by Lynn LaFleur
“Seriously?”
“Enough to bring them here to the hospital.”
Hearing that some of the local heroes had been hurt made Rayna want to hunt down a set of scrubs to wear and jump in to help.
“I’m going back to Parker Place and see how things are going,” Mattie said. “Clay said I could go in the house and get some personal items once the fire is completely out.”
“Clay?”
“Clay Spencer. He’s our fire chief.”
The mention of Mattie’s personal items clicked in Rayna’s brain. “Do you have a place to stay tonight? I have a room at The Inn on Crystal Creek. You can stay with me.”
Mattie smiled. “Thanks, but I’m going to my sister and brother-in-law’s house for a couple of nights.” Her smile faded. “I don’t know where Grace will go when she gets out of the hospital. I have no idea how long it will take to repair her house.”
Rayna hadn’t planned to stay any longer than it took for her to be sure her grandmother would be all right. With the fire causing damage to Nana’s house, she might have to extend her visit. “I’ll take care of getting Nana settled. She’ll be here for at least two more days. That’ll give me time to make a plan.”
“Okay.” Mattie glanced at her watch. “It’s almost midnight. I’m going back out to check on the fire department’s progress.”
“Call me and let me know.”
“Will do.”
Mattie turned as if to walk away, then faced Rayna again. “You should call Coleman Construction for the repairs. They’re the best. They do a great job and won’t cheat you with inflated prices like some companies would do in a disaster.”
“Coleman Construction. They’re here in Lanville?”
Mattie nodded. “I can get the phone number for you.”
“I’ll find it. Thanks, Mattie.”
Rayna returned to her grandmother’s room to find Nana fast asleep, a contented, peaceful look on her face. She reached to press the button to lower the bed’s head, but stopped. Worried the movement might wake Nana, Rayna left the bed in the current position. She gently tugged up the sheet and light blanket to her grandmother’s neck, kissed her forehead, and left the room.
Rayna followed the signs to the emergency room’s exit, where she’d parked her rental car. Several men and women milled around in the ER waiting area. None of them appeared hurt, so they must be waiting for loved ones who were receiving treatment.
The double doors to the ER swung open as she walked by them. She automatically turned her head that direction. The sight of a man walking toward her stopped her in mid step. She locked gazes with the last person in the world she expected to see.
Her ex-husband, Marcus.
If Marcus hadn’t known for sure that he’d received no head injury, he would swear hallucinations plagued him. Rayna stood in his path, no more than five feet from him.
He quickly glanced over her slim but shapely body. She wore a simple green blouse, brown slacks, and brown flats. Her straight, red hair brushed her shoulders. Her hazel eyes appeared huge. She had to be as shocked to see him as he was to see her.
So many emotions swirled through him at the sight of her—love, passion, anger, sadness, confusion, disappointment, pain—all caused by the lovely woman standing before him. Some feelings came from the past, some from the present. They all mixed together until he had trouble separating them.
He didn’t know whether to speak or ignore her. He settled on dipping his head once to acknowledge he’d seen her. She blinked a couple of times, then did the same.
Rye Coleman stepped closer to him. “Hey, Marcus, you okay?”
Tearing his gaze away from Rayna, Marcus nodded at his boss. “Yeah, just banged up my wrist a bit.” He cradled his left arm in his right hand. An Ace bandage wrapped around his left wrist. “I have to keep it iced and elevated for a couple of days.”
“You’re lucky it isn’t worse.” Dax, Rye’s brother, squeezed Marcus’s shoulder. “We’re glad you’re okay.”
“Thanks.” He looked from one brother to the other, but could still see Rayna from the corner of his eye. “Have you been out there?” he asked Rye.
Rye nodded. “We’ve already talked to a lot of people about repairs. Griff is at the office now, manning the phones. Even this late at night, it’s been crazy.”
“I’ll bet.” Coleman Construction stayed busy year round. As foreman, that meant Marcus stayed busy, too. He wouldn’t let a sprained wrist keep him from working. He lifted his left arm a bit higher. “This won’t stop me. No break, just a bad sprain. I can still order everyone around like I usually do.”
