ANNIE O’NEIL spent most of her childhood with a leg draped over the family rocking chair and a book in her hand. Novels, baking, and writing too much teenage angst poetry ate up most of her youth. Now, quite a few years on from those fevered daydreams of being a poet, Annie splits her time between corralling her husband (and real-life Scottish hero) into helping her with their cows or scratching the backs of their rare breed pigs, and spending some very happy hours at her computer, writing. Find out more about Annie at her website: www.annieoneilbooks.com

The Firefighter to Heal Her Heart
Annie O’Neil

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Dear Reader,

First of all let me give you a big, fat, juicy thank you for reading my second book! I’ve been having an absolute blast, diving headfirst into the world of Mills & Boon® Medical Romance™, and will have to be dragged out kicking and screaming.

Writing this book was a no-brainer for me after The Surgeon’s Christmas Wish, as Liesel was a character who really stayed with me. I wanted to see what happened to her after she moved from America back to Australia—and lo and behold … romance ensues! And a quest for chocolate milkshakes. But I’m jumping the gun here …

Liesel’s story is set in an area where I picked grapes (!) during a backpacking trip I had in Australia. I had an absolutely amazing time there, and was impressed by how supportive all those small communities just outside of Adelaide are.

Many thanks to you again, and I hope you enjoy Liesel and Jack’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Have fun!

Annie O X

This book is first and foremost dedicated to all of those who volunteer for the South Australian Fire Service.

You are all heroes and heroines in my eyes.

I would also like to send a special nod (and a glass of wine) to my fabulous sister-in-law, who has been an incredible source of encouragement to me.

Lots of love to you, Kymberley.

Table of Contents

Cover

About the Author

Title Page

Dear Reader

Dedication

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

Copyright

CHAPTER ONE

“SO, DO YOU think we should practice a tiger or a lion roar?”

Liesel was finding it difficult not to laugh as she knelt on the barnyard’s baked red earth, eye to eye with the tearful seven-year-old. This hadn’t turned out to be the farm visit Devlin had been dreaming of. Or her, for that matter. She’d been nabbed by a harried teacher to come along on the school farm visit as a “responsible adult.” The promise of some spring sunshine had won out over the nagging in her head about knuckling down to fill out the school’s immunization requirements. The “responsible adult” moniker had made her laugh at the time but now, as she kept Devlin still in the ominously named cattle crush, she knew her nurse’s credentials could come in handy.

How Devlin had managed to stick his head through the metal bars designed to keep cows restrained was beyond her. His penchant for showing off might have been the trouble. Now he was paying the price. All of the students had howled with laughter before being shuttled off to help feed the orphan lambs. The farmer, Mr. Jones, hadn’t been very quiet with his use of the word guillotine when he realized the CFS was going to have to be called. Thank goodness the word was unlikely to be in Devlin’s vocabulary. Yet.

If she could just cheer the gloomy-faced boy up a bit as they waited for a CFS crew to arrive, she was sure all would be well. The Country Fire Service dealt with car accidents all the time so would be used to extracting people from steel structures. The thought made her shiver. Blocking out the disturbing images, Liesel gave Devlin’s pitch-black crew cut a good scrub with her hand. “Not to worry, Dev, it could be worse. You could be stuck in here with a girl!”

She laughed as Devlin screwed up his young face at the idea of being that close to a girl.

“I could think of worse things.”

Liesel shaded her green eyes, squinting hard against the late-afternoon sun to see who was attached to the made-for-late-night-radio voice. Since she’d lost Eric, it took a lot to get her to respond to a man on a primal level—but the rich drawl she’d just heard sent a wave of shivery delight down her spine despite the heat of the day.

Her eyes worked fast to adjust to the glare—quickly turning the silhouetted six-foot-something male into a poster boy for South Australia’s volunteer fire service. A thick shock of sandy blond hair had become a sexy tousled by-product of the red helmet he was putting on the ground as he knelt beside her—a pair of bright blue eyes securely fixed on Devlin. Golden stubble outlined his well-defined face. She normally wasn’t a fan—but on this guy it looked more Rugged Bachelor than Unkempt Slob. Despite herself, her eyes swept down the golden hairs of his toned forearm and spied a ring-free hand. Not everyone wore a ring, but no ring was a pretty good indication …

“How long have you been caged up in here, mate?”

Devlin flicked his long-lashed eyes up to Liesel.

“Miss, it’s been about three hours, hasn’t it?”

Liesel threw her head back and laughed. “Hardly, Devlin—I think it’s closer to fifteen minutes.”

“All right, Dev—is it all right if I call you Dev? Or should I say Dare Devlin?” He paused for Devlin’s grin—a show of acceptance of the new nickname—and continued, “My name’s Jack and we’re going to get you out of here as soon as possible.” He turned, putting a hand on Liesel’s shoulder, lips parting to reveal a crooked smile. Uh-oh … that’s a knee-weakener.

“Is it all right if I call you Miss?” He laughed good-naturedly at her startled expression then stood up, putting a hand under Liesel’s elbow to help her to her feet as he rose.

Crikey. And he’s got manners.

“Miss is great.” She tried to force her lips into a casual smile as she silently raced through a quick-fire series of questions. Had her hair seen the right side of a brush recently? Had she unscrewed the lid on her mascara that morning? Then used it? Had her fair skin and freckles already had their daily allotment of sunshine? All too aware of the arrows of heat beginning to shoot across her cheeks, she grew wide-eyed as she spluttered on, “You can feel free to call me Liesel—I mean, Miss Adler. Or Nurse Adler. I’m the school nurse. Registered.”

For crying out loud—the man didn’t ask for your CV, Liesel!

Jack dropped a slow wink in her direction, simultaneously giving Devlin a soft chuck under the chin. “I think Miss Adler will do perfectly.”

Her heart did a quick-fire yo-yo trip across her rib cage as she dared to look up into his smiling eyes. They were an awfully nice shade of turquoise.

Wait a minute. Did her lashes just flutter? Get a hold of yourself, Liesel.

Her eyes dropped back to Devlin, who was looking up at her with a pained expression as he tried to wrangle himself free from his head-locked position.

Clenching her hands into tight fists, she shut her eyes. Just as suddenly as her heart had soared at Jack’s sexy wink, it plummeted with a painful twist. Here was this small boy she was supposed to be caring for and she was acting like a love-struck teen. Images of Eric flashed past her closed eyes.

Eric.

Her behavior had been disloyal to him—to his memory. She knew the day for moving on would come at some point—soon even—but this couldn’t be the moment. Could it?

“Miss Adler?”

“Yes, sorry.” Liesel forced her voice back to the soothing nurse tone she used with the children but kept her eyes fixed on her charge. “What do you need to do to get this little man free?”

Jack was going to have to give himself a ripper of a talking to when he got back to the station. He wasn’t here to flirt. Or wink, for that matter. Winking was reserved for little old ladies and four-year-olds who needed cheering up, not for cute-as-they-come school nurses. He wouldn’t mind running his fingers through a few of those corkscrew red curls of hers. From the shine glinting off of them, they’d feel about as soft as the dark green silk top she was wearing. She wasn’t even in a uniform, but his imagination could certainly fill in the— Whoa! Don’t even go there, Jack.

Ladies were meant to be off the radar, whether or not they were standing right in front of you looking as petite, cat-eyed and creamy-skinned as they came.

Jack heard himself clear his throat a bit too violently as he gathered equipment from the back of the crew truck.

Gear. Work. Much safer terrain.

