As Drake walked out of the cheerily painted pediatric unit, Marly couldn’t help but watch him go. Those broad shoulders, that uniform, those dark forearms...Drake St. John was all man and all powerful.
But whatever fluttery feeling she got from being around him would just have to be ignored, because no way would she ever get involved with another man—especially one so sexy and powerful. That combination nearly killed her once before.
Chapter Two
Confident that the pretty nurse would notify him if Shawn or Amy needed anything, Drake felt a sliver of satisfaction. Marly, with her wide, chocolate doe eyes, may be leery of him, but he had to assume she’d keep her promise.
He mentally cursed himself for reaching out to her. Good Lord, she’d think he was some type of creep. But he’d seen fear spread through those beautiful eyes of hers when he neared, felt her stiffen beneath his touch.
Drake figured he intimidated her, which was a shame, but he couldn’t figure out why. Someone or something had hurt her. The protector in him wanted to keep her safe, as strange as that may sound, considering he barely knew her.
He also couldn’t figure out why he kept finding himself thinking about her when he’d leave the hospital. He’d seen her a total of three times—she was fairly new in town, according to all the chatter—but other than that, she was a total stranger he knew nothing about.
Well, he’d known when he’d stepped closer to her earlier that she’d smelled like strawberries; he knew she had a gentle, patient bedside manner; and he knew she was one of the most beautiful women he’d ever seen. With her long blond hair, dark eyes and creamy skin, Marly was a stunner, and he’d never even seen an ounce of makeup on her.
He’d not felt a pull toward another woman in over a year. Not since the day his fiancée had died. He never thought he’d feel for anybody again. In his defense, he’d even been on a couple dates since then, but nothing had ever come of them.
There was something pulling him toward Marly. Whether it was her underlying vulnerability or just the woman in general, he truly had no idea. But he knew he couldn’t ignore it, either.
Drake pulled from the hospital parking lot, but before he went to the station, he swung by the courthouse to check on the status of the budget. Granted, the official meeting was tomorrow, but Drake knew the good ol’ mayor already had some sort of clue as to what was going on.
Drake mounted the steps, waving to a few city workers as they exited the old historic building. Quickly making his way to the third floor, Drake went in and greeted the elderly secretary, who had been the smiling face of this office for the past forty years. No matter the mayor, Betty May Allen was the right-hand woman. That woman probably held more secrets than the Pentagon.
“Chief St. John.” She beamed, sliding down her reading glasses to dangle off the pearl chain. “What can I do for you?”
“Is he in?” Drake asked, nodding toward the closed door.
With the frosted glass and large block lettering, Drake couldn’t see.
“He is. You don’t have an appointment, do you?” she asked.
“No. I’ll just be a minute if he’s free.”
Betty May slid from behind her L-shaped desk and walked to the door, easing it open a crack. Her silver hair bounced as she nodded and spoke, but he couldn’t make out what she was saying.
Turning with her signature smile, Betty May gestured as she opened the door wider. “Go on in, Chief.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
Drake closed the door behind him as he took in the overweight, half bald, half comb-over man behind the large mahogany desk. The man looked every bit the part of a small-town mayor. Too bad he didn’t play the part like one.
“What can I do for one of my city’s finest workers?” Mayor Tipton asked, easing back in his chair hard enough to cause very questionable creaks.
Was it too much to hope the jerk would tip the chair too far and fall backward?
Gripping the back of the leather chair across from the desk, Drake leveled the man’s gaze, refusing to return the smarmy smile. “How’s the budget looking? Are we going to be able to bring my men back on board?”
Tipton blinked. “The budget meeting is tomorrow.”
Drake never did like a man who couldn’t just answer a question straight-out. And he’d certainly never liked this lazy, selfish mayor. He hadn’t voted for the man, and he sure as hell hated working under him.
“I’m sure you have some idea,” Drake said, clenching the chair and trying to rein in his patience, as he had for several months now. “My department is suffering, and because of that we were shorthanded on the fire at the Adkins’ residence on Sunday.”
“Yes, I heard all about that.” Mayor Tipton leaned forward, propping his flabby forearms on his cluttered desk. “I was told the young boy was severely injured.”
Drake swallowed the bitter truth as images of that boy lying beside his bed as flames licked all around his room consumed him. Drake had dragged the unconscious boy out, praying the entire time that he hadn’t been too late.
“The city simply doesn’t have the extra money,” the mayor was saying. “We had to cut somewhere, and unfortunately your department was one of the areas.”
Fury bubbled within him, and Drake knew if he didn’t leave he’d say something that may get him suspended. But he also wasn’t going to back down, not when he had dependable men who needed the income, not to mention men that worked harder in one shift than this mayor did in an entire year.
“Did you happen to look at cutting your own income? Or maybe the new landscaping in the park? How about those new streetlights that just went up around Main Street? None of that was ever considered? That little boy’s injuries lie directly on your head, not mine. I did my job... Can you say the same?”
Drake didn’t stop when the mayor pushed his pudgy frame away from the desk and stood. In fact, the idea of the mayor gearing up for the argument was rather amusing and fueled Drake even more. He was definitely teetering on a thin line here.
