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 Trace’s Fire

Copyright © 2020 by Loni Ree

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are
either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to
actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
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 Trace’s Fire

**Trace’s Fire is the sweet and clean version of Ignite my Heart by

Loni Ree. The author has removed all bad language and sexual
situations to give you a sweet and entirely wholesome read. The content
has changed slightly and the book has been re-edited.**
It only takes a spark to ignite a fire…

Trace

I’m used to the quiet life a place like Juniper offers. As a fire captain, I
save a cat from its own bad luck once or twice a week and, on occasion,
deal with a real fire emergency.
But when a little firecracker named Paige Reilly moves in, her
whirlwind energy wakes up our sleepy small town and sets my blood on fire
right along with it.
Now all I want is a life filled with her…

Paige

There comes a point in everyone’s life when they decide it’s time to
settle down. To me, the sleepy little town of Juniper, Colorado looked like
the perfect place.
Turns out, Juniper is anything but sleepy. The moment I arrive, the
hottest guy I’ve ever seen shows up to give me advice on how to fit into the
town and neighborhood.
I appreciate the Fire Captain’s effort and we hit it off like a house on
fire. Then an incident occurs that leaves me without a place to stay. Lucky
for me, Trace is a kind neighbor. He opens his home, and his heart to me. I
just hope he can deal with the trail of destruction that seems to follow me…
This over-the-top quick read is just what you're looking for if you
like sweet, clean, insta-love romance with a little bit of humor.

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 Contents

Chapter 1
Trace
Chapter 2
Trace
Chapter 3
Paige
Chapter 4
Paige
Chapter 5
Trace
Chapter 6
Trace
Chapter 7
Trace
Chapter 8
Paige
Chapter 9
Paige
Chapter 10
Trace
Chapter 11
Paige
Epilogue One
Epilogue Two

About the Author

Also by L. Ree
Also by Loni Ree
Also by M. Marie Clark

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Chapter One

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 TRACE

“O h, Mr. Mayor, Mr. I Bought the Biggest House in Juniper

Glenn and Everyone Thinks I’m So Important.” As my brother
sings through the station, I look up at the ceiling and wonder
why I never suffocated Rory in the middle of the night years ago. “You get
to go and handle the d-e-l-i-c-a-t-e situation between the Jacobs and their
gorgeous new neighbor.”
Rory sticks his head around my door and wiggles his eyebrows. Logan
and Adam are standing behind my brother, holding in their laughter. Acting
like the only adult in the firehouse, I remind the moron, “I’m not the mayor.
I’m your captain and the head of the Homeowner’s Association.” Some
days, I wish I’d moved far away from our small hometown after graduating
from college, and from the looks on these three idiots’ faces, today is going
to be one of those days. “Don’t mess around. Just tell me what happened.”
The three of them almost trip over each other in an effort to get into my
office. Martha, our dispatcher, walks by, and the glee on her round face tells
me she already knows the whole story. I’m sure the town grapevine is hard
at work. Mrs. Jacobs is the eyes and ears of Juniper, Colorado. As the
saying goes, “Telegraph, telephone, tell-a-Louise.” Louise is Louise Jacobs,
and she’s faster than any internet speed known to man.
“Look, I’ve had a horrible day. Mrs. Webster’s cat got stuck on her
neighbor’s treehouse roof and sang the song of his people for two hours
until we rescued him. He didn’t appreciate my rescue efforts, and I’m
sporting an armful of scratches and a couple of splinters that need
removing.” I pull up my sleeve and show them the angry red welts running
down my arm. “At this point, I want to get the rest of my twenty-four-hour
shift over so I can go home, have a beer, and sit by the pool. So, just spit it
out and get out of here.” The headache behind my eyes is becoming a full-
blown migraine, and I’m warning the three scrooges before they cause me
to lose my mind.
Rory realizes I’m not in the mood for fun and games and sighs. “This is
funny, no matter how you spin it.” He shrugs and holds his hands up in
surrender when a growl rumbles from my chest. “Okay, okay. Well, you
know the grapevine has been buzzing with the news that a hot, young thing
moved in behind the Jacobs. Today, she decided to sunbathe out on her back
deck and caused a major problem.”
That’s it? Surely, there’s more to the story. I look between the two
sitting in front of my desk and Adam standing behind them, and they all
look like they’re about to burst into laughter. Knowing I’m going to regret
it, I ask, “What kind of problem?”
“Mr. Jacobs’ heart couldn’t take her beauty,” Martha answers from the
doorway, and all four of us turn to stare at her.
As the trio erupts in laughter, I run my hand down my face. “Please
explain yourself,” I groan.
Logan, the most mature of the three, finally speaks up, “Mr. Jacobs hid
in the attic and spied on his new neighbor while she enjoyed the afternoon
rays. His poor ticker couldn’t handle the excitement and gave out. Luckily,
Rory and Adam were able to get him going again before the helicopter
landed. He’s on his way to Swedish Medical Center, and Mrs. Jacobs is out
for blood. She’s holding the cutie next door responsible for Mr. Jacobs’
little incident.”
Looking around the room, I wonder out loud, “And what am I supposed
to do?”
Logan shrugs. “Jude Kenney stopped us. He asked if you’d have a talk
with your new neighbor and ask her to cover up a little more when
sunbathing.” Why does this fall onto my shoulders? Jude lives two doors
down from the woman. He could stop by and talk to her himself.
Knowing I’ll never hear the end of it if I don’t act, I decide to deal with
the situation right this minute. After looking at my watch, I figure I’ll run
by there and then grab dinner on my way back to the station. “Get out of
here so I can take care of this mess. I’ll get China Garden on my way back.”
I glare a the trying trio before following them out the door.
 “Get me an extra Crab Rangoon. Oh, and I want an update on how hot
she really is,” my brother calls as they walk toward the day room.
Without answering him, I walk by Martha’s desk and let her know,
“Don’t spread any of this until I figure out what is going on.” As she smiles
and gives me a thumbs-up, I realize there’s very little chance Martha is
going to listen to a word I’ve said. This story is going to keep on moving
right through Juniper’s grapevine.

O ur new neighbor has put a ton of work into the house. The
previous owners got transferred to the east coast last summer, and
the home sat vacant for close to a year before she moved into it a
few weeks ago. Someone has power-washed the tan brick and white siding
front of the two-story home. There are new rose bushes in front of the
windows and flower beds around the trees. The sidewalk is now lined with
neat rows of purple flowers, and the trees have little flowerbeds
surrounding their bases.
After walking up the brick steps, I take a deep breath and rub the back
of my neck while trying to figure out what I’m going to say to this woman.
I ring the doorbell and wait and wait. I’m about to give up and leave when
the door opens, and I nearly swallow my tongue. No wonder old man
Jacobs had a heart attack. The sight of this girl makes me forget my reason
for coming to her house. She’s short and perfectly curvy, with wavy, pink-
tinted, blonde hair. There’s a flush covering her heart-shaped face, and I’m
not sure if it’s from the earlier sun exposure or if I’m making her blush with
my blatant staring.
Her cornflower-blue eyes widen for a second before she finally asks,
“Hello, is there a problem?”
What is happening to me? I’ve never felt anything like this in all my
life. There is a problem—a huge problem. I want to grab her shoulders and
give a little shake as I tell her, “You just changed my entire life and left me
reeling.” But she’d think I’ve lost my mind. I don’t want my soon-to-be
wife and the future mother of my children thinking I’m crazy on the first
day we meet. I’ll let her figure out my little idiosyncrasies along the way. I
mean, these quirks just showed up when she opened the door, so we’ll learn
them together.
Pulling myself together, I look up from the fluffy, pink robe covering
her and hold out my hand. “I’m Trace Remington, and I live on Reardon
Heights Circle. Would you mind if I come in and speak with you?” As she
looks up and smiles shyly at me, I’m impressed at how normal my voice
sounds. You’d never know my world is completely off its axis right this
minute.
“I’m Paige Reilly. Please, come in.” She holds her door open after
shaking my hand, and I’m still recovering from the electrical current
shooting through my body. It takes me a second to realize she’s stepped
back and is waiting on me. Looking up, I notice one side of the robe has
slipped off her shoulder a tiny bit, and a groan almost escapes from my
mouth. As I follow behind Paige, I force myself to ignore her beauty and
instead look around the home.
“Please, have a seat.” She points at the leather sofa, and I force a smile
past my clenched jaw and sit across from her. She sits and I take a deep
breath, trying to remember my reason for coming here. I blink when she
smiles and turns her head to the side. “So, Trace, you said you needed to
speak with me?”
I look into her concerned blue eyes and nod. “I don’t know if you heard
all the commotion, but your elderly neighbor had an emergency today.” My
mind is still on overload, and I’m having trouble processing my thoughts.
Paige shrugs and shakes her head. “No, I’m sorry. After working in the
house, I put on headphones and sunbathed on my back deck.” She raises her
hands in front of her, and I can see the confusion run through her eyes.
After running my hand down the back of my neck, I try to explain, “Mr.
Jacobs, your neighbor, uh…” Wow, this is more difficult than I expected.
“He was in his attic watching you sunbathe, and he went into cardiac arrest
from your beauty.”
As Paige’s eyebrows shoot up, her mouth pops open to form a perfect
O. She blinks several times before standing and pacing the room. Paige
turns and opens her mouth for a second, and I wait as her eyebrows pull
together in a frown. She shakes her head and stomps off to the kitchen.
When I follow her, I find her fighting to open a bottle of wine. I lay a
reassuring hand on her arm and take the wine from her.
 “Let me help you.” As I take the bottle from her, our hands touch and
electricity again shoots through every nerve in my body.
After I open the wine, Paige snatches the bottle out of my hand and
shocks me by drinking it right from the bottle before turning back to me.
She throws her hands out to the side, sending wine sloshing from the open
bottle. “It’s not every day you hear you’re responsible for someone’s heart
attack.”
“You’re not at fault. He shouldn’t have been spying on you.”
Her blue eyes flash a second before she spins and paces the kitchen. “I
still feel horrible.” Paige drops onto the barstool and bites her bottom lip.
“Is he okay?” She sounds worried.
“He’s going to be okay. The paramedics resuscitated him before flying
him to the hospital in Denver.” She sits back and silently stares at the
countertop for a few minutes.
I rub the back of my neck and grab the bottle of wine off of the counter,
and almost take a sip until I realize I’m still on duty. I’m really losing it. I
put the bottle down and look up at the ceiling. “What a day.” It’s not every
day you fall for a girl the second she opens the door. The same girl who just
gave her neighbor a heart attack. This should make for a great story to tell
our grandkids.
As Paige looks up at me with a raised eyebrow, I shrug and point at the
wine bottle. “I can’t drink since I’m on duty. Have a little for me.” I wink,
and she smiles before taking the bottle and sipping a little. “Now, since
we’re in this crazy mess together, can I interest you in dinner later this week
when I’m not on duty?”
Paige leans against the counter and thinks for a second, then smiles. “I
was planning to try out a new recipe tomorrow night. Are you free to come
over for dinner?”
I was hoping to bring her over to my place and pull out all the stops to
impress my girl, but I’m willing to take whatever I can get. “That sounds
great. Then I’ll return the favor soon.”
We agree on a time, and she walks me to the door. I kiss the tip of her
nose on my way out, and I’m so caught up in my Paige fog that I almost
forget the China Garden on the way back to the station. This girl has
completely taken over my thoughts.

