Betty placed a large, steaming bowl of stew and a side dish of fresh biscuits on the table.
“Is that for me?”
Jake turned. “Duffy?”
“Chief, you made it.” Duffy slid into a chair at the table and pulled the bowl close. “I got here early so I wouldn’t miss the first round of the buffet. I thought for sure you were going to be a no-show. You’re not much of a party person these days, are you?”
“I’m here, aren’t I, and who told you I’m not a party person?” he asked.
“Everyone knows that, Chief.” Duffy slowly broke a biscuit in half and reached for the butter. “Looks like you’re in your element, Mrs. Jones,” Duffy said, admiring the meal. “You know, serving an army makes your cheeks glow.”
“Oh, stop that sweet talk, you’ll get your pick of dessert without it.”
Duffy grinned.
The mayor of Paradise popped his head into the room. “Chief. Glad you finally made it to the party.”
“I’m here in an official capacity, Mayor.”
The mayor blustered and adjusted the collar of his shirt. “Why, so am I. I had to thank our newest citizen for her act of bravery. In fact, the town council has suggested naming her citizen of the year. We’ll put a picture of her up on a billboard. Right next to mine.”
“Oh, Maggie will love that,” Jake mumbled. “Where is she anyhow?”
Bitsy opened the oven and checked a casserole inside. “Maggie is in her office with a reporter from the Paradise Gazette.”
“What’s going on?” Jake asked.
“He’s been here for an hour or two getting an interview for a big article that will be in the Sunday Denver Chronicle as well as the Gazette. Even brought a photographer and all.” She deposited a stack of dirty plates into the sink and turned on the water.
“I thought Maggie was allergic to newspapers.”
“Ask her,” Bitsy said.
The back door of the kitchen opened and Beck Hollander stepped inside.
“Beck?” Jake said.
Bitsy turned around. “I invited Beck. He’s spoken to Maggie already. We set up a meeting to discuss the summer fire-safety day. Beck will be going door-to-door for us per your instructions. In fact, he’s promised to work for the auxiliary until school starts. Whatever we need him to do. Right, Beck?”
Beck mumbled and stared at his sneakers.
“Excuse me, son?” She nudged him along.
“Yes, Ms. Harmony.”
“Isn’t that nice?” Bitsy asked.
“If you run out of things for Beck to do, send him over to the firehouse.”
“I’ll do that, Jake.” Bitsy winked at Jake and grinned, pleased with herself.
Sam Lawson wedged his way into the kitchen.
He glanced from Duffy to Jake and then to the stew. “I thought you said there was a ruckus here. Looks like a party to me. But that can’t be. You don’t do parties, do you, Jake?”
”Who started that rumor?” Jake muttered.
“A ruckus?” Betty Jones asked.
“I don’t see any ruckus here,” Mack chimed in.
“I’m not sure,” Sam said. “Maybe that wasn’t what Jake said that Bitsy said. It was third-party information, which is highly unreliable to start with. It’s entirely possible that I might have gotten everything wrong.”
Bitsy turned to Jake. “I was simply giving him the report.”
“Whose report?” Jake asked.
“I told you it was called in anonymously.”
Jake’s gaze pinned Bitsy. “You could have just asked me to come over.”
“Already tried that.” Her expression clearly said he should have been there a week ago.
“I’ll have you know that I planned to come out tonight. In fact I brought Maggie something,” Jake said.
“Oh?”
“It’s in the truck.”
Bitsy gave a half smile as she assessed him. “I’m sorry, Jake,” she said. “Then I guess I underestimated you.”
“Happens often enough around here,” he mumbled.
“Ready to eat?” Sam asked.
Jake looked to Sam. “Yeah, let’s grab a plate. I’m not seeing any ruckus and if I close my eyes, I don’t even see any code violations.”
Sam grinned. “I was hoping you’d say that. Ed called me and told me that he’d saved me a brownie.”
The door to Maggie’s office opened, and all heads turned. The reporter stood back as Maggie walked out.