“Oh, I see where you’re coming from,” Drake said in his most condescending tone. Sarcasm had always been a strong suit for him and his brothers. “Why pay honest, hardworking men when we can make things pretty? I see that logic. Best to put lives in danger so we can have purple pansies and lantern-style streetlights.”
“You better watch yourself, Chief.” The mayor’s face was slowly turning red, his gobbler neck wiggling back and forth when he spoke. “You always were a smart-mouthed hellion.”
Ah, yes. The infamous St. John reputation he and his brothers had had to overcome in order to rise to their rankings in this small town.
Drake didn’t care if his character came into play here. He knew he was right and the mayor was flat-out wrong. Drake also didn’t care if Tipton got angry. Angry didn’t even cover what Drake felt when he thought of the moment he’d had to tell three of his men that they were no longer needed.
“A young boy is lying in the hospital with second-and third-degree burns to his arm and torso,” Drake went on, the image alone adding fuel to his anger. “We would’ve been able to get to him faster had all regular responders been available. We’re shorthanded, Mayor, and it’s time you realized just how dangerous those cuts have become. The guys left on staff are working overtime, and it’s not safe for them or the public to have them so exhausted.”
“I sympathize for the boy. The accident was tragic, but I am not to blame here. I have a job, just like you. I suggest you focus on that.”
A whole new level of rage slid through him. “Are you suggesting I didn’t do my job?”
With a slight shrug, the mayor merely stared across the desk.
Yeah, if he didn’t leave, Drake would get fired...at the very least, because the urge to punch the guy in the face was too strong. Fortunately Drake had self-control and actually cared about protecting the people in this town. That right there proved he’d overcome his rebellious days. Once upon a time Drake and his broth
ers would punch first and discuss later.
“One way or another, my men will come back to work,” Drake assured him. “Your term is almost up. Then we’ll see who really cares about the safety of the citizens.”
“Are you threatening me?”
With a slow grin, Drake raised his hands, palms out. “Just stating a fact. The voters will take care of you.”
And with that he walked out, nodding to Betty May, who was wide-eyed, no doubt hearing the heated encounter—not Drake’s first with the mayor, but perhaps the most hate filled.
Drake marched all the way back to his truck and slammed the door. Damn it. He had to figure out a way to get the city to allow him to hire his men back on. The men who were currently working were maxed out. They were tired and all feeling the extra stress...not good when lives were on the line every single day.
Drake clenched the steering wheel and stared out the windshield toward the old fountain in the distance at the park.
Andrea had loved that fountain. Had always said if she got married she’d do it there in the summer with all the beauty of the tall old oaks surrounding her.
Drake had every intention of giving her that dream. He’d had every intention of giving her everything she’d ever wanted.
But that dream had died in a fiery crash.
Starting the engine, Drake forced out the crippling images of that day. His counselor was right. Focusing on the past wouldn’t help him rebuild for a better future. And he knew that Andrea would want him to move on; she’d want him to live his life. Besides, he had a department he needed to fight for and a boy in the hospital he cared about.
Which brought him right back to the pretty nurse who seemed a bit skittish when he was around. Her beauty was rather shocking, and Drake hadn’t felt a physical pull toward anyone since Andrea. Which only made his mixed-up emotions even more confusing.
How could he find another woman so appealing in such a short time? Should he ask her out? He had to keep trying his hand at dating if he wanted to truly move on.
But Marly was afraid of something. Perhaps he should approach this on a friendship level, because Drake knew one thing. He had to find out what had put the shadows beneath her pretty eyes.
* * *
Marly was thankful her supervisor gave her a few hours off to chaperone Willow on the kindergarten field trip. Marly knew it was going to be tough to hold a full-time job and be the parent Willow needed, especially after removing Willow from the only home she’d known.
So far Willow was adjusting perfectly, and today’s field trip to the fire department was all her sweet little five-year-old could talk about this morning.
Marly left work early and pulled into the department lot just after the bus did. It didn’t take long for Marly to zero in on the chief, and she cursed herself for instantly seeking him out.
Drake stepped up to the open doors of the bus and greeted the kids with a wide grin as they bounced off the last step and raced across the lot to the closest shiny red truck. Another group of men in blue polos and matching pants herded the children to the grassy area, where they had them take a seat.
As Marly got out of her SUV, her eyes locked on the chief. She hadn’t seen him since that awkward moment in the hallway two days ago. He hadn’t popped in yesterday like he’d said he would, and she hated that she’d had a sliver of disappointment when her shift had ended and she hadn’t seen him.
Marly crossed the parking lot and headed toward the front of the bus to wait for Willow. Before she could spot her daughter, Drake raised his head. Even with his dark aviator sunglasses on, she knew he was looking right at her.
Sweltering heat from the late-summer sun did nothing to prevent the chills from racing through her. The instant reaction her body took to this man was unexplainable and unwanted. Yes, at one time she would’ve loved to have felt chills over the thought of a man like Drake looking at her, but that was years ago, before she’d married a monster.
Trusting her judgment now wasn’t the smartest move. She needed to regroup, build a solid life on her own before trying to appreciate a man like Drake. Her personal life would have to come later—much later.
