Fiery by Nikki Duncan

stone for the 2000s spot. It struck Carmen how fitting it was that a former Marine was the lead on the project and that the state motto was taking up the center square.
    “This is going to be lovely.”
    Carmen jerked and looked up to see Ruth Mitchell studying the 2010s square. It was the one that would have Byron, Errol and Harold on their bench. The bench was a rectangular stone. On the bench sat three headless men, one with a hand resting on his stone cane. Their heads and faces waited. “Mrs. Mitchell, hi.”
    “Please. Call me Ruth.”
    “Ruth. Are you spying for your husband?”
    “Do you really think I would report back to him on how his plans are progressing?” Ruth asked with a wink. “He’s about to go mad over the fact you and Ryan aren’t speaking.”
    “How does he know if we’re speaking or not?”
    “He comes by every day to check up on Ryan. You’ve got that poor boy in knots.”
    “Ryan?” She shook her head, hoping Ruth spoke the truth. If he was half as miserable as she’d been then life really was fair.
    “He’s a better man than people give him credit for.”
    “How do you mean?” Carmen had already seen his goodness, heard it. She didn’t mind hearing some more. She settled onto the ground in front of the square beside the grandfathers and began working on their faces.
    “He told me one time he didn’t feel like he belonged here. Most people think he was running away when he joined the Marines.” Ruth lowered herself to the ground beside Carmen and began sorting rocks. “Truth of the matter is he was searching for himself.”
    She understood that.
    “Did you know he’s adopted?” Ruth continued. “At least by Mr. Alden.”
    She shook her head. That was a piece of gossip no one had dropped before.
    “Ryan’s mom met his father while he was on leave from the Marines. She was pregnant when he left.”
    Aimee’s story had been similar. Guy comes to town, they have a fling, he leaves more behind than he planned.
    “She wrote the man. He sent back papers signing away his rights.”
    And that was like hers and Aimee’s life. They’d been abandoned by both parents. Ryan had been abandoned by one. That, combined with sixteen years in the military, could make anyone jaded.
    “Ryan was lucky that Mr. Alden wanted to be his father. He knew that, but it didn’t keep him from always wondering if blood was what made him different.”
    “Do you know if he found him?” Carmen had never tried to stop the gossip she heard, but she’d never joined in or encouraged it either. Until now.
    “I don’t. His mother told him everything she knew, but I’m not sure if Ryan met him, or confronted him if he did.” Ruth shook her head and passed Carmen a handful of stones. “Whatever he did or didn’t find, Ryan’s a strong man with a steady core of beliefs. He may not be easy to get to know, he doesn’t allow many people in very far, but if you can get past his walls I think it’ll be worth it.”
    Curiosity bubbled inside. She wanted to know what he’d found and what had made him return to Whispering Cove where the gossip mongers could have another go at him, but he deserved to tell her those answers himself if he ever decided she was worth it. Of course, they’d have to be talking for that to happen.
    Carmen remembered hearing about Mr. Alden tangling with a mower and losing, but she didn’t know how bad it was. “He’d have stayed in the Corps if Mr. Alden hadn’t gotten hurt, wouldn’t he?”
    “To hear Mrs. Alden tell it, Ryan aggressively sought assignments that would get him higher ranks. If a promotion was available he went after it.”
    “So yeah.”
    Ruth nodded. “He’d have been a lifer and kept climbing the chain.”
    But he’d given up his dreams to help his family. Nothing about that was hard to understand or love.
    “Ryan has good reasons for his guards.” Ruth chose more rocks and passed them to Carmen. “You have that in common.”
    Carmen had seen that