Her mother shook her head. “We should have never allowed you to even train to become a firefighter. You’re to quit at once.”

  “I won’t.”

  Her father set his hand on Mattie’s good shoulder. “You’ve given firefighting a go. Maybe it’s time to focus on other things.”

  Mattie looked to Jack. Surely he’d defend her and tell them how well she’d been doing with training.

  His gaze was empathetic but resolute. “Your parents are right. We should stop—”

  “No, Jack. You’ve seen how much I’ve improved. I’m much stronger now.”

  “You could have been killed today.”

  “In the future, I’ll listen better. I’ll do exactly what you say …” Inwardly, she groaned. What a lie. “Forget I said that. If I find myself in the same situation, with a child’s life at risk, I have to admit I won’t hesitate to help. And you’d do the same,” she challenged. “This incident shouldn’t affect whether I become a firefighter or not. I did what anyone would have done.”

  “We just don’t want to see you get hurt,” her father explained.

  “I know, and I also know that you and Mr. Taylor only allowed me to train because you believed I’d quit once I discovered how physically challenging the job is. Still, I have no intention of giving up, and I’m willing to take on the risks that every firefighter must take.”

  “I can’t let you do that.” Jack scowled. “You have no idea how many years you took off my life today. Seeing you pinned …” He darted a glance at her parents. “I can’t go through that again.”

  She raised her chin, frustration nipping at her patience. “The decision isn’t yours to make.” She turned toward her parents. “Or yours. I’m a grown woman, and I’ll do what I wish with my life.”

  “Mattie!” her mother half shouted.

  Her father nodded. “I guess I’ll have to talk to Pat Taylor then.”

  “There’s no need,” Jack assured him. “Mattie, you don’t run the station. Between me and the foreman, we can remove you from the team.”

  She clenched her teeth and balled her hands into fists. She could go to a different station, but what other station would hire a woman? “Then I’ll … I’ll go to the fires anyway and help where I can. Eventually your father and the team will see my worth.”

  Jack frowned. “If you go on calls with us, you’ll be putting everyone in danger. We’ll have to work around you and protect you instead of focusing our full attention on the fire.”

  Mattie faced him once more and came to stand directly before him, her eyes locked with his. “I won’t be a hindrance or a danger if I’m trained properly.”

  “If I don’t train you, are you willing to let the team sustain injuries because of your stubbornness?”

  He knew her too well. She’d never want to be the cause of injuries. If only he would continue to train her, but what could change his mind? She cleared her throat. “Then I suppose I can take the lead on the investigation into Mr. Whitman.”

  “Like hell you will,” Jack growled.

  “What investigation?” her father asked.

  Drat. She’d forgotten they had an audience.

  “Mr. Whitman? Which Mr. Whitman?” Mother pressed.

  Right. Her mother would know Mr. Whitman from her matchmaking attempts with Mattie and Mr. Whitman’s son.

  “I …” How much should she say? Should she tell them what Jack’s father was involved in? Although her parents were old friends with Mr. Taylor, this was a personal matter for Jack and his father.

  She glanced at Jack, and he gave a short nod.

  “When I attended the Whitmans’ dinner party, I overheard Mr. Temple Whitman talking,” she explained.

  “And?” her father prompted.

  “The conversation alluded to the possibility he had something to do with Sam Taylor’s death.”

  Her mother’s brow rose. “Why on earth would he kill Sam?”

  “I have my theories.” That she’d rather not share.

  Her father studied her for several seconds, then looked between her and Jack. “Because of what you heard, you’ve been investigating the matter with Jack?”

  “Yes.”

  “You must have heard wrong,” her mother insisted. “The likes of Mr. Whitman wouldn’t be involved in something so horrific.”

  “Why? Because he’s rich?” Mattie demanded. “Having money doesn’t ensure someone is a good person.”

  “Have you talked to the police about this?” her father asked.