Such a shame, though. She didn’t remember the last time a man had looked at her and made her feel anything but fear.
“Mama!”
Marly smiled as Willow came running up to her. “Come on.” Willow started tugging on Marly’s hand. “They’re going to let us squirt the hoses in a minute, and the teacher said we may get to climb inside a truck.”
Laughing, Marly allowed herself to be pulled toward the other smiling, wiggly kids. She passed by Drake, earning a devastating smile and a nod of his head.
“Marly.”
Unable to help herself, Marly returned his smile. “Chief St. John.”
Mercy. Just passing by the man and his spicy scent had Marly wondering where on earth her head had gone. Hadn’t she scolded herself already? Physical attraction wasn’t something she could indulge in. But just because she didn’t plan on doing anything about this sudden onslaught of emotions didn’t mean she couldn’t appreciate the view of such a spectacular man.
“I want to sit in the front,” Willow said, taking a seat beside a little boy wearing his school spirit T-shirt. “This is my friend Alan. Just stand over there with the other moms, but watch me when I squirt the hose. Okay?”
“All right, sweetie,” Marly agreed.
She stepped aside, but not too close to the other moms. She was only here to see her daughter, help if needed and snap some pictures of her baby’s first field trip. What she wasn’t here to do was make friends with other moms or spend her time fantasizing about Chief Drake St. John.
But as she watched him interact with the children, she found herself softening toward this local hero even more. The children all stared up at him with wide eyes as he projected his strong voice over the young crowd. They were his captive audience as he discussed how firefighters rescued people when they were scared and needed help.
Within moments he had donned full firefighting gear to show them how they may look scary, but all the equipment was to keep them safe so they could help others in danger.
That instant, Marly found herself drawn deeper into his world. Whether she wanted to or not, she was mesmerized and hung on his every word...just like the children.
Great. Now what? The emotions were there. No matter how she’d tried to dodge and deny them, they were in the forefront of her mind. So what on earth did she do with that revelation?
* * *
Drake absolutely loved this part of his job. He loved the interaction with the kids, enjoyed seeing their smiling faces as he explained the different tools on the different fire trucks; he even loved letting them play with the fire hose.
But today, all of that faded in the background. Marly had a child—a little girl who looked exactly like her. Once his initial shock wore off, he realized he was staring like a fool.
Drake wasn’t sure if he was more shocked at the fact she had a child or the fact she was smiling so widely, so beautifully. He’d not seen her so happy before. Of course, he’d only seen her in her element at work, caring for Jeremy.
The second he’d spotted her, his heart had tightened, but when her face had lit up at the sight of her little girl, Drake had literally felt that punch to the gut he’d heard his brother Eli talk about.
Now that the children had gone through their tour and were starting to line back up for the bus, Drake realized Marly had pretty much stayed in the shadows. He’d caught her snapping photos of her daughter, and now she was holding the little girl, kissing her on the cheek. Drake lurched forward. He couldn’t let an opportunity pass him by.
“Would you like a picture together?” he offered.
Marly’s head whipped around. “Drake.”
“You know the chief?” Willow asked, wide-eyed and obviously impressed. “Why didn’t you say so? That’s the coolest!”
Drake laughed. “Maybe your mom coul
d bring you back sometime. I’m sure I can find time to take you for a ride in the fire engine.”
The little girl’s mouth dropped. “If you’re kidding, Chief, I’m gonna be sad.”
Drake couldn’t help but reach out and give a tug on one of her long blond ponytails. “I would never kid someone so eager to learn about firefighting. But you have to promise one thing.”
“Anything,” she squealed and wiggled in Marly’s arms. “What is it?”
“You won’t try to take my job once you learn all this stuff.”
He forced his eyes to stay locked onto the little girl, which wasn’t a hardship because she was so adorable. But he could feel Marly’s gaze on him, and he wanted to turn and see those dark eyes of hers.
“I promise, Chief,” the little girl assured.
“Call me Drake.” He held out a hand for her to shake. “And your first name is?”
Her tiny hand slid into his and she squeezed. “Willow.”
“Nice to meet you, Willow. Your bus is loading, so how about I take a picture of you and your mom in front of the station so you guys can always remember this day?”
“Oh, Drake, you don’t have to,” Marly protested.
He cut his gaze to hers; thankfully he’d removed his sunglasses so he could see her with no barrier. “I know I don’t have to. I want to.”
Marly smiled as she handed over her phone. “In that case, we’d love a picture.”
Drake made sure he took a couple. He knew from experience that most women wanted options. Sweet Willow, with her golden pigtails, gave her mommy a big hug and scrambled down to race to the bus.
Marly waved goodbye and turned to Drake. “Thank you. You’re really good with children.”
Shrugging, Drake rested his hands on his hips. “Kids are great. You just have to know how to treat them.”
A shadow passed over Marly’s eyes. “Do you have kids?” she asked, raising her arm to shield the sun from her eyes.
He thought of Andrea, of the dreams they’d had. The family they’d planned.
“No,” he told her. “I’m an uncle to a beautiful baby girl, but none of my own yet.”
The Fireman's Ready-Made Family Page 2