Hearts Ablaze (Courageous Hearts Series Book 2)

or heard from you since…” I let my words trail off, glancing at his left side.
His legs and torso were entirely covered in fabric, and he moved normally, but I knew there was still some scarring residing there. From what I could see, though, he was just as handsome as ever with his dark head of hair and heavily exercised body. He didn’t comment on that topic as he looked me over, and I allowed it to drop. “What are you doing out here so early?”
Ethan smiled and gestured toward the mess of wood behind him. “I noticed the wind knocked over your pile. I just wanted to be neighborly and help.”
I narrowed my eyes. “You live across town.”
His grin turned sheepish as he shrugged. “I thought it was the least I owed you.”
“For what?” I asked. I hadn’t done him any favors. Ethan used to be a close friend until I moved to New York for a couple of years, became established in interior design, and met the love of my life. Or more accurately, Bruce met the love of his life, and then left me to live the rest of my life alone. Since the time I got back from New York six years ago, Ethan and I hadn’t remained close.
The only notable encounter we’d had was the fire three years ago—the one that he was sent to put out. “You know what for,” he claimed, getting back to stacking wood.
His muscles bulged beneath his clothes as he continued picking up the wood. I tossed the water to the base of the willow and helped him lift the wood. It much bulkier than he had made them seem. I felt obligated to help, because I did know why he felt he needed to help me. “You don’t owe me anything, Ethan,” I told him. “You gave all you could to get all of us out of the fire. Bruce is the one who insisted that Derrick and I go first. You didn’t make that decision.”
I recalled the night of the fire—the night I had worked so hard to repress. Ethan had arrived to put out the fire and get us out of the house safely, but it wasn’t possible. Even through all the grief and loneliness three years had brought, I never once blamed Ethan for letting Bruce die. As we worked, he remained silent. I had no doubt it was a night he wanted to forget. “I didn’t give enough.”
I stopped and pulled Ethan to a halt in front of me. He towered over my short stature with his six feet, but I managed to pin him in place with my eyes. “Have you been the one helping out with firewood and all the yard work?” I asked. Ethan shrugged and turned to get back to work. My hand on his forearm stopped him. “I don’t want pity help. I’d rather move on from the fire and forget about it.”
He shook his head. “You don’t have a man around here to help you anymore, and that’s on me.”
“I don’t know how to convince you that you are not responsible for his death or anything that’s happened after. You did your job.” His forearm muscles flexed beneath my grasp.
“Not well enough.”
I didn’t have it in me to continue arguing over Bruce’s death. It was a sick joke from above, but therapy told me than nobody was at fault. I moved my hand to his left side, and he stiffened. “You gave more of yourself to save us than what you should have. You saved my son.”
He pulled away gently and got back to stacking. He used to be much less serious. I couldn’t imagine what he had gone through to heal his burns and his mental health, but whatever it was had changed him. “If you really want to help, how about a job?” I asked. I knew that outside of firefighting, he owned a series of rental homes and apartments in our small town. I just finished my last a job and expanding my client list was never a bad idea.
He paused and turned. “Designing stuff?” he asked. “I don’t think I need a designer.”
“Interior design,” I elaborated. “It’s a pretty big business for high end rental properties. If you want to help me, let me help you, too. I feel guilty that you’re out here making my yard presentable when I did nothing for you. If I can’t stop you, at least let me improve your rentals.”
“It’s not in the property budget.” He finally took a deep drink of the water.
“Cheap renovations can increase the value and make you more money in the long run,” I told him. “Let me prove it to you.”
He didn’t respond for a moment as he looked down on me. “Why don’t you come to my place, and we can talk about it?” he asked. “I’ll look at the budget tonight.”
I grinned from ear to ear. In New York, people paid top dollar for designers, and everyone wanted one. It boosted my savings and made certain that Bruce and I would never be in need of money again, but when he died and we lost everything, my savings quickly dwindled. A contract with Ethan’s property company would save my business. It would save my family.
I felt a pang in my chest for using his generosity to benefit myself, but I was hoping it would serve each of us well in the long run.

Chapter Two
Derrick and I spent the day at home, enjoying our Sunday together as we always had. It was the one sacred tradition that we’d never break. Sundays were family days. I spent the earlier part of the morning searching relentlessly for a daycare so I could everything into Ethan’s plans, but destiny had a different idea.
Three daycares—including the one I had used for years—turned