The Firefighter's Family Secret

by Shirley Jump

  “Well, my trouble can only last till nine o’clock. Then this pumpkin has to haul her butt home because the baby will be up at the crack of too early.” Melissa let out a long sigh. “Anyway, enough about my pre-ball Cinderella life. How are you doing?”

  “I’m good.”

  Melissa arched a brow. “This is me you’re talking to, remember? You’ve had a lot on your shoulders lately, and I worry about you putting everyone else first and yourself at the bottom of a very long list.”

  “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 honeymoo
n?” 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.

  As for his father...that was a work in progress. Somehow, Colton had had this crazy idea that everything would be good just because their first meeting went well. But his father hadn’t been as warm and welcoming as his brothers had been, and Colton wasn’t quite sure if he should continue to reach out or just let it go. Either way, it hurt, even if he was too damned old to care whether his daddy loved him.

  Living here would mean seeing Bobby around town, too. That might not be such a benefit, given the rocky road they were on right now.

  “As much as I complain about living in a circle and running into people I know everywhere I go, life here...grows on you,” Rachel said, her voice soft and sweet. “It sounds like something from a Hallmark card, but living in a small town is like having a houseful of your favorite family and friends. They’ll get on your nerves from time to time, but you’re also so glad to see all those friendly faces whenever life gets tough.” She ran a finger along the rim of her coffee cup, her eyes downcast, her voice even softer now. “When my mom died, it was the people of this town who helped me keep the shop running, and they’ve been the biggest supporters I could ask for. People keep trying to help my dad, too, but he’s...stubborn.”

  Colton chuckled. “I think we all know someone like that. My mom is a stubborn woman, too. She...does things the way she wants to do them when she wants to do them.” That was probably the nicest way he could say that his mother had been mostly consumed with her own life, leaving him and Katie to fend for themselves more often than not.

  “You said you’re their half brother. So you’re not... Della’s son?”

  Even though Colton was old enough that he shouldn’t care what people thought about how he was conceived, that didn’t stop a little hesitation in his answer. He wondered if maybe Bobby was dealing with similar reactions to Colton’s arrival. “No, I’m not. My father met my mother when he was working in Atlanta.”

  No need to divulge the family history that he had been the product of a brief affair. The Barlows were well loved in this town, and his conception had been more than thirty years ago. Ancient history that didn’t need to be dragged forward. Colton was a man who much preferred to live in the present.

  “How long have you known the rest of the Barlows?” Rachel asked.

  “I just met them a couple weeks ago. I didn’t know about any of them until now.” He glanced over at Luke and Mac, who were grinning at him like a couple of fools. Clearly, there was going to be merciless teasing when he returned to the table. Which he should have done a long time ago, but he really liked talking to Rachel. Watching her smile, the way that gesture lit her eyes and brightened her face.

  “Wow. That’s a lot to digest in such a short time frame. No wonder you seemed a little...discombobulated when you came in the shop.”

  He chuckled. “Yeah, it’s been a lot. But my brothers are great and that makes it easier.”

  “Well, you’re in a good family. Mac, Luke and Jack are great guys.”

  It heartened him that his brothers were well liked. He wondered if maybe—by extension—Rachel would paint him with the same brush. “Does that approval umbrella extend over me, too?” Colton asked. “And encourage you to say yes when I remind you that I asked you out?”

  She took a sip from the white mug, avoiding his gaze. “I thought I said no to a date.”

  “You were...vague. So let me try this again.” He spun the stool until he was facing her head-on and looking into those deep green eyes. He knew he probably wasn’t staying in this town for long. Knew he was crazy to date a woman he barely knew, a woman he wouldn’t see again if he went back to Atlanta. But he wanted more of those smiles that seemed to light her from somewhere deep inside. “Would you like to go to dinner with me tonight, Rachel?”

  She opened her mouth, closed it. “Tonight? As in this evening?”

  He smirked. “That’s usually the time people have dinner.”

  “It’s just that I usually bring dinner to my dad’s house and eat with him.”

  “Oh, okay. I understand.” Disappointment weighed in his gut. That no was a lot more definite. He laid a hand on the counter, inches away from hers, got to his feet. “Well, I’ll let you enjoy your breakfast.”

  Just as he turned away, she covered his hand with her own. “But maybe I can meet you a little later. Like...seven?”

  It was like he was fifteen again and the pretty girl in algebra had sent him a note across the aisle. He tried not to look like too much of an overeager dork. “Seven would be great. Let me pick you up. Make it an official date and everything.”

