Normally, Finn loved a good work party—the kind where a bunch of friends got together to help someone build or repair or clean or paint or move. But that was before the three skin-graft surgeries and months of physical therapy. Once again, he’d overdone it with the workouts and now everything hurt, even pulling on his work pants.

This is nothing compared to firefighting, he reminded himself. Suck it up. No way was he going to miss out on Sean and Evie’s wedding surprise.

Since last year, the hotshot crew had been talking about helping Sean fix up the old airstrip his family used to own. It had been abandoned since Sean was eighteen, but he’d recently decided to fix it up and sell it. Without Sean’s knowledge, his friends had decided this was the perfect time to make it happen. While the newlyweds were roaming around Italy, the crew would be repairing the roof and painting like maniacs.

Finn drove to the hotshot base, where he helped Rollo, Josh and Tim Peavy load one of the rigs with tools. They filled a cooler with ice and beer and headed out to the airstrip.

It was situated close to the shoreline, on an isolated stretch of wind-tossed meadow not far from Stargazer Beach. The constant breeze sent ripples through the high grasses and made the tattered old wind socks dance like raggedy puppets.

Finn strapped on his tool belt and stared dubiously at the ramshackle collection of buildings—two hangars and a reception building—that formed the airstrip. “People are actually willing to get on a plane here?”

“Once upon a time.” Josh shrugged. “Sean’s father did pretty good business here. Until the crash, obviously. And that turned out to be weather-related.”

Finn scanned the buildings. They all looked like they needed some love, but the main reception building was the worst. “All right then. Where do we start?”

Josh pointed at the main building. “Right there. The roof. The inside’s in pretty good shape but that roof’s about to go.” They all strode toward the reception building like some kind of wrecking crew. Jupiter Point Hardware had already delivered the supplies. A pile of roofing metal sat on the tarmac, along with some two-by-fours and other lumber.

“I volunteer to stay on the ground so I don’t make the damn roof collapse,” said Rollo. “The rest of you lightweights can get your asses up there.” Since he had a good three inches on everyone else in the group, no one argued with that plan. Bracing for pain, Finn climbed up to the roof by way of an awning and squatted near the seam that ran the length of the roof.

That wasn’t so bad. Not too much soreness. On the other hand, the roof was a mess. He couldn’t see one piece of metal roofing that was salvageable.

“Demo time?” he called down to the others.

“Go for it,” answered Josh. “Then we can check the boards underneath, see what needs replacing.”

Finn took a hammer from his tool belt and worked the first piece of metal away from its screws. The heads were so rusty it came right off. “Head’s up,” he called down as he tossed it behind the building. He took a moment to look out at the ocean, which was so cheerfully blue it could have been a painting. The offshore islands held a smudge of haze that promised heat later in the day. A slight breeze lifted the hair off the back of his neck. It helped him ignore the soreness of the right side of his body.

It was just scar tissue stretching, he knew. The doctors said it was good to be active. The pain wasn’t harming him, so he could bear it. As long as he could shove it to the back of his mind.

He didn’t want the guys to know he was still dealing with the effects of his burns. He wanted to be active, to do all the things he used to do. So he was going to stay up on this fricking roof and rip metal away from wood until he was damn well done.

Josh and Tim Peavy joined him on the roof. Right away they got into the same kind of groove Finn remembered from the fire lines. Joking, teasing, real talk—all interspersed with comfortable silence.

Tim was doing his best to scare the crap out of Josh about the baby coming soon. “Treat it like a tornado’s gonna hit. Like you gotta stock up on rations and find yourself some shelter. You better learn how to do laundry and dishes and anything the hell else she needs you to do. Changing diapers—that’s the least of it. You know what helped us? You’re not going to believe this, but get yourself some lavender oil. I’m not even kidding. Really calms you down.”

“For the baby?”

“Nah, for you and your wife. Soothing as hell. Just spritz it on your pillows or something. And forget about sex, by the way. Unless it’s a quickie. It’s like the baby has a sixth sense, like it’s nature’s way of making sure you don’t have another one too soon. You start thinking about sex, boom, baby starts crying. Weirdest thing.”

Josh looked gloomily toward the ground, which was at least twenty feet down. “Are you trying to make me jump off or something? Finn, stop laughing. This could be you someday.”

“Not laughing.” Finn tried to straighten out his grin. “Just exercising my facial muscles. It’s a burn thing.”

