Hometown Fireman. Lissa Manley

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СКАЧАТЬ are lots of folks around who would be willing to help.”

      “I’m not used to depending on others,” she said. “Guess I’m going to have to get over that.” Her eyes glittered as her gaze landed on the attached one-car garage. “Guess my car is gone, too.”

      He looked at the garage and his heart sank; its walls were charred and the roof had caved in. Empathy welled. She’d truly been left with nothing. “Yeah, it looks like it.” An idea rattled around in his brain. “You gonna need a place to stay?” He and his family had been homeless after the fire that destroyed their house, and if not for the kindness of others, they wouldn’t have had anywhere to live.

      “I’ll figure something out,” she said, jutting her jaw out. “I’m used to managing on my own.”

      He dropped his chin. He couldn’t turn her loose with no place to go and no way around; that just didn’t seem like the gentlemanly thing to do. And no doubt Mom would be on his case if she found out about Ally’s situation and then discovered he hadn’t helped out. His place only had one bedroom, so that wasn’t an option. But Mom and Dad had three unused bedrooms....

      “Listen, Ally. My parents have plenty of room at their house.”

      Her leaf-colored eyes widened. “Oh, no. I couldn’t impose.”

      “Trust me, you wouldn’t be imposing. Mom, in particular, would love having you around.” Now that Dad had moved into the apartment above the garage, she’d undoubtedly like having someone else in the house to talk to.

      “Would they love having my dogs underfoot?” Ally asked with a lift of her eyebrows. “I can’t just desert them. And I should tell you that Sadie here is going to be a mama soon.”

      “She’s pregnant?”

      “Yep. The shelter thought she had a few more weeks to go.”

      He paused.

      “If that makes a difference, I totally understand.”

      “No, it’s fine,” he replied. “Mom and Dad have always had dogs up until three months ago, when their German shepherd, Duke, died. And my mom has a soft spot for animals. So I’m sure they won’t mind. In fact, I think all of Duke’s stuff is still in the basement.”

      Ally studied him. “Why are you being so nice to me? You don’t even know me.”

      He shrugged. “When I was a kid, our house burned down, and I remember how traumatic it was for the whole family.”

      She cast her eyes to the smoldering house and garage, shaking her head. She froze for a couple of seconds, and some of the light faded from her eyes. Gradually a sense of what looked like inevitability seemed to envelop her like a gray cloud. Clearly, she felt as if her life had crumbled before her eyes, and honestly he couldn’t blame her for thinking that. Fire struck a blow no one should have to endure.

      Suddenly, Drew had the urge to wrap an arm around her for comfort. But he didn’t; he was sure ol’ Rex and his teeth would think that kind of gesture was a really bad idea. And the dog would be right. Drew barely knew this woman, and after he dropped her at Mom and Dad’s, he and Ally would only see each other in passing. He had no business offering her any more than a roof over her head, and a part of him wondered why the urge to comfort her had even crossed his mind. He wasn’t usually one to establish quick connections.

      After a long, silent moment, Ally straightened her shoulders, took a deep breath and finally spoke. “Well, I’ll agree on the condition that the arrangement would be only temporary.”

      He held up his hands. “Fine.”

      “Good.”

      He lifted an eyebrow. “What do you plan on doing in the long run?”

      She sucked in a large breath. “Maybe I’ll...move to a hotel or something.”

      He liked her determination. But with the talk of her rent-free situation, he got the impression her bravado, while understandable, was false. Not to mention that she wasn’t being realistic about finding somewhere else to stay, given that she was bringing two big dogs with her, one expecting puppies any day now.

      He nodded. “Unfortunately, there are only two lodging possibilities in Moonlight Cove, and as far as I know, neither one of them allows dogs.”

      “Oh.”

      Another idea occurred to him. “Listen, my dad owns a real estate company and has tons of connections around here. I’m sure he could help find an inexpensive rental for you.”

      “I don’t have the money for all the deposits necessary, and until I get work, I can’t afford any kind of rent, either.”

      “No savings?”

      “Nope.”

      Man, she was really in a bind....

      “I’ll figure something out.” She gave him a brittle smile. “I always do.”

      Again, her determination impressed him. “Okay, I hear you loud and clear.” He paused, his gaze on the smoldering house. “Any clue as to what caused the fire?”

      She shook her head. “I had the dogs out for a walk. We came back inside, and I was getting to work making more flyers for the housecleaning business I’m setting up.”

      “This is in addition to the dog rescue?”

      “Gotta find a way to pay the bills.”

      Good point. “Do you have any clients yet?”

      “Not yet, but I just posted an online ad yesterday, so hopefully something will come from that.”

      Sounded like a good plan. “I know just about everyone in town, so I could probably rustle up some prospects.”

      “That’d be great.” She smoothed her wind-tossed hair behind her ear. “Anyway, Rex here started barking, and when I came out to the kitchen to investigate, there were flames shooting from the wall behind the stove.”

      “Wiring maybe? That house was built a long time ago.”

      She shrugged. “Maybe.”

      “I take it you hightailed it out of there fast?”

      “I went straight for the door, then called 911 on my cell when I got outside. I didn’t even think to grab my keys.”

      “Good thing Rex was on top of things.”

      “No kidding.” Her lips trembled. “I hadn’t even unpacked everything yet.” She laughed without humor. “Guess now I won’t have to.”

      Sadie whined, and Ally gave Drew a lopsided smile as she gestured to the dog. “This one is turning out to be quite sympathetic.” Crouching down, she put her arms around the dog’s furry neck and hugged her close. “Thanks, girl. But don’t worry. Everything’s going to be just fine. I promise you won’t be homeless again.”

      Drew’s throat went tight. Ally was clearly a compassionate СКАЧАТЬ