The Firefighter's Pretend Fiancee (Shadow Creek, Montana)

by Victoria James

  “No expectations. I mean, just sleep in my bed. Nothing more,” he said, framing her cheek with one hand.

  Molly gave him a smile that made him so damn thankful she was here with him.

  …

  “This place looks awesome!” Molly said, walking into Addie’s store. Somehow her sister had managed to finish stocking and styling the store overnight. Molly and Melody had left at midnight, and it didn’t look anything like this. Their evening together had turned out to be fun. Melody hadn’t asked her anything really personal, and when Addie had brought up Ben, Melody hadn’t made a comment at all.

  But when Molly had gotten home last night, she’d found Ben waiting up for her. She had seen the worry in his eyes, even though he’d pretended to be watching TV. But he’d been the guy she knew he was—he’d given her the space she needed. He’d waited for her in his bed, and when she’d curled up beside him, his arms had circled around her and he’d done nothing else, as promised. It had been amazing to sleep with him, to feel his strong body against hers. It had taken her a long time to fall asleep because she kept trying to come up with a solution, to find a way they could possibly be together.

  “I’m so jacked up on caffeine, my hands won’t stop shaking,” Addie said, running by her. Come to think of it, her sister did look a little frizzy. Her glossy dark hair was pulled high into a top-knot that was ready to come completely undone.

  “Do you want to go…um, change maybe and freshen up before you open? I can do something for you while you’re getting ready?”

  Addie was giving the already clean floors another round of sweeping. The wide-plank floors retained their rustic character while looking clean and polished. White, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves made the space seem larger than it was and cozy at the same time. The big bay window at the front of the store showcased a vintage robin’s egg blue table and chairs loaded with books and some of the educational toys she sold. They’d helped her hang the big white banner that read, Grand Opening.

  “Thanks,” Addie said, putting the broom in a small closet behind the cash. “Coffee. Can you brew decent coffee?”

  “Of course.” She took off her coat and purse. “Um, are you sure coffee is a good idea?”

  Addie nodded dramatically, her top knot finally coming undone. “Always a good idea. Make a full pot. I’m not charging for coffee today, but who knows if they’ll even be one taker besides me. How do you think the kids’ section looks?” she asked, spinning around and running toward the stairs. She didn’t even wait for Molly to answer. “I’ll be back in ten minutes.” She ran out the door that connected the store to the upstairs apartment. “Five! I’ll be back in five minutes!” she yelled from the stairs.

  Molly laughed, despite the worry over her relationship with Ben weighing her down. She’d missed Addie’s crazy antics. She’d always been in some kind of unwanted mischief growing up. Her mother didn’t have patience for all her mishaps and had berated her unfairly. It had only endeared Addie to Molly and Melody.

  Molly finished counting the appropriate scoops of coffee and shut the lid. She gasped as she turned to look at the kids’ section. Last night, Addie had kept it dark, saying she wanted them to see it once it was completely finished. It was magical. Addie had a mural of a forest in bright greens, along with pinks and yellows and blues painted on the two corner walls. On top of the bookcase shelving she’d strung pale blue gauze and hung white twinkling lights through it. A half-dozen beanbag chairs lined the perimeter, and a round rug sat in the center.

  “Do you like it?” Addie asked, running back into the store.

  “Oh, Addie. This is unbelievable. If I were a kid, I’d want to sit and read here for hours.”

  Addie beamed. “Really? I hope so. I mean, that’s what I want. I want it to be a place for families to come, for parents to browse and buy books while their kids get entertained with stories. There was never a place for kids in town. The library had horrible hours, and it was always miserable looking. I want kids to come here and escape. Maybe after a bad day at school they know they can come here and get lost in a book.”

  Molly’s heart squeezed because she knew Addie was talking from experience, knew how badly her sister had been bullied and tormented in school. “They will. When word gets out, I bet you’ll be packed every day.”

