Read Home Fires for Free Online Page A

conquering hero. His eyes were like magnets, pulling her in, holding her close. For a moment she forgot her purpose. Why had she been headed into the house?
    “My mother’s cat.” Sanity returned, quickly as it had departed. “He’s inside the house.”
    “You stay where you are. We’ll find the cat.” Turning, he headed for the back porch and took the steps two at a time. He yanked open the kitchen door. Smoke rolled out the entrance as he disappeared inside.
    “Cecilia Rose? What’s going on?” The Judge stomped across the side lawn, still in his black suit. “What happened?”
    What had happened? Rose cringed at the memory of the screeching alarm and her hasty exit out the back door. She shuddered in the Judge’s arms as thoughts of the smoke-filled kitchen clouded her mind. Smoke was a swirling monster, worse than any flames. She hated smoke—blinding, choking, suffocating. No wonder she’d panicked and forgotten Bozo.
    The fireman reappeared moments later on the back porch. His hands, clad in thick gloves, held the charred remains of the tea kettle melted fast to the element.
    “I’m afraid you’ll have to replace this,” he said as he clomped down the steps. “It’s not much good to you now.”
    “I was boiling some water.” She cringed. The truth sounded lame. “I wanted a cup of tea. Then I sat down and… I guess I fell asleep.”
    “Better get yourself a whistling tea kettle. It’s better than hearing a smoke alarm.” His stern warning was curt but his eyes were framed by wrinkles of well-grooved laugh lines.
    Was he making fun of her? Rose felt the blush climbing her cheeks. But if he was teasing, she had only herself to blame. Her forgetfulness had given him license to do exactly that.
    She flashed him a quick smile. “Thank you for coming to my rescue again. I can’t believe I did something so stupid.”
    Better that she said it first, leveled at herself, than to have him thinking it, silently or aloud.
    “About the cat…” His eyes were intense as he looked at her.
    Oh, God, Bozo was dead. She swallowed down a rush of panic. How would she explain his unfortunate demise to her mother?
    I was too scared to think. I ran from the smoke.
    “I did my best, but I couldn’t catch him. That cat wants nothing to do with me. He’s running all over the house meowing something fierce—I think he’s telling me to get lost.”
    Rose gave a weak, shaky laugh. Bozo was safe. Thanks to the fireman, they had all survived.
    The Judge’s arm tightened around her shoulders. “You’ll stay next door with me tonight, my dear. Give the house a chance to air out.”
    “What about Bozo?” Rose hesitated. The Judge had a long-running feud with their cat.
    “He’ll be all right. The fire’s out and we opened up the kitchen windows,” the fireman said. “You should go through the house and open the rest of the windows. Things will be aired out by morning.”
    A quick pressure on her arm caught Rose’s attention.
    “Stay right where you are, my dear,” the Judge said. “I’m going back to my house to change, but I’ll be back in a few minutes. Then I intend to take the two of us out to dinner.”
    “Call if you have any more problems,” the fireman said as the Judge disappeared across the lush green lawn. “You have my number.”
    Rose frowned. She didn’t remember exchanging phone numbers with him. “I think you’re mistaken. I don’t know how to reach you.”
    “Sure you do.” He pulled off the scuffed white helmet and ran a hand through his hair, eyes sparkling bright. “911.”
    “Wait,” she called out to the tall, receding figure as he headed for the fire truck. “In case I do call, who do I ask for? I don’t even know your name.”
    “The name’s Mike,” he said. He stashed his gear in the truck and opened the driver’s door. “Michael John Gallagher.”
     
     

CHAPTER THREE
     
    WEATHER WISE
    ____________________________________
    The James Bay