Hometown Fireman Read online

Guess he’d need to get ahold of himself and his crazy need to help out Ally and her dogs more than he’d already planned to. Because if things worked out and he was chosen to take the slot he’d interviewed for earlier today at the Atherton Fire Academy, he’d be long gone from Moonlight Cove in just a few weeks.

  And once he realized his dream of becoming a full-time firefighter, and eventually a paramedic, he wasn’t planning on looking back. For anything or anyone.

  *

  Homeless.

  The word roiled around in Ally’s head like a river of toxic waste as Drew pulled up to his mom’s Victorian-style home situated a few blocks from Moonlight Cove Beach. He’d called her as soon as they’d left the scene of the fire, and she’d readily agreed to have Ally and the dogs stay with her. Pregnant Sadie and all.

  Ally hated imposing, but what other choice did she have, knowing no one, and having such limited funds at the moment? Working minimum-wage retail and waitressing jobs in Seattle since high school had barely supported her, and she’d always just scraped by living paycheck to paycheck. Saving money hadn’t been an option. Hopefully, that would change as soon as she had her housecleaning business up and running, but without the benefit of no rent, things would get dicey.

  Ally’s stomach clenched. How could this disaster have happened, just when she’d thought she’d finally found a good place to put down roots after so long without them?

  Ever since Sue had described Moonlight Cove to Ally when they’d been in foster care together, Ally had wanted to move here. The town had seemed to embody everything she’d ever wanted in life but never had—a close-knit community and small-town values—all topped off with an idyllic, peaceful life that had been absent from her life for as long as she could remember.

  She’d been dreaming of living here forever.

  When she’d heard from a friend that the Washington Coast area around Moonlight Cove was in dire need of dog rescue organizations, she’d thought her castle in the sky had become a wonderful reality. Especially when Sue offered Ally her uncle’s house rent-free when she’d heard about Ally’s aspirations to start a dog rescue here.

  For once in Ally’s life, things seemed to be going her way. Ha. Now her dream had turned into a nightmare.

  She cast her gaze through the back window of Drew’s truck, making sure Rex and Sadie were okay in the canopied bed. Both dogs were looking out the closed back window, happily watching the scenery go by in typical dog fashion.

  “They okay back there?” Drew asked as he put the truck in Park.

  She looked over at him, not for the first time admiring his strong chin, prominent brow and close-cropped, wavy dark brown hair. Very good-looking in an outdoorsy, why-don’t-I-cut-you-some-wood kind of way. “Yeah, they both do all right in cars, although Rex usually wants to sit in the front seat of my sedan.” Or, rather, the sedan she used to have.

  He turned off the ignition. “I’m so sorry about all this.”

  “Thanks” was all she could say. She hadn’t been able to afford renter’s insurance, so she only hoped some of her stuff would be salvageable. Not that she had much…but still. For the first time in a very long time, what was hers was hers.

  Now it was all gone.

  As she climbed out of the car, she fought panic; if her years in foster care had taught her anything, though, it was to try to find the good in almost any situation. To that end she thanked God that she and Rex and Sadie had escaped from the house safely.

  Drew came around the truck. “Is it okay to let the dogs out?”

  “Go ahead and open up, but let me get their leashes on just in case. They don’t know their way around here, and I’d probably have a meltdown if one of them ran off.” Even though she had lots of experience dealing with all kinds of setbacks, the fire was a doozy of a stumbling block to the life she’d planned on building here. A girl could only handle so much stress in one day.

  Drew opened the liftgate and the two dogs greeted her with wagging tails. As soon as Drew moved closer to Ally, Rex froze, his teeth bared, and rumbled a low, threatening growl.

  “Don’t worry, buddy,” Drew said, backing up, his hands raised. “I’m not the enemy.”

  Ally hooked the nylon leash to Rex’s collar. “Please be patient with him. He’s had a rough go.”

  “What’s his story?”

