Chasing Hope

by Nancy Stopper

  Hayley and Miss Harper’s conversation gave him a chance to study the intriguing woman in front of him. Her light brown hair was pinned up on her head, exposing her long, creamy neck. Her hazel eyes sparkled as she talked about dance with his daughter, and her eyebrows popped up from time to time as she carried on the animated conversation. Pink tinted her cheeks, probably from all of the hours she’d spent outside in the August heat.

  His gaze trailed down her body, every curve highlighted in the tight dance clothes . Damn, how long had it been since he’d been out with a woman? Hayley grabbed his arm. “Can I, Dad? Can I?”

  “I’m sorry, honey. I didn’t hear you.” He’d been too focused on the intriguing woman in front of him.

  “Miss Harper was telling me about her ballet class on Tuesday nights and jazz class on Thursdays. Can I take them, Dad? Please.”

  Miss Harper extended her hand. “We haven’t officially met. I’m Isabella Harper. Thanks for coming out today and checking out my new studio. You’ve got a really enthusiastic daughter.”

  Her hand was small and soft in his, and warmth spread through his body at the brush of her skin against his. He held it longer than he should have, but she didn’t pull away either. His eyes met hers, and for a minute, something deeper swirled in the hazel depths. Yep, he definitely needed a night out. A chance to meet a willing woman for a few steamy hours between the sheets. But for now, he needed to stop having these thoughts about Hayley’s dance teacher. “Tanner Ross. Thanks so much. Hayley’s been talking about dance classes for weeks now. I’m so glad the mayor told me about your studio opening.”

  She raised her eyebrows and glanced at their still-joined hands. “It appears that I’m about done here.” She looked toward the studio. “I don’t see my other teacher, Natalie. How about I give you guys a tour of the studio?”

  Tanner glanced behind him. He and Hayley were the only ones left.

  “Can we, Daddy?” Hayley bounced up and down on the balls of her feet.

  If Isabella could get his daughter this excited about anything, there was no way he could refuse. Tanner looked down to where he still held Isabella’s hand. He let her go, the tingles throughout his body lingering after the last touch of her hand, and motioned toward the building behind her. “After you.”

  His hand kept wanting to drift to her back, to rest against her as she led them to the studio. Hayley kept up a steady stream of chatter, but Isabella never sighed or seemed put off by his daughter’s exuberance. Bonus points right there. It had been a long time since he’d seen Hayley open up to someone so easily.

  As soon as the door closed behind them, the sounds of the street were blocked out. A gentle song played throughout the studio as Isabella led them across the lobby.

  “We’ve started out with two studios, but we have room to expand if the demand increases. I’ll be teaching a full slate of classes, and the other teacher, Natalie, will be in the studio on three evenings. She’s still teaching a class or two at her former studio in Philadelphia, but I’m lucky to have her come on board.”

  Her words may have sounded easy, but her tense shoulders and clenched jaw told another story as she stopped at the door to the second room. What he wouldn’t give to soothe her stress, to give her something else to think about.

  “Oh, Miss Harper, it’s beautiful. Can I go in?”

  Tanner studied the expansive dance studio in front of him. Wide windows stretching up to the ceiling filled one wall, with bars at two different heights running the length of it. Mirrors covered another wall. The room was painted a pale pink and inspirational posters were hung for the dancers to see while they practiced. The perfect room for aspiring dancers.

  “Slip off your shoes, and then you’re welcome to go in. No street shoes on the dance floor.”

  “Yippee.” Hayley kicked off her sneakers and ran into the room, spinning in circles in front of the mirrors. Her laughter reminded him of when she was a toddler and even simple things had her belly laughing. He missed those uncomplicated days when it was easy to keep his daughter happy.

  “She’s really sweet.” Isabella’s words were barely above a whisper, the huskiness of her voice setting every nerve ending on fire. “She reminds me of myself at her age. I’d already been dancing several years by then, but I still never wanted to do anything else.”

  “Hayley’s been talking about finding lessons for a long time. I’m so glad you opened the studio here in Cedar Hill. Otherwise, I’d have to take her into Philly.”