He was here to help the little boy and from the looks of the heavy-gauge steel, he would need more than a bit of dishwashing soap to get him free. Poor kid. He wouldn’t be Dare Devlining for a while, from the mortified look on his face. He’d have to keep an eye on his progress and see if he’d be a candidate for the Country Fire Service cadets in a few years. With the right training, a spitfire youngster could very easily turn into a hero.

Come to think of it, their station could also do with some volunteer nurses on the force. He’d only been at the Murray Valley posting for a few weeks. His assignment was a Class A rescue mission. Its volunteer forces needed some bolstering. Big-time. The lads at the station had told him the school nurse had been someone’s granny up until recently so he hadn’t even thought of bringing the new one into the loop as regards the station. Now that he’d met Liesel?

Easy there, cowboy.

Then again, she was a nurse. He wondered if …

Focus, man.

Jack pushed himself back into action mode.

“I’m going to put some earplugs in your lugholes, all right, mate?” Jack knelt down by Devlin, feeling a little too aware of Liesel’s presence behind him. “This thing’s a bit loud. It’s called a hydraulic spreader. Basically a big set of automated pliers.” Devlin looked at him dubiously as he continued, “I’m going to pull these bars a couple of centimeters wider and unless you grow some more brains between now and then, you should be able to get that noggin of yours free and Mr. Jones can have his crush back for the cattle. What do you say to that?”

As Devlin’s forlorn face flooded with relief, Liesel felt herself choking back another giggle. This guy was good. He had such a relaxed way with Devlin that any fears she may have had about having to call the boy’s parents to explain to them that their son was going to have to spend the night in a barnyard vanished.

Thoughts of her own little boy flitted through her mind. She had imagined the moments he would have spent with his father countless times. Moments like this—well, not quite like this—watching Jack interact with Devlin tore at her heart.

It was still difficult reconciling the fact that her little Liam would not have a single memory of his father. Then again, she silently chastised herself, it wasn’t as if falling in love with a ski patroller had been a safe bet. Hazards had been a day-to-day reality with his job. As a trauma nurse in a ski medical clinic she had seen the aftermath of the daily dangers he’d faced.

And now? Now it was taking life day by day in a quiet country town. Her job as a school nurse wasn’t crisis free—but skinned knees and the odd sprain were safer territory. Better on her frayed nerves. Not to mention the fact that Liam got free childcare in the school crèche, making her nurse’s salary stretch a little bit further.

Surviving the past couple of years had worked by sticking to the day-by-day principle. Trauma centers, extreme sports, high-octane thrill-seeking? All relegated to a no-go zone. Winking, blue-eyed firemen certainly didn’t belong on the safe list.

“You might want to pop a pair of these in as well if you’re going to hold the little fella’s hand while I crank up the pliers.”

Startled, Liesel stared uncomprehendingly at the orange foam orbs Jack held in front of her. “Sorry! I was miles away.”

“No kidding.” His eyes held hers in a questioning gaze. Not accusative, just curious. “It wasn’t hard to miss.”

Telling him the truth wasn’t an option. Neither was acknowledging the tingles working their way up her arm after he’d handed her the earplugs. For crying out loud! She was behaving as if she’d never spoken to an attractive man before. For the first year after she’d lost Eric being with another man hadn’t even occurred to her. Nine months later it had all been about Liam. Now, three years later … Was this really going to be the day?

“I was just thinking about whether or not I should take a picture for his parents or if it’s best to just leave it to the imagination.”

Jack unleashed another relaxed smile as he bent to start the small generator for his pliers. “I think this is one best left to the imagination!” He signaled for her to put her earplugs in then checked Devlin’s were securely in place before pulling the cord on the generator. With one sharp tug it roared to life.

Curiosity overcame nerves as Liesel watched Jack pick up the enormous pair of pliers attached to the hydraulic hose. He indicated she should shield Devlin’s face with her hands as he slipped the pliers between the steel bars. In less than a minute the bars were gently pried apart and the little boy effortlessly pulled out his head, shooting out of the crush at high speed. Above the din she could hear him calling to the other students about his great escape.

Laughing, Liesel turned back to Jack, who was expertly returning the bars to their original position. If Mr. Jones hadn’t already seen Devlin’s shenanigans gone wrong, he would have never known they were there.

After snapping the generator off, the peaceful cadence of the countryside once again took over.

“Well, thank you so much.” Liesel resisted looking too deeply into the blue eyes trained on her. She was in serious danger of mooning. And swooning. She really needed to get a grip. “I’m sorry to have wasted your time on something that wasn’t a real emergency.”

“What?” Jack stepped back in mock horror. “That wasn’t a real emergency? I thought I’d got myself a humdinger of a job there.”

Despite herself, Liesel felt drawn to his easygoing nature. Never mind the man was gorgeous—he also seemed to inhabit an infectious sense of fun. She hadn’t felt carefree in—well, in a long time, and it was something she missed.

“You know what I mean.” She swatted at the air between them. “It wasn’t like it was a bushfire or a car crash.” She suddenly found herself unable to maintain eye contact. Firemen—especially men who volunteered to go into hazardous situations—were definitely in the no-go zone.

His voice turned serious. “Of course I do—but we take all of our callouts seriously and I, for one, would hate to think anyone would hesitate to call us if we could help.”

She looked up into those amazing blue eyes of his as if to confirm that the words he spoke were genuine.

“Truly,” he reiterated solidly, as though mind reading the few threads of doubt tugging at her conscience.

“Well, I know one little fellow who will be dining off your heroics for weeks.”

Jack leaned back against the cattle crush and nodded appraisingly at her. “So, you think I’m a hero, do you?”

A flush of heat rushed up her throat as he waited for her answer.

“Of course not! I mean, you definitely were to Devlin—”

Jack’s easy laughter stopped her inane flow of apologies.

“Don’t worry, Miss Adler. I’m always out for a free compliment if I can get one.” He tilted his head in her direction, capturing her attention with another one of those winks. Resist, Liesel. Resist.

“There is one way you can repay the Country Fire Service if you feel you owe us one.”

Liesel crooked her chin up at him, curiosity getting the better of her.

“Murray Valley needs more volunteers. Big-time. A nurse would be a great addition to our local crew.”

Liesel felt herself physically recoil from the suggestion.

Not a chance.

She didn’t do hazardous things anymore. Not with a son to look after. Not after the loss she’d suffered.

Jack knew in an instant he’d overstepped the mark. Her gentle, sunny personality vanished the moment he’d made his suggestion. There was definitely something painfully private she was keeping close to her chest. Fair enough. It wasn’t as if he didn’t have his own secrets. Secrets he kept to make his life easier, more honest. Or was that an oxymoron? Keeping secrets to stay honest.

“Liesel! Quit flirting with the handsome fireman,” a female voice called from across the farmyard. “We’ve got to get the kids back to school for pickup!”

Jack and Liesel instantly widened the space between them, staring stricken-faced in the direction of the voice. Liesel looked absolutely mortified and Jack hadn’t felt so caught out since he’d been found snogging the headmaster’s daughter behind the bike shed when he was thirteen. As if by design, he and Liesel simultaneously looked back at each other, saw their mutual expressions of dismay and immediately burst into unrestrained guffaws.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to look so disgusted! I mean, no—not disgusted.” He waved away the choice of words as if the gesture would erase them. “It’s not that you repel me or anything—”

“I think you’d better quit while you’re ahead!” Liesel laughed, wiping away invisible tears from her eyes. She threw a quick glance over her shoulder toward the growing hubbub of children. “I had better go.”

