On the way home from my part-time job at Baker’s Buns, I notice Cody on the porch outside the house they’re renovating for Deuce when I drive by. Seeing him reminds me of Hammer’s suggestion to talk to him about his baking and desserts business plans, so I decide it may be the perfect time to satisfy my curiosity with a quick chat. Turning onto the gravel driveway, I park my car beside his pickup truck.

I see him coming over to my driver side, so I press the button to lower the automatic window.

“Hi, Cody.”

“Hey, what’s doing?”

“Is this a good time?”

“For you? Hell yes. You want to come in?”

“Sure.” I turn off the engine and follow him inside.

“Connie’s out. She just put the kids to bed,” he tells me as he leads me to the kitchen. “Carter, Hammer, and Deuce are out getting a fence fixed behind the second cattle barn. Do you want something to drink? Coffee maybe?”

“No, I’m good thanks.” I take a seat at the kitchen table as he leans against the lower cabinet to get himself a cup of brew.

“I haven’t had a chance to thank you directly for the help from your uncle,” he says.

“It’s no problem at all,” I tell him and smile.

He fills a coffee mug and takes a sip. “Mr. Reynolds has done a hell of a lot to help us out with advice and a few worker recommendations. That introduction wouldn’t have happened without you, so anything I can do to return the favor, just ask.”

“And you know if he were around here, he’d ask you to call him Pete.”

Cody laughs. “True. He already tried, but I’m not there yet.”

“Small towns are all like that, especially here in cattle country.”

“No doubt.” He sets down his coffee cup and takes a seat at the other side of the kitchen table. “So, how can I help you?”

“Your brother mentioned you’re looking at options for an onsite bakery business… and I’m curious about your plans.”

“Ahhh. Right, he did say something about you being interested in…cakes, was it?”

“Yes,” I confirm eagerly. “Wedding and celebration type cakes are my favorite. I’d love to start something on my own, but I was thinking, if you need help, I could keep my day job and do some freelancing or a ‘cakes on order’ type of thing with you, if you’re looking.”

He scratches his beard and seems to give it some thought. “Yeah. Sure, we could do something like that, depending on demand.”

“The only thing I’d ask is to be able to maybe use a brand of my own to build some customer awareness.”

“Like ‘Cakes by Ember’ or something, but still under my company’s logo? Is that what you’re thinking?”

“Yes! I actually tried to convince my boss at Baker’s Buns to go for something like this, but he’s so inundated with supplying to all these diners and local groceries along the I-80, he hasn’t been too keen on anything new. I think it’d be a nice transitional step for me, you know?”

“Makes sense.”

“It’s the usual catch twenty-two for anyone going from a full-time job to starting a business, I think. I don’t want to leave this job with the fire department unless I have a decent niche market to work with, and I can’t carve out a niche unless I go out on my own.”

“I get it…and… I like this idea. On an experimental basis, of course. Mind you, I won’t be looking at kicking off the business for a few months. The first priority is getting this ranch back on track, and we’re starting to make headway, but it’ll take time. Once there’s some sense of normalcy around here… and once we get Jameson the hell off the ranch… I’ll renovate the house he’s in as a dedicated bakery. I’m thinking of a commercial setup, with bigger ovens, everything we need to do it all here, from small orders to supplying stores, to catering for events.”

“I think that’s a fantastic idea. You should talk to my boss too. He’ll probably be able to tell you about all the untapped demand. He’s turned down pretty much all catering requests, for one, and he can’t even look at custom cakes and such. The demand is definitely bigger than the supply around here, especially if what we put out there is good quality.”

“I hear you.” He extends his arm across the table. “Well, Ember, I think we have a tentative deal.”

“Great!” I say and shake his offered hand. “I’m so excited to work with you on this!”

“Same here.” His cell phone rings as we get up to leave, and from the change in his tone as he answers and speaks to whoever’s on the line, I can tell it’s ranch business.

He taps my shoulder before I open the front door, signaling for me to wait while he wraps up the call.

“Hey, I hate to have to ask, but can you stick around for a while?” he asks after lowering the phone from his ear.

“Um, sure. Everything okay?”

“Yeah, nothing too serious. Connie’s out running an errand for Deuce’s parents, and I was supposed to watch the kids for a few hours while the guys get that fence done. But there’s a problem with something the guys are working on at the barn. Do you mind? I shouldn’t be too long.”

“Sure. No problem. Do I need to do anything? With the kids?”

“No, Connie already put them to bed just before you got here. They do a lot of running around here and at school. They’re usually so tuckered out that they don’t wake up through the night. It’s really to stick around just in case.”

“Of course. I don’t mind at all.”

“Great. Thanks so much.”