  “This town has needed a studio for a long time. I’m just…” She hesitated but didn’t finish her thought. What was she going to say?

  “I understand you danced in a company out of New York.”

  “I did. I was with The Lincoln Ballet Theater for eight years, prima ballerina for two.”

  She spouted off the information with all the enthusiasm of a person reciting their resume at a job interview. None of the passion he expected from someone who purported to love dance as much as she did. “And it’s our good fortune that you’ve come back to Cedar Hill. Congratulations on your new studio.”

  She turned to him, the sparkle in her eyes returning. “Thanks. I’m pretty excited for classes to start.”

  It was clear by Hayley’s leaping around the studio that she was, too. If only he could bottle up that enthusiasm for those times when the shadows returned. “I haven’t seen Hayley this eager about something in a long time. What do I need to do to sign her up?”

  Isabella threw another glance at Hayley and gestured toward the desk across the lobby. A few minutes later, he was a couple hundred dollars poorer, and Hayley was signed up for two hours of dance class a week. As he folded his wallet and shoved it back in his pocket, he struggled for something, anything else to say to extend the conversation with Isabella. It had been a long time since he’d had a conversation with a woman as intriguing as she was, and he didn’t want to say goodbye just yet.

  “Thanks so much for bringing Hayley by and signing her up. I think she’ll have a lot of fun.”

  If that didn’t dismiss him, nothing would. But the one thing this brief time around Isabella showed him was that he was in dire need of some female companionship. “Come on, Hayley, time to go.”

  “Aw, Dad. Can’t I stay a bit longer?”

  “We’ve taken up enough of Miss Harper’s time. You’re signed up for classes.”

  “Yay.” Hayley ran out of the studio and threw her arms around Isabella. Isabella seemed shocked for a moment but then her arms snaked around Hayley. Like a mother’s would with her daughter. He couldn’t help but stare at the image they projected.

  Hayley finally let go of Isabella. “Bye, Miss Harper.”

  She skipped toward the front, and he hustled to catch up with her. Just before they stepped out the door, he turned back. Isabella hadn’t moved, her arms still hanging by her side where Hayley had left her, a look he couldn’t quite describe on her face.

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  Turn the page for an excerpt from One Last Risk, book 1 in Nancy’s Oak Grove series. The Oak Grove series features the Bennetts, Rachel’s family!

  ONE LAST RISK

  Book 1 in the Oak Grove Series

  By: Nancy Stopper

  CHAPTER ONE

  Lucas Bennett’s hands shook, adrenaline coursing through his veins. When the engine pulled up, thick, gray smoke billowed out of the burning barn. Horses’ panicked whinnies and mournful cries from the family filled the air. By the time his crew hustled to establish the perimeter and pour water on the fire, it would be too late. There wasn’t time. Flames darting
out the barn’s doors and the melted holes in the metal shingles on the roof didn’t matter. He couldn’t let the beast take everything from this family.

  Flinging an oxygen tank onto his back, he charged into the burning barn. Thick smoke enveloped him, taunting him through the mask on his helmet. Straw blanketed the floor and stretched up to the loft. Fuel to feed the beast. His worst nightmare flashed before him.

  He shone his flashlight at the beams. Flames danced and licked at the main support for the barn. Damn. The thick layer of hay covering the barn floor was a big invitation for the beast, and if Lucas didn’t move quickly, fire would win. Again.

  Horses bucked and screeched on each side of him.

  He had to get to the animals.

  He lowered his head. The deadly heat pressed against him, waiting for the right moment to test his bunker gear. He ran his hand along the wooden slats framing the stalls. Each step toward the horses also brought him closer to the roaring flames licking at the wood. His racing pulse thumped in his neck. He breathed deeply, evenly, to conserve the precious oxygen in the tank. Before he reached the blaze, his hand connected with the latch of a stall. He flung it open.

  Come on. Out! You gotta work with me here.