Jack felt a tug of resistance. So soon? “Right. Yeah, of course.” He stepped forward and offered a hand. “Nice doing business with you, Miss Adler.”

What a first-class dill!

Liesel’s green eyes flashed up at him, unsurprisingly bemused. He’d really gone in for the bad conversational hat trick. Nice doing business with you?

She slipped her petite hand into his and offered him a quick shake of thanks. The delicacy of her fingers instantly made him feel protective of her. Not his usual response to a woman. Normally he wanted to protect himself from whatever she might want from him. Time. Commitment. Less time at the fire station. Too much history in that department had made him wary. But this one, Miss Liesel Adler, something about her told him she wanted nothing more than to stand on her two feet.

“See you around.” Liesel threw the words in her wake as she accelerated her brisk walk into a jog to rejoin the group.

Jack watched her retreat round the corner toward the school bus and spoke to the empty barnyard. “I certainly hope so.”

It was all Liesel could do to keep the hot burn of embarrassment from her cheeks as she rejoined the group.

“Got an eye for a man in uniform, have you, you naughty thing?” Cassie Monroe—or Miss Monroe to the students—raised her eyebrows up and gave her lips a tell-me-more twist. Her friend and colleague didn’t do subtle.

“Hardly!” Liesel shot back at her colleague, a bit more spiritedly than she’d intended.

“Did you get his number?” Cassie continued, as if Liesel hadn’t said a thing.

Liesel sent her a meaningful glare. A glare that she hoped said, Stop talking right now!

“You’re going to see him again, right?”

Nope. Guess the glare hadn’t worked.

“I hardly think it’s appropriate—”

“Anything’s appropriate,” Cassie interrupted, “when you’re trying to get back on the horse again.”

“I’m not trying to get on anything—horsey or otherwise.” This conversation was definitely not going in the right direction.

“Liesel.” Cassie fixed her with a loving glare, hands planted on her shoulders. “It’s time to get back out there and you’re the only one who doesn’t know it.”

“Come along, children.” Liesel actively avoided responding. “Let’s start getting on the bus. Everyone sure they haven’t left anything behind? Rickie—have you got your backpack?”

She felt Cassie sidle up beside her and heard a whisper in her ear. “You’re not going to get away with the silent treatment this time, my dear.” She felt her arm receive a good solid pinch. “After school. Playground. I want details about the hot new fireman.”

Rubbing away the sting of Cassie’s pinch, Liesel couldn’t help but grin back at her friend. They had only known each other since the beginning of term, when Liesel had taken up her new contract. Cassie’s thirteen-year-old son appeared at the nurses’ station a bit too frequently—the only plus side being that the two women had become pretty well acquainted. A couple of girlie nights in, a few tips about where to shop, a detailed who’s who at the school and Cassie had already proved to be a great friend.

Liesel hadn’t known a soul out here in wine country and meeting a fellow single mum, even if Cassie’s son was much older than her own, had taken the edge off the anxiety she’d felt at making the decision to move away from her parents’ house in Adelaide.

In reality, there had been no other option. A disastrous fortnight at the city’s biggest A and E department had proved crisis management was no longer her forte. The other staff had known her situation and had hovered over her, making her feel more paranoid and edgy than confident and comfortable. The two-week tenure had culminated in a disastrous incident where she’d completely frozen over a patient with a gory chainsaw injury. Unacceptable. She’d fired herself before the bosses had had a chance to do it for her.

She’d made the move to Engleton and it just had to work. She didn’t have the energy, or the money, for more change. Small-town life and a job she could do without turning into a bundle of nerves were meant to put an end to chaos. To the memories. And maybe, just maybe, one day she and Liam would be more than a family of two.

In truth, she had been pleasantly surprised to discover her new posting as a school nurse was less calm and more “commotion” than she’d originally thought it might be. Mundane had been her goal but, as usual these days, she found she hadn’t quite made the right call. Apart from the requisite paperwork, it was great fun to spend time with the children, even if she interacted with most of them when they weren’t at their best.

She still had to force herself to take each case as it came, but the occasional heart-racer—a broken collarbone, a deep cut to the forehead, a pencil stabbed into an unsuspecting student’s arm—had all been little teasers reawakening the Liesel who’d spent over five years thriving off the high-stakes charge of saving lives. It was a life she thought she’d needed to lay to rest. But now she felt as though it was her personal mission to provide the children with a safe haven in the school. Everyone deserved that when they were in pain—to feel secure.

It was why she had moved back home after giving birth to Liam. Being on the mountain—the mountain that had taken Eric’s life—had been just too much. His parents had been amazing, more supportive than she could have ever imagined, and knowing Liam wouldn’t be able to see his paternal grandparents as often as they wished made the decision even harder. They did their best to make her feel a part of their own family, but when her own parents had flown over to see her and meet Liam she’d known in an instant where she belonged. Home. Australia. Where the hot sun and burnt landscape provided no memories of the snowcapped mountains where her heart had been ripped from her chest three short years ago.

Liesel skipped up the steps of the bus and grinned at the sight of the children jockeying for the “top spots.” Nothing had changed from when she was a kid. Front seats and backseats were still the most popular and now the mayhem of fifteen children organizing themselves in the middle rows played out in front of her.

The seven-year-olds had clearly had a wonderful time at the farm. Some carefully held eggs in Mr. Jones’s distinctive red cartons in their laps. A gaggle of children were plastering their faces to the windows to catch final glimpses of the sheep and cattle. Others were talking about helping feed the orphaned lambs, and it was just about impossible not to hear Devlin already bragging about how he’d helped the fireman pull apart the iron bars with his own hands to get free of the crush. A quick glimpse toward the barn and she could just see him swinging into the cab of his truck. Yum. Talk about eye candy!

Liesel felt Cassie sending her a knowing look as Jack’s name was bandied about by the children. She sent her friend a smirk and didn’t bother to hide her grin.

This was good. She didn’t feel she was just convincing herself now. It was good. Being around the children all day reminded her of life’s endless possibilities. A year ago she could only see dead ends. Now? Now she was ready to slowly start carving out a new life for herself and Liam.

The last thing in the world she wanted for her son was to have his life curtailed by her grief. It had taken every ounce of energy she’d possessed, but when her parents had offered her use of their holiday let—their “retirement fund”—for the first few months she spent out here in Engleton, she’d gratefully accepted. She’d have to move out when the summer holidays came, but that was a bridge to cross in a few months. It was as if fate had been giving her a gentle nudge. Go on, it had said, take a chance.

Liesel sank into a seat near the driver, a little sigh slipping through her lips. For her son, she would take chances.

This was Jack’s favorite stretch of road along the Murray Valley and he’d missed it. No doubt about it. Four years was a long time to stay away from home. There’d been phone calls, but a clean break had been called for and he had made it easy for everyone by packing a bag and leaving.

Intuitively, Jack guided the truck through the sloping hills that spilled into a wide river basin. The land was thick with spring vines unfurling new leaves and clutches of miniature grapes. Next year’s wine.

He glanced at the cloudless sky, knowing his background had built in a need to check the weather at regular intervals. His father had done it instinctively and now—well, the apple hadn’t fallen too far from the tree. Just a bit farther than usual.

