Flirting With Fire (Hometown Heroes) (34 page)

“You should see
it in the fall,” he said, nodding toward the massive trees surrounding us now.

“Oooh, I bet
there are massive leaf piles to jump in. I used to love doing that as a kid.
Drove my father nuts.”

Torrunn chuckled.
The moving van slowed to a crawl as he compared house numbers to the one
scribbled onto a scrap of paper he’d tucked partially beneath his leg. “1826.
This is it.”

He pulled into a
narrow driveway, which ran along the house’s south side. I hopped down out of
the cab and followed him toward the front door, careful not to slip on the
snow-packed sidewalk. The house before us was beautiful, a grand two-story with
beige siding and burgundy shutters and trim. It had a large, covered porch—the
kind that invites you to stop and stay a while. The driveway led back to a
detached single-car garage and fenced-in backyard.

Torrunn mounted
the steps, crossed the porch, and reached for the doorknob.

“Um, aren’t you
going to knock first?”

He shook his
head. The glint of a key caught my eye. “People were moving, this couch was the
last piece to go.”

“How’d you get
their key?”

This time his
face turned in my direction, a devious grin on his face. “I’ve got
connections.”

Didn’t I know
it! Over the past few months, I could count on one hand the number of times
we’d been out and didn’t run into someone he knew. I’d had no idea Torrunn was
a common, household name in this city.

“Of course you
do,” I said, and followed him inside.

The bare entryway
was shrouded in shadows, but the living room off to its left was illuminated
from the beautiful picture window that overlooked the porch. The rooms’ walls
and doorways were framed with thick, ornate woodwork, lovingly restored from an
era of long ago. Beyond the foyer was the glimpse of a modernized, black and
white checkerboard kitchen, and to our left stood a gorgeous, wooden staircase,
complete with a reading nook built into its second-story landing.

“Wow…”

Torrunn wove his
fingers through mine. “Do you like it?”

“Sorry, was
drooling over the house.” I scanned the living room and found a beautiful couch
and matching loveseat, the color in their fabric a perfect complement to the
scarlet walls. “Yeah, the couch looks great. But I’ll be honest—I don’t know
how well it’ll go with the other things at your place. Are you sure we can’t
just keep your leather one?”

“It doesn’t need
to look good in my place.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s
not going there.”

“What?”

Torrunn looked
down and met my gaze. “I know this isn’t a mansion, but it’s a beautiful home in
a quiet neighborhood. One where we could raise our children, watch them grow. It’s
the perfect place to start our life together.”

He fumbled with
something in his pocket, then, and lowered down onto one knee. I sucked in a
breath. Could it be? Could the moment I’d been waiting for my entire life have finally
arrived?

His right hand came
away from his left, and I found myself staring down at the most beautiful
diamond ring I’d ever seen.

“Elizabeth Sue
Williams, will you marry me?”

Tears of joy
clouded my view, but in my heart was a clarity I’d not known before. A sureness
that my life, long overshadowed by self-doubt and loneliness, would be forever
filled with love and support. And I, in turn, would always offer him mine.

“Of course.”

As I melted into
my fiancé’s embrace, I couldn’t help but think if Herb Meyer hadn’t had
his
happy ending, I never would have found my own.

Acknowledgements

Once again, there are so many
people I would like to thank for their help on this book. Brendan, Jacob, and
Ryan, for all your support and patience while I poured over my keyboard nights,
weekends, holidays, etc. Dorinda, for countless hours of massage therapy,
mental therapy (no, that isn’t one of the framed certifications on your wall,
but it should be), and support of my writing endeavors. Tim and Shari, for helping with all things fire. Michele, for your tireless commitment to read (and
re-read, and re-read some more) my drafts and offer suggestions for change.
Kelly, Tina, Jessica, Shari, and Anna, for carving out time from your busy schedules
to be my beta readers. Julie, for your insightful advice on cover art design. Natalie,
for your promotion and marketing ideas. My family and friends, who have been
such an incredible, uplifting support group from day one. To my readers, whose
support of
ARMED WITH STEELE
spurred me to keep on keeping on. And most
of all, to the good Lord above for blessing me with these writing skills, an active
imagination, and a healthy dose of humor to tie it all together.

Flirting
With Fire

All
rights reserved.

Copyright
© 2014 by Kyra Jacobs

Proofread
by Julia Gibbs

Book
design and cover art by Kyra Jacobs

First
electronic publication: July 2014

Kyra
Jacobs

www.KyraJacobs.wordpress.com

eBooks are not transferable. All
Rights Reserved. This book may not be reproduced, transmitted,

or stored in whole or in part by
any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express
written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations
embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Author’s
Note:

This book is a work of fiction. The
names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s
imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real.
Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or
organizations is entirely coincidental. The author does not have any control
over and does not assume any responsibility for third-party Web sites or their
content.

Published
in the United States of America by Kyra Jacobs.

About
Kyra Jacobs

Kyra Jacobs is an extroverted
introvert who writes of love and mystery in the Midwest. When this Hoosier
native is not pounding out scenes for her next book, she's likely outside,
elbow-deep in snapdragons or spending quality time with her sports-loving
family. Kyra also loves golf, Guitar Hero, and thinking through plot twists
while out on a good run. Be sure to stop by her website
www.KyraJacobs.wordpress.com
for links to connect with her on social media. Kyra lives in northern Indiana with her husband and two children.

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FLIRTING WITH FIRE
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ARMED WITH STEELE
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