  With teeth bared and eyes wild, the horse backed away from the open door and encroaching smoke and flames. Her screaming whinny echoed through the barn. As the heat from the stall seared her, she leapt forward.

  Of course, it couldn’t be that easy. Dammit.

  Fumbling until he felt a lead rope on a nearby hook, he headed into the stall. The horse inside continued to buck. She lifted her hooves high into the air, obviously rattled by Lucas’s presence and the fire surrounding her. He approached the horse, his hands held up and out, shushing. Finally, he got close enough, flung the rope around her neck, and dragged her toward the door of the stall. She braced her feet against the floor, fighting against his pull. If he spent any more time freeing this horse, neither of them would get out alive.

  Sharp, piercing pain speared his chest.

  He’d just pulled the horse into the aisle when a deafening sound echoed throughout the barn, the floor shaking from the depth of the roar. His head snapped up toward the noise. A flaming beam fell toward him. As the horse darted in one direction, Lucas leapt to the other. The beam glanced off his shoulder and knocked him to his knees. It lay on the floor beside him. The fire kept consuming the straw. Like a beautiful woman, the flames drew him in, calling to him, and he couldn’t turn away.

  The impact of another beam knocked him flat on his face.

  Dammit. Shit. How could I get so distracted?

  He shook his head and blinked. Fuzzy images swirled in front of him. Through the thick fog, red and orange flames nipped at the straw on the floor. He pushed at the obstruction on his back. Nothing. He tried to get to his feet. No dice. When he turned his head to the side, sharp knives of pain shot through his body. He wiggled left and then right. He was trapped. He couldn’t move.

  Lucas twisted and turned faster now. His struggling managed to get him onto his side. He rolled once more until he landed on his back. The fallen section of timber now lay across his chest, compressing his lungs. If he could just get free, he might get the upper hand over the blaze. He tried again but the gear and tank meant to save his life now hindered his escape. His heart raced, his breathing shallowed, and he flailed his arms and legs. He looked toward the stalls that housed the remaining horses. They reared and then slammed their hooves down, the floor vibrating each time.

  Damn. I know better.

  If only he’d listened to the crew and not rushed in. The beast was not going to win. He couldn’t let it.

  But fire didn’t play fair. Didn’t follow the rules. He kept thrashing, challenging the fire in a fight for his life.

  Is this how Shawn felt just before the end?

  Would he suffer the same fate?

  He closed his eyes, resting for what would likely be his final battle. He opened them again and spied movement through the grey fog of smoke that filled the barn. Had someone come in after him? He writhed again, swinging his arms against the wood pressing him against the floor.

  The pressure and weight eased off his chest. A hand pulled him to his feet.

  The barn spun. Lucas bent over, acrid bile burning his throat. Each breath sent stinging daggers through his side. Shit. Bruised his ribs. Again. He straightened, knees buckling. He pressed his hand to his side. It didn’t work. Sharp knives kept pricking at him.

  The other firefighter gestured. The man’s mouth moved, but the words were lost in the rumble of the fire.

  “What?” he shouted through his mask.

  The firefighter shoved him toward the back of the barn. Lucas grabbed his buddy, and together they stumbled through the gray, billowing smoke and darted around flames licking at the hay-covered floor. They rounded the corner into the last stall, backs pressed against the wooden slats as the final strokes of an ax fractured the thick wall.

  Daylight cut through the smoke. One firefighter shoved Lucas to the other side where several hands grabbed them, yanking him to safety.

  With his arms wrapped around two company-mates, he stumbled around the building to where the crew had established a perimeter—the one he shouldn’t have crossed before the fire was under control.

  As soon as they released him, he ripped his helmet and mask off. Sharp pain speared through his side, his muscles trembled, and his legs gave out, throwing him to the ground. He hung his head, the pinch in his stomach growing intensely until it bubbled over. He wretched.

  He stayed there for a few minutes longer, his stomach churning. Eventually, he looked up to find Stacey in her blue uniform, a stethoscope draped around her neck and the medical box in her hand. Her face was pale. As he straightened up and sat back on his heels, Stacey reached out, pressing against his arms, his shoulders, and eventually, his ribs.

