“He wouldn’t be the first. I had a buddy in high school who had an awful, demanding stepfather. The guy didn’t last six months, thankfully.”
“Maybe Keith needs someone to talk to. I’m going to see if he’ll talk to our male school counselor about his future plans. He’s a junior and needs to start thinking about the future.”
“I might try and catch him at the basketball court. I’d wanted to be on the basketball team but chose to focus on baseball and pitching instead. At the time, I wanted to be a major league baseball player.”
“What changed your mind?”
“I had to have surgery to repair my rotator cuff in my pitching arm. I sat out for the last half of the season in my senior year. I started thinking about a backup occupation. I wanted to make a difference in people’s lives. One of my neighbors where I grew up was a firefighter, and I had a lot of respect for him. He’s now the fire chief in the department. I have the privilege of working for him. That and Granny are the two reasons I returned to Cimarron City.” Quinn stopped in front of Serena’s house.
“I’m going outside and board up my fence. I don’t want Susie getting out of the yard again when we find her.”
Quinn grinned. “I like your positive thinking.”
“I’m clinging to it.”
“Do you have any wood?”
“Yes, I actually have a couple of boards left over from when the fence was put up.”
“I’ll put Brutus in my yard and then help you. After that, our neighbors should be coming home.”
Serena headed for her front door. “See you out back in a few minutes.”
As she let herself into her house, she heard scratching—at her kitchen door? She wasn’t sure. She rushed down the hall. The sound of yelping erupted, and she increased her pace. Susie?
When she thrust open the rear door, Susie stood on two legs against the screen. Serena carefully encouraged her poodle to back away. Then in seconds, her lost dog was in her arms.
Tears flowed down Serena’s face. She looked up and saw Quinn coming around the corner of her house. His steps slowed for a few seconds. Then a smile reached deep into his eyes, and he hurried to her.
“Where was she?”
“At the door trying to get inside.”
“You didn’t see where she came from?” Still grinning, Quinn stroked the poodle.
“No. How about back through the hole in the fence?”
“I guess. Let’s get it fixed, so she doesn’t run away again,” he said over Brutus’s howling.
Susie wiggled, and Serena put her down on the patio. Her pet shot across the yard, running up and down the fence barking.
“I’d better go bring Brutus over here. Okay?”
“Yes. While they have their reunion, we can fix the fence.”
When Quinn brought his Great Dane into the yard, the reunion of the two dogs was sweet. Brutus first smelled Susie then lay down and licked her while she snuggled against him.
Serena took out her cell phone and snapped a picture of the pets. “Precious.”
“I’ll go get your extra boards. I brought over my hammer and nails.”
“Through the kitchen to the garage. They’re against the left wall.”
While he was gone, she took several more pictures. Brutus and Susie were definitely the odd couple.
After Quinn returned, they crossed to where the hole was in the corner hidden by bushes. First, he pried the damaged board away, giving them a clearer view of Blaine’s yard and home.
Serena stared through the gap. “Their back door is standing open. Maybe she was inside. Do you think Susie escaped that way?”
“Maybe or she’s been somewhere else and climbed back over the fence.” He took the plank and nailed it to the fence support. “At least now the hole has been taken care of.”
“Yes, and Susie’s back. I prayed for her to be returned. She’s been my confidant and made the move here so much better.”
Quinn strolled toward the patio. “That’s the way I feel about Brutus. When you’re alone, it’s nice to have someone to talk to.”
“Tomorrow, after school, can I bring Brutus over here to stay with us overnight? There’s no reason for him to be alone the whole day. I can put him in your backyard before I leave for school on Friday.”
He glanced at his dog contently cuddled with Susie. “I don’t think you’ll get any objections from him.”
“Good. Susie will be happy. But I hope she learned her lesson about escaping.”
“If that was what she did.”
“You think it still might be a prank?”
“I don’t know, but it is an option, which means Blaine might have been involved.”
“He has problems, but he works at a vet’s office.”
“You still need to consider him.”
“I’ll talk to him tomorrow. I don’t think he would do it, but I could see him playing a prank.”
Quinn stopped near his dog and patted the side of his leg. “Brutus, come here.”
Serena had seen the Great Dane move quickly. This wasn’t one of those times. She chuckled. She scooped up Susie. “I don’t think I’ll have a hard time getting him to come over tomorrow afternoon.”
He chuckled. “I agree. Good night.”
As she entered her house and locked the door behind her, she thought about how the day had started. The end, thanks to Quinn’s help, was one hundred percent better. For the first time in years, she felt she’d be able to put her past behind her and live a full life. The only dark spot was having to deal with Blaine tomorrow and possibly having to talk to his parents.
After the emotional rollercoaster, exhaustion assailed Serena. She fed Susie then microwaved a frozen dinner and ate it. She went to bed because she needed to get to school early tomorrow to catch up from being gone today. When Susie snuggled against her, she picked her up and held her against her chest.
Lord, thank You. Even though, I don’t know if someone took Susie or if she wandered off on her own, she’s back where she belongs. You give me hope. Again, thank You.