As the moments ticked past he was surprised to see he’d managed to get to the end of the valley without even noticing. It didn’t take a brain surgeon for Jack to know he’d been distracted by a certain freckly nose. Or was it the wild spray of deep auburn curls? They certainly didn’t detract from anything. A collection of distinctively beautiful parts to make up one heck of a whole. Even with his eyes wide open he could picture those sexy feline green eyes that a certain school nurse had kept tilting up at him underneath a long set of lashes. Liesel was definitely on a par with just about any adorable-one-minute-and-knee-bucklingly-sexy-the-next movie star he could think of.

Meeting a beautiful woman had been the last thing on his mind when he’d received his transfer notice to move back to the Murray River Valley. Confronting his demons had his plate piled pretty high as it was.

He leaned his head back against the truck’s headrest, one arm navigating the vehicle along the wide country road dividing the vast tracts of vineyards. The cab briefly filled with a bark of laughter as Jack ruefully acknowledged he knew this road so well he could probably close his eyes and daydream all he wanted about Engleton’s new school nurse. As if on cue, his left hand automatically flicked on the indicator and his foot eased off the accelerator before he’d even looked to the right to acknowledge the arched gateway he’d been through thousands of times.

River’s Bend Winery.

His family’s legacy.

His father’s, more specifically. John Granville Keller, locally known as Granville due to his father before him having carried the same name.

He caught movement out of the corner of his eye, a clutch of tourists stepping out onto the veranda of the modern wine-tasting center. He’d seen the plans but had never seen the real thing. It looked good. Becca had done well.

As if thinking about her was strong enough to draw her to him, he saw a familiar blonde figure emerge from the group on the veranda. He slowed the truck to a stop, just remembering to slip the gear lever into Park before jumping out and giving his sister a good old-fashioned bear hug and swing round.

“Hey, there, stranger. I like the new threads! Fireman blue suits you.”

Good old Becca. He could count on her for not giving him a case of the guilts. That was his father’s specialty.

“You’re looking good, sis! And so’s your new tasting center.” They both turned to give it an appraising look. The sleek modern lines were beautifully crafted to fit in with the lush riverscape surrounding them. He couldn’t wait to have a good nosey round—and snag a chilled bottle of the unoaked chardonnay Becca had been bragging about in her emails.

“It beats that old shack you were so fond of.” He felt his sister give him a good solid jab in the ribs. He gave her a playful jostle in return before turning her to face him, serious this time.

“How are you? Really? Are you good?”

“Really good, Jack. Just missing you. Staying for tea?” She turned her hundred-watt smile on for him and he couldn’t resist pulling her into another deep hug.

“Not today.” She pulled back from the hug with a frown.

He tapped the brim of his CFS cap. “Duty calls!”

It might have been true—but it was an excuse he’d used all too often for the past few years. They’d spoken on the phone a lot, emails, texts—but the real thing was something he missed. Staying away from his family had been harder than he had thought—but if he was ever going to prove to his father that he could amount to something then complete focus was necessary.

Thank heavens Becca was such a star. She knew everything there was to know about River’s Bend—the crops, the land, their impressive output and, more important, she showed a business acumen that would’ve been as natural a match to the Australian Securities Exchange. He was proud to call her his kid sister, even though the ponytails and plaster-covered knees were a thing of the past.

“You know you’re always welcome. No need to wait for an invitation.”

“I know, Bec. I know.” He let her go and made a little show of wiping away some invisible dust on her shoulders. “Right, well. Best get on to see Old Man River, then.”

“Go gently with him, Jack.” His sister’s voice was loving but held a genuine note of caution. “It’s not been easy for him the past few years.”

“I wasn’t the one who forced me to choose between a life in the CFS or the farm.” He instantly regretted his words when he saw the shots of pain in his sister’s eyes and tried to lighten the atmosphere with a playful boxing move. “At least you came out the winner—running a gold-star winery!”

“This was never about winning or losing, Jack.”

“I know.” He pulled one of her hands into his. “I’m sorry, that was a low blow. You’ve done an amazing job here, sis. Far better than I would have. I mean it.”

He gave her a contrite smile. “Don’t worry, Bec. I’m an older and wiser version of ‘that wild Keller boy.’” He did a spot-on imitation of the town’s former roving police officer and enjoyed his sister’s smile at the likeness.

He didn’t have a record. No. But he did have a history. Nothing horrible, just the usual teenager-gone-off-the-rails sort of stuff that happened when … when stuff happened.

He climbed into the truck, threw a wave at his sister and eased the truck into first gear. “We’ll get that dinner soon, I promise!”

Good ol’ Becca. She really was her father’s daughter, growing up steeped in the station’s quirks and customs. Stubborn as a mule and born to work the land. As a little girl, she was always being retrieved by one of the farmhands from among the vines, where she would spend hours painstakingly setting up her own “wine-tasting” sessions for her dolls. His traditional father had just presumed Jack would take over the business and that his sunny-faced daughter would marry well and be content to enjoy River’s Bend from the sidelines.

As a team, they would’ve made quite a dynamic duo. But life hadn’t panned out that way. The winery was her calling and, after his mother’s death, the CFS had been his. Too bad his father hadn’t seen things that way.

Jack began taking deep, slow breaths. He’d need all the reserves of calm he had to get down the long track past the sleek tasting room, the outbuildings that made up the actual winery, and down the slope into the curved drive fronting the stone expanse of the Keller family home. He may not have spent the past four years here but it was definitely home.

The sprawling three hundred hectares encompassed so much. The eucalyptus-rich expanse of river land he had escaped to as a boy on hot summer days. The exquisitely manicured gardens and orchard where he and Becca had played hide-and-seek. The wooded site near the bridge where they’d spread his mother’s ashes after the fateful out-of-control fire so many painful years ago. The new barn built over the burn site as if it would erase the fact Ava Keller had died there. The same barn where he’d had the final, gut-wrenching fight with his father about choosing the fire service over a life on the land.

He stopped for a minute and let himself take in a delicious lungful of the blossoming vines. Coming home was tougher than he had thought. He’d spent virtually every day here until he was twenty-five. He hadn’t thought jumping between a life as a CFS volunteer and his duties at River’s Bend had been such a wayward existence. But his father had—and had forced him to make his choice.

And he had. He was genuinely committed to the fire service and all it stood for out here in the country. The people out here relied on volunteers to help fight the annual bushfires, pry them out of cars, even rescue the odd kitten—or little boy, as in today’s case. Now he was in a position to make it even better. Without this service people would die. As his mother had. Keeping the local station on the map was essential.

Jack slowed the truck to a stop on the hard, iron-rich earth in front of the house, his father already walking out onto the front veranda as if four years hadn’t passed and he’d been expecting his son to turn up about now.

Jack hated the look of disappointment creasing his father’s face when he saw the uniform.

He would make his father proud. He would understand. One day. He just had to hang on to his principles. Hang on tightly to all he knew was true.

CHAPTER TWO

“I’VE GOT TO hand it to you, Kev. This one’s a real corker.” Liesel snapped off her protective gloves and popped them in the bin.

“Thanks, miss!”

“I should’ve known you’d take it as a compliment.” Liesel sent the brand-new teen an admonishing glare, albeit with a twinkle in her eye. “A black eye and a sprained wrist on your birthday hardly give you bragging rights.” She secured the brace on his arm before reaching into the cupboard behind her for a chemical ice pack.

“They are when you finally popped Diggy Reynolds a good one on the nose. You couldn’t have asked for a better present, miss.”

Liesel winced. She’d seen Diggy first. It had been an impressive nosebleed, but thankfully not a break. Deviated septums weren’t killers—but they sure did hurt. She’d have to talk to Cassie about the incident. Again. Kev’s file was now officially the fattest in her cabinet.

