Chapter 1 #2
She did a slow perusal up endlessly muscular legs, her gaze landing onto lean hips and then a broad chest and shoulders.
Shoulders that seemed to go on forever, clad in a navy uniform shirt.
A nametag was pinned at the top of one shirt pocket, a badge onto the other, and she squinted, barely able to read his name.
Again, she smoothed a hand along her hair. Thankful it hit just above her shoulders so she could curl it around her face and almost hide her scars.
Why am I so afraid to look him in the face?
But she could answer her own question almost before it formed—he would surely notice her scars, something that still made her nervous when she met someone new.
Plus, it had been a while since she’d been in the company of a man who wasn’t a blood relative, in-law, or of the medical profession.
A combination of fear and worry made her leery.
Plus, there was his reputation. They lived in a small town, and gossip spread quickly.
The fire captain was known as a hot catch, even a bit of a playboy.
Her oldest friend Chloe had described him as one of the few good-looking, single men in town.
He set all the women’s hearts a-flutter with his hero-type job.
The last thing she wanted to see from this guy was sympathy. Or worse, pity.
When her eyes finally lit upon his face, she couldn’t help but notice how attractive he was. Dark-as-night hair, tanned skin that showed he spent most of his time outdoors, and defined bone structure. Strong nose, jaw, and cheekbones, though his mouth appeared soft…
“Mrs. Clark?” Those soft-looking lips curved into a welcoming smile.
Jane nodded, but his greeting made her feel like an old woman. She had a first name—why didn’t he use it? She knew he was being respectful, but he made her feel painfully…
Boring.
He let the screen door slam behind him as he stepped out onto the porch, his hand extended toward her. “I’m Captain Christian Nelson. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Shifting Sophia in her arms, she held out her hand and he took it. The touch of his rough fingers, the press of his wide palm against hers, sent a jolt of electricity up her arm. She let go quickly, as if it had scalded her, but his smile stayed easy, his stance casual, confident.
The captain appeared very comfortable in his skin and she envied him that. When he flicked his head in Logan’s direction as if to ask permission, she gave her consent with a slight nod. He knelt down so he was eye level with Logan.
“Hey buddy, what’s your name?”
“Logan!” Her son’s yelp made Jane wince, but the smile on Captain Nelson’s face grew even wider.
“Nice to meet you, Logan. I’m Captain Nelson.” He offered his hand and Logan took it, his little arm moving in two jerky pumps.
“Can we see the fire truck now?”
“Absolutely. Let’s go around back and check it out.” He stood and smiled directly at Sophia. She promptly tucked her face into Jane’s neck.
“Sorry. She just woke up,” Jane apologized, her skin prickling with awareness at this man’s closeness.
Lexi made her presence known as she rounded from behind her mother to stand in front of Captain Nelson, her pointed chin tilted, little rosebud mouth drawn into a tight line. He knelt down once again, his expression turned serious, and he gave Lexi a slight nod.
“Are you Logan’s big sister?”
She gave a hesitant nod in answer.
He didn’t even break a smile. “Captain Nelson at your service, ma’am. And you are?”
“Alexis Elizabeth Clark.”
Now he did smile, but it was gentle, and miracle of all miracles, it coaxed what could pass for a smile from her stubborn daughter. “That’s a beautiful name. It’s nice to meet you, Alexis.”
“You can call me Lexi.”
“Well, Lexi it is, then.” He stood, shooting a wink in Jane’s direction, and heat flooded her cheeks.
“Are we ready to go check out the engine?”
“Yes, yes, yes!” Logan cheered, causing everyone to laugh, even Lexi, even Sophia, who giggled against Jane’s neck.
“Then let’s go.”
Chris led the Clark family back to the garage that housed the fire engines.
Well, make that the single fire engine. The other one had been temporarily retired to headquarters down in Sacramento, since fire season had been declared officially over a few weeks ago.
Now he worked with a skeleton crew for at least the next six months.
When his friend Mac had called a few days ago to explain his sister’s situation, he’d agreed immediately to give Jane Clark and her kids a tour of the station.
He didn’t know Jane personally, especially since he wasn’t a Lone Pine Lake local, but he knew all about her situation.
Everyone in town did. The widow who’d survived a tragic house fire along with a long and painful recovery, and who now had come back to town with her family to stay.
