Page 7 of Big Daddy Firemen

“Nope. Not tonight,” she said. “You’ll have a good home-cooked meal.”

“Hey, we’re the Daddies here,” Cane reminded her. “Why are you giving the orders?”

“Yeah, but we’re notherDaddies,” Austin reminded his friend.

That was true, Daisy thought. She didn’t have a Daddy. She wasn’t a Little. She’d come to Big Cedar for the job. But the unique nature of the community didn’t bother her. She was just fine with the fact that it catered to Littles and Bigs. But she’d never really considered herself among them.

Recently, though, she wasn’t so sure.

Especially when she remembered what she’d done earlier. Now, after that comment from Cane, she was suddenly self-conscious and wanted to hide her creation.

But it was too late. The guys instantly spotted it as they followed her into the kitchen area. It was hard to miss, hanging on the shiny, polished, stainless-steel fridge.

“Hey, what’s that?” Walker asked.

“Nothing!” Daisy said, hurrying toward it in an effort to intercept the artwork.

“Back off, little girl,” Walker said. Apparently, it didn’t matter if he was her Daddy or not. He was still more thancomfortable giving her orders. “And don’t run in the station. You’ll trip and hurt yourself.”

Thanks to his long legs, he easily reached the fridge before her. He swiped the picture from under its magnet and smiled as he appraised it. “She colored us a picture. And she signed it.”

Daisy looked at the floor bashfully. “I was just… trying to pass the time while y’all were gone. I was worried. I needed something to distract me.”

“Aww, honey, I’m sorry you were worried,” Walker said as he opened his arms wide. “Come here.”

She dutifully obeyed but he quickly closed them again, saying, “Forgot. The smoke.” He winced.

“I don’t care,” she argued. “I need that hug!”

He nodded and then wrapped her in a tight embrace that caused all her self-doubt and embarrassment to instantly dissipate.

“My turn,” Cane announced.

“Hang on,” Walker said, gently swaying her. “I’m not done.”

“Well speed it up,” Austin said. “I’m waiting, too!”

She took a few lingering seconds to hug all of them. It felt wonderful and the embraces left her with a sense of comfort and warmth that she wished would last forever.

Once she’d pulled away from all of them, Walker said, “Ah, damn. I can’t believe we did that. We got her all smoky.”

She laughed. “It’s okay. It was worth it.” She made a show of lifting her shirt sleeve to her nose and smelling it. “It’s not too bad.”

“We need to shower and get this junk off us,” Cane said. “But first, let me take one more look at this pretty picture you colored.”

“I’m sorry you have to share it,” she said.

It was Walker who grinned the widest, saying, “Oh, don’t worry about that. It doesn’t bother us to share. Not one damn bit. Isn’t that right, boys?”

Austin snorted. “You kidding? We’re brothers. What’s yours is mine and what’s mine is yours, as far as I’m concerned.”

“That’s right,” Cane spoke up. “Share and share alike is what I say.”

Daisy wondered if the men saw how much she was blushing.

Her smiles told her they did.

She got the impression they weren’t just talking about that little picture she’d colored them, either. Did they mean what she thought they meant? The suggestive smirks they wore made her think it was possible.

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