Shirley Jump - The Firefighter's Family Secret

“Spoken like an expert.” Rachel grinned.

“True.” Melissa laughed. Her friend was always running her kids here there and everywhere, rarely finding enough time to go shopping or get her hair done. “I’m just as bad. The way I see it, all us kettles and pots need to stick together, since we’re all in the same boat.”

That made Rachel burst out laughing. “That is the worst mash-up of trite phrases I’ve ever heard.”

“Hey, everyone has to have a special skill.” Their food arrived, and while they ate, they exchanged small talk about Melissa’s kids, several friends they had in common and the hardware store.

A little while later, Melissa glanced at her watch and let out a sigh. “Sadly, it’s time for this pumpkin to hit the road. Maybe we can grab coffee later in the week? Two of the kids are in a summer camp, which means I actually have freedom. Or at least as much freedom as a mom with a baby strapped to her hip can get.”

“You love those kids and you know it.”

A sweet smile stole across Melissa’s face. It was the smile of someone in a secret club, one where only those who had children knew the password and the handshake. For a second envy rolled through Rachel. How she wanted the same for herself, for her own life. Considering she wasn’t even dating, never mind married, that kind of thing was going to have to wait. Besides, she had enough on her plate, as Melissa had said, with her father and trying to run his business, while also stealing a minute here and there to keep her own afloat.

They paid the bill and walked outside together. The fireman was nowhere to be seen, and Rachel told herself she wasn’t disappointed. But she was.

Melissa gave her a tight hug. “Promise me you’ll take time for yourself this week,” she said.

“I don’t have—”

“You do,” Melissa said. “If I have five minutes for a little girl time and an extra-long shower, then you can find a couple hours to go out to dinner with a hot fireman.”

“How do you know I want to go out to dinner with Colton?”

“I may be a tired, worn-out mommy and a wife who hasn’t had a conversation with my husband in months that hasn’t been interrupted by someone puking or yelling, but even I can still recognize interest when I see it.” Melissa gave her a hug. “Life is a train, Rachel. You gotta reach out and grab on for the ride before you miss it entirely.”

Chapter Three

Scrambled eggs.

Who would have thought all three of the Barlow boys sitting in a booth at the Good Eatin’ Café would have the exact same taste in breakfast? Two eggs, scrambled, wheat toast, bacon, extra crispy. Luke, Mac and Colton had recited their orders then laughed when they parroted each other. Even Viv, the owner of the diner, couldn’t resist a chuckle. “Do you boys know that is the exact same breakfast your father orders when he’s here on Sunday mornin’? Y’all are a bunch of peas in a pod.”

Luke chuckled as Viv walked away. “Guess we have a lot in common,” he said to Colton. “Let me guess. Your favorite pizza is—” he put a finger to his lips and feigned thought “—pepperoni.”

Mac gave Luke a gentle slug. “Everyone loves pepperoni.”

“Well, everyone in our family does.” Luke arched a brow in Colton’s direction. Outside, rain began to fall in a curtain. In seconds the sunny day turned gray, and the pavement was speckled with fast-forming puddles. “Am I right?”

Colton grinned. “Yup. Though the real question, and the one that determines if we’re brothers is...” He glanced at Luke and Mac. “Red Sox or Yankees?”

“Oooh, them’s fightin’ words,” Luke said. “Everybody with a brain knows the Yankees are the only team worth cheering for.”

Mac scoffed. “And that’s why I’m the smart one. The Red Sox are the best ball team. Hands down.”

Luke and Mac turned to Colton. “Fess up. Which one do you root for?”

Colton started to answer when the door to the diner opened and Rachel walked in. She was wearing a pale yellow sundress and her hair was tied back in a ponytail. She shook off the rain, brushing the drops off her bare arms. Even damp from getting caught in the storm, she looked...fun. Like something he’d been looking for and didn’t know he wanted to find until he saw it. “I’ll be back in a second.”

He heard his brothers’ laughter as he left the table and went over to Rachel. She was just slipping onto one of the counter stools when he reached her and dropped into the empty seat beside her. “Good morning.”

She turned to him with a slight lilt of surprise in her brows and a smile toying with the edge of her lips. “Good morning. You seem to be everywhere I go lately.”

He put up his hands. “I swear, I’m not stalking you.”

She laughed. He liked her laugh. It was light, airy, sweet. “It’s okay. Sometimes living here feels like living in a circle. I run into the same people, at the same time, in the same places.”

“That’s the complete opposite of Atlanta. Outside of work, I rarely run into people I know. It’s kind of like being invisible.”

“And do you like that?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t lived anywhere else before. So I guess I don’t know what I really want or like in a place to live. I do know that it’s nice to be in a place where life is a little slower. I feel like I can...” He shook his head. “God, I’m going to sound all sentimental if I say this.”

“Say what?”

She seemed so interested that he figured even if he did sound like a total dork, it would be okay. “Here, I feel like I can stop and smell the roses.” He chuckled. “Seriously, I’m not normally this sappy. Must be the rain.”

“Or maybe Stone Gap is rubbing off on you. Before you know it, you’ll be taking the chief’s job offer and buying a house.”

“How do you know Harry offered me a job?”

“It’s a small town, Colton, remember?” She grinned. He liked her smile. Liked it a lot. A part of him ached to reach out and trace the sweet curve of her lips. “Word spreads, especially when there’s a hot eligible firefighter in town.”

He grinned. “You think I’m hot and eligible?”

A faint blush filled her cheeks. “Well, people think you are. That’s what I hear.”

He wanted to know if she was one of those people. If she wanted to kiss him even half as bad as he wanted to kiss her. He wanted to see her again, wanted to spend a long, lazy afternoon with her. He fished in his pocket and pulled out a coin. “Here,” he said, taking her hand and dropping it into her palm.

She gave him a grin. “What’s this for?”

“Prepayment for the twenty-five-cent tour of Stone Gap.”

Rachel laughed and started to hand back the coin. “That was just a joke. And I really am swamped right now. I don’t think I even have time for the nickel tour.”

He closed his hand over hers. “Keep it. And if a hole opens up in your schedule, I’d love to see Stone Gap from your perspective.”

Electricity arced in the space between them. It was only a quarter, and a simple touch of hands, but Colton could swear he felt the same current from her. Rachel’s eyes widened, and she glanced down at their joined hands, then pulled hers away. She didn’t try to give back the quarter again, and he took that as a good sign.

“So, you’re, ah, here with Luke and Mac? Is Jack still on his honeymoon?” she said as the waitress deposited a cup of coffee before her. Changing the subject, but still talking to him. Another good sign.

“Yes and yes. The three of us were grabbing breakfast.” He glanced over his shoulder at his brothers. Luke arched a brow and shot him a grin. Mac was busy on his phone, probably working.

If Colton lived here, he’d probably see the three other Barlow boys a lot more often. That would be nice. Real nice.