Liesel gave Kev her best “harrumph” as she twisted the ice pack, felt the coolness flood through the packet and gently laid it across his wrist. The thirteen-year-old knew just as well as she did that she had a soft spot for him. Even if he was permanently in trouble. She was pretty sure an absent father was the cause, but she was hoping Cassie had things in hand. The counseling training she’d had in Adelaide was setting off all of the alarm bells that Kev was a troublemaker in training.

“Look, you make sure you keep that wrist iced for the next few days, otherwise I’ll tell your mother on you.”

“Tell your mother what, Kevin Alexander Monroe?”

Cassie’s head popped out from around the corner of Liesel’s nurses’ station, lips pursed, eyebrows raised. Liesel quickly sent Kevin a look indicating it was up to him now and then wheeled her chair out of the way as Cassie entered.

“What is it this time, bud?” Her tone was sharp, but Cassie’s face spoke of the volumes of love she felt for her son. “I’ve got a class to start in five minutes and a hot date with a fireman—so you had better tell me that this week’s injury doesn’t need a trip to the CMC.”

Liesel’s attention level shot straight up and, disturbingly, into the a-little-bit-jealous territory as an image of a certain sandy-haired fireman flitted through her mind. Trying her best to quell the heroic poses he was enacting in her imagination, she smiled up at her friend. “A date? You didn’t tell me.”

“Now, now, my little woodland fairy friend.” Cassie laughed, openly pleased she’d piqued Liesel’s interest. “We’ve both got a date with a fireman so don’t look so envious.”

Liesel felt her nose crinkle—her go-to what are you talking about? expression.

“Uh-oh, Miss Adler,” Kev broke in warily. “You’re Mum’s latest double-dating victim. Better beware!”

“Right, you two.” Liesel stood up briskly, wanting to put an end to the conversation as soon as humanly possible. “Time’s up. I’ve got an assembly to prepare for.” She shuffled them both out of the nurse’s office and shut the door behind her with a satisfying click.

Discussing her love life, or lack of one, in front of the students, let alone the son of her new—her only—friend here in Engleton wasn’t on the agenda. She leaned heavily against the door, allowing a slow breath to escape her lips. A breath she hoped carried away some of the ache she felt whenever she confronted the idea of moving on.

Yes. She’d loved Eric with all of her heart, an over-the-moon-and-back-again young woman’s heart, but she’d never even got the chance to have her wedding day, let alone share the birth of her son. Now, at the ripe old age of twenty-eight, Liesel had a daily wrestling match with the feeling that she was “finished” in the romance department.

It had all happened so fast. A whirlwind love affair in an American ski resort. The spontaneous proposal. Their surprise pregnancy. Losing Eric. Never having the family that she had only just begun to imagine.

She started at the tap-tap-tap against the door.

“I know you’re in there, Liesel. I can hear you breathing.”

Despite herself, Liesel giggled. Being friends with Cassie gave her little glimpses back to the “old Liesel.” The free-spirited young woman she used to be.

Cracking open the door, she allowed her friend access to one of her eyes. “Friend or foe?”

“Friend, you noodle! C’mon,” she pleaded. “Open up!”

Liesel pulled open the door while simultaneously grabbing a light jumper from the hook on the wall. “Make it fast. I’m afraid I’ve got to get going down to the gym for an assembly. The principal just told me about it fifteen minutes ago.”

“Cool your rockets. I’m heading the same way.”

“Your class is coming?”

“You could put it that way.” Cassie adopted her best nonchalant voice. “Or you could say that my class is coming to your date.”

Liesel stopped in her tracks.

“Cassie Monroe! What have you done?”

“Oh-h-h-h …” Her friend was fastidiously avoiding eye contact now. “It might have been me who volunteered you to help with a little demonstration.”

“What demonstration?”

“The first-aid demo for the first, second and third years. It was meant to be a ladders demonstration, but …” Cassie used her best cheerleader voice.

“But what?”

“Now, that, I don’t know exactly. All I know is it has turned into a first-aid demo.”

“And who exactly is leading today’s first-aid demo?”

“Oh, I think he might have a familiar face.”

Liesel felt her body go rigid as Cassie pushed open the door to the gym. Smack-dab in the center of the room a certain sandy-haired fireman was kneeling on the floor, setting up his kit. Seeing Jack again had the same effect on her nervous system as it did on the no-longer-dormant butterflies in her tummy. They were going crazy.

“Oh, no, you don’t!” Cassie caught her arm as Liesel tried to turn and leave. “You’re the Murray River Valley school nurse and I don’t think there is anyone better placed to help our local CFS crew inspire young minds.”

“But—”

“Nope. I don’t want to hear it.” Cassie gave her a quick hug and a push. “Now, go and put on a good show for my class. They just might be the future doctors of Engleton. Back in a tinkle!”

Liesel watched as her friend hastily retreated down the school corridor. If there was one thing she definitely knew about Cassie, she was persistent.

Jack first caught a glimpse of the familiar auburn curls through the gym door. As Liesel virtually hurtled through it, he felt bushwhacked anew by her fresh-faced beauty. Her petite features instantly made him feel like a klutzy brontosaurus who’d been charged with protecting a tiny and exquisitely beautiful tropical bird. His modus operandi at these gigs was usually big and loud, but something about her made him want to ratchet things down a notch.

“Are you the set of helping hands I was promised?”

“I’m afraid so.”

Jack took on board the microscopic flinch as she made eye contact with him. What had provoked that?

“Apologies for the last-minute setup. The CFS are trying to do as much outreach in the local schools as we can and after we met the other day I realized we hadn’t done a demonstration here in ages.” Too obvious?

She squinted up at him, waiting for more information.

“I’m trying to score a few more points locally before I turn in my outreach stats to the big boys in Adelaide.” Too macho. Definitely too macho.

“What exactly are we meant to be doing today? I heard a rumor it was going to be snakes and ladders.” Liesel crossed her fingers behind her back, hoping that demonstrating anything involving body contact was off the agenda. She was beginning to feel a little giddy in Jack’s presence and feeling that way—particularly in front of the student body—was definitely not in the rulebooks.

Jack rose to his full height, arms spreading out in front of him as if preparing to sell his wares to Liesel. “Ahh. Well, HQ decided today was the day all the ladders would be checked out by one of their techs. Safety-first bureaucracy, and all that.” He gave her a knowing look and she couldn’t help but nod along. The world of school nurses was weighed down with thick ledgers of mind-numbing paperwork. It was little wonder his was, too.

“This is what we’re going to do today.” He waved an arm across everything he’d been laying out on the gym floor. “It’s what you find inside a proper first-aid kit—one you’d find at a school, in a restaurant, the science lab. I know these kids are too little to reach one, let alone use it, but we can try and make it fun.” His eyes twinkled down at hers and if she wasn’t mistaken she saw the beginnings of a wink form, reconsider, then withdraw. Shame. Her butterflies were just about ready for another whirl round her tummy.

Liesel knew her eyes were meant to be following Jack’s to take in the array of splints, plasters, bandages, wipes and protective glasses—a deluxe edition of first-aid kits. Instead, they were working their way from one of his long-fingered hands along his golden-haired forearm—she had a weakness for a well-defined forearm. Tanned, well-toned, his definitely measured up. Her eyes slid up and over the biceps filling his short-sleeved CFS T-shirt to a set of awfully broad shoulders—

“Like what you see?”

