Margaret Daley - Gold in the Fire

She started to switch on the engine and leave before anyone knew they were at the firehouse. Too late. Joshua waved from the door and strode toward her and her son.

“See, he’s expecting us,” Sean said.

Darcy wanted to hide. She felt the heat suffuse her cheeks as the man walked to the truck, a smile of greeting on his face. The first thing she thought about was the dusty jeans she wore and the old, worn shirt. Why hadn’t she changed before coming into town? And why did she care?

Joshua stopped on her side of the truck, his face framed in the window, only a few inches from her. She rolled down the window and forced a smile to her lips. “Is this a bad time to visit?”

Please let it be, she silently added, responding to his heart-melting grin. Her pulse accelerated.

THE LADIES OF SWEETWATER LAKE:

Like a wedding ring, this circle of friends is neverending.

GOLD IN THE FIRE (LI #273)

A MOTHER FOR CINDY (LI #283)

LIGHT IN THE STORM (LI #297)

feels she has been blessed. She has been married for thirty-three years to her husband, Mike, whom she met in college. He is a terrific support and her best friend. They have one son, Shaun, who married his high school sweetheart in June 2002.

Margaret has been writing for many years and loves to tell a story. When she was a little girl, she would play with her dolls and make up stories about their lives. Now she writes these stories down. She especially enjoys weaving stories about families and how faith in God can sustain a person when things get tough. When she isn’t writing, she is fortunate to be a teacher for students with special needs. Margaret has taught for over twenty years and loves working with her students. She has also been a Special Olympics coach and has participated in many sports with her students.

Before you start reading, why not sign up?

Thank you for downloading this Mills & Boon book. If you want to hear about exclusive discounts, special offers and competitions, sign up to our email newsletter today!

SIGN ME UP!

Or simply visit

signup.millsandboon.co.uk

Mills & Boon emails are completely free to receive and you can unsubscribe at any time via the link in any email we send you.

These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

—1 Peter 1:7

To Laura Marie Altom, a friend who helped me find where I belonged as a writer.

Thank you.

To Paige Wheeler, my agent, who has been a great support.

Thank you.

To Ann Leslie Tuttle and Diane Dietz, my two editors at Love Inspired, who have believed in me.

Thank you.

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Epilogue

Letter to Reader

Darcy O’Brien’s hands shook as she brushed her hair behind her ears. She stared down at her fingers, covered with soot, the black reminding her of the charred remains of the barn only yards away. The heat from the fire chased away the early-morning chill. Smoke curled upward from the darkened boards to disappear in the fog that had rolled in to encase her in a gray cocoon. But there was nothing protective and safe about her surroundings.

Eerie. Unearthly. Darcy shivered and hugged her arms to her.

“Ma’am?”

The sound of a deep, husky voice floated to her from the swirls of smoke and fog. Her eyes stung as she searched the yard. Emerging from the shroud of gray a man appeared, dressed in a black jacket with yellow strips and black pants. He removed his fire helmet and cradled it under his arm. Dark brown hair, damp from sweat, lay at odd angles. Black smudges highlighted the hard angles of his face and emphasized the blueness of his eyes. For just a moment Darcy thought of a warrior striding purposefully toward her.

“Yes, may I help you?” she asked, pushing away her fantasy.

“That man over there said you’re the one in charge.” The firefighter tossed his head in the direction of Jake, one of the grooms.

The idea that she was in charge weighed heavily on her shoulders, even though it was only for a few months. She straightened, ignoring the exhaustion that cleaved to every part of her. “Yes, I am.”

The firefighter stuck his hand out. “I’m Joshua Markham. I conduct the arson investigations for the department.”

“Arson?”

The strong feel of his handshake reassured her. For a few seconds she forgot the past couple of hours. Then she remembered pulling the frightened horses to safety, watching the barn go up in flames, the scent of burned wood heavy in the air. But mostly she remembered trying to persuade her father to return to the main house before he collapsed. That had been the hardest task of all.

“Yes, ma’am, it’s definitely a possibility. This is the third barn fire in the past few weeks.”

“Please call me Darcy. ‘Ma’am’ reminds me of my students.”

He moved away from the pile of blackened rubble. Darcy followed. When she looked back toward the barn, all she saw was the swirls of fog. The stench of smoke clung to the air.

“When it’s safe, I’ll bring in my dog. I’ll know more after I can take some samples and check the area out more thoroughly.”

“Dog?” Her mind refused to grasp the implication of what he was saying.

“He’ll be able to locate where the fire originated. We’ll pinpoint what the accelerant was. If it matches the other fires, we’ll know we have a serial arsonist on our hands.”

“Serial arsonist? But why here?”

Joshua shrugged. “There are countless reasons why someone sets a fire. Most are for some kind of personal gain, but occasionally we find a person who just likes to set fires and watch them burn.”

Darcy shuddered. Sweetwater was always such a quiet town, not like where she lived now. Even though there were nearly fifteen thousand people in Sweetwater, she still thought of it as a small, close-knit community.

“If it’s arson, there’ll be a thorough investigation.”

“Of course.”

“I’ll be looking into all the reasons why someone would set a fire. That includes personal gain.”

For a moment her mind went blank. Stunned, she couldn’t think of a reply.

“Just thought I’d let you know.”

“Why?”

“I know your father had a heart attack a few weeks ago. Shamus Flanaghan is a respected member of our community. I don’t think he had anything to do with this, but I still have to check out the possibility.”

“And you want me to cushion the blow?”

The corner of his mouth quirked. “Yes, ma—Darcy. I would appreciate it.”

“So in other words, you want me to help you with your investigation.”

Joshua plowed his hand through his damp hair. “Well, not exactly. I just don’t want to be responsible for causing your father further grief. But questions will have to be asked—and answered.”

“Then you can ask me. As of last week, I’m acting as the manager of this farm until my father gets back on his feet.” If she said it enough times, perhaps it would be true.