never let me watch the kids again.”
“I’ll handle it.” Dayne gave her a quick hug. As he walked by the smoke alarm, he fanned fresh air at it once more. This time it was just enough; the relentless siren fell silent.
“Does that mean there’s no fire?” BJ blinked, his brown eyes so wide that Dayne could see the whites all the way around them.
“There’s no fire.” Dayne looked at each boy as he passed by. “Stay here.” He ran down the short hall toward the entryway and opened the door just as three firefighters came up the tiered sidewalk.
The man at the front of the trio was Landon Blake, Dayne’s brother-in-law, his sister Ashley’s husband. “The call came through, and I figured it was a false alarm.” Landon’s face was taken up with his smile. “We’ve had a few others here.”
Dayne leaned against the doorframe. “Let me guess. . . .” He made a face that suggested he already knew the answer. “All when Katy was cooking?”
“Afraid so.” Landon stopped on the porch and peered into the house. “What’s she making this time?”
“Frozen beef.” Dayne massaged his brow with his thumb and forefinger. “Charbroiled frozen beef.”
“Mmmm.” Landon gave him a light punch on the shoulder. “Sorry I can’t make it, friend.” He looked at his watch. “We have to get back. You know, in case someone else sets off a smoke alarm.”
Katy must’ve heard Landon’s voice, because she came down the hallway toward the open front door, her hands on her hips. “Did Dayne mention that I was distracted?”
Dayne gave a mock serious nod. “It’s all my fault.” He waved off the firefighters. “She was too distracted to remember she had ground beef thawing over a high flame.” He pressed his fist to his chest. “All my fault.”
Katy opened her mouth as if she might try to defend herself further. But then her shoulders sagged, and she gave the firefighters a sheepish smile. “Sorry, guys. At least the smoke alarm works.”
Landon laughed hard. “It was a slow day at the firehouse anyway. We needed to get out.” He patted Katy on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Here’s a tip.” One of the firefighters nodded at Katy. “Don’t use a high flame unless you’re standing right by the stove.”
Dayne wasn’t about to say he’d told her so. He only saluted the firefighter. “We’ll try to remember that.”
Landon made a few more minutes of small talk. “You and Katy coming to the big leftover dinner tomorrow at the Baxters’?”
“Definitely.” It occurred to Dayne then that Landon might not know about Cody Coleman. He allowed a few seconds for the silliness to fade. Then he explained about the boy and his drinking and how Jim and Jenny and Bailey were at the hospital.
Landon’s face lost some of its color as the story sank in. “I’m sorry. Please . . . tell them Ashley and I’ll be praying.”
“Us too.” The quieter firefighter raised his hand. “If he pulls out of it, pray it’s the last time he does something like this.”
After the conversation ended and Dayne and Katy bid the firefighters good-bye, Dayne hesitated just inside the door. “You’d never see that in LA, not for a minute. Firefighters come to the door, laughing about a false alarm and sticking around to shoot the breeze?” Dayne reached out and pulled Katy to him. “I love this place. I love everything about it.”
“Dayne? What about dinner?” Shawn peered into the hallway. “Me and the brothers are hungry.”
Katy laughed. “Dayne’s going to think up something this time.”
As it turned out, the beef was salvageable. Dayne sliced off the burned bottom and finished the job, slow cooking it the way he’d suggested in the first place. Every time his eyes met Katy’s, they laughed again.
“It’s not funny.” Ricky was still concerned about the fire truck coming to the house. As the youngest Flanigan, he acted brave for his brothers. But his concern showed
“I’ll handle it.” Dayne gave her a quick hug. As he walked by the smoke alarm, he fanned fresh air at it once more. This time it was just enough; the relentless siren fell silent.
“Does that mean there’s no fire?” BJ blinked, his brown eyes so wide that Dayne could see the whites all the way around them.
“There’s no fire.” Dayne looked at each boy as he passed by. “Stay here.” He ran down the short hall toward the entryway and opened the door just as three firefighters came up the tiered sidewalk.
The man at the front of the trio was Landon Blake, Dayne’s brother-in-law, his sister Ashley’s husband. “The call came through, and I figured it was a false alarm.” Landon’s face was taken up with his smile. “We’ve had a few others here.”
Dayne leaned against the doorframe. “Let me guess. . . .” He made a face that suggested he already knew the answer. “All when Katy was cooking?”
“Afraid so.” Landon stopped on the porch and peered into the house. “What’s she making this time?”
“Frozen beef.” Dayne massaged his brow with his thumb and forefinger. “Charbroiled frozen beef.”
“Mmmm.” Landon gave him a light punch on the shoulder. “Sorry I can’t make it, friend.” He looked at his watch. “We have to get back. You know, in case someone else sets off a smoke alarm.”
Katy must’ve heard Landon’s voice, because she came down the hallway toward the open front door, her hands on her hips. “Did Dayne mention that I was distracted?”
Dayne gave a mock serious nod. “It’s all my fault.” He waved off the firefighters. “She was too distracted to remember she had ground beef thawing over a high flame.” He pressed his fist to his chest. “All my fault.”
Katy opened her mouth as if she might try to defend herself further. But then her shoulders sagged, and she gave the firefighters a sheepish smile. “Sorry, guys. At least the smoke alarm works.”
Landon laughed hard. “It was a slow day at the firehouse anyway. We needed to get out.” He patted Katy on the shoulder. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Here’s a tip.” One of the firefighters nodded at Katy. “Don’t use a high flame unless you’re standing right by the stove.”
Dayne wasn’t about to say he’d told her so. He only saluted the firefighter. “We’ll try to remember that.”
Landon made a few more minutes of small talk. “You and Katy coming to the big leftover dinner tomorrow at the Baxters’?”
“Definitely.” It occurred to Dayne then that Landon might not know about Cody Coleman. He allowed a few seconds for the silliness to fade. Then he explained about the boy and his drinking and how Jim and Jenny and Bailey were at the hospital.
Landon’s face lost some of its color as the story sank in. “I’m sorry. Please . . . tell them Ashley and I’ll be praying.”
“Us too.” The quieter firefighter raised his hand. “If he pulls out of it, pray it’s the last time he does something like this.”
After the conversation ended and Dayne and Katy bid the firefighters good-bye, Dayne hesitated just inside the door. “You’d never see that in LA, not for a minute. Firefighters come to the door, laughing about a false alarm and sticking around to shoot the breeze?” Dayne reached out and pulled Katy to him. “I love this place. I love everything about it.”
“Dayne? What about dinner?” Shawn peered into the hallway. “Me and the brothers are hungry.”
Katy laughed. “Dayne’s going to think up something this time.”
As it turned out, the beef was salvageable. Dayne sliced off the burned bottom and finished the job, slow cooking it the way he’d suggested in the first place. Every time his eyes met Katy’s, they laughed again.
“It’s not funny.” Ricky was still concerned about the fire truck coming to the house. As the youngest Flanigan, he acted brave for his brothers. But his concern showed
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