Serena lay down and let the fatigue take over…
Until Susie’s barking wrenched Serena from a sound sleep.
Chapter Nine
Serena will thank me when she finds out I rescued Susie. I’m the one who can make her happy—no one else. And the one who hurt her will pay for his mistake. I can’t let him get away with stealing her dog.
I’m not gonna make the mistakes I made in Mobile. I’ll win her over. Once she knows how much I love her, she’ll be with me willingly. But if she resists, I’ll have to teach her a lesson. I can always take Susie away—or anyone she cares about. I need to remind her of that.
Chapter Ten
Foggy with weariness, Serena struggled to sit up and saw the faint shadow of Susie on a chair near the window. The room was brighter than usual at this time. Serena switched on the lamp on her nightstand, illuminating the room. Yelping, Susie faced the curtains. A stream of light through a narrow slit was the source of brightness in the dark.
Serena flung back the covers, jumped out of bed, then rushed to the drapes and shoved them open. Flames devoured the upper floor of the house behind hers. Blaine’s home. The sight paralyzed her for a few seconds.
The ringing of her doorbell jerked her into action. She grabbed her cell phone and dialed 9-1-1 as she hurried to the foyer. While she leaned forward to look through the peephole, she reported the fire.
Relief fluttered through her at the sound of sirens filling the air. She threw open the door and flung her arms around Quinn. “The fire department has arrived. Should I do anything? Are we in danger?”
“If the wind shifts, our houses could be. We need to water down our roofs and be ready to stop any sparks that land in our yards. I’ll be back after I alert your other neighbor.”
As he left, she shut the door and hurried to change into sweatpants and a T-shirt then headed to the backyard to spray water on her roof.
&nb
sp; Quinn joined her. “I alerted the Stones. I’ll take care of my place then be back. If the wind doesn’t pick up and stays the way it is, I’m going around to the fire. We’ll be all right.”
“I’m coming with you. Blaine lives there, and I want to make sure he’s okay.” Even if he was the one who took Susie, he didn’t deserve this.
After she drenched everything she could think of, she locked up her house and walked over to Quinn’s. The gate was unlocked. She made her way into the backyard as Quinn finished soaking down what he could.
He approached her. “Thank the Lord the wind is calming down totally.”
Serena looked at the fire consuming Blaine’s home, and tears blurred her vision. She would need to be strong for her student and his family. She’d never met his parents and wished it wasn’t under these circumstances.
Quinn set a fast pace, and within minutes, they arrived on the street behind them. A crowd gathered in the road and across from Blaine’s home while the firefighters attacked the fire.
Quinn stared at the burning structure. “I’m going to talk to a couple of guys and take pictures.”
“Pictures? Why?”
“If this is arson, pictures can help tell the story.”
Serena scanned the people. “I don’t see Blaine.”
Quinn looked around. “I’ll see what’s going on.”
“I don’t know what his parents look like.”
Quinn gestured toward a couple near the front of the crowd, huddled together with a stunned look on their faces. “I bet that’s them.”
“I’ll see. Thanks.” Serena weaved her through the throng until she stood next to the man and woman Quinn had indicated. From their expressions, she knew he was right. “Mr. and Mrs. West?”
The guy swiveled his attention to her. “Yes.”
“I’m Serena Remington, one of Blaine’s teachers. I live behind you. Where’s Blaine?”
Mrs. West closed her eyes and pressed her face against her husband’s chest.
Anguish carved deep lines into the man’s face. “The firefighters are searching for him. The fire started upstairs where his room is. He’s the only one that stays up there since his older brother went to college two years ago.”
Blaine might be inside! The thought stunned her. Stress churned her stomach into a hard knot. Please, Lord, keep Blaine safe. Beyond those words, she didn’t know what to do, yet she wanted to be kept busy. Then she might not think about the fire that killed her stepfather.
She stayed by his parents and watched the flames spreading from the left and right sides inward. And no matter what she tried to think about, she always came back to over nine years ago. She’d been staying at a friend’s place that weekend while her mother worked nights at the hospital. That was usually when her stepfather would drink. He was a mean drunk. And at seventeen, she couldn’t wait to leave home, but she couldn’t without her mom. She’d always felt guilty for being relieved that he’d died. She and her mom were free for a short time until…She shook that memory away. She never could forgive the man who made her life miserable even though she knew she should. It only hurt her in the long run.
“They’re bringing Blaine out.” Mrs. West ran toward the two firefighters carrying her son.
Mr. West followed his wife, and Serena wanted to, but paramedics and a police officer surrounded the teenager, trying to help him. Seeing Blaine move heartened Serena, but how much smoke had he inhaled? Most people died from smoke inhalation, not burns.
The EMTs loaded Blaine into an ambulance. Mrs. West rode with her son to the hospital while Mr. West stayed back.
Serena approached him. “Do you need a ride to the hospital?”
“No. My car’s parked on the street.”
“How’s Blaine?”
He stared at the fire. “I don’t know.”
She looked at the second floor nearly gone now. “Where did they find him?”
“Passed out on the staircase. The top part was on fire. We had an escape plan, and by the time I realized he wasn’t at our designated place, it was too late to go back inside.”