  Rex hopped out of the truck and stood patiently as Ally hooked Sadie’s leash on her. “Someone called the police to report that a dog had been tied up on a stake in a yard for weeks on end at a suspected meth house in my neighborhood in Seattle. He’d been without water for a while and was really underweight. They seized him from the owner and took him to the county animal shelter. I sprang him and brought him with me when I moved here.” She’d fed him plenty, and he’d put back on most of the weight he’d lost.

  Sadie jumped out, her fluffy tail doing its perpetual wag. Honestly, she was one of the sweetest dogs Ally had ever met, so full of trust, so optimistic, despite what she’d been through.

  “And what about Sadie?” Drew said.

  “She was a stray Animal Control picked up—I think she was probably lost when someone was here for the weekend.” From what Sue had told her, Ally knew that Moonlight Cove saw a lot of weekend visitors this time of year. “No one claimed her, so I got her out of the pound and brought her home.”

  Ally moved away from the truck so Drew could close the liftgate.

  “So do you plan on keeping them?” he asked, backing up a step, clearly keeping his distance from Rex.

  A cold wind ruffled her hair, causing a shiver to run around her neck. “Realistically, I can’t keep all the dogs I plan on saving.”

  “You think you’ll be able to let them go?” he asked as he walked up the gravel pathway that led to the front door.

  “I’ve thought a lot about that, and I know it will be hard.” Agony, actually; dogs had always offered her unconditional love, and there was no question she’d get overly attached. That was just how she was. “But ultimately saving them is more important than how difficult it will be for me to let them go to good homes.”

  His reply was precluded when the front door opened and a woman dressed in flattering jeans and a bright red boatneck sweater stepped out onto the porch. She was tall and slender, and her unstreaked auburn hair was styled in a smooth chin-length bob that accentuated her fine features.

  Undoubtedly, this was Drew’s mom, though she looked so youthful Ally wondered if she’d had Drew in her teens.

  She waved as she arrived at the top of the wooden stairs. “Ally, you poor thing.” Her face was pressed into an expression full of what Ally imagined as motherly concern, though that was just a guess; motherly concern had been in short supply in Ally’s life. Nonexistent, actually.

  “Mom,” Drew said, “as you’ve figured out, this is Ally York.” He turned to Ally. “Ally, this is my mom, Grace Sellers.”

  Without hesitation, Mrs. Sellers stepped closer, and for just a second, Ally was afraid she was going to hug her. She reflexively stiffened and pulled back a bit.

  But as it turned out, Mrs. Sellers simply took Ally’s free hand in hers and squeezed it warmly, resting soft, kind eyes on Ally. “Oh, I’m so glad you and your pups are okay!” She patted Ally’s hand. “Welcome.”

  Thrown a bit off stride by the effusive welcome, Ally said, “Thank you, Mrs. Sellers.”

  She pulled away. “Oh, pshaw. Please call me Grace, or I’ll feel old.” She looked down at the dogs, moving forward a bit to pet them. “Well, look at these two darling dogs….”

  Drew put out a stiff hand to hold her back. “Watch out, Mom. The black one isn’t friendly.”

  “Actually, he’s friendly with women,” Ally said.

  Grace, obviously used to being around dogs, slowly reached out a hand for Rex to sniff. His eyes bright and soft, Rex sniffed away, and after a few seconds, Grace ran a hand over his smooth black head. “Oh, what a good boy you are.”

  Rex’s long tail started waggin
g as his butt wiggled in delight, and a moment later he was rubbing against Grace’s legs, looking for attention.

  Drew snorted. “Well, I’ll be.” He stood with his hands on his hips, watching the formidable Rex try to get his head under Grace’s hand for more petting. “He tried to bite me.”

  Ally smiled and then turned a sympathetic eye on Drew. “You’re the wrong gender.”

  Drew nodded. “Ah, yes.”

  Grace turned to Ally with questioning eyes.

  “As I told Drew, I’m pretty sure a man abused him before Rex was rescued from a meth house.” Trusting a male ever again would be hard for Rex now. Maybe impossible. Ally understood that with everything in her. She had an ironclad no-dating rule; no way would she ever trust a man with her heart.