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Chapter Two

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 TRACE

I t’s the longest evening and night of my life. It’s like everyone at
the firehouse is trying his best to get me to lose my mind. My
brother finally realizes I’m barely hanging on and steps in to
control the other firemen. I’m standing on the back patio, trying to gather
my thoughts when Rory walks out.
“Man, you need to go get your girl so we can get back to normal. The
guys are asking for hazard pay.”
As I’m about to tear into him, it hits me that I’m so twisted in knots by
my feelings for Paige; I don’t know what end is up right this minute.
Running my hand down my face, I sigh. “I know. She’s the one and I don’t
want to mess this up.” I blow out the breath I’ve been holding and look up
at the dark sky. “I have to take my time with her, and I’m so twisted around
I don’t know what end is up.”
My brother pats my back sympathetically then heads for the door. He
turns before walking through and smiles. “Please, just kill me before I fall
in love. This is for the birds.”
I spend the rest of the night watching a clock that hardly moves and
picturing my girl. Pictures of her run through my mind as I imagine our life
together. What is happening to me? Yesterday, I was happy with my
bachelor life, and today, I’m ready to settle down with one woman forever.
After a sleepless night, I spend the day counting the minutes until six
o’clock. I’m like a teenage girl. It takes me two hours to get ready, and I
change clothes three times before deciding to wear the first outfit I had on
my body. This girl has me tied in knots. Roger sits on my bed and stares at
me like I’m crazy. At this point, I have to agree with my roommate. I’ve
completely lost my mind over this girl. He’s one lucky feline. Since he’s
fixed, he doesn’t care if females are attracted to him or not.
“Take care of the place, Roger. I’ll hopefully be late.” The cat blinks
several times, looking bored and licking his orange paw as I walk out the
door. It’s a good thing I love that ornery cat so much, or he wouldn’t have
the cushy life he enjoys.
Once I get to Paige’s house, I sit out in my truck and take several deep
breaths. Even though I know I need to take things slow with Paige,
convincing myself not to throw her over my shoulder and take her home
isn’t an easy thing to do. She’s taken over my mind, and I’m not even going
to fight it.
After grabbing the wine and flowers I bought on my way home from the
station this morning, I jog up to her door and ring the bell. When she opens
the door and smiles at me, my heart beats harder in my chest as that
electricity flows through my body again.
Paige steps back for me to enter and laughs. “I was wondering if you’d
changed your mind since you sat in the truck for so long.”
I attempt to think fast, but nothing comes to mind, and I blurt out the
truth, “I needed time to get control of myself, so I didn’t come in here and
move too fast.”
Shock passes over her face for a second before she smiles shyly and
points her head toward the kitchen. “Are you going to think I’m a lush if I
invite you into the kitchen for a glass of wine while I finish up dinner? It
sounds like we could both cool down a little.”
Throwing back my head, I laugh. “Lead the way. I could use it.” As I
follow behind her, I remind myself this is for life and to take things slow.
Hopefully, a glass of wine will work wonders to cool me off a little.
Paige grabs a bottle of wine out of the refrigerator and smiles as she
hands it to me. “I’ll grab glasses this time.” Then she walks over to one of
the tall white cabinets and grabs two wine glasses. I start opening the bottle
while looking around the kitchen.
She has something cooking on the stove, and there’s a bowl of salad
sitting on the counter. I try to concentrate on anything other than the
thoughts fighting for control in my mind—she smells better than dinner and
I’ve missed her since yesterday. Needing to get a handle on the situation, I
try to turn my attention elsewhere. “What brought you to Juniper?”
 She opens her mouth to respond when the glass on her back-door
window explodes. After grabbing her around the waist, I pull Paige down
and cover her with my body.
After what seems like an eternity, there are no more shots. I check on
my girl. “You okay, baby?”
“What’s happening?” Paige shakily responds, and I breathe a sigh of
relief before grabbing my phone off my belt and dialing 911. Martha
answers, and I bark orders at the dispatcher then hang up.
Paige is trembling under me, and I run my hand through her soft hair
while whispering, “It’s going to be fine. The police are on the way.”
Paige’s body is tense beneath mine, and I feel her accelerated breathing.
She turns her face toward me, and her breath feathers across my cheek.
“Who would do this?”
The same question is running through my mind, but I need to keep her
calm, so I lie, “Probably some idiot messing around with a gun or
something.”
When Paige peeks over her shoulder, the doubt in her eyes confirms she
doesn’t believe me. Before she can question me further, there’s a loud
knocking on the front door, and a local deputy calls through the door.
After lifting myself off of Paige, I instruct her, “Stay down until I make
sure it’s safe.” Then I head for the front door and let Burton into the house.
“Dispatch said you have shots fired into the residence.” Burton pushes
in and looks around me. This jerk is trying to get a look at Paige, and the
urge to ram my fist into his face roars through me. “Miss, are you okay?”
He steps past me and helps Paige to her feet. I know the deputy would take
great pleasure in throwing me in jail if I crushed his hand for daring to
touch my girl. My rage spikes as his eyes travel over her stunning body. I
notice her blouse has a huge rip down the front. I’m about to grab the nosy
deputy to pull his attention away from her when he reaches out his hand.
“It’s a shame to meet under these circumstances.”
After stepping between him and my girl, I snarl, “Are you going to go
investigate the shots fired?”
It appears Burton is going to argue, but I turn my back to him and take
Paige’s soft hand. “Why don’t you go change your shirt, baby? The house
may be crawling with people soon.” Paige’s eyes widen as she looks down
at her torn shirt, but I ignore her surprise and lead her toward the hallway.
Before she walks away, I lean in to whisper in her ear, “I accidentally tore
your blouse when I pulled you to the floor. I’m ready to tell him we were
about to get busy just to let him know you’re mine.” My joke brings a little
color back to her face, and she snorts loudly. Then I kiss the tip of her nose
and warn her, “I’m ready to pummel the jerk out there if he ogles you one
more second.” Paige’s face turns bright red as she gasps and squeezes her
blouse closed.
She bites her bottom lip. “My reputation is already damaged by giving
Mr. Jacobs a heart attack. You would really finish it off.” The desire to kiss
that lip causes me to groan.
My heart squeezes in my chest. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure your
reputation is squeaky clean.” After winking at Paige, I lead her down the
hall. I’m tempted to follow her to assure myself she really is okay. Fighting
the temptation, I close my eyes and count to ten, then head back into the
kitchen.
Burton’s arrogant smirk causes my blood to boil. He rubs his lips, then
suggests, “I can take care of things here. You aren’t needed anymore.”
Like I’d leave my girl. This jerk can think again. “No, Burton. I’m here
to spend the evening with Paige.” He’s about to argue when there’s another
knock at the front door. Paige walks out of the bedroom to answer the door
before I can free myself.
The town’s sheriff, Terry Donaldson, and another deputy walk in, and
I’m relieved to see Paige wearing a t-shirt and pair of jeans. Paige stands
next to me as Terry informs us there is damage to the exterior siding from a
rifle shot and another shot that shattered her window. Intense anger flows
through my body as I silently swear I’m going to make someone pay for
this.
When Terry turns to Paige and asks, “Ms. Reilly, do you have
somewhere else to stay for a couple of days?”
I answer for her. “She’ll stay with Roger and me. We have four extra
bedrooms, and she can use the pool to sun herself in privacy.”
My girl turns to me and looks like she’s about to argue as the unhelpful
deputy comes over and tries to put his two cents in. “I’m not sure a single
woman should be staying with an unmarried man.”
I glare at Burton and snap, “No one asked your opinion. It’s not the
1920s, so stay out of our business.” Paige gasps quietly next to me before
Burton’s face turns red. He’s smart enough to keep his mouth shut as he
spins and slams out the front door.
 Terry shakes his head and looks over at me. “I expect one of you to kill
the other one of these days.”
I shrug and wrap my arm around Paige. Her beautiful face is a little
pale, and she’s still slightly unsteady. Looking down, I whisper, “Don’t
worry, I’ll get you back to my place soon so you can relax.” I lead her over
to the sofa, and after she drops down, I call Rory. It only takes a minute to
get my younger brother to agree to come over and help me board up the
window on her door.