  “An official date?” She shook her head and let out a little laugh. “I haven’t been on one of those in so long, I don’t think I remember what to do.”

  “Just smile, Rachel,” he said, reaching up and tracing an easy line along the curve of her smile. Wanting to do so much more than that. “The rest will fall right into place.”

  * * *

  Just smile.

  That was pretty much all she did the rest of the day. She smiled as she went over the bills. Smiled as she restocked the shelves. Smiled at Harvey when he came in with the daily bait delivery and smiled as she stacked containers of worms and crickets in the small refrigerator by the door.

  The bell over the shop door rang a little after two, and Ginny Wilkins strode into the shop. Rachel had known Ginny pretty much all her life. The younger girl had been a cheerleader in high school and one of the most popular debutantes in all of Stone Gap. She came from a family that could trace its roots almost all the way to the Mayflower and had a six-acre property just on the edge of town, presided over by a two-story white antebellum mansion that had withstood hurricanes and the Civil War, and would probably outlast them all.

  Ginny was also a girl known for extravagance in everything she did, which included the bright pink tea-length dress she was wearing, paired with an even brighter pink purse and flats. Her platinum-blond hair was done in bouncy curls that danced along her shoulders. “Rachel, I am so glad you are here!” Ginny said. “I need your help.”

  Rachel slid around the counter, a little perplexed as to why Ginny, the girliest girl she’d ever known, would be in a hardware shop. Maybe buying a gift for her father or boyfriend? “Sure. What do you need? We have a sale on—”

  “I’m getting married!” The words exploded out of Ginny, complete with a little squeal and a wild flourish of a giant pear-shaped diamond on her left hand. “And I need you to plan it for me. I haven’t the foggiest idea where to start or what to do.”

  “Ginny, I’m not doing that right now. I’m working here, at my dad’s shop. I—”

  “But you have to! You’re the only one I trust. I mean, you did such a fabulous job with Arnelle Beauchamp’s wedding and, oh, my, the venue you set up for Lucy Coleridge’s wedding—amazing. I know you can do something even better for me. And that will make those two gooses green with envy over how amazing my wedding was.” Ginny grinned. “You know there’s nothing I like better than going further over the top than anyone else.”

  That was true. If there was one woman in Stone Gap to add more ruffles, more pink, more flowers, it was Ginny. She’d never been the kind to sit sedately in a corner. Everything she did, she did loud. Planning her wedding would be fun, Rachel thought. The kind of no-holds-barred event that would not only be an adventure, but also get people talking about Rachel’s business.

  The exact kind of jump-
start she needed to get her company running again. If Ginny’s wedding was a year or so away, there would be plenty of time for Rachel to both run the shop and get the event planned. And by then, surely her dad would be back at work every day.

  Yes, she could make it work. Just thinking about getting back to the wedding-planning world that she loved caused a little tickle of excitement in Rachel’s stomach. It was an incredible opportunity.

  “I know the ideal location, Ginny. Perfect for the kind of wedding you want to have. There’s this new hotel two towns away that’s really something to talk about. It’s pink and white and giant,” Rachel said. She could already see it decorated in Ginny’s signature color, imagine the band on the stage, the guests dining on something extravagant. It would be amazing, as Ginny had said.

  “Pink? My favorite color!” Ginny exclaimed. The woman used more exclamation points in her daily speech than an Oscar winner. “All my bridesmaids are going to wear flamingo pink, and I’m going to have bright pink roses in my bouquet and a trail of them down the back of my dress, and it will look like I’m walking out of a garden. It’s going to be all pink, all the time!”

  Rachel bit back a grin at Ginny’s ideas. That would be a wedding to remember for sure. “This hotel also has the most amazing outdoor patio, overlooking the water. You could have a gazebo on the patio and get married right there, with the boats in the background.”

  “Do you think we could get all the boats to have pink sails?” Ginny asked.

  “I’m not sure,” Rachel hedged. She could just see herself making that kind of request in the harbormaster’s office. “That’s a pretty tall order. But I’m sure we could hang pink organza from the gazebo and along the aisle.”

  Ginny clapped her hands. “Oh, my, that sounds too perfect for words! And do you think you can get it all done in three months?”

  “Three...months?” A stone sank in Rachel’s gut. “As in ninety days?”

  “I know it’s fast, but when you fall in love, you just don’t want to wait. And I love my Bernard so very much.” A smile stole across Ginny’s face, the kind that only a woman truly in love wore, as if she had a secret no one else in the world possessed. It almost made Rachel jealous.