LITMIR.BIZ

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gaze traveled up to his gray-green eyes, the color so at odds with his stern demeanor, but just as their stares met, he spun and began barking orders to the onlookers to pull out hoses from their yards and water down the neighboring buildings.

      He took control of the entire crowd, commanding obedience from total strangers. And he did it wearing nothing but boxers. Such domineering behavior would normally be a turnoff for her, but that was exactly what was needed right now. With the drought and the winds, the fire could spread.

      A fire truck rolled to a stop beside them and they were all ushered out of the way while huge hoses were unfolded and hooked up to a hydrant. Lily watched in anguish as the firemen contained the flames. Black smoke billowed into the sky and even before the blaze had been extinguished, she knew. There was no saving her shop. Everything was gone. The only place she’d ever been able to call her own, the fruits of Theo’s legacy to her, lost in minutes.

      A lump of bittersweet memories formed in her throat. Of Theo, so happy, placing the Cracker Jack ring on her left finger in the chapel on the Vegas strip. Of him waving goodbye from the airfield. Despite the grief and guilt, she’d honored his wish and used her survivor benefits to buy the shop. And she’d been happy here.

      But fate was calling her toward a different path now.

      She wiped at the tears and searched for Ethan Grady. A paramedic approached him with oxygen and a blanket. He wrapped the blanket around his waist, but waved off the oxygen, then stepped forward when a Las Vegas police officer approached him to take his statement.

      Another officer questioned her. Without going into details, she explained that the candle had been accidentally knocked over. Every few minutes she glanced back at Ethan to smile in reassurance. This was meant to be. Somehow, this lonely lieutenant colonel’s fate was entwined with hers for a short while along life’s journey.

      Eventually the policemen left, the firemen loaded up their equipment and the truck rolled off. The crowd dispersed, except for Lily’s closest friends.

      Though he didn’t have room, Mist offered to take her in. Dear Mist, with his waist-length dreads and multiple piercings, eyed Ethan suspiciously. But when she told him about her reading with Sunny this morning, he seemed to relax. Sam and Simone had just returned from their bikers’ rally in Reno, and Simone was deathly allergic to cat dander. Sunny, in her muumuu and wild silver hair, nodded reassuringly with a wink and a wiggle of her penciled-in eyebrows.

      And Lieutenant Colonel Ethan Grady … Lily looked over at him, drinking in the firm line of his jaw, the hard glint in his eyes. Even wearing only underwear and a blanket he was formidable. Could she help him?

      She’d been so young when she’d married Theo. Just out of high school. But even then she’d known she had a gift. She could sense things in people—whether they were hurting, and whether she could help heal them. Her talent might be unconventional, but she knew she’d made a difference in many lives. And wasn’t that a person’s ultimate goal in the universe? To help each other?

      Now, it was Ethan’s turn. The black fog of sadness surrounding him stirred something deep inside her. Oh, yes. He needed her.

      Holding her stare with his own, Ethan straightened, as if preparing for battle, and closed the distance between them. His back must have been throbbing in pain, yet he showed no sign of it as he faced her. “Are you all right?”

      “I’m fine. Thank you again for saving Humphrey and Rhett. I was so scared. That was the bravest thing anyone’s ever done for me.”

      “That’s one way to look at it.” He glanced across the street to the charred remains of her shop. “Do you have somewhere to stay tonight?”

      She had the perfect place. If he only knew … “Ethan.” She placed her hand on his arm, gentling him to her touch. “I believe this was a sign.”

      His mouth quirked in derision. “A sign that you should find another line of work?”

      “No, not exactly. I believe karma brought you into my life for a reason.”

      His brows drew together. “Karma?” His tone was intimidating.

      “Yes, you see, the universe is telling me I’m meant to help you.”

      “Please.” He held up his hands as if to ward her off. “Don’t help me.”

      “But you need me. And if I live with you for a short while I can bring your chi back into balance, unblock your—”

      “Live with me?” His mouth tightened into a thin line and he stepped back. “Don’t you have family—someone you can call?”

      She was shaking her head before he’d even finished his questioning. “My only family is my mom, and she lives in San Diego.”

      “What about your friends here?” He gestured to the group surrounding her.

      “Simone is allergic, Sunny has less square footage than my place and Mist has a pet clause in his lease.”

      Ethan shook his own head. “Look, ma’am. I realize this was partially my fault. Let me put you up in a hotel. Why don’t you take—” Ethan reached for a nonexistent back pocket, then his mouth tightened and his jaw muscle ticked. “My wallet was inside.” He eyed her empty arms. “And your purse, too, I guess.”

      “Oh, no. My purse is in my car.”

      “You keep your purse in your car?”

      “Of course. I only need it when I’m going somewhere.”

      He blinked. “Fine. You pay for the hotel and I’ll be glad to reimburse your expenses.”

      She couldn’t help but laugh at that. “I can’t bring Scarlett and Rhett, and Humphrey and—”

      “Right,” he interrupted. “No hotel.” As he looked around at all the animals, a hint of panic settled into his expression.

      She grinned, triumphant. Of course the cosmos wouldn’t have taken away everything she owned without a reason. “You see? It’s karma. And you can’t argue with karma.”

      “Watch me,” he grunted as he half turned away, looking like a man desperate to escape.

      “Ethan,” she said, bringing his attention back to her. She was starting to worry. Would he truly refuse her? She had to convince him. “I don’t have anywhere else to go.”

      He made a noise that sounded like a low feral growl. Then he stared at the ground a moment until finally he let out a resigned breath. “I can’t believe I’m going to do this.” He spun on his heel and headed for a large black SUV parked a block down the street. “You can follow in your car.”

      She motioned for her friends to bring the rest of her pets, picked up Bette’s cage and followed.

      But the lieutenant colonel stopped short at the door to his SUV. His keys were probably with his wallet in the pocket of his uniform pants, along with whatever else he carried. All of it incinerated now. Of course, the military officer was prepared. He reached under the chassis and pulled out a magnetic spare key box.

      Silently directing Mist and Sunny to load her loved ones into her orange 1989 Toyota—affectionately known as The Pumpkin—parked in the alley, Lily rose up on her tiptoes to give Ethan a peck on the cheek. “Thank you.”

      He ground his teeth, took Bette’s birdcage from her and placed it in his backseat. “This is just for a couple of days, until we can sort this mess out.”

      A couple of days? Oh, she had a feeling this project would take a bit longer than that.

       2

      LILY OPENED HER EYES slowly and rolled to her back. It wasn’t quite dawn, but enough light filtered through the builder-grade blinds to remind her where she was. Bare beige walls. Plain white ceiling fan. She was in Ethan’s bedroom. Where he’d insisted

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