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Chapter Three

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 PAIGE

I don’t want to wake up. I’m so toasty warm, but suddenly I can’t
breathe. Opening my eyes, I find a massive orange cat sitting on
my chest. Since he isn’t mine, I almost freak out until I realize
I’m in Trace’s guest bedroom. As the events of the last two days slowly
rumble through my groggy mind, I would groan if my chest could expand.
The huge cat is making that all but impossible. “Kit…” I clear my throat
and draw in the biggest breath I can and try again. “Kitty, you need to
move.” It comes out as a scratchy garble, but the cat rolls his eyes and steps
aside to lay next to me on the bed.
Once I’m able to breathe normally again, I roll over and look around the
room. Last night, stress and exhaustion hit me hard, and I barely remember
arriving at Trace’s home. After he showed me the guest room and attached
bathroom, I took a quick shower and dropped into the bed. I don’t even
remember falling asleep. It was the best sleep I’ve had in a long time—
actually, in as long as I can remember.
I’m looking around the beautiful room when I hear Trace out in the
hallway. “Roger.” His footsteps get closer then move past the bedroom
door. A few moments later, I hear footsteps again, and I wonder if Roger is
his roommate, but Trace calls again, “Roger! You’re going to miss out on
breakfast.” The huge cat seems to think that’s a problem because his head
shoots up before he races over me and across the floor. When he gets to the
door, the animal lets out the most pitiful cry I’ve ever heard.
Suddenly, there’s a knock at the door, and Trace asks, “Paige, can I
come in?”
 After looking down to make sure I’m covered, I call out over the
yodeling cat, “Yes, come in.”
The door opens, and the cat flees out the door past Trace. Trace calls to
him, “Roger, you stinker. Next time you hide out with Paige, no breakfast.
It won’t kill you to go without.”
I can’t help myself; I burst out laughing at the strong fireman fussing at
his cat. Trace turns and raises an eyebrow at me. “What are you laughing at,
baby?”
My insides instantly melt, and I have to fight the desire to tackle him to
the floor. Somehow, I manage to smile and shrug. “Grown man fighting
with his cat. It’s not something I see every day.”
Trace jumps before I can react and pins me to the bed. He kisses the tip
of my nose and laughs. “I want you to stay around here a lot, and you’ll see
it every day. That cat is hard to live with.” He hops off the bed before
smiling at me as he points at the door. “I made breakfast. Get your beautiful
self together and meet me down in the kitchen.”
As he walks away, I find myself staring at his gorgeous body. Two days
ago, I’d barely been able to string two words together when I opened the
door and found the hot fireman standing on my front porch. It’s not every
day I open the door to tall, dark, and drop-dead hotness standing there
smirking at me. Then he came in and explained his purpose and left me
speechless for a whole other reason.
After throwing back the soft comforter, I rush into the bathroom and get
ready in record time. I toss on a pink t-shirt and my faded blue jeans, then
head down the stairs. When I turn the corner, I do a doubletake. Underneath
the staircase is a cut-out area. My curiosity gets the best of me, and I stop to
look more closely. It’s a perfect little miniature room with a tiny bed against
the back wall, cartoons playing on a small flat-screen television across from
the bed, and a toy box full of stuffed animals and toys. The picture of Trace
holding Roger hanging over the small bed gives a hint to who owns this
room.
Following the smell of bacon, I walk around the corner and up a couple
of steps and find Trace in the huge kitchen, standing at an industrial
stainless-steel stove. He’s wearing earphones and dancing, so I stand there
for a few minutes and watch him. After a while, he turns slightly and
notices me out the corner of his eye. Trace pulls the earbuds out of his ears
and smiles. “Sorry. I didn’t hear you come in.”
 “No problem. I was just checking out Roger’s bachelor pad. He has an
awesome set-up.” As Trace smiles widely, I fall in love on the spot.
He points at the breakfast bar where there are two glasses of orange
juice already poured. “Sit and talk to me while I finish up these eggs. I hope
you like eggs and bacon.” He glances over his shoulder, and I nod while
taking a sip of the orange juice to cool myself off. “I always cook eggs and
bacon for Roger on my days off.” He grabs a bowl with an orange fish
painted on the front and places two eggs and a couple of slices of bacon in
it then walks over to place the bowl on the opposite breakfast bar.
Roger manages to jump several feet onto the breakfast bar and stares at
me for a second before turning to devour his breakfast. “Isn’t all that grease
and fat bad for him?” I can’t stop myself from asking, and both male heads
turn and look at me. Realizing I need to tread carefully and make friends
with the feline, I hold up my hands. “I mean, he looks really healthy and
all.” Oops, I need to learn to use the filter between my mouth and brain.
Trace sets a plate in front of me and immediately turns to his cat.
“Roger, you’ve had breakfast. Go watch TV.” The cat glares at me for a
second before licking his paw and hopping off the counter. Roger looks
back at me a couple of times as he walks out of the kitchen, and I realize
I’m going to need to buy kitty treats to make friends with him. Right now,
I’m not his favorite human.
As we eat breakfast, Trace tells me about his younger brother, Rory,
buying Roger to give to a girl in the hopes of getting her attention. Come to
find out, she was allergic to cats, and his attempt at courting fell very flat.
The girl met a male nurse in the emergency room and is now married to
him, and Trace ended up with Roger. I don’t have the heart to ask about
Rory. Hopefully, I’ll find out for myself soon.
As we’re cleaning up from breakfast, I sigh. “Thank you for letting me
stay last night, but I really need to get home and figure out how to handle
the damage.”
Trace closes the dishwasher door then leans against the counter. After
crossing his arms in front of his massive chest, he rubs the back of his head.
“Rory was there early this morning with Ted from the Next Co. Windows.
They got the window replaced on your door.” I sit on the stool when I
realize he’s taken care of my house while I’ve been sleeping. I haven’t had
anyone to take care of me since I was sixteen, and I’m not sure how to
react. “The hole in the siding is going to be harder to fix since they have to
remove most of the siding on the side of the house. They have to order
materials, so it’ll take longer.” He’s still explaining all the plans as I sit with
my mouth hanging open. “Now, I’m not letting you stay there alone until
we get a good alarm system. I don’t trust the alarm guy in town, so I have a
friend coming in from Denver. Todd will be here next Friday to install the
alarm, and you can stay here with Roger and me until then.”
I have no idea how to respond. Biting my lip, I sit there and think to
myself, I just met him a few days ago, and he’s doing all this for me.
“Because you opened your door, and it’s like I was hit in the head with a
bat. I just knew.” Trace lays his hand over his heart, and I realize I spoke
out loud. “I realized you’re the one. Some people may think I’m crazy, but
I’m known for crazy. I mean, I have a cat condo built-in under my stairs.”
Trace walks over and spins my stool around. As he stands between my
spread knees, I want to pinch myself to make sure I’m really awake. He
takes my chin and raises my eyes up to his, and I see the seriousness
shining from his intense brown eyes. “I know this is fast and probably
insane. I’ll give you however much time you need to catch up with me, but
I won’t walk away.” When he leans down and kisses the tip of my nose,
sparks zip through my body, and I melt into the chair. I already realized I’m
falling for him, too. “Now, let’s get ready and go get your things so you can
make yourself at home until you can go back to your house. I’ll work on
getting you to move in permanently next week.” He leans back and winks,
and my heart does the funny little jump again.
Trace has no idea how easily he could talk me into just about anything
at this point.

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Chapter Four

OceanofPDF.com
 PAIGE

I attempt to take my car, but Trace insists we ride together. When

we arrive, there’s a dark blue truck parked in my driveway. We
walk through the house, and Trace signals for me to follow him
to the kitchen. On the kitchen door, there’s a beautiful stained-glass window
replacing the plain window that was shattered yesterday, and I gasp. “Oh
my goodness. That’s beautiful.” I calculate in my head how hard it’s going
to hit my savings.
Trace leans over and kisses my ear then whispers, “I hope you like it.
We can change it out if you’d prefer a different pattern. I thought the stained
glass would be pretty and give you some privacy.”
“It’s beautiful. I just doubt my insurance is going to think it’s
necessary.”
He waves off my concern and takes my hand. “I didn’t want to wait for
those slow pokes to get around to it. A friend of mine makes the windows,
and Rory’s friend installed it as a favor.” Then he pulls me out the back
door. We find two men on the back deck, installing a wooden wall around
the railing.
The tall, blond-headed man turns around and smiles. “Hi, I’m Rory, the
good-looking Remington brother.” I almost succeed in holding in my
laughter, but Trace growls, and Rory rolls his eyes, causing the giggles to
escape.
Holding out my hand, I smile at him. “I’m Paige.”
He winks, and I know for sure I’m in big trouble. Even though he’s
equally as handsome as Trace, I feel no physical reaction at all to his
gesture. Rory turns and points at the other man on the deck. “This is
Adam.” The third man smiles but doesn’t really say much when I shake his
hand.
I offer the men lemonade and a snack, but they refuse. Trace suggests
that I pack my things while he goes over the deck project with the two men.
After thanking them for all their hard work, I walk away. I’m still trying to
calculate in my head how I’m going to pay for all this work out of my
meager savings.
I’m walking through my room, trying to think of anything I might’ve
forgotten, when I hear Trace call my name. I drag my suitcase and
overnight bag out into the living room and set them by the front door. “Hey
you should have called me. I would have carried that for you.” Turning, I
find Trace standing behind me.
“I’m a big girl. I can carry my own bags.”
He walks over and pushes a strand of hair behind my ear, causing me to
shiver. “You can, but I’m here now to do it for you.”
I swallow, trying to pull myself out of my Trace fog. I’m attempting to
remember everything else I need to do before we head back to his home.
After I pull myself together, I point to my home office. “I just need to pack
up my computer and a few things so I can work from your house.” There’s
no way I can go several days without working. I have several projects
going, and those clients will be breathing down my back soon if I just
disappear off the face of the earth. After I pack everything up, I walk back
out and find Trace has loaded my suitcase and overnight bag into the truck.
I feel a little guilty when he gives me another guestroom to use as an
office, but Trace waves me off. “I never even use this room. Rearrange it
any way you want and make yourself at home.”
As I’m setting up my computer, I feel eyes on me and turn to find Roger
sitting in the doorway staring at me. I try to pet him, but the slinky animal
arches his back and flees before I can touch his back. “That cat is jealous of
sharing his house. Just ignore him.” Trace is standing at the top of the stairs,
and I try to fight my body’s reaction to him, but it’s a losing battle. His
masculine scent surrounds me, and I can feel my face blushing as he walks
over and pushes a stray piece of hair behind my ears. “I was coming up to
see if you’re ready for a lunch break yet.” I stare at the little lines around his
brown eyes and forget what he just asked me.
 Shaking my head for a second, I try to pull myself together. I’m a pitiful
mess. As I attempt to smile and look normal, I hope my voice sounds
normal. “Sure. Lunch sounds great.” God, I hope he doesn’t hear the
desperation in my voice. I’m not sure what it is about Trace, but he’s turned
me into a gooey mess.
Trace feeds Roger a snack then orders the cat to go watch TV. Roger
looks over his shoulder and glares at me as he’s walking away, and I make a
mental note to order kitty treats and a couple of cat toys online after lunch.
Trace and I spend the entire lunch discussing our jobs. Trace seems
interested in my career designing websites, and I attempt to explain it
without putting my handsome host to sleep with the boring details.
The music is blaring through my noise-canceling headphones when a
hand touches my shoulder. Trace barely manages to duck as the headphones
sail over his head. “My God. You can’t do that. You nearly scared me to
death,” I screech as my heart runs away in my chest.
Trace laughs the entire way into the hall to retrieve my headphones and
returns them to me. “I had no idea you couldn’t hear me coming. I sound
like a herd of elephants on the wooden stairs.”
When he leans down and kisses my lips, I forget what I’m about to say
for a second, then I smile. “Those would drown out World War III
happening in my front yard. Please find a way to signal you’re coming, or I
may end up having a heart attack.”
Trace runs his fingers over his lip for a second, then walks over to the
light switch and slowly lowers the dial. The light gets dimmer until it
finally turns off, and a big smile crosses his face. “I’ll dim the light to warn
you.” He winks, and my heart squeezes tight in my chest.