A miracle, the local gossips called her. Can she do it? they wondered. Take care of three young children barely recovered, and she not fully over her husband’s death?
They’d all failed to mention just how pretty Jane Clark was. Her above-shoulder-length dark brown hair curled around a heart-shaped face and eyes as green as grass. They’d been filled with wariness and sadness and…awareness when he’d first locked gazes with her.
And when he’d clasped her hand in his, he’d felt it—a tiny fizz of attraction that just bubbled to the surface. He’d wondered if he paid more attention to it, if it might grow.
Huh. He didn’t want to look into a supposed attraction with a lonely widow who had three kids. That wasn’t his style or his usual preference. Talk about baggage.
Her kids were definitely cute, though.
Chris headed toward the garage with Jane to his right, slowing his pace so she could keep up with him. She held the hands of both of her little girls as they walked slowly along the graveled path.
The boy was hopping and skipping down the drive, and his arms stretched wide when he spotted the big red fire engine standing in the open stall of the garage. He broke out into a full run, going as fast as his little legs would take him, even though his mother called out for him to slow down.
“He’s pretty excited, huh?” Chris caught a flash of a smile, though she wouldn’t turn to look his way. Odd.
“That’s a major understatement,” Jane said. “He’s had a thing for large and loud trucks for a few months now.”
Chris took a few steps closer so he could hear her. Her melodic voice was low and sweet. “Would he want me to turn on the siren, then?”
She visibly flinched—he saw the twitch of her slim shoulders—and he immediately took a step back. “I’m not sure.”
“I don’t like sirens,” Lexi piped up, her voice flat.
God, he was an insensitive jerk. Of course they didn’t like sirens. He could only imagine what sort of memories the sound of them brought back, especially for Jane.
“He might like a quick honk of the horn,” Jane suggested, and he could tell she was trying to be polite for his sake.
“I could probably arrange that.” He sunk sank his hands in his front pockets, his boots crunching on the gravel sounding incredibly loud in the now awkward silence, and he glanced down at Jane Clark’s feet.
They were encased in lipstick-red leather flats, the hem of her wide-legged jeans flaring around them with her every step.
She wore a thick red cardigan that matched the shoes. But she was painfully thin—he could tell even with the bulky clothing on—and he figured she must be shy, since she would barely look at him.
Her little girls were shy, too. Well, the youngest walked and talked in a constant stream, but the older girl shot him the occasional skeptical look out of the corner of her eye.
She clutched her mother’s hand as if she would never let go and her mouth appeared to be sketched into a permanent scowl.
Such a sad, almost defeated expression on a pretty little face. She was much too young to look like that, Chris thought, and he suddenly wanted to make her smile, maybe even make her laugh. Immediately that became his goal before this tour was over.
“How long have you worked here?”
Jane’s question pulled him from his thoughts. “I’ve been in Lone Pine Lake for almost three years. I’ve been a firefighter with Cal Fire for eleven.”
“Wow, eleven years?” She sounded surprised.
“Second job I ever had, started the summer I graduated high school.” He shrugged. “Just never left. I love it.”
“I wanna get on the truck!” Logan yelled, hopping up and down as he stood in front of the engine.
“Hold on, bud. I’ll let you climb on up there.”
“You’ll help him, right?” They all stopped just behind Logan, and Jane stared up at the engine. She still hadn’t faced Chris. “Hold onto him and make sure he doesn’t fall?”
“Absolutely. I’ll take good care of him, ma’am.”
She breathed a heavy sigh and tilted her head slightly toward him, as if careful to keep her hair over the side of her face. “Please, call me Jane.”
He wondered why she wouldn’t look at him full on. Her slim fingers ran over her hair again and again, smoothing it over her left cheek before she finally turned to him.
And then he saw them, the faint edges of scars along the side of her face. Her hair hid most of it, but not all. Burn scars from the accident. Sympathy filled him and he wondered how badly she’d been burned, how much she’d been scarred.
“Well, Jane, I think I need to go check on your son before he climbs onto the engine all by himself.”
She smiled, though her eyes went a little wide. “He has no fear.”
“I was the same way when I was a kid.” He noticed her lips, the lush mouth coated in the faintest sheen of lip gloss.