nationally televised shows no less.”
“You want to give me my shirt back?” he challenged.
“Not really.” Then her gaze froze for a moment on his bare chest.
He dared to hope she liked what she saw. Then he gave himself an instant rebuke. How would that be good? This physical attraction between him and Jenny was the root cause of all their problems.
The lightning flashed, the thunder boomed and the rain came down even harder.
“You want me to go get the cart?” Jeffrey offered.
“We might as well wait it out a few minutes,” said Mitch. “This might not last long.”
Jenny’s cell phone rang.
She pulled up the tail of Mitch’s shirt and dug into the pocket of her slacks. “It’s probably Emily. I hope they’re all okay. Hello?” she said into the phone.
She listened for a moment, eyes narrowing, mouth turning into a frown.
“Everything all right?” Mitch couldn’t help but ask, but she waved him to silence and turned her back.
He glanced to Jeffrey, whose brow furrowed in concern. Had somebody been hurt?
“Uh-huh,” Jenny was saying, her tone grave. “No. No, I don’t.” Her free hand went to her forehead, and Mitch reflexively stepped toward her.
“Jenny?” He put a hand on her shoulder.
“As soon as I can,” she said without acknowledging him. “Yes. Of course.” She blew out a breath.
“Jenny?” Mitch repeated.
She turned to him, her face pale, hands shaking as she lowered the phone. “My house is on fire.”
“
“My neighbor. It was a lightning strike.” Jenny held up helpless palms. “The roof burst into flames.”
Mitch grabbed her phone before it could slide off to the floor. “Has the fire department been notified?”
“They’re on the way there.”
“I’ll get the cart,” said Jeffrey, bounding down the two stairs to sprint across the course.
Mitch reached out to touch Jenny’s arm, longing to pull her into his embrace. “No pets, right?”
“That’s what Clara, my neighbor, asked. No. No pets. I’m allergic to cats.”
Mitch hadn’t known that. He tried to rub the chill from her shoulders. “It might not be so bad. The rain will help put the fire out. And the fire department’s close by.”
Jenny nodded numbly. Then she seemed to gather herself. “You’re right. No sense borrowing trouble.” She gave a decisive nod. “We need the facts. Let’s get the facts, and go from there.” She stepped away from his hand.
Mitch’s protective instincts nearly blinded him. Jenny belonged in the comfort of his arms, not standing there all alone and dripping wet, trying to cope with the disaster that had suddenly befallen her life.
He made a move toward her, giving in, anticipating the feel of her small body against his.
But Jeffrey was pulling up in the cart. And Jenny was darting for the gazebo stairs. And the moment was gone.
Six
Red-and-blue lights flashed against the chaos that was once Jenny’s home. A dozen firemen sprayed water into her windows, where orange flames leaped out in the darkening evening. Neighbors stood on the sidewalks, huddled under umbrellas, avoiding the runoff that had turned to a gushing river cascading down the street. The rain remained steady, but Jenny barely noticed.
Emily linked an arm with hers, squeezing tight. “Thank goodness you weren’t home.”
Jenny swallowed. She hadn’t thought of that. But it was true. If the guys hadn’t invited her to go golfing, she might have been sitting in her living room, directly below the lightning strike.
She shuddered reflexively at the thought.
“It’s going to be okay,” Emily continued.
Jenny nodded, trying to force her rational mind to engage. There was a lot to be thankful for here.
“I know,” she finally said. “Nobody was hurt. And everything else is just stuff. It can all be replaced.” She paused, a dark shot of humor piercing her numbness. “It’s not like I had boxes of precious mementos from my happy childhood.”
“Okay, that was impressive,” said Emily.
“What?”
“You. Looking on the bright side so quickly.”
Jenny shrugged. “I suppose I could curl up in a fetal position somewhere and cry instead.”
“Many people would.”
“I think I’m in shock.”
“Yes, well, that’s to be expected. You’ve got insurance, right?”
Jenny nodded. She was well insured. Everything being destroyed by the fire could be replaced.
Her brain automatically began to catalog the possessions in her house. She started in the living room, where the fire was worst, then she mentally worked her way through the dining room, kitchen and bedroom.
“We are going to have to replace my new wardrobe,” she pointed out to Emily.
“That part’ll be fun,” Emily responded with determined cheerfulness.
Jenny didn’t disagree. Shopping for new clothes with Emily had been a lot of fun. Of course, shopping for every single possession a person needed in life was a little more daunting.
She told herself she was lucky. The circumstances of her childhood made very little of her life irreplaceable.
“At least there are no homemade quilts. No heirloom jewelry,” she reminded Emily.
“That’s a good thing,” said Emily. Then she gestured to the fire. “At a time like this.”
Emily knew all about Jenny’s complicated upbringing. Her parents had gotten married because her mother was pregnant with Jenny. The marriage was a mistake, and after five rocky years, her father had left them for good. After the breakup, her mother’s psychological and emotional issues had grown worse, making life chaotic for young Jenny.
Just then, a section of the carport caved in, landing with a resounding crash on top of her car. She started at the sound, blowing out a breath.
“Gonna need a new car, too.” Emily’s voice was hoarse.
“This is unbelievable.” Jenny struggled to keep her equilibrium. Her possessions were disintegrating in front of her eyes.
She caught a glimpse of Mitch where he stood next to the fire truck. He seemed to sense something, turning to scan the crowd. When he came to Jenny and Emily, the scan stopped. He looked directly into her eyes for a moment before returning to his conversation with the fire chief. Meanwhile Cole and the teammates looked on, obviously ready for action, and just as obviously frustrated by their inability to pitch in.
“Do you think this is a sign?” Emily asked.
Jenny dragged her gaze away from Mitch. “A sign of what?”
“That it’s time to start a new life?”
“You mean leave town?” Leave Royal, the TCC, Mitch?
“No. No. I was thinking that when you rebuild, you could go sleek and modern, instead of boxy and practical.”
“You didn’t like my house?” Jenny was surprised to hear that. It was… Her gaze fixed on the flames once more. Well, at least it had once been very functional and livable. It had everything Jenny needed, and the mortgage was very nearly paid off.
“I’m just saying, maybe something that goes along with the new clothes, the new hairstyle, the new makeup and, soon, the new man.”
Jenny pondered the suggestion.
A fresh start. Wasn’t that exactly what she’d been telling herself she needed? Was the universe trying to help her out?