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Chapter Five

OceanofPDF.com
 TRACE

A fter we decide on a way for me to warn Paige when I’m in the

room, I head downstairs to watch a game. When I see a missed
call from the sheriff on my phone, I run my hand down my face.
Part of me is dreading his news; I can’t imagine Paige leaving my home.
Terry answers on the first ring and tells me to sit down. I know this news is
going to anger me. “Just get it over with.”
“Hello to you, too. Can you bring Ms. Reilly to my office this afternoon
to discuss her house?” I attempt to get him to tell me what’s going on, but
he refuses, and I finally agree to bring Paige into the station.
When we arrive at the station, I push the glass door open and wait for
Paige to walk through. Burton rushes around the desk to grab her hand.
“Why don’t you come with me? I’ll take you back to see Sheriff
Donaldson.”
The clueless deputy thinks he’s going to leave me here, but I push him
aside and snarl, “I know how to get to Terry’s office. We don’t need your
help.” He glares as we walk by, and I smirk at him behind my girl’s back.
Rhonda, Terry’s secretary, smiles and motions for me to head back to
his office. “Go on back. He’s expecting you.” I don’t even think Terry pays
her for working here. They live together, and I’m pretty sure she works at
the small station for free.
Terry stands to greet us and points at the two chairs in front of his desk.
“Have a seat. This won’t take long.” He smiles at Paige. “The Andersons
brought their grandsons in this morning. The boys were out in the back
field, trying out their new hunting rifles, and weren’t too careful. That’s
how they ended up shooting your house.” He holds his hand up to silence
me when I growl. “Now, hold on. It was an accident. I know it was stupid
and could’ve been much worse, but it was an accident.”
When Paige lays her soft hand on my arm, I turn and look into her light
blue eyes, and some of my anger drains away. She turns back to Terry and
shrugs. “Are they going to pay for the damage?”
“Yes, the Andersons are going to pay for damages to your house, and
the boys are going to spend the summer working to pay their grandparents
back. It’s all arranged.” Paige seems happy with the arrangement, but I’m
unsettled. My only excuse for keeping her under my roof has just
evaporated. Time to start thinking and fast.
Terry laughs, and we both look over at him. He shrugs. “I’m just happy
I don’t have to arrest Mrs. Jacobs. She was my number one suspect before
we figured out it was the Anderson boys. I would’ve had the entire Juniper
Baptist Church out for my blood if I’d arrested their choir director.” He
shudders, and I realize the sheriff dodged a huge public relations nightmare.
On our way back to my house, Paige turns to me. “Now that I can go
home, would you like to come over tonight for dinner? We can finally have
the dinner we missed the other night, and I can start to pay you back for
taking care of me.”
Thinking fast, I come up with the perfect excuse. “Since you’re all set
up at my house, why don’t you stay until next Friday when Todd gets the
security system installed? I’ll sleep better once I know you have it.” I look
at her with my most pleading look, and it works.
She smiles and bites her bottom lip for a second before shrugging. “If
you really don’t mind, I actually would like to get the security system first. I
know it’s crazy, but ever since the shooting, I’ve become nervous.” I
mentally fist bump myself after she gives in. I’d hate to have to keep her
locked up.
When Thursday comes around, I’m dreading my work shift. I took a
vacation day earlier in the week so I didn’t have to leave Paige, but I can’t
take another one without raising suspicion. Since I work twenty-four-hour
shifts, I’ll leave early before breakfast and won’t see her until tomorrow
after I stop by her house to talk to Todd about the security system. I know
she’ll be safe in my home with Roger and my security system, but I’ll still
spend the night missing her.
 Roger slides past me and looks at me with an evil glint in his eye. I’m
sure he’s going to take his anger out on some piece of my furniture while
I’m gone. Since Paige has been staying with us, he’s been sleeping
downstairs in his cat condo instead of at the foot of my bed as his sign of
protest. “Do you have time for breakfast?” Paige calls from the kitchen.
After dropping my bag by the door, I place a light kiss on her soft lips.
It’s getting harder to talk myself into going to work. “I have a few minutes.”
Who cares if I’m a few minutes late? The guys will just have to wait on
their donuts.

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Chapter Six

OceanofPDF.com
 TRACE

“I t’s about time. Hey, where’re the donuts? You get a girlfriend
and suddenly forget to bring in the donuts,” Logan
complains as I walk through the door, and I shake my head
as I continue walking to my office.
When I walk by Martha’s desk, I wink. “Good morning. When the
donut delivery comes, make sure he doesn’t get any.” I point at Logan and
Martha snorts. “Just for being a crybaby.” After staying to have breakfast
with my girl, I was running too late to stop for donuts like I usually do, so I
arranged to have them delivered.
The rest of the day passes at a snail’s pace. My friends get on my nerves
at an alarming rate. I’m missing my girl when she texts me a picture of
Roger with a teddy bear and a new collar. Fear hits me, and I quickly dial
her number. “How many scratches and bites did you get trying to get that
collar on him?” I ask as soon as she answers.
Her laughter soothes me. “None. Roger and I are becoming friends.” I
hear purring in the background, and shock runs through me. She is a
miracle worker. “How’s your day going?” she asks. The rest of our
conversation centers around my boring day. She promises to text me after
she sets the security alarm for the night and then blows me kisses before
hanging up. I’m amazed I can miss someone so much who I’ve known for
less than a week. I wonder if I’m losing my mind.
The next morning finally comes, and I’m on my way out of the station
when Martha stops me. “Hey, young man. Your mom called me.”
 Looking up at the ceiling, I count to ten before I turn to her and attempt
to smile. “What did Mom want?”
“She said she’s been calling you for three days, and you haven’t
returned any of her calls. I promised her to either make you call or to tie
you to your desk so she can come up here and deal with you herself. How
are we handling this situ-ma-gation?” Shoot. I know my backstabbing
brother has been running his big mouth.
“I have an appointment at my girl’s house, and then I promise I’ll call
her.” I give Martha my most innocent smile, but she’s known me since high
school, and it doesn’t sway the woman one bit.
She points at the chair opposite her station, and I glare at it as I walk
over and drop down. After pulling my phone from my pocket, I dial my
mom and prepare myself. The conversation is short. I apologize profusely
for breaking her heart and making her find out about my love life from my
big-mouthed brother, and then I agree to bring Paige by for dinner later in
the week. Once my mother is satisfied, Martha smiles and waves me out the
door. There’s nothing in the world like small town life.
I stop by Paige’s house on my way home, and Todd is waiting in the
driveway when I arrive. He goes over the system he plans to install, and I
approve it before letting him know I’ll be back a little later with Paige to
check on his progress. I need to get back to my house and see my girl. It’s
been too long since I’ve seen her.
Shock runs through my system when I walk through the door and find
Paige stretched out on the leather sofa with Roger lying across her chest.
That fat cat has never laid in anyone’s lap, ever. “How did you manage to
get him to do that?” I whisper against her lips as I lean down for a kiss. The
television is on in the background, and she looks so cuddly in her hot pink
flannel pajamas with bunny slippers on her tiny feet.
She looks a little embarrassed. “I laid down to watch the morning news
on television, and he came over and crawled up on me.” As Paige answers,
Roger yawns and stretches on her chest. He opens one eye to glare at me,
and I laugh at the disgust on my cat’s face.
“I think he’s mad at me for disturbing you guys.” Looking down at my
pet, I joke, “I refuse to compete for my girl’s attention. You’re going to
have to realize you come second.” The cat completely ignores me and
stretches more before getting comfortable. Before long, his snores fill the
living room.
 Paige looks at me with a raised eyebrow and runs her hand slowly over
my cat’s fur. “At least we’ve bonded. He’s actually very charming when he
puts his mind to it.” My cat is going to learn he doesn’t get to steal my girl.
“If he wants to turn on the charm, I’ll go get him a female cat to share
his condo, but he can’t have mine.” Her blue eyes twinkle up at me as she
smiles.
“I love hearing you call me your girl.” I realize how much those words
mean to me, too. Roger gets bored with our conversation and hisses before
squirming out of her hold and running away.
I lean down and place my forehead against hers. “I love having you here
to welcome me home. Roger usually just rolls his eyes and hisses for food.”
Paige smiles and stretches. “How about if I get you some breakfast? I
already fed Roger. That’s part of the reason I’m his friend this morning.”
Her cute little wink sends happiness roaring through me. Making this girl
mine for life is my top priority.
After breakfast, I find things to keep myself busy while Paige does
some work. I have plans to woo my girl all weekend long. Somehow, I have
to break the news to her about our dinner at my parents’ house Monday
night. Roger spends the day upstairs in the office with Paige. I’m almost
convinced the crazy cat is falling in love with my girl, too.