Heat instantly spread across her cheeks. Obviously. She hadn’t ogled anyone from such close range in years. Three years, to be exact. A twist of guilt knotted up her butterflies and as she looked up at him she realized in an instant he was referring to the contents of the first-aid kit.

Doubly embarrassing.

Even if he hadn’t seen her do an ocular tiptoe up his arms and on to the expanse of his shoulders, he would be sure to spy the flush of embarrassment continuing to heat her cheeks. Say something, you idiot!

“It’s great. You’ve really got the full Monty here.”

She clapped a hand over her mouth. The full Monty! Her brain did a whiz-bang dress and undress of the unsuspecting man in front of her and before she could stop it, Liesel felt herself succumbing to a full-blown case of the nervous giggles.

Jack had no idea what Liesel was finding so funny but was glad to see, whatever it was, that it brought a happy glint to those kitty-cat eyes of hers. He took a swipe at his chin. Maybe he still had some egg yolk on there from this morning’s egg and bacon roll.

“I’m sorry.” Liesel spoke through her fingers, actively trying to stifle her laughter. “I don’t know what’s got into me this morning.” She cleared her throat and gave her feet a little stomp on the gym floor, as if the motion would add some sobriety to the moment. It worked. For a second. As soon as their eyes met again she burst into another peal of laughter that was about as infectious as they came.

Feeling at an utter loss as to what would have caused it, Jack was relieved to see a flow of students start to make their way into the big gymnasium. He bent his head in their direction and stage-whispered, “Quit your laughing, Miss Adler. You’ll take away my tough-guy image.”

Hardly. She didn’t know a single thing about Brigade Captain Jack Keller, but there was little to nothing that would diminish from the all-man mojo he was exuding.

Liesel took herself off to a corner to choke down a few more mortified giggles as the students made their way in. Being a few dozen meters away from him made it easier to spy on him. Well, not spy really … assess. Jack had clearly thought out the presentation more than he’d let on and was soon directing the children according to age toward floor seats or the stands.

He was good with them. A natural. He started off the talk with a few jokes that immediately captivated the children’s attention. Liesel had to admit it, if there was anyone who could get this boisterous group of young kids interested in first-aid training and the CFS cadets, Jack Keller was the man for the job.

“All right, Miss Adler, time for you to come over here and for us to find out just how smart you are!”

Liesel did her best who, me? double take before realizing all eyes in the gym were focused on her and Jack was genuinely waiting for her to join him. The old Liesel would’ve loved being center stage, playing the jester to his brigade captain. The new Liesel? Not so sure about being in the limelight anymore.

Twenty minutes later Liesel realized she shouldn’t have worried a bit. Jack Keller wasn’t out to embarrass her—or anyone, for that matter. He really struck her as one of those genuinely kind guys who just wanted to help.

He had devised a really clever game where he would call out the name of an item in the first-aid kit and then he and the children would count how many seconds it took her to find it. Then, when she had found it, he would equate the time it took her to find it with what would have been happening to the patient while they were waiting. The children loved it and at the same time were learning how important it was to get help quickly in an emergency. They were putty in his hands and Jack seemed to be having just as much fun as the students.

“Right. I think it’s time to pull out the big guns.” Liesel watched as Jack’s head turned a quick right, left and back again. Whatever it was he was looking for clearly wasn’t there. Liesel thought she might be mistaken … but was he looking embarrassed?

“Right. We’ve just come onto the CPR part of our demonstration and it appears my good friend Resusci Annie decided to cop out for this particular trip.” He scanned the room, his eyes coming to rest on Liesel, complete with that cockeyed smile of his. Oh, no. She was in trouble now.

“Who thinks Miss Adler should come and stand in for my dum—my good friend Resusci Annie?”

Jack knew he was going out on a limb here, but he might as well find out now whether or not Liesel gave as good as she got. She’d been great in participating in his game and seemed to know how to play along with him to maximize the learning potential for the children.

The whoops and hollers of the kids were all the confirmation Jack needed to usher a blushing Liesel to the center of the gym floor. He had to remind himself the blushing wasn’t for him—it was for the children. Right? Either way, the flush on her cheeks was having a nice effect on his ego.

“Who’d like to see what it looks like when someone faints or passes out?”

Another cheer filled the gym and Liesel gave Jack a sidelong thanks a lot, pal look before performing one of the most melodramatic faints he had ever seen.

Score one to Liesel.

Oh-h-h-h, he’s close. Really, really close. Not safe territory!

Jack was right in the middle of explaining the need to check for breathing when Liesel became a little too aware of him kneeling next to her. Then leaning over her. Then whispering in her ear, his soft breath an indicator as to just how close his lips were. His very, very kissable lips. Had her lips just quivered? Please, say that didn’t just happen.

“I’m going to touch you, touch your head, is that all right?” She tried her best to nod slowly, maintaining the illusion of being unconscious. It was just as well she was lying on the floor. With her eyes closed. The effect of that low voice on her central nervous system seemed to get more results on her than a defibrillator. She felt one of those big capable hands of his gently touch her forehead. It was strange to her that she didn’t feel vulnerable. Everything about this man seemed capable, safe. But he was close. Too close. She had to lift her head. Now.

“So, to check for breath you just want to lean over and—”

“Oh!”

Jack’s mouth swept across hers as if by design. She found her lips breezing across his and meeting his stubbled cheek in virtually the same movement. It was softer than she had thought it would be. Not that she’d thought about it. Much.

His warm scent, a delicious sunbaked salty-sweet combo, filled her nostrils, her body’s responsiveness quickly shooting to code red. Cheers and squeals of laughter pealed from the children. Liesel instinctively began to pull back as if she’d been set alight. In a lightning-fast move, she pushed herself away from Jack and up into a seating position. A thousand thoughts clamored for attention as she tried to put together what had just happened.

“That’s one way to give the kiss of life, children. Not necessarily approved by the Red Cross, but nevertheless …” She could see him smiling at the children but was more aware of the questions flying through his blue eyes as he locked onto her own.

It’s such a good thing I’m sitting down already.

I want to kiss him. For real.

No, you don’t!

Yes. Yes, I do.

In front of half the school? And forget about Eric?

Eric.

Liesel was sure you could see her heart beating through her light summer top. Jack extended a hand to help her up. She didn’t dare accept it.

“I think we should wait until Captain Keller comes back fully prepared to explore this lifesaving method.” She pushed herself up and looked at her watch-free wrist as if willing a timepiece to appear. The not-so-artful dodge. First-class confirmation that I am not ready for this. It seems my body is—but not the rest of me.

“Looks like I’ve got to get going.” She glanced in Jack’s direction but didn’t dare meet his eyes. It would’ve been too easy to call her bluff. “I’m afraid I’ve got to run. Thanks for the presentation.”

She must have looked like a terrified rabbit the way she was hot-footing it out of the gym, but she needed to get out of there. Away from Jack Keller.

Those milliseconds of intimate contact had wiped away the rest of the world for a moment and that wasn’t how things needed to be right now. She was a single mum. She had responsibilities. Responsibilities that included putting forward a positive example for the children here at the Murray Valley School.

Heart thumping, she closed the door to her office. It was the perfect sanctuary. A quiet place to process what had just happened. If anything had happened at all.

Her mouth went dry as she realized the whole incident was down to her lifting up her head when she hadn’t been meant to. It had all been a mistake and from Jack’s perspective she’d just behaved like a first-class lunatic. In the blur of the moment she had just assumed he’d felt the same charge of emotion that had flooded through her as their lips had brushed together. Liesel scrubbed her fingers through her hair. Terrific! Now he knew without a shadow of a doubt the impact his touch had on her.

