Read Online Her Only Hero by Marta Perry - Free Book Online Page A

a moment before nodding.
    “Mandy wants you to come up and say good night before you
leave.” There might have been a faint flush on her cheeks at the words.
    “Sure thing.” He gave the child an okay sign, and she grinned.
    “Why don’t you both come up? I’ll make some coffee, and we have
homemade cookies.”
    He raised his eyebrows in exaggerated surprise. “You baked for
us?”
    “No. Your mother was here today.” She gave a reluctant smile as
she turned to follow her daughter up the stairs. “I couldn’t turn her away,
either. You’ll find the new lights on the counter in the back room.”
    He waited until mother and daughter were out of sight before
turning to Seth with a cocky grin. “See?”
    Seth gave him a friendly push toward the door. “I see plenty.
Let’s get to work before it’s too dark to figure out what we’re doing.”
    Seth began unpacking the new lights, laying the pieces out
neatly on the scarred countertop. That was Seth, always organized. He set his
toolbox next to them and flipped it open.
    “We’ll need a ladder,” Ryan said. “I want these fixtures high
enough that no one can easily disable them. At least the motion lights are
sensitive enough to let her know if anyone sets foot in that alley.”
    Seth nodded. “You’re taking this plenty seriously, aren’t you?”
    A chill snaked down his spine. “I don’t want to miscalculate.
Not if we really have a firebug on the loose again.”
    Seth’s face went grim. “I’m with you there. I remember what it
was like. You think North is good enough to catch this guy?”
    “He’s good.” He shot Seth a glance. “You might give your brother
a little credit, though. I’m on the job, too, don’t forget.”
    “Hah.” Seth’s scornful expression told him only too clearly what
he thought of that. “Just don’t make any rookie mistakes.”
    “I don’t plan to. Not where Laura and Mandy’s safety is
concerned.”
    Seth planted his hands against the countertop. “Try not to make
any rookie mistakes where Laura and that little girl’s happiness is concerned, either.”
    Obviously Seth thought he was duty-bound to interfere, just like
he always did.
    “We’re friends, okay? That’s all.”
    Seth shrugged. “Just pointing out the problem. You can’t do your
usual love ’em and leave ’em routine when there’s a child involved. That little
girl could get hurt if she starts to depend on you.”
    “Especially since everyone in Suffolk seems to know how
undependable I am.” One thing about broth-ers—they knew how to hit you where it
hurt.
    “Look, bro, there’s nobody I’d rather have backing me up on the
fireground. You know that.” Seth clapped him on the shoulder. “But emotional commitment’s
a whole other game. I’m just saying that this time, you’ve got to be careful.”
    “You don’t need to worry.” He tried to keep the irritation out
of his voice. Seth meant well, even if he was as clumsy as a bull in a china
shop. “Laura’s not looking for a relationship any more than I am.”
    Seth grinned, turning back to the lights. “Sometimes that’s the
most dangerous thing of all.”
     
     

Chapter Five
     
    L aura
arranged a smile on her face and opened the apartment door to the Flanagan
brothers. But only one Flanagan stood there, and it was Ryan. It was positively
demoralizing how her stomach did a little flip at the sight of him. She might
as well be fifteen again.
    “Hi. All finished?”
    He nodded. “You’re now the proud possessor of mo-tion-detector
lights that will go on if so much as a stray cat enters the area behind the
house.”
    “I’m not sure I’m worried about stray cats.” She stepped back
for him to enter and closed the door. Appalling, the way the man’s height and
breadth seemed to fill up her small living room.
    “That is a disadvantage, I guess.” He gave her that easy smile.
“Actually I was exaggerating. We set them high enough that they shouldn’t go on
for