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Rescued By The Firefighter
Catherine Lanigan
He saved her life…But will he destroy her dreams?Firefighter Rand Nelson is tall and handsome and has literally walked through an inferno for Beatrice Wilcox. He’s a hero…and that’s exactly the problem. Beatrice knows all too well the risks of loving a man with a dangerous career. But when Rand’s report threatens her beloved children’s camp, Beatrice can’t refuse his offer of help…even though she knows they’re both playing with fire.
He saved her life...
But will he destroy her dreams?
Firefighter Rand Nelson is tall and handsome and has literally walked through an inferno for Beatrice Wilcox. He’s a hero...and that’s exactly the problem. Beatrice knows all too well the risks of loving a man with a dangerous career. But when Rand’s report threatens her beloved children’s camp, Beatrice can’t refuse his offer of help...even though she knows they’re both playing with fire.
CATHERINE LANIGAN knew she was born to storytelling at a very young age when she told stories to her younger brothers and sister to entertain them. After years of encouragement from family and high school teachers, Catherine was shocked and brokenhearted when her freshman college creative-writing professor told her that she had “no writing talent whatsoever” and that she would never earn a dime as a writer.
For fourteen years she did not write until she was encouraged by a television journalist to give her dream a shot. That was nearly forty published novels, nonfiction books and anthologies ago. To add to the dream, Hallmark Channel has recently released The Sweetest Heart, based on the second book in her Harlequin Heartwarming series, Shores of Indian Lake. With more books in the series and more movies to come, Catherine makes her home in La Porte, Indiana, the inspiration for Indian Lake.
Also By Catherine Lanigan
Shores of Indian Lake
Family of His Own
His Baby Dilemma
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
Rescued by the Firefighter
Catherine Lanigan
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ISBN: 978-1-474-09040-7
RESCUED BY THE FIREFIGHTER
© 2018 by Catherine Lanigan
Published in Great Britain 2018
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.
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www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
“I vowed never to get involved with a man who worked in a dangerous job.”
“Like cops...and firemen?”
“Exactly like cops and firemen.” His handsome face was heartbreakingly compassionate at that moment, but she’d struck him down again.
“Listen, Beatrice. I’m a highly trained and skilled fire jumper. I’m certainly more careful going into a fire than you were. I know what I’m doing. Seriously.”
“It’s still dangerous. You’re not an accountant who sits in an office behind a computer all day. You risk your life for others!”
“I certainly do,” he replied proudly.
This had to stop. With each moment she spent with Rand, their attraction grew. That kiss... No. It was more than attraction. Her heart was opening to him, and she couldn’t let that continue.
But another part of her grew queasy with uncertainty, as if warning her that she was making the wrong decision...
Dear Reader (#u059e642b-8be6-52fd-9d9f-0953725a7dc4),
I’m thrilled and humbled that you are reading my newest story in the Shores of Indian Lake series. Earlier this year, Hallmark Channel aired the movie The Sweetest Heart, which is based on book two of the series, Heart’s Desire, now also available under the same title as the movie at www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk) and on Amazon.
As I moved into writing Beatrice Wilcox’s story, I was aware of one of the aspects that make our Harlequin Heartwarming stories so poignant: not only do our heroines and heroes find their happy-ever-after, but their dreams really do come true. Beatrice is hardworking and has put everything on the line for her children’s camp. Of all my heroines, Beatrice has the biggest heart. She is all love. She’s who I strive to be.
The kids in the story, little Eli and Chris, have been abandoned by their parents. When Chris accidentally sets the nearby forest on fire, Beatrice runs into the fire to save the boys, never thinking of her own safety.
Rand Nelson, firefighter, comes to the rescue. Spellbound by Beatrice’s courage and love, Rand can’t help but fall for her. However, Rand works in a dangerous job and Beatrice has sworn she will never be with a man who takes such risks.
I hope you enjoy this and all the Indian Lake stories. Believe me when I say I can’t write the next half dozen fast enough!