Oh, this was not good. She collapsed her head onto her crossed arms, fervently wishing her desk could absorb her into the woodwork. This was Class A Embarrassment Central.

“Am I going to have to check for breath again?”

Liesel bolted upright, curls flying everywhere and hands unsure where to come to rest at the sound of the voice that had awakened her senses as if she’d been Sleeping Beauty. Disheveled Sleeping Nutcase was more like it. Could this day get any worse?

Hands firmly planted on her hips, Liesel tried to adopt a casual air, as if she was always almost kissing someone during first-aid demonstrations. “I’m good. Very good. Everything’s good here.”

If erratic heart rate and jangling nerves were a picture of perfection.

She forced herself to make eye contact with Jack, prepared for the derision he no doubt would have for her ridiculous behavior. What she saw instead was an oasis of calm. A gentle smile played on his lips, little crinkles appearing at the edges of those blue-as-the-sky eyes of his. He leaned casually against the door frame of her office as if he’d been born to fill it, and everything about him said, Relax. You’re safe with me.

“Glad to hear it. Sorry it was all a bit of a mess today. Organization is generally a bit more of a strong point. I’d like to make it up you—to the school, I mean.” He shifted his feet slightly, his smile still as warm as the spring sunshine.

“Sure, that’d be great.” Liesel winced. Had she sounded too eager? This wasn’t really playing it cool. Or safe. “I mean … I’m sure the children would absolutely love it.”

“You know,” he continued, seemingly unaware of her internal battle for a bit more personal strength, “it would really be great if you could come down to the station sometime and throw some ideas around. Now that I know you’re not—”

He stopped abruptly, almost looking bashful. It was cute. Supercute.

“Not what?”

“The fellas told me you were a granny on the verge of retirement.”

“That would’ve been my predecessor, Mrs. Heissen.” She could feel his eyes run up and down her body to doubly confirm she was the opposite of an aging grandmother. The examination wasn’t helping her maintain any sort of cool, calm and collected demeanor. His eyes landed on hers. Ping! Crystal-blue perfection.

“I feel I’ve really missed a trick, not introducing myself to you when I got my transfer here.”

“Sorry, I’ve got an appointment to get to.” Liar.

She took another glance at her invisible watch. She’d already made enough of a fool of herself.

“Fair enough, but don’t think I’m going to give up easily.”

She raised her eyebrows at him. Give up on what exactly?

“This is a small town and come fire season we genuinely could do with all the help we can get.”

Aha. He’s still recruiting. Wrong bark, wrong tree, mate.

“I’m sorry, but I’m afraid I just wouldn’t have much to offer in the way of free time.”

He carried on as if she hadn’t said a word. “Not to mention the fact I’ve only been in town a few weeks and haven’t yet found the perfect chocolate milk shake in the area. I’m on a quest. Care to join me?”

Oh. Well, that was quite a different suggestion. Although just as dangerous, given that it meant spending time alone with Jack Keller.

“That sounds like a laudable quest, Captain Keller—”

“Jack.”

“Jack.” She said the name deliberately before continuing, “I’d really like to help, but—”

“Great. That’s settled, then. Things are pretty hectic over at the station for the rest of the week and I’ve got to get down to Adelaide for a weekend’s training session—sometime next week?”

“Sure.”

The word leaped past her lips before she’d had a chance to rein it in. Hadn’t she just told herself that time spent with Jack Keller was a bad idea?

Jack was still grinning as he lifted the last bits of gear into the station truck. He was feeling remarkably cheery. And a little bit guilty. He was pleased his made-up quest for the perfect chocolate milk shake had worked in convincing Liesel to go out with him. That was a white lie he could live with. The one giving his gut a good kicking was the part about being new in town. Technically, it was true. He was new in town if you discounted the first twenty-five years of his life. If you forgot about those and just focused on the past four he’d been away and the man he’d become during those years … then, yes, technically he was new in town.

He was focused. Driven. Making a decision to be a full-timer for the CFS had added the sorely needed rod to his spine. Gone were the days of the noncommitted heir to River’s Bend. His father no longer had to put up with experimental fields of hops for a microbrew, escapee pigs destined for air-dried sausage or a pair of Clydesdale horses clearly not meant for work in the forty-degree heat. All well-intentioned ideas with no real follow-through. Now his life was about tangible results. A new Jack Keller was definitely in town.

He coasted down the school drive and pulled out onto the highway, doing his best to surrender his doubts to the beautiful afternoon.

Nope. It was no good.

Everything was too familiar. The road, the tiny cluster of shops, who ran them, the clumps of gum and eucalyptus trees shading this house or that. If he was going to see Liesel again, he was going to have to come clean—at some point.

Truth be told, it would be nice to date someone who didn’t have a clue about his history. Someone who just liked plain ol’ Jack the fireman.

He gave a little snort. Date! He hadn’t dated anyone properly in years. Girls in Engleton had always had their eye on the River’s Bend prize, while in Adelaide during training there just hadn’t been enough time. Or just not the right women. Or maybe for once he just wanted to see something through and prove to his father he had it in him to talk the walk. Or walk the talk. Or whatever that saying was.

Liesel definitely had something that spoke to him. Too bad the timing was shambolic.

He pulled the truck into the station-house drive, smiling at the sight of a couple of volunteers washing down one of the big rigs. It had just received a whopper of an upgrade thanks to a ten-grand anonymous donation. All of the guys had sworn ignorance and he believed them. They had an angel out there and he, for one, was grateful. The volunteers were great guys. He was just getting to know them, but already they had him knee-deep in barbecue invitations and bursting with ideas for fundraising drives.

They’d make a success of this station. He was sure of it. The big guns over in Adelaide had given him a year to turn around the waning number of volunteers and poor track record on incident attendance. It would mean a lot of hard work, being on call 24/7 and his 100 percent dedication. He pressed his lips together as if to strengthen his resolve and scrubbed a hand through his hair.

He’d been kidding himself back at the school. He barely had time to grab a meal for himself, let alone complicate his life with a milk shake quest and a beautiful woman.

Short, sharp shock it was, then. Who was going to feel the pain the most, though, was up in the air.

CHAPTER THREE

“NO-O-O-O!” LIESEL DID her best to squelch a few choice words as she wrestled with the steering wheel, the thud-thud-thud coming from her swerving car the unmistakable sound of a flat tire.

A quick glance in the rearview mirror showed that Liam, strapped into his car seat, was snoozing away, blissfully unaware of his mother’s battle for control with the vehicle. At least one of them was relaxed! She pulled over as quickly and as safely as she could, a glance at the dashboard clock confirming what she already knew. They’d be late. Getting to Adelaide in an hour with a flat tire to fix was out of the question. Not to mention the fact her adrenaline was running at full pelt. Another reminder she didn’t—couldn’t—do high octane anymore. Just the few seconds it had taken to pull the car over had been more than enough to set her heart racing. Her hands shook as she put the car into Park and rested her head on the steering wheel to collect herself, before getting out to assess the damage.

“That was a well-controlled skid, Miss Adler. I didn’t have you pegged for a rally driver.”

Liesel nearly jumped out of her seat at the sound of the male voice—the exact same male voice attached to the exact same pair of lips that had been doing reruns in her head since yesterday afternoon.

“Hello again.” Liesel managed a feeble wave through her open car window, heart still racing but for a completely different reason now. “Fancy meeting you here.”