  Addie glanced down at her watch and then looked up at her, panic in her blue eyes. “What if no one shows up? What if I open that door and not a single person walks through and I have to drink the entire pot of coffee and all the truffles from The Chocolatiers?”

  “Okay, first off, I would never stiff you and make you eat and drink all that yourself.”

  Addie smiled. “Thanks.”

  “Second? Who wouldn’t walk in here? You busted your butt to get this place ready for the day of Harvest Fest; the town will be swarming with people. Trust me, people will walk through here. Do you have any staff lined up?”

  Addie nodded. “Yes! I have this lovely retired lady who was recently widowed. She wants to get out of the house and earn a little money. I told her I don’t know if I can guarantee hours until I see how business is. But I have backup at least. She’s coming in an hour.”

  “That’s perfect. Is it time to open yet?”

  Addie nodded and took a deep breath. “Yes.”

  Molly gave her a nudge. “Then get to it, sister. Flip that sign to open.”

  Addie gave a firm nod and marched to the door. Sure enough, there was already a little girl peering through the window. She looked vaguely familiar, but Molly couldn’t pinpoint exactly where she’d seen her before. Addie unlocked the door and greeted her first customer. Soon the place was buzzing with customers, and Molly was thrilled for her sister.

  She glanced at her phone, knowing it would be a good time to make her way to the fire station and see Ben. Then she’d go home and get ready for tonight. She would tell him she couldn’t make promises, that whatever this was could just be temporary.

  She gave Addie a wave, but she was busy with customers.

  She was almost out of the store when her colleague, Drew Barrett, came running in, looking frazzled.

  “Molly, have you seen a little girl with dark brown hair come in here?”

  It dawned on her then, why that little girl had looked so familiar. She looked exactly like her dad. “Yes! She’s back there with my sister, reading.”

  He shut his eyes and let out a sigh of relief. She had never seen Drew look anything other than calm and collected. The poor man must have been frantic. “Thank God,” he said.

  “Come on, I’ll show you where they are,” she said, leading him to the back of the store.

  “Bella! You can’t run off on me like that,” he said, approaching them. Molly’s heart squeezed as his little girl looked up from the book that Addie was reading. The little girl looked so solemn, very much like her father.

  “Sorry, Daddy,” she said with a sigh, standing up.

  Drew ruffled the top of her head and kissed it. “Thank you for looking out for her,” he said to Addie.

  Molly stepped forward. “Drew, this is my sister, Addie. Addie, this is Drew Barrett, we work together. He’s the new surgeon who joined the hospital.”

  Addie extended her hand and he shook it. “Nice to meet you,” she said, smiling, her cheeks slightly flushed.

  “Well, it was nice to see you and nice to meet you, Bella. I’ve got to run. I hope you have a great time at the Harvest Festival today,” Molly said.

  “Thanks, you too,” Bella said.

  “Oh, let me walk you out because I forgot to tell you about…that thing,” Addie said, bolting toward her. Molly shot her a look.

  “What thing?” she asked as they walked to the door.

  Addie looped her arm though Molly’s. “Who is that man? He has to be the best thing I’ve seen in maybe my entire life.”

  Molly laughed and snuck a look back at Drew. Addie yanked her arm. “Don’t look obvious,” she hissed.

  �
�Okay, yeah, he’s definitely good looking. The entire female staff at the hospital is talking about him. I don’t really know that much. He moved here from one of the country’s most prestigious hospitals. I don’t know anything about his personal life. He keeps to himself. Doesn’t date. So he’s either divorced or widowed.”

  Addie tapped her finger on her bottom lip. “Maybe widowed. That would be sad. Tragic. But didn’t his adorable little daughter look tragic? So sad.”

  Molly tried not to laugh. Her sister’s imagination always ran away with her. “Addie, I think you’re getting ahead of yourself.”

  “Of course, of course. He’s way out of my league anyway,” she said, adjusting her cute red sweater.

  “That’s not what I said,” Molly winced. She knew that years of living with their mother had taken a toll on Addie’s self-esteem. She’d hoped she’d moved on by now. But she knew some scars ran deep.