  Jack shook his head. “We don’t have any proof yet. At this point, this is all merely hearsay.”

  “Mattie, you should step back and let Jack find out what happened to his brother,” her mother urged.

  Nonsense. “Sam was my best friend. He meant the world to me. If there’s a chance that his death was the result of foul play, I can’t in all good conscience stand still and let his murderer go unpunished.” She looked to her father, silently pleading for his support.

  Her father scratched is balding pate, a sympathetic look on his face. “I’m sorry. I have to agree with your mother on this.” He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Mattie. “This was left behind after the store was torn apart. It’s addressed to you.”

  She stared down at the one line written there, Jack looking over her shoulder.

  Mind your own business.

  Her throat constricted, and her breath caught. Did Mr. Whitman find out she’d been asking questions about him? Maybe Mrs. Abbott had told him. Her shoulders sagged. Her parents’ store had been ravaged because of her. She surveyed the damage, her stomach tightening into a knot. If her parents had been home at the time, would they have been hurt?

  “Mattie, if you continue to investigate, matters could get worse,” her father warned. “Honestly, I’m worried for your safety.”

  Jack glanced in Mattie’s direction. “Let me protect her.”

  “No, you’re likely in as much danger because of this investigation as she is,” her mother pointed out.

  “You should accept Jack’s offer.” If she needed protection, she’d rather he be the one to stand by her side. “I’m not going to stop looking into Sam’s death. This is too important, so we might as well investigate together and protect each other along the way.”

  “In my mind, this is more dangerous than going to fires.” Her father pointed at the note in Mattie’s hand. “Whitman must feel threatened. If you continue, he could target you specifically. You suspect he had Sam killed, for God’s sake. What if you’re next?”

  “I won’t let that happen,” Jack said, his words solemn.

  Her parents didn’t look convinced. Mattie released a long breath. She understood that they worried about her, but they weren’t listening to what she had to say. Why was it acceptable for Jack to investigate and risk his life but not acceptable for her to do the same? “I’ll figure out whether or not Sam was murdered on my own if I have to.”

  Her father swiped a hand over his face. “She will too.” He uttered a soft curse—a rarity for him. “We’ll be too busy cleaning up this mess and running the store to watch over Mattie.”

  “Maybe we should hire a guard,” her mother suggested.

  Her father nodded. “We could get one for the store. As for Mattie, I’d feel better if Jack kept an eye on her. I trust him. Besides, they have the same goal and are together most of the time already.”

  “What about her becoming a firefighter?” her mother pressed.

  Jack’s gaze connected with Mattie’s. “I’ll train her in case she gets the fool idea to come to fires regardless if she has permission or not.”

  Not exactly the reasoning she’d longed for, but she’d take what she could get. At least he’d train her.

  “I promise, I’ll keep her safe,” Jack vowed. “On the job and from Whitman.”

  “All right,” her father agreed. “When she’s not here, she’s with you.”

  “All right?” Her mother stiffened and turned to Mattie. “I don’t agree. If she keeps investigating, what about the store? What if the next time it’s burned to the ground?”

  “We have to do what’s right. While I worry about Mattie, Sam was like a son to us. We can’t let his death go unpunished.” Her father wrapped an arm around her mother’s shoulders. “As for the store, we’ll do as you suggested and hire a guard.” He gave her shoulders a squeeze. “We’ve weathered worse than this.”

  Her mother set her head against Father’s shoulder. He’d always been able to calm her. Their relationship was one to be envied. They might not agree on all things, but that never affected the trust, respect, and love they had for one another. Some day she wanted a relationship like theirs, with Jack. If only he would agree.

  Her father settled a kiss on her mother’s forehead. “Now get Mattie settled upstairs. She needs rest.”

  Her mother heaved a sigh and took Mattie’s arm.

  “I’ll help you organize things down here,” Jack offered as she and her mother climbed the stairs.

  Mattie entered her bedroom. “I’m sorry about the store.”