  He winced.

  “Are you hurt anywhere else?” she asked.

  “No, just bruised ribs and smoke inhalation.”

  After studying him for a moment, Stacey smacked him across the shoulder.

  He leapt up, pain stabbing him in the side. He fell back onto his ass. “Hey! What the hell was that for?”

  “For being an idiot… and an asshole. What were you—”

  “What the hell was that?” the Captain yelled as he ran up to the pair of them on the sidewalk.

  “I couldn’t let it win, Captain.” Lucas coughed and grimaced as he spoke.

  “That’s not good enough, Bennett. Not anymore.”

  Planting his fists on his waist, the Captain stomped away a few steps and then turned back to Lucas. “You’ve been spiraling down this path of self-destruction for months now. We’ve had this conversation. Each time, you’ve promised me you had it under control. Today, you not only risked your own life, but the lives of Justin and Drew. I had to send them in after your sorry ass and move Jake off fire control to cut a hole for your escape. You’ve gone too far this time, Lucas.”

  Damn. His first name. This was really bad. Lucas fumbled for the words to make this better. He needed to fix this—fast. In the past, he’d been the only one at risk. Not today. Today, he might have taken others with him. It was unforgivable.

  He pulled himself to his feet and paced over to the engine. He ran his hand through his hair, then opened his mouth but closed it again. He turned back to the captain and leaned against the engine. “I know… and I’m sorry. I never meant to get anyone else involved. I don’t have an excuse, but it won’t happen again.”

  “You’re damn right it’s not going to happen again. I’m suspending you—”

  “Cap—”

  “No buts, Bennett. Not anymore. You can stay on the EMS crew as long as you don’t screw that up, too. You’re also gonna get yourself to the department shrink. If she doesn’t clear you to return at the end of your suspension, we’ll have to discuss your future here at the station.”

  His heart raced. T
his wasn’t happening. He couldn’t lose the one important thing he had in his life. “How long?”

  “Sixty days—”

  “Sixty days! Please, not that long, Cap. I’ll go see the shrink, I promise, but don’t take me off the crew. I need… I have to…”

  “You’re lucky I’m not terminating you, Bennett. I’m taking a risk leaving you on EMS duty. I’m trusting you to get your head screwed on straight. This is your last warning. I have no intention of walking up to your mother’s door to tell her you died because you were stupid. Do you understand me?”

  Lucas bowed his head. His family meant everything to him. He couldn’t do that to them. An image of his mother mourning his death filled his mind. A sigh of resignation escaped his lips.

  He hung his shoulders. “You’re right, Cap. I understand.”

  “You’re too valuable to this company, and I’d hate to lose you. More importantly, I do not intend to bury any of my men because they’re taking too many risks. Take this time to chill out. Maybe spend more time with your family, or find a girl to take out dancing down at J.J.’s. Whatever you need to do to get your head on straight. Then I’ll see you back, hopefully healthier and happier.”

  “Will do, Cap.”

  Lucas would chill, even talk to the shrink, but he had no plans to follow the captain’s last suggestion. Bringing a woman into his life wasn’t going to happen. He wasn’t selfish enough to have her mourn him if he lost the fight like Shawn had.

  Shawn.

  Everything he did, every risk he took, was for his best friend. Shawn’s wife and child still grieved his loss to the beast. Lucas wasn’t about to let that happen to anyone he loved again. Not on his watch.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Sarah Robinson stepped out her front door and drew in a deep breath, the fresh, clean air filling her lungs. She glanced up and down the street she now called home. Cottage-style houses sat side by side in both directions as far as she could see. Each boasted a wide front porch, but unique touches had been added by their occupant. A swing hung on one. Maybe she’d get one of her own, a place she and Lily could rock away the sun with Lily’s favorite book between them. Probably an Angelina Ballerina book, if she knew her daughter. A huge overflowing pot of impatiens, its bright colors cascading from the basket as it swayed in a gentle breeze, would brighten the doorway. She could fill the now-empty flower boxes with happy daisies next spring.