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Chapter Seven

OceanofPDF.com
 TRACE

T odd texts me later in the afternoon, and I go upstairs and

flicker the lights, then smile at Paige after she removes her
headphones. “Todd is done. You want to head over with me
and see your new security system?”
Paige looks up from her computer and smiles. “Well, of course. Give
me five minutes to get ready.” I want to tell her she’s already perfect, but
she rushes off before I’m able to respond.
Todd raises his eyebrows as he shakes hands with Paige, then looks at
me with questions in his eyes. I’m sure he’ll call me later to find out the
whole story of our relationship. Surely, he realizes I don’t pay for security
systems for all the women in town.
As we walk through the house, he shows Paige how to use the different
features of the system and gives her the codes. The system will send
distress calls directly to the authorities and to my phone, too. Paige doesn’t
even blink while Todd explains all the features to her.
Paige tries to give Todd her credit card information, but he informs her
the security system has already been paid for, then he smiles and heads out
the door. Paige turns to me with her hands on her hips. “I don’t remember
us discussing you paying for my security system.”
I walk over and place a soft kiss on her soft lips like I’ve been dreaming
of all day long. When I raise my head, I wink at her. “There was nothing to
talk about.”
Paige grabs the back of my head and pulls me down to glare into my
eyes. Shock runs through my system as she informs me, “Remember,
Mister, you aren’t always going to get your way.” Then she winks playfully,
and I realize she isn’t really upset.
“As long as you remember that I’m going to continue trying.” I shrug.
“How do you feel about dinner and a movie?”
Paige looks up and smiles. “I would love to have dinner with you.”
She gives in so easily I decide to press my luck. “Since we’re going to
spend the day together tomorrow, why don’t you stay with us again tonight,
and we can move you back home tomorrow?” I’ll do whatever it takes to
get more time with her.
Paige bites her lip before shrugging. “Why don’t we have dinner at your
house, so Roger isn’t alone?” It’s hard to keep a straight face when I want to
celebrate my victory.
I don’t want to spend the evening in the kitchen, so I order pizza on the
way back home. While we’re waiting for the delivery, I snuggle on the sofa
with Paige and look for a movie. Roger glares at me as he hops up between
Paige and me. I attempt to move the stubborn animal, but he meows and
plays a sad kitty perfectly.
Paige looks up at me with a frown on her sweet face. “He’s lonely.” I
swear the little feline smirks at me when Paige turns her attention back to
the television.
Just wait, you little stinker. I make the food decisions, runs through my
mind.
After I stand to answer the door, Roger moves into my spot next to
Paige and stretches his body out. Paige is about to follow me when I turn
and wink. “I’ll get the pizza and bring it to you. Just relax.” As Paige sits
back and smiles, she pets Roger’s back. His purring fills the room as I walk
away, and I shake my head. The little cat is trying his luck tonight.
Since Roger’s stomach rules his entire life, I set a cut-up slice of pizza
on a plate and leave it on the counter then bring our two plates to the living
room. The cat glares at me for a second before he realizes there’s food in
the kitchen. After he takes off, Paige looks confused, and I shrug. “I wanted
some time alone with my girl. That greasy pizza should keep him busy for a
while.”
As she throws her head back and laughs, and I shrug. I’m not above
playing dirty when it comes to my girl. She’s distracted by the movie, and I
pretend to enjoy my pizza for a little while before giving up and taking my
plate to the kitchen. The truth is that I’m so caught up in my feelings for
Paige, the movie doesn’t hold my interest. I’m feeling generous, so I toss
the leftovers on the counter for my greedy feline.
When I return, Paige looks over. “Is something wrong with the pizza?” I
guess she noticed.
After dropping down next to her, I toss her plate on the coffee table and
pull her close. “You’re the only thing on my mind.”
Paige pulls back and smiles. “It’s sounds like we’re quite a pair.”
Worry passes through her eyes for a second before she leans up and
kisses my chin lightly. “I need to take things slowly. I hope I haven’t given
you the wrong impression.”
The worry in her eyes cuts through me, and I wrap my hands around her
face and look deep into her eyes. “I promised you we could take this at your
speed, and I meant it. If I push too hard, let me know, and I’ll back off. Just
don’t walk away because that would kill me.” After kissing her forehead
lightly, I smile. “Let’s finish this movie. I’m sure Roger is finished with his
pizza by now and wants to see how it ends.” Paige looks relieved as she
snuggles against me to watch the movie.
By the time it’s over, both Paige and Roger are sound asleep across my
lap. I gently lift Paige, and she stirs on the way up the stairs. Paige smiles as
she yawns. “Wow, I’m a pretty boring date. I can walk the rest of the way.”
After carrying Paige into the guest room, I set her next to the bed and
kiss her cheek. “I’ll see you at breakfast tomorrow. Do you want lazy buns
in here tonight?”
Paige laughs as she walks toward the bathroom. “We’re besties now.
You better let him sleep in here.”
After smiling at her, I head to my lonely bedroom and spend the night
thinking about my girl two doors down. I keep telling myself it’s only for a
short time. I’ll let Paige have her time, but as soon as possible, I’ll sweep in
and tie her to me. She won’t even see it coming.

T he next morning, Roger stands pitifully at the front bay

window and watches as we drive away. The cat is smart
enough to know that Paige taking her computer and suitcase
is a bad sign. I follow Paige to her house then help her carry all her things
in. She turns to me and smiles. “What are your plans for the rest of the
day?”
I push a stray hair behind her ear and smile. “I was hoping you’d spend
the day with me. I work a twenty-four-hour shift tomorrow and want to
spend all the time with you that I possibly can.”
Paige shrugs. “I’m all yours.”
Not yet, but I plan to make you all mine soon, then I’m never letting
you go.

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Chapter Eight

OceanofPDF.com
 PAIGE

I knew I was most of the way in love with Trace, but when he
took me on our first date, I fell the rest of the way. So hard.
There’s no turning back now.
We were having lunch, and I mentioned how much I wanted my own
pet. At first, Trace thought I was joking, but I told him about growing up in
a strict religious home with my father’s mother. My grandmother raised me
after my parents died in a car accident when I was seven. My grandmother
was a miserable woman who didn’t allow anything fun, especially pets.
Trace took me to the animal shelter, and I thought he was a little crazy
until I saw the tiny tan kitten in the last cage. As she licked my face with
her pink, scratchy tongue, I realized there was no way I’d be leaving the
shelter without her. Trace smirked the entire way to the discount store,
where I bought way more than the little creature should need. We
discovered the first time we fed her, the little kitty does a cute little excited
squeak, so I changed her name from Snowball to Squeaky.
Now, Squeaky is exploring her new surroundings while I get ready to
work. Trace stops by on his way to the station and runs up to the door with
a bag of donuts and a cup of coffee. My heart melts a little because I know
he had to get up extra early to run into town and buy them before coming
back to the subdivision to drop them off. Then, as he’s leaving, he grabs me
and kisses me goodbye. Wow. It’s one heck of a kiss. Hopefully, it’s hot
enough to burn off the extra calories I’m about to get from my sugary treats.
Not ten minutes after Trace’s truck pulls out of my driveway, Deputy
Burton calls and asks me to design a new website for the Sheriff’s
Department. I know Trace intensely dislikes the other man, but there’s no
way I can turn down work right now. I agree to meet with the sheriff and
Burton later in the afternoon to get the specifics. Going to the Sheriff’s
office turns into a nightmare. The sheriff is nowhere to be seen, and the
deputy suggests we talk about the website plans in a conference room.
Since I’m not crazy about the idea, I’m furiously trying to think of excuses
when the sheriff and his secretary walk in the door.
The sheriff seems completely shocked about the meeting but smiles and
shakes my hand. “I thought Burton was doing this on his own.” As he
glares at the deputy over my shoulder, my hopes for a real job opportunity
fly out the window.
“If you need to discuss this more, I can come back another time.”
Attempting to hide my disappointment as dislike for the jerk flows through
me, I paste a fake smile on my face. Now, I see why my boyfriend has such
a hard time whenever the creep is around. Oh. I just realized how I thought
of Trace, and it felt so right.
Sheriff Donaldson looks like he’s going to take me up on my offer
before suddenly smiling uncomfortably. “You’re already here. Let me see
your ideas.”
It’s a brief meeting since I’m sure I’ll never get the job. They have an
adequate website now. The deputy talked the sheriff into changing it by
offering to do it himself. It hits me as I’m driving home; the little sleazeball
was using the website as a ploy to get me to meet with him alone. I’m sure
he had an alternative motive, like hurting Trace. Miserable creep.
Since I don’t want to bother Trace on a twenty-four-hour shift, I decide
to explain the situation to him tomorrow when he gets off. While I’m sitting
at my counter eating a snack, my phone rings. Excitement shoots through
me as Trace’s picture flashes on the screen, and I almost drop the phone in
my haste to answer. “Hey, I’ve been thinking about you all day.”
There’s silence on the line, and I wonder if the call connected. Then
Trace sighs. “I know the little jerk is probably trying to stir up trouble, but
Burton texted me pictures of you smiling up at him today. He said you guys
had a little date.”
I’m instantly livid. I have to take several deep breaths to stop myself
from throwing my phone. That little sleazy creep set me up to hurt Trace,
and I’m beyond angry. Not wasting any time, I explain the situation. “He’s
a lying twit. Deputy Liar called me to setup an appointment to design a new
website for the Department. Only when I arrived, I found out he’d made up
the whole thing. Sheriff Donaldson had no idea about the appointment.”
Trace’s shouting causes my ears to ring, and I hold the phone away from
my head for a moment. I try to interrupt him several times, but he’s on a
roll. I know he isn’t angry with me, but it takes a while for him to hear me.
Even after I try, he threatens to do bodily harm to Burton. After a few
minutes, he finally runs out of threats and sighs loudly. “I’m sorry I doubted
you. The thought of him near you sent me through the roof, and I lost my
mind for a second.”
“You don’t have to apologize. It’s that jerk. He’s a special form of pond
scum.”
After I manage to calm Trace down, I convince him to come over
tomorrow morning on his way home for breakfast. Before we hang up, he
sneaks in that he’s already accepted an invitation for us to have dinner at his
parents’ house tomorrow night. I’m still reeling when Squeaky walks over
and throws up a hairball on my foot. This day seems to keep getting better
and better.
I manage to work throughout the afternoon and evening, even though
I’m still upset about the day’s events. I even call Rosa, my best friend back
home, and pour out the whole story of what’s happening here in Juniper.
She presses me for all the details about Trace and makes me promise to
keep her up to date about how things are going. After showering, I drink a
glass of wine and watch Squeaky play with a fake mouse until I’m dozing
on the sofa. I’m so tired, I almost forget to set the alarm, but Trace’s voice
runs through my mind, and I key in the code on my way to bed. Squeaky
curls up on my pillow, and I don’t have the heart to force her to sleep on the
little bed in the corner of my room. As her gentle purring lulls me to sleep, I
think about Trace.