  “Never mind that,” her mother demanded a bit tersely as she took the soot-covered firefighter coat from Mattie’s shoulders. “Let’s get you cleaned up and into bed.”

  “I can tend to myself. You don’t have to do it.”

  Her mother slipped the sling from around Mattie’s neck and began working on the buttons securing Mattie’s dress. “You’re injured. I’ll help you, and then you can rest.”

  “The injury isn’t significant.” Despite her insistence, the ache in her shoulder and her exhaustion eroded her will. Perhaps she did need a good night’s sleep.

  Once her mother had divested her of her soiled clothing, Mattie sank onto the bed.

  “You make so light of your injuries,” her mother grumbled, crossing the room and pouring water from a pitcher into an ewer. She dipped a cloth into the water and wrung it out, then joined Mattie once more. “You only decided to train as a firefighter because of Jack Taylor. You should have never been allowed near a fire.”

  Jack would likely say the same thing. He hadn’t wanted her there from the first moment he’d seen her show up for the call.

  Her mother wiped Mattie’s face with firm strokes. “You could have died.” Tears glistened in her mother’s eyes, her posture and expression weary.

  She grasped her mother’s hand, stopping her movements. “But I didn’t die. I’m alive and well.”

  Her mother scoffed and pulled her hand away to resume her ministrations. “Why won’t you stop going to the fire station? And the investigation … I don’t want you to get hurt again.”

  “I know. I don’t mean to make life harder for you.” Yet what could she do? She thought back to the fire and the little boy she’d rescued. “You can’t imagine the feeling of knowing a child’s life was saved because of me. If I hadn’t entered that building tonight, a mother just like you would be mourning the loss of her son right now.”

  “I understand.” Her mother’s shoulders drooped. “I don’t like it, but I understand.”

  This was exactly what she wanted to do with her life—to make a difference in the world. If only she could make her family and Jack see things from her perspective.

  No matter what happened to her in the process, she would never regret her choices. Regret would only come if she held herself back from her full potential.

  As soon as Jack returned to the station, he mentally prepared himself to meet with the foreman. The foreman? Mattie had pointed out his use of that name for his father. When had he started to think of his father that way? No doubt shortly after Sam’s death when his relationship with his father grew tense and distant.

  Jack trudged up the steps, dog-tired after the exertion of fighting the fire and the stress of Mattie’s injury. The foreman … his father would likely scold him for what happened to Mattie. What could he say? He deserved every harsh word.

  His father’s door was already open when he reached the top of the stairs. “Do you have a minute?” he asked his father, who was sitting at his desk.

  His father looked up from the document he’d been reading. “How’s Mattie?”

  “She’s well. Her only significant injury was her shoulder, and the doctor said it should heal in a matter of days.”

  “Good.” His father nodded for a moment then speared him with a hard stare. “Then let’s talk about what happened tonight at the fire.”

  “I told Mattie to stay outside. She didn’t listen.” That lame excuse didn’t hold water with him, and wouldn’t for his father either.

  “Mattie was your responsibility. You should have kept an eye on her. You shouldn’t have let her go into the building.”

  How many times had that same sentiment crossed his mind in the last several hours? Followed by Mattie’s claim that his guilt was unfounded. She didn’t blame him for the predicament she’d found herself in, and likely Sam hadn’t either. If only he could stop blaming himself.

  Uttering an oath, his father shook his head. “She shouldn’t have been at the fire at all. She’s unsuited to firefighting.”

  Jack could imagine Mattie’s indignation at that statement.

  “Her reason for coming here wasn’t even to become a firefighter,” the foreman muttered.

  “What do you mean?”

  His father’s stare turned incredulous. “How could you not know she’s here for you?”

  “Here for me?”

  “She’s been pursuing you.”

  Yes, she had affection for him, but she’d gone through rigorous physical training. He’d made her as miserable as he could. Had she persisted because of him?