He shows me to the living room, which looks a lot closer to a regular family living area than it was the first time I was here. It has a masculine feel to it now. The dark hardwood floors are polished to a sleek shine, the walls are painted a lovely pale tan, the bay windows are no longer boarded up, and the place is furnished with a nice-looking leather sofa set. There’s no TV in the room, but I’ve got lots of romance stories I can catch up with on my phone’s e-reader.

“Help yourself to anything in the fridge,” he tells me. “You have Hammer’s or Deuce’s number, right?”

“Yes. It’ll be okay. I’ve babysat for my cousins’ kids more times than I can count. And working at the fire station can sometimes be like babysitting,” I add with a chuckle. “Don’t worry.”

“All right.”

He thanks me profusely, flying through a few pointers on what to do if they wake up, their favorite warm drinks if they’re thirsty, and tips to get them back to sleep. I nod and let it all soak in as I follow him back to the front door and wait for him to grab his coat. “I’ll be back real soon,” Cody says.

“See you.”

“Call me if anything comes up at all,” he adds.

“Will do,” I answer. “Don’t worry about a thing.”

After he leaves, I take a seat on the sofa, kick off my shoes and put my feet up to catch up with reading on my phone. It feels oddly pleasant being here. Even though no one’s around, it’s different from being alone at my place. Mind you, I’m not alone. The kids are asleep upstairs. Still, there’s a sense of warmth here, a lived-in feel, like the energy of their entire family is still around when they’re gone. I’ve never really felt something like this since I left my Dad’s house to live on my own. Whatever it is, I welcome the comfort, letting it wrap around me like a warm blanket on a cold night.

There’s nothing like it.

* * *

It’s been all hands on deck outside for a couple of hours. Deuce texts me to see how I’m doing and explains that they’re meeting with Jameson to finalize his departure. I’m not surprised, after what he’s done.

The kids were already asleep in bed, so I have nothing to do except watch over them and be here if they wake up. Sandy has her own room, and the twins share one. But tonight, the girls are in the twins’ bunk beds, and Logan is in Hammer’s bedroom. From Cody’s quick set of instructions at the front door before he left, I see why Logan’s been a good sport. He let them take over the shared space, but even at his age, he drew the line at sleeping in Sandy’s room, decorated in all-pink everything.

As it’s been a couple of hours, I take a minute to go upstairs to make sure all is well. I stand at the bedroom doors and look in on them. They’re sleeping peacefully. Are all kids this adorable when they sleep? I don’t know the answer to that. It may just be that I’m growing fond of Deuce’s and Hammer’s little ones. Just like I’m starting to have feeling for their dads.

It’s a horrible idea, falling for two men at the same time.

Even worse to let that happen when I’m their boss’s daughter, in a field where the men respect the code, and are in a situation where being on the job is like having a second family.

But what can I do?

It’s too late.

I’d have to turn back time to stop my heart from opening up and letting them in.

Or walk away and live with a void as deep as a canyon.

As I head back downstairs to the living room, my phone rings. I make the mistaken assumption that it’s Deuce or Hammer and answer without looking at the screen.

“Hi, love.” My father’s voice on the other end of the line causes me to tense up. I have no reason to feel guilty, but I do. He’s phoning me while I’m in Hammer and Deuce’s house. That’s enough cause for concern.

“Dad? Is everything all right?”

“Yes… of course. I was on my way home from your Uncle Pete’s and thought I’d swing by, but saw your car at the Pendleton place.”

Crap. He’s outside? “Yes… I’m here, Dad.”

“Why?”

“There was some kind of problem with Jameson. I happened to be passing by on my way home, so I agreed to watch their kids while they handle it.”

At least it’s not a lie. Although, I can hear the nervousness in my own voice as I rattle off the explanation, and that I intentionally exclude anything that may suggest I have any other dealings with his firefighters.

His silence is worrisome. I can tell he’s soaking it in. Processing what’s between the lines. He’s curious, and probably has a million questions but is holding his tongue.

“Oh, I see,” he finally says.

“Was there something you wanted to talk about?” I ask him.

“No. Just a plain old visit from a father hoping to see his daughter in a setting other than work.”

“I can come by this weekend,” I offer, pressing one hand to my chest to try and ease my breathing as my heart pounds. ‘I can make you dinner… and that pecan pie you like so much.” Sure, I’m lathering on the sweetness, hoping it’s enough to distract him from the glaringly obvious fact that I’m on a friendly basis with two of his employees.

He chuckles. “Sure! You know I’d never turn down home cooking and a chance to spend time with you.”

“Great! Looking forward to it, Daddy. Well, I should make sure the kids are okay,” I lie to end the call as fast as possible. I don’t want him to ask any other questions because I don’t want to have to lie to him again.

“All right dear. See you soon.”

“Good night, Daddy.”

Crap.

I’m on his radar now.

This can’t be good for anyone.