“Which is exactly what a foreman is supposed to do.” Rye smiled. “I know you can still bid jobs. Just don’t push it and pick up something heavy until that wrist is healed.”
Movement to his left had Marcus looking that direction. He watched Rayna walk through the waiting room and out the exit door.
Dax’s gaze followed Marcus’s. “Pretty lady. Do you know her?”
“Yeah. She’s my ex-wife.”
“Dayum. And you let her go?”
“I didn’t have a choice, Dax. She left me after …” Marcus’s voice trailed off, not wanting to say the words aloud why Rayna had decided to end their marriage.
Marcus could see in Dax’s eyes the moment the lightbulb went off in his head. “Oh, shit. This is July fourth. God, man, I’m sorry.”
“Technically, it’s now the fifth, but thanks.” Before Dax could say anything else, Marcus turned to Rye. “What time should I be at the office tomorrow?”
Rye gestured toward Marcus’s arm. “You said you’re supposed to ice and elevate your wrist for a couple of days.”
“I can do that and still work.” The expression on Rye’s face told Marcus that his boss was about to argue. Marcus quickly continued before Rye could. “I need to work, Rye. It helps me forget … things.”
Rye ran a finger over his moustache. “You promise to take breaks?”
“I promise.”
“Okay. Be there at eight. I’m sure you’ll have a shitload of work to do.”
“A shitload of work is exactly what I want.”
Marcus. Here. Rayna couldn’t believe her ex-husband lived in Lanville. But then, she shouldn’t be surprised. They had visited Nana here many times during their marriage and he’d often commented on how much he liked the small town. They’d lived in Irving, right in the middle of the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex, so visiting Nana had been like a vacation from the traffic and noise of the large cities. The hustle and bustle hadn’t bothered Rayna, yet Marcus preferred a quieter lifestyle.
His new lifestyle must include being a part of the volunteer fire department. She wondered if his toned, muscled body came from fighting fires. He’d always had a killer body, but now she’d describe him as buff. His golden brown hair had swirled over his ears and covered his nape, much longer than he used to wear it. His T-shirt and firefighter pants had been covered in dirt and smoke, but didn’t detract from his incredible good looks.
Her throat tightened as she started her rental car and headed for the bed-and-breakfast where she would stay for the next few days. Seeing Marcus brought back so many memories, both bad and good. She had been ridiculously in love with him. Walking down the aisle toward him on their wedding day had been the happiest moment of her life. She’d thought they’d be together forever.
Fate had other ideas. Just when they should have been the happiest, their joy had been snatched away from them on July fourth five years ago.
Rayna blinked back the tears before they had the chance to fall. Their divorce could have been prevented if only she’d had more courage. Facing the pain, the heartache … she hadn’t been able to do it. Seeing Marcus every day, blaming him for that pain and heartache, had slowly drained away any small amount of good left in her life. Her only choice had been a fresh start in a new city, a new state.
Away from the man she’d loved with all her heart and soul.
At least she wouldn’t have to see him again while she remained in Lanville. She would be busy with her grandmother’s house repairs and getting Nana settled again. She figured it would take only a few days for that to happen. Then she’d go back to her life in San Francisco.
Once again, she would run away and not look back.
3
“These are the calls that came in last night.” Griff Coleman handed a legal pad to Marcus that contained a list of twelve names and telephone numbers, along with the damages to each of those twelve names’ homes. “The last two are minor smoke and water damage. I already have a call in to the company we use in Fort Worth for fire and flood cleanup. Luckily, we haven’t had to use them much in the last few years. The rest of the houses on this list will need a lot more.”
Marcus scanned the list. The three houses that had been completely destroyed sat at the top of the list. Nothing could be done on those until the owners decided if they wanted their homes replaced as they had been originally built or if they wanted something different. The remaining nine listed damages from half the house burned to replacing a few roof shingles.