  “No, no of course you wouldn’t say that. I’m fine. He’s not my type. Unfortunately, I’ve yet to find a nerd to my liking.”

  Molly swallowed her laugh. “Stop. You’re not a nerd. I don’t even think that’s a word now, is it?”

  “It’s a classic. Okay, listen, go have a great day. Enjoy your evening with Ben, and drop by tomorrow because I want all the details. See if Ben knows any nerdy firemen. What am I saying? They aren’t nerds. They’re all hot,” she said.

  “You’re hot, too, Addie. You’ve got to stop thinking of yourself as a tween at Mom and Dad’s house.”

  Addie smiled. “I don’t. Now go. Enjoy your day.”

  Molly gave her a wave and made her way out the store, happy for her sister that her shop was already getting noticed. She walked in the direction of the firehouse, enjoying the hustle and bustle of the usually quiet town. The scent of fall was in the air, and she could see the tents in the distance that housed all the different vendors and food trucks.

  When she came to the firehouse she stopped outside, taking in the sight of children and their parents walking and admiring the shiny red trucks parked outside.

  “Avoiding me?”

  She jumped and spun around, smiling into Ben’s gorgeous face. He was wearing a T-shirt and jeans. “I was hoping to get to ride in the truck.”

  He laughed, the corners of his eyes crinkling, and she wanted to reach out and kiss him. That’s what she would have done in the past, without giving it a second thought. She would have hugged him and kissed him and now, nine years later, a grown woman, and she could barely touch him without second-guessing herself. “Anytime, sweetheart,” he said, still smiling. He reached out and took her hand, moving closer to her. Her pulse started racing, and she could smell the scent of his cologne. He was delectable enough to eat.

  “I like the way you’re looking at me,” he said, his voice low, sending a shiver of desire through her.

  Her gaze dropped to his mouth. “You’re a pretty easy man to look at,” she whispered.

  He made a sound that seemed to ignite something inside that she didn’t want to dissipate. She tried to concentrate. “So, I will meet you back here tonight?”

  “How about we meet by the dance grounds?”

  She nodded. “Okay. I guess I should let you get back to you crowd,” she said. “And you’re introducing me to your boss, right?”

  “Right. I had no idea at the time that I wasn’t going to be faking any of this.”

  Her heart felt ready to burst. How was she going to be able to walk away from him? “Right. I guess we’ll be seeing everyone tonight?”

  He shrugged. “Pretty much. I was talking to Chase Donovan. He and Julia will be coming. All the Baileys I’m sure.”

  She smiled. “It’ll be nice to see everyone again.”

  “Yeah. Oh and Finn. He’ll be there. It’ll be his last night with free time. He’ll be starting my back deck soon, too.”

  “Back deck?”

  He nodded. “I haven’t gotten around to building one, so seeing as he owes me, I thought I’d get him to do it.”

  She shook her head, smiling. “I have no idea how you two manage to maintain a good relationship.”

  He shrugged. “We do our best to irritate each other.”

  She glanced over at the large crowd in front of the old building. “Okay. I’ll see you tonight,” she said.

  “You bet,” he said with a wave.

  She turned around and made her way back to her car. She had to go home and get ready. Tonight, everything was going to change.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Molly parked her car in one of the few empty spaces at the fairgrounds and sighed out loud. She pulled down the visor on the driver’s side of the car and flicked the cover open, looking at her reflection. She stared at herself, searching for the woman, the doctor the world saw, but she didn’t see that woman.

  She saw the girl, the twenty-year-old. Maybe that was when she’d stopped being the real Molly. All these years she’d been this other Molly—the shell. The other one, the real her, was gone. She blinked, noting the fine lines beside her eyes and wondered if they were from nights filled with tears and crying herself to sleep, or if they were from too many night shifts at the hospital. She ran her index finger over her mouth briefly, remembering Ben’s kisses, the only kisses in so many years, and she wondered how she’d been able to go on without him, without anyone. Was she cold? Was there something seriously wrong with her that she could have shut out so many people?

