there was still that nugget of doubt that kept telling her Drake was nothing like the man she’d married. Nothing.
“You carry toys everywhere you go?” she asked, once he closed the gap between them.
Glancing down at the toy in question, Drake shrugged. When his eyes met hers once again, they held as his voice lowered. “My toys are a bit larger than this.”
She shivered at the veiled flirting and innuendo. The part deep inside her that had thought no man would ever find her attractive again sparked to life. For so long she’d not even been given a second thought, other than being used as a pawn or publicity stunt.
But Drake had a way of making her feel... Just feel, and that was something she’d have to get used to if she was going to keep seeing him in this small town.
“I assume that’s for our patient?”
With a nod, Drake asked, “How’s he doing today?”
“Good. Amy just stepped out to get a bite to eat and Shawn ran home to shower. I nearly had to bribe them to take care of themselves.”
Drake swallowed hard, glancing away.
“You okay?” she asked.
“Yeah, I just... This whole situation kills me. I don’t know what to say to Shawn. Words won’t fix what happened.” He shook his head. “Talking to people after accidents is part of my job, yet this is on a whole new level of difficulty. Shawn and I are friends.”
“You saved their son’s life,” Marly pointed out. “They’re grateful.”
“I know they are,” he told her, waiting until another nurse went by before he continued, “I’m thankful I got to him in time, but the entire situation just sucks.”
“You didn’t tell me you were the one who pulled Jeremy from the fire. Amy was telling me earlier how she doesn’t know what they would’ve done without you.”
Drake’s eyes held hers, but he didn’t utter a word. A true hero was someone who didn’t boast or brag of his achievements. A true hero did his job, though fear may overpower him. A true hero cared for others, put their needs first, even at the risk of being injured himself.
And before her stood a true hero.
“You can go in and see him, but I’ll need to put the toy at the nurse’s station with his other things. We’ve been keeping all of the balloons and flowers out here since his room is set up for his special needs due to the burns.”
He passed the stuffed dog over, and Marly was careful not to let her hands brush his again. The less contact with this potent man the better. He was already wreaking havoc on her nerves and consuming way too much of her mind and she barely knew him.
“Go on in,” Marly said, afraid of just how fast she was becoming infatuated with the town fire chief. “I’ll be back in a bit.”
She quickly rushed off and went straight to the employees’ restroom. Flicking the lock, Marly sank against the back of the door. Drake St. John was becoming a bigger issue than she’d first thought.
When he’d first come into the pediatric unit she realized he was probably there to check on the boy because that fell in line with being the chief. But then when he’d been there nearly every day, he was great with Willow and now he’d brought a stuffed animal for Jeremy... He was becoming more and more real.
Marly sighed. Real? That sounded ridiculous. Of course he was real, but now he was even more genuine and melting away that layer she’d formed around her heart. She needed to be on guard, not to start feeling all schoolgirl over a handsome, charming fire chief.
No doubt, his physical appeal couldn’t be denied, but how could she allow herself to be so taken with him so fast? She’d learned her lesson—the hard way—on big, powerful men. Right now she had to focus on rebuilding her new life and trying to keep custody of Willow. Kevin wouldn’t stop at sending texts and voice mails. He’d take action by hiring a PI, if he hadn’t already.
But it was getting harder and harder to focus when Drake came around. Between his easy rapport with Willow and his dedication to Jeremy’s welfare, there was so much more to Drake than power.
Perhaps that was what scared her most.
Marly looked at herself in the mirror. In twenty-six years, she’d been through too much. All she wanted was happiness, a settled life in which she felt safe, protected and secure. Not only for herself, but also for her daughter.
She eased her blond hair back, facing the ugly, jagged scar that ran down her temple. Vanity had never been her thing, so the physical image wasn’t what bothered her. Kevin’s fists had taken so much more than physical beauty. They had taken away her freedom, her sense of self-worth and her courage. But she was getting those back. No way would she give Kevin the satisfaction of stealing everything from her.
Including her daughter.
Her eyes roamed down to the small scar on her chin. That one was impossible to hide, but at least it was on the underside, so it wasn’t as noticeable and easier to chalk up to a fall from childhood.
Adjusting her hair back in place, she took a deep, calming breath and headed back to work. At some point she’d have to face the fact that she was finding herself more and more intrigued by—and dare she say attracted to—Drake.
She couldn’t act on her unstable emotions. After all, how could she trust anything she felt after her poor judgment regarding her ex? On the other hand, she couldn’t keep lying to herself about this invisible tug whenever Drake was around. She was a woman who had desires and eyes, for pity’s sake. How could any woman not do a double take at Drake? And after that double take, the real problems started. Because the looks didn’t make the man...the big heart and devastating smile did.
* * *
Drake eyed the young boy lying in the sterile bed wearing a sheet up to his waist, dressings wrapped around his torso and his left arm. Drake’s heart literally ached for Jeremy, Shawn and Amy. Such a beautiful family living in a small town like so many others around the country, and now fate had turned their world upside down.
Someone needed to step up and help them. There was no way Shawn and Amy could take on this financial burden alone. Wasn’t that what people in small towns did? Rallied behind each other when one of them was hurting? Besides, they needed mental support, as well. No one should ever go through a trauma like this alone.
Drake figured he’d get the ball rolling in the direction of a fund-raiser to assist Shawn and Amy. He couldn’t just sit back and do nothing.
Drake wanted to drag the mayor from behind his desk and his cushy leather chair and show him the ramifications of cutting good, hardworking firefighters. Drake had zero tolerance for that man, and this was just another reason Drake couldn’t wait until the next election when hopefully a new mayor was sworn in...a mayor who actually cared about the people of the town.
When Drake stepped from the room and eased the door shut behind him, Marly was nowhere to be seen. He walked up to the nurses’ station and was greeted by a middle-aged lady wearing character scrubs with her hair in a tight, high bun.
Balloons, teddy bears and flowers were