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Chapter Nine

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 PAIGE

I ’m jarred awake by a piercing siren, and I jump up as Squeaky’s

tiny claws sink into the side of my neck while she wails in my
ear. Holding my shaking kitten close to my chest, I grab my
phone off the bedside table. Before I can dial a number, Trace’s face flashes
across the screen. I swipe, and his frantic voice is already growling, “I’m on
my way. Where are you?”
I barely say, “My bedroom,” and he barks at me to lock the door and
stay there. He stays on the phone with me the entire time, and his constant
reassurance calms my racing heartbeat. I hear approaching sirens a few
minutes later and tell him, “I hear the sirens.”
He growls through the phone, “I’m still a few minutes away. Don’t open
the door to anyone but me. I don’t trust them.” The events of this afternoon
run through my mind, and I’m not sure if I want to take my chances with an
intruder or Burton.
As I listen to Trace muttering on the phone, I ignore the pounding on
my front door. After what feels like an eternity, Trace reassures me, “I’m in
your living room. You can come out now, but put on some clothes first.” I
smile a little. My growly man is worried about the others seeing me.
I throw on my oldest, ugliest robe and head out into the living room.
There’s another deputy standing between Trace and Burton. Trace points at
Burton. “This useless moron doesn’t need to work this case. He already lied
and caused problems once today.”
As Burton crosses his arms over his chest and smirks, the other man
barely holds Trace back. I rush over and grab hold of his arm. “Just let them
do their job so they can get out of my house. I’ll file a formal complaint
about the little prank he pulled earlier after we get this resolved.” My threat
causes an angry flush to cover Deputy Burton’s face, and his partner pulls
him aside to talk to him.
They search the house and find a broken window in my guest bedroom.
Someone had tried to break in, and the security alarm must have scared
them off. Sheriff Donaldson arrives while the deputies are investigating,
and he pulls Trace aside. After looking at everything, he suggests that it’s
someone who thought I was still staying at Trace’s house and had no idea
there was an alarm system. The two deputies readily agree with the sheriff’s
theory, but Trace isn’t convinced. He wants them to thoroughly investigate,
but from their attitudes, I doubt much will come of this incident. As Trace
and the sheriff cover my window with a board, I think to myself that the
side of my house is beginning to resemble a drug den with the bullet holes
and a boarded-up window. I’m going to be the neighbor everyone hates
soon.
We stand on my porch, watching them leave, and Trace turns to me.
“Pack up the tiny furball. I’ll take you guys to my house and get you settled
in. Roger is going to get his little kitten after all.”
“Wait a minute.” He’s already grabbing Squeaky’s things and throwing
them into a bag when I grab his arm. “I’m not moving in with you after one
week. I just got the alarm system, and it saved me.” It’s like trying to reason
with a brick wall. Trace ignores me and continues packing my kitten’s
things.
He turns to me with a raised eyebrow. “Are you coming voluntarily, or
do I need to kidnap you? I can’t survive worrying about you non-stop, so I
need you to have a little mercy on me and work with me. After we figure
out who tried to break in, you can come back here, but until then, I need to
know you’re safe. Nothing can get to you at my place.”
Trace looks so close to losing it; I stop fighting and head to my bedroom
to grab the bag I never did get around to unpacking. He smirks when I walk
back into the living room, and I point a finger into his chest. “You’re only
getting your way because I don’t want you worrying. I’ll need to come back
tomorrow and get my computer and stuff.” He smiles and grabs my bag.
While he’s loading the truck, I quickly straighten my mess.
Poor Squeaky is snoozing on the sofa, and I carefully pick her up before
setting the alarm and following Trace out.
 Trace opens his front door and stands back for me to step in. The hair on
Roger’s back stands up straight, and he hisses and dances backward across
the hall floor when I walk in carrying the tan bundle of fur. Squeaky yawns
in my arms then stretches and pushes off in an effort to get down. After I
place her on the floor, she takes off for the bigger, angry cat. Roger’s eyes
nearly pop out of his head as the tiny kitten runs up and playfully swats at
him.
Trace walks in the door carrying one of my bags and barks at Roger,
“Don’t even think about hurting her. You’ll be an outside cat.” Roger glares
at his owner for a second before turning and fleeing up the stairs.
As Squeaky begins to explore her surroundings, I bite my lip. “Are you
sure this isn’t going to cause a huge problem?”
Trace drops the bag at the base of the stairs and pulls me into his arms.
“Nope, it’s time for the ornery old cat to make a friend.” He kisses me, and
all my worries disappear. I’ll worry about everything that happened today
some other time.

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Chapter Ten

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 TRACE

A fter getting Paige and Squeaky settled back into the guest
bedroom, I have a little talk with my roommate. He’s either going
to accept the kitten, or we’re going to have major problems. I plan
to do everything in my power to get Paige here as often as possible until she
finally stays, so the ornery old cat needs to accept his fate.
I wake up and smile knowing Paige is sleeping under my roof again.
After breakfast, we decide to run over to Paige’s house to get her work
equipment and check on everything. As I walk around her house to make
sure everything is still in order, I tell myself she isn’t returning here. I’ll
find a way to keep her and Squeaky with me. She’s in her office gathering
her things when the doorbell rings, and I answer it. I’m shocked to find
Ernest and Louise Jacobs standing on Paige’s front porch. “May we come
in?” Louise glares at her husband as she asks. When she looks at me with a
raised eyebrow, I hold the door open and allow them to walk past me.
Paige walks into the living room and bites her bottom lip. “Is there a
problem?”
Mrs. Jacobs mutters under her breath and slaps her husband on the
shoulder. Mr. Jacobs pulls at his collar and coughs to get our attention
before stuttering out, “I’ve come to apologize for my appalling behavior
and to beg for your forgiveness. I should never have invaded your privacy
like that, and I’m sorry.” The short, skinny man scoots back toward the door
and looks at his wife as if asking for permission to leave.
The old battleax sneers for a second before turning and following her
husband out the door.
 Paige watches them for a moment then drops onto her sofa. “Well, that
was interesting.”
After sitting next to her, I have to agree. “Everyone in town knows that
Ernest doesn’t speak unless Louise allows it. That poor man has suffered
for the past forty-something years married to her. At least she doesn’t blame
you for her husband’s stupidity.” I lean over and kiss her soft cheek and
laugh. “Believe me. No one wants to be on Loonie Louise’s bad side.”
Paige points at the door and raises an eyebrow. “That’s her good side?
Wow, I’m happy she didn’t get mad at me.”
I stand and pull her up with me, then kiss her nose. “Grab your stuff so
we can go. Mom is expecting us in a couple of hours.”
Paige pulls back and begins to bite on her bottom lip again. “Do your
parents know about all the issues I’ve had lately?”
“You don’t have anything to worry about.” I lead her out to my truck
and throw her bags in the backseat. The house is quiet when we walk in,
and I’m a little concerned about the newest little furball.
Paige calls for Squeaky, but there’s no response, and she looks over her
shoulder at me and frowns. I follow her as we go from room to room,
looking for the two cats, but there’s no sign of them. I’m starting to fear the
worst when Paige laughs. “Oh my goodness. Look at that.”
As she points at the stairs, I follow her and see the two animals curled
up on Roger’s bed in the cat condo. I sneak up closer and find that Squeaky
is actually stretched across Roger’s stomach, purring loudly, while Roger
lays on his back with one eye open, daring me to say something.
Backing away, I whisper to Paige, “I think it’s best if we pretend we
never saw it.”
Paige nods in agreement then picks up one of her bags. “I need to get
my workroom set up anyway. What time do I need to be ready to leave?”
It kills me to let her go, but I smile and look at my watch. “You have
three hours until we need to leave.”