Maggie never looked so lovely. There was still a small bandage on her temple and she sported a shiner that covered most of the area around her right eye, as Jake had predicted. Her hair floated around her face, causing him to readily remember removing glass from the light brown strands. The long-sleeved blouse she wore hid most of the dressing on her arm.
The reporter said something close to her ear and Maggie laughed; the effect lighting up her face. Without warning, a stab of jealousy sliced though Jake. It was much more painful than he could have ever anticipated.
Maggie had come out of this whole ordeal changed, as evidenced by the peace and confidence she radiated. “Jake,” Maggie said, surprise and pleasure in her voice.
“I’ll call you, Maggie,” the reporter said as he left.
Maggie nodded vaguely, her eyes still on Jake.
Looking at the strapping younger man, Jake suddenly felt very old. Too old to be playing games of the heart. Way too old to be experiencing jealousy.
“Hello, Sam, Duffy,” Maggie said. “Sam, you need to grab a plate.”
“I agree,” Sam said. “Maybe even two.”
Maggie laughed. “Multitasking. Good idea. Jake, aren’t you going to eat?” she asked.
“You know what? I am hungry,” Jake said. “I guess I could hang around a while.” He smiled at Maggie, suddenly realizing that once again, Bitsy was right. He should have been here a week ago.
* * *
By the time Jake downed his second helping of stew with at least four more biscuits, the first bolts of lightning streaked across the night sky. Bitsy had insisted Maggie sit down and eat with Jake. A wave of exhaustion rolled over her as she pushed back her partially eaten meal.
The guests had made a significant dent in the bounty spread across the counters and three tables. As the sound of thunder boomed overhead, several of her Paradise neighbors had begun to slowly gravitate toward the front door.
It had been a pleasant day, but now as the hours stretched into evening, Maggie found she was more than ready for the party to end. Being an extrovert, even if only for the day, was draining. She hated to admit it, but she wasn’t up to par physically yet. She was tired and aching.
What she longed for was to sit on the porch with a cup of tea, relax and listen to the quiet noises of the country.
She said nothing, however, because if the party ended, Jake would also leave, and for the moment she simply wanted to enjoy his presence.
As though reading her mind, Jake’s gaze connected with hers across the kitchen table. When she attempted to hide a yawn, he smiled and winked.
“Bitsy,” he said, standing to clear the table.
Bitsy turned from the sink where her hands were immersed in suds.
“Maggie’s looking worn-out.” He scooped up Maggie’s plate as he cleared his own.
Bitsy looked from Jake over to Maggie.
“What do you want me to do, Jake?”
“You could mention that ticketing of the vehicles might commence in thirty minutes.”
“Roger that, Chief.”
An hour later Maggie sat alone on her porch, tea in hand. Bitsy had done an amazing job of orchestrating the retreat.
The sky truly opened up then and large drops of water pelted the last guest’s car as taillights faded into the distance. After a few minutes the rain became steady and rhythmic. Now this was a welcome guest.
A beacon in his yellow rain slicker, Ed gave a final salute to the sheriff as he drove away. Sam backed the p
atrol car off the lawn and gave a friendly toot of the horn to signal his own departure.
Jake? She didn’t even know where his vehicle was. He had apparently already disappeared. They hadn’t even had a chance to talk. Deep disappointment pricked Maggie.
Then she noticed the red fire-marshal truck pull up the drive closer to the house. When its door opened Jake dodged puddles and rain as he raced to the porch, a jacket over his head. He shook the water from his broad form and stood grinning down at her. He’d never looked so good.
“Hi,” he said.
“Hi,” she returned. “Bitsy sure knows how to clear a room.”
“A rare talent, huh?”
Maggie nodded. “For which I am very grateful.”
For moments they simply stared at each other.
“Come back for pie?” Maggie asked.
“Oh, something like that.”
“Bitsy left me two.”
