Page 6 of Once Upon a Summer Night

“Good, because we’ve got a single vehicle accident at Ecker and Center. Our guess is someone from third shift stayed a little too long at the Legion again.”

Damn drunks, this was starting to get out of hand. “Swing by and pick me up on the way, I’m heading outside.”

He disconnected and threw the others an apologetic smile.

“Go, we get it,” Hannah said.

“How long are you staying?” he asked, backing toward the door.

She shrugged. “Not sure yet.”

“Well, you know where I’ll be after this run. Just promise you won’t leave without telling me good-bye.”

She crossed her arms over her chest on a smirk. “I promise.”

Grinning, he hurried for the door. Fire engine one was just pulling to a stop along the curb as he stepped out into the blinding sunlight. He scrambled inside, chest swelling with pride—their crew had mobilization down to a science.

“What’s wrong with your face?” Dylan Campbell asked as Chase buckled up. “You’re smiling like a kid at Christmas.”

Maybe that was because today felt a whole lot like Christmas, and Santa had finally come through with the gift he’d been requesting for eight years now.

He played off his excitement with a shrug. “No reason.”

As the truck sped off, Chase watched the bookstore fade into the distance. Holy crap, Hannah was back. Even if it was just for today, that she’d come back at all was huge. Because one trip would hopefully open the door to more. Now they just needed to find a way to convince her to stay…and keep the chief from running her off a second time.

Chapter Two

Hannah made herway to the bookstore’s restroom, partially to give Aunt Faye time with the customer that had wandered in after Chase left and partially to stay out of the town’s limelight. Anymore, she didn’t know who was a local and who wasn’t. And the last thing she wanted was to stir up any gossip her first trip back to Bourbon Falls.

They had enough drama brewing as it was.

Why did the universe seem to take delight in throwing her curveballs? Losing her mom after a freak car accident when she was in kindergarten. Chase unable to make their runaway rendezvous point, then backing out on them altogether. Losing her dear friend to cancer. Getting broadsided by an unexpected custody battle.

Thank goodness she’d been born with a healthy dose of resilience. The Wiggmans were about to put that to the test, though. So was meeting up with her family this afternoon. For years, she’d tried to imagine how that might go.

Aunt Faye, she hadn’t worried about—that woman was the kindest soul she’d ever known, next to her mother. But how would her sisters react if she walked back into their lives? Would they welcome her with open arms or push her away?

And then there was her father. Fragments of their last conversation echoed through her mind anew.

Do not leave this yard, Hannah Marie. Don’t you dare.

But she had, and despite the initial momentary distress of disobeying him to the point of being disowned, the ride had been glorious. Freeing. Everything she’d hoped for and then some.

Until that damned diagnosis.

Hannah pulled out her phone to find another text message from Stan, asking if she had an ETA for them. Resisting the urge to tell him where he could stick that ETA, she headed out to check on Noah, who was currently perched on a stool behind the checkout counter, coloring. Hopefully, Aunt Faye could offer a suggestion on what to type in her response that wouldn’t come off sounding, well, too Hannah.

Mincing words wasn’t exactly her specialty.

She paused at the door, her nose detecting an appealing scent. When nothing obvious came into view, she gave her T-shirt a sniff. Ah, there it was. Must have been from that hug Chase had given her, the fragrance cool like water with a hint of musk. Not what he used to wear, but nice all the same.

Their lone customer had barely left when a door slammed open in the back room, followed by hurried footsteps. Hannah turned to find a woman with shoulder-length dark blonde hair at the opening to the back hall, scanning the store’s interior until the newcomer’s stormy blue eyes found hers.

“Hannah,” her oldest sister breathed, then rushed forward to pull her into a hug.

Memories came rushing back of being cared for by Mia. Of her sister’s countless words of encouragement and comforting hugs during every thunderstorm. “Hi, Mia,” was all Hannah could manage, her throat thick with emotion.

After a long moment, Mia drew back with watery eyes. “My God, look at you, all grown up!”

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