Page 61 of Some Like It Hot

Not reinjuring his shoulder. Not being invincible. Proving that he didn’t have anything to prove to anyone, including himself.

“Maybe safety isn’t in a place, but in a truth,” she said quietly, now, to her father.

She looked up at her father, who had raised an eyebrow.

“The Lord is my shepherd. Full stop. Amen.”

One side of his mouth quirked up.

“All this time, I thought I was alone. But…no. He sent Freeman, and then Riley…and you, Dad. He’s been with me this entire time, through the people who are willing to run outside the fence and…and—”

“And do what the good shepherd does for you? Rescue you? Protect you? Love you? I know what Freeman did for you. And even Riley. I couldn’t see anything with all that smoke and flame, and yet he just went out the door into nothing on blind faith that he could find you. Bravest thing I ever saw. But that’s what God does for us—abandons everything to find us and bring us home.”

Home. “I was thinking that I wouldn’t rebuild. I might… I think it’s time for me to stop hiding, Dad. I was talking to Riley about moving to Montana. He said that there’s a search and rescue team I could possibly join, and—”

“It’s about time.” He smiled.

Her throat tightened, and she heard a step behind her on the porch. Her father looked up, let her go. Met Riley’s hand.

Riley grinned at him, wearing a strange expression. As if…

“Wait. Have you two already talked about this?”

Riley’s arm curled around her shoulders, and he pulled her back against himself as her dad winked and headed off the porch.

She turned in Riley’s embrace. “What did you say to him?”

He lifted a shoulder. “I quoted poetry. Your dad’s a real softy for Kipling.” He put his hand to her cheek. “A bunch of us are going to the Midnight Sun. Vic’s putting on a spread for the firefighters. I was thinking…maybe we need a redo on our date.”

He met her eyes, a little fire in them.

But probably it was always there. And that’s just how she liked it.

“Promise to keep me out of trouble?” she said, her voice low, a little husky.

“Nope,” he said and kissed her.

Whatever.

Ten

Vic, the bartender and owner of the Midnight Sun Saloon had baked enough ribs to feed Alaska.

Which might be just the amount she needed to satisfy the hunger of the congregation of firefighters who packed into the place. Riley snagged a basket for himself and one for Larke and fought his way to the place by the bar where it had all started.

Pretty girl on a stool, dressed in a black tank top, her white-blonde hair long and wavy around her shoulders, looking at him like he might be her hero.

Yeah, maybe.

Riley set the baskets down on the bar. Grabbed a couple napkins. “These things are messy.”

“I like messy,” Larke said and reached for a rib. She grinned, her pale blue-green eyes warm, almost hot, and oh boy, he hadn’t a clue how he was supposed to keep his promise to her father.

She needs someone honorable. Someone who will let her go but watch her back. And someone I can trust.

Okay, okay, yes, that was him. He’d even quoted his father’s poem to Barry and threw in the SEAL promise. “I am that man.” Even the other guy was on board, the one inside who just wanted to jump back on her bike and motor them off to watch the sunset.

Which, apparently, in this neck of the woods, took a very long time.