  “I suspected as much when she first expressed an interest in firefighting, but observing the two of you together and the way she looks at you … it’s obvious.”

  Annoyance simmered within him as his father’s words sank in. She would risk her life in pursuit of a suitor? Yes, she probably would. Sometimes she could be so foolish. Still, he knew her better than that. Maybe she’d begun training because of her infatuation with him, but she’d put her all into her training and begged for more. No, her motive was no longer to capture his interest, or at least that wasn’t her sole motive anymore. Her desire to become a capable firefighter was apparent. She’d always had a need to help others and to leave her mark on the world. He admired that about her. The way she’d handled her training had impressed him all the more. She was the most determined … the most beautiful and caring woman he’d ever met.

  “She did save a child.” That in itself was praiseworthy.

  “She could have been killed as a result,” the foreman reminded him, his jaw rigid. “You were going to convince her to quit.”

  He had no need to mention Mattie’s stubborn determination. His father would only take that as another excuse.

  The foreman let out a long breath. “Well, this incident should settle things. I’m sure her parents won’t allow her to come back to the station.”

  A reasonable assumption, for someone who forgot they were dealing with the most headstrong woman in Boston. “Actually, she’s going to continue her training.”

  “Her parents agreed to that?”

  “She threatened to go on calls whether she’s fully trained or not.”

  “We can get around that.” The foreman rubbed the side of his neck. “It’s not ideal, but we can have one of our men keep her back from danger if she shows up at a fire.”

  A firefighter from this station? He didn’t know who he could trust anymore. “That won’t be necessary. I’m going to be at her side. When she’s not home, she’ll be with me.”

  “What are you talking about? Why?”

  “The Duncans’ mercantile was ransacked tonight.”

  The foreman rose from his chair. “What? Was anyone hurt?”

  “Thankfully, no, but I’ve spoken to Mattie’s parents, and I’ll be protecting her from here on out.”

  “Because of an isolated break-in? Do they think the thieves will be back?”

  Should he tell him the severity of the situation? Yes, maybe he should. Maybe then his father would open up about how he was involved with Whitman. “A note was left in their store warning Mattie to mind her own business.”

  His father’s pointed stare held an accusing glint. “Who would leave such a note for her and why?”

  “We’ve been investigating Temple Whitman.”

  His father leaned forward on his desk. “Don’t involve yourself in Whitman’s business anymore, and tell Mattie the same. I told you that I have no association with the man.”

  Even after all this, the foreman was still clinging to that lie?

  Jack had lost Sam and, shortly after, his mother. Now he’d almost lost Mattie. He couldn’t let anything happen to his father. “You don’t have to lie to me anymore. Together, we can figure out a way to stop Whitman from threatening you.” More importantly … “We can prove Sam’s death was murder.”

  “Murder,” his father murmured as he sank into his chair once more.

  When Sam died in a situation somewhat similar to Mattie’s, his dad hadn’t chastised him. He’d hadn’t uttered one word of blame. Why? Because he’d known how badly Jack already felt? Or … because he blamed himself for Sam’s death?

  “You can’t get involved.” His father dropped his head into his hand. “I can’t lose another son.”

  “Together we can—”

  “That’s exactly what got Sam killed. He insisted on helping me.”

  Shock stole his breath. “Sam … knew you were working for Whitman? Why didn’t he tell me?”

  His father lifted his head and met Jack’s eyes. “I told him not to.”

  “Why?” Didn’t they trust him?

  His father’s face fell. “I was ashamed. I’m still ashamed. Whitman offered me a bribe when I was at my most vulnerable.” He swiped a hand over his face. “Your mother was so sick. I needed the money. I wasn’t thinking straight. Once I started working for Whitman, he wouldn’t let me go.”

  No, Sam would have told him, right? Maybe eventually. Was that what Sam had wanted to talk to him about the night he died? Not that it mattered anymore.

 

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