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He’s so proud that Seth and Terry and I are
in his old squad.” He frowned, his dark brows creating a V. “He had a hard time
adjusting when Gabe got hurt and couldn’t fight fire anymore, and then his
heart attack took him off the line.”
    “You don’t want to disappoint him.” She understood, only too
well, and was surprised at the similarity to her own life. She’d gladly have
gone into the construction business with her father, but her mother wouldn’t
hear of it. “He’d want you to do what was right for you, wouldn’t he?”
    Ryan’s smile flickered. “He thinks he already knows what that
is.”
    “And you’re not so sure anymore.”
    “I never considered any other line of work.” He shrugged. “I
don’t know. Maybe I’m looking for a different challenge. Or maybe I’m just
trying to get out from under my big brothers’ shadows.”
    She didn’t know what to say. She’d always thought Ryan Flanagan
one of those lucky beings who are born confident, laughing and sure of himself.
Now it looked as if he had doubts, too.
    She felt for him—a sudden empathy that startled and disturbed
her. She didn’t want to feel for anyone but her daughter. She had far too much
responsibility in her life right now to leave room for anything else.
    Luckily he didn’t seem to expect an answer from her. He touched
her arm lightly, and she felt the warmth of that touch right through the fabric
of her sweater.
    “Hey, I’ll work it out. But thanks for listening. I’ll be glad
to return the favor, any time.”
    She managed to smile, to nod. Ryan meant well, but she didn’t
have any intention of sharing her inner thoughts with anyone, least of all him.
He’d come too far into her life already.
    Now what exactly was he doing back here again? Ryan didn’t have
a good answer to that question as he approached Laura’s building the next day.
If those moments with Laura by her car the night before had taught him
anything, it was that she spelled danger to a man like him.
    He ought to stay as far away as possible from Laura McKay, with
her fierce sense of responsibility and her prickly determination to do
everything herself. Instead here he was, putting his head in the front door
that stood ajar, probably to air the place out.
    “Anybody home?” He tapped on the frame.
    Mandy’s head jerked up. Had she responded to the sound or the
vibration? He wasn’t sure. She had a child’s toy broom and dustpan, and she’d
obviously been mimicking her mother’s work.
    “Hi, Mandy.”
    She broke into a smile and carefully finger-spelled his name.
    “Good job.”
    “What’s a good job?” Laura came in from the kitchen, carrying a
bucket. “Hi, Ryan.”
    “Mandy finger-spelled my name when I came in.”
    A smile blazed across Laura’s face. “That is a good job.” She
set the bucket on the floor and hugged the little girl, and for a moment the
love in her eyes seemed strong enough to light the world.
    It was a warning, that love. It announced in no uncertain terms
that he couldn’t wander into their lives and then wander out again. Laura and
Mandy needed more than that.
    I’m just helping out, he told his conscience firmly. Nothing
else.
    “You’re making progress.” He glanced around the large
rectangular room that was cleared now of debris. The fireplace that covered
most of one wall had obviously just been cleaned, revealing the mellow, rosy
tone of the bricks.
    “Not enough.” Laura followed the direction of his gaze, but her
level brows drew down, as if she saw all that remained to be done instead of
what she’d accomplished already. “The fire put me days behind my schedule.”
    “I can spare some time to help on my off days, if you want.”
    The corners of her wide mouth tucked in, as if she didn’t want
to give anything away. “That’s not necessary. I can—”
    “I know. You can do it yourself. That doesn’t mean an extra pair
of hands wouldn’t make it go faster.”
    She evaded his eyes, and