T erry calls to update me on the break-in. He’s got two men

working overtime on the case, and neither one is Calvin
Burton. After Terry learned the entire story of the false
appointment Burton made with Paige and the misleading photos he turned
around and sent me, the sheriff became very suspicious of his deputy. He’s
trying to quietly investigate Paige’s home invasion without alerting Cal
Burton that he’s a suspect. So far, there’s nothing to tie Burton to the break-
in, but he’s also not cleared since he was alone, and no one can verify his
whereabouts until he showed up after the alarm was triggered. While the
authorities do their job, I’m going to do my best to convince Paige that she
needs to stay with me even when there’s no longer any threat.
Paige fidgets the entire way to my parents’ home. As I run my hand up
and down her leg to soother her, I feel slight tremors passing through her.
She looks a little pale when we arrive, so I turn and kiss the tip of her nose
and smile reassuringly. “They are going to love you just as much as I do.”
Her eyes widen, and it takes me a second to realize what words came out of
my mouth. I know they’re the truth, so I shrug. “I love you.”
Paige swallows and looks out the windshield for a second before turning
to me and biting her poor abused bottom lip. “I love you, too.”
The urge to turn the truck around and go home to celebrate runs through
me, and I reach for the ignition as I see my mother standing on the front
porch out the corner of my eye. I’ll never hear the end of it if we leave now.
“This is going to be the longest dinner of my life,” I mumble and get out of
the truck.
My dad walks out onto the large wraparound porch and stands next to
my mom as I walk around and open Paige’s door. He waits until Paige is
standing next to me, then calls out, “I was wondering if you were planning
to make out all evening in the truck.”
The man lives to embarrass me. Ignoring him, I wrap my arm around
Paige. “Come on and meet my parents.”
When we step up onto the porch, my mom grabs Paige in a hug then
leans back and smiles. “Aren’t you a doll? I’m Alice Remington, but you
can call me Mom. This funny guy is my husband, Owen Remington.”
My dad looks over at the two women. “You can call me Dad if you’d
like. Now, let’s take this inside. I’m ready to eat.” I see the relief pass
through Paige’s eyes before the tension leaves her body.
Dad and I set the table while Paige helps Mom in the kitchen. Rory
comes slamming through the front door. My dad grabs my brother by the
back of the collar and drags him back to the front door. “Goodness, son. We
enter the house like civilized humans.” He shoves Rory out the door and
points his finger at him. “Try it again like a grown man.” Then he slams the
door in Rory’s face and stomps back into the dining room.
Mom and Paige walk back into the room, carrying bowls. Mom frowns
and looks around. “I thought I heard the front door. Is somebody here?”
My dad shrugs as he walks over to help her with the dishes. “It depends
on whether or not your youngest learns how to enter a house correctly.”
Mom rolls her eyes and turns for the kitchen. “Set a place for our
youngest son.”
Rory comes back through the door and sheepishly looks at our dad.
“May I please come in?”
My dad looks at me and smirks, then shrugs at Rory. “Sure, just
remember your manners.”
The women return with the rest of dinner, and Rory kisses my mom’s
cheek then greets Paige. Whatever happened in the kitchen seems to have
put my girl at ease with my mom. I breathe a sigh of relief as my family
does their best to make my girl feel welcome. I’d warned them earlier that
Paige is going to be a permanent part of my life, so they were prepared.
Before we leave at the end of the night, my parents make us promise to
come over for weekly family dinners, and Paige seems excited about the
idea. My mom and Paige even make plans to go on a girls-only shopping
trip the next week.
We’re about halfway home, and I glance out of the corner of my eye
and see Paige is sound asleep with her head pressed up against the
passenger door window. My poor girl doesn’t even wake up when I carry
her in and remove her shoes before pulling back the covers on the guest
bed. She finally stirs a little and scoots under the sheets before rolling over
and falling right back asleep. I call on all my control to walk out of the
room and give her the time she needs. Paige is worth the wait.

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Chapter Eleven

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 PAIGE

T he room is barely starting to glow from the early morning

sunlight when I open my eyes. When Trace knocks on the
bedroom door, I look down and realize I’m still dressed from
last night. I must have really been tired. Calling for him to come in, I sit up
and push the hair from my face.
Trace walks in and sits on the side of the bed. He takes my hand and
kisses the back of it softly before sighing. “We need to get dressed and head
to your place. That was Sheriff Donaldson. They caught the intruder trying
to break into your house, and we need to go over there.”
Trace heads downstairs to check on the cats. I run to the bathroom and
try to straighten out my crazy hair before grabbing sweats and a t-shirt.
When I rush down the stairs, I hear cat complaints coming from the kitchen
as Trace pours dry food into the kitty bowls. The cats will have to deal with
plain old cat food until we get back from this catastrophe.
We’re in Trace’s truck, racing to my house when I realize something.
“Why didn’t the alarm company call either of our phones when the alarm
was triggered?”
Trace glances at me. “Donaldson had them reroute the alarm directly to
the undercover car sitting right around the block. He didn’t want us to show
up and get involved if something went bad.” Trace glances at me out the
corner of his eye. “He asked the alarm company to keep us out of the loop
because he had a hunch about who it was, and he was right. He apologized
this morning.”
 Before I can question him further, we turn onto my road, and it looks
like a carnival with all the flashing lights. We’re forced to park several
houses down and walk down. “All this for an intruder?”
I look up, and Trace has a grim look on his face. He closes his eyes and
rubs the bridge of his nose for a second when we see Sheriff Donaldson
walking over. The sheriff shakes Trace’s hand and nods at me. “I hate being
right, especially about one of my employees.”
Trace isn’t quite so nice. “I knew the useless moron was messed up in
high school, so I’m not shocked at all.”
Oh my goodness, it was Deputy Burton. My mouth opens and closes,
but no sound comes out.
Trace wraps an arm around my shoulder and leans down to whisper in
my ear, “You okay, baby? You’re awfully pale.”
I’m still trying to find the words to express myself when they march
Deputy Burton out of my house in handcuffs. He looks completely
different, dressed in an all-black sweat suit. His reddish-blond hair is
slicked back, and there’s an evil, almost blank stare in his creepy, lifeless
eyes. Trace stiffens as they walk past, and I squeeze him tight and whisper,
“He isn’t worth it.”
Trace leans down and kisses me, then turns me away from the state
police placing Deputy Burton in the back of the police car. Sheriff
Donaldson looks over at Trace and me. “Ms. Reilly’s home will be taped off
for the rest of the day while we finish up the investigation. It wasn’t a
robbery attempt. He was fixated on the two of you, and he was, uh, well…”
The sheriff rubs the back of his neck and looks up at the sky before
groaning. “Why do I have to deal with the weirdos? Why me? He was
dressing up in your clothes.”
Trace swears again before turning to the sheriff. “You know what? We
don’t need to know anymore right now. You know that creep has had it in
for me since high school. I knew he was dumb, but I never realized he was
insane, too. Just call me when we can get back into Paige’s house.”
He takes my hand and pulls me back toward his truck before I can
respond. I’m so shocked by the entire situation.
We get in the truck, and I lean my head back against the seat. “I think
my house is jinxed or something. I’ve lived there a few weeks, and I’ve
given my neighbor a heart attack, almost got killed by stray bullets, and had
an intruder try to break in twice to do nefarious things with my clothes.”
 Trace turns in his seat and runs his finger down my nose. “Let’s talk
about this when we get home. I have a solution to your problem.”
I’m not sure what he means, but I hold his hand the entire way back to
his house. When he leads me inside, I find Squeaky sleeping in the cat
condo curled up with Roger. Turning to Trace, I smirk. “At least one of us
has had a peaceful morning.”
Trace leads me to the living room. “Let’s talk about your house.”
I sit and wait for him to speak. My heart is racing because I’m not sure
where this is leading. Trace takes my hand and kisses the back of it before
smiling. “I think you’re right. Your house is definitely cursed.” My mouth
falls open. I expected more support from him. “So, I think you should move
in with me and get out of there.”
Did he really just ask me to move in with him? “But we haven’t known
each other…”
He puts his finger on my lips and shakes his head. “I knew from the
second I saw you. It hit me instantly that you were the one. If you don’t
want to share a bed with me, I can wait until you’re ready, but I don’t want
to let you go back to your house. I won’t be able to function while worrying
about you. Cal Burton probably won’t stay in jail forever, and I need to
know you’re safe. Plus, Squeaky and Roger have bonded. You don’t want to
break them up, do you?”
Before I can get my sluggish mind in gear, he drops down to kneel in
front of me. “Look, I want to remind you of one thing. I love you. I fell in
love with you the second you opened your door. There was this spark the
first time we met. I know it sounds crazy, but you ignited something in me,
and I just knew you owned my heart.” He leans forward and kisses my
nose. “You’re my fire. The thing that drives my happiness. I want you here
with me, but if you’re worried about how quick we’re moving, keep your
house and rent it out.” He sits back on his heels and shrugs. “There’s always
a shortage of rental properties in Juniper, so you won’t have any problems
finding renters. My aunt is a realtor so she can help us out. When you’re
ready for more, I want you to marry me, but I won’t press until you give me
a sign.”
I’m considering everything when I look to the side and see Roger
walking across the hall, holding Squeaky in his mouth like a mother would
hold her baby. I blink several times as I watch the huge cat drag Squeaky
into the kitchen. I feel Trace shaking in front of me and turn to see him
silently laughing. He hiccups. “She seems to have him trained.”
Figuring I can’t argue with his reasoning, I just nod. “Let me think
about everything you’ve said for a little bit.”
He seems disappointed but smiles and stands then pulls me to my feet.
“Come on. I bet our cats need food.”
Before we walk through the kitchen doorway, I pull on his hand, and he
looks over his shoulder at me. I smile. “By the way, I love you, too.”
Relief passes through his eyes, and he spins and wraps me in his arms.
“I was really starting to worry. You have no idea how happy you’ve made
me.”
“I just need a little time to make the move over here. I’ll start moving
my things over, then maybe after a month or two, we can talk about looking
into renters. How does that sound?”
His face lights up, and he smiles widely. “I can definitely agree to your
conditions.”
As we’re making lunch, we discuss how we’re going to move my things
since we have to work around several upcoming workdays for Trace. Trace
places plates for both cats on the “cat” counter before sitting next to me at
the breakfast bar facing the counter. I almost choke on my bite when I look
up and see Roger pushing little bites of food over to Squeaky. Trace glances
over and bursts out laughing. After smacking him on the leg, I growl,
“She’s definitely got him trained.”
Trace laughs even harder before looking over at me with tears running
down his face. “It doesn’t take long for you females to train us.”
I figure out Trace is ticklish, and we fall to the floor in a pile of limbs.
By the time we come up for air, our cats have left the room. I lay my head
on Trace’s shoulder. “I can’t believe all it took was a little kitten to tame
your grumpy old cat.”
Trace kisses the tip of my nose. “Believe it. You tamed this grumpy old
man with one look.”

