Ryan could only stare. He’d never told anyone that story, except Drew. How the hell did Joe know? Dideveryoneknow?
“That boy is, that’s for damn sure. With a pop like that worthless drunk piece of shit—excuse my French, Miss Bri—he could have grown up wrong. Him and his brother both. But they didn’t follow in Billy’s footsteps, God rest his ill-tempered soul. They grew up right. Do you know he has a whole set of awards for missions he’s done over there in the desert? He’s saved more lives than we’ll probably ever know. Wellingford is proud to call him our own.”
Old Joe had always been the worst of the bunch, constantly ribbing him about burning shit down every time he was within hearing distance. To have the same man sitting here, telling Bri how proud the whole damn town was of what he’d done overseas…
They knew about the cat. He still couldn’t wrap his mind around it.
Bri reached across the table and took his hand, anchoring him while the world spun, settling into a new shape he never would have anticipated. “Youshouldbe proud. He’s a good man.”
“The best.” Joe laughed and stood, slapping Ryan’s shoulder as he did. “But it looks like that fox Dorothy is bringing your food, so I’ll leave you to it. It’s good seeing you, Flannery. You don’t come home often enough.”
Ryan looked at Bri. Maybe that was about to change.
After Dorothy dropped off their plates and disappeared back into the kitchen, Bri lifted her fork. “So you saved a cat, huh? It sounds like your hero complex has been around just as long as your history of setting things on fire.” She laughed and shook her head. “I’m sorry. I know it’s a sore spot, but those jokes never get old.”
He braced himself for the instant anger that usually came when someone made reference to burning shit down. Instead, he said, “I don’t mind.” And, to his surprise, he didn’t. “After we finish breakfast, I have something specific in mind that I’d like to set on fire.”
“Let me guess—it has something to do with my panties?”
They finished their meal in relative silence, though it was a comfortable one. After Ryan paid the tab, he took her hand and led the way back to the Suburban. “Your place?”
“Please. I want a shower and some new clothes.” She shot him a look from under her bangs. “And there’s the added bonus of getting you naked and at my mercy.”
“You’re insatiable.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. “I like it.”
They could barely keep their hands off each other as he drove to her house, and the only thing that kept him from starting something then and there was the memory of hitting the damn stoplight and taking out the mailbox. The last thing either of them needed was a repeat ofthatnightmare.
They had just made it out of the car when a woman poked her head out of the house next door. “Hey there!”
Bri waved. “Hey, Marcy. How are you this morning?”
“Doing much better. I noticed that you weren’t picking up your papers, so I grabbed them. Didn’t want the silly things turning soggy—then they’d be no good to anyone.” She hustled out her door and walked to the little fence separating their front yards. “Hi, Ryan. I heard you’re back for another week, and I was wondering if you’d come down to the grade school and talk to my second graders about being a soldier?”
She wanted him to speak to her class? Ryan rocked back on his heels, reaching for words and not finding any. He caught Bri’s gaze and the excitement there hit him in the chest. He cleared his throat and looked back at Marcy. “I think I could make that happen.”
The woman beamed at him. “Thank you so much. I know my kids will love to hear from a local soldier.”
Bri glanced at him and met her halfway to take the newspapers. “Thanks, Marcy.”
“It was no problem at all. See you at Story Time on Wednesday, Bri. And Ryan, let me know what day works best for you.” With one last wave, she retreated back to her door, where a toddler stood with his face pressed against the glass.
Ryan followed Bri inside, his mind still reeling from the invite. Hell, Marcy treated him like a normal person—a person she thought would be a good influence on her schoolkids. It was like he’d fallen down a rabbit hole and was told left was actually right.
She stopped just inside the door and stepped into his arms. “Are you okay?”
“She just asked me to come by and talk at the grade school without joking about me not burning it down.”
“Why are you so surprised?” She cupped his face, her palms soft against his cheeks. “I’ll tell you a secret. It was your reputation as a hero—not a firebug—that got me to agree to that first date.”
Before, Wellingford had seemed claustrophobic and cloying. Everywhere he looked, he was surrounded by people who’d never let him grow up. Now? Now, he was starting to see some of what Bri loved so much about it. Theyknewhim, but no one was forcing him into the role he’d long since grown out of. Not anymore. Maybe he’d only seen what he wanted to see—the gibes without the caring backing it.
It was all too easy to imagine settling here. Raising a family here. This was a town where people barely locked their doors. Where neighbors took care of one another. Where he could create a true home.
His thoughts stuttered to a halt as Bri walked past the living room filled with mismatching floral couches, pulling her shirt over her head. She paused in the doorway on the other side of the room and grinned. “What are you waiting for? These panties aren’t going to light themselves.”
Chapter Seventeen
Bri woke to the sound of whispered voices. She blinked into the darkness, noting the tension in Ryan’s body. He pressed a finger to her mouth, cautioning her to silence, but she had no intention of saying something and drawing a serial killer’s attention to them.