God bless and happy reading,
Catherine
This book is dedicated to my husband, Jed Nolan, who was my hero on earth and is now my protector on The Other Side. It is love that brings heaven and earth together. You prove that to me every day. I love you to the moon and back and all the universes and galaxies between and beyond.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
My sincere thanks to my agent, Lissy Peace, who said, “Why don’t you write about a Youth Camp and a smoke jumper?” Little did I know that this story would take on a life of its own—like a raging fire—so quickly. Thank you to Claire Caldwell, my former editor, who worked on the initial story line with me. And a big hug to my editor, Adrienne Macintosh, who took over after Claire’s departure and jumped into the story with me. I’m looking forward to the next books with you, Adrienne.
To Kathleen Scheibling, Heartwarming’s executive editor, and always to Dianne Moggy for over two decades of working together.
The next twenty years won’t be enough.
Contents
Cover (#uc32e9b33-6a79-56d1-bdaa-ad5a7754abd0)
Back Cover Text (#ue01ba926-d8fe-5832-be4d-2871783dc7f8)
About the Author (#u2ebf9c42-3fa9-5b92-a4e3-ff68ea916297)
Booklist (#uc1e9b93a-2ad2-568b-af45-db7d4d5fdb55)
Title Page (#ucae40f54-d313-5182-8aa2-51d98fef7211)
Copyright (#u3873aac8-6bd6-5b5d-8d0e-1b3335378706)
Introduction (#u5df456b0-2e80-535f-ad15-3a382df4e191)
Dear Reader (#u0de292e3-a6f3-52ff-b399-357bfaa3f0ad)
Dedication (#u87e7e7f9-61ea-5063-b4a1-08274028ab42)
CHAPTER ONE (#uf6dd0e23-f6ef-5d79-94ca-893e5d218538)
CHAPTER TWO (#u80d836ba-df42-5bd9-acdb-3fae69d996b4)
CHAPTER THREE (#ubcfd12a6-bb0f-5948-94cf-abce60b2bc85)
CHAPTER FOUR (#u3900a3a5-8de1-55a3-9bc1-40a8957f07a0)
CHAPTER FIVE (#u6b0997e3-be75-5d36-8f88-fd2327cf6235)
CHAPTER SIX (#ud3901c8b-a991-551c-8dd9-11cabd65a627)
CHAPTER SEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER EIGHT (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER NINE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ELEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWELVE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER THIRTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FOURTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FIFTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SIXTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER NINETEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ONE (#u059e642b-8be6-52fd-9d9f-0953725a7dc4)
Indian Lake, Indiana July
THE SUMMER NIGHT sounds of chirping tree frogs and cicadas drifted through the open screen window of Beatrice Wilcox’s sixty-year-old log cabin. Loving the wildlife melodies, she closed her eyes, her weary body spent from a long day with ten rowdy, sometimes frustratingly taciturn children and preteens.
But running this camp was her dream. She wanted to create a summer idyll for kids who faced challenges in their young lives, as she had when she’d been a camper herself as a child.
But how to pay for it? Worrying over money often kept her awake at night. Tonight being no exception.
She kicked the old patchwork quilt off her body. Then she flung her forearm over her brow. She was still wide awake.
Breathing a sigh, she sniffed the air. And froze. Then sniffed again.
“It...can’t be.”
Curling through the screen was pungent smoke. Not the smoke from a cigarette or cigar, or the acrid, bitter smoke from a country farmer burning garbage. This was clean smoke. The kind from burning vegetation.
Beatrice bolted upright in her bed, her eyes wide. She tossed aside the sheets and swung her legs to the rag rug she’d made herself that covered the painted concrete floor.
“No!”
Going to the window, she cranked the casement window open wide. The smell of smoke was unmistakable. “Not a fire. Not now. Not ever!”
Spinning around, she shoved her feet into her sneakers and grabbed her cell phone off the varnished tree-stump table.
“Please don’t let it be one of the cabins. Or the kitchen!” She raced out to her front porch, the wood screen door banging behind her. The yellow “bug” light on the front porch did a good job of keeping the mosquitoes and flies away, but unfortuntely gave little illumination. She leaned over the wide log railing that extended down the four steps to the gravel path that served as her sidewalk.
The camp consisted of ten sturdy small log cabins, with five on either side of the main dining hall and activities center. Up the hill at the end of the five cabins was a larger cabin that housed the male counselors, though right now there was only the one. Beatrice’s cabin was on the left side after the five girls’ cabins and a larger cabin for the female counselors.
