Starting the engine, Drake forced out the crippling images of that day. His counselor was right. Focusing on the past wouldn’t help him rebuild for a better future. And he knew that Andrea would want him to move on; she’d want him to live his life. Besides, he had a department he needed to fight for and a boy in the hospital he cared about.
Which brought him right back to the pretty nurse who seemed a bit skittish when he was around. Her beauty was rather shocking, and Drake hadn’t felt a physical pull toward anyone since Andrea. Which only made his mixed-up emotions even more confusing.
How could he find another woman so appealing in such a short time? Should he ask her out? He had to keep trying his hand at dating if he wanted to truly move on.
But Marly was afraid of something. Perhaps he should approach this on a friendship level, because Drake knew one thing. He had to find out what had put the shadows beneath her pretty eyes.
* * *
Marly was thankful her supervisor gave her a few hours off to chaperone Willow on the kindergarten field trip. Marly knew it was going to be tough to hold a full-time job and be the parent Willow needed, especially after removing Willow from the only home she’d known.
So far Willow was adjusting perfectly, and today’s field trip to the fire department was all her sweet little five-year-old could talk about this morning.
Marly left work early and pulled into the department lot just after the bus did. It didn’t take long for Marly to zero in on the chief, and she cursed herself for instantly seeking him out.
Drake stepped up to the open doors of the bus and greeted the kids with a wide grin as they bounced off the last step and raced across the lot to the closest shiny red truck. Another group of men in blue polos and matching pants herded the children to the grassy area, where they had them take a seat.
As Marly got out of her SUV, her eyes locked on the chief. She hadn’t seen him since that awkward moment in the hallway two days ago. He hadn’t popped in yesterday like he’d said he would, and she hated that she’d had a sliver of disappointment when her shift had ended and she hadn’t seen him.
Marly crossed the parking lot and headed toward the front of the bus to wait for Willow. Before she could spot her daughter, Drake raised his head. Even with his dark aviator sunglasses on, she knew he was looking right at her.
Sweltering heat from the late-summer sun did nothing to prevent the chills from racing through her. The instant reaction her body took to this man was unexplainable and unwanted. Yes, at one time she would’ve loved to have felt chills over the thought of a man like Drake looking at her, but that was years ago, before she’d married a monster.
Trusting her judgment now wasn’t the smartest move. She needed to regroup, build a solid life on her own before trying to appreciate a man like Drake. Her personal life would have to come later—much later.
Such a shame, though. She didn’t remember the last time a man had looked at her and made her feel anything but fear.
“Mama!”
Marly smiled as Willow came running up to her. “Come on.” Willow started tugging on Marly’s hand. “They’re going to let us squirt the hoses in a minute, and the teacher said we may get to climb inside a truck.”
Laughing, Marly allowed herself to be pulled toward the other smiling, wiggly kids. She passed by Drake, earning a devastating smile and a nod of his head.
“Marly.”
Unable to help herself, Marly returned his smile. “Chief St. John.”
Mercy. Just passing by the man and his spicy scent had Marly wondering where on earth her head had gone. Hadn’t she scolded herself already? Physical attraction wasn’t something she could indulge in. But just because she didn’t plan on doing anything about this sudden onslaught of emotions didn’t mean she couldn’t appreciate the view of such a spectacular man.
“I want to sit in the front,” Willow said, taking a seat beside a little boy wearing his school spirit T-shirt. “This is my friend Alan. Just stand over there with the other moms, but watch me when I squirt the hose. Okay?”
“All right, sweetie,” Marly agreed.
She stepped aside, but not too close to the other moms. She was only here to see her daughter, help if needed and snap some pictures of her baby’s first field trip. What she wasn’t here to do was make friends with other moms or spend her time fantasizing about Chief Drake St. John.
But as she watched him interact with the children, she found herself softening toward this local hero even more. The children all stared up at him with wide eyes as he projected his strong voice over the young crowd. They were his captive audience as he discussed how firefighters rescued people when they were scared and needed help.
Within moments he had donned full firefighting gear to show them how they may look scary, but all the equipment was to keep them safe so they could help others in danger.
That instant, Marly found herself drawn deeper into his world. Whether she wanted to or not, she was mesmerized and hung on his every word...just like the children.
Great. Now what? The emotions were there. No matter how she’d tried to dodge and deny them, they were in the forefront of her mind. So what on earth did she do with that revelation?
* * *
Drake absolutely loved this part of his job. He loved the interaction with the kids, enjoyed seeing their smiling faces as he explained the different tools on the different fire trucks; he even loved letting them play with the fire hose.
But today, all of that faded in the background. Marly had a child—a little girl who looked exactly like her. Once his initial shock wore off, he realized he was staring like a fool.
Drake wasn’t sure if he was more shocked at the fact she had a child or the fact she was smiling so widely, so beautifully. He’d not seen her so happy before. Of course, he’d only seen her in her element at work, caring for Jeremy.
The second he’d spotted her, his heart had tightened, but when her face had lit up at the sight of her little girl, Drake had literally felt that punch to the gut he’d heard his brother Eli talk about.
Now that the children had gone through their tour and were starting to line back up for the bus, Drake realized Marly had pretty much stayed in the shadows. He’d caught her snapping photos of her daughter, and now she was holding the little girl, kissing her on the cheek. Drake lurched forward. He couldn’t let an opportunity pass him by.
“Would you like a picture together?” he offered.
Marly’s head whipped around. “Drake.”
“You know the chief?” Willow asked, wide-eyed and obviously impressed. “Why didn’t you say so? That’s the coolest!”
Drake laughed. “Maybe your mom could bring you back sometime. I’m sure I can find time to take you for a ride in the fire engine.”
The little girl’s mouth dropped. “If you’re kidding, Chief, I’m gonna be sad.”
Drake couldn’t help but reach out and give a tug on one of her
