Aware that the silence was stretching and becoming tense, he searched for something to say. Before he could think of anything, his cell phone buzzed. As he checked the display, he didn’t know whether to feel relieved or annoyed at the interruption.
“It’s Andy Mellor,” he said to Flora as he prepared to answer it. She raised her brows in a silent question. “The fire chief.”
After Flora had called 911, they’d remained in the cover of the trees until the police and fire teams had arrived. When they had emerge, the porch had been ablaze, but the fire didn’t seem to have progressed deeper into the house. Joe Nolan, the first police officer on the scene, had taken initial statements from Leon and Flora before approving their plan to remove the twins to Leon’s home.
Leon listened now as Andy outlined what had taken place at the house since then. When he ended the call, he relayed the information to Flora.
“The good news is they’ve found Bungee. One of the fire crew will bring him over in the morning.”
“I hadn’t thought of that. We’ll be back to refereeing the cat and dog situation,” Flora said.
“I think the big guy will have been pining for his buddy,” Leon said. “When Steffi brings Tiny back, maybe he’ll go easy on Bungee for a while. Anyway, Andy said the fire hadn’t progressed much beyond the porch. Andy called it an amateur job. In his opinion, the person who did it wasn’t well prepared. They broke the glass panel and threw burning rags into the porch. Without an accelerant such as gasoline, it was unlikely to take much of a hold. It did burn the rug and the wooden panels in the porch. The biggest problem is smoke damage.”
Flora’s shoulders drooped. “So all my new furnishings and decorations...”
“I’m sorry.” He hooked an arm around her shoulders as she swayed toward him. To hell with keeping his distance. This was about being a friend, being there when she needed him. “Andy said it didn’t look good.”
She rested her forehead against his chest and he ran his hand down her spine. After a minute, she looked up. In that instant Leon would have given all he had to take away the pain from the depths of her eyes.
“Those are just things. They can be replaced. I have home insurance.” She attempted a smile and almost made it work. “My boys are okay. That’s all that matters.”
He gave her an encouraging nod. “I know it will be light soon, but maybe we should snatch a few hours’ sleep while we can?”
This time the smile was genuine. “Almost light? Welcome to the world of the nearly three-year-olds. They’ll soon be wide awake and demanding breakfast.”
He laughed. “I guess I need to make some adjustments.”
“On that subject, are there any areas of the house you want to keep off limits?”
Leon gave it some thought. “Maybe my study. I don’t really use it much, but there are a few things in there I’d like to keep.” He tried not to sound too geeky. “When I was a kid, I used to collect comic books. They were my prized possession and some of them are quite valuable.”
As a former army officer, Leon had an open carry permit for a gun, which he kept locked away. Even his medical equipment was safely secured.
“Oh, good Lord.” Flora looked alarmed. “By all means keep the boys out of there. In fact, I’d recommend a lock on the door.”
“I’ll do my best to source a lead-lined box,” Leon joked.
“Oh, Leon.” Flora leaned back, smiling into his eyes. “Lead lining is for amateurs. My two would be all over that in two minutes.”
And it was in that moment that everything became clear. He could keep telling himself he was going to resist her and get past this attraction. The truth was, he didn’t want to do those things. His life had changed because of Flora. If that meant feeling too much, too soon? At least he could feel again. And that was a hell of a lot better than the alternative.
Chapter 9
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Daisy Cain scanned Flora’s face as she dropped the boys at the daycare center the following morning. “You look awful.”
“Thanks.” Flora made an unsuccessful attempt to pry Stevie away from her leg. “That makes me feel so much better.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude.” Daisy drew Flora and the twins away from the other families who were arriving. “I guess it would be more tactful to say you look tired.”
“We had a rough night.” Flora didn’t elaborate. It was possible she didn’t need to. She was wearing Leon’s sweatpants, cinched in tight at the waist, one of his sweaters, and her own muddy sneakers. The twins were still in their pajamas. If those things weren’t enough of a giveaway, the way news traveled in Stillwater, half the town probably already knew about her house fire. The other half would hear before lunch time.
“Can you get Stevie and Frankie a change of clothes?” she asked Daisy.
“Of course. We always keep spares in case of accidents.”
Flora wanted to hug Daisy hard when she said those words and didn’t follow them up with any questions. Instead, she focused her attention on Stevie, who was pressing his face into her knee. It really hurt her to see him like this. Frankie held on to her hand and regarded his twin with a troubled expression.
Flora squatted to talk to Stevie in a coaxing tone. “Sweetie, this is the way we do things. While Mommy goes to work, you and Frankie get to come here so you can have fun.”
“Don’t like having fun.”
“Would you like to play in the sandbox?” Daisy asked.
Stevie shook his head and huddled closer to Flora.
“This is so hard.” Flora wrapped an arm around each twin, drawing them close and feeling the familiar tickle of their curls under