  “Oh, the poor thing,” Grace said before she turned to pet Sadie, who had been patiently waiting for her share of attention. Sadie turned big brown eyes up to Grace and let her scratch behind her floppy ears. “And aren’t you just the sweetest dog ever! I’m sure you’ll be a great mama.”

  Ally looked at Drew.

  He lifted one broad shoulder. “Told you she likes dogs.”

  Obviously he’d been straight with her about Grace being a dog person who could deal with Rex and an expectant Sadie. Even so, Ally had to make sure Grace was okay with the imposition. “Mrs….uh, Grace, I have to be sure you’re all right with us staying here.”

  Grace straightened. “Of course I am. I’m not sure if Drew told you, but our house burned down when he was little, and I know too well how devastating it can be.” She smiled at the dogs. “Besides, it will be great to have some dogs around again. Lately I’ve really been missing Duke, our last dog.”

  A lump formed in Ally’s throat and her eyes burned. Kindness always made her weepy. She didn’t trust her voice, so all she did was nod shakily.

  Grace pressed a hand to Ally’s arm. “You’ve been through a lot today. Why don’t you come in and have a snack, and then maybe you’d like to take a rest while I get dinner on the table. The slow cooker’s been running all day, so I’ve got plenty.” She turned and headed into the house. “You must be exhausted.”

  Mentally more than physically. Another home lost was just about more than Ally could deal with. Nothing new there. She should be good at this kind of situation by now. But she wasn’t, and never would be. She feared the legacy of her nomadic childhood in foster care would never go away.

  Drew stepped aside and gestured toward the door his mom held open, waiting with a gentle smile for Ally to step into the house. Ally froze, the reality of the situation hitting her all over again. She wanted nothing more than to bolt, run away, plant her head firmly in the sand on the beach and never come up for air….

  Drew gazed intently at her for a few seconds, his head canted to the side. “Ally?”

  “I’m coming,” she said, forcing herself to move, even though she would never, ever get used to walking into a stranger’s house for who knew how long.

  Because in the end, she was just arriving at one more home that wasn’t hers and never would be.

  Chapter Two

  At Mom’s request, Drew rounded up the dog supplies in the basement while Ally took the dogs out back to do their business. Luckily, he’d been right and there was some leftover dry dog food down there, along with a few toys, blankets and a huge dog bed. Plenty of stuff to get through the next several days.

  Pleading understandable tiredness, Ally said no to the offered snack, and while Mom settled her and the dogs in the guest room, Drew waited in the kitchen as the smell of whatever was in the slow cooker on the counter tantalized him. His stomach rumbled, and he found himself wishing he’d planned on staying for dinner.

  Before he left, though, he was sure his mom was going to want to get details of what had happened at Ally’s house. He hadn’t gone into the particulars when he’d called her from the truck out of consideration for Ally, who’d been sitting right next to him.

  Who could blame his mom, really, for her inevitable curiosity? It wasn’t every day a fire victim showed up as an impromptu houseguest with two dogs in tow.

  Drew gazed out the big picture window over the sink that looked into the large backyard and patio he and Dad had built a few years ago. Given it was April, the sun had set, so Drew stared at nothing but the silhouettes of trees against a star-studded sky for a while, thinking about the air of sadness he’d sensed in Ally. Or was it aloofness? Shyness? Hard to tell.

  Just about the time he came back to the kitchen after rustling around in the garage freezer for some cookies his mom had “hidden” there, Mom returned.

  “My, that girl’s been through a lot,” she said, shaking her head. “I think she was asleep before the door closed.”

  He nibbled on the edge of a frozen chocolate chip cookie. “Yeah, the whole thing is just sad.”

  Mom went to the cupboard and pulled out plates and set them on the tile counter. “What happened?”

  “Ally told me Rex started barking, and she found the kitchen on fire. Ran out and called 911. I got the call on my pager when I was still quite a ways out of town. By the time I was driving by, the fire had already done its damage, so the chief had me check on Ally. She looked pretty stressed out.”

  “Of course.” Mom pulled place mats from a drawer. “I take it she’s new in town?” Mom was acquainted with just about everyone in Moonlight Cove, having lived here since she and Dad were married and they moved to town so Dad could start Sellers Real Estate.