“Two pies?” He looked her up and down. “I get one a year if I am really lucky and this is your third in what? Five weeks? A month? I’m telling you, ever since you hit town the pies have been running fast and loose.”
“Must be my winning personality.”
He snorted. “Or maybe the bandage on your head, your bruised face and the gauze on your arm.”
Maggie glared.
Jake only chuckled. “I need a favor.”
“You’re supposed to sweeten someone up when you want a favor. Not insult them.”
He shook his head and made a sound of disgust. “I’ll get it right one of these days.”
“What’s the favor?” Maggie asked.
Lifting his jacket he revealed a damp bundle of pale orange fur cowering in the crook of his arm.
“A kitten. He’s shivering.”
“She. Can you keep her?”
“We’ve already discussed this.”
“Is that your final answer?”
Maggie put her cup on the ground and stood, reaching for the kitten. “I don’t do cats.”
“This is not a cat. It’s a kitten.”
She shook her head and opened the screen with the animal in her arms. Jake followed.
“Where’d you find her?” Maggie asked, opening the hall closet. She pulled out a fluffy bath towel and gently rubbed the fur dry. The animal stopped shivering and began purring like a small motor.
“In the woods by my house. She’s already been to the vet. All that’s left is to pick out a name.”
“You left her in the truck all this time?”
“In a carrier, nice and warm with the vehicle windows open for ventilation.”
“She’s terrified.”
“The thunder. Mother Nature’s fault. Not mine.”
She ignored Jake, but was unable to resist rubbing her cheek against the soft fur, and cooing soft words of reassurance.
“So everything is working out nicely, isn’t it?” she finally said.
“What are we talking about here?” Jake asked. “The cat?”
“No. People. Mack and Bitsy are getting married. That should get Bitsy out of your hair, right?”
“In my wildest dreams, they take a cruise around the world and come back and move into Bitsy’s house. So that would be a yes.”
She chuckled. “And Beck admitted to setting that fire and apologized.”
“Don’t you think you’re letting him off easy for arson?”
“You’re going to have to trust me, Jake. Beck and I have an understanding. He’s not going to act out like this again.”
She put her hand on Jake’s sleeve. “Besides, he has so much auxiliary service scheduled, he’ll think long and hard before he does anything like that again.”
“I don’t get why he did it in the first place?’
“He was acting out because he thought you were a risk to his friendship with me.”
“Am I?” He looked at her.
“I think I can handle more than one friend in my life.”
He nodded in agreement. “So what’s going on with your interview? I thought you were less than enthusiastic about the newspaper industry.”
“They’re printing a big article about the fire with a tie-in focusing on the Paradise Volunteer Fire Department.” She smiled, pleased with her plan. “This should guarantee your reelection, Jake.”
“You did the interview for me?”
“It seemed only fair, after all, I was the one who got you in trouble.”
“Maggie, you didn’t have to do that. I wasn’t in trouble.”
“I wanted to do it. You’ve done so much for me already.”
The kitten crawled up to Maggie’s shoulder and licked her face with a quick flick of a pink tongue.
“So what is it I’m supposed to do with this little peach here?” Maggie asked, tugging the kitten back down into her arms.
“She needs a place to stay. Naturally I thought of you and how you’re all by yourself here.”
“Maybe you missed the part of the discussion where I said I don’t like cats.”
Jake attempted to level her with a look, but Maggie ignored him and stroked the kitten gently under the chin. Then she put the kitten down to wander around the kitchen.
“Can she stay?” he asked.
“I’ll think about it.”
“You’ve changed, Maggie.”
“No, I’ve grown. These weeks in Paradise have been about me uncovering who I am. Me growing into me. Maybe you won’t like the real Maggie. Have you ever considered that?”
“I like her fine.”
“Then where have you been all week?” she asked softly. Maggie stepped closer to him. Close enough to smell the pine on his clothes and see the truth in his eyes.
He stared at the floor, hands shoved in the pockets of his navy uniform pants. Finally, he began speaking again.