“It’s one of the perks of living in a small town.”

Mmm … he wasn’t kidding. Then again, these run-ins were beginning to accrue quite a high count of embarrassment in her camp. Why couldn’t he ever see her when she was doing something normal? Or, even better, laudable? Not that it mattered. Not really.

“I hope you weren’t racing off to find a chocolate shake without me.”

“At nine in the morning?” She couldn’t help but laugh. “Even I’m not that keen!”

“Shall we take a look at your car?”

“I’m sure it’s just a flat—I’ll be fine.” Liesel ran her fingers through her tousled hair. This guy sure had a knack for showing up when her hair and a comb were distant strangers.

“Oh, I never had any doubt about that.”

Liesel felt herself being appraised by him and wished for the second time in as many seconds that she’d looked in the mirror that morning and perhaps even bothered to pop on a bit of lip gloss after brushing her hair. She was only going to housesit for her parents so hadn’t bothered with the whole dolling-up routine.

Who was she kidding? Dolling up had been the last thing on her agenda for the past three years. Yet under Jack’s gaze she suddenly felt the need to look her best. No. Not “the need” … No, that wasn’t it. She wanted to look good. For him to like what he saw. And the collateral wake of feelings that went along with that little revelation was throwing her nerves into a right old jumble.

“First things first, Miss Adler.” He squatted down so his head was level with hers, a long index finger reaching out to pull a couple of wayward curls out of her eyes. “Any bumps or bruises?”

Liesel shook her head, praying he hadn’t noticed the lightning bolt shooting down her spine at his touch. It was obvious he hadn’t done it as a flirtatious move—she’d made the same gesture along Liam’s forehead countless times. Although somehow she didn’t think her two-year-old got butterflies in his stomach when she did it.

“Would you like me to take a look at your car?” Jack pressed, standing up with a nod toward the back of her car.

Not really. Basking in that crooked beam of a grin of yours is working pretty well for me.

Rescuing damsels in distress had to be his true calling.

Seriously.

He had already proved he was good with schoolboys in distress, and from the spray of goose pimples shivering up her arms in the morning sun he wasn’t going far wrong with the damsel part, either.

“That’d be great.” Liesel made her decision, clicking the door open and hoping it would signal to Jack that she needed a bit of space. Close proximity to this guy was unnerving. In a good way. Far too good.

She got out of the car and joined him at the offending rear tire.

“Looks like I won’t be getting to Adelaide anytime soon.”

“I’m afraid you won’t be getting to Adelaide at all with that. It looks like a cracked tire wall—not just a flat.”

Liesel stood in silence, her mind working through all the possibilities. She’d promised to look after her parents’ “replacement child,” Moxy, the toy poodle, while they spent a weekend with her sister in Melbourne. Their neighbors were a bit too elderly for the walks and if anything went wrong—well, she was hoping nothing would go wrong. Their train left in just a couple of hours and after all their amazing support she couldn’t let them down.

“I’m headed to Adelaide.”

“Are you staying long?”

“Overnight.” Liesel looked up at the sky in frustration. She had to sort this out. “I’m meant to be house-sitting for my parents.”

“Why don’t you catch a ride with me? I’m doing a weekend course with the Metropolitan Fire Service. I’m not heading back until late Sunday afternoon. Would that work for you?”

Jack let the words hang between them in the fresh morning air. They were out there before he’d had a chance to really think about what would happen if she said yes. But seeing the stricken look on Liesel’s face had instinctively made him offer his help.

“Oh, I couldn’t let you do that.”

“Why not? I’ve got a perfectly good truck with a spare seat.”

“That’s really kind of you, but …” Her mind raced, knowing there was a lot he didn’t know about her, a lot she wasn’t ready to share. “I don’t even know your full name.”

“Officially it’s Brigade Captain John G. Keller, but given that we’re both technically state employees— meaning we’re colleagues—I’d say you should still just call me Jack. And I’m warning you now—” he waggled a finger at her “—you’ll never get to know what the G stands for!”

There was that laugh again. A smiling Liesel was definitely better than the one who’d looked utterly panicked when he’d arrived. He wasn’t sure what it was about this woman, but being around her brought out a deep need to protect her. Not to mention a whole slew of other things he’d already decided were not options for him. Like finding out what it would be like to really kiss those ruby-red lips of hers.

Lust aside, he reasoned with himself as he held open her car door, as one of the few salaried members of the CFS he was a civil servant. It was his job to help.

Shaking away the idea his protective impulses were anything more than a fireman’s gut reaction to any human in distress, he gestured toward the truck. “Grab your stuff and hop in, Miss Adler.”

“Oh, no, really. I couldn’t accept.” Her eyes darted to the backseat of her car. “It’s not just me.”

Jack’s eyebrows shot up at his oversight. “Right, well, who have we got back here? You have a dog?” He tipped his head so he could get a glimpse of the backseat passenger.

Liesel moved in between him and the car as if by instinct. “He’s my son.”

“And what a good-looking little fellow he is.” Jack peeped over her shoulder, trying his best to give her a relaxed smile.

He sure hadn’t seen that one coming.

He felt sucker punched. Liesel was taken. She wasn’t wearing a wedding ring and certainly didn’t have a mumsy aura about her—but a son was a pretty good indicator she wasn’t available. True, he hadn’t considered dating someone with children before, but—honestly? He hadn’t even considered dating in a long time. It might take a little while to shake off the effect she had on him but—big picture—it was probably just as well she was off the market.

“Should we give his dad a ring and have him come collect you two?”

Ice flooded Liesel’s veins. She still hadn’t found a way to tell people about Liam’s dad. Not without wanting to cry or subjecting the other person to huge waves of embarrassment.

“No, it’s just us, I’m afraid.”

She felt Jack’s hand rest lightly on her shoulder. It was all she could do not to press into the warm comfort of it. Lean into the strength he offered.

“Not to worry,” Jack said gently. “Guess it’s a good thing I showed up. Let’s get you two packed up and hit the road.”

As if in a daze, Liesel followed Jack’s lead. She was so grateful to him for not prying. Not asking more. Just a few short years ago she’d been a girl who loved to hash out emotional affairs in minute detail, but keeping things neutral was her survival mode now. In fact, accepting a ride from a virtual stranger was a leap out of her current comfort zone, but it wasn’t as if she had a lot of choice. Her parents were expecting her and what harm could come of it? They were both state employees. Colleagues. Right?

Jack gave her the number of a local towing company, who, after a quick chat, agreed to pick up the car and drop it at the school on Monday morning when they had finished. Everything fell into place like a well-laid plan. Living in a small town definitely had its advantages.

As she spoke to her parents to let them know about her change of plans she watched as Jack expertly unclipped Liam’s travel seat, a single muscled arm smoothly moving him from car to truck before securing all of the appropriate buckles in his backseat with barely a flutter from her son’s sleeping lashes. She grabbed the enormous tote bag she’d hurriedly packed moments before they had left the house. It contained more of Liam’s things than her own. Looking after herself had come a distant second over the past two years and this morning had been no different.

“You’re going to have to forgive the mess, I’m afraid.” Jack sent an apologetic glance toward the front cab of the truck. “Regulation dictates we keep it free of excess materials, but regulation doesn’t take into account a man’s hunger when on call twenty-four hours a day!”

“Don’t worry about it.” Liesel found herself strangely relieved to see the jumble of empty soft-drink cans and tomato-ketchup packets lying about the cab. It took the superhero edge off, making him the tiniest bit more human.

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