“Riiiight. Speaking of which, the guys and I have been talking.” Tim and Josh exchanged a glance. Josh pried off another sheet of metal and sent it sailing onto the pile. “You’re going to talk to Sean when he gets back, right? About getting on the crew?”

He tensed. Rollo must have let that slip. “I’m thinking about it.”

“You should,” said Tim Peavy. “We’re gonna need someone, because ol’ Josh here is about to be MIA in the BBL.”

“The what?”

“Babyland. That’s what Rosario and I call it.”

Josh snorted as he pulled off the last of the roofing sheets. “The hell with that. I’m going to be back in no time. No baby tornado is going to stop me. I’ll take some time with Suzanne, work on my hotshot YouTube channel, then get back to work.”

“See, that’s the thing. You’re going to want to be home with them. You won’t want to fly off to Montana at zero dark thirty.” Peavy shook his head. “Nope, you’d better get your ass ready to jump in, Finn. And we’re going to help you. We have two weeks to get you in top shape before Marcus gets back. Then another month until we have to report. You can do this.”

“Yeah?”

“Dude.” Josh slid a sheet of metal off the roof and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. “You were rookie of the year. You’re an animal when it comes to training. And with the rest of us kicking your ass, you’re a shoo-in.”

“I might have to go somewhere else if I want on a crew.”

“Fuck that. You belong here,” said Josh.

Finn had to look away, a surge of emotion catching him by surprise. Did he really belong here? For sure, LA wasn’t home anymore. But he might have a better chance getting on a hotshot crew that wasn’t run by Sean Marcus. Something in Alaska or Arizona.

But he didn’t want to leave Jupiter Point. This was where he wanted to be.

Plus, there was Lisa.

In fact, literally—there was Lisa. Getting out of Brianna’s red truck, which had just pulled up next to the reception building.

Surprised, Finn made a sudden movement that nearly sent him sliding off the roof. He clutched the roof beam to keep from tumbling at her feet in a pile of sweaty man. Jesus, was there no end to the ways in which he could embarrass himself in front of this woman?

He took another peek at her. God, she looked good in a pair of snug blue jeans tucked into hiking boots. She wore a dark green fitted hoodie that clung to every soft curve. Her dark hair hung down her back in a sleek braid and she wore an Astros baseball cap. She was smiling at Rollo, who staggered slightly as Brianna leaped into his arms.

She must have felt his stare, because she glanced up, her eyes meeting his from under the bill of the cap. Her smile dropped slightly, then came back—but different. More cautious.

Of course she was cautious. He’d been rude to her at Sean’s wedding. Damn it. He didn’t want things to be uncomfortable between them. He wanted her to smile at him with just as much ease as she smiled at Rollo, the big bastard.

He waved at her, hoping it came off as confident and casual, rather than terrified that he might lose his grip on the roof beam. Of all moments to see Lisa again. He had the worst damn luck with this girl. Maybe it really was destiny—karmic payback for all his misbehavior back in LA.

From behind him, Josh snorted. “Dude, if you’re going to play Romeo, you need to be the one on the ground.”

“Would you get off—” he started to snarl at his friend, then realized that was a bad idea. “Would you help me down from here?” he asked in a lower voice. “I might have overdone it a little.”

Josh got it instantly. He might joke around a lot, but he was always there when you needed him. “Hey, Rollo! I got a cramp in my leg. How about you set up that ladder?”

Once Rollo had anchored the ladder into place, Josh gripped Finn’s forearm and helped him get his left foot securely onto one of the rungs. “You got it?” he asked in a low voice.

“Yeah, I’m good from here. Thanks, man.”

“No worries. I didn’t know—”

“It’s okay. No biggie, just some residual tightness in the scars. I’m working it out. Mostly it’s fine, I just have to keep moving. Don’t…don’t say anything, okay?”

Josh hesitated. Finn knew what he was thinking. If his mobility was compromised, he shouldn’t be working wildfires.

“You know something, Josh? I’m going to take you guys up on that training offer. I could use the help.”

The other fireman grinned broadly. “Now you’re talking. I can’t wait to kick your ass up and down Heart Attack Hill.”

“Keep dreaming, daddy-o. I’ll be so far ahead, you’ll be stuck in last week.”

“Now get your ass down there and flirt with the tower girl.”

Finn flipped him the bird. Universal sign for “we’re cool now.”