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OceanofPDF.com
Epilogue One

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 PAIGE

A couple of months later, we get great news when Cal Burton takes
a plea deal, giving him three years in prison and then probation. It
will be stated in his release conditions that he cannot contact any
member of Trace’s family for the rest of his life. Trace has no idea why the
crazy man became fixated on him way back in high school. As far as he
remembers, it started as a silly athletic competition that got out of hand. I’m
so happy we won’t have to worry about him ever again. Sheriff Donaldson
assured us Cal Burton would be looking for a new town to call home upon
his release.
Over the next three months, we slowly move my things over to Trace’s
house. By the time summer comes to an end, I’m fully moved in. One
morning, I wake up and realize it’s late. Trace must have left for the station
without waking me. I wander downstairs for breakfast, and my eyes are
drawn to something glittering next to my coffee cup. My hands begin to
shake as I pick up the diamond ring and slip it on my finger. With tears
running down my face, I call Trace and cry when he answers. “You did this
and left for work?”
“I got tired of waiting for your signal. I love you so much.” Trace walks
up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. “I’m ready to give you
my name and begin our life together.”
“Then you read my signal perfectly.” I lean up and kiss his lips. “I’m so
ready for all that, too.” He smiles down at me and I sigh. “I love you, too.
To the moon and back.”
A few months after our wedding, Trace is working the end of a
twenty-four-hour shift one morning, and I’m missing him terribly.
I wake up and barely make it to the bathroom before I’m horribly
sick. As I’m sitting on the floor with my back against the wall, trying to
wait for my stomach to settle, I do calculations in my head. Twice. Then I
crawl to the bedroom and grab my phone off the bedside table. I can’t
believe I’m almost a month late, and now I’m throwing up. As I call Rosa
to get her advice, I try to dress without needing a return visit to the
bathroom. She tells me to go straight to the pharmacy and get a pregnancy
test, then call her with the result. That’s what I was already planning to do.
If I hurry, I can beat Trace home. After I take the test, I text her the result
before staring at the clock and waiting for Trace.
My nerves are about to eat me alive when Trace walks through the door
twenty minutes after I get back. Surely, my husband is going to be over the
moon. I had all of forty minutes to decide how to handle the situation, so
I’m kind of going with my first instinct. I left the test on the bathroom
counter for him to find.
While I’m downstairs feeding the two cats, I hear a thump upstairs, and
I rush up to check on Trace. I find him sitting on the floor next to the toilet,
staring at the pregnancy stick in his hand. When he looks up at me, I see
tears in his eyes, and I can hardly understand him as he speaks. “You’ve
made me the happiest man on earth. I love you and our little peanut.”
I drop down in front of him and wrap my arms around his neck. Leaning
my forehead against his, I smile. “We love you, too.”
“Wow.” He rubs my flat stomach and smiles at me. “I can’t wait to tell
everyone.” He kisses the side of my neck, and I smile.
Moving to Juniper was one of the best decisions I ever made. I got my
hunky fireman, and now I’ll have my little one, too.

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OceanofPDF.com
Epilogue Two

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 TRACE-FIVE YEARS LATER

I ’m not sure how she gets more beautiful every time I see her.
It’s been five-and-a-half years, and I still feel the same spark
every time she walks into the room. Paige has an amused smirk
on her face because I’ve given in to our daughters again. The guys at the
station give me a hard time for letting not one, but five females run my
house. My wife, my twin daughters, and my two female cats. We caved, and
Roger ended up with his second female cat. Little Squeaky was too much
for the ornery old cat to handle, so we got Squishy to entertain her. Roger
has his two girlfriends now. The cat condo is full, Roger is a happy cat, and
we are overrun with females, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
My girls have invited me to play Barbie doll party, and I’m expected to
dress up to attend the party. Mia and Melody gave me strict instructions,
and Paige is helping with my outfit. She looks over and raises an eyebrow.
“One day, you’re going to have to learn to say no. I mean, we have a cat
condo, an old cat with two girlfriends, and now you’re wearing a suit to a
Barbie doll party. I think this may call for an intervention.”
I stop fighting with my tie and walk over to wrap my arms around her.
Her tiny baby bump presses against my stomach, and I smile. “I’ll never say
no to you or our children, for the most part, until they want to date. Then
it’s a solid ‘think again, you’re joining a convent.’”
Paige laughs and helps me finish dressing before shaking her head.
“You don’t want to keep the kids waiting.”
After I knock on the twins’ door, Mia calls for me to enter, and I push
the door open. Poor Squishy is glaring at me from her “throne” as she sits in
the Barbie living room and acts like a sofa for two dolls. Squeaky takes to
her job a little easier and purrs for Melody while wrapping her paws around
the Barbie doll propped in front of her chest. As Mia looks up, her bottom
lip begins to tremble while she complains. “Daddy, Squishy keeps standing
up and knocking over all my Barbies. She doesn’t want to be at our party.”
My heart breaks in my chest, but I know it’s time to be firm.
Both girls look so much like Paige; I have a hard time telling them no.
After taking Mia’s tiny hand, I pull her onto my lap. “Sweetheart, Squishy
is a cat, and she may not want to play. We can’t force them, but I want to
play Barbies with you, and look, Squeaky is happy to play. You know what
else? I bet Mommy would play with us, too, if you asked her.”
Paige easily agrees, and the crisis is averted. After the Barbie party, we
set up a movie in the family room for the girls so we can have a few
minutes of down time. The two female cats run to hide out in the cat condo
with Roger.
We’re discussing dinner when my mom calls and offers to come over
and watch the girls so we can have a night out. Moo-Moo and Paw are
missing their girls. After telling Mom I’ll talk to Paige and call her right
back, I kiss my wife’s nose and smile. “Feel like a night out? Mom and Dad
just offered to watch the zoo for us to go out.”
Her eyes glow as she bubbles. “Let’s do it!”

T hank you for reading Trace’s Fire. I hope you enjoyed the
story and will consider leaving a review. Knox’s Surprise
(Sweet on You Book One) is available now on Amazon.
 **Knox’s Surprise is the sweet and clean version of Leaping for Love
by Loni Ree. The author has removed all bad language and sexual
situations to give you a sweet and entirely wholesome read. The content
has changed slightly and the book has been re-edited.**

Knox

I magine my surprise when, after my morning shower, I walk out

of the bathroom to find a stunning blonde talking to my dog.
Lucky pup. My dog walker is early, and something is happening
to me. She’s gorgeous, impertinent, and scary. There’s a funny sensation
happening in my chest that I’ve never felt before. I think I’m in love.
 Sloane

M y roommate needs a huge favor--walk her employer’s

spoiled dog for one day. How hard could it be? She assures
me her rich, grouchy employer is never home. In fact, she’s
never met him. With my job in jeopardy due to a corporate takeover, she
picked the worst time possible to ask for help, but I can’t say no. If she
loses her job, all our expenses will fall on my shoulders. Knox Walker isn’t
supposed to be home when I let myself into his apartment. After surprising
him, my unfiltered thoughts escape and insult him. But instead of firing
“me,” he invites me to lunch.
There’s only one problem. I'm not really Knox’s dog walker. After
discovering my secret, he offers me a job that’s too exciting to turn down.
It’s time to leap into a whole new me.
This over-the-top quick read is just what you're looking for if you
like sweet, clean insta-love romance with a little bit of humor.

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 About the Author

L. Ree is the clean romance pen name of Loni Ree.

Loni Ree is a very busy mom of six who loves to read, and she finds that it helps her escape the
chaos of everyday life. She likes quick reads that are red-hot and on the excessive side. Writing has
also been a passion of hers, and Loni decided to share the stories floating around in her mind. Her
short, steamy stories are a little over the top because she believes reading should be an escape from
real life. She writes about hot heroes finding their beautiful soulmates and fighting for their happy
endings!
Loni also has the alternate pen name M. Marie Clark. Check out her longer, Contemporary
Romance Books.

Website: Hotheroesandhea.com
https://linktr.ee/loniree19

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 Also by L. Ree

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 LONI REE WRITING AS L. REE

SWEET ON YOU (CLEAN, SWEET ROMANCE)

Knox’s Surprise (Sweet on You Book 1)

Trace’s Fire (Sweet on You Book 2)

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Also by Loni Ree

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*BOOKS WRITTEN UNDER THE PEN NAMES LONI REE AND M. MARIE CLARK
CONTAIN ADULT LANGUAGE AND SEXUAL SITUATIONS

FIELDING-STONE SERIES

Sideswiping Mr. Lane

Blindsiding Mr. Quinlan
Shocking Mr. Stone
Fielding-Stone Series Boxset

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT SERIES

Professor Maxwell
Packaged Love
Nerd Boy
Cover Model
Love at First Sight: A Four Book Collection

STANDALONE BOOKS

Hungry For Red (A Salem Experiment Book One)

Finding His Forever (Finding His Love Book One)
Leaping into Love (Taking the Leap Book 7)
Wicked Ways (Hunky Halloween)
Falling for my Enemy

FOR HER
Keeping Liberty (American Heroes Book Two)(For Her Book 1)
Ignoring the Rules (For Her Book 2)

KANES’ KISSES SERIES

Holly Kisses
Surprise Kisses (Forever Safe Christmas Book 19)
 Candy Kisses
Kane’s Kisses: A Four Book Collection Boxset
Forever Kisses

SWEET BEGINNINGS

Sweet Treat
Sugar Pie

LOVING A BENNETT BOY

Mr. CEO Jerk

Mr. Director Sir
Mr. Boss Man

SPARKS IN JUNIPER

Ignite My Heart

FINDING MS. RIGHT

Claiming Ms. Off Limits

Roping Ms. Imposter

PLAYING RIORDAN
Catching Payton
Scoring Gina

FALLING HARD AND FAST

Can’t Resist Her

SWEET ON YOU (CLEAN, SWEET ROMANCE) Writing as L. Ree

Knox’s Surprise (Sweet on You Book 1)
Trace’s Fire (Sweet on You Book 2)

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Also by M. Marie Clark

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CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE PEN NAME OF LONI REE. *BOOKS WRITTEN
UNDER THE PEN NAMES LONI REE AND M. MARIE CLARK CONTAIN ADULT
LANGUAGE AND SEXUAL SITUATIONS

THE MERGER

Blake’s Fall
Lukas’ Love
Drew’s Fight

FIRSTS SERIES
First Sight
First Touch

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