“I was afraid, Maggie. Seeing you in that hospital bed brought back every one of my fears. Memories I’ve stuffed away for ten long years. My mom’s death and Diana’s. I didn’t know if I could do it again. Risk everything again and maybe lose.”
“And now?”
“I love you, Maggie Jones. I’ve been in love with you since that first fire.”
“When I burned the eggs? In that old T-shirt and my hair in a ponytail? And it wasn’t a fire. Just smoke.”
“Whatever. You were beautiful. That’s the picture I’ll always carry in my heart. The very first time I saw you.”
“I wish you would have told me. It would have saved me a lot of trouble.”
“I was fighting my feelings. Self-preservation.”
Maggie stopped talking, suddenly letting his words sink in. He loved her.
Pleasure warmed her inside and out. He loved her. But it wasn’t enough. She wouldn’t stop, wouldn’t give in until they’d settled everything. She didn’t want anything standing between them.
“The thing is, Jake, you can’t move forward if you’re going to spend your life worrying about me.”
His gaze never left hers, taking in the words. He nodded as she continued.
“Your life has been safe the past ten years. Constant and predictable. Just like mine.” She refused to look away from him as she spoke the words.
“That knock on your head sure gave you some insight, huh?” He reached out to take her hand, rubbing his thumb softly over the skin.
“What about you, Maggie? You were pretty emphatic about not looking for a man in your life.”
Her glance flew to his face. “I guess I did say that, didn’t I?”
“Several times.”
“Hmm, I may need to reevaluate my stance.”
“That’s probably a good idea because you’re stuck with me. For life.”
Maggie stood very still, hope building in her heart, yet she was very much afraid she’d misunderstood his words.
“Did you hear me?” he whispered.
She nodded. Her voice became almost a whisper as she spoke the difficult words. “That fire was a wake-up call for me. I almos
t lost you, Jake. We both almost lost your father.”
His eyes widened and she saw the love on his face. While it was almost her undoing, she knew she had to finish.
“I won’t let it happen again. I’m glad to be alive, so I can love you in return. I’m glad you love me, but are you ready to step out in faith?”
“Bitsy says I have to let the Lord take care of people I love and stop trying to do it all myself.”
“Why do you suppose she’s so smart?” Maggie asked.
“I’m not sure, but it’s annoying, isn’t it?”
Maggie laughed.
Jake wasted no time folding her into his embrace. Maggie rested her head against his heart, listening to the steady beat for minutes. He raised a hand and gently stroked her hair as his chin nuzzled her close.
“You love me?” he asked, releasing her to look deep into her eyes.
“How could I not? But Jake, love isn’t enough. We both have to have the courage to take a chance on our future. Turn it over to Him.”
“Are you proposing to me?”
Heat rushed to her face as she struggled for a response. Then she laughed. “Maybe I am.”
Jake lifted her chin with his finger. “I sure hope so, because this is going to make Mack and Bitsy very happy.” He gave her a goofy grin.
“But what about you?” she asked. “Does this make you happy?”
“It does,” Jake murmured. “Thanks for returning to Paradise, Maggie.”
“Pretty amazing how our paths crossed, isn’t it?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Pretty amazing. I love you, Maggie Jones. You’re right. It is time to step out in faith.”
His mouth touched hers for the sweetest kiss.
When he lifted his head, Maggie looked into his eyes. “Can we make it, Jake?” she asked.
“Are you asking for guarantees? I can’t give you that, but I can promise to love you and to listen to the Lord. Oh, and to keep you in cheese puffs and toaster pastries.”
Her laughter filled the room.
“So maybe we’ll have another few years together.” He shrugged. “Maybe we’ll have fifty.”
“If we don’t?”
“Well, at least we’ll know we loved each other our very best every single day.”
As Maggie stood on her toes to place a kiss on his lips the kitten wedged between them and attempted to crawl up Jake’s pant leg.
“Have you noticed your kitten’s fur is the exact color of those pies you love so much?” Maggie asked.
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