Page 83 of The Moment He Couldn’t Walk Away

Lynx handed Mabel to Nina and went to his brother. “You’re not going back in there, Finch. We don’t know what we’re dealing with.”

Now that her eyes had adjusted to the darkness, Nina could see Finch’s fierce expression and clenched jaw as he studied her home.

“It’s not worth it, Finch. Wait for the fire truck,” Lynx added.

As if on cue, the sound of sirens reached them, and then the flashing lights appeared at the end of the street, red and blue reflecting against her neighbors’ house. Doors slammed, and the thud of feet brought Dan and his uncle around the corner. Behind them came Lucas and Jett Hyland, the local plumbers and volunteer firefighters. Both wore helmets and protective gear.

“Everyone all right?” Sheriff Dans said, reaching them first, his gaze sweeping over Nina and the cat in her arms before moving to the house.

“Yes, Sheriff.” Nina pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders. The night air was cold now that she could feel it. “Finch got me out.”

The sheriff’s eyes moved to the McAllister brothers.

“We were driving by and smelled the smoke,” Lynx said, shooting a glance at Finch, who was still looking at the house.

Nina watched the sheriff’s gaze travel slowly from Finch to the house and back again, expression unreadable. He then went to talk with the Hyland brothers in low, clipped tones.

“You warm enough in that blanket, Nina?” Dan asked, circling an arm around her shoulders and pulling her in for a quick hug. He smelled of coffee, and right then she desperately wanted a cup.

Before she could answer, Finch crouched by her, and started unlacing his sneakers.

“What are you doing?” his brother asked.

“Foot,” he said, looking up at Nina.

“What?”

“Lift your foot up. I’m going to put my sock on it before your toes go numb,” he explained as if it were obvious, which it absolutely was not.

She did as he asked because the cold was almost painful on the soles of her feet now. The warmth of his sock enclosed her foot and felt good. It was a small gesture, but to her, it meant so much right then. He was taking care of her, and she was going to let him—for now.

“Are they going inside the house?” Nina asked, watching as the Hyland brothers jogged back around the front.

“That’s what they do,” Finch said, nudging her to follow. “I can’t see flames, and no windows are shattering, so hopefully the fire is isolated, and they can put it out before too much damage is done.

When they reached the front of her house, it was to find the Hyland brothers unrolling a hose and taking it to her front door. They then used a long metal rod with a fork on the end, and forced her front door open. Lowering their helmets, they headed inside.

“Isn’t that dangerous?”

“It’s what they do,” Lynx said, his voice easy, though his eyes weren’t. He was watching the house as intently as Finch was. “Firefighters, remember?” he added. “They’re not just those really annoying brothers who used to steal the cookies out of our lunch boxes anymore.”

“I punched Jett once for doing that,” Dan said before he went to join his uncle near the truck.

Nina stood tense, sandwiched between the McAllister brothers with Mabel pressed against her chest, the cat unnaturally still and unsettled from the smoke, or perhaps picking up something from the humans around her.

She kept her eyes on the front door as Dan and his uncle watched together from a short distance away.

People had come out of their houses to stand on the street, all worried at the commotion in their usually peaceful neighborhood.

When the Hyland brothers came back out what felt like hours later, they dropped the hose and headed for Dan and his uncle. Nina and the McAllisters followed.

“Fire was mainly in the bathroom, but the smoke has filled a lot of the house,” Jett Hyland said. “We put it out, and like I said, it hadn’t really taken off yet.”

“Hard to tell for sure with all the smoke and water, but is it possible you left your hair straightener on, Nina? I found it plugged in and sitting on a towel.”

“No! Absolutely not. I’m careful with that, and I always turn it off,” she said.

“We’ll know more when the sun comes up and the smoke has dissipated,” Sheriff Dans said, his voice steady. “Right now you need to find somewhere to stay tonight because it won’t be here.”