paintings. You’re an artist; you have to spread out.”
It’s the truth. My Aunt Paula isn’t just an amazing florist. She paints and sews, knits and embroiders, and she can make anything grow. Her little house is like a fairy cottage in the woods, with so many flowers and herbs and vegetables growing in every available piece of dirt. Not to mention the bread she bakes fresh every week, and all the projects she always has going.
She’s wonderful.
“I loved nothing more than spending my summers here,” I say with a happy sigh as I look around the space that looks so much like it did when I was a kid. “It’s always been my safe place, and I know it’s here when I need it. But I’m happy in town, too, Aunt Paula. I like being able to walk to work when the weather’s nice, and I have great neighbors.”
“It’s good for young people to be where the action is,” she agrees. “But yes, you’re always welcome here.”
“I know.”
She welcomed me with open arms five years ago when I left the life I hated in Missoula. And she helped me start the life I love now, here in Bitterroot Valley.
I always knew I belonged here.
Lily whines, and I know that it’s time that we go to bed.
“Thank you for everything. I’m going to head to bed. We’ve been so busy at the shop, and I’ll need to get an early start.”
“Okay, darlin’. I’m going to finish a sewing project I started earlier today, so if the light bothers you, just let me know.”
“It won’t.” I cross over and kiss Aunt Paula on the head. “Love you.”
“I love you, too.”
Lily and I make our way back to our bedroom. The bed is made fresh for us, and Lily immediately hops up, turns in a circle, and lies down.
I take my time washing my face and getting into pajamas before sliding in next to her.
No, the light doesn’t bother us at all, and the rhythmic whirring of the sewing machine is the perfect white noise to send me off to sleep.
“Canwe take another wedding in August?” Ida, with the phone held against her shoulder, asks me from across the shop.
“What date?” I ask as I arrange the last of the local lilacs I have in a vase. It’s always so sad to me when lilac season is over. They smell amazing.
“What date?” Ida asks the person on the line. “Okay, let me ask the boss. Hold, please.”
She presses the phone against her shoulder again and looks up at me.
“The fifteenth?”
“No, ma’am, that’s the Wild wedding, and I’ll need all hands on deck for that one.” I add some baby’s breath to the bouquet as Ida relays the bad news to the potential customer, and then she hangs up and walks over to resume working on her own bouquet.
“The calls just keep coming in, even though the website clearly states that we’re full for the season.” Ida huffs and reaches for a bucket of yellow roses for the bridesmaids’ bouquets for this Saturday.
“I guess they figure that if they call and ask, they can talk us into fitting them in,” Sharla, another of my employees, says.
“Aunt Paula always says, ‘It never hurts to ask.’ However, the calls are getting annoying.” I sigh and stare at the arrangement, wondering what it’s missing. “I think I’ll add a message before it rings through, reiterating that we’re not taking any more weddings until November. It’s really not a bad problem to have as a business owner, but the calls are taking up a lot of our time.”
“Not a bad problem at all,” Sharla agrees. “You know, some pink baby roses would look sweet in that.”
“Oh, you’re right.” I rush off to the cooler and pull some out and bring them back. “It adds just the right pop of color. Good idea, Shar.”
The bell above the door jingles cheerfully, pulling Lily out of a dead sleep in her bed in the corner.
“Well, hello, boys,” Ida says as Chase and Brady Wild saunter into the shop.
“Ma’am,” Brady says with a nod. “It always smells good in here.”
“Flowers.” I grin at him. “They always do the trick. How’s it going, guys?”
“Great,” Chase replies as he picks Lily up into his arms and is attacked with kisses. I think this could be the first time since I brought her home from the shelter that I feel a little jealous of my dog. “We got the cameras and the smart doorbell installed. We went ahead and put a camera on the back door and the garage door, too.”
“Good,” Ida says, giving me a stern eye. “Our girl is alone too much in that house, and sure, it’s a safe town, but we need to keep an eye on her. We can’t be too careful.”
“Too bad you’re not a guard dog,” Brady says as he takes his turn loving on Lily. “You’re just a lover, aren’t you?”
“She’ll growl and sometimes bark if someone’s at the door, but no. She’s not a guard dog.”
I laugh when Lily drives that point home by kissing Brady square on the mouth.
“You can just download the app onto your phone,” Chase continues, “and it’ll show you whenever someone or something trips the sensors.”
“So, it doesn’t know the difference between a deer and a person?” I ask.