  “Yep. She moved here a few weeks ago and was living in Old Man Whitley’s house out on Flying Fish Lane.”

  Mom frowned as she got utensils out of the silverware drawer. “Sounds as if she doesn’t have a lot of resources.”

  “Yes, she told me she’s on a tight budget.”

  “I’ll have to remember to include her in my prayers.”

  Funny how that thought hadn’t occurred to Drew, even though he’d been raised to pray for those facing difficult times.

  Guess he’d lost sight of the power of faith and prayer recently, especially since his good friends Jake and Beth been left homeless in the wake of their house foreclosure, forcing them to sell all their belongings and move to Portland to live with Beth’s sister. Drew had sold that house to them and had felt so powerless when the lender had foreclosed. What kind of merciful God took so much away from such good, hardworking Christians?

  Mom went over to the oak kitchen table with the place mats. “She sure seems to love those dogs.”

  “Yeah, she told me she just started a rescue operation.”

  Mom paused. “Oh, wow. And now she has no place to house the dogs she’s rescued. I’m sure she feels doubly responsible for them since they’ve already been through so much.”

  “I’m guessing you’re right.” Ally seemed like the kind of person who took her responsibilities very seriously.

  “So, how did your interview go?” Mom asked as she headed back to the counter to get the plates and silverware.

  “Great, I think. Since I’ve already passed the physical, it’s just a waiting game to see if I get accepted to the academy.” There would be another opening at the academy next year, but with the tension between him and Dad ratcheting up, now seemed like the time for Drew to make the break from Sellers Real Estate; getting hired and accepted in Atherton as soon as possible had become a priority.

  “Looks like you’re going to be moving soon, then, just as you’ve always wanted.” She smiled genuinely as she dug a large spoon from the ceramic holder next to the stove. “Good for you, dear.”

  “I really appreciate your supporting me on this.” Drew reflexively clenched his hands. “Dad’s still completely against it, but what else is new?”

  “Well, your dad is having a difficult time with everything right now.” She opened the slow cooker and stirred the contents.

  “Is that why he moved into the garage apartment?”

  Very deliberately, it seemed, she put the lid back o
n the slow cooker and set the spoon in a spoon rest nearby. Then she turned, her jaw firm, chin raised slightly. “What’s going on between me and your father is not up for discussion.”

  This was her party line, so her statement didn’t surprise Drew.

  “It’s just that Dad—”

  “No, Drew, stop right there.” His mom held up a rigid hand. “Whatever problems you have with your dad started long before our current…issues, and I’m sorry for that, really I am. But I simply won’t put myself in the middle of what’s going on with you two.”

  Drew tightened his jaw until it hurt, then looked up at the ceiling. So be it; this discussion always ended the same way, and his mom was too stubborn to be convinced to open up about what was going on with her and Dad.

  “I’ve got to get dinner on the table,” she declared, effectively shutting down the discussion. Boy, she was good at that. She started puttering around the kitchen, as if the subject had never been mentioned. Drew fought the urge to push. She’d talk when she wanted to and not a second before. Maybe never, if what had been going on lately was any indication.

  Great.

  Bothered by their conversation, and his parents’ odd behavior in general, he decided to make his escape. He headed over to the far counter to grab his car keys, noting on the way by that Mom had, significantly, set three places at the table. One for herself. No place for Dad, seeing as he and Mom weren’t speaking and Dad had been subsisting on whatever he could heat in the microwave in the garage apartment. One place for Ally, of course. And one for…

  He snatched up his keys. “Mom, I’m not staying for dinner.”

  She turned and looked at him. “Why ever not? You haven’t eaten yet, right?”

  “No, but I’ve had a long day, and I’d like to get home. I still have some paperwork to do for the meeting with the Sullivans about their offer on the Mayberry house, and I’d rather not be burning the midnight oil tonight.”

  Dropping her chin, Mom gave him a look that mothers had perfected aeons ago, the one that made him feel about an inch tall.

  “What?” he said, even though he knew where this conversation was going. As in not his way.