Loree Lough - The Firefighter's Refrain

He’s a man who wants it all...if only he could have it

Dreams of stardom took musician and firefighter Sam Marshall far from his Colorado roots. Starting fresh in Nashville hasn’t been easy, especially after an injury on the job, but he’s working his way to the Grand Ole Opry one open mike at a time, teaching at the fire station to make ends meet. Yet Sam’s intentions are shaken when he meets the lovely owner of a local café. Suddenly, Sam’s dreams are filled with her. Too bad that as the daughter of country-music wannabes, Finn Leary’s been there, done that. She’ll never choose a musician. So how can Sam possibly get the girl and keep the guitar?

With his fingertip, Sam traced the contour of her jaw.

“You can do anything, remember?”

Finn held her breath; the last time he’d looked at her this way, he had kissed her. Or had she kissed him? Not that it made any difference. Standing in the circle of his strong arms, she’d felt vulnerable and safe and more womanly than she ever had before...all at the same time.

And because it scared her, she’d tried putting some distance between them to figure out if she could trust him. Until this moment, looking into eyes lit with kindness and caring—for her—she hadn’t considered the possibility that he might be battling the same fears.

“Thanks, Sam,” she said, taking a half step closer.

“For what?”

Finn shrugged, wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his chest, hoping the gesture would be answer enough. She wasn’t ready to say the words out loud.

At least, not yet.

Dear Reader,

Close your eyes for a moment and picture your first crush. Call to mind the way it felt, knowing you were falling in love with him—and had no idea how to admit it. If you’re like me, you were terrified. What if you put your heart out there and he rejected it! Far better to keep your feelings hidden.

Then one night, perhaps he tenderly tucked your hair behind your ears, or confessed that he couldn’t talk to anyone the way he could talk to you, or kissed you as you’d never been kissed before, and you thought, This, this is the time! But when he looked surprised and uncomfortable instead of happy, you faced a whole new challenge: hiding your disappointment and heartache long enough to get home, where you could cry yourself to sleep.

Remarkably, your second crush came along, and yet again, your heart drummed with the sweet beats of new love. But this time, you were older and wiser: Why risk a repeat performance of that agonizing moment by blurting out “I love you”?

That’s pretty much the dilemma faced by the main characters in The Firefighter’s Refrain.

Finn Leary has learned the hard way that living by the saying “better to love and lose than never love at all” is dangerous and reckless. Sam Marshall, the product of a big, loving family, believes the exact opposite, and his impatience with her guarded behavior threatens to end them before they can begin.

Thankfully, we needn’t remain prisoners of the past. My wish for you, dear reader, is that you’ll open every dark corner of your heart to the possibility of love.

Hugs from me to you,

Loree

www.millsandboon.co.uk

LOREE LOUGH once sang for her supper. Traveling by way of bus and train, she entertained folks in pubs and lounges across the United States and Canada. Her favorite memories of days on the road are the hours spent singing to soldiers recovering from battle wounds in VA hospitals. Now and then she polishes up her Yamaha guitar to croon a tune or two, but mostly she writes. With over a hundred books in print (sixteen bearing the Harlequin logo), Loree’s work has earned numerous industry accolades, movie options, and four- and five-star reviews, but what she treasures most are her Readers’ Choice Awards.

Loree and her real-life hero split their time between Baltimore’s suburbs and a cabin in the Allegheny Mountains, where she continues to perfect her “identify the critter tracks” skills. A writer who believes in giving back, Loree donates a generous portion of her annual income to charity (see the Giving Back page of her website, loreelough.com, for details). She loves hearing from her readers and answers every letter personally. You can connect with her on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

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.

This story is dedicated to firefighters everywhere, and to the committed instructors who prepare them for the dangers they’ll face every day of their lives.

It’s also dedicated to songwriters, singers and musicians whose tenacity makes the world a better place with every note they produce.

Last, but certainly not least, this novel is dedicated to Jesse Spencer, whose wholesome good looks and spot-on portrayal of a firefighter inspired the descriptions of Sam Marshall.

Acknowledgments

My thanks to Torry Martin, actor, author, comedian and all-around terrific guy, and Mark Ligon, singer and guitarist, who graciously consented to appear as themselves in this story.

A big thanks to all the friendly and knowledgeable people at the Nashville Chamber of Commerce. The list of individuals is too lengthy for the space allowed here, but you know who you are! Your input and guidance helped lend authenticity and realism to every street, shop and museum that makes Music City one of the world’s most sought-after tourist attractions.

My heartfelt gratitude, too, to my friends and family, for tolerating my crazy-weird schedule and putting up with countless recitations of “the exciting, fascinating stuff I learned” while writing this book.

I love you all!

Contents

COVER

BACK COVER TEXT

INTRODUCTION

Dear Reader

TITLE PAGE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

DEDICATION

Acknowledgments

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

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

CHAPTER THIRTY

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

EXTRACT

COPYRIGHT

CHAPTER ONE

SAM WROTE HIS name on the whiteboard, wincing when the dry-erase pen squeaked across the polished surface.

He recapped the pen. “Sorry, and I hate to admit it, but that happens all the time.”

“It’s because you’re left-handed,” said the student sitting nearest the door. “Left-handers hold things...weird.”