“It’s not that smart,” he says with a wink. “Here, I’ll walk you through it.”
I pull out my phone, and Chase helps me, standing just behind my right shoulder. I can feel the heat coming off him against my skin, and I can even smell the soap from his shower. My body practically hums whenever he’s close to me.
Yeah, I’m definitely attracted to him.
“There, you’re all logged in,” he says and reaches around me to point at my screen. “See, there’s the front door, and if you touch here, you can see the back door and yard.”
I nod, following his direction, and grin up at him. “Is it weird that I’m excited about this?”
“No.” He smiles back at me. He’s so close, he could just lean in and plant those lips on my forehead.
And for a heartbeat, it looks like he might do just that. I don’t even feel an urge to back away from him. Not at all.
But then he pulls away, and I slip my phone back into my pocket.
“How much do I owe you guys for all of this?”
“I saved the receipts,” Brady says and pulls them out of his back pocket, then passes them to me.
“And for labor?”
“We’re not charging you for that,” Brady replies before Chase can as both men shake their heads. “It took an hour. Don’t worry about it.”
“Okay, how about some flowers, then?” I walk to the cooler and pull out two sweet little bunches of wild roses. “Thanks, guys. I really appreciate it.”
“I don’t think anyone has given me flowers before.” Brady sniffs his. It’s kind of cute to see the handsome cowboy bury his nose in a flower. “Nice, thanks.”
“Thank you,” Chase echoes. “Now, how about the shop? Do you have decent security here?”
I bite my lip, and Brady laughs.
“I’m going to take that as a no,” Brady says.
“I’ll call a company.”
“We’ll see to it,” Chase counters and sends his brother a look. Brady nods. “I’ll take care of it before the end of the day today.”
“Seriously, Chase, I know you’re busy. I can hire a company for this.”
His gorgeous hazel eyes narrow on me, and I can’t help but lick my lips. “Do you think I do much in this life that I don’t want to do?”
“Probably not.”
“He doesn’t,” Brady says helpfully. “Just let him do it. It’s faster that way.”
“I don’t want to take advantage of you, that’s all.”
“You’re not,” he replies simply. “I’ll be back later with the supplies and tools. For now, we’ll let you ladies get back to it. I know you’re busy.”
“Brides will be the death of us,” Sharla says and wipes her brow with the back of her hand. “But they pay my salary, so I really can’t complain.”
“Are your brother and Erin getting ready for the wedding next month?” I ask him, not quite ready for him to go.
“They’re excited,” he confirms. “They wanted to have that barn completely renovated and ready to go, but that’s pretty ambitious for just a couple months of work. They’ll make do, though, because my brother isn’t willing to wait another year to marry her. Hell, he doesn’t want to wait another day.”
“Something tells me it’s going to be a bit more involved than making it work,” I reply.
“Sure, that’s simplifying it down a bit,” Chase agrees with a nod. “It’s going to be a lot of work. We’re all spending pretty much every extra minute out there helping out, but like I said, my brother won’t wait. He’s impatient when it comes to Erin.”
“That’s so romantic,” Sharla says with a dreamy sigh. “They’re great together. I love seeing them when they come to town.”
“I won’t disagree with you there. They are pretty great,” Brady says. “And we don’t mind helping.”
“Summer, if you need anything or have questions, don’t hesitate to call me.” Chase drops his business card onto the counter and offers me a smile. “That’s my cell number. And I’ll be back later.”
“Thanks. I really do appreciate both of your help.”
“See you later,” Brady says with a wave, and then they’re off again, and Lily makes her way back to her little bed to settle in for another nap.
“Well, then,” Ida says, her lips pursed as she watches me.
“What?”
“Oh, please,” Sharla says with a laugh. “It’s written all over your face that you have a crush on that sexy policeman. And who can blame you? He’s one fine specimen of a man.”
“What? I do not.” I focus on fussing with the booms in my hands. “You two are a couple of busybodies.”
“Uh-huh,” Sharla says, her tongue in her cheek. “Sure. Well, I sure hope you find a reason to use that phone number. It would be a shame to let a man like that go to waste.”
“If you’re not going to use it, I will,” Ida adds with a sassy wink.
“You could be his mother.”
“But I’m not his mother, honey,” Ida retorts. “Not even a little bit.”
I smirk and carry the finished bouquet of lilacs to the cooler.
I have no plans to use that phone number. But, I can admit to myself, I’m not sorry that he’s coming back later to work on the security here at the shop.