  She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment and took a deep breath before opening them again. She’d rehearsed what she was going to tell him. This time, the eyes she stared into were her own, and she saw the warmth. She saw that she was a good person, one who loved and cared deeply, but one who had been deeply wounded and scarred and had retreated inside. But no more. Life was too short, too unpredictable to keep playing it safe. Ben was in her life again. He was falling in love with her again, and she knew she wouldn’t take that for granted. She was a grown woman, and she knew her mother had been dead wrong about everything.

  She grabbed her small pumpkin-shaped straw purse and clutched the handle tightly, opening her car door. She was ready to face her future.

  She was twenty all over again.

  Her heart raced, like she was still the optimistic, idealistic girl who thought she had her whole world in front of her. Her gaze cherished the sight of Ben in the distance, in his strong, tall form, in his beautiful masculinity.

  She stood still as the memory of them nine years ago, standing out there, washed over her, drowning her in waves of feeling. Everything had been perfect then—their plans, their future. They had been so confident. They had known what they wanted—each other. They had spent the day at the festival eating and kissing and holding hands. They had danced under the stars, and when dusk turned into night, Ben had dropped down on one knee and told her that he didn’t have a ring yet, and he knew she was too young, but he promised her that she was the only woman he would ever want and that when she was ready, he would marry her.

  He’d taken her breath away. He’d been so handsome and strong and fearless. He’d been her rock, her everything, and she had known that marrying him was right.

  She inhaled shakily, her eyes still on him. She couldn’t cry. She couldn’t go back to that night. She needed to move forward. She needed to fix the present.

  She took a step forward and then another, slowly making her way through the crowd, but following the string of white twinkling lights. The warm autumn breeze held a note of nighttime to it, and the scent of pumpkin and cinnamon hung on, despite the vendors getting ready to close. The band was still playing, and kids were still running around; people strolled through the rows of craft tables and food stands.

  Her heart squeezed when she saw Ben look down at his watch. She took a deep breath and pulled her cardigan a little closer as a nervous shiver stole through her. She picked up her pace, not wanting him to doubt her, and cursed Addie for making her order the sandals with the three-inch heels—not practical
for a harvest festival.

  She was almost at the edge of the field when he turned in the opposite direction and started walking away. She ran forward a few steps and yelled his name, just in time for him to turn around and witness her heels getting stuck in the soft ground while the rest of her body was still moving forward with momentum and then crashing to the ground with a thud and a roar of outrage.

  “Crap, are you okay?” Ben’s hands were on her shoulders and helping her up.

  “This is all your fault, Ben,” she grumbled, trying to wipe the mud stain off the front of her overpriced but impossibly adorable dress.

  “What? How?”

  She glared up at him. “I was chasing after you because you were walking away! Look at these heels; these aren’t chasing shoes. This isn’t a running competition!”

  His lips twitched for a moment, his brown eyes twinkling. “Well, because we know what would happen if it were…”

  She punched him in the shoulder as his voice trailed off. Instead of continuing the banter, he gave a low laugh and pulled her into his arms. She instinctively wrapped her arms around him, even though he was technically still laughing at her. “I’m sorry I was late,” she whispered against his hard chest.

  He pulled back slightly. “You don’t have to apologize. Oh no, Finn is coming this way,” Ben said, with a frown, looking over his shoulder.

  Molly laughed, and he put his arm around her as Finn approached. Soon they were surrounded by old friends. Music filled the air and Molly and Ben laughed and talked to their friends. Chase and Julia Donovan had joined them, along with Luke and Gwen, and Lily and Jack Bailey. For that hour, she felt as though nothing had ever changed. She felt welcome; she felt at home. She didn’t want to leave again. She wanted to believe this was a new beginning.

  “Well, Ben, are you going to introduce me to your fiancée?”

  Molly turned in the direction of the deep voice filled with amusement.

  “Sir, I’d like you to meet Molly Mayberry,” Ben said, his voice filled with pride.