“I’m proud of you for the man you’ve become and the life that you’ve built.”
He wasn’t one to shy away from praise, but his words surprised me. No one had ever been proud of me, let alone admitted it—at least, not before Scott. And I had worked hard—I’d busted my ass to overcome my past and make a positive change for the future. Too bad most people had a hard time seeing past the troubled boy I’d been to the man I’d become.
“Thanks, Scott. Thanks for always having faith in me.” Especially when no one else had.
“Now you just need to find someone to share your life with.”
“What happened to being proud of the life I’ve built?” I teased, unprepared for this turn of conversation.
The man had been a bachelor for as long as I’d known him. Town gossip had it that his wife had up and left years ago, but no one knew why or what had become of her. And his daughter… I shook my head. What kind of daughter didn’t plan to come home for Christmas?
“You have a fine life,” Scott said. “But we weren’t meant to be solitary creatures. We were meant to share our lives. To love. To build a home, a family.”
“That’s what I have Max for.”
Max lifted her head from her paws, barking at the sound of her name. I shook my head with a laugh.
“That’s not what I meant, and you know it,” Scott said. “A dog is a wonderful companion, but you deserve more.”
“And you don’t?”
“I have a family,” he said. “You are my family. Doc Allen and the town are my family.”
“And Audrey?” His daughter’s name tasted bitter on my tongue. I’d never met the woman, but I despised her for the pain I knew she’d caused my friend.
“And Audrey, of course.” When he rubbed his chest again, weariness etching his features, I figured maybe it was time to call it a night.
I placed my hand on his shoulder. “You sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine.” He waved away my concern. “Come down to my office when you’re done, and we’ll have a drink.”
“Not sure Doc Allen would approve of that either.”
“What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” Scott’s eyes twinkled with mischief. “While he’s off enjoying pizza and gelato in Italy, I think I can partake of a burger and whiskey. Besides, there’s something I want to talk to you about.”
I nodded, stepping toward the sink as his footsteps echoed against the wood floors. I could count each step on the stairs, each plank memorized from hours spent resanding and refinishing them. As I washed my hands, I tried to think what this might be about. I cleaned up, but by the time I made it to his office, his snores were echoing off the walls. I peeked my head in and found him asleep in his chair, fire blazing in the fireplace. I shook my head and switched off the gas before draping a blanket over him and letting myself out.
Max and I made the trek to our home on the back of Scott’s land. It gave me time to clear my thoughts, the cloudless sky a blanket of stars. I showered then climbed in bed with my laptop, my eyes focused on the screen and Max sprawled out beside me. I was content with my life. It might be simple, but it could be so much worse.
And now that I was retiring from the hotshots, I’d have the chance to fulfill my dream of giving everyone a home. Scott had helped me incorporate my company—Freedom Tiny Homes—years ago. And within the past few months, we’d been working on adding a new element—a nonprofit arm that would formalize some of the work we’d already been doing within the community.
When Max rolled over on me, her fur heating my skin, her breaths luring me to sleep, I shut off my computer. Sure, it would be nice to share this with someone, but there weren’t many women interested in a man with a past like mine, even if I had changed. And as I fell asleep, I resigned myself to the fact that it would likely never happen.
My alarm blared far too fucking early. The lights were still off at Scott’s, but that wasn’t unusual. I dressed and tugged on my coat before grabbing my coffee. Max joined me in the truck, our breath filling the air with warmth that was otherwise lacking. As I sipped my coffee, an old song playing on the radio, I knew it didn’t get much better than this. The world was quiet, and I turned down the road that led to Miner’s Airfield. The lights of the runway lined the tarmac like the Christmas decorations that blazed around town, and I pulled into the old hangar at the back where the workshop for Freedom Tiny Homes was located.
After a quick meeting with the team—many of whom were current or former hotshot firefighters, as well as a few former convicts—we were off. Saws buzzing, hammers banging, everyone working in silent harmony. Even though only a few of us had worked a line together in the wildlands, we all had the same training, the same work ethic. And I was proud to work side by side with them, whether it was fighting fires or building tiny homes.
The morning and afternoon passed by in a hum of activity, and I relished the feel of the nail gun in my hand, the hiss of the compressor, the project coming together. I lost track of time until I saw two streaks running across the field between my hangar and the office for Wings Out—Emerson’s skydiving company. I had a feeling I knew who was coming, especially when Max jumped up and started running toward the two boys.
“Hey, Ethan.” Luke’s breath came in puffs. “Can I borrow a hammer?”
I placed my hands on my hips, a stern expression on my face. “Where’s yours?”
“Well…” Luke kicked at the concrete with his tennis shoes. “My dad took it away after he found a hole in the wall.”
“Luke, dude, we talked about this.”
“I know.” He sighed, his expression contrite.
