Page 27 of That One Heartbreak

“He just sees a buddy’s wife in trouble. And the last thing I need is a knight in shining firefighter uniform.” Kate passed the phone back to her right as Addy ran up to them, dirt smeared on the knees of her dress.

“Mommy, Sammie’s cat had kittens. Can we have one?” Addy asked, breathless from running from the bandstand.

Kate’s gaze met Shana’s. Her friend couldn’t disguise her mirth.

“No honey, we can’t. We don’t have time to have a kitten.”

Addy let out a sigh. “Thank goodness. I hate those things.” Then she ran off again, leaving Kate and Shana shaking their heads.

“See?” Kate said. “My life is chaos. I’m nobody’s catch.”

“Can I have a word?” Chief Riley asked as Marley passed his office. It was Wednesday evening. He’d come in to pick up a pair of running shoes he’d left in his locker, because his other ones got soaked running in the rain yesterday.

“Now? Sure.” Marley stepped into the Chief’s office. Even after two years it was strange being in here and not seeing Paul sitting behind the desk. He didn’t like it much, truth be told. A reminder that his friend was gone. That he wasn’t coming back.

“Take a seat.” The chief pointed at the chair on the other side of the desk. “I just wanted to talk to you about the Junior Firefighters.

Chief Riley had joined the firehouse a month after Paul’s death, and was the only salaried employee in the station. He was a lifelong firefighter, had worked through the ranks tobecome a captain in Charleston, the state capital, before coming to Hartson’s Creek. He was now a couple of years away from retirement. He was a hard man to get to know. He kept to himself, completely unlike Paul. And Marley didn’t always see eye to eye with the man, even though he tried to respect him.

It was almost six. Marley had planned on eating some dinner as soon as he got home, then giving it an hour to settle before he headed off on his run. He hoped this wouldn’t take long.

“Is there a problem with the juniors?” Marley asked.

Chief Riley lifted a brow. “I saw that James Connelly has officially joined. Do you think that’s a good idea?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Marley asked. And yeah, there was some defensiveness in his voice, because the juniors had always been his department. He ran it well. Had gotten commendations for it. And Paul had always let him manage it and handle it his own way.

“Because the kid could cause us problems,” the chief said, his voice low. “I heard he was involved in that incident over in the fields last week. Unstable firefighters – whether they’re juniors or not – aren’t what we need. I think you know that.”

“James isn’t unstable. He’s had a couple of rough years. We all want him here. For his dad.”

The chief blew out a mouthful of air. “Paul isn’t here anymore,” he said, as though Marley didn’t feel his absence acutely every time he walked into the station. “And yeah, maybe before he died his kid was different. But now? I don’t want him putting any of my men in danger.”

“He won’t.” Marley’s voice was tight. “I’m sure of it.”

“Are you? Because I’m not.” The chief shook his head. “Our resources are tight. We don’t have time to babysit a kid who can’t keep his urges under control.”

Annoyance rushed through him, but somehow he managed to keep it under control, thanks to years of being trained by Paulto manage his emotions. And yeah, he owed his dead boss. More than that, he’d made him a promise.

He intended to keep it. Whether the chief liked it or not.

“He’ll be fine,” Marley said firmly. “And I’m not babysitting him. I’m mentoring him. You saw him on Sunday. He did everything he was told to do in training. He’s already agreed to the litter cleanup after the fundraiser next Friday. Give the kid a chance to prove himself, that’s all I ask.”

For a moment the chief said nothing. Just stared at Marley, who kept his expression cool.

And then he let out a long sigh. “Okay. But if he messes up once, he’s out, understood?”

“Understood.” Marley nodded. “But he won’t. I’ll make sure of that.”

Kate was waiting for him when he ran past their house that evening. Sure, she was trying to hide it, acting like she was weeding the front yard, but the way she stood and walked over as soon as she saw him, coupled with the look of determination on her face made it a little too obvious.

He slowed down to a halt, all too aware of the sweat running off him. After the rain of the past few days the sun had come out with a passion. And even though it was setting now, the heat lingered like an unwanted lover, curling around his body and clinging on tight.

He lifted his hand to wipe his brow, watching her as she walked over. She was wearing shorts and a t-shirt, her hair pulled into a messy ponytail that made her look younger than she was. He remembered how thin she’d gotten in the monthsafter Paul died. She’d put a little of that weight back on, and it looked good on her.

She lifted a hand to pat her hair back into place. He noticed she wasn’t wearing gardening gloves. Nor were her hands covered in dirt.Interesting.

“Hi,” she said softly.

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