Mr. West’s stunned expression coupled with his shaky voice prompted her to say, “I’m going to take you to the hospital. I don’t think you should be driving.”
“We’ll need a way home.” He swallowed hard several times.
Serena caught Quinn’s attention and motioned for him to join them.
“This is Blaine’s father, Mr. West. Quinn Taylor is an off-duty firefighter.” Serena explained the problem to Quinn. “Would you drive Mr. West to the hospital in his car while I go home and get mine? Then I’ll come pick you up at the ER entrance.”
Quinn nodded. “I’m sorry about your house. I’ll drive you.”
“I only talked briefly to a police officer and firefighter. They’ve had their hands full getting the fire under control. Do I need to stay here?”
“Mr. West, I’m one of the arson investigators for the fire department. While I drive you to the hospital, we can talk, and if I have further questions, I can discuss them with you tomorrow. Right now, you need to focus on your son.”
The man’s eyes grew round. “You think this is arson?”
“I don’t know. That’s what I have to determine about each fire. Some are plainly an accident. Others aren’t.”
Mr. West dropped his head and kneaded his fingers into his forehead. “Oh, no! My son likes to light candles in his bedroom. What if…” His quavering voice faded into silence.
“Don’t worry about that. Accidents can happen. The good news was Blaine managed to get partway down the stairs before the whole floor was destroyed. Do you have your car keys?”
Mr. West nodded.
“Good. I’ll tell the fire captain that I’m taking you to the hospital.”
Again Mr. West nodded as though he couldn’t think of anything else to do. Then he gave Quinn the keys to his car. “It’s the white sedan right in front of the house.”
“Be right back. Serena, I’ll drop you off at your place, so you can get your car.” Quinn jogged toward two firefighters.
“I’ll let the school know what happened and that Blaine is in the hospital. You won’t need to worry about that,” Serena told Mr. West.
“I appreciate it. I’m not even sure what I need to do.”
“That’s understandable.”
Quinn stopped Mr. West’s car next to Serena. “Let’s go. The captain said the fire’s under control. Right now, don’t worry about this. I live next door to Serena whose house is right behind yours. I’ll keep an eye on your property.”
Mr. West opened the front passenger’s door. “Thank you.”
Serena sat in back, staring at the crowd as they drove away. She saw quite a few neighbors on her street watching the fire, including Mr. and Mrs. Stone as well as the guy she’d met that lived next door to the West family earlier that day.
When Quinn pulled into her driveway, she hopped out of the car and strolled to her porch. He didn’t leave until she was inside. In a short time, Quinn had become a good neighbor and friend—and if she was truthful with herself, he’d become a man she was interested in beyond friendship.
On her drive to Cimarron City Hospital, she prayed that Blaine would recover. The teenager had a lot of angst to deal with, similar to other kids she’d dealt with. She parked in the lot near the emergency room entrance. She found Quinn leaning against the wall near the sliding glass doors.
He smiled and cut the distance between them. “Mr. West is with his family.”
“Do they know anything about Blaine’s condition?”
“Most likely smoke inhalation. They’re doing blood tests and a chest X-ray to see how severe it is. Blaine’s in good hands.”
“I’m glad we went around to the West family.”
“So am I. On the ride here, Mr. West told me the fire rapidly spread. He thought it started in more than one place upstairs. When he escaped outside, he looked at the house. Both ends of his second
floor were consumed with fire and spreading toward each other. I’ll interview Blaine and Mrs. West later. Drop me off at their place. I still have work I can do.”
“You’ve been on the job only a few days, and there have been two fires.”
“Yeah, two suspicious ones.”
She stopped at a place at the end of the block because fire trucks still blocked the street where the Wests lived. “I’ll take care of Brutus after work tomorrow.”
Quinn leaned toward her and pulled her closer to him. His mouth hovered over hers for a few seconds before he covered hers in a deep kiss that left her quivering. “Thanks.”
He exited her car, but she didn’t leave right away. Instead, she watched him walk toward the burnt house, smoke still filling the air although the flames appeared to be under control. She ran her fingers over her lips.
Quinn Taylor was special. But what if her stalker had found her. Would Quinn be his next target?
Chapter Eleven
He kissed her!
I’ve had it! I spent years looking for her again, and she still doesn’t know how to pick the right man.
I balled my hands at my sides, resisting the urge to pound that firefighter’s face until no one could recognize him. I dragged a deep breath into my lungs. Then another. I have to remain calm and decide what I should do next: kill Quinn Taylor or disappear with Serena.
Or both.
Chapter Twelve
Quinn stared at the remains of the West house that had burned last night. The far sides of the second floor collapsed to the first floor with the staircase in the middle still partially intact, leading to nowhere. Before Brutus could do his job, Quinn headed to the charred remains of the structure to make sure it was safe for his dog to search for the source of the fire. From the looks of the place, there were most likely two ignition points on the upper level. He hoped that Brutus could pinpoint where the fire started from what fell to the first floor. If Quinn learned the accelerant, it would possibly help in discovering the arsonist.
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