He looked a second time, but didn’t see Grace Simpson’s name. “Mattie didn’t call about Grace’s house?”
“No, not yet. The damage there wasn’t too extensive. Maybe Mattie decided to wait until this morning to call about repairs after she talks to Ms. Grace. Rye told me Ms. Grace had a mild heart episode and is in the hospital for some tests.”
Marcus’s entire body tensed to discover Grace was in the hospital. “Is she okay?”
“Yeah. Rye said he talked to Mattie while we were waiting to find out about you. Something about an exacerbation of a heart something.” Griff shrugged. “That’s all I know.”
Rayna’s grandmother being in the hospital had to be the reason he’d seen Rayna there last night. Grace’s condition must be more serious than anyone thought or Rayna wouldn’t have flown here from San Francisco. When she left Texas, she’d vowed never to come back to the state.
He made a mental note to visit Grace later today, after he figured out his schedule for calling the people on this list.
The other part of Griff’s comment didn’t make sense. The whole ceiling in Grace’s home collapsed on top of him. It had to have more than minor damage. “Wait. Wasn’t it Grace’s house that Nick and I went into last night?”
Griff shook his head. “No, her house is across the street from that one. The fire damage wasn’t as bad on her side.”
Relief swept through him that Grace’s home had been spared. “I guess I got turned around in the smoke. I thought her house had a lot more damage.”
“She was lucky. As were a lot of the folks in Parker Place. The remaining eight homes in the development didn’t receive any damage at all.” Griff glanced at his watch. “Speaking of Parker Place, I’m on my way there to help with the cleanup. Emma put out the word for help in preparing food for the workers. The kitchen at Café Crystal is full of volunteers. All the restaurants are chipping in to help.”
“I’ll go out there after I finish these phone calls—”
“You’ll do no such thing,” Griff said with a frown. “You’ll stay here and ice your wrist. No lifting anything heavier than an ink pen. Got it?”
“I want to help, Griff.”
Griff tapped the legal pad in Marcus’s hand. “You’re helping by taking care of the people on that list. That’s your main job now.”
“Yeah, okay.” Marcus knew helping people repair their homes had to be the highest priority. Still, he wished he could help physically at the site of the fire.
“Coffee’s fresh and Dax bought donuts before he went to Parker Place.” Griff picked up his cell phone from the desk, clipped it to his belt. “Make the appointments for whenever it’s convenient for these people.” He tapped the pad again. “Rye, Dax, and I will arrange our schedules to fit theirs. I’ve already talked to James Parker about postponing construction of the house we’re building now in Parker Place. He agreed without hesitation. Once we finish the repairs, we’ll start working on the new houses again.”
Hearing James hadn’t hesitated to put the new houses on hold didn’t surprise Marcus. A truly good guy, James had moved to Lanville a year and a half ago and soon fell in love with Teanna Caldwell, who helped run the local pharmacy. After James and Teanna married, they’d financed the new housing addition named Parker Place. Thirty-five homes would eventually fill the development … some rentals, some that people could buy. Coleman Construction had the contract to build all of them.
“Some of these people might not want to wait for us,” Marcus said as he studied the list. “They might hire another construction firm.”
“True, and that’s their choice if they want to do that. I don’t think they will, since they’ve already called us.”
“Y’all will have to hire more workers so we can take care of everyone without them waiting too long.”
“Mom will be in later to take care of placing ads for more help. You’re in charge of the hiring.”
Marcus blinked. “I am?”
Griff nodded. “Rye, Dax, and I talked about it this morning before they took off. We decided it’s time to give you more … managerial duties since you’re our foreman. Plus a few days here in the office will give your wrist time to heal the way it should. More duties mean more pay. You’ll see a raise in Friday’s paycheck.”
Completely surprised by Griff’s statement, Marcus didn’t know what to say. Even a small raise meant he could afford to finish the remodeling on his house quicker than he originally planned. He would enjoy walking through his home and seeing all the rooms finished and decorated. “I … Thanks, Griff.”
“Don’t thank me yet. You don’t know how hard we’re going to work you.”
“I’m ready.”
“Good.” He glanced around the office, as if making sure he hadn’t forgotten anything. “I’m heading out. Call my cell if you need me.”
“Okay.” Marcus held out his hand to shake. “Thanks again, Griff.”
Smiling, Griff accepted Marcus’s hand. “You’re welcome.”
Once Griff left, Marcus wandered to the break room and helped himself to an apple fritter and a large mug of coffee. He devoured a third of the fritter on his way back to the office. Laying it on a napkin on the desk, he wiped his hands on his jeans and sat down, prepared to begin making phone calls.
Before he had the chance to punch in the numbers of the first customer, the front door opened. He lifted his head to greet whoever walked in. The greeting died in his throat when he saw Rayna.
Her eyes widened the way they had at the hospital last night. Slowly, Marcus rose from his chair. He watched her close the door and take a few steps into the room. She’d come into the place where he worked. He couldn’t avoid speaking to her. “Hey, Rayna.”
“Marcus.” Her voice sounded hoarse, raspy. It reminded him of the way she’d said his name while on the brink of orgasm.
Don’t go there, buddy. That part of your life is gone.
“You work here?” she asked after clearing her throat. She must have heard the huskiness in her voice, too.
He nodded. “I’m the foreman.”
“Oh.”
While she glanced around the spacious, airy office, Marcus took the opportunity to let his gaze wander over her. She wore a simple olive green T-shirt, faded jeans, and white running shoes today. Ivory combs held her hair behind her ears. She looked every bit as stunning in the everyday clothes as she had last night in the silk blouse and creased slacks.
He didn’t know what to do, what to say. For someone who had no trouble talking to anyone, his tongue seemed glued to the roof of his mouth. All the confusing feelings he’d experienced last night came barreling back to swamp him … feelings he didn’t know how to handle.
He had to push everything aside and be professional in order to get through the reason for her visit. “I assume you’re here about Grace�
�s house.”
His statement seemed to shake her from her shock. “Yes. It suffered some damage from the fire last night. Mattie told me I should contact Coleman Construction.”
Marcus smiled at the thought of the young, cute brunette with the freckles scattered over her face. “Mattie’s a good kid. She takes great care of Grace.”
“Twenty-six is hardly a kid, Marcus.”
“Anyone younger than thirty is a kid to me.”
Her lips quirked in what Marcus could call a small smile, if he used his imagination. “You’re only thirty-three.”
“Some days I feel older than that. I guess that happens to everyone.” He motioned toward one of the two chairs before the desk. “Sit down. Let’s talk about Grace’s house.”
She peered into his mug before she sat. “Do you have any more of that coffee?”
“Sure. I’ll get you some.”
He found another ceramic mug in the break room’s cabinet and filled it with the hot brew. After splashing a generous amount of creamer in it, he peered into the cardboard box of donuts. Locating a chocolate-covered old-fashioned, he laid it on a napkin and headed back to the office.
“Here you go.” He set the mug and napkin on the desk in front of her.
Rayna stared at the donut and coffee for a long moment before looking back at him with a deer-in-the-headlights expression. “You remember how I fix my coffee and the type of donut I like?”
Marcus shrugged. “I remember a lot of things.”
Including one Sunday morning when he’d gone out early to pick up muffins and donuts. He’d brought them to Rayna in bed and proceeded to place pieces of a chocolate old-fashioned donut on her nude body. Starting at her neck, he’d eaten the pieces as he made his way down her silky flesh. After he finished the last crumb that he’d placed at the top of her pubic hair, he’d feasted on her pussy until she’d cried out from her climax.
She looked at the donut, then back at him. He thought he saw lust flash through her eyes as if she, too, thought of that morning. Or perhaps he imagined he saw lust. Maybe deep inside, he wanted her to remember the amazing sex life they’d shared and hurt the way he had at the loss of something so extraordinary.