Page 6 of Love Songs

But how did I take care of raising a young girl when I spent most of my life touring? I’d never known anything but music and the road. Carolyn was a godsend, but she wasn’t a permanent solution.

I’d spent a lot of time thinking about the recent changes in my life. I wasn’t getting any younger, either. I’d be turning thirty-five this year and I’d been singing and touring the Dallas Blade Band for going on eighteen years. Maybe learning that I had a daughter combined with my vocal issues was a sign that I needed to change course.

But where did I even start?

THE DAY FLEWby in a flurry of activity. The truck and Eldi were a big draw with the kids and teenagers alike, even some adults, and kept us busy. We made a point of talking to parents about fire safety while they watched their kids climb up into the engine and turn on the siren and the lights.

My temples were already throbbing from the siren chirps.

Phillip, the dream crusher, came by, and I eyed him dubiously. He was a big guy. Maybe an inch shorter than me and broad shouldered, but he’d be no match if he hurt Haider. Not only did my job keep me fit, but I also had a purple belt in judo. This guy probably sat around eating chocolate made from the tears of all the small businesses he destroyed.

Except it was obvious he had some muscle under his casual but very cosmopolitan tan chinos, raspberry-colored polo, and bright white sneakers. No socks. I made a point ofnotlooking at his, as Haider had described them, “sexy ankles”. But still. Nobody messed with my friends and got away with it.

Phillip smiled cautiously at me as he approached. “Good morning.”

Ugh, why did he have to have a cool accent?

I didn’t reply, earning a curious look from Jackson. Eldi trotted right on over and sat at Phillip’s feet, her tailingsweeping the ground and tongue lolling. There had to be something wrong with her good-people detector. Either that, or she was a traitor.

“Hallo, hübsches Mädchen,” Phillip said as he kneeled to her level and petted her. She leaned into him, soaking up the attention.

“What was that you said to her?” Jackson asked. I was curious too, but I wasn’t about to ask.

“German for hello, pretty girl.” Phillip said with a smile that made him look far more handsome than the leader of a chocolate cabal had any right to. “What is her name?”

“Eldi,” Jackson answered.

“Icelandic for fire,” Phillip said.Great. He was multilingual, too. “Lovely.”

With one more pet behind Eldi’s ears, he stood and glanced over at the fire engine, smiling at the kids climbing all over it. His gaze slid back to mine, and we stared at each other for a few long seconds. I didn’t know what was going on in his head, but in mine I mentally told him he’d better not screw Haider over, and his expression answered said he would throw himself at our mercy if he ever did.

I huffed out loud, ending our silent standoff.We’ll see.

“It is good work that you do,” he said, as he pulled his wallet from his pants pocket. He stuffed two one-hundred-dollar bills into the donation box for the firefighter’s burn fund.

I forced a smile and grudgingly said, “Thank you.”

Because even though he was a dream crusher, he’d received Eldi’s approval and that had been generous of him to donate. He nodded at me and wandered off to the next booth. Maybe he’d turn out okay for Haider after all.

Adam came by as I was finishing showing some kids the ‘stop, drop, and roll’ safety technique, and this time, I didn’t have to force a smile. I’d only met him the once, when Ryan hadbrought him to our regular beers and burgers night at Lucy’s Pub last week, but he seemed like a genuinely nice guy.

“Hey, Conor,” Adam said as I sent the kids off to their parents. “How’s things going here?”

He had a couple of bags in his hand with logos I recognized—Harmony Chocolates and Stonebridge Maple Syrup. My smiled widened at the support he was showing my friends. I knew there was a reason I liked him.

“Busy and—” The engine siren double chirped. “That.”

Adam winced, and I didn’t blame him. The siren on the old truck wasn’t as loud as the ones on the more modern engines, but standing this close, it could still give the eardrums a good ring. We tried to keep the kids to one chirp, so we didn’t inflict headaches onto the whole of Caldwell Crossing, but sometimes they got carried away.

“I’m getting a headache already,” I added lightly as I brushed some dirt off my station pants from when I’d been rolling around on the ground with the kids.

“I feel for you, having to listen to that all day.” His eyes were wide in either disbelief or sympathy. Both worked for me.

I shrugged. “Comes with the job. I’m used to it.” Then, with no segue, I said, “Hey, I started reading your book.”

“Right.” Adam’s cheeks colored. “The first book in theHarmony Lake Murdersseries. Uh, how do you like it so far?”

“I’m not too far in,” I said. I got little downtime at work to read, and when I wasn’t on shift, I preferred to be outside doing things. “I can tell you’ve been here before, even